Whānau and Community Support
Ka Ora Ka Ako -
Healthy Lunches in Schools
Victory School is part of the Ka Ora Ka Ako Healthy Lunches in Schools Programme and we are very grateful to have nutritious and delicious lunches delivered each day by our kai provider, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rārua. The lunch menu varies each week and is communicated via our school facebook page and on class digital platforms the weekend before. The programme is about more than just receiving healthy food at no additional cost to whānau, it's also about the tikanga (custom) of sharing kai together each day and being able to do it with our guiding principle of equity at the forefront.
The programme is fully funded by the government (free of charge for our families) and covers all individual dietary needs. Tamariki still need to bring a healthy snack for morning tea each day and whānau are welcome to send extra food for their children to eat as well. All food waste and packaging is fully compostable and is collected by the team at Ngāti Rārua each day to ensure we are doing things in a sustainable way.
Free Stationery
As a school, we are currently committed to funding stationery for all of our tamariki. This means that all children are set up for success from the beginning of the school year because they have all of the tools and resources necessary for learning. We contribute school funding for this initiative to ensure that our guiding principle of equity is enacted across the school and to create one less thing for whānau to worry about.
KidsCan
We are extremely fortunate to have the support of KidsCan to provide our tamariki with food, clothing and health products to help them participate in learning. What this means for our tamariki is that we have healthy snacks in classrooms and children are entitled to receive a free pair of shoes and a free jacket each year. We are very grateful for this support and it helps us to ensure that all of our children are set up for success.
Fruit in Schools
Victory Primary School is fortunate to be supported by the Fruit in Schools programme, which allows us to provide a free piece of fresh produce (fruit or vegetables) to each child daily. The key objectives of the Fruit in Schools programme are to see:
Children eating more fruit and vegetables.
A whole-school approach to promoting health.
An increased awareness of healthy eating and physical activity.
Breakfast Club
We have a Breakfast Club that takes place in the Victory Community Centre each morning between 8:00-8:30am. The aim of our Breakfast Club is to provide cereal and toast for any of our kids that want it to ensure that they get the best possible start to their day and are sustained for the learning ahead. The VPS Breakfast Club is coordinated by us but relies on an amazing team of volunteers to help us staff it and ensure that our tamariki are not only well-fed but well supervised and engaged at the same time. We are always looking for new volunteers so if you are interested in volunteering one morning a week, please get in touch with our Community Engagement Leader, Ash Della Bosca, by emailing her at ashdellabosca@victory.school.nz.
Victory Primary School is a Duffy School, which means that we are supported by the Duffy Books in Homes programme and every child has a chance to choose two books that they get to take home and cherish - these books belong to them! Three times a year, a book catalogue is delivered to each child on the programme. Each book has a sticky label which has the child's name, as well as the name of the school and funding partner who gave the book. Each child receives five book offer books a year.
Throughout the year, special Role Model assemblies are held where sportspeople, musicians, artists, writers, radio personalities, television presenters, fashion designers and many other New Zealanders visit schools, present books and talk to the kids about their achievements and goals. They tell the kids that "It's Cool to Read and Cool to Achieve" and make a connection between success and reading. We are also extremely lucky to have the Duffy Theatre team visit our school each year with a crew of professional actors to perform a reading themed play that changes yearly.
