School Newsletter
19 March 2026

Kia ora e te whānau | Greetings all

Concept Knowledge (Understanding the World)

This week, we explore the second BIG 5 component: Concept Knowledge, which helps our children understand the world around them. While Foundation Knowledge gives them the tools, Concept Knowledge provides opportunities to engage with Big understandings, fascinating ideas and contexts to use those tools. We ignite our learners' natural curiosity through engaging inquiries into Science, Social Science and Technology. This isn't just about memorising facts; it's about fostering deep understanding and promoting critical and creative thinking using the Stonefields School Learning process.

Through these rich explorations, children connect complex ideas, see how different subjects interlink, and develop a meaningful understanding of their place within Aotearoa and the wider global community. They learn to question, investigate, and interpret information, building a coherent picture of how the world works. Concept Knowledge empowers our students to be curious, informed, and engaged citizens.

Ngā mihi nui,

Sarah and the team

Intermediate Concept

In the Intermediate hubs, we have been doing some exciting learning both inside and outside the classroom. We’ve been working with professional scientists at Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust to learn about the health of our local freshwater and marine ecosystems. Hub 16 and Hub 17 have been snorkelling at St Heliers beach and we managed to see….well not very much due to the poor water quality….But we are bound to see a range of abundant sea creatures when we travel to Goat Island in the coming weeks to apply our understanding of what a healthy marine ecosystem can look like.

Back inside, we’ve been zooming in… way in… to study the building blocks of life. We’ve been learning how to tell the difference between plant cells and animal cells. We’ve identified structures like the nucleus, cell membrane, cytoplasm, chloroplasts, and the cell wall, and begun to learn how they help living things grow and survive. It’s amazing to see that even the smallest parts of life connect to the big ecosystems we are exploring at the beach.  Everything is connected!

Junior Athletics Day 

What an incredible day! Our Juniors really brought their best together as they ran, jumped and threw themselves into the learning pit and right back out the other side. The smiles on faces speak for themselves. 

Photolife - Portrait, Hub and Sibling Photos

Photolife will be with us on Friday 27 March to take Portrait and Hub photos, and on Monday 30 March to take sibling photos. 

If you would like your children to have a photo together as siblings, please complete this permission form. 

Welcome to our Whakamana Rock Leaders

For the first time this year, we're excited to have the new leadership role of Whakamana Rock Leaders. Congratulations to:

• Māhoe - Atu, Haig, Alisha and Hannah

• Reti - Yumi, Maddie, Samuel and Sasha

• Tūhua - Anika, Henry, Jet and Ryan

• Punga Punga - Keisha, Liam, Fletcher and Henley

Visitors 

This week we've had a flurry of visitors come on-site and get a taste for the learning opportunities here. On Tuesday we hosted 40 prospective parents looking for an insight into our school, and we've also had visits from two of our local real estate branches (Ray Whites and Barfoots) as we continue to build relationships within our community. 

Both groups of visitors were extremely impressed with our visitor tour guides and how proudly they spoke about their school.

Property projects

We've got three big property projects planned over the coming months:

1. Drainage around the field - many of you will be well aware of how wet our field gets during the winter months. In the upcoming April holidays we will be installing a drainage system to help improve this issue. At the same time, there will also be some work undertaken to improve the quality of the field. 

2. Landscaping around the outdoor classroom - whilst installing the drainage, we are also working with a landscape designer to create an inviting space in front of the new classroom. Last week a concrete pad was laid next to the building to allow for a small storage shed. This shed will house all of our loose parts play and nature school resources. Extending from the classroom will be a large covered deck, leading into a newly created garden space. This area will also include a pathway connecting the path outside Hub 9, to the Turf, allowing wheelchair access to the Turf. This is something we have been wanting for a long time to ensure our Hub 4 learners in wheelchairs have the same access to our Turf as all other learners. The excitement is building as we work with staff and learners to create another wonderful play space. Below are some ideas.

3. Replace the senior playground matting - this is another project we have been wanting to undertake for a long time and are extremely thankful to be receiving funding from the MOE for this. We are currently reviewing proposals and will let you know the timings once these are confirmed. 

