Year 0-2 Term Three Update

Tēnā koutou, nau mai hoki mai | Greetings to you all, welcome back! 

Kia ora e te whānau,

We hope the holidays provided a chance for you and your whānau to relax and recharge. From what we have seen so far, the learners have arrived back full of energy and a determination to bring their best together. It is going to be a great Term!

Term 3 is already looking to be jam-packed with learning. We are kick starting the term with a focus on cultural art. Our art focus is a bit of an abstract concept that will be new to many learners. We will be exploring telling stories through art, the hard part is... no pictures! Instead of pictures we will be exploring with symbols and lines.

Like the rest of the school, our overarching curriculum focus this term is Kotahitanga: Celebrating Identity, Uniting in Diversity.

This theme will be explored through our learners' cultures and the arts, and we look forward to ending the term with a special showcase where learners will have the opportunity to share their creative work with you.

Ngā mihi nui,

The Year 0-2 Teachers, Laura Choat and Shoba Segar

To contact the Hub Teaching Teams, please use the email addresses below:

hub1teachers@stonefields.school.nz

hub2teachers@stonefields.school.nz

hub10teachers@stonefields.school.nz

laura.choat@stonefields.school.nz

shoba.segar@stonefields.school.nz

Kotahitanga Cultural Day, immerse yourself - Tuesday 5 August

Early in the term we will be building our knowledge of different cultures through a cultural immersion day. Learners will experience a range of cultural activities including food, art, music, dance, games, and sports. Learners will be encouraged to dress in cultural items for the day.  

We would love to partner with our parents also for this day. Do you have a cultural activity you would like to lead with the learners? Do you have some cultural food that you would like to share/make with our learners? Are there any other cultural talents or ideas that you would like to share with us? Please get in touch with your hub teachers.

Staff Only Day - Monday 11 August

Don't forget school will be closed on Monday 11 August. Kelly Club will be open if you need childcare. 

Junior Assembly Dates

This term we have three Junior Assemblies. This is a great opportunity for parents to see everything we've been exploring and learning about in the Hubs. We hope you can join us at 2pm in the Hall on: 

• Monday 28 July

• Monday 25 August

• Monday 8 September 

FOSS and Parent Helpers - we need your help! 

FOSS (Friends of Stonefields School) do a fantastic job of helping to support our school and organise a range of fun events to bring the community together. This includes Friday Cafe, helping in the hubs, covering library books and this term, the highlight for many kids, the School Discos. But to make these happen, they need your help! If you'd like to get involved or to find out more, please get in touch here.

2026 Term Dates 

We apologise, last term we released some incorrect dates for 2026. The following dates are now confirmed: 

• Term 1: Wednesday 4 February - Thursday 2 April

• Term 2: Monday 20 April - Friday 3 July

• Term 3: Monday 20 July - Friday 25 September

• Term 4: Monday 12 October - Wednesday 16 December

Public holidays during Term time:

• Anzac Day (Observed) – Monday 27 April 

• King’s Birthday – Monday 1 June

• Labour Day – Monday 26 October

Uniform

At Stonefields School we wear our uniform with pride. We have plenty of winter uniform items to keep you warm during the colder months. We appreciate your support in ensuring your child is wearing the correct school uniform:

• Blue polo shirt (short sleeve or long sleeve) 

• Charcoal trousers, skort, or shorts    

• Black shoes, including black laces (white soles are acceptable). 

• Black or white socks

• Beanie

• Fleece Jacket

• Black or dark blue plain hair ties/bands (no other colours please) 

• Black tights/leggings and a black long sleeve thermal can be worn under the uniform for extra warmth if required 

• No jewellery or necklaces should be worn, as this is a health and safety concern during playtimes and PE sessions. Exceptions to this include jewellery of cultural significance, small stud earrings, and watches however no smart-watches. 

New uniform items can be purchased online and delivered to your home. Pre-Loved uniform items can be requested here and collected from the office. 

