VOGELTOWN SCHOOL PANUI
TE KURA O HUATOKI. TERM 4, WEEK 8, 2024.
WITH GRATITUDE AND BEST WISHES, MR GEORGE
It is with sadness that I inform you that Mike George, one of our long-serving teachers, has resigned from his position at Vogeltown School.
Mike was appointed 19 years ago and has been an important part of our kura during this time. He has crossed paths with many children, whānau, and colleagues. His dedication and affection for Vogeltown School will be a lasting legacy.
In addition to his teaching and ability to connect with children of all backgrounds, Mike has been the glue that has brought our staff together as a team. His sense of humour, light-heartedness, and ability to inject fun into things has made him a great person to work with. He has a remarkable gift for building camaraderie, tackling challenges, and helping staff members feel valued and supported.
Besides teacher (and MoreFM Teacher of the Year in 2017!), team leader, and Deputy Principal, Mike has helped beyond the classroom too - he has contributed to things like hangi, production, school adventures, Weetbix TRYathlons, ukulele concerts, galas, Funanzas, school picnics, marae visits, road patrol, ‘Bungee’ outdoor adventures, coaching interschool, BOT staff rep, NZEI rep, working bees, and the Home and School Committee. We’re sure there are more too!
As Mike moves onto this next phase in life, we are grateful for his many years of service and care that he has given to Vogeltown School. He will be dearly missed, but we are confident that stories of his upcoming adventures and travels will trickle back to us.
SOME WORDS FROM MIKE...
Kia ora whānau,
Friday 13th December is my last day at Vogeltown School. I have loved every minute of my time here over the past 19 years. This school is a special place and I have met so many great students, whānau and staff while teaching in the Junior, Middle and Senior School. I have many very special memories which I will take with me. I will miss the awesome students, community and staff and I wish you all, and Vogeltown School, all the best for the future. Thank you all for your support over many years. It has been a privilege to be a Vogeltowner! Remember Manaaki Whenua, Manaaki Tangata, Kia Haere Whakamua!
Have a great Christmas and enjoy the holidays whānau!
Ngā mihi nui
Mike George
GREAT EFFORT TARANAKI TEAM!
I want to take a moment to extend a huge thank you to our Taranaki team of teachers for their outstanding work on their production “Giraffes Can’t Dance”. From the creative set and costumes to the lively dance moves and carefully chosen music - every detail was amazing!
It was clear that they had all worked together as a team to bring this production to life and the excitement of the children, participation and engagement on the stage, and smiles on the faces of people in the audience were the proof of all the hard work.
Thank you for creating such a memorable experience, at such a demanding time of the year. You’ve reminded us all of the magic that happens when creativity and teamwork come together.
A VISIT BY HAROLD AT THE JUNIOR PRODUCTION
PAETOKI TEAM-BIG DAY OUT
REPORTS
Writing reports is a time-consuming and detailed task, and I want to take a moment to thank all of our teachers for their efforts with these. A special mention also needs to made to those involved in checking and reviewing the reports. Their collective efforts ensure that each report is a meaningful reflection of learning and achievement.
Parents and whānau, we encourage you to read through your child’s report carefully and celebrate their efforts and progress. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the report further, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher.
Reports will be coming home with children on Monday 9th December. Mahi tahi meetings will be able to be booked from early next week - more information to come.
HUATOKI AND PAETOKI ATHLETICS DAY
The sun was shining, and with hats and sunscreen on, everyone was ready for a morning of athletics.
The children rotated through a range of competitive and fun events within their age groups. It was fantastic to see them managing themselves so well and giving everything their best effort. Congratulations to all the children for being actively involved.
There are times when we come across activities we might not be keen on doing, but it was wonderful to see the children supporting one another, showing resilience, and rising to the challenge. We wrapped up the day with a students v teacher relay and I’m pleased to say that, once again, experience prevailed (unlike the high jump where Reggie got the win over Mr Hunt!).
Results are shown below:
WEET-BIX KIDS TRYATHLON 2025
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.
VOGELTOWN SCHOOL CALENDAR 2024
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
9 December - Reports sent home
10 December - Whānau tabloid sports
11 December - Huatoki water day
11 December - Year 6 farewell assembly
11 December - Meet the teacher for 2025
11 December - Year 6 leavers night, 5:30 pm
12 December - Huatoki movie day
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
TERM 4 SCHOOL GOAL: RESPECT / WHAKAUTE
KA KITE ANO WHANAU
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
VOGELTOWN SCHOOL CONTACTS
Email: office@vogeltown.school.nz
Website: www.vogeltown.school.nz
Location: Vogeltown School Huatoki Street, Vogeltown, New Plymouth, New Zealand
Phone: (06) 753 6843
SCHOOLDOCS - VOGELTOWN POLICIES
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.