VOGELTOWN SCHOOL TE KURA O HUATOKI
WEEK 11, TERM 2, 2026
We are delighted to welcome Miss Sophie Cleaver to Vogeltown School. Sophie will be joining our junior school team at the beginning of Term 3, working alongside our newest students as they begin their learning journey with us.
Sophie comes to us from an early childhood education setting, bringing valuable experience in supporting young children as they transition into school. Her background makes her ideally placed to help our newest learners.
We look forward to formally welcoming Sophie and our new students at our pōwhiri next term and are excited to have her as part of the Vogeltown School community.
Kia ora. My name is Sophie and I am very excited to be joining the Vogeltown teaching team in Term 3.
I have a background in working in early childhood education and am currently working as an ECE teacher at Jumpstart Preschool, with tamariki aged 3.5 to 5 years. Supporting tamariki as they transition to school is where my passion lies. I love building strong relationships with tamariki and whānau and creating a warm, safe environment where tamariki feel happy, supported and eager to learn.
My connection to Vogeltown is through my son, Bodhi, who is in Year 4. He has had such a positive start to his schooling here, and it has been really nice to see the strong sense of community that makes Vogeltown so special. I’m excited to now be part of that community as both a parent and a teacher.
Outside of teaching, I enjoy spending time with my family and keeping active. I have a background in basketball and netball and currently coach netball at New Plymouth Girls’ High School.
I am really excited to meet the tamariki and whānau and becoming part of the Vogeltown community.
It has been my job to help get our Year 6 children ready to move on to their next adventure to go to intermediate. To move them on, to prepare them or give them the skills, to go forward, to be confident, to be ready for the next stage in their lives. We celebrate the end of the year by having an assembly like this but with all their parents. They have to write a little speech about their time at Vogeltown School and to thank the people who helped them along the way, I encourage them to think of special memories so I thought I'd do the same.
Hi, I'm Rachel, and for the last 20 years I've had the privilege of calling Vogeltown School home.
Some of my favourite memories have been our school camps, especially the team mud run at Vertical Horizon, what a team! I'll never forget our marae sleepovers, the girls' trips to Wellington, and those freezing mid-winter swims that somehow always seemed like a good idea at the time.
Then there were the hāngī sleepovers, where we may or may not have covered Mr Luff's car in toilet paper... although, if I'm honest, I think a few staff cars became works of art over the years! Those moments of laughter, teamwork, and shared adventures are memories I'll treasure forever.
As you may have noticed, it wasn't the paperwork, the planning, or the report writing that I loved most about this place. It most definitely is the people and, most of all, the kids.
I loved taking students beyond the classroom, giving them experiences that would excite them, challenge them, and encourage them to push themselves, while challenging me to be a better teacher too. I loved the adventures we shared as a school and watching my class proudly guide their buddy class with confidence and kindness.
Some of my favourite memories include the handwritten school productions and working alongside the incredibly talented Whaea Raewyn to prepare our kapa haka team for the Puanga competitions. Seeing their hard work rewarded with success was something truly special.
I'll never forget watching senior students who dreaded social dancing gradually mature, overcome their discomfort, and learn to relax and feel safe with someone in their personal space. Moments like those reminded me that education is about so much more than academics, it's about helping young people grow in confidence and character.
I also loved guiding students as they created their own businesses, watching them discover their talents and begin to see the possibilities that life might hold for them. Those moments of curiosity, confidence, and achievement have been among the greatest rewards of my teaching career.
So when I look back, it won't be the paperwork that stays with me. It will be the laughter, the challenges, the adventures, the friendships, and the privilege of watching young people grow into capable, caring, and courageous individuals.
There was that one moment that changed the way I saw this place forever was when my mum passed away. I was sitting at the front of our family church waiting for the service to start. I turned to see how many people were behind us. There were 100s there. And there at the very back standing along the wall were all the staff from Vogeltown staff. Not only the staff but a whole lot of children (past students) who were friends of Alex (my daughter) were sitting supporting us. I remember feeling completely overwhelmed. I remember thinking ... "Who's actually back at school?" I think poor Mrs Seed (a beginning teacher then) was the only one left at camp by herself and the senior kids.
That day I realised something. Vogeltown isn't just where I work. It's where I belong.
This place isn't special because of the buildings or the programmes or even the traditions. It's special because of the people who fill it with kindness, laughter, generosity, and heart.
Over the last 20 years, I've been lucky enough to work alongside some truly incredible people. There are far too many to thank individually, but every one of you has shaped me in some way. Some of you challenged me. Some encouraged me. Some listened when I needed someone to talk to. Some laughed with me and taught me to relax and not sweat the small stuff. Some of you would simply say, "She'll be all right," and gently remind me to slow down whenever I was racing ahead at a hundred miles an hour.
Thank you for believing in me, supporting me, sharing the highs and the challenges, and for making Vogeltown feel like home. I will always be grateful for the friendships, the laughter, and the memories we've created together.
To my children, Jordan and Alex thank you for sharing your mum with hundreds of other children over the years. You patiently accepted a mum who came home very exhausted, avoided you when you were sick, and occasionally insisted on complete silence in the car after a long day of teaching. Thank you for understanding.
And to my Matt, thank you for being the perfect balance to me. While I'm dreaming up the next big idea, you're the one helping me work out whether it's actually possible. You keep me grounded, make me think things through, and still encourage me to chase the ideas worth chasing.
To all of my students... you are... ahhhh... You are funny, kind, creative, determined, and capable of so much more than you realise. Be confident. Be proud of who you are. Dream big, stay curious, and don't be afraid to try something new. Set goals, but don't panic if life takes you in a completely different direction. Some of the best adventures are the ones you never planned. And one last thing... please look after Mr Gibson. Don't be too hard on him! I know you'll make him feel welcome, and I know he's going to love being your teacher.
I've spent the last 20 years encouraging children to step outside their comfort zone and embrace change. Now it's my turn. Eeek …… So while today feels like goodbye, it doesn't really. It feels like the next adventure.
Thank you, Vogeltown, for every memory, every laugh, every challenge, every friendship, and every opportunity.
You have been so much more than my workplace.
You have been my family.
See you later... not goodbye.
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.
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! We look forward to welcoming our learners back to school for Term 3 on Monday 20th July.
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.
