VOGELTOWN SCHOOL TE KURA O HUATOKI

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa,

Welcome back to another exciting term of learning at Vogeltown School. We hope the break provided time to rest, reconnect, and enjoy moments together as whānau. As we launch into this new term, we look forward to all the learning, growth, and opportunities that lie ahead for our children.

A whakataukī that speaks strongly to us at this time is:

“Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.”

My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective.

This reminds us that the success of our children is not the work of one, but of many - teachers, whānau, and the wider community working together. When we are actively involved in our children’s learning - showing interest, asking questions, celebrating progress, and supporting the school - we create the conditions for them to thrive.

At Vogeltown School, we value the strong partnerships we have with our community. Your support, encouragement, and presence make a real difference. Whether it’s through conversations at home, attending events, or engaging with learning, you play a vital role in your child’s journey.

Together, as a connected and supportive community, we will continue to Haere whakamua - Go forward.

Just a reminder that school will be closed on Monday 27th April. We look forward to welcoming our learners back to school on Tuesday 28th April.

Yesterday we welcomed our newest students and their families into our school community. It was wonderful to have them join us for our pōwhiri - an important time for building connections and belonging.

A special thank you to our student leaders who took on key roles in the pōwhiri, including our kaikaranga, speakers for tangata te whenua and manuhiri, and those leading the haka pōwhiri. Your leadership continues to shine through!

The introduction of Oxford Maths in our classrooms is now underway, and the early signs are encouraging. It has been reassuring to hear the professional conversations taking place among our teachers - sharing how things are going and working together to problem-solve along the way.

This approach to teaching mathematics represents a significant shift from previous practice. Some of the key differences include: year-level teaching, a very structured weekly sequence of learning, the use of pre and post assessments, daily review, explicit teaching of concepts, and flexible groupings that provide opportunities for both guided and independent practice.

To ensure our teachers feel well supported, we will continue to meet regularly within teams and as a whole staff throughout the term. I am really proud of how our teachers have embraced this new learning and the effort they are making to implement it.

Once we have had more time to embed this, we will host an evening for parents and whānau. This will be an opportunity to share more about the new curriculum expectations and what Oxford Maths looks like in the classroom.

Room 4 are getting started with Oxford Maths and learning about mass and how to use scales. The children have been highly engaged, especially with the hands-on activities and follow-up work in their student books.

Our ANZAC Assembly, led by our class representatives, was a nice way to honour the significance of ANZAC Day, while making connections to our school values.

We are keen to ensure any issues or concerns are resolved at the lowest level possible. Anyone who has one should raise it as soon as possible with the most appropriate person. This is usually the staff member directly involved.

Simply contact the person involved to arrange a time to discuss the matter privately. Indicate what the concern is about and let them know if you’ll bring a support person to the meeting. Be prepared to listen to different points of view and try to work towards a resolution. In some cases, finding a resolution may require another meeting and/or involve senior management.

If you have a concern about a student who is not your child, our school policy is that you contact the school rather than approaching the student or their whānau directly. Please speak with an appropriate staff member, share what has happened, and we will take some time to look into the situation and get back to you.

We love celebrating the individual efforts of our children who are reading outside of school hours. It’s been fantastic to see so many of our tamariki earning certificates!

We award certificates for every 25 nights of reading completed. These certificates are handed out during syndicate assemblies, with special recognition given in whole school assemblies to milestone achievements like 100 and 200 nights.

A night is a minimum of 10 minutes reading for children in the Taranaki syndicate, 15 minutes for children in the Huatoki syndicate, and 20 minutes for students in the Paetoki syndicate. With certificates being regularly given out it is important that children are having their reading signed off by a parent at home on a daily basis.

We are still on the hunt for some keen parent helpers for our pedestrian crossing!

If you have some free time in the mornings or afternoon to help get our kids safely across the road then please contact Laura (laura.seed@vogeltown.school.nz) or the school office.

Road patrol in the morning is from 8:15am - 9:00am and ideally, we're looking for parents and whānau who can commit to this for the term. Times we are looking to fill include Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings; and Monday and Thursday afternoons.

TERM CALENDAR

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

TERM 1 2026

27 April: ANZAC Day Observed - SCHOOL CLOSED

28 April: Tackle 5's Rugby Tournament @ Hickford Park

29 April: Interschool Sports vs Woodleigh School at Vogeltown School

6 May: Home and School Committee AGM

12 May: Interschool Sports vs Oakura School at Vogeltown School

15 May: Four Year Old Friday, 10:15am - 11:15am

29 May: Four Year Old Friday, 10:15am - 11:15am

2 June: Cohort #2 New Entrants start school

3 June: Young Leaders Day, Palmerston North

9 June: Interschool Sports vs Welbourn School at Vogeltown School

12 June: Four Year Old Friday, 10:15am - 11:15am

26 June: Four Year Old Friday, 10:15am - 11:15am

2 July: Final day of Term 2

3 July: Teacher Only day - School Closed

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.

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