This last fortnight has been inspiring to witness our core school mantras in action, from the sea of pink on Pink Shirt Day where our Intermediate and younger learners stood side-by-side to prove that Kindness Counts and Your Voice Matters, to the immense determination on display during our sunny school Cross Country runs.
This fortnight, we explore the power of our 'Other Learning Opportunities' as the final piece of our BIG 5 Balance Curriculum, where learners stretch their learning capacity, explore creative passions in STEAM and the arts, and act as engaged thinkers to make a positive social impact.
Our LitEx teams did us proud, competing with pride, and our Intermediate learners put into action their Mountains to Seas learning.
All learners have started preparing for next week's Learner-Led Conferences. These are a brilliant chance for our self-aware learners to take the lead and openly share their goals and progress with you. Make sure you've booked your time slot.
With Book Week just around the corner too, there is so much to look forward to. Thanks as always for your amazing support, and happy reading!
A truly balanced education flourishes through a library of experiences that ignites a child’s unique spark. Our fifth BIG 5 component, Other Learning Opportunities, is all about nurturing agency and passion. Through our specialist "Exploring Through" sessions and rich Music programs, we expose learners to a wide variety of disciplines, helping them discover what truly excites them. Whether it’s picking up an instrument for the first time or diving into a new creative medium, these moments are where many students find their "why."
At Stonefields, these opportunities come to life through a wide range of rich, hands-on experiences. Learners take part in library sessions and critical literacy, explore creativity through art, drama and dance, and build curiosity and problem-solving skills through STEAM. Our Exploring Through (ET) programme also offers outdoor learning and loose parts play, where collaboration, imagination and resilience are at the forefront. Together, these experiences give learners the chance to try new things, develop confidence, and discover the interests that inspire them.
We further challenge our learners through our "Break Through Challenges," which are designed to build independence and empower students to make a positive social impact in years 5-8. These opportunities allow children to take the lead in their learning, developing the agency needed to solve real-world problems. By providing these diverse pathways, we ensure that every Stonefields learner has the chance to look beyond the classroom, develop their own unique talents, and become a well-rounded, confident citizen prepared for a vibrant future.
Last Friday it was wonderful to see the school a wash with Pink as we celebrated our mantras Kindness Counts and Your Voice Matters - Speak up, Stand up, joining New Zealanders to Speak Up and Stand Together to Stop Bullying. We loved seeing our Intermediate learners step into the tuākana-tēina role, supporting our youngest learners as they built their knowledge on what it means to live our school values.
The sun was shining for us on Tuesday when all learners showed their determination and brought their best together to run cross country. The sense of achievement all learners had on their faces when they crossed the finish line was simply joyful!
We were also blown away by the number of senior learners who chose to challenge themselves by running the 2.5km competitive course over the fun run, ka pai. And how great do they look in their Whakamana Rock shirts!
Our Intermediate learners had an amazing exhibition day, where they shared their Mountains to Sea action projects. The hub was overflowing with projects ranging from detailed dioramas to science-rich information boards, and well-researched games — both physical and digital. We loved sharing our learning with you all, and a special congratulations goes to the following learners, whose projects were recognised by the visiting Mountains to Sea Board as exemplary pieces of learning, with clear messages and meaningful impact.
Siya, Dharana, Ollie, Harry M, Ashton, Thea, Emman, Ryan P, Ruhani, Shenali, Matteo, Shaurrya, Will N and Yami.
Learner Led Conferences are happening on Thursday 28 May. Don't forget, school closes at 1pm on this day.
Learner Led Conferences help children to develop agency - the ability to take ownership of their learning. When a child leads you through their Hub, they aren't just showing you a piece of work; they are demonstrating that they know what they are learning, how they are progressing, and what their specific next steps are. Over the course of one hour, your child will guide you through an agenda of "must-dos" and "can-dos" that showcase the breadth of the BIG 5—including English, Maths, and Concept learning.
During the Learner Led Conferences, our AIMS team will be holding a sausage sizzle and bake sale to help with their fundraising efforts. More details below.
Goal 1 - To strengthen a proactive and collaborative problem solving culture where restorative action is the norm for enabling all to live the School Values
What does success look like? School Values are heard and lived across our community, staff and whanau role model and communicate their expectations.
We'd like to take a quick pulse point feedback to capture your voice on where we are with this strategic goal. The five questions asked here, are the same questions we asked as part of the wider whānau survey which happens each year. We will compare your feedback on these five questions to the results from last year's survey to help track our progress.
This quick pulse point will only take 30 seconds to complete. Please complete the pulse point here
Mark your calendars - Stonefields School Book Week is just around the corner and promises to be an exciting celebration of literature, reading, and imagination. Book Week will take place from Monday 8 June, and is packed with fun activities designed to inspire a love of reading in all our learners.
We have a fantastic line-up of events planned:
Visiting Authors: We are pleased to welcome Stacy Gregg and David Riley who will share their stories, insights into the writing process, and inspire reading. If you would like a signed copy of their books, Stacy Gregg books can be purchased using this link, they will be delivered to school, and David Riley books using this link that you purchase direct and you can bring for him to sign on the day.
Competitions and Challenges: Put your literary knowledge and creativity to the test. Look out for various fun reading challenges and competitions with exciting prizes up for grabs throughout the week. We’ll also find out which of our Whakamana Rocks can claim to be our very first Reading Challenge Champion!
