School Newsletter
28 November 2024

Kia ora e te whānau | Greetings all


Third time lucky ... Junky Monkeys were back today and the kids had a blast! The depth of engagement, sense of fun and creations were a delight to observe. Your children's imaginations are alive and well.  


Don't forget School will be closed on Monday 2 December for a Staff Only Day. Kelly Club will be open if you require child care. 


Here's a look at everything that's been happening, as well as everything you need to know about the upcoming Learning Achievement Celebration. 


Ngā mihi nui,

Sarah and the team

News and Announcements

Mindsets to Impact Performance

Some of our learners and staff were very fortunate last week to have taken part in a workshop facilitated by ex-All Black Doug Howlett and ex-Black Ferns Grace Steinmetz and Eloise Blackwell. The workshop took mindsets from these professional athletes and reflected on how these same tools and strategies can be used in learning, teaching and all aspects of our lives.   

Selwyn College Music Collaboration 

Our music partnership with Selwyn College continues to grow. This week Selwyn College musicians and teachers visited us for a collaborative day of music making with our Stonefields musicians. 

We had 107 learners on stage performing ranging from Year 2 to Year 11, who enjoyed a series of workshops in the morning before coming together to give performances to our Junior and Senior School. What a wonderful day of music making and learning we had!

MVI_0902.MP4

Music Lesson 2025 

We're excited to announce that we will be changing things up for music lessons in 2025. We have chosen to not continue our contract with Lewis Eady for 2025, we will instead have tutors coming directly into school offering lessons in guitar, singing, piano, and drums.

The School already has tutors coming into school offering lessons in Violin, Trumpet and French horn. This model has worked well for all involved. We will be extending this offering for 2025 to cover guitar, singing, piano, and drums, plus we're looking to extend this to woodwind later in the year if there is demand.

To sign up for lessons in 2025, please complete the following form with your preference. 

Learning Achievement Celebration - Wednesday 11 December

We’re excited to share with you details for our Learning Achievement Celebration on Wednesday 11 December. This is a celebration of the whole school's achievements across the year, all learners are expected to attend along with their whānau. 

The event will be held at the Sacred Heart College Auditorium in Glendowie, allowing us to host the entire school community!

All learners are required to arrive no later than 5.45pm, wearing their school uniform. There will be entertainment in the Foyer from 5.30pm. Food Trucks will be available on site from 4.30pm with last orders at 5.30pm. There is strictly no food allowed in the Auditorium. The ceremony will begin promptly at 6pm. 

Learners will be seated in their Hubs. Upon arrival please look out for their teachers and signs for the correct seated area. 

Awards

The evening is a celebration for all learners, not just those receiving awards. Please note, if your child has been nominated for an award, this will be a surprise for you all to enjoy on the evening.

Nominees will receive a certificate at school the following day in their Hubs. 

Kapa Haka

If your child is involved in the Kapa Haka, they are required to arrive by 5.15pm, dressed in their Kapa Haka uniform. Please come to the Theatre for Moko to be applied. 

Orchestra 

If your child is involved in the Orchestra, they are required to arrive by 5pm. Please come to the Theatre with your instruments. 

The learners have been working hard preparing for their performances and can’t wait to share these with you.

Te Aroha - Community waiata

As a part of the Learning Achievement Celebration, we will be singing Te Aroha as a whole community. If you're not familiar with this waiata, here are the lyrics for you to learn.  

Christmas Friday Cafe - Friday 6 December

Join us for a Christmas-themed Friday Cafe with live performances, market stalls, and much more. See you after school. 

Library Stocktake 

Our Library is now closed for the annual stocktake. If you still have books to return, please do so as soon as possible. Thanks for your support. 

Stonefields Market Day 

Thanks to all those who made it along to support our akonga at last week's market day. With over 100 learners on stage throughout the morning, it was a wonderful representation of our learners taking on new challenges with pride. 

Many wider community members commented on the incredible talent we are helping to foster. 

Sing for the City - Saturday 7 December

Each year the Stonefields Community Choir puts on a concert to raise funds for Auckland City Mission. Last year they raised over $15,000! We're fortunate to again have our school choir, bands and Nathan Imboden be a part of this. Purchase tickets here 

Intermediate Uniform 2025

Our Intermediate black shirt has been in circulation now for a few years. From 2025 it will be compulsory for all Year 7-8's to switch to the Black shirt. 

Uniform Donations

If you have any uniform items you no longer require, that still have plenty of life left in them, we'd love to add them to our second hand uniform stock. We'd love to receive some intermediate shirts once the year has ended. Please drop them off at the office. Thank you kindly! 

Sports

Eastern Zone Athletics Year 7-8

Congratulations to our Eastern Zone athletes who braved a day of four seasons at the Pakuranga Athletics Club last Thursday. The competition was intense, and our athletes gave it their all. A special mention to Zadie, who made it to the 100m finals for the Year 7 girls, finishing in 5th place overall. Great job to everyone who participated!

AUCC Cricket Year 3-6 

This week, we enjoyed two exciting days of cricket at Colin Maiden Park. The event featured a fun 6-a-side soft ball tournament, catering to all skill levels. It was fantastic to see both beginners and experienced players come together and compete in some great games against other local schools. A big congratulations to everyone, and thank you to our team of parent helpers across both days!

Netball Feedback & Planning Hui

A reminder that the Netball Hui for 2024 coaches, managers, and any Netball whānau interested in helping us plan ahead will be held tomorrow, Friday 29 November, in the Community Hub from 2:15 pm to 3:30 pm.

Stonefields School Lacrosse 2025

We are exploring a new opportunity to expand into the world of Lacrosse, with the support of Auckland Lacrosse Association. We would have the association's support to learn the game on site at Stonefields, and form a school team, potentially working towards a tournament with other local schools. Please complete this quick survey to show expressions of interest (Intermediate learners only), and if you would like to learn more, head over to Auckland Lacrosse Associations' website AucklandLacrosse.co.nz

2025 After-School Sport Programs

Our after-school sport providers will be back in Term 1 2025, and continuing with their successful Basketball, Football, and Skateboarding programs, open to all ages (Y1-8) and abilities: 

To Register: For afterschool and Holiday programs, and to explore other local opportunities, please visit our Community Noticeboard   

As always, if you have any sport related queries please don't hesitate to get in touch with our Sport Team sport@stonefields.school.nz 

Sports Quote of the week...

Upcoming Events

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

Community News

2024 Term Dates

Term 1: Thursday 1 February - Friday 12 April

Term 2: Monday 29 April - Friday 5 July 

Term 3: Monday 22 July - Friday 27 September

Term 4: Monday 14 October - Tuesday 17 December

2025 Term Dates

Term 1: Monday 3 February - Friday 11 April

Term 2: Monday 28 April - Friday 27 June 

Term 3: Monday 14 July - Friday 19 September

Term 4: Monday 6 October - Tuesday 16 December

Public Holidays during term time

Thursday 6 February - Waitangi Day

Monday 2 June - King's Birthday

Friday 20 June - Matariki

Monday 27 October - Labour Day