Families of Stonefields School (FOSS) 

A message from the coordinators of FOSS, (Nadine, Emma and Dana):

We’re updating FOSS! It will now stand for Families of Stonefields School to better reflect who we are: a community for parents, caregivers and families. This also makes it clearer for our Facebook followers who the page is for.

If you have any suggestions or ideas for us, we'd love to hear from you! Join us on WhatsApp or email us.  

WhatsApp Stonefields Families’ Community

We’ve had a great response to our new WhatsApp community, it’s fantastic to see so many families getting involved. If you missed the link last time, you can join the community here  

Once you’ve joined, feel free to explore and join any groups that are relevant or of interest to you. If there’s a group you’d like to see added, please let us know. We’re happy to add it if it aligns with the purpose of our community. The purpose of the group is a simple way to share event info, school community activities, and volunteer opportunities, via WhatsApp. Please note, this is not an official school communication channel so you won't receive any communications directly from the school via WhatsApp. This is an informal platform for parents to connect with other parents.  

Parent Reps

A huge thank you to our lovely parent hub rep volunteers! Here are the parent reps for each hub:

• Hub 1 - Sophie Bishop

• Hub 2 - Amanda Peveril

• Hub 10 - Genevieve de Pont

• Hub 7 - Marizaan Van Schalkwyk

• Hub 8 - Pip Van der Putten

• Hub 9 - Becky Barnes

• Hub 11 - Bridgette Gillanders

• Hub 12 - Jagruti Nath

• Hub 13 - Michelle Emslie

• Hub 16 - Mariana Serathiuk

• Hub 17 - still seeking a volunteer

We're still looking for a parent rep for Hub 17. This is a light role to help moderate your Hub's WhatsApp group and share key updates relevant to your Hub.

Interested? Please email FOSS or contact the school office.

Survey

Thanks to everyone who completed the survey, hope the lucky winner enjoyed their chocolates :-)

Enrolments 2026 and 2027

Our enrolments are now open for 2026 and 2027 new entrants. If you have a pre-schooler, we encourage you to submit an enrolment form now. This will help give us a clearer picture of the new entrant staffing requirements.   

Thrive at Stonefields – Term 2 Enrolments Now Open

Help your child build confidence and strong communication skills with Thrive Speech and Drama, right here at Stonefields School. Thrive is a small group programme designed to help children become confident, capable speakers. Through fun and engaging activities, students learn to express their ideas clearly, listen respectfully to others, and develop the confidence to speak in front of a group.

AUCC Cricket and Tamaki Cricket - What a Day on the Field! 

Yesterday, around 70 learners took part in the AUCC Cricket Festival and Tāmaki Cricket, and what an incredible day it was! From outstanding teamwork to true sportsmanship, and plenty of fun and laughter along the way, our learners represented the school with pride.

A huge thank you to the parents who gave up their time to support the teams, and to those who helped train our learners during lunchtime. Your commitment and encouragement make these experiences possible. Watching so many of you get involved, support one another, and make the most of the day was an absolute joy.

Check out some of the awesome moments captured below! Keep bringing that energy, effort, and enthusiasm – we can’t wait to see you back out there again soon!

For more information about all sports opportunities, please visit: stonefields.school.nz/sport 

• Friday Cafe | Friday 20 March | 3pm 

• Senior Assembly (Year 5-8) | Monday 23 March | 2pm, Hall

• Kapa Haka practice | Wednesday 25 March | 8.20am Te Pou Manawa

• Photolife Hub & Portrait Photos | Friday 27 March  

• Friday Cafe | Friday 27 March | 3pm 

• Photolife Sibling Photos | Monday 30 March Please complete the permission form

• School Board Meeting | Tuesday 31 March | 5.30pm, Te Pataka Ako

• Kapa Haka practice | Wednesday 1 April | 8.20am Te Pou Manawa

• Whakamana Rock Launch Party | Thursday 2 April  

• Last Day of Term 1 | Thursday 2 April 

• Term 2 begins | Monday 20 April 

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

Community Activities

There are plenty of sports, art, and cultural activities available in our community including school holiday programmes. Check out our Community Noticeboard for more details.