Newsletter 14 August 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.

This past weekend, as we celebrated a monumental Warriors win, the NRL was also celebrating Indigenous Round — a time to acknowledge, honour, and celebrate the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of Indigenous peoples. Here at school last week we celebrated Cook Islands Māori Language Week; next week we look forward to Tongan Language Week. We celebrate learning success, sports success, values success – all areas that are such an important part of our school community.

All of these celebrations remind us of something we believe is incredibly important: we are all different — and that in itself is something to celebrate! We each have our own culture, language, background, interests, experiences, strengths and talents. We have different things we enjoy and different things we are good at. Some of us might shine on the sports field, while others are at their best with a paintbrush, an instrument, a book, a computer or a great idea. Some people are confident leaders, while others show their strengths through kindness, creativity, humour, perseverance or simply being a great friend.

Our differences are what make our school community so rich and vibrant. They give us opportunities to learn from one another, to experience cultures and perspectives different from our own, and to discover that there are many different ways to be successful, talented, and special.

So as we celebrate our cultures and languages, let’s also remember to celebrate each other, AND ourselves. Celebrate the things that make you you. Celebrate your strengths, your interests, your culture, your language, and the things you are passionate about. Celebrate the things you are learning and the ways you are growing. And make sure you take the time to notice and celebrate the strengths and successes of those around you too.

Because we don’t need to be the same to belong. We all have something valuable to contribute. When we bring all of those differences together, we create a school community that is stronger, richer, and more wonderful because of every single one of us. That is something worth celebrating.

Kia ora e te whānau

Up the Wahs!

Mr Port and Mr Morley

Acting Principals

School Diary

Week 5 Mon 17 August – Fri 21 August: TONGAN LANGUAGE WEEK

Tues 18/8 Junior Poetry Recital Finals (9.10am in the hall)
Weds 19/8 Middle School speech finals in hall 11:30am
Weds 19/8 5:30pm Year 5 Camp information meeting with parents Kowhai 2 – Please note the change in meeting date and time
Thurs 20/8 Interschool Cross Country at Warkworth Showgrounds
Fri 21/8 Full School Assembly, 2.10pm in the hall. (Pūriri 1 presenting)

Week 6 Mon 24 August- Fri 28 August:

LIFE ED BUS HERE TUESDAY-FRIDAY

Mon 24/8 TravelWise week begins
Mon 24/8 New Entrant Cohort Starting
Mon 24/8 Mihi Whakatau in the hall for new akonga/whanau 9.10-9.45am
Wed 26/8 “Wear Yellow” Daffodil Day Mufti Day
Wed 26/8 BOT Meeting 6.30pm
Fri 28/8 School Speech Finals 11:30-1pm in the hall

Week 7 Mon 31 August – Fri 4 September:

LIFE ED ALL WEEK

Wed 2/9 Mahu College Enrolments close
Fri 4/9 Full School Assembly, 2.10pm in the hall. (Year 2 Production/Musical)
Fri 4/9 Pizza Day – Fundraising for Yr 5 Camp

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.

Cross Country Success at SBS

What a day it was for our annual SBS cross country, with one of the coldest mornings of the year bringing a stunning, sunny and crisp winter day. Well done to the top 5 in each year group who will continue on to the interschool cross country event at the Warkworth Showgrounds on the 20th August.

