19 September 2025
Kia ora whānau,
And so we’ve come to the end of Term 3!
A big thank you to everyone who came to the opening of our new classrooms. The event was not only about new buildings but also about celebrating our community – past, present, and future. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who joined us and to all those whose mahi made this dream a reality. These classrooms are more than just spaces; they are places where creativity, collaboration, and learning will flourish.
Have a great weekend and a safe and relaxing break over the holidays. We look forward to seeing you refreshed ready for an action-packed Term 4!
Ngā mihi nui,
Karl Emson
Tumuaki whakakapi | Acting Principal
Remember to check out the school’s Facebook Page, which has great news stories about what’s happening at school.
Term 4 Dates
Also keep an eye on the school google calendar as dates are added and changed from time to time.
- 6 Oct – First day of Term 4
- 15 Oct – WRISSA Touch Tournament
- 16 Oct – Shake Out National Earthquake Drill
- 16 Oct – Otago Problem Solving Final Challenge
- 16 Oct – EPro8 Interschool finals
- 21 Oct – School Board meeting
- 23 Oct – Planned Strike Day
- 29 – 30 Oct – Toa Whakaihuwaka – Intermediate Schools Sports Festival
- 1 Nov – Future Problem Solving National Finals weekend
- 11 Nov – Children’s University graduation evening, tbc
- 5 Nov – WRISSA Baseball
- 14 Nov – Rongotai ORIENTATION DAY for enrolled students only – parents please let SWIS know if your child is going Wear non-uniform.
- 18 Nov – Science Roadshow in the Hall
- 18 Nov – School Board meeting
- 19 Nov – WRISSA Athletics at Newtown Park (SWIS is hosting)
- 19 Nov – Year 7 HPV 2 Immunisation
- 20 Nov – WELLINGTON EAST TASTER DAY for enrolled students only. Students get themselves there. WEGC is providing a bus to return students to SWIS at 12.30pm.
- 20 Nov – ST PATS ORIENTATION DAY for enrolled students only – parents please let SWIS know if your child is going
- 3 Dec – WELLINGTON BOYS COLLEGE Orientation Day (all day) – parents please let SWIS know if your child is going
- 5 Dec – Staff Only Day
- 8-12 Dec – EOTC Week
- 17 Dec – Prize Giving Assembly
- 16 Dec – Leavers’ Dinner
- 18 Dec – Last day of Term 4
School Notices
EOTC Week 2025
A huge thank you to all of our teachers for the fantastic range of options they have put together for EOTC Week. A special acknowledgement goes to Dan Miller for the enormous amount of work that has gone into carefully organising our ākonga into groups. This process takes a lot of time and consideration, and while we’ve done our best, it’s not always possible for everyone to get their first choice as spaces are limited. Students found out their groups today. Permission slips and requests for parent helpers will be sent home at the start of Term 4.
Planned Strike Day – Thursday 23 October 2025
You may have seen in the news that primary teachers, principals, support staff, kaiārahi i te reo, therapists, and Ministry of Education field staff and support workers have all voted to take strike action together on Thursday, 23 October 2025.
SWIS will be significantly impacted. At this stage, we are working through what this will mean for our students on the day, and we will provide confirmation as soon as possible so that whānau have time to make arrangements. We acknowledge that this may cause disruption for families, and we thank you for your understanding.
SWIS is taking enrolments for Year 7 and Year 8 students in 2026!
If you or someone you know is looking to join our awesome school next year, please encourage them to go online and complete the form at www.swis.school.nz/enrolment.
A few housekeeping reminders
Sunhats & Sunscreen
During Terms 1 and 4 all students are required to wear a sunhat that covers their forehead and neck when they are outside. Students are welcome to wear a hat from home; SWIS sunhats are also available from the Uniform Shop at a reasonable cost. Please ensure your child/ren have a named sunhat in their bag. Sunscreen in their bag is a good idea too. Talk to them about keeping safe in the sun. The School will provide sunscreen for students. Students without a hat will be asked to play in the shade.
Head lice
From time to time, like all schools, we get head lice outbreaks. Please inspect your child’s clothes, particularly hats, shirts, scarves, and coats that have been worn during the past 48 hours, looking for lice and eggs. See here for information on how to get rid of these nasty visitors.
School News
A wonderful Opening Ceremony for our new classrooms
On Wednesday, our school whānau gathered to celebrate the official opening of our four new classrooms – a milestone that will support and inspire learning for many years to come.
