School Newsletter
4 July 2024

Kia ora e te whānau | Greetings all


We're almost at a wrap for Term 2, wow how are we halfway through the year already! The learning that our tamariki have been emersed in this term has been so incredible. Our Term 2 concept of Community and Inclusion has provided a great sense of identity as learners explored their whānau's journey to New Zealand, celebrated the variety of cultures we are so fortunate to have within our community, and delved into NZ history.


Next term our concept will be 'Creativity and Innovation' with the term culminating in a whole school Break Through exhibition at the end of term. This will be an event not to miss!   


Earlier this week you will have received your child's mid-year report. We hope you found this a valuable snapshot of your child's progress and achievement so far this term, as well as gaining an insight into their learning through the teacher's comment. 


We've got a huge lineup for tomorrow's end-of-term Friday Cafe. Come along to hear performances from our senior band, choir, junior band and many individual performances.


Have a fantastic break and enjoy time with your whānau and friends over the holidays. We look forward to welcoming you back next term, please do join us for the Powhiri on Monday 22 July. 



Ngā mihi nui,

Sarah and the team

News & Announcements

Learner Led Conferences - Wednesday 7 August

On Wednesday 7 August we will be holding our Learner Led Conferences for all Year 3-8 learners. 

Learner Led Conferences are an important event for Stonefields School as it provides you with information about what your child is learning and how they are progressing. It also provides our learners with an authentic opportunity to be agentic and share their learning with you.

We ask parents to book a one-hour time slot for each child. During this time, your child will lead you through their hub, showing you what they have been learning, how they are progressing, and often involve you in hands on practical learning experiences. A teacher from the hub will connect with you and your child for 10 minutes during the hour, updating you on your child’s progress, highlighting next steps and how you can support them at home. Your child will help lead this conversation. 

Make a booking here

Spaces within each time slot are limited so please book early to secure your preferred time.

Please note, school will close at 1pm on Wednesday 7 August for all Year 3-8 learners. Kelly Club will be available if you require care. 

For Year 0-2 learners, school will finish at the normal time of 3pm. If you have younger siblings in this year level, you are welcome to pick them up earlier with their older sibling. 

Term 3 Staff

At the end of term we are saying farewell to some staff members as well as welcoming some new faces and seeing the return of familiar faces. 

Farewell

Welcome

We're excited to welcome back three familiar faces:

We also welcome Donna Parker to our community as our new receptionist. Drop in and introduce yourself to her in the office. 

Matariki Hikoi - Wednesday 24 July

Join us as we mark the end of Matariki with a Hikoi up Maungarei. Meet at 6.30am outside the hall, we will hikoi up Maungarei and take time up the top to reflect on Matariki with karakia and waiata. This will be followed by toast and hot Milo in the Hall to warm you up. 

Previously we've had around 300 join us, we're excited for hopefully our biggest group yet. 

Parent Bingo Night

We welcome all parents and friends to join us for a super fun Bingo Night on Saturday 27 July. This event will help raise funds to replace the shade sail over the junior playground. Tickets are $35 each. We have tables of 10 so either get a table together or we can organise a table for you. Individual ticket holders will be allocated a table. Tickets are limited to 150 so best to get in quick. 

FOSS are also looking for prizes to action on the night. If you're able to provide anything, please get in touch.

Music Lessons with Nathan Imboden

We currently have space for one or two more learners to have a weekly music lesson with our amazingly talented Mr Imboden. Nathan offers group or individual lessons during school hours in vocals, guitar, drums, or music production. Lessons will be $50 per half hour. Please express your interest here. 

Associate Principals presenting at Visible Learning Conference in San Diego

Whilst it's a break for our tamariki, two of our associate principals, Anita Unka and Hope Griffin, are using this time to present at the Visible Learning Conference in San Diego. They will be sharing the School's Vision and how this is implemented in practice.

Library Book Covering Working Bee - Thank you!

A huge thank you to the parents, grandparent and learners who have helped cover our piles of books and get them ready for issuing. Our working bee last week was well attended and many extra baskets of books have been taken home for covering. Your help is very much appreciated and has resulted in many new book choices for our learners in time for the holidays.

If you are able to help with book covering or book repairs in the future, please email anna.malan@stonefields.school.nz 

Auckland Transport update

Auckland Transport is seeking feedback on a proposal for pedestrian safety improvements on Merton Road, St Johns. They are proposing to install a traffic-light controlled dual crossing outside #34 Merton Road to improve safety for all road users. 

Feedback is open until 8 July, please have your say here. 

This is something we as a school have been requesting for many years as it will allow our learners from St Johns to safely cross Merton Road and walk to school. 

Medication in School Bags

Please ensure any medication required during school hours is handed into the school office. This includes asthma inhalers that may only potentially be required. No medication should be left in your child's school bag. This is to ensure the correct staff are aware of any requirements and can help dispense the medicine when required. If staff are not aware of the medication then we are unable to help your child when they need it.  

Enrolments for 2024 and 2025

As the year progresses we are already starting to plan our staffing requirements for 2025. If you have a child due to start school either this year or next, we ask that you please complete our enrolment form. 

If you know of anyone else in our community with a child aged 4, please encourage them to complete our enrolment form. 

Sports

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 

Upcoming Events

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

Community News

AUT study of anxiety and ADHD

Click here to take the short survey.

TikTok Editing Competition

Panmure Business Association are running a fun editing competition on TikTok for students during the school holidays. It’s a fantastic way for kids to stay connected, explore Panmure, and show off their social media skills. We’ve got lots of great prizes up for grabs, so it’s a wonderful opportunity for students to have some fun and maybe even earn a bit of spending money for the holidays.

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