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, Vanakkam. Greetings to our school families.
I feel incredibly blessed to work alongside the team I do, within such an amazing and supportive community. After a big week of Professional Development and preparation, it was gutting to arrive back and see the damage done to our classrooms over the weekend.
What followed, however, was pretty special. Seeing such a large group of people immediately swing into action — each doing their bit — meant our tamariki were impacted as little as possible when they returned this week.
A massive thank you to Crest Clean, Infinit (our digital support crew), and the Warkworth Police for their immediate and ongoing support. To everyone who reached out with offers of help — thank you. We were genuinely humbled. I know I haven’t been able to respond to everyone as we needed to prioritise our time, but please know your kind words were deeply appreciated.
A very special welcome to our new families, friends and whānau! We hope you settle in quickly and feel part of our school community. We highly recommend coming along to our upcoming Meet and Greet (details below) — a great opportunity to meet your child’s teacher, connect with their classmates, and hopefully make a few new connections of your own too (it can be tough moving to a new community).
2026, bring it on!
Ngā mihi nui,
Kathryn Ramel
Principal
Welcome to our New Students – we hope you enjoy your time at our school!
Oskar B, Desley F, Connor G, Matilda M, Finley M, Jake M, Freddie M, Sylvie M, Temaeva-Sherry N, Denham N, Zeph R, Ella R, Ariana S, Ollie S, Ezekiel S, Keira T, Elsie T, Arie T, Isla W
School Diary
Week 2: 9 Feb – 13 Feb
- Weds 11.2 Harbour Basketball Lunchtime Session, Select Year 4-6 students (Cain Nuttall)
- Fri 13.2 Yr 3 – 6 Kapa Haka in the hall at 2pm (new tamariki welcome)
Week 3: 16 Feb – 20 Feb
- Mon 16.2 SBS Meet & Greet 5:00pm – 6:30pm (full tide 7:40pm) – details below
- Fri 20.2 Full School Assembly 2:00pm. All welcome.
Week 4: 23 Feb – 27 Feb
- Mon 23.2 Junior Swimming. Leaving 11:30, Cricket skill sessions in classes Liam Jones from Northland Cricket, Pasifika Performance Group – 2pm whole school in hall (all welcome)
- Tues 24.2 Junior Swimming. Leaving 12:30, Cricket skill sessions in classes Liam Jones from Northland Cricket
- Weds 25.2 Junior Swimming. Leaving 12:30, Board Meeting 6:30pm
- Fri 27.2 Yr 3 – 6 Kapa Haka in the hall at 2pm (new tamariki welcome)
Who’s who? What’s new?
Once again we are lucky to have very few changes to start the year – some teachers have changed levels as different size cohorts move through the school. Here’s a quick run down of who is doing what in our school this year:
- As you know, Mrs Henchie retired from full time teaching last year, and this year moves into small group Literacy Support. There were lots of happy kids to see her yesterday.
- We have been delighted to welcome Mrs Nadia Francis into our Senior Team, teaching a Year 5 class in Nikau 2. Nadia is an experienced teacher, coming to us from Leigh School, having also taught at Warkworth and Pakiri. We had got to know Nadia through our Kāhui Ako connections and were delighted when she applied to join our team, as we felt she would be a great fit. Nadia is an enthusiastic and creative person, who builds strong relationships – welcome to the crew!
- Ms Jess Supernault has moved into the Middle School Team, in a Year 3 class as our numbers swell in that area – enjoy Kahikatea 1 Jess!
- The remediation of our original buildings and their roof structure is continuing. Currently our Kauri Block classes are situated in Rātā Block. Over the course of this year it is likely that Kahikatea, Manawa and Nīkau Block will also be remediated.
