Term 4, 2021: A Message from the Board

Tēnā koutou katoa/Greetings all

We feel incredibly grateful to our staff, and particularly the school leadership team for their efforts in ensuring that our tamariki have felt safe and welcome onsite, but also well-supported while at home. All of this while juggling their own individual whānau situations! The communication from the school has been astoundingly fast and clear, given the speed of the changes which has given us and our tamariki some certainty in these uncertain times. We appreciate all the hard work that has gone on in the background to ensure everything is ready - to the highest standards - for our learners!

We thank our Stonefields’ learners and their whānau for their patience and support for our hard-working staff, and the strength and resilience shown by our whānau, particularly our learners this year. With the agency shown by our Year 8s this year, we are confident they will thrive at high school.

Student Achievement

The Board is thrilled with the end of year achievement data for our school, which is outstanding given the long periods of lockdown in 2021. This is clearly a reflection of the enormous efforts our teaching staff have put into designing effective learning, both in person and online, this year. It is also a reflection of the support that whānau have given their tamariki during this period of great upheaval for families. We look forward to even better results next year when hopefully school life is a little more settled.

The percentage of learners working within or working above their expected level has increased for all three areas - reading (86.8%, up from 82.7% in 2020), writing (82.1%, up from 73.9% in 2020) and maths (87.5%, up from 82.1% in 2020).

We look forward to sharing the full report with you in the new year!

Reflection on Property Enhancements

The new build has come into its own in 2021 with the extra space enabling the separation of bubbles in the school and allowing our year 7 & 8s to return to school 4 days a week.

As part of our masterplan, Stonefields School will have a multi-purpose turf installed that is the equivalent of three netball courts. We are excited that the installation of the turf on the fields is becoming more of a reality, with the tendering process well underway. We are considering funding options for the rest of the masterplan designed by Jasmax with input from our learners and the community. The masterplan includes planted mounds for learners to sit in the shade, an orchard and pump track for bikes. Watch this space!

Reflection on Health & Safety

The Board had a continuing focus on Health, Safety and Wellbeing this year with our usual risk assessments in conjunction with COVID safety requirements. We have an increasing focus on the wellbeing of our staff and learners as lockdowns have heightened stress in our community. Counselling services are available for staff and learners and the school has recently brought in psychologists to give online presentations to whānau on anxiety and wellbeing.

Board Elections 2022

The Board elections were scheduled to take place in May 2022, but due to COVID-19, the Ministry of Education has moved the elections to September 2022. It is hoped that holding elections later in the year will increase whānau participation in the elections. We welcome whānau presence at Board meetings; we would like to encourage a diverse range of parents and guardians to run for election and have a guiding hand in the strategic direction of the school. We will have more communications on this in early 2022.

Farewell & Thank You

To our Year 8 leavers and their whānau, well done for navigating the last portion of your learning. These challenges have provided a unique opportunity for learners to test their resilience, their adaptability and their perseverance. With the clear guidance of their teachers they have flourished. We wish all of our leavers the best for their high school experience, knowing that they have developed a strong base from their time at Stonefields School.

For our staff who are leaving this year, we wish them all the best on their next journey. We thank them for their dedication and passion for our tamariki. We thank you for your resilience during this prolonged period of uncertainty.

Ngā mihi nui
Matt, Amanda, Bryan, Jai, Margaret, Marie and Sarah
Stonefields School Board

“Tangata ako ana i te whare, te turanga ki te marae, tau ana”

A child who is given proper values at home and cherished within his family, will not only behave well amongst the family but also within society and throughout his life.

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All members of the community are welcome to attend the Board meetings in a non-speaking capacity for the general section of the meeting.

“In Committee” sections are confidential and held in private.

Should you wish to attend a meeting, please contact the Board Secretary, Sarah Fürst-Jaeger in the school office who will note your intended attendance. (sarah.fj@stonefields.school.nz)

Board members can be contacted on board@stonefields.school.nz