Kia ora koutou parents and whānau

Well, here we are - at the finish line of a busy year. This year has been about learning and belonging - things I’ve felt deeply as the new principal here at Vogeltown School. Thank you for welcoming me into the school, your patience and understanding, and the occasional conversation to explain “how we do things around here!”

Besides the principal side of things, it has taken us some time to settle as a family too, so we are all looking forward to pushing the reset button in the school holidays. I think we’re all feeling a little tired, so we will be enoying the change of pace and some time together as a family.

To our amazing teachers, thank you for being the glue that holds this place together. Legacy, a book which describes some principles that the All Blacks’ follow, mentions the concept of “sweep the sheds” – in other words, no job is beneath anyone in a team. Whether it’s discussing learning and progress, tidying up after an event, organising a trip, or coming up with last-minute solutions, our teachers go above and beyond.

To our students, you’ve worked hard, had fun along the way, and reminded us why we do what we do. You’ve filled our school with plenty of atmosphere and energy. Whether you’re mastering some maths, doing some writing, or perfecting your production dance moves, you’ve made us proud.

Farewell to those students who are leaving us. We are proud to have had you with us at Vogeltown School and I hope that you look back on your time here with many fond memories. We are confident that you are leaving us well prepared for your next school and we wish you every success - wherever that may be!

Goodbye and best wishes to Mike, Nathan, and Brent. These three incredible teachers are more than just friendly faces. They’ve poured their hearts into our school for 19, 10 and 6 years, making a real difference every single day. From teaching to camps, assemblies to lunchtime games - they’ve done it all and everything in between. And they’ve always put our school and its students at the very top of their to-do lists.

And to our parents, thank you for trusting us with your wonderful children and for your support throughout the year. The way our community rallied around to help with the hāngī is an example of the special spirit we have here at school.

As we head into the holidays, I wish you all a well-deserved break filled with rest, laughter and maybe a little bit of reading for the kids (sorry, had to slip that in)! Let’s recharge those batteries because 2025 is going to be great!

Stay safe, enjoy the sunshine, and remember: no matter what happens, there’s always coffee and cake to improve the day!

Kia pai tō koutou rā - have a nice day.

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the efforts of our Board of Trustees - Paul Gibbins, Mike Miners, Steve Venables, Peta Ransfield, Hemi Coates, and Rachel Pretty. It is a role that we often hear mentioned, but in reality, we may not know much about the real workings of this group. They are a crucial part in what makes our school so successful.

Every year has it’s challenges and whilst dealing with these, they have continued to make decisions with the goal of trying to improve outcomes for all students. I have appreciated the support and guidance shown by them - whether this is connected to financial, property, personnel, or learning. I am very aware of the time they put into their roles too and thank them for this.

Finally, thank you to Paul for his efforts as the Presiding Member. I have appreciated the way he has approached this role - for always being available, and for the perspectives he has shared to the many matters we have discussed.

Kia ora Vogeltown School whānau,

Just like that, another exceptional year at our kura has come to an end! 2024 has been a huge year for Vogeltown, filled with significant changes and challenges along the way. We want to thank the community for embracing these changes. While there have been a few speed bumps, we know it can be tough when something familiar shifts. We're confident that the best is still to come, and Vogeltown School will continue to thrive both academically and socially.

As a Board, it’s been largely business as usual this year. Wrapping up our major construction projects was a significant milestone, and it was a great day when we saw the school finally without scaffolding. The transition from Jeremy to Laura, and then to Ryves as our school leaders, has been a big shift for everyone involved. We are grateful to the community and staff for your patience throughout this process and for your ongoing support of our leaders and team.

There have been many highlights throughout the year, but here are a few key moments to celebrate:

• Laura stepping up as Acting Principal – we couldn’t have gotten through that time without your leadership, Laura. Thank you!
• Our Kapahaka team’s outstanding performance at the Taranaki Puanga Festival, where they took home two 3rd place awards and one 1st place. What an achievement, and a true testament to the effort from the kaiako and kura.
• Productions – three incredible productions this year, with two that I had the pleasure of attending. They were undoubtedly some of the best I’ve seen, and I can’t remember the last time I smiled so much as I did watching the Taranaki Syndicate production.
• Ryves joining us as Principal and kicking off a new chapter in Vogeltown’s journey. Thank you, Ryves, for your hard work, your dedication to understanding our school, and your commitment throughout the year. We are lucky to have you leading the team.