The ceremony began with a blessing from local kaumātua Peter Jackson, who set the tone for the occasion. Speeches followed from our Acting Principal Karl, our School Board Presiding Member Glenn Phillips, and Mia, who spoke with confidence and pride on behalf of our ākonga. Each speaker reflected on what these new learning spaces mean for our kura, acknowledging the effort, vision, and community support that made them possible.
Our Kapa Haka rōpū gave a great performance and Peter Jackson commented that if it had been New Zealand’s Got Talent, he would have sent them straight through to the next round! Their energy and pride truly captured the spirit of the day.
What a special way to mark this new chapter in the life of our kura.
Celebrating Te wiki o te reo Māori (Māori language week)
A huge thank you to ikoiko, Troublemaker, Mr Vintage, Puku Pies, Space Place, Choose Sarcasm, and Te whanaga o Aotearoa for their donation of prizes to the kura for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori!
Congrats to our Speech contestants
Well done to our Purakau / Story telling finalists. Not only did they get over their nerves to speak in front of the whole school; but they presented some well planned / practiced and thoroughly engaging Purakau! Ka Pai!!
Te Reo Irirangi o te Upoko o te Ika – Mahuru Festival 2025
Our Kapa Haka rōpū did a wonderful job representing SWIS at the Mahuru Festival at Te Papa last week. The setlist included Toia, Te Pou, Whakarongo, our new poi Rerenga Wairua, and the SWIS Haka (Ka Pango adapted).
I had fun performing at Mahuru and getting to see some of the other kura perform too, it was a great experience – Aria Rm15
SWIS Netball prizegiving
Congratulations to all our netballers for a wonderful season!
Māoritanga trip to Wellington museum
Our Māoritanga Enrichment group went to the Wellington Museum to learn about the Māori art they have on display, and tried their hands at drawing! “It’s good, I like this place and we had lots of fun” – Joseph room 3
Community Events
SPRING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS AT SOUTHERN PRIDE: SWIS HALL, NEWTOWN
Age Range: 4 – 17 years
Dates: 22nd SEP – 3rd OCT 2025 from 7.00am-6pm daily
Fees:
Daily $84.04/cub per session
or $142.87 for two siblings per session
Weekly: $336.16 per cub/week
or $571.47 for two siblings/week
15% Wild Card Discount Available for $70/year from the day of purchase.
Social Development: Interactive Activities and NO TV or Video Games, Kai Cubs Cooking, and Life Skills Programme creating healthy Breakfast, Morning Tea, Lunch and Afternoon Teas provided. No Bag Needed.
Overnight Sleepover ($110 per night): TOP 10 Holiday Park – (Tuesday 23rd Sep 2025): Our overnight sleepover will be in Lower Hutt and our evening activities will be Trampoline park and some evening entertainment at Clip & Climb.
Qualified 1st Aid Trained Activities Coordinators and Youth Mentors
One-on-One Care: Available for cub(s) if extra support is needed at $14/hr
Please contact us: 0800 PRIDE 4 U Or Register online: www.pridelands.co.nz or Visit our Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/PrideLandsChildcare
Here To Support All Tamariki & Rangatahi (Neurotypical and Neurodivergent)
At Pride Lands, we welcome neurotypical and neurodivergent children and youths with on-on-one support available to those that need it in our communities.
Win a Free Week at The Rock Academy Holiday Programme!
Win a free week at our Holiday Programme! To enter, simply make a video of your child playing their instrument or singing, post it to your facebook page, say something ‘cool’ about The Rock Academy and then email us the link. If you don’t have a facebook page then leave us a ‘sweet’ review on google maps and email us the video. There are no rules so be creative and have fun! Bonus points for authenticity. We can’t wait to see the videos and we will announce the winner about a week before the school holidays start.
Sep/Oct Holiday Programme
Dates: Monday 29 Sep – Friday 3 Oct – EBIS Hall.
Video Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwP8fNpxsMo (Warning: may cause spontaneous air drumming) Beginners and advanced pupils are welcome. Book here: https://www.therockacademy.co.nz/school-holiday-programme-booking
Wellington Harrier Children’s Athletic Club
Our season open day is Saturday 11 October at Newtown Park, and starts at 9.30am. Come and join the fun! At our club days, athletes practice all events, Including long jump, hurdles, high jump, sprints, middle distance and throws. There’s also a children’s interclub competition which is held on Sundays, for those that are keen! Our children’s club day caters for all abilities and is great in assisting with fitness for other sports. New members are welcome!
You can register through http://www.whac.org.nz. For more information please contact: Julie Richards juliemaerdy@yahoo.co.uk 0212959026
