Home & School
Our Home & School Association is a collective of the caregivers of our Houghton Valley School tamariki. Everyone who is part of the HVS community is part of Home & School.
The regular Home and School meetings help cement the relationship between our kura and the community. Meetings are productive but it’s not all process and minutes – we guarantee fun, kai and kōrero!
We have three main goals:
Creating a sense of community in the school
Fundraising
Helping forge and maintain links between the principal, teaching staff and the parents.
We do these things in a variety of ways, organising school events such as picnics and discos, fundraising activities such as the annual HVS fair, and having school board and staff members attend our meetings. There’s always room for improvement and ideas, so come along and be part of the community.
The meetings are usually held during the term, with the dates listed on the school newsletters and the website calendar. Come join us!
If you have any questions please get in touch: homeandschoolsecretary@houghton.school.nz
Houghton Valley School Home and School Association is a Registered Charity (CC38525).
Me te mahi tātou mo te oranga o te katoa. Let’s work together for the wellbeing of everyone.
"Carlie has lived in the valley with her husband Max since 2013 and her family have been an active part of the Houghton Valley Community for over a decade: starting with Playcentre in 2015; then joining the school whānau in 2019. She is mum to 3 high energy chaos goblins; Hendrik (Year 6), Otto (Year 3), and Wolfgang (Year 1).
Carlie turned up to her first Home and School meeting in Term 1, 2024 with the goal of getting the sandpit rebuilt. When she walked out she was co-running the Moveathon, and a year later she’s Co-Chair - a testament to her “why not?” attitude and questionable time management skills.
Carlie’s “part time job” is farming her fee sheep and cattle on 25 hectares in Ohariu Valley. She regularly brings a bit of the farm to school life - much to the kids’ delight (and occasional concern for classroom carpets). That Mum you’ve seen at pickup with straw in her hair and a lamb under her arm - that’s Carlie.
She thrives on caffeine, dry humour, chaos, and encouraging lowered expectations. Carlie's passionate about practical education, nature-based learning and holistic student wellbeing. She's committed to building strong connections between families, staff, and the wider community to help support a vibrant, inclusive school environment that ensures our tamariki thrive - and adding livestock to the proceedings whenever she can."
Ian is the father of Wynne, who has attended HVS since turning five in 2020. He is British-born, a Kiwi citizen, and feels extremely lucky to live here on Wellington's beautiful South Coast and amongst its wonderful neighbourhood communities. Despite a solid career in Information Technology, he has proven to be poorly skilled at fixing his family's printers and devices. You may spot him running in the local hills and doing the school run with Wynne on his ebike.
"With both Corné (Y5) and Anya (Y2) taking their first two-wheeled wobbles on the school bike track, HVS feels like an extension of her and partner Niel’s backyard.
As a proud Kiwi/Cape Town mash-up, the family embraces the best of both worlds: community spirit, sport, and a shared tolerance for brisk breezes. Kelly comes from a background in sports admin and is hoping to unleash more school Touch teams on the field. She’s also not-so-secretly obsessed with pulling weeds on the bush walk to and from school — a kind of fitness, therapy, and environmental restoration all rolled into one."
Luke, Megan, Louis (Y4) and Charlie (Y1) have lived at the end of Buckley Road for 10 years.
For hobbies Luke juggles trying to stay fit against the pull of the couch and any football he can watch. Whilst he loves getting out on his bike(s), if the counter-factual involves Arsenal, the couch always wins.
He has worked in electricity and sustainability for most of his career and loves a conversation on any of the aforementioned topics!
Photos of the Home and School-run HVS Fair 2022