We also bid farewell to some key staff members – Mr. Bishop, Mr. Ransfield, and Mr. George – who will be leaving us at the end of this term. Thank you all for your contributions to Vogeltown over the years (some of you, much longer than others, Mike!) Mr. Bishop, we wish you all the best in your new role at Oakura. Mr. Ransfield, best of luck at Highlands – there will be many Vogeltown students hoping to be in your class next year, so make sure to give them some special treatment! And to Mr. George – your dedication to the school has been immense, and we can’t thank you enough for your years of hard work and commitment. You will be greatly missed. We wish you all the best with whatever lies ahead.

This year, I’ve been truly touched by the engagement and love from our community. We all remember the story of the undercooked hāngī, but seeing how everyone pulled together to ensure the food was cooked and the community was fed was heartwarming. This place truly means so much to so many people.

Finally, to the Year 6 families who are leaving us for the final time this week – thank you for your support, and we wish you all the best as you haere whakamua, ‘go forward’!

Meri Kirihimete,

Paul Gibbins and the Board of Trustees

We are delighted to welcome Miss Caitlin Amos to the Huatoki team! Caitlin joins us from St. Pius X and will be teaching a Year 3 and 4 class in Room 15.

CORE PRINCIPLES

• The priority in class placement is achieving the best mix for the entire year group. While individual considerations are important, the overall group dynamic comes first.
• All students deserve the chance to have both academic and social role models in their classroom.

PLACEMENT GUIDELINES

Gender Balance:

• Ensure a fair distribution of male and female students in each class.

Fair Representation in Composite Classes:

• Composite classes should have a fair mix of students from different year levels.

Promoting Diverse Connections:

• Students will be mixed each year to ensure they have the opportunity to work with a variety of peers. All students will have at least one peer they can connect with in their class.

Inclusivity in Learning Needs:

• Distribute students with learning or behaviour needs evenly across all classes.
• High-achieving learners should also be distributed across all rooms, ensuring they have at least one like-minded peer for collaborative learning opportunities.

Varied Teacher Experiences:

• Where possible, provide students with the opportunity to work with different teachers during their time at school.

Age-Appropriate Year Groups:

• Students should be placed in classes that align with their time at school.
• Note: In 2025, students who start in Cohort 1 and 2 of Term 1 and Cohort 1 of Term 2 will be classified at Year 1, while those who join us from Cohort 2 of Term 2 and onwards will be classified as Year 0.

WHAT DO I DO IF MY CHILD IS UPSET ABOUT NEXT YEAR?
Hopefully this will not be the case but during our lives we all have times of change and what is valuable is the ability to show resilience, adapt and move forward. Changes in friendship/social groups are an expected and essential part of developing as a child.

Teachers put in time and effort to work through class compositions for the coming year. If you have any concerns around class placements these should first be shared with the class teacher. They are the best people to share information around the decisions made.

HOW DOES THE SCHOOL SUPPORT OUR YEAR 2 CHILDREN WHO NEED TO TRANSITION ACROSS THE ROAD?

As Vogeltown is one of just 4 schools in New Zealand that are ‘split sites’, we have to do things a little differently.

Every second Friday all the junior classes come over to the senior school for morning tea. This helps all of our students become more familiar with the senior school, and the Huatoki and Paetoki teachers.

We have 'Meet the Teacher' - this week our learners met their new teacher for 2025 in their new classroom. We also have our mahi tahi meetings to start off the year on Friday 31st January. These meetings are a chance to meet the teacher, discuss learning goals for Term 1 and catch up before the term starts on Monday 3rd February. These meetings are held in your child’s new class for 2025 and our teachers will be there to welcome you and help settle any first day nerves. Your child can bring their stationery and hat in, to get organised for their first day. Mahi tahi meetings can be booked using the Skool Loop app - just click on Bookings and follow the prompts. If you have any trouble booking a mahi tahi meeting please email the school office and we can book a time for you.

