26 February 2026
Kia ora whānau,
On Monday we enjoyed a fantastic Athletics Day at Newtown Park. The weather was kind to us and it was wonderful to see the effort and enthusiasm our ākonga brought to the day. The fantastic and very colourful team spirit and determination on display made it a day to be proud of. Days like this only happen through a real team effort, so my sincere thanks to Cole for leading the organisation, to our staff and whānau who supported each event, and to every student who got involved and gave it their best.
Congratulations as well to those who qualified for the WRISSA Athletics competition — we are proud to have you representing our kura and wish you all the very best.
At last week’s assembly we recognised a number of students who have stepped into leadership roles across the school, including Class Representatives, Class Librarians, Class Sports Reps, members of the Green Team and ICT Reps. These roles provide valuable opportunities for students to show leadership, challenge themselves, contribute ideas, and help shape the life of our school in positive ways. They also build confidence, responsibility and a sense of service to others. For those who were not selected this time, there will be further opportunities ahead — whether next year or through other ways to step forward and contribute to our community.
This recognition linked closely to the message I shared with students about privilege and responsibility. It is a privilege to attend South Wellington Intermediate School and to benefit from the many opportunities available here. In return, our responsibility is to honour that privilege through our behaviour, attitude and effort. This is a message I will continue to reinforce across the school.
Assessment programme
We are currently working through our assessment programme, with students completing a range of activities that help teachers better understand their progress and plan learning to suit their needs. These should be wrapped up by Friday.
A date for your calendars
School will now finish for the year on 15 December. This early notice is to help families with planning ahead for the 2027 summer holidays.
Camp!
Next week marks the start of our camp cycle! Over the following fortnight all ākonga will have the opportunity to attend camp at Forest Lakes. These experiences are always a highlight of the year. I would like to thank our teachers in advance for the time and care they put into making camp such a positive experience, and also acknowledge our parent volunteers — we truly appreciate your support and generosity.
Finally, just a reminder that tomorrow (Friday 27 Feb) is a Staff Only Day, and the school is closed to ākonga.
Have a great weekend, ngā mihi nui,
Brendon Henderson
Tumuaki | Principal
Be sure to visit our School Whānau Admin webpage for helpful information about how things work at SWIS. It’s a great first stop for key details and practical guidance. You can also follow our School’s Facebook Page, where we regularly share news, updates, and stories about the wonderful things happening in and around our school.
Term 1 Dates
- 27 Feb – Staff Only Day
- 2 – 4 March – Camp 1, Rm 2, 9 & 15
- 4-6 March – Camp 2, Rm 1, 3 & 8
- 9-11 March – Camp 3 – Rm 4, 12, & 13
- 8 March – SWIS Kapa haka & Poly Club performing at Newtown Festival
- 11-13 March – Camp 4, Rm 10, 11, 14 & 16
- 16-20 March – Enrichment, Sports/Languages start
- 26 March – School Board Meeting, 6pm
- 28 March – SWIS Kapa haka performing at Cupa Dupa
- 2 April – Last day of Term 1
Note: Easter is in the April School Holidays
School Notices
School Camp
Here are the camp slides from the presentation evening and the table below is a reminder about which classes are going to camp when! See more information about our school camps here on our website.
| Forest Lakes | Rooms | Dates |
| Camp 1 | Room 2 – Rebecca Amos Room 9 – Eseta Uini Room 15 – Aaron Kling | Departs: Monday, 2 March Returns: Wednesday, 4 March |
| Camp 2 | Room 1 – Stephen Moli Room 3 – Hannah Quince Room 8 – Alida Middlebrook | Departs: Wednesday, 4 March Returns: Friday, 6 March |
| Camp 3 | Room 4 – Alex Radovanovic Room 12 – Josh Hinman Room 13 – Greg Kyle | Departs: Monday, 9 March Returns: Wednesday, 11 March |
| Camp 4 | Room 10 – Nadia Abdul Syafieq Room 11 – Morgan Jamieson Room 14 – Cole Hanfling Room 16 – Kelly Bush | Departs: Wednesday, 11 March Returns: Friday, 13 March |
Sunhat/Sunscreen reminder!
Just a reminder that all students must bring a sunhat to school this term and we recommend that they have sunscreen on when they come to school in the morning. Staff monitor hat use at break times and children who don’t have sunhats will be asked to stay in the shade.
CASSETTE TAPE PLAYER – do you have one you no longer want?
We would love to take it off your hands for the art room! PLUS any spare cassette tapes you no longer want. Thank you.
Enrichment, Sports/Languages Programmes to start in Week 7
This week our ākonga have been choosing their preferences for sports, languages and Friday Enrichment activities.
These programmes begin in Week 7:
- From Monday 16 March, Rooms 1–10 will take part in language learning, while Rooms 11–16 will be involved in sport sessions on Monday afternoons.
- From Friday 20 March, our Enrichment Programme will begin.
We’re looking forward to students having the chance to try new activities, build skills, and enjoy these learning opportunities. See more about these programmes here
Come along and support our Kapa Haka & Poly Club!
We are incredibly proud of our Kapa Haka and Poly Club groups and would love to see our whānau out in the community supporting them at these upcoming performances. Please pop these dates in your diary and come along to cheer them on!
📅 Sunday 8 March – Newtown Festival
Our students will be performing as part of this vibrant community festival.
- Kapa Haka
More information:
https://www.newtownfestival.org.nz/kapa-haka-o-te-kura-o-te-hautonga-kapa-kakariki/ - Poly Club
More information:
https://www.newtownfestival.org.nz/20774-2/
📅 Saturday 28 March – CubaDupa
- Performing on the Ngā Toi O Te Aro Stage
- From 12.00pm
These events are always a highlight on the school calendar and a wonderful opportunity for our students to share their talent, culture, and hard work with the wider community. We hope to see many of you there supporting them! Get these dates in your diaries and come along to support our Kapa Haka and Poly Club Groups!
School news
SWIS Athletics Day!
Big Shout to Cole for organising, all the staff and whānau who helped run events, Hellers Sausages for School for contributing the sausages for our sausage sizzle, but most of all to our wonderful ākonga who brought their A game in terms of participation, outfits and enthusiasm – it was a fantastic day! ✨ See more pics on our School’s Facebook Page!
Congratulations to our new Leaders!
Last Friday at assembly we celebrated our 2026 Leaders. We’re looking forward to a great year!
Community Events
Check out what’s on in our area!
Click on the links below to visit the South Coast information website with all the local events and activities on offer.
