VOGELTOWN SCHOOL TE KURA O HUATOKI

For our Year 6 tamariki, the move to intermediate is getting closer - especially with enrolment processes already underway! While it’s an exciting milestone, it can also bring a few nerves as children prepare for a new environment, new teachers, different routines and a much bigger group of students.

There are some simple things parents and whānau can do over the coming months to help make the transition a positive one. A little preparation now can help them arrive on day one feeling confident, organised and ready for what lies ahead:

• Talk positively about the new school and support your child to see intermediate as an exciting next step. Reassure them that a mix of excitement and nerves is completely normal.
• Connect with older students who can share their experiences and tips about the first few weeks.
• Build independence now – being at intermediate brings greater responsibility. Support your child to take greater responsibility for organising themselves at home and at school.
• Become familiar with the new school. Make the most of open evenings, orientation visits and other opportunities to visit. Knowing where important places are and having some familiar faces can take away a lot of uncertainty on the first day.
• Support friendships. Encourage your child to keep positive friendships and be open to making new ones in a bigger school environment.
• Keep communicating - If there is something about your child that their new school needs to know - learning, friendships, health, wellbeing - make sure you share it. Schools would much rather know early so they can plan appropriate support.

At Vogeltown School, we play an active role in preparing our Year 6 children for this transition. We complete transition forms to help with class placements, meet with Highlands Intermediate staff to share information about each child, and our students are also visited by Mr Luff and some of the Highlands student leaders, who provide a glimpse into intermediate life. In addition, all Year 6 children attend an open day, and for those who may benefit from extra support, we arrange additional visits to help them feel confident, familiar, and comfortable in their new surroundings.

If you have any questions then start by talking with our Year 5/6 teachers - I’m sure they’ll be able to help.

There’s a bit of a hidden gem waiting to be discovered in our Huatoki corridor! Our children have been exploring the work of famous artists, taking inspiration from their styles, techniques, and ideas before creating their own unique pieces. The result is a colourful and creative collection that showcases plenty of imagination and artistic flair.

Next time you’re at school, don’t just walk past - come in, wander the Huatoki corridor and take a few minutes to enjoy their very own art gallery. Have a closer look, find a favourite, and see if you can spot the famous artists who inspired each piece. We think you’ll be impressed by what you discover!

Kia ora whānau,

We’re already planning our Term 4 hāngī, and we need your help!

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. So far we only have four volunteers and need more people to help make this a successful event.

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

A reminder that interschool cross country is coming up on Monday 14 September at Vogeltown Park, with Tuesday 15 September as the postponement date. We have a great group of Vogeltown runners representing our school, and we wish them all the very best!

Racing gets underway at 12.30 pm, beginning with the 9-year-old girls, followed by the other age groups at approximately 15 minute intervals. Families and whānau are very welcome to come along, find a spot around the course and cheer on our Vogeltown runners-it would be fantastic to see plenty of school support there!

For families of children competing: we will leave school at 11.30 am and walk the course at 12.00 pm. All children are expected to remain for the duration of the event to support their teammates, and we will walk back to school together afterwards. Come dressed for the weather and we will provide each runner with a Vogeltown shirt to compete in.

Approximate race times:

12.30 pm – 9-year-old girls

12.45 pm – 9-year-old boys

1.00 pm – 10-year-old girls

1.15 pm – 10-year-old boys

1.30 pm – 11-year-old girls

1.45 pm – 11-year-old boys

Come along, make some noise and help us get behind our Vogeltown runners!

In our syndicate dodgeball competition, Room 13 were the Huatoki winners and Room 8 were the Paetoki winners. Congratulations!

Room 13 went through the competition undefeated, after beating Room 14 in the final. Room 8 finished qualifying in 4th spot and went on to be the top seeds in their semifinal before beating Room 12 in the final.

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.

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 5.15pm

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 are still taking orders for the Kids Artworks. Forms have been sent home with all children. 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. Our second and final round of orders 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!

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

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

22 September: Year 5 Road Patrol Training

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.