Kia ora Vogeltown whānau,

Looking around the school during the Whānau Fiesta, it was wonderful to see so many people and so many happy faces! We are so fortunate to be able to start the year with an opportunity like this to bring people together. I hope everyone was able to reconnect with someone or share a brief moment to connect with a teacher or two.

A huge thank you to the Home and School Committee and to Laura Seed for the time and effort they put into making this event such a success. The organisation really kicked into gear a few weeks ago, and it was evident from the many email conversations that a lot of people were working together behind the scenes to make this happen.

The Home and School Committee is always looking for people who can spare some time to help. If this sounds like you, please come along to one of the meetings or drop by the school office, and we’ll help you get started.

One of the key themes that stood out during my appointment process was the strong sense of community that exists here at Vogeltown School. This sense of belonging and connection was definitely front and centre on Wednesday. It was a beautiful reminder of how lucky we are to be part of this community.

Thank you to everyone who came along, contributed, and helped make this event a success. We look forward to many more opportunities to come together over the coming year.

Kia pai tō koutou rā – have a great day and enjoy your long weekend!

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the efforts of our very skilled Board of Trustees - Paul Gibbins, Mike Miners, Hemi Coates, Steve Venables, Peta Ransfield, 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 initiatives.

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

This year is an election year and joining the Board might be something some of you are considering. If you wish to find out more then feel free to contact the school or talk to one of our current members.

We recognise the individual efforts of children reading outside of school hours with certificates that acknowledge the number of nights that they have read. Children are awarded a certificate for every 25 nights of reading that they do. A night is a minimum of 10 minutes reading for children in the Taranaki syndicate, 15 minutes for children in the Huatoki syndicate, and 20 minutes for students in the Paetoki syndicate. With certificates being given out it is important that children are having their reading signed off by a parent at home on a daily basis.

You may have heard some of our children using the terms jungle tiger and zoo tiger. This is a concept some of our teachers have used to explore what it means be a good learner.

A jungle tiger lives in the wild, unpredictable jungle. It must be adaptable, resourceful, and resilient to survive. The jungle tiger learns through exploration, trial and error, and facing real challenges. This approach to learning involves embracing uncertainty and developing strong problem-solving skills. In a classroom setting, a "jungle tiger" mindset encourages students to take risks, think critically, and learn from mistakes, allowing learners to thrive when confronted with challenges or situations of uncertainty or complexity.

In contrast, a zoo tiger lives in a controlled environment with limited exposure to real challenges. The zoo tiger is dependent on external assistance to navigate its world. This approach to learning can result in students who may struggle when faced with challenges or scenarios requiring hard work or independent thinking.

The concept of the jungle tiger and the zoo tiger is a great way of highlighting the qualities of a great learner. The jungle tiger attitude shows the mindset and approaches to how learners should engage with challenges and opportunities. Understanding this will help us to create students who show resilience, adaptability, and the ability to take risks in order to grow their capabilities.

Registrations for winter sports are now open on our Kindo Shop. To register and to find all the details on each sport, please sign in to your Kindo account, and head to our sports section.

Options available are:

• Miniball (Yr 0-4) Monday-Wednesday - $55
• Basketball (Yr 5-6) Monday nights - $70
• Netball (Yr 5/6) - Tuesday after school - $46
• Netball (Yr 3/4) - Thursday after school - $Free!!!
• Hockey (Yr 5/6) - Saturday morning - $78
• Hockey (Yr 3/4) - Saturday morning - $65

Fun Sticks Hockey is available for our Year 0-2 children. Please use the following link to sign your child up directly with Taranaki Hockey. https://www.playhq.com/hockey-new-zealand/register/cf7d77

If you do not have a Kindo account set up yet, please use the following link for first time users. https://www.vogeltown.school.nz/school-information/kindo-shop/

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions.

michelle.sleep@vogeltown.school.nz

We have noticed an increase in parents using the junior driveway to drop off and pick up children at school. While the gate may be open at times, vehicle access is for teaching staff only.

Allowing additional vehicles in this area compromises safety of children, especially during busy times when they are arriving or leaving school.

We kindly ask all parents to park on the road and, if necessary, walk their children into and out of the junior school.

Thank you for your co-operation in keeping our tamariki safe.

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 those starting 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.

The awesome team at GameChanger have Vogeltown School Hoodies available to order. You can try a sample on for size at their store, which is on the corner of Huatoki and Carrington Street. The link to order is below:

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

10 March - Taranaki Anniversary Day - SCHOOL CLOSED

11 March - Cohort 2 entry

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

25 March - Weet-Bix Kids Tryathlon, Ngāmotu Beach

26 March - Home and School Meeting , 6:30pm, senior school staffroom

2-3 April - Learning Conferences

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

9 April - Starting School the VS Way

11 April - Last Day of Term 1

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 long 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

The website link to Schooldocs is below.