Tēnā koutou katoa

It is great to be able to acknowledge the incredible efforts of the Huatoki team for their fantastic production of The Great White Man-Eating Shark of Ngamotu - adapted from the story by Margaret Mahy.

From the very start, it was clear we were in for something special as they packed plenty of action into a small amount of time. The dances were vibrant and full of energy, and the acting was great – with all the characters coming to life on stage and drawing us into the story.

A production like this doesn’t happen without incredible teamwork. Many thanks to our amazing teachers who have worked hard over the weeks leading into this by guiding, rehearsing, and organising - your efforts have paid off, and you have been rewarded with plenty of happy children and proud parents!

To our parents and whānau, thank you for being such a wonderful audience. Your encouragement and enthusiasm over both performances really helped and your presence values the efforts of all the children on the stage.

What a fantastic way to celebrate our creativity and teamwork!

Ryves

A huge thank you to everyone who helped with the hāngī today. Even though the food wasn’t ready at the planned time, it was incredible to see everyone come together to get things sorted. What a fantastic lesson for our tamariki about resilience and problem solving!

Reflecting on the day, the true purpose, whanaungatanga, had already been achieved through all the work leading up to it. From the whole school coming together to peel potatoes, the Year 6 students staying overnight to finalise preparations, and the teachers and parents helping to get the food in, to the entire school being present when it was lifted out of the ground - it was a brilliant team effort!

Many thanks to our community for pitching in when we needed it, whether by taking food home to continue cooking or staying around to help prepare food for collection at the end of the day. The teachers sacrificed a lot of their time to get everything ready, so your help was invaluable.

I also want to acknowledge the incredible efforts of our teaching team: Mike George, Rachel Pretty, Nathan Ransfield, Matt Goodwin, Britt Webling, and Celeste Broderick. You were outstanding!

We hope the food you took home made for a delicious meal to end the week and thank you again for being part of this special day.

It’s that time of the year when schools often find themselves saying goodbye. It is always a bittersweet moment, as we feel sad to see someone leave, but we are also happy for them as they move on to opportunities that align with their personal and professional aspirations.

At the end of this year, we will be farewelling Mr Brent Bishop, who has secured a team leader role at Oakura School. Brent has led our Huatoki team for the past two years and has also been a within-school leader for our Kāhui Ako.

We are also saying goodbye to Mrs Raewyn Andrews and Mrs Caroline Irving, who have been instrumental in supporting our school by releasing teachers during the week.

We wish them all the very best for their futures and thank them for their dedication and efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of our students and teachers.

On Thursday, 5th December, the Paetoki Syndicate will be having a Big Day Out, fully funded by the profits from our Build a Business Market Night.

We will leave school at 9:15 am, walking to Kidz Korner for a fun-filled morning. After that, we will head to the pools for a swim and a pizza lunch. We will return to school by bus at 2:40 pm.

Please ensure permission slips are returned so your child can participate in this exciting day!

Teachers have been working to put together classes for next year.

At our school, class placement is a carefully considered process aimed at ensuring the best outcomes for all students. The guidelines below reflect our commitment towards creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment.

CORE PRINCIPLES

Focus on the Whole Group: 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.

Opportunities for Growth: 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.
• Any reclassification should involve consultation among the teacher, Principal, and parents, ideally at the transition between Year 0 and Year 1.

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 4

4 December - Taranaki production matinee/night

5 December - Paetoki team Big Day Out

6 December - Whole school assembly

6 December - Paetoki and Huatoki athletics day

10 December - Whānau tabloid sports

11 December - Year 6 farewell assembly

11 December - Meet the teacher for 2025

11 December - Year 6 leavers night

13 December - Last day of school for 2024. School finishes at 3:00pm.

TERM 1 2025

31 January - Mahi tahi meetings (to be confirmed)

3 February - First day of school

5 February - Powhiri for new students

6 February - Waitangi Day - SCHOOL CLOSED

14 February - Vogeltown Adventure (TBC)

18 February - BOT meeting, 6pm

19-21 February - Paetoki Camp at Vertical Horizons

21 February - Four Year Old Friday

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.