- We operate very much as a team here. Your first port of call should always be your child’s teacher – they know them best from a school point of view. Here is an overview of our staffing structure for 2026:
Senior Leadership:
- Miss Kathryn Ramel – Principal
- Mr Trent Morley – Associate Principal & SENCO (Special need support), Years 0 – 3, Transitions New Entrants
- Mr Kyle Port – Associate Principal & SENCO (Special need support), Years 4-6, Transitions into Year 7
Team Leaders:
- Mr Ben Howson – Senior School (Years 5 & 6)
- Mrs Jade Walker – Middle School (Years 3 & 4)
- Miss Sarah Jolliffe – Junior School (Years 0 – 2)
Senior School:
- Totara 1: Mr Ben Howson, Yr 6
- Totara 2: Mrs Stacey Marfleet, Yr 6
- Kōwhai 1: Mr Colin Chapman, Yr 6
- Nīkau 1: Mrs Laura Morley, Yr 5
- Nīkau 2: Mrs Nadia Francis, Yr 5
- Kōwhai 2: Mrs Toni Waddell, Yr 5
Middle School:
- Puriri 1: Mr Sam Sutherland (& Mrs Holly Browne – Tuesdays), Yr 4
- Puriri 2: Mrs Jade Walker, Yr 4
- Manawa 1: Mrs Jen Sands, Yr 3
- Manawa 2: Mrs Tracey Hardey, Yr 3
- Kahikatea 1: Mrs Jess Supernault, Yr 3
Junior School:
- Kahikatea 1: Ms Kat Wallis, Yr 2
- Kauri 2: Mrs Nicki Holland, Yr 2 (temporarily in Rātā 2 this term)
- Kauri 1: Mrs Sally Jack, Yr 1 (temporarily in Rātā 1 this term)
- Rimu 2: Mrs Sarah Jolliffe, New Entrant Yr 1
Mr Morley out for a few weeks
We would like to let you know that Trent Morley will be away for the next few weeks following some minor surgery. Like the 6 million dollar man, we can rebuild him, and look forward to when he returns, new and improved.
SBS Beach Meet & Greet 2026 – Mon 16 Feb 5:00pm – 6:30pm at the playground by the beach, bottom of Snells Beach Road
Next week you will receive information regarding our SBS Meet and Greet coming up. This is an opportunity to:
- meet your child’s teacher
- meet your child’s class mates and new friends (before you get asked for play dates!)
- meet other families from our SBS community
You will also receive some “parent homework” to bring along to the teacher that evening. This is an opportunity for you to help us get to know your child a little better, so we can really understand them and their strengths, interests and needs.
Bring a picnic dinner, or buy a sausage sizzle, and come on down!
Our SBS Living Values Programme
Our Values Programme aims to inspire our young people to develop positive character traits enabling them to become the best people that they can be. It provides a common language amongst students and staff and is an important part of our daily curriculum. We find that students are more tolerant and cooperative in their interactions, assume responsibility for their behaviour and learning, and work together more cooperatively. Each term we focus on a different value. It is super helpful for you to be having the same conversations at home and using some of the key ideas listed below.
Our value this term is Happiness – Harikoa
Happiness is a feeling of joy and excitement that happens when good things occur, like playing with friends, eating a favourite treat, or being with family. It can also come from feeling proud, safe, or doing things you are good at. At school we encourage children to learn to cultivate happiness through simple actions like finding joy in everyday things, being kind, and focusing on positive thoughts.
How can we help kids to cultivate happiness?
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Focus on positive things: Pay attention to the joyful things in your day, like the beauty of nature or a fun time with a friend.
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Be kind: Being kind to yourself and others can lead to feeling good.
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Express gratitude: Being thankful for what you have can increase happiness.
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Find your own fun: Do things you are good at and that you enjoy.
So dance your way into school this term, channel your inner Minion, and ‘clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth’.
PTA Fun Family Fishing Comp
Our wonderful PTA puts on many events throughout the year which both raise money for our school and help to bring families together. The first of the year is the family fishing competition, see details below and please contact pta@snellsbeach.school.nz if you or your business would like to support this fundraiser.
If you would like to be involved in the PTA (which is a wonderful way to meet people if you are new to our school), come along to their first meeting of the year on Monday 9th Feb at 7pm in the school staffroom.
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.
Keeping in touch – communication is key
Keeping in touch is important. We need to be able to contact whānau quickly and efficiently. If you have changed address or contact details, please let us know asap, either via email admin@snellsbeach.school.nz, or by calling the school office 09 425 6058.
- Following our school Facebook page or Instagram
“Snells Beach School”, which operate as a digital newsletters. This is a great way to get quick updates and reminders. We post reminders and notices on Facebook – Instagram is more quick updates and snapshots of school life
- Downloading our School App
Simply download the “Skool Loop” app from either App Store or Play Store & select “Snells Beach School” from the drop down box to receive instant notifications & reminders. This is an effective way to get immediate notices – they will pop up direct to your phone. Mahurangi College use the same app which is useful – just use the drop down box to change schools.
- Subscribing to our school email database
Please email us admin@snellsbeach.school.nz to be added to the list. If you do not receive this newsletter via email on Friday afternoon, you are NOT in our database. All new families should have been added – please check. You can unsubscribe at any time.
- School Newsletters
We do not usually print newsletters – just the first one each term while people update their contact details if needed. They are emailed out or linked to our school Facebook page. School newsletters come out once a fortnight – teachers may send home additional class or team messages at other times.
Toukon Ryu Karate
After-school activities
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