Update 18

9th December 2021

Kia ora e te whānau

Tēnā Koutou Katoa,

So here we are; we’ve almost made it to the end of the school year! This is our last Communication Update for 2021 (do keep an eye out for a Message from the Board, coming to your inbox next week!).

We’ve faced some challenging times this year and - particularly - over the past few months, but we have been absolutely blown away by the optimism, adaptability and resilience that our learners, staff and school community have shown during this time. Together we have navigated numerous obstacles, and we’re so proud of what we have been able to accomplish!

I know that you, your children, and our staff, are looking forward to a well-deserved break over the summer, and we wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season. We look forward to seeing you back, refreshed and recharged, in 2022!

Noho ora mai,

Sarah and The Stonefields School Team

2021 Wrap-up

Virtual Achievement Awards

Our 2021 ‘Taking our hat’s off to you’ Virtual Achievement Celebration is tomorrow at 4pm and we cannot wait to celebrate with you! The link will be shared with you via email just before 4pm tomorrow.

We would love for you to join the fun by dressing up, donning your favourite hat, and capturing a photo of your family enjoying the VAC. Please add your photo and caption onto the padlet here.

Reminder: Library Book, Readers & Borrowed Devices

Please ensure that any borrowed school property, including Library Books, Readers and any iPads/"lockdown devices" be returned to the school ASAP:

  • School devices (iPads) are to be returned to your child's Bubble Teacher

  • We have set up collection boxes outside of the office for Library Books and Readers, to enable your child to safely and easily drop off outstanding items when they are onsite.

Year 7 & 8 Uniform Update

A couple of weeks ago we revealed our new Year 7 & 8 school uniform. We will be launching this new uniform in 2022. However we have been informed by our uniform company that this will be available from Term 2 2022. The new uniform will be a new Polo T-shirt and an optional senior school jacket.


If you have any uniforms in larger sizes (sizes 12-16) that are no longer required, and that you would be willing to donate, we would LOVE for you to drop them off at the office before the end of the school year. We would make these uniforms available to new families starting with us next year, and those needing to up-size, to use until the new uniforms arrive.

Manaiakalani Devices for 2022

We are very proud to be members of Manaiakalani, and we strongly encourage and highly recommend all our families with learners in year 3 and above to participate in the Chromebook scheme through our device providers, the Manaiakalani Education Trust. Information about the 2022 device can be found here . This device has been chosen after a rigorous testing process carried out by the ‘hackers group’ and procurement negotiations to get the best value package which includes 3 year insurance cover.

Detailed information will be emailed to families with learners moving to year 3 in 2022 who will be first time chromebook users and year 7s in 2022 whose current chromebook will be end of life and no longer have insurance cover.

Coming up in 2022

Library/Resourcing Opportunity

We have an opportunity coming up in 2022 supporting our admin team in the Resourcing & Library space. This would be for 2-3 days per week (negotiable) during the school term only.

This role involves managing resources in Te Pātaka Ako (our Community Hub), procurement of new resources for learners and teaching staff, and harnessing the power of our wonderful parent volunteer community to assist in protecting these resources. As part of the admin team you would also provide support/cover in the office when required.

We would love to have someone from our school community join us - if this is something you might be interested in, please get in touch via comms@stonefields.school.nz


Year 5/6 & 7/8 Camp 2022

Last week we reached out to families who will have children in years 5-8 to gather your thoughts on whether or not Camp should go ahead in term 1 next year, given the current Covid situation. Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback this has helped our decision making. We recieved 169 responses, more than 92.3% indicated that they are in favour of Camp going ahead in March next year. Given the overwhelmingly positive response, we will continue planning for camp to go ahead in term 1 2022. This of course will continue to be reviewed in the new year.


Save the Date: 2022 Family | Whānau/Teacher Connects

We heard from many Parents and Caregivers that the Family/Whānau connect at the beginning of this year was a valuable way to start the year. We found them incredibly worthwhile too. They helped us to start building relationships with you and to understand the aspirations you have for your child and what their strengths and next steps are. This helped to set the rest of the year up for success.

These are planned for Wednesday 2 February, 2022. In the new year you will be sent a link to book a 15 minute time that works for you to meet with one of the hub teachers.

The term starts the following day on Thursday 3 February.

Community Notices

KELLY CLUB HOLIDAY PROGRAMME

We are thrilled that, under the red traffic light setting, Kelly Club is able to be back on site once we wrap up next week. The December holiday Programme will run from the 16th December to 24th December 2021.

Bookings are now open online www.Kellyclub.co.nz. If you have any questions please contact stonefields@kellyclub.co.nz

Calling all super parents!

Hi wonderful Stonefields School community,

Are there any super duper parents/caregivers who would be interested in helping out some of the Stonefields staff to look after their little ones either during the day or in the afternoons? This role would be flexible and only during term times!

If you’re interested and would like to know more, please contact Klara Coulter via email klara.coulter@stonefields.school.nz

EZ LUNCH DELIVERIES: Please note that Friday 10th December (tomorrow!) is the last day of school lunch deliveries for 2021.



Leaving the school?

If your family is moving to another school that does not use ezlunch or myKindo for school payments, you need to close your account.

If you’re not sure about the new school, log in to your account, go to 'My Details' and click on the list of schools, scrolling to find your new school. Note that one family account can manage students at multiple schools.

If your new school is NOT on the list, use the 'close account' button on that screen.

You can choose to donate your balance to school (where available) or have it paid out to your nominated bank account.

Go in the draw to win!

We'd love to hear how you've found our Kindo service this year. Please take a minute to answer a short feedback form and be in the draw to win!

Be quick, entries close 5pm on Friday 10th December. Enter now!

ENROL FOR MUSIC LESSONS IN 2022

Lewis Eady Music School offers group or individual lessons on a range of instruments: piano, keyboard, guitar, ukulele, singing, drum kit… the hard part is choosing which instrument!

To enrol your child for music lessons at school in 2022, complete an online enrolment form here.

Upcoming Events

  • Learning Achievement Celebration | Friday 10th December | 4pm

  • Family/Whānau Connects 2022 | Wednesday 2nd February

2021 Term Dates

Term 4 | Monday, 18th October - Wednesday, 15th December

2022 Term Dates

Term 1 | Thursday, 3rd February - Thursday, 14th April

Term 2 | Monday, 2nd May - Friday, 8th July

Term 3 | Monday, 25th July - Friday, 30th September

Term 4 | Monday, 17th October - Friday, 16th December