VOGELTOWN SCHOOL TE KURA O HUATOKI

Over the course of the term, we have participated in interschool sports - netball, rugby, and football. We’ve had games against Woodleigh, Ōakura, Welbourn, and West End Schools with practices running between these.

From a personal perspective, it has been a fantastic football season. We have had a group of players who gelled really well as a team. At the start of the season, we set ourselves the simple goal of having fun, and we discovered that we could achieve this by staying in position, using the whole team, and never giving up. I've thoroughly enjoyed coaching this group because of the sense of fun they bring to both practices and games. It has been wonderful to see their understanding of the game grow and to watch them put into action the lessons from our training sessions and half-time chats.

One of the wonderful things about team sport is that the benefits extend way beyond the scoreboard. Through sport, children learn how to work together, encourage one another, and contribute to something bigger than themselves. They discover that success often comes from perseverance, listening to others, and continuing to give their best, even when things don't go their way. Along the way, friendships are strengthened, confidence grows, and children develop resilience and sportsmanship.

Sport simply doesn't happen without the generosity of staff who are willing to give up their time, and we are very grateful for their support.

A big thank you to Matt Goodwin for his organisation of our interschool sport. There is a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes before the first whistle even blows, and Matt has also done a great job welcoming visiting schools to Vogeltown School and coaching the rugby team.

Many thanks also to Britt Webling for the wonderful work she has done with our netball girls. It has been lovely to see a new group of players grow in confidence over the term. She has been supported by a number of staff members on game days, particularly with umpiring.

On Thursday we welcomed West End School for our last interschool fixture for Term 2. Thankfully the rain held off for most of the time!

All our teams showed great sportsmanship in their games and enjoyed this final fixture. Mr Hunt overheard the following comment from one of the West End football players: "This was my favourite interschool match".

The results were as follows:

• Rugby: 26-12 to Vogeltown
• Football: 2-2 draw
• Netball A: 6-3 to Vogeltown
• Netball B: 9-0 to Vogeltown

This brings our interschool season to a close but in Week 4 of next term we will be having our traditional Carrington Cup match up against Central School.

On Tuesday we held our Vogeltowner Awards for Terms 1 and 2.

The Vogeltowner Award is a tradition that began 16 years ago. These awards are presented to chhildren who consistently show the very best version of themselves. In a school full of children doing great things every day, these are the students who go that little bit further. They bring our vision of Manaaki whenua, Manaaki tangata, Haere whakamua to life and demonstrate our IROCK values in the way they learn, act, and interact with others.

To all the recipients - well done! You truly deserve this recognition and we’re really grateful for the positive example you set for others every day.

Those receiving awards were:

• Room 3: Harper Morrison and Logan Baird
• Room 4: Niko Brears and Emmeline Penberth
• Room 5: Rylee Darbyshire and Boden Brears
• Room 6: Jayden McDonald and Isla McClelland
• Room 7: Marley Gibbins and Nico O'Neill
• Room 8: Alba O'Donovan and Caleb Dixon
• Room 9: Clara Cockle and Carla Visagie
• Room 10: Vinny Bumbesevic and Charlie Rippey
• Room 11: Tiaan Botha and Isabella Gatenby
• Room 12: Vega Collins and Emma Rawhiti
• Room 13: Milania Milo and Emma Johnson
• Room 14: Oliver Penberth and Meer Patel
• Room 15: Freyja Hedley and Grayson Williams
• Room 16: Donovan Salisbury and Mikaela Herbert
• Room 17: Ava Looms and Noah Benton

We also presented a Vogeltowner Award to Ms Pretty in recognition of this being her last Vogeltowner Award ceremony before she leaves Vogeltown School at the end of Term 3.

Matariki, marked by the reappearance of the Matariki star cluster in the night sky, is a period for acknowledging the past, celebrating the present, and looking ahead to the future.

In the final week of the term, we’ll be having a Matariki celebration, and you’re invited to join us.

In the lead-up to Wednesday, all classes will spend time learning about the significance of Matariki. On the day, we’ll come together to enjoy shared kai and connect around some learning.

Take a look at the flyer - we look forward to sharing this special time with you.

The following tamariki received a principal's award at today's full school assembly:

Lucy Shotbolt, Elisa Nignol, Odin Szekely, Isabel Wallace, Kaahu Izett, Abrar Tawhid, Jasper Meredith, Isla McClelland, Connor Martin, Olive Miller, Toby Rosser, Beah Schoeman, Delaney Popata, Tayla Morrow, Rhonda Gecse, Fraya Payne-Craigie, Fatima Jakariya, Hana Hunt, Ash Belton, Rizal Hutton, Mack Cozens, Jack Visagie, Henry Southgate, Te Ara Ripeka Rangiwai, Theo Morton, Reeve Jones, Timothy Haskell, Lily Bromley, Bowie Kinge, Aria Allen.

Ka mau te wehi!

On Thursday, Mrs Seed took Room 13 and our tour guides down to the Huatoki domain to do some planting. We are lucky to have Bill Clarkson from the Huatoki Preservation Group to lead us in this activity, with support from the New Plymouth District Council.

Our tamariki showed their usual enthusiasm and care with the planting task. This was the third time we have planted at this Sheppard’s Bush site. This year, the children planted another 95 trees, which brings the total planted there to over 305. Most of the plants have established well and it is going to look great in the future. Our tamariki can be very proud of their efforts over many years.

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.

This is a reminder that we have another teacher only day at the end of this term:

• Friday 3 July - Last day of Term 2 - Mathematics Teacher Only Day (school closed for instruction)

The learning for teachers on these days will focus on strengthening their knowledge of the new mathematics curriculum, deepening their understanding of the science of learning, and unpacking the different strands of mathematics in detail.

These days are an important part of ensuring our staff are well equipped to deliver high-quality mathematics teaching for all learners.

To support our teachers, we are making a small adjustment to our reporting timeline this term.

Written reports will be shared in the first week of Term 3. This additional time allows for drafting and moderation to get consistency across the school.

We are also bringing our parent and teacher interviews forward to early in Term 3 so families have an opportunity to discuss their children’s learning, and for us to answer any questions you may have about the new reporting expectations.

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 2 2026

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

1 July: Matariki celebration with whānau, 1:00pm - 2:45pm

2 July: Final day of Term 2

3 July: Teacher Only Day - SCHOOL CLOSED

TERM 3 2026

20 July: First day of Term 3

23 July: Powhiri to welcome new learners, 10:30am

29 July: Learning Conferences, 3:15pm to 7:00pm

30 July: Learning Conferences, 3:15pm to 6:15pm

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.