VOGELTOWN SCHOOL TE KURA O HUATOKI
WEEK 4, TERM 4, 2026
FROM RYVES - THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ARTS AT SCHOOL
In a world increasingly shaped by technology, The Arts have never been more important for our children. While digital tools offer wonderful opportunities for learning, they can also encourage children to become consumers rather than creators. Instead, the Arts provide a valuable balance, encouraging children to use their imaginations, think independently, and express themselves in original ways.
Whether through music, drama, dance or visual art, children learn to take creative risks, explore ideas, collaborate and develop confidence. Importantly, The Arts also play a significant role in supporting children's emotional wellbeing.
The Arts are also an important part of trauma-informed education. Creative experiences can help children regulate their emotions, build positive relationships and express feelings that may be difficult to put into words. They provide opportunities for children to develop confidence and strengthen their sense of belonging.
At Vogeltown School, we believe The Arts are not simply an enjoyable addition to learning but an essential part of developing well-rounded, confident and creative young people. This has been wonderfully demonstrated by all three of our teams through their productions of Kuwi the Kiwi, A Night at the Art Gallery, and Where the Wild Things Are. These performances have given our tamariki opportunities to be creative, challenge themselves, work together and experience the pride of sharing something special with their parents and whānau.
PAETOKI PRODUCTION: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
A huge congratulations to our Paetoki team for their wonderful production of Where the Wild Things Are. One of the real strengths of this performance was the way roles were shared and rotated across classrooms, with children taking turns as Max, narrators, and The Wild Things, alongside the class dances. It was fantastic to see so many children given the opportunity to take the stage in roles that suited their confidence and strengths.
There were some lovely moments, from the sneaky waves to whānau in the audience, to children throwing themselves wholeheartedly into their dancing and speaking parts. It was also great to see children managing scene changes and helping the show run smoothly. There really was something for everyone, and that is what made this production so special.
A big thank you to our Paetoki teachers involved in bringing this production to life - Susannah Pitcairn, Britt Webling, Simon Gibson, Shaunice van Dyk and Matt Goodwin. At an incredibly busy time of the year, they have worked together so effectively, sharing responsibilities and combining their talents to create a memorable performance. A wonderful example of teamwork and what can be achieved when everyone contributes towards a shared goal.
CLASSES FOR 2027
We are beginning to turn our attention to making up classes for 2027. This process requires thought and time as we put together groups of children in what we consider to be the best combinations for learning and behaviour.
Big ideas:
- The classes represent the best mix for all children in the year group. With this being our priority, while individual considerations are important, the dynamics of the whole group comes first.
- All children deserve the opportunity to have academic and social role models within their rooms.
Guidelines:
- A balance of male and female students.
- An equitable representation of different year groups (within any composite classes).
- All children need to be given the right to work with all learners. With this in mind, there may be occasions we consider it to be important to separate some children from current friendship groups. All children will have at least one other student they can connect with.
- Children requiring learning or behaviour support are spread throughout all classes. High achieving learners spread throughout all classes. For all learners, we try to ensure there is at least one other like-minded person with them to facilitate group teaching opportunities.
If you have a child due to start school next year and have not yet enrolled them, then please contact the office to get enrolment forms sorted. If your child is not going to be attending Vogeltown School next year then please also let the office know.
FOOD DONATIONS FOR OUR HĀNGĪ
We are just one week out from our school hāngī!
As in previous years, the kai we share on the day is made possible through the generous donations of our community. We truly rely on these contributions to make the hāngī a success, and we appreciate your support.
If you are able to contribute any of the items listed below, please arrange to drop donations of food to the school office:
- Potatoes
- Kūmara
- Pumpkins
- Onions
- Fresh whole chickens (no chicken pieces please)
- Beef rolls (boneless)
- Pork rolls (boneless)
- Pork shoulders
- Mutton/lamb roasts
For storage purposes:
- Vegetables can be brought to school from Tuesday 11th November.
- Meat (fresh - not frozen please) can be brought on Thursday 12th November.
For every item brought in, your child will receive a token for their whānau.
HĀNGĪ ORGANISATION
A huge thank you to those who have offered to help with this year’s hāngī, especially with the change in the date to ensure we had some experienced people available to guide us.
We’re very fortunate to have Dave Hare and Levi McPhee helping with our hāngī preparations and guiding us through this process. We have Britt Webling working her magic behind the scenes with the overall organisation and our team of Year 6 teachers supporting with preparations on Thursday evening before and early the next morning!