Scholastic Book Fair: The Scholastic Book Fair will be in the library, offering a wide selection of new books for purchase. It’s a great opportunity to expand your home library and support the school. It will be open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 8-9 am and 3-4pm in the library. If you can help run the fair, please let Esther or Anna know in the library. We need people to make it run smoothly!
We will be hosting our much-anticipated Character Dress Up Day on Friday 12 June, where students and staff can come dressed up as characters from selected books. Each hub has chosen a theme...
Hub 1 - Julia Donaldson
Hub 2 - Fairytales
Hub 10 - Dr Seuss
Hub 4 - Ready to Read Phonics
Hub 7 - Harry Potter
Hub 8 - The Magic Faraway Tree
Hub 9 - Roald Dahl
Hubs 11, 12 and 13 all have the Guinness Book of World Records
Intermediate Hubs - Fantasy
Let's make Book Week 2026 a memorable one!
Sixteen of our Year 5-8 learners took part in the LitEx competition on Monday. This competition, run by the Auckland Literacy Association, has teams of four students compete against other schools with questions about books, authors, and word knowledge. All four of our teams performed very well, showed great collaboration and determination. Izzy won second place in the individual round. We are very proud of Izzy and all the learners who took part.
Saturday 8 August, evening
FOSS is organising your next parents’ night out. Sample some drinks, have a snack and connect with other Stonefields parents. More info to come - for now, pop the date in the diary! Please note this is an adults-only event.
For a place to connect, share and support our local school community, join our parent-led WhatsApp Group. Next up - a dad's get together. Join WhatsApp and find out the details.
Don't forget every Wednesday, if you walk, bike or scooter to school, you can be warmed up on arrival with a cup of hot chocolate!
Remember to bring your reusable cup!
A reminder we have some Staff Only Days coming up. School will be closed for learners on these days. Kelly Club will be open if you require childcare.
Friday 29 May (Friday before King's Birthday weekend)
Friday 31 July
As the weather gets cooler, you may like to purchase a School Beanie to keep your child warm. These are $11.50 via Kindo. Collect from the school office.
It was exciting to see the concrete being laid this week for the new pathway, and the play area around it is starting to take shape too.
The drainage has also been laid around the field. As we continue to improve the quality of the lawn, there will be a top layer of sand placed over the entire field. During this time the field will be fully closed until the sand settles into the soil.
Eastern Zones Hockey Y7-8 | Monday 22 June (week 10)
Tamaki Ki-O-Rahi (Y5-8) | Wednesday 24 June (week 10)
Sign Ups Close Monday 25 May
Our AIMS athletes would love for you to join us during Learner Led Conference hours for our Sausage Sizzle and Bake Sale on the school grounds (near the office).
Treat yourself to a delicious sausage sizzle or enjoy some amazing homemade baking created by our learners and their families. Every purchase helps support our Stonefields Intermediate learners on their journey to the AIMS Games in Tauranga in September 2026.
Thank you for supporting our tamariki; we can’t wait to see you there!
Bake Sale & Sausage Sizzle
Thursday, 28th May during LLC's
1.00pm - 5.30pm
Near the School Office - Community Hub
You can place your order HERE
Delivery 24th June (between 3-7pm)
Please add your delivery address into the "Message" section.
Better value than the supermarkets!! Don't miss out, get yours today. For each pack ordered - our athletes receive $12.
Please encourage your learner to come along and join one of our sports coaching programmes!
Register now: Extension Sports and Coaching Enrolments for Term 2
Term 2: Sessions run week 2-11, excluding ANZAC Day and Kings Birthday.
Coach Rino warmly welcomes Y3-8 students interested in developing their skills, having fun, and playing some basketball to come along this Saturday!
Saturday 23 May
8am-10am
Meet on the school basketball court
For more information about all sports opportunities, please visit: stonefields.school.nz/sport
Learner Led Conferences | Thursday 28 May | School ends at 1pm
Staff Only Day | Friday 29 May | School closed
King's Birthday | Monday 1 June | School closed
Botanical Gardens Visit - Year 2 | Tuesday 2 June
Botanical Gardens Visit - Year 0-1 | Friday 5 June
View our School Calendar to keep up to date with all events
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.
If your child is a keen and experienced skier or snowboarder, Chris from Alpine Comp has kindly shared this fantastic opportunity with us. Please check out the poster below and visit the website for full details.
Open to ALL New Zealand & Australian Schools (Year 2 - 13). Registration is now open!
Universal Communications Group (UCG), working on behalf of Chorus, will be completing fibre upgrade/works on Tephra Boulevard, Stonefields.
Proposed Work Window: 20 May 2026 to 17 Jun 2026
Daily Work Times: Weekdays (School Term): 1000 - 1500 / Weekdays (School Holidays): 0900 - 1600 / Weekends: 0900 - 1700
Estimated Duration: 5 DAYS
Temporary traffic management will be packed down one hour before our finish time.
Traffic Management Overview:
Temporary lane/road restrictions may be required
Traffic controllers will support safe pedestrian and vehicle movement
Safety signage and barriers will be installed
School and property access will always be maintained
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:
Friday 6 February - Waitangi Day
Monday 27 April - Anzac Day (Observed)
Monday 1 June - King’s Birthday
Monday 26 October - Labour Day