13 March 2026
Kia ora whānau,
What an amazing few weeks of camp! Firstly, a huge thank you to all the parent volunteers who came along and supported these camps. We could not offer our ākonga these opportunities without your help and we are so grateful for your time and effort. Secondly, a huge thank you to Karl and Dan for all the hard work they put into organising the event. It was an enormous task, and we truly appreciate the time, effort, and dedication they gave to make it such a success.
A big thank you as well to all the teachers who ensured their classes had a wonderful and safe time. Their support and care helped make the experience enjoyable for everyone.
It has been a busy few weeks for co-curricular activities at school. Our Kapa Haka and Polyclub groups performed at the Newtown Festival on Sunday, netball trials are well underway, and our two water polo teams continue to enjoy success on Monday evenings. Students are also participating in floorball, badminton, and touch rugby after school.
Assessment programmes
When we think about education, we often – and rightly – focus on academic achievement and progress. However, as we all know, progress is not always linear for every student. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, we have been working our way through our assessment programme. The results help determine each student’s learning focus for the year ahead.
As a staff, we will spend some time looking carefully at this data and using it to develop learning targets and goals for our students. At times, though, formal assessments are not always a precise measure. Our teachers also draw on the day-to-day observations they make in the classroom. For example, a teacher might notice that a student reads with great expression and fluency, even though this may not be fully reflected in a PAT Reading test. These qualities are important indicators of reading ability and form part of the overall picture we build of each learner.
We will be sharing more information about your child’s learning goals with you early in Term 2.
Teacher only Day
Our recent Teacher only Day was about implementing the new structured literacy (reading and writing) programme across the school. This was the second full day as we had previously had a full day during the January break. We worked with an expert facilitator and the focus was the teaching of reading in our classrooms. We have a number of after school follow-up sessions planned and the staff are enjoying the programme to date.
Uniform reminder
As a uniform school, it is important for us to be consistent in how we apply our uniform expectations. This year we are reinforcing this, and we have noticed a small number of students wearing long black non-SWIS uniform pants. I acknowledge that this may have created some confusion due to inconsistent messaging from the school in the past. For clarity, I encourage you to refer to the SWIS Uniform Guide. Also, just a reminder that your child will need to be in correct green uniform for school photos next week!
Traffic around school
Just a friendly reminder that parking, dropping off, and picking up students around the school can be challenging at times. We ask everyone to please exercise care and patience. Unfortunately, our school building project has also limited some of our options. We are mindful of being good neighbours and appreciate everyone helping us respect the local residents. Thank you.
Finally, I am always keen to hear from students and families about any successes they have had in activities outside of school. The mountain bike article by Ollie (below) is a great example of this. I also recently spoke with Mac, who played for Wellington Under 13’s in a representative cricket tournament and she finished as the second-highest wicket taker overall – a fantastic achievement.
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
- 18 March – School Photos – please wear correct green school uniform
- 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
- 29 & 30 April – Three-way Conferences – book via HERO
Note: Easter is in the April School Holidays
School Notices
Reminder: School photos – 18 March
Just a reminder that we will be having school photos on Wednesday 18 March. Please make sure your child wears the correct green SWIS uniform. Details about the available packages from LC Scott Photographers will be sent out soon.
Three-way Conferences (Caregiver, teacher, student) bookings now open for 29 & 30 April
Caregivers are now able to book a Three-Way Conference through Hero for Tuesday 29 April or Wednesday 30 April.
Conferences will run from 2:30pm – 7:30pm, with 15-minute sessions available to be booked. These meetings are an opportunity for caregivers, teachers, and ākonga to meet together to discuss learning, progress, and next steps. As this is a three-way conference, ākonga are expected to attend alongside their caregivers.
On both 29 and 30 April, students will be dismissed from school at 2:00pm to allow time for conferences to begin. If you require your child to remain at school under supervision at this time, please let the classroom teacher know and they will be supervised in the school hall until 3pm. Please log in to Hero to select a suitable time under school bookings.
Enrichment, Sports/Languages Programmes start next week
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 on Sat 28 March!
📅 Saturday 28 March – CubaDupa
- Performing on the Ngā Toi O Te Aro Stage
- From 12.00pm
We hope to see many of you there supporting them!
School news
SWIS at Newtown Festival!
Big shout out to our amazing Kapa Haka and Polyclub ākonga who delivered incredible performances at the Newtown Festival on Sunday! 🌟
Despite the weather 🌦️, it was a fantastic day and you represented SWIS with pride, talent, and amazing energy on stage. We are so proud of you all—ka mau te wehi! 👏🔥See more pics on our School’s Facebook Page!
SWIS kids shredding at the Mt Vic Enduro Mountain Biking Race
On Saturday, 28 February, Ollie (room 10) and Jack (room10) raced the Mt Victoria Enduro. This all started with us collecting our timing chips at 7:30am. Then at 8am the race started. We finished the race around 1:30pm. Then at 1:45pm we had prizegiving and the MTB Festival started. In the end Ollie got first place, with Jack coming in third place. We were lucky for the race to be a part of the wellington mountain bike festival!
There was lots of technical riding along with some of the hardest trails in Wellington. Luckily the weather delivered us a very hot day. The trails for the Mt Vic Enduro were in a great condition, running fast and smooth. The surface was gripping well but the roots were still slippery. The trails still flowed fast and well through the corners. There was some mud, and the lines were clear. Overall, they rode really well.
by Ollie and Jack room 10
Camp highlights
We’ve had a epic few weeks at camp! Here are some photos of what we got up to!
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.
