VOGELTOWN SCHOOL TE KURA O HUATOKI

What a fantastic morning we had for our school cross country!

Our message to the children before the first race was simple: “The only person you’re racing is yourself.” While cross country naturally has a competitive element, success looks different for every child. For some, the goal may have been to earn a placing or beat last year’s result . For others, it may have been to run the course without stopping or simply make it across the finish line. What we wanted most was that every child could walk away feeling proud of their effort.

And there was certainly plenty to be proud of! Across all of our races, we saw plenty of determination and perseverance! Completing a cross country isn't easy, and that is part of what makes reaching the finish line such an achievement.

A huge thank you goes to our team leaders for the awesome setup on the morning. The flags, course markings and the start/finish area made Vogeltown Park look like the venue for a very official cross-country event!

We were also incredibly grateful for the support of our parent and whānau volunteers - especially since they gave up the opportunity to simply watch their own children race to be a marshal on the course.

It was also fantastic to see so many parents and whānau gathered around the start and finish area. The cheering, encouragement and applause add so much to an event like this. Our tamariki get so much more from these experiences when they know someone is there watching, encouraging them and recognising their effort.

A big thank you also goes to our staff, who did a wonderful job preparing the children, getting everyone down and back to school safely, and keeping things running smoothly and safely throughout the morning.

All in all, it was a very successful day, where even the weather decided to play its part!

Our attention now turns to the New Plymouth Cross Country Championships. We are busy organising our school team and will be in touch shortly with the parents and whānau of those children who will be representing Vogeltown School | Te Kura o Huatoki.

Ka rawe tamariki mā — whatever your goal was, we hope you walked away proud of what you achieved!

Results as follows:

This week, our leadership team spent time working with Nik House from Leading Learning, looking at how we can continue to strengthen our approach to behaviour across our school.

One of the strongest messages from the session was that supporting positive behaviour isn't simply about responding when something goes wrong. Instead, it is about creating the environment, relationships, routines and expectations that help children make positive choices in the first place.

Research shared during the session highlighted that children are more likely to develop positive behaviours when they are directly taught what these look like and receive specific, positive feedback when they demonstrate them.

A big part of this starts with relationships. Knowing our tamariki well helps us understand what might trigger challenging behaviour, recognise when a child may need support, and respond in ways that help de-escalate rather than intensify a situation.

Another important theme was consistency. Children benefit from knowing what is expected of them, regardless of which classroom or area of the school they are in. Clear routines and predictable expectations help children feel safe, while an aligned approach amongst adults means our messages to children are consistent.

There was also plenty of discussion about how we respond when behaviour does go wrong. Consequences still have a place, but they need to be meaningful and connected to the behaviour rather than simply being a punishment. Equally important is understanding what happened beforehand, why the behaviour may have occurred, and what a child needs to learn or do differently next time.

Ultimately, we want all Vogeltown children to experience a school that is safe and caring - a place where they know what is expected, where positive choices are recognised, and where mistakes become opportunities to learn.

Kia ora whānau,

We’re starting to think about our Term 4 hāngī, and we’d love your help to make it happen!

We’re looking for parent and whānau volunteers to support all parts of the process – from preparation, to placing and lifting the hāngī, to serving the food on the day. We had great support last year and we’re keen to continue building this so that this event becomes more sustainable for the future.

Whether you’re a seasoned hāngī hand or just keen to lend a hand, we’d love to hear from you. If you have experience and can guide others or take the lead in certain areas, even better!

If you can help us out please add your details using the link below. We’ll be in touch closer to the time with more information.

https://forms.gle/u3YwYV7xXoasWzmn6

Ngā mihi nui,
The Vogeltown School Team

Last week, Room 13 had a wonderful opportunity to head out of the classroom and explore the Huatoki Reserve with our fantastic tour guides.

The children were encouraged to slow down, take their time and look closely at the world around them. They were fascinated by the many things they discovered along the track, from tiny plants growing at the edge of the path to the impressive, towering rimu tree. One of the highlights was heading off the track to visit this very large emergent rimu.

The children did an amazing job on what was quite a long walk and showed great curiosity and enthusiasm throughout the experience. Even a brief rain shower added to the feeling of being in a real rainforest!

We are so lucky to have such a rich natural environment right on our doorstep, providing wonderful opportunities for our children to learn, explore and connect with nature.

A huge thank you to Bill for sharing his knowledge and giving Room 13 such a memorable experience. We really appreciate it!

Riley de Villiers, Zander McDonald, Rosie Lovell, Haizleiye Gear, Dani Raison, Byron Hawkridge, Abigail Stevenson, Jasper Meredith, Jayden McDonald, Nico O'Neill, Adam Erne, Emerson Atkins, Otinga Repia, Arnie Zimmermann, Carla Visagie, Oscar Bird, Naomi Rowe-D'Ath, Hana Hunt, Isabelle Penberth, Luke Ackerman, Dylan Hall, Zhenya Jumashev, Scarlett Beamsley, Oliver Penberth, Meer Patel, Bree Donnelly, Trevor Daming, Frankie McLean, Elijah Greenhill, Macson Korff, Ava Looms.

