Newsletter 24 July 2026

Tēnā Koutou, Talofa Lava, Malo e Lelei, Namaste, Ni sa bula, Noaia’e mauri, Fakalofa lahi atu, Kia Orana, Ni Hao, An Nyung Ha Sai Yo, Nay Ho, Hej, Hallo, Sawat Dee, Cześć, Goeie Dag, សួស្តី, Здравствуйте, Hola, Ola, 안녕하세요, Ayubowan, Greetings to our school families.

A special welcome to all our new school whānau – we’re so glad to have you with us. The weather in the school holidays was just what your children and our teachers needed, with some calm and sunny days with glassy water in the bay. Exciting times here at school too, with lots of fun learning planned. Many of our students will be ‘visiting’ other countries, as they tour around the school learning about some of the different countries and cultures that make up the Commonwealth. The official motto of the Commonwealth Games – “Humanity, Equality, Destiny” – leads us to rich learning about celebrating, and accepting people from different backgrounds as an important part of school life, in a context kids can understand.

Looking ahead, our School Cross Country is coming up in Week 3 (Wednesday 5 July) – and with rain forecast for this weekend it’s shaping up to be a total mud bath! Students are already training on our sealed areas, and I’ve spotted a few of our keen runners putting in extra kilometres after school. For most, the goal will simply be to finish – and to enjoy the celebration afterwards!

Our PTA Quiz Night (Friday 25th September) is also making a much-anticipated return! Check out the flyer below for details. For those new to our school, this is a fabulous adults-only evening and the PTA’s main fundraiser for the year. You can enter as a team or join one to meet new people. Every year the costumes get more creative – so get planning! We’ll share more info as the term goes on.

Ngā mihi nui,

Mr Trent Morley

“Smoke alarms save lives”

Mr Port

“Up the Wahs!”

Acting Principals

Welcome to our new students!

Ayla B, Roote B, Beau C, Lando D, Emmersyn D, Rory D, Elias M, Levin M

School Diary

Week 2 Mon 27 July – Fri 31 July:

Mon 27/7 Middle School cross country practice, inside school 2:20pm
Tues 28/7 Junior 100 days at school celebration
Tues 28/7 Senior School Cross Country Practice (external course) 2pm.
Weds 29/7 Middle School cross country practice, inside school 2:20pm
Thurs 30/7 Middle School cross country practice, inside school 2:20pm
Fri 31/7 Senior School Cross Country Practice (external course) 12:15pm.
Fri 31/7 Interschool Hockey, Showgrounds 9.00-2.00pm

Week 3 Mon 3 August – Fri 7 August: COOK ISLAND MAORI LANGUAGE WEEK

Mon 3/8 Senior School Cross Country Practice (external course) 2pm.
Mon 3/8 Middle School cross country practice, inside school 2:20pm
Tues 4/8 Middle School cross country track walk through straight after lunch
Wed 5/8 SBS Cross Country
Fri 7/8 Mahu College Open Day (Parents & Caregivers)
Fri 7/8 Full School Assembly, 2.10pm in the hall. (Kōwhai 2 presenting)

Week 4 Mon 10 August – Fri 14 August:

Tues 11/8 SBS Cross Country Save Day
Thurs 13/8 5:30pm Year 5 Camp information meeting with parents Kowhai 2
Thurs 13/8 Mathex @ Whangarei Boys High (Select Y5 & 6 only)

Important Notice to all Parents and Whānau – student with extreme allergies

This is an important reminder for all families at our school, and in particular for those new to our school. In our Junior School we have a student with a severe egg allergy. This student is allergic to eggs through ingestion, inhalation, and touch.

Please ensure that:
No whole egg products are included in lunch boxes. This includes items such as hard-boiled eggs, egg sandwiches, or eggs in rolls.
Egg used in baked goods, such as cakes or muffins, is still fine.

Thank you very much for your understanding and support in helping us keep all of our students safe.

Jump Jam Update

Our Jump Jam teams are practising hard for our competition in September. Here is our Snells Squad hard at work during lunchtime practice.

Commonwealth Games fun

Our senior classes have been learning about the different countries involved in the Commonwealth Games. In Tōtara 2 they have been learning about Samoa. The elei is a Samoan printing method that is used to colour items like the puletasi and lava lavas. They used a stencil to print onto cotton fabric, choosing designs they saw on various tools and instruments.

Upcoming Snells Beach School PTA Events

Mahurangi College Open Day – Friday 7th August 9:30am – 11:30am

This is an open invitation for all families considering Mahurangi College, whether they have decided to enrol or are still exploring their options. Our Open Day is for parents and caregivers. Students will have the opportunity to visit the school during our Orientation Day on Friday 6 November, 9am – 1pm (they will attend this as a group from SBS).

Families who would like to discuss their child’s specific learning or pastoral needs can request an enrolment interview at our Open Day or through the online enrolment process. An enrolment interview is not intended for every student, only for ones that have specific pastoral or diverse learning needs.

The closing date for all 2027 enrolments (in-zone and out-of-zone) is Wednesday 2 September 2026.

Horizon School Open Day

Lunch ordering at Snells Beach School

Here at Snells Beach School we have lunch-ordering through Ezlunch available every day. Follow the link below to sign up for ezlunch and check out the menu. Sushi is available and needs to be ordered the night before whilst sandwiches/baking/other lunchbox items from New World can be ordered up to 8am of the same day. Please note, the lunch order is delivered right before our 1pm lunchtime so students still need to bring morning tea with them. Please contact the school office if you have any questions.