School Newsletter
Term 4 - 29 October 2026

Kia ora e te whānau | Greetings all

As Term 4 progresses, it’s a delight to continue to see our balanced curriculum in action where foundation knowledge and core capabilities go hand in hand. Structured daily literacy and numeracy continue to form the solid foundation, but meaningful learning doesn't stop there; it thrives when our learners step into "The Learning Pit" to build resilience, think deeply, and use agency to navigate an ever-changing world.

Across our villages, that powerful blend of Knowledge and Capability continues to be on full display: 

Foundational Knowledge - Engagement is high as teachers design and cause learning in Reading, Writing and Mathematics.  As the weather warms up, our teachers have used this opportunity to draw inspiration from nature. Our Year 1 learners immersed themselves in nature during literacy, using real-world observations to craft descriptive texts. It was incredible to see the writing they crafted when they could see, touch and smell their subject matter.  

Capabilities - Curiosity and joy lit up faces during our Break Through science explorations, putting deep thinking skills into practice. Our senior learners showed pure grit and determination as they honed their physical skills practicing for the upcoming Athletics Day.  Our Enviro team embodied taking action by potting an incredible 1,000 seedlings, and our Student Council demonstrated collaboration, thinking, and agency as they presented their social impact projects to the School Board.  

When strong academic foundations meet real-world capability, our kids don't just learn, they thrive.

Ngā mihi nui,
Sarah and the team

Senior Athletics Day - Wednesday 4 November

Our Senior Athletics Day will take place on Wednesday 4 November at Colin Maiden Park. All Year 5-8 learners will be involved in a variety of events including Sprints, Shot Put, Discus, High Jump and more at our fun activation stations. 

• Learners will depart school at 10am and walk to Colin Maiden Park. They will return to school before 3pm 

• Learners will compete in their Whakamana Rocks. Please ensure they are wearing their Whakamana Rock tee for the day. 

• A detailed map and timetable will be shared with whānau on Monday

• Whānau are warmly invited to come along, cheer on our athletes, and be part of this energetic day 

Manaiakalani Film Festival - Wednesday 11 November 

We are delighted to have submitted five films for this year’s film festival, showcasing the creativity, collaboration and capabilities of our learners across the school. The films reflect our Stonefields values and demonstrate how learning is integrated across our balanced curriculum, providing authentic opportunities for learners to share their ideas, work collaboratively and apply their skills in meaningful contexts.

The five films submitted are:

• Year 0–2: Mindset Matters

• Year 3–4: Court Collaboration: Get ’Cha Head in the Game

• Year 5–6: Whakamātauria! Kia Kaha – Give It a Go

• Year 7–8: Netball: Take It Down

• ET Team: Beyond the Classroom

To celebrate the learners’ efforts, all Year 5–8 learners will travel by bus to Sylvia Park Hoyts Cinema to enjoy the film festival experience. Our Year 0–4 learners will gather at school to watch the films together on the big screen. This provides a valuable opportunity to celebrate learner voice, creativity and achievement, while strengthening our sense of community and pride in the learning taking place across Stonefields. 

The videos will be shared with our community after the festival. 

Trees for Survival

This week our Trees for Survival learners gathered to plant out 1000 native seedlings as part of our Trees for Survival programme undertaken to restore habitats and protect waterways. These seedlings will be nurtured by our learners until planting day out on the farm mid next year, always a fun and rewarding day!

Senior Garden Club

Are you a Year 5-8 student who is interested in getting your hands dirty and learning outdoors? Come to Senior Garden Club to learn more about growing plants at school and at home, help plant around the school and even grow plants to take home!

Senior Garden Club meets the first Thursday of every month, at the growing station behind hub 10. Do you want to make a clone? Next session Thursday 5 November, learn how to grow new plants through cuttings (called clones!)

2027 Enrolments

As we plan ahead for 2027, we'd love to know how many New Entrants will be joining our school throughout 2027. If you have a child due to start anytime in 2027, we encourage you to submit an enrolment now. Thanks! 

Attendance Target for Term 4 

As you are aware, the government's target is that 80% of all students achieve an attendance rate of 90% or over. We know that school attendance is directly linked to the best possible learning outcomes. Last year in Term 4, we had our lowest attendance rate of 66%. This term, our goal is to work with you to help remove any barriers to attending. If you need any support with ensuring your child attends school more than 90%, please reach out. 

You can easily check your child's attendance rate on the Edge App, simply click on 'Attendance' under your child's name. 

Learning Achievement Celebration - Wednesday 9 December

Don't forget to mark the date in your diary! On Wednesday 9 December from 6pm we will hold our annual Learning Achievement Celebration at Sacred Heart College Auditorium. This event is for the whole school community to celebrate all learners' achievements this year. All learners Years 1-8, and whānau are expected to attend. 

