School Newsletter
26 June 2025

Kia ora e te whānau | Greetings all

What an amazing term of learning! From our Haoura Immersion week at the start of term, to our deep learning and connections made about our wellbeing, whether that is physical, social, emotional or mental health. It's been incredible to see the learning journey the tamariki have been on and the connection they are now making between actions and their wellbeing. 

Our staff also reflected on the term today with a yummy croissant breakfast, thanks to Chef Ray, also known as Caretaker Ray. They also spent time in the learning pit as we planned a cultural art activity for Term 3. Get your Sharpies ready! 

Thanks to your amazing fundraising efforts earlier this term, we've purchased 36 beautiful trees, including 16 large ones, to be planted around the new pathway. We're hoping for some sunshine over the holidays so we can bring a digger on-site and get them into the ground. You might have already spotted the three new park benches, kindly installed by the awesome team at MensShed. It's so exciting to see this pathway starting to come to life! Thank you again for your support with this! 

See you tomorrow at Jumping June and our final Friday Cafe and AIMs Fundraising Bake Sale.  We wish you a relaxing holiday break with your tamariki and look forward to seeing you back ready for Term 3 on Monday 14 July. 

Ngā mihi nui,

Sarah and the team 

Year 3-4

It’s been a fun and busy end to Term 2 in the Year 3-4 village! We’ve been getting active with Jumping June, building our skipping skills and looking forward to celebrating all our progress together. In our learning, we’ve explored Te Whare Tapa Whā – learning how we can look after all areas of our wellbeing – as well as diving into the amazing systems of the human body. We've also been learning about the significance of Matariki, and how this special time of year is celebrated across Aotearoa.

Year 5-6

This term in the Year 5 and 6 Hubs, our ākonga have been actively engaged in deepening their understanding of Te Hauora te Taonga (Health is our treasure). We explored how the brain works, what dopamine is, why it’s known as a “feel-good” chemical, and how sleep plays a vital role in supporting our overall hauora (wellbeing).

The Learner-Led Conferences provided a fantastic opportunity for our learners to grow in confidence. They demonstrated our learner qualities of reflect, wonder and thinking, all of which were showcased beautifully through their presentations as self-aware ākonga.

We rounded off the term with a range of enriching experiences, including Kapa Haka, Trees of Survival, Jumping June, and Bike Safety Education through Bigfoot Adventures. It’s been a term full of valuable learning and continued growth in both foundation and wider curriculum areas.

Intermediates

This week our Intermediates have enjoyed hosting our Year 6 learners and providing them with an insight into the Intermediate years ahead of them. It was wonderful to see the collaboration as they brought their best together to create catapults.

Our Intermediates have also been getting stuck into their Break Through Physical Challenge projects. Check out the criteria below. What challenge has your child set? 

Farewell Matoia

You will be sad to learn that Matoia Record has resigned from her teaching position with us as she returns to the Wellington region to be closer to her family. Whilst we'll miss Matoia's Kupu Māori ō te wiki, involvement in Pasifika group, warmth and relationships, and her fabulous wall displays, we wish her all the best with her move back to her whānau. Matoia's last day will be Friday 27 June.  

Jumping June Celebration - Friday 27 June

We’re excited to wrap up Jumping June with a fun celebration morning this Friday, showcasing the amazing skipping skills our learners have been building throughout the term. Families are welcome to come along and cheer!

Skipping Showcase Timetable:

• Year 0–2 - 9:10am – 9:30am

• Year 3–4 - 9:40am – 10:00am

• Year 5–6 - 10:10am – 10:40am

The court will be set up with a range of skipping stations where learners can demonstrate different skills, including Snake Skipping, Zig-Zag through the cones, Skipping techniques, and Freestyle Fun.

What to Wear 

School uniform with a splash of red to help us celebrate in style.

Practice Makes Perfect 

Learners can use these YouTube videos to practise the different skipping styles ahead of the celebration:

• Year 0-2

• Year 3-4

• Year 5-6

Fundraising

Please help us raise funds by sharing our hub page links: far and wide – via email, text, or social media. Let your whānau and friends know all about our tamariki jumping their way through June for a great cause. Fundraising pages will remain open over the school holidays. You can support our learners by donating via the links below for each hub:  

• Hub 1 Fundraising page

• Hub 2 Fundraising page

• Hub 10 Fundraising page

• Hub 7 Fundraising page

• Hub 8 Fundraising page

• Hub 9 Fundraising page 

• Hub 12 Fundraising page 

• Hub 13 Fundraising page 

Thank you for your support and enthusiasm – let’s keep jumping!

Matariki Celebrations

We’ve had an incredible time celebrating this special season. It was a breathtaking morning for our annual Hīkoi up the maunga — the perfect setting to pause, watch the sunrise, and reflect together as a whānau on the meaning of Matariki. 

Our Kapa Haka group shone brightly, delivering a show-stopping performance at Selwyn College, joined by the talented rōpū from Selwyn College and Tamaki College. The energy and pride were unforgettable! 

And over in Hub 10, the tamariki rolled up their sleeves and turned their harvested kūmara into the most delicious soup, a beautiful example of bringing our best together. Te Puawaitanga tamariki also enjoyed a shared lunch with their whānau. 

He wā whakahirahira! What a special time it’s been.

