Newsletter 11 September 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.

As we start to head towards the end of another busy term, it is great to reflect on just how much has been achieved here at Snells Beach School. There has been plenty of hard work, learning, growth, and progress across our school, and we should be proud of the effort our students have put in so far. But, as we know, the final part of any journey is just as important as the beginning. So, let’s keep the energy up, keep giving things our best, and finish strong this term!

There is perhaps no better example of this than our very own Warriors. After a long and challenging NRL season, the Warriors have earned their place in the playoffs through consistency, teamwork, resilience, and plenty of hard work. They didn’t get there by having everything go perfectly. Yet they kept turning up, kept working together and kept pushing forward. Now they head into the playoffs with all of that hard work behind them. It gives them a strong foundation and every reason to be confident — but it doesn’t guarantee that everything will go smoothly.

There is a lesson in that for all of us. The hard work we have put in this term matters. It has helped us grow, learn and prepare for what comes next. But we can’t take our foot off the pedal just yet! Like the Warriors, we need to keep showing up, keep working together, and keep giving our best right through to the final whistle.

And what a wonderful time of year to do it. With the weather becoming warmer and the daylight hours stretching out, there is a real sense of renewed energy around us. Longer afternoons, brighter mornings and a little more sunshine seem to bring an extra spring in our step.

So, as we approach the final weeks of the term, let’s celebrate the progress we’ve made, enjoy the opportunities in front of us, and bring plenty of enthusiasm to the work that remains. Keep going. Keep supporting each other. Keep believing. And let’s finish this term strong — Warriors style!

Kia ora e te whānau,

Mr Morley

“Don’t put lithium batteries in the recycling bin”

Mr Port

“Up the Wahs”

School Diary

Week 9 Mon 14 September – Fri 18 September: TE WIKI O TE REO MAORI

DENTAL VAN RETURNING TO SBS

Mon 14/9 Pubertal Change talks Y5/Y6 (2-3pm)
Fri 18/9 Pizza Day – Fundraising for Yr 5 Camp
Fri 18/9 School Assembly 2.00pm-2.20pm (Merit Awards, Junior and Senior Kapa Haka)

Week 10 Mon 21 September – Fri 25 September:

Tues 22/9 Interschool Speeches – Horizon School
Weds 23/9 BOT Meeting 6.30pm
Thurs 24/9 End of term assembly including Values Awards, 2.30pm in the hall.
Fri 25/9 SBS Cultural Celebration – see more info below
Fri 25/9 LAST DAY OF TERM
Fri 25/9 PTA Quiz Night

Term 4 Important Dates

Mon 12/10 – First Day of School
Fri 23/10 School photos with Photolife
Mon 26/10 Labour Day Holiday
Tues 27/10 to Fri 30/10 Scholastic Book Fair
Fri 30/10 Interschool Swimming @ Mahurangi College
Fri 6/11 Mahu College Orientation Day (9.00-1.00)
Fri 13/11 Teacher Only Day
Mon 23/11 Interschool Cricket
Wed 25/11 to Fri 27/11 Year 5 Camp
Wed 16/12 – Last day of school – half day

A Change for Totara 1

Ben Howson has been awarded a sabbatical for the final part of 2026, providing an exciting opportunity to spend time learning, reflecting and pursuing some professional and personal interests. This means Ben will finish with Totara 1 at the end of Term 3, with Mrs Karlie Stanbra taking over the class for Term 4. Karlie is already well known to the children through her role as their PE teacher, and Ben is delighted that such a capable, caring and familiar teacher will be guiding the class through the remainder of their Year 6 journey. Ben is incredibly grateful for the opportunity and for the support of the Totara 1 children and their families throughout the year.

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, bacon and egg pie, 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 Success

Last weekend, two of our SBS Jump Jam teams headed to Westlake to compete in the Strictly Jump Jam competition!

The kids have put in so much effort over the past term, practising their routines, and it was fantastic to see them up there, giving it their all and having an absolute blast!

We are SUPER proud to share that our Snells Beach Snells Squad achieved two excellences in both technical execution and presentation and our Snells Beach Jump Jam Superstars came away with FIRST PLACE amongst some very stiff competition! What an amazing achievement!

Congratulations to all of our Jump Jammers, you should all be incredibly proud of yourselves!

And a massive thank you to our coaches extraordinaire, Bridgette White, Mrs Stanbra and Mrs Francis for all the time, energy and encouragement you have put into these teams. We couldn’t do it without you!

Well done, Superstars!

SBS Cultural Celebration Day

We’re looking forward to celebrating the rich cultural diversity of our SBS community with our 2nd Annual Cultural Celebration Day!

The day will begin with a special assembly in the hall from 9.10am, and whānau are warmly invited to join us. The assembly will feature short performances from kapa haka and Pasifika groups, along with other items/performances celebrating many of the 26 cultures represented at SBS.

The celebrations will continue throughout the day, with students coming together to share kai for lunch. Students are invited to bring a small plate of food from their own culture (could just be food they really like to eat) to share with others.

Students are also welcome to come dressed in cultural clothing for the day.

It’s a wonderful opportunity for our students to share, learn, celebrate and enjoy the incredible diversity of our school community — and a fun way to finish the term together!

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori at Snells Beach School

Next week is Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, across Aotearoa. Te Manu O Te Ngahere tamariki will be learning, singing and completing different Māori activities throughout the week.

Help with Maths at Home

An Interactive Maths practice tool for students in Years 3 to 8 is available on the Parent Portal.
Maths practice (education.govt.nz)
The practice tool content supports the New Zealand Curriculum and includes content covering number problems, working with money, counting, multiplying and dividing, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, powers, and roots.
Students can practice in English, to help reinforce what they’ve learnt at school.
Short, regular sessions will help students build confidence with Maths. This can be 10 to 15 minutes sessions, 3 to 5 times a week.
You don’t need to be a Maths expert to support your child’s learning.
Just by spending a few minutes together throughout the week, encouraging effort, and celebrating progress, you can help build confidence and the skills children need to thrive in Maths.
The practice tool website has been developed following feedback from parents and whānau that they wanted practical ways to support learning at home.

Upcoming Snells Beach School PTA Events

SBS PTA Quiz Night… Registrations now OPEN! Spaces are filling up FAST!

Brought to you by Snells Beach School PTA & proudly sponsored by Harcourts Cooper & Co Rodney District. We have our MC & Quizmaster ‘Flynny’ ready to roll. Get your costumes ready! We have some AMAZING auction prizes to be won! A guaranteed great night out in Snells Beach.

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, 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.

Reminder: the Ezlunch September Shout is on, with $10,000 in prizes to be won.
From $200 fuel vouchers to Kindo credit, we’re guaranteeing at least one winner at every school.

How to enter:

Place an Ezlunch order any time in September
Every order = an entry

Community Notices

BIG NEWS FOR JUNIOR CRICKET IN RODNEY!

Rodney Junior Cricket is excited to be running our own local hardball junior cricket competition for the 2026/27 season!

The competition will be for Years 5 & 6, with dispensations available for players one year either side.

Teams will be based in Tomarata, Warkworth, Matakana and Kaipara Flats, with registrations welcome from across the whole Rodney area.

Teams will play locally throughout the season, plus one trip to Whāngarei to play Junior Northland teams.

Registrations are open now and close 29 September.

https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/register/901258

Get along to our local tennis club and have a game of tennis or join in some fun activities! This day is open to all and their will be membership specials for new members.