VOGELTOWN SCHOOL TE KURA O HUATOKI

If you walked past the hall at lunchtime recently, you would have heard the thwack of a foam ball, followed by the cheer of kids involved in interclass dodgeball. Dodgeball fever has hit Vogeltown as an interclass activity! And while it might look like chaos on the court, a quick peak under the hood reveals that our kids are doing plenty of learning during every single game - one dodge, duck, dip, and dive at a time!

Life lessons from the dodgeball court…

#1: Adapt quickly. If a soft foam ball comes flying at you, sitting still is rarely the answer. Reading the room, reacting fast, and ducking when necessary are brilliant survival skills in any space.

#2: Strategic retreats can help. Sometimes, taking a step back isn't giving up or giving in - it’s just buying time or saving yourself so you can throw again.

#3: Accountability counts. There’s no hiding on the court. Getting hit teaches us to own our moments, and cheer from the sidelines until it is our turn again.

We’re also living our I.R.O.C.K. values…

Inclusive: Whether you're a seasoned dodgeball player or a first-timer holding a ball, everyone gets a throw. Inclusivity on the court means making sure everyone gets to join the fun.

Respect: Showing true respect means high-fiving the other team and following the ref’s calls without a fuss.

Original: We are seeing some wonderfully original moves out there - proving there is no single "right way" to dodge a ball!

Courage: Stepping up as the last player standing or catching a fast-moving ball to bring a teammate back into the game is courage in action.

Kind: The referee can’t catch everything. Seeing our children voluntarily walk off because they know they were hit - even when no one else saw - is kindness at it’s finest.

So, if your child comes home talking about magic catches, dives, or laser like throws, know that by having some dodgeball fun, they’re taking another step towards being a great Vogeltowner!

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

To help our cross country run smoothly next week, we are looking for a team of parent and whānau volunteers who are happy to be a marshal around the course. Having volunteers available means our teachers can remain with their classes and support them throughout the event. At this time we only have 8 volunteers and need 14 people.

If you are available to lend a hand, we would greatly appreciate your support. You can let us know that you can help by following the link below and completing your details.

Volunteer here: https://forms.gle/ANQv3JCXSt8re8bt8

We will send out an email (using the address entered on the form) on Monday with details.

Our school cross country is taking place on Tuesday 25th August at Vogeltown Park, Carrington St. The postponement day is Thursday 27th August.

We are holding the event at Vogeltown Park to make use of a local space that works great for this event. Vogeltown Park is also ideal for our older tamariki to become familiar with the location, because the New Plymouth Cross Country championships will be held there later in the term.

It is important to us that everyone gives this event a go. Success will look different for each child - it’s not about being the fastest, but about putting in their best effort. For children who are unable to participate, they will either accompany their class to support others or, depending on their age, help out with jobs on the day.

We are hoping to start the first race (10 year old girls) sometime between 9:45am and 10:00am. Please check the notice that has been sent home today for the race order. To be sure of seeing your child, we recommend that you arrive in time for the first race of the day.

The entire school will be walking to Vogeltown Park and back to school afterwards. They must come to school wearing shoes for the walk, however they can run their race in bare feet if they wish. Children will walk to Vogeltown Park with their school bags with their lunchbox, drink bottle, and clothes to suit the weather.

We’d love to have you there supporting and encouraging our tamariki. If you are planning to join us, we do ask that all children remain within their designated seated areas. Last year, it became difficult for our teachers to safely supervise and account for all children when some were encouraged to move away to sit with parents or whānau. We really appreciate your support and cooperation with this.

If you do not want your child to walk, you can contact the school in advance to let them know that you will be responsible for getting them to and from Vogeltown Park. All children will walk back together to continue their normal school day after the last event has finished.

If you have any questions regarding this event, please talk to your child’s teacher.

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.

If you missed out on an order form, please contact the school office and we will get one to you. Orders close on 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. Orders close on Monday 24th August.

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!

Next Friday 28th August is Daffodil Day.

Daffodil Day is the Cancer Society’s most iconic and much-loved fundraising campaign.

The money raised on Daffodil Day helps cancer patients and their families (whānau) get the care and practical support they need; from crucial help getting to treatment via a free driving service, through to specialist nursing and psychology support, and accommodation for those needing life-saving treatment far from home.

Daffodil Day is also about donating in order to protect future generations of New Zealanders by helping to fund world-leading cancer research and vital prevention programmes.

At Vogeltown School, we are supporting Daffodil Day by wearing anything yellow, and collecting donations which will be given directly to the Cancer Society.

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

24 August: Cohort Entry #2 starts

24 August: Kids Artworks Fundraiser - last day for orders

25 August: VS Cross Country, Vogeltown Park

27 August: VS Cross Country (postponement date)

28 August: Daffodil Day - dress in yellow, gold coin donation appreciated

31 August: Spring Seed Fundraiser - last day for orders

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

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

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

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.