Year 0-1 Boys

1st Jordy S, 2nd Josh M, 3rd Ollie S, 4th Onyx C, 5th Levin M

Year 0-1 Girls

1st Quinn M, 2nd Milly T, 3rd Emelia W, 4th Chloe V, 5th Eden S

Year 2 Boys

1st Ted B, 2nd Oscar V, 3rd Jake M, 4th Pranav S, 5th Parthu P

Year 2 Girls

1st Eliza Y, 2nd Remy L, 3rd Hunter P, 4th Harper G, 5th Cleo D

Year 3 Boys

1st Cooper M, 2nd Arlo M, 3rd Falco S, 4th Sacha W, 5th River M

Year 3 Girls

1st Jamie M, 2nd Chloe M, 3rd Lacey R, 4th Livi S, 5th Noa F

Year 4 Boys

1st Baxter T, 2nd Ollie V, 3rd Manawa D, 4th Alexander M, 5th Finley M

Year 4 Girls

1st Harper M, 2nd Aria P, 3rd Mya S, 4th Holly P, 5th Nevah R

Year 5 Boys

1st Jordan S, 2nd Oli H, 3rd Levi S, 4th Ari F, 5th Jake F

Year 5 Girls

1st Isla K, 2nd Marlee J, 3rd Leia C, 4th Coco W, 5th Zenna P

Year 6 Boys

1st Stanley M, 2nd Camden H, 3rd Alex M, 4th Simon M, 5th Kalo T

Year 6 Girls

1st Harper M, 2nd Ruby E, 3rd Avigail H, 4th Marnie M, 5th Bella K

Hockey Success

The local schools assembled at the Warkworth Hockey turf recently to compete in the Interschool competition. This time we were fortunate to enter three teams. Brilliant sunshine, chilly winds and freezing showers kept the teams on their toes during and between games. The Leigh PTA keeping us warm with the sausage sizzle and sugared up with baking.

At the end of pool play, we had the unenviable situation of two Snells teams facing each other to go though to the finals. It see-sawed back and forth with Snells One moving on to battle the formidable Leigh team. Not wanting to go to extra time or drop offs, our team, made up of rugby, touch and equestrian athletes with a couple of hockey players scored early in the first half and again in the second to emerge winners of the tournament.

We were really well supported by from the sidelines by many parents and grandparents, which made a huge difference. Thank you to Michelle, Bevan, Brad, Ben and Jesus who managed the teams and rendered first aid where necessary. It was a great day out!

Upcoming Travelwise Breakfast

Thankyou for supporting the NED Show at SBS

What a week it’s been with all the amazing NED show yo-yos. Students sharing their best tricks, and loving the challenge and excitement of mastering the next one. Sales have kept the office very busy indeed. The NED zone has been a safe and reliable area for all this excitement. Next week, however, we go back to this area being our outdoor stage. In-line with our school policy around bringing toys to school, as of this coming Monday, Yo-yos should not be brought to school for use during the school day. However, the messages we learned at the show will still be live and well. Never give up. Encourage others. Do your best. Yoyo sales at the office are also finished as of the end of Friday this week.

Upcoming Snells Beach School PTA Events

Trash Free Tuesdays – Let’s Make Every Lunch Count!

At Snells Beach School, we’re working together to keep our school clean, green and sustainable by encouraging Trash Free Tuesdays. We invite all families to pack a litterless lunchbox by choosing foods with little or no single-use packaging.

A litterless lunchbox doesn’t have to be complicated! Fresh fruit and vegetables, homemade baking, sandwiches, wraps, sushi, boiled eggs, cheese, yoghurt in reusable containers, and leftovers are all fantastic options. Packing food in reusable containers, beeswax wraps or washable zip-lock bags instead of disposable wrappers is a simple way to reduce waste while teaching children to care for our environment.

Looking for some new lunchbox inspiration? Woolworths has a fantastic collection of “Nude Food” ideas and family-friendly recipes, including homemade muesli bars, savoury muffins, healthier cauliflower bites, chicken and vegetable patties, sushi, rice paper rolls and delicious snack balls that are perfect for lunchboxes. They also have helpful tips for batch cooking so you can prepare snacks ahead of time and make busy mornings easier. https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/articles/nude-food-lunch-box

Together we can reduce rubbish, protect our beautiful environment, and show our tamariki that even small changes can make a big difference. Thank you for helping us make Trash Free Tuesdays a success!

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.

We’re running the August Lunch Shout: 5 x $10 Kindo credits to be won by families at Snells Beach. Every family that orders lunch through Kindo in August goes in the draw, with one entry per child they order for. Five winners, all from your school. 🙂

Community Notices

Snells Beach Flower Show

Snells Beach Garden Circle Spring show is to be held on Saturday 5th September at the Mahurangi East Community Centre, Hamatana Rd, Snells Beach.

We would like children to enter the show. Children’s sections are:

An arrangement in a saucer 5 years & under
An arrangement in a saucer 6- 8 years
Animal, made out of fruit or vegetable 9 -12years

A full show schedule is at Snells Beach Library. Please put name under each entry. Exhibits may be brought to hall between 3pm – 4pm on Friday 4th September or Saturday 5 th September 9am – 10.20am. Hall is closed for judging from 10.30am to 12.30pm. Show is open to the public from 1.00pm to 3.30pm.
Entries may be picked up from hall after 3.30pm on Saturday 5th September.
For all enquires please ring Barbara Carpenter on 027 294 1780, Show Convenor