School Newsletter
20 November 2025

Kia ora e te whānau | Greetings all

We're making the most of the last four weeks of school and continuing to squeeze the learning juice! This last fortnight we've had the Manaiakalani Film Festival, Athletics, a Diabetes fundraiser, music-making with Selwyn College, and Basketball teams getting established. And there's no sign of slowing down yet, we've still got plenty to come! 

Here's a look at everything that's been happening, as well as upcoming events and reminders. It's worth having your calendar out for these upcoming dates.   

Ngā mihi nui,

Sarah and the team 

Dress Your Way Day - Friday 5 December

Our Student Council are proud to announce we will be having our first Dress Your Way Day on Friday 5 December. Learners can ditch the uniform for the day and wear what makes them happy. 

Christmas Friday Cafe - Friday 12 December

Join us for the last, and special Christmas-themed, Friday Cafe on Friday 12 December. There will be Christmas-themed markets led by our Intermediates, along with the Friday Cafe fav, live music and food stalls. See you there! 

Manaiakalani Film Festival 

Last week our senior learners were lucky enough to head to the big screen at Hoyts to watch the Manaiakalani Film Festival. Our juniors watched the films on the large screen in the school Hall. The 10 Manaiakalani cluster schools all submitted films for the festival which is now in its 18th year. Check out our films here. 

24 Hr for Change 

We were thrilled to be invited again this year to be one of three schools representing New Zealand in the 24 Hours for Change Event. This is an international showcase of education, learning and teaching around the world. It showcases what learning is like and is broadcast around the world on Youtube. The livecast starts at 10am NZ time and lasts for a full 24 hours, ending at 10am Hawaii time on the same day. 

Opened by our Kapa Haka, we then had a group of four learners present on the work they undertook to obtain their Break Through Challenge Pins. The learners did an incredible job of presenting to a live online audience and truly lived our school values. 

Scooters and Bikes at School

It's great to see so many learners riding bikes and scooters to school. Please remind your children that when they get to school, these must be placed in the scooter and bike racks for the day. We recommend using a bike chain to ensure bikes are secure during the day. Sadly there have been recent instances of bikes being stolen from other local schools. 

Thanks for your support in keeping kids safe! Don't forget your helmet!

AI Policy and Community Information Session

As the use of AI within schools continues to evolve, we have started to draft a school policy on this and welcome your feedback.

We will also be running an Information session, supported by the Manaiakalani Team, on Thursday 26 February from 6pm. We'll be in touch closer to the time with more details. 

Attendance and Late Arrivals

The Ministry of Education requires us to report to them each day the learners who have been absent from school and the reason for this absence. This data is submitted directly from our student management system - Edge. 

If your child is going to be away from school for any reason or late arriving to school, you must let the school know. If the School has not been told the reason your child is not at school, and we are unable to contact you to obtain this information, your child will be reported as Truant for that day. 

Extension Sports 

We’re excited to be moving towards new coaching opportunities next year. Below are some of the pathways we’re exploring for 2026. If your child is interested in any of the codes listed, please complete the Expression of Interest form. This will help us gauge interest, determine team viability, and identify coaching needs.

• Basketball (Y3-8)

• Water Polo/Mini Polo/Flippaball (Y3-8)

• Hockey (Y5-8)

• Netball (Y1-8)

• Football (Y1-8)

• Gymnastics

• Volleyball

• Tag

• AIMS Games 2026

Register here 👉 Expressions Of Interest - Stonefields Sports 2026

Looking for Specialist Coaches 2026 ⚽🏀🏐

Stonefields School is excited to partner with you. We are seeking enthusiastic coaches, co-coaches, and code managers to support our extension sports programmes listed below.

These roles go beyond volunteering for your own child’s team - they involve wider oversight of code management, coaching and delivery, team coordination, interschool tournaments, and more.

If you’re interested, please register your interest early to help us plan the 2026 season. Expressions of Interest 2026

EZ Athletics

Congratulations to our 25 Intermediate students who qualified to compete at the Eastern Zones Athletics Day today. We are incredibly proud of your effort, your determination in competing against our EZ cluster schools, and the way you represented Stonefields with mana, you should all be incredibly proud of yourselves - we sure are!

Yummy Stickers Promo Update

Following our impressive collection of 4,238 Yummy Stickers for 2025, we are very pleased to share that we have secured $509 worth of awesome new sports gear for our school! A huge thank you to all students and whānau who collected stickers this year! 

We will be running this promotion again in 2026. If you would like to continue collecting, you can download your sticker sheets HERE.

AUCC 6-aside Cricket Festival (Y3-6) Cancellation

We regret to share that this Interschool event has been cancelled for this term due to insufficient school registrations. AUCC have said they hope to revisit and reschedule the event in Term 1, 2026.

• Friday Cafe | Friday 21 November | 3pm 

• Stonefields Market Day  | Saturday 22 November

• Senior Assembly (Year 5-8) | Monday 24 November | 2pm, Hall 

• 2026 New Entrant Cohort Visits | Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 November

• School Board Meeting | Tuesday 25 November

• Māori and Pasifika Whānau Hui | Thursday 27 November | 6pm

• Friday Cafe | Friday 28 November | 3pm 

• Te Kōtuku Cultural Festival at Ruapōtaka Marae | Saturday 28 November

• Year 8 Graduation | Thursday 4 December

• Dress Your Way Day | Friday 5 December

• Friday Cafe | Friday 5 December | 3pm

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

After-School Activities and Holiday Programmes

There are many sports, art, and cultural activities available both on-site and in our community. Check out our Community Noticeboard for more details.

After-School Activities and Holiday Programmes

There are many sports, art, and cultural activities available both on-site and in our community. Check out our Community Noticeboard for more details.