Ka mau te wehi!

There is a lot of messaging about improving school attendance, however, if your child is unwell, the best place for them to be is at home.

While we love seeing all children at school every day, trying to push through a nasty cough or a winter cold, rarely works out. A child who isn’t feeling well struggles to focus, tires quickly, and misses out on the fun of learning. Resting up at home means they recover faster and can come back to school ready to learn.

When bugs spread through a classroom, they sometimes reach our teachers too. Keeping children at home who are unwell means all children have their regular teachers in front of them.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep everyone at school healthy and safe.

When we have days like today it feels like summer sports are just around the corner. And they are!! Registrations for Term 4 sports are now live on our Kindo Shop. Please sign in to your Kindo account to check the details on each sport. Some of the registration cut-off dates vary so please check the details carefully.

Options available are:

Summer Soccer - $23 - Games are played Tuesday nights from 5.30pm

Kiwi/Softaball Cricket - $15/$20 - Games are played Friday nights from 5.30pm

Summer Hockey - $43/$53 - Games are played Saturday mornings

Touch Rugby - $35 - Games are played on a Monday from 3.45pm

Netball (Yr0-2) - Free - Games are played on a Wednesday from 3.45pm

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me on michelle.sleep@vogeltown.school.nz

Kia ora whānau,

We have two amazing fundraisers happening right now.

The first is our Spring Seed Fundraiser. Your child will have taken a form home this week with all the details. There is a great variety of seeds available and it's a great activity to do with your children. Orders close this Monday 31 August.

Our second fundraiser is Kids Artworks. Forms went home with all children this week. You can order calendars, cards, diaries, mouse mats and sketch pads. We have samples of all of these at the senior office if you would like to have a look. We have just opened a second round of orders, and these will close off on Monday 7th September.

We also have our pizza lunch happening on Wednesday 9th September - you can order using our Kindo shop. Orders must be in by Monday 7th September at 8pm.

Thank you for supporting these fundraisers!

Thank you for your support for Daffodil Day, we raised just over $300 which will be donated directly to the Cancer Society. It was great to see so much yellow at our kura today!

The Weet-Bix Kids Tryathlon is being held in New Plymouth on Tuesday 23rd March 2027. If you would like to enter your child, you can click the link below which will add them to the Vogeltown School group. As part of the group you can choose for your child's entry pack to be delivered to your home or to school. More details will be available closer to the time.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__raceroster.com_registration_cd47b9a1-2Df6e4-2D43b1-2D94a4-2D58fff300a914_entry-3Fteam-3D1052174&d=DwQFaQ&c=_Zm2Kb9yJrso4r0-N78Ezl-a6DfgMbIISn5tZXXqWk4&r=zXnw6m0wNCL2eSmp7WJj6TkKKARmg3zpFcVvnXeBNENGQ_9nGttkIR3_tiobu1LI&m=52UCg6rCBDozqpcM76frGnE7L6PMnhm1Fliu_yytbwaS_FDueoP6A5viuR0H1Dsl&s=KqO6Edv0HfnsPafr9x2dgYPZGN0YmVjVe3kKgugFm4k&e=

https://raceroster.com/registration/cd47b9a1-f6e4-43b1-94a4-58fff300a914/entry?team=1052174

It is important that we know if you have a child starting school sometime in the remainder of this year. This will allow us to put organisation in place for new students - especially for those beginning school, and to understand our predicted roll throughout the year.

You can do this by contacting the office to confirm that we have your child on our records, or by completing an enrolment form (which can be collected from the school or downloaded off our website).

If you know of anyone else living in zone that may be looking to enrol then please share this message with them.

TERM CALENDAR

Put all these dates in your diary or your phone! Remember we will put all updates on Facebook and Skool Loop.

TERM 3 2026

31 August: Spring Seed Fundraiser - last day for orders

4 September: Four Year Old Friday, 10:15am - 11:15am, junior school

7 September: Kids Artworks Fundraiser - last day for orders

8 September: BOT Meeting, 6pm, senior staffroom

9 September: Pizza Lunch Day - orders close Monday 7th September at 8pm

11 September: Carrington Shield Interschool vs Central School, at Central

14 September: New Plymouth Schools Cross Country, Vogeltown Park

18 September: Four Year Old Friday, 10:15am - 11:15am, junior school

23 September: Junior Production - Matinee @ 1:30pm, Evening Performance @ 5:30pm

25 September: Last day of Term 3

TERM 4 2026

12th October: First day of Term 4

Thank you for the ongoing support of Vogeltown School, we really appreciate the efforts everyone makes to ensure our kura is such a great place to learn and work!

On behalf of the Vogeltown team, ka kite ano! Have a great weekend!

The VS team

Email: office@vogeltown.school.nz
Website: www.vogeltown.school.nz
Location: Vogeltown School Huatoki Street, Vogeltown, New Plymouth, New Zealand
Phone: (06) 753 6843

Our school policies, like many schools, are now in an online system through a portal called 'Schooldocs'. Any time you want to bring up a school policy, just log in to schooldocs and you can access the policies.

The login is: vogeltown

The password: huatoki

Website link to Schooldocs.