Hangi timeline (subject to adjustments on the day):
Thursday, 6:00pm: Year 6 students arrive and set up bedding
Thursday, 7:00pm: Hangi preparations begin - time to arrive for parent helpers not already here
Friday, 4:00am: Fire lit by school staff
Friday, 7:00am - 7:30 am: Stones placed in pit along with food
Friday, 12:00pm – 1:00pm: Food removed from pit and prepared for serving
Friday, 1:30pm - 2:30pm: Food served to parents and whānau
Friday, 2:30pm – 3:00pm: Tidy up
Preparation details:
Preparing the hāngī pit and food (evening before):
Year 6 students will arrive at school at 6:00pm, with hāngī preparation due to start at 7:00pm. We’ll need help supervising and supporting the children as they chop pumpkin, kūmara, and potatoes, and pack these into baskets. Some helpers will also assist with packing the meat, and making the stuffing. With Dave’s and Levi's help, the wood and stones will also need to be readied for lighting early the next morning.
Monitoring the fire, laying stones, placing and covering the food (morning)
The teachers will get the fire going about 4:00am. You're welcome to arrive from 5:00am, to help monitor the fire as it burns and heats the stones. This will allow teachers to step away and ensure the hall is cleared of belongings and breakfast is ready. There will be children present, so safety will be a key focus.
Once the stones are hot, they’ll be transferred into the hāngī pit - please bring a spade, protective clothing, and footwear.
Under Dave’s and Levi's guidance, the baskets will then be placed into the pit and covered.
Removing the food baskets
The hāngī will be lifted sometime between 12:00pm and 1:00pm. We’ll need help to uncover and remove the baskets from the pit. These will then be moved over to the classes to be readied for serving.
Preparing the food for serving
Please be at school soon after 12:00pm to help break down the meat and portion vegetables into trays. If possible, we’d love help to serve our whānau from 1:30pm – 2:30pm.
Tidy up
If anyone is available to help tidy up at the end we'd be grateful too!
We warmly invite you, our Vogeltown whānau, to join us for some kai. To help reduce waste, we kindly ask that you bring your own plates and utensils.
It’s the help of our whānau that makes this event so special each year. If you are free or know someone else who’d be able to lend a hand, then please come along!
Ngā mihi ki a koutou!
PUANGA FESTIVAL - UPDATE
VOGELTOWN SCHOOL TALENT QUEST - COMING SOON!
SCHOOL PHOTOS - PHOTOLIFE
Please keep a look out in your emails in the next few weeks, as you will receive an email directly from Photolife with all the information on how to order. We will also let you know in the newsletter when the emails have been sent out.
HOME AND SCHOOL UPDATE
FINAL CALL FOR COOKIE ORDERS! ORDERS DUE IN KINDO BY TUESDAY 10TH NOVEMBER
CHEERLEADING SUCCESS
Congratulations to Mikaela, Milla, Aubrey and Quinn, who are cheerleaders at Wild Cheer and Tumble.
They recently competed in the Super Nationals competition in Auckland, and were awarded 3rd placing for the first day and 5th place overall for their division.
He tino pai tō mahi!
WEET-BIX KIDS TRYATHLON
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.
IMPORTANT DATES
TERM CALENDAR
Put all these dates in your diary or your phone! Remember we will put all updates on Facebook and Skool Loop.
TERM 4 2026
9 November: Talent quest auditions start
12 November: Year 6 hāngī sleepover
13 November: Hāngī day
13 November: Four Year Old Friday, 10:15am to 11:15am, junior school
16 November: Cohort 2 New Entrants first day
16 November: Pizza Orders close at 8pm - orders to be placed on Kindo
17 November: Property Brokers 'Pack the Bus' visit to Vogeltown School
18 November: Pizza Lunch Day
27 November: Four Year Old Friday, 10:15am to 11:15am, junior school
1 December: BOT Meeting, 6:30pm
10 December: Year 6 Leavers Assembly, 5:30pm, school hall
11 December: Four Year Old Friday, 10:15am to 11:15am, junior school
15 December: Final day of school for the year, school finishes at 3pm as normal
KA KITE ANO WHĀNAU
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
VOGELTOWN SCHOOL CONTACTS
Email: office@vogeltown.school.nz
Website: www.vogeltown.school.nz
Location: Vogeltown School Huatoki Street, Vogeltown, New Plymouth, New Zealand
Phone: (06) 753 6843
SCHOOLDOCS - VOGELTOWN POLICIES
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.