There’s been plenty of action in the sports space this past week! Last Wednesday, 60 learners attended Tāmaki Touch Rugby, showcasing incredible effort, determination and sportsmanship throughout the games. We’re so proud of how our learners represented themselves, and a huge thank you to the parents who supported our teams and helped the day run smoothly.

On Thursday, our Year 7-8 EZ Volleyball Girls enjoyed a competitive round of matches, while our Basketball Thunders were back on court for their games. On Friday, our Year 6-8 Netballers kicked off their 7-a-side Skills Sessions with Coach Jamie.

Next week, we look forward to our Senior School Athletics Day on Wednesday 4 November. Our learners have been practising their athletics techniques with our Kelly Sports coaches and hub teachers, preparing for these events including shot put, discus, high jump and sprints. 

It’s fantastic to see so much enthusiasm across all our sports, with learners growing in confidence and developing their love of sport. Well done, everyone!

Term 4 Sport Events

• Senior School Athletics Day (Y5-8) | Wednesday 4 November at Colin Maiden Park

• Eastern Zones Athletics (Y7-8) | Thursday 19 November (Qualifiers)

• Tamaki Athletics (Y5-8) | Wednesday 25 November (Qualifiers)

Visit the sports website for sign ups and more: Stonefields.school.nz/sports 

Sports Coaching & Developement

Sports Available: Basketball | Rippa | Volleyball | Netball | Hockey

Coaching Schedule: Sports website 

Register Now: Extension Sports and Coaching Enrolment Form

Casual Attendance: Why not come along and give it a try? All casual players will be charged a small session fee through Kindo.

AIMS Games 2027 - Registrations Open

As you will have seen in our latest School News episode, our 2026 AIMS athletes had a truly memorable experience throughout their AIMS journey. We’re excited to start looking ahead to 2027 and can’t wait to see where interest lies for next year! If your child is passionate about sport and will be in Year 7 or 8 in 2027, we encourage you to take some time to discuss this exciting opportunity with them. If your child is keen to be involved and ready to take the next step, please register your interest.

AIMS Games 2027 Expressions of Interest

Netball 2027 - Registrations Open

We are thrilled to see our Netball community continuing to grow and are excited to nurture this enthusiasm by offering more opportunities for our players to develop their skills and enjoy the game! Please see our upcoming Netball offerings below.

Term 1, 2027 - Skills & Developement Sessions

• Year 5-6: Fridays, 7:45–8:45 am

• Year 7-8: Tuesdays, 7:45–8:45 am

Registrations are now open for Winter Netball 2027

Please complete the Netball Registration Form to register for Winter Netball and/or sign up for any of the Term 1 skills sessions listed above.

Competitive Basketball 2027

If your learner is keen to play competitive basketball next year, head to the Basketball section of our sports website for more details.

Competitive Basketball 2027 Expressions of Interest

YUMMY Sticker Sports Gear Promo - A record-breaking 5,798 YUMMY stickers!

A huge thank you to everyone who collected YUMMY stickers! We’ve submitted an incredible 5,798 stickers and can’t wait to see what sports gear we’ve scored for our tamariki. Our sports gear gets plenty of use throughout the year, and the funds from this initiative help us top up and replace equipment as needed.

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

• School Discos | Friday 30 October | Junior 5pm-6pm, Senior 6.30pm-7.45pm

• Junior School Assembly (Years 0-4) | Monday 2 November | 2pm, Hall 

• Kapa Haka practice | Wednesday 4 November | 8.20am, Hub 6

• Senior Athletics Day (Years 5-8) | Wednesday 4 November 

• Year 5-6 Rotoroa Island Trip | Thursday 5 and Friday 6 November 

• Diwali Celebrations | Friday 6 November 

• Diwali-themed Friday Cafe | Friday 6 November | 3pm

• Mid-Term 4 New Entrant Cohort visits | Monday 9 - Thursday 12 November 

• Senior School Assembly (Years 5-8) | Monday 9 November | 2pm, Hall 

• Year 7-8 Water Safety | Monday 9 November 

• Manaiakalani Film Festival | Wednesday 11 November 

• Kapa Haka practice | Wednesday 11 November | 8.20am, Hub 6 

• Friday Cafe | Friday 13 November | 3pm 

• Te Kōtuku Kapa Haka Festival | Saturday 14 November 

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.

PJ King 

We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of PJ King. PJ was an integral part of our community for many years, as was Krissy his wife. Our thoughts and aroha are with PJ's whānau at this devastating time.