Bike Safety Lessons – Year 5 & 6 

Our Year 5 and 6 ākonga recently took part in two blocks of Bike Safety lessons facilitated by Bigfoot Adventures. It was an exciting and empowering experience for many of our learners. The sessions were mixed-ability, allowing everyone to learn at their own pace, including some who learnt to ride a bike for the very first time! Learners were taught how to complete safety checks on their bikes and gear before heading off around a controlled bike course. Along the way, they also explored essential road safety skills.

Here’s what some of our ākonga had to say about their experience:

“I wasn’t confident with biking, but after Bike Safety, I now want to get my own bike!”

“Bike Safety was fun! I liked learning how to check my bike before heading out.”

“The instructors had games that helped us learn about road safety.”

“They showed us how and why we need to check our helmets and bikes before we ride.”

Ka rawe, tamariki mā! A big thank you to the instructors for building our learners’ skills and confidence.

Uniform donations please

If you have any uniform items you no longer need, which have plenty of life left in them, please donate them to our Pre-Loved Uniform shop. We're very low on stock at the moment with a growing waiting list. All money raised goes directly back to the School. Thanks for your support! 

Uniform price increase

We have been advised by our uniform supplier, Argyle, that there will be a price increase as at 1 July. 

With the devaluation of the New Zealand dollar compared to the US dollar increasing the cost of our raw materials and garments, we have recently conducted a cost review. After absorbing all we can, we are left with 2.5% that we need to recover on our wholesale selling prices.

ArgyleOnLine prices will be reviewed by 2.5%, however these will be rounded to the nearest $0.50. New prices will take effect on the 1st of July 2025 and will apply to all new orders placed after, or for delivery after, the 1st of July 2025.

Overdue library books

It’s nearly mid-year and a great time to follow up our overdue library books. Learners in years 5-8 and all parents/guardians of learners with overdue library books, will have received an email showing what books are overdue and on issue to them.

Learners may borrow over the coming holidays, but we’re asking for overdue books to be returned, so others may have a turn with them. Your help in making this happen is really appreciated.

This year we have introduced a way for learners to help "put things right". If they've looked everywhere and still can't find their library book, or lost or damaged the book, we ask that they "own up and put it right" by either:

• Donating a book to our library

• Paying to replace the damaged/lost book

• Making their own book to be added to our library for others to read 

Mistakes do happen and our system isn't perfect.  If you/your learner received a reminder for books that were never issued or have already been returned, please ask your learner to come and have a chat with us in the library.

That’s a wrap for Term 2! We’ve had a fantastic term and are already looking forward to an exciting line-up of events next term, including Basketball, Netball, and more. 

Don’t forget to get signed up for Term 3 events over the school holidays! stonefields.school.nz/sport   

• If you have a Year 3-4 learner interested in Netball, please assist them in signing up for Tamaki Netball. Boys Y3-8 also welcome!

• Learners in Years 5-8 should sign themselves up for the sports they are interested in.

• Please note: Placements are limited. If an event is oversubscribed, trials may be held.

• Parent Volunteers needed: We require parent volunteers for all listed events. Please earmark your calendar for events your child may be interested in, so we can ensure we have enough support to enter the maximum number of teams possible.

What’s happening in Sport 

Congratulations to our teams who competed in Te Rōpū Pourewa Ki-o-Rahi and Eastern Zones Hockey last week! We’ve been incredibly impressed by the dedication shown in preparing for these events, with students attending early morning and lunchtime trainings. That hard work paid off on the day! An outstanding effort by all involved - and a big thank you to whānau for your awesome support.

Extension Sports 

School Basketball

Would your child be interested in joining a school basketball team? We’re keen to gauge interest and explore the possibility of forming a school basketball team, with the aim of entering local inter-club leagues at Tāmaki Recreation Centre or B&T Stadium. Expressions of interest can be registered HERE 

School Hockey (Years 1-8)

We’re excited to be moving forward with School Hockey, potentially open to learners from Years 3-8! To help our learners get a feel for the game, we’re offering two initial taster sessions for those who have registered their interest HERE. These sessions are a great way to try out Hockey in a fun, supportive environment, and see if it’s the right fit. We also warmly welcome skilled parents or whānau members with a passion for Hockey to come along, support, or get involved. Like Netball, this sport will progress to being parent-led, so your support is hugely valued. Please let us know if you can make it along - sport@stonefields.school.nz  

Hockey Taster Sessions (with support from Auckland Hockey Association) 

Provisional Dates:

• Tuesday 22 July, 2:00-3:00pm

• Tuesday 29 July, 2:00-3:00pm

We’ll confirm the dates closer to the time - stay tuned! 

Turf and Court bookings

If you or your sport team would like to book a training time - please book this in with the office office@stonefields.school.nz 

• Jumping June celebration | Friday 27 June 

• Friday Cafe and AIMs Bake Sale | Friday 27 June | 3pm

• Last day of Term 2 | Friday 27 June 

• Term 3 starts | Monday 14 July 

• Pōwhiri | Monday 14 July | 9.15am

• Kapa Haka practice | Wednesday 16 July | 8.20am, Te Pou Manawa

• School Board nominations open | Friday 18 July 

• Friday Cafe | Friday 18 July | 3pm

• Kapa Haka practice | Wednesday 23 July | 8.20am, Te Pou Manawa

• Friday Cafe | Friday 25 July | 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.