School Newsletter
4 December 2025

Kia ora e te whānau | Greetings all

With two weeks left of the year, there are so many wonderful events, celebrations, and learning opportunities happening across the school. 

Tonight we're excited to host the Year 8 Graduation Dinner as we celebrate the achievements of these young adults and wish them all the very best for the next stage in their learning journey! It's incredible to think how much has changed from when these now mostly 13-year-olds started with us at age 5!

We look forward to seeing you all at next week's Learning Achievement Celebration! 

Ngā mihi nui,

Sarah and the team 

Year 5-6 "What to do when we don't know what to do!" learning

Our Year 5-6 learners have been using the knowledge gained from their teacher-led rotations to create In Real Life (IRL) brochures on what to do when we don't know what to do.

Next week, our learners will bring everything together by applying their IRL brochure learning, their IRL activity knowledge, and their fort-making skills as they host our Year 3-4 village. This tuakana–teina afternoon will be a great way to celebrate and showcase all of our Term 4 concept learning.

Kapa Haka performance at Te Kōtuku Cultural Festival

Last Saturday, the weather and sun awakened the beautiful songbirds — He whiti mai te rā, ka oho ake ngā manu tioriori. Our songbirds from Te Rōpū o Ngā Pāraipōhatu were in full chorus, from the baby chicks of Year 0 to the giant moa of our Intermediates.

They began with a powerful war chant, flowed into a harmonised ensemble of melodies, and mesmerised the audience with their actions, takahi, and poi. Our ropū held their heads high with another performance of outstanding quality.

Hui and Talanoa

There have been many special highlights from our Hui and Talanoa forums this term. On Thursday 27 November, our Māori and Pasifika whānau gathered to reflect on and celebrate the best parts of our tamariki’s year. 

Te Puawaitanga learners shared their standout moments — from making hāngī in the oven to exploring their whakapapa, and learning their pepeha. Whaea Ashliegh also presented the achievements of our Fale Pasifika learners, including creating Fijian ice blocks, and producing beautiful Pasifika artwork.

We hope that next year, all our Māori and Pasifika families will join us and continue to partner with us through our Hui and Talanoa. 

Pre-Loved Uniform for 2026

To get ahead of the summer growth spurts, we recommend you get your Pre-Loved Uniform requests in this week. This will allow our team to process it and have it ready for collection before the end of the year. 

Any requests received after Wednesday 10 December, will not be available until the day before school starts in February and only if we have the stock available. 

Also if you have any uniform items you no longer need, and they are still in good condition, we'd love to have them donated to replenish our stock!

2026 Transition Morning - Monday 15 December

On Monday 15 December we will have our annual Transition Morning where all learners spend the morning in their 2026 Hub with their new teachers. This is a great way for learners to experience their new hub, teachers, and year level before the summer holidays. You will find out your child's 2026 Hub on Friday 12 December so you will have time over the weekend to set your child up for success with the transition.

Measles - record of immunisation

Measles cases have recently been identified across New Zealand and have already impacted two schools in our region. Measles spreads easily and can be serious for both children and adults. Health New Zealand has advised us that according to the Aotearoa Immunisation Register, around 80% of our school roll is fully immunised for Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR). If you are unsure if your child is fully immunised, or they received their immunisations overseas, we recommend getting in touch with your GP to ensure their record is up to date. 

Tamaki and Eastern Zones Athletics

A huge congratulations to our 48 athletes who have taken part in our interschool athletics tournaments over the last two weeks. Following Tamaki Athletics last Wednesday, we’re thrilled to share that we had some fantastic podium finishes.

Inter School Sports

It’s officially a wrap for our 2026 Interschool Sport Calendar! A huge thank you to all our incredible parent helpers for your support across every code and cohort this year. We truly couldn’t do it without you. We feel deeply grateful to have such a fantastic community behind us, ensuring our tamariki have access to these valuable sporting opportunities.

And a big thank you to our students, who have poured their heart and soul into their sports, competitions, tournaments, and events. We are immensely proud of each and every one of you for giving your very best at every opportunity!

Sign up forms for 2026 will be up on the Sport website from 15th December: stonefields.school.nz/sport 

➡️Please encourage your learners to hop onto their Chromebooks over the school holidays to get officially signed up for their chosen events.

Our new 2026 student sign-up approach:

Next year, we’re introducing a new system. With limited capacity for interschool events, and to ensure these opportunities can be accessed by a wide range of students, learners will be able to sign up for two preferred events each term. They’ll need to choose only two from the opportunities available that term so they can fully commit the time and practice needed in the lead-up to their events.

After School Sports 2026

Hosted by external providers, our after-school sports programs feature Basketball, Football, and Skateboarding. These are user-pays programs open to students of all ages (Y0-8) and abilities, conveniently held on school grounds. 

• Wednesday's: Multi Sports by Sports-X | 3-4pm 

• Thursday's: Football Skills by Eastern Suburbs Football Association | 3:15-4:15pm 

• Friday's: Young Guns Skate School | 3:30pm-4:30pm

• Year 8 Graduation | Thursday 4 December

• Dress Your Way Day | Friday 5 December

• Friday Cafe | Friday 5 December | 3pm

• Learning Achievement Celebration | Wednesday 10 December | 6pm

• Christmas Friday Cafe | Friday 12 December | 3pm

• Sing for the City Fundraiser | Saturday 13 December | 4pm

• 2026 Transition Morning | Monday 15 December | 9am

• End of Year Achievement Reports sent | Monday 15 December 

• Last day of Term 4 | Tuesday 16 December | School finishes at 3pm

• First day of Term 1, 2026 | Wednesday 4 February 

• Pōwhiri | Wednesday 4 February | 9am

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.