Library Days

Our children love their library visits. All Year 0-2 hubs will visit the library weekly and during this time the children will have an opportunity to browse, borrow a book, listen to stories, and learn some library skills. To avoid disappointment, please remind your child to bring their library book to school on their library day so they can return it and borrow a new book each week. Our library days are as follows:

• Hub 10: Mondays after morning tea

• Hub 1: Thursdays after lunch

• Hub 2: Tuesdays after lunch

This term, while the Year 0-2 children learn about taking responsibility for their library books, they will only be allowed to borrow one book at a time. Many children also enjoy visiting the library during their break times and they can return their book and borrow a new book at these times too. 

This year, the library will be open before and after school if you would like to visit it with your child.

Toys from Home 

A gentle reminder that children should not bring toys, game cards or other precious belongings from home. These items are distracting in the hub and often there are tears when a child misplaces their precious items. Please take a moment to remind your child about keeping their toys etc at home.

Brainfood

A midyear reminder - we encourage parents to send their children with a “Brain Food” snack, to eat mid-morning. The best choices are fresh fruits or vegetables, ideally pre-cut and packed in a separate container for easy, mess-free eating. This simple habit helps fuel their focus and learning. This brain food snack is separate to their morning tea and lunch food.

Lost Property 

Don't forget to keep an eye on the lost property outside Te Pataka Ako! The rack is bulging with named jackets and the pile of unnamed jackets is even bigger. 

School Board Elections

You will have received an email yesterday from us regarding the School Board Elections. Nominations open this Friday, 18 July. 

Stonefields School have appointed Schooled Election Pilot as the Returning Officer for our election and for the election to be provided online.

On Friday 18 July, you will receive an email from Schooled Election Pilot (election@electionpilot.nz) with a link to our election portal. All nominations must be submitted via this portal.  

• You can nominate yourself or someone else in the community. 

• Nominees will be asked to submit a photo and a short candidate statement 

• Nominations will close at 12 noon on Wednesday 6 August 

If you have any questions regarding the elections, feel free to drop into the office or email us at office@stonefields.school.nz 

Dates for the Diary

• Friday Cafe | Friday 18 July | 3pm

• School Board nominations open | Friday 18 July 

• AIMs Fundraising Bake Sale  | Friday 25 July | 3pm

• Friday Cafe performances | Friday 25 July | 3pm

• Junior Assembly (Year 0-4) | Monday 28 July | 2pm, Hall 

• Stonefields School Board Meeting | Tuesday 29 July | 5.30pm, Te Pātaka Ako

• Friday Cafe | Friday 1 August | 3pm 

• Cook Island Language Week  | Monday 4 - Friday 8 August

• Kotahitanga Cultural Day | Tuesday 5 August 

• School Board nominations close | Wednesday 6 August | 12noon

• Friday Cafe performances | Friday 8 August | 3pm

• Staff Only Day | Monday 11 August | school closed

• Maths Workshop for Year 0-2 | Tuesday 12 August | 2pm 

• School Board Election voting begins | Wednesday 13 August

• Friday Cafe | Friday 15 August | 3pm 

• Junior School Disco | Friday 15 August | 5.45pm

• Tongan Language Week  | Monday 18 - Friday 22 August

• Whānau Hui | Wednesday 20 August | 6pm

• Pasifika Talanoa | Wednesday 20 August | 6pm

• Visitor Tour | Thursday 21 August | register here  

• Friday Cafe performances | Friday 22 August | 3pm 

• Junior Assembly (Year 0-4) | Monday 25 August | 2pm, Hall 

• Photolife Teams & Groups | Wednesday 27 August

• Friday Cafe | Friday 29 August | 3pm 

• Stonefields School Board Meeting | Tuesday 2 September | 5.30pm, Te Pātaka Ako

• Friday Cafe performances | Friday 5 September | 3pm 

• Junior Assembly (Year 0-4) | Monday 8 September | 2pm, Hall 

• School Board Election closes | Wednesday 10 September

• Friday Cafe | Friday 12 September | 3pm 

• Māori Language Week  | Monday 15 - Friday 19 September

• Kotahitanga Cultural Celebration | Wednesday 17 September

• Friday Cafe performances | Friday 19 September | 3pm

• Term 3 ends | Friday 19 September 

View our School Calendar to keep up to date with all events