As at beginning of Term 1 2025:

Principal - Ryves Hunt

Assistant Principal - Laura Seed

Deputy Principal - Lee Newland

TARANAKI - JUNIOR SYNDICATE

Room 1 - Kylie Hunt and Kym Jacobs (Year 1 and 2)

Room 2 - Adrienne Treadway (Year 1 and 2)

Room 3 - Marizaan Wiseman (Year 2)

Room 4 - Erin Kissick (Year 2)

Room 5 - Katie Stone (Year 2)

Room 6 - Holly McLeod (New Entrants)

Room 7 - Lee Newland (New Entrants)

HUATOKI - MIDDLE SYNDICATE

Room 13 - Dani Melody (Year 3 and 4)

Room 14 - Susannah Pitcairn (Year 3 and 4)

Room 15 - Caitlin Amos (Year 3 and 4)

Room 16 - Lee Lash (Year 3 and 4)

PAETOKI - SENIOR SYNDICATE

Room 8 - Celeste Broderick (Year 5 and 6)

Room 9 - Matt Goodwin (Year 5 and 6)

Room 10 - Rachel Pretty (Year 5 and 6)

Room 11 - Britt Webling (Year 5 and 6)

Room 12 - Teacher to be confirmed (Year 5 and 6)

CLASSROOM RELEASE TEACHERS

Lisa Sawtell, Kym Jacobs, Jillian Sutton, Rachel Keegan, Linda Sleep, Jen Tooley

READING RECOVERY

Julie Scott

ADMINISTRATION

Junior Office - Michelle Sleep

Senior Office - Suzy Wolfe and Annie Anderson

PROPERTY MANAGER

Shane McAuley

TEACHER AIDES

Annette Chadwick, Hannah Harvey, Eloise Hay, Kim Robson, Claudia Hamilton-Posthuma, Rosheen Benton, Tracey Flay, Sam Wythe, Toni Peacock, Lisa Fabish, Julia Boltom

A number of New Zealand and overseas studies into students’ reading loss over the long summer break have shown that this loss can be significant.

Weeks, if not a term or more, are spent helping students catch up to their reading levels from the previous year. In one New Zealand study, some students in a South Auckland school lost 5.8 months reading progress over the summer holidays. The summer slide in reading levels can also be seen in other curriculum areas, such as mathematics, and on levels of confidence generally.

What makes this even trickier is that it's harder to close the gap once it has opened, especially for struggling readers, so the more parents can do over the break, the better.

Try these strategies to help your child during the school break:

1. Six books to summer success: Research shows that reading just six books during the summer may keep a struggling reader from regressing. When choosing the six, be sure that they are just right—not too hard and not too easy. Take advantage of your local library and ask for help selecting books that match your child’s age, interests, and abilities.
2. Read things every day: Encourage your child to take advantage of every opportunity to read. Find naturally occurring moments throughout the day to do some reading - schedules, recipes, online resources, etc. You could end the day by having your child read to you from the book they are currently reading (one of the six books above). Have them rehearse a paragraph, page, or chapter before reading to you. Rereading will help them be more fluent - able to read at an appropriate speed, correctly, and with nice expression.
3. Read to your children: Reading aloud benefits all children and teens, especially those who struggle. One benefit is that you can read books your child can’t, so they will build listening comprehension skills. This will increase their knowledge and expand their experience with text, so that they will do better when they read on their own.

1st Kahurangi - 132 points

2nd Whero - 124 points

3rd Kōwhai - 122 points

4th Karaka - 115 points

5th Kakariki - 114 points

The 2025 Weet-Bix Kids Tryathlon is being held in New Plymouth on Tuesday 25th March 2025 at Ngamotu Beach.

If you wish to enter your child and register them under the Vogeltown School group, here is the link to do this:

http://raceroster.com/events/2025/93896/new-plymouth-weet-bix-kids-tryathlon/register?team=714836

We will have a Vogeltown tent up for children to meet but parents are responsible for their children on the day.

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 1 2025

31 January - Mahi tahi meetings - can now be booked on Skool Loop

3 February - Vogeltown School begins for 2025

5 February - Powhiri for new learners and whānau at 9:30am

6 February - Waitangi Day - SCHOOL CLOSED

12 February - Home and School Meeting, 6:30pm, senior staffroom

14 February - Vogeltown Adventure (TBC)

18 February - BOT meeting, 6pm

19-21 February - Paetoki Camp at Vertical Horizon, Inglewood

21 February - Four Year Old Friday, 9:00am to 11:00am, junior school

7 March - Four Year Old Friday, 9:00am to 11:00am, junior school

21 March - Four Year Old Friday, 9:00am to 11:00am, junior school

25 March - Weet-Bix Kids Tryathlon, Ngāmotu Beach

4 April - Four Year Old Friday, 9:00am to 11:00am, junior school

Stay safe and be kind to each other. 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!

Ryves Hunt and 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

The website link to Schooldocs is below.