28 August 2026

Kia ora whānau,

Thank You for Your Support

We would like to thank families for supporting our Professional Learning Day on 17 August. We know Teacher Only Days can create extra challenges for families, and we really appreciate your understanding and support. The day was part of the Ministry of Education’s rollout of the new mathematics curriculum. The date was determined by the availability of our external facilitator, so we appreciate your flexibility.

A Busy Term of Opportunities

I want to acknowledge the extra opportunities for students created by our staff this term. To date we have Music (our bands performing at events), Dance, Future Problem Solving, Books Alive at te Matapihi, Mathswell, ICAS exams, Book Battle, numerous sports including an interclass lunchtime Ki o rahi competition, Chill Art, International students zoo trip, Forensics to the Police College, Swimming at Kilbirnie Aquatic centre as part of enrichment, Wellington City Library visit, participation in the local schools Te Haruru o te Kāhui Tonga Kapa Haka Event and much more!!

Term 4 Enrichment options

Earlier this week, we sent out information via Hero about Term 4 Enrichment options. Students have until 5pm Tuesday 1 September to submit their choices via the Google Form sent to their school email account. Enrichment electives begin in Week 1 of Term 4, with the final session on Friday 4 December. We encourage students to think carefully about their choices and make the most of this opportunity to try something new, develop a skill, or explore an interest or passion.

Keeping Our School Community Well

There are a number of winter illnesses currently circulating in our community, including coughs, colds, flu, stomach bugs, COVID-19, and cases of scabies. We appreciate your support in helping keep our school community healthy by keeping your child at home if they are unwell.

If your child has a fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, or is generally not well enough to participate fully in learning, please keep them home until they are well again. While we know this can be challenging for families, it helps reduce the spread of illness and protects other students and staff.

We have also been made aware of some cases of scabies in the wider community. Scabies is a common and treatable skin condition that causes an itchy rash and spreads through close contact. It is not related to cleanliness or hygiene and can affect anyone. If you think your child may have scabies, please seek advice from your pharmacist or doctor, and begin treatment before they return to school. Health New Zealand advises that everyone in the household should be treated at the same time to prevent reinfection.

Thank you for your ongoing support in helping us keep SWIS a healthy place to learn.

Supporting Young People Online

I very rarely talk about politics in a school newsletter, but I view the recent announcement about the proposed restrictions on social media for under-16s as a positive move. There will clearly be some questions around how this will be enforced, but from my perspective, it gives parents another tool when making decisions about social media use with their young people.

At SWIS, we are moving towards working with Smartphone Free Childhood NZ to promote their messaging and support parents and families. This also aligns with the proposed legislation currently before Parliament.

Celebrating Student Achievement

I want to acknowledge some terrific achievements from SWIS students.

Recently, Hermione competed in the Dance Made NZ Wellington Interschool Competition and workshops. Dance requires a high level of individual discipline, focus and commitment, and Hermione demonstrated all of these qualities in achieving an impressive third place. Congratulations, Hermione.

We are incredibly proud to celebrate an outstanding achievement by Posy, who has been awarded a Junior Highly Commended award for her garment, Spirit of the Wind. Following the final judging of Junior entries from across New Zealand, Posy’s incredible creation has received national recognition. This is a first for SWIS—no garment from our school has ever before received a national commendation! A huge congratulations to Posy on this well-deserved achievement. Your creativity, skill and dedication have truly been recognised on the national stage. Ka mau te wehi, Posy! We are so proud of you!

Congratulations to Ollie S on his achievement in the Wellington Enduro Mountain Biking series. He won the U13 event and will be racing and representing SWIS at AIMS games & Nationals next month.

At last weekend’s Rockquest, we had two SWIS bands competing – Ryders Pups and Cavemen. Rockquest is a long-running and highly regarded secondary school band competition, with strong participation from schools across Wellington. Cavemen achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Wellington intermediate title for the second consecutive year. This is an outstanding achievement and reflects their talent, passion and commitment to their music. A big thank you also to Aaron and Paddy, who have been incredibly supportive of all our school bands.

Welcoming Our Future Year 7s

We have recently welcomed groups of Year 6 students to SWIS as part of our transition programme ahead of their start with us in 2027.

I want to acknowledge our student leaders who have done a fantastic job of welcoming and showing our visitors around the school. They have represented SWIS extremely well and should be proud of the way they have stepped up to this role.

Sexuality and Puberty Education

This term we will begin our Sexuality and Puberty Education programme, using the Navigating the Journey resource, as we have in previous years. The programme will be taught during homeroom by your child’s homeroom teacher.

The first two lessons will take place this term, with the remainder of the unit completed in Term 4. Topics covered will include:

• Creating safe ways to ask questions and learn together
• Healthy relationships and setting boundaries
• Accepting diversity
• Assertiveness and decision-making
• Puberty and managing physical and emotional changes
• Understanding our reproductive systems
• Listening to our feelings
• Online safety, including cyberbullying
• Online safety, including pornography and sexting
• Identifying the people and communities who support us

If you have any questions about the programme or your child’s participation, please contact their homeroom teacher.

Transition and Enrolments for our Year 8s

We are now well into our transition work with both primary and secondary schools. If you need help with the next steps, including completing enrolment forms, please let us know. We are happy to help or connect you with the right people.

I can’t stress enough the importance of getting enrolments completed as soon as possible. This helps provide certainty for your young person and allows schools to plan effectively for next year.

Thank you, as always, for your support.

Ngā mihi nui,

Brendon Henderson

Tumuaki | Principal

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Term 3 Dates

Week 6

• 29 August – Tournament  of Minds at Victoria University (Saturday)

Week 8

• 7-11 Sep – AIMS Games
• 8 Sep – How Parliament Works trip for Rm11
• 9 Sep – Parent Focus Group meeting on Reporting

Week 9

• 16 Sep – WOW preview show at TSB Arena, 7pm – 9pm

Week 10

• 23 Sep – WRISSA Volleyball Boys and Girls at Ākau Tangi Sports Centre
• 25 Sep – Last Day of Term 3

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School Notices

School Board Elections: Nominations open until 12pm Thursday 10 September

Nominations are open for the election of ONE parent representative to the School Board. All eligible voters will have received a nomination form via email. If no email address is listed, you will receive the form in the post. Nominations close at noon on Thursday 10 September.  

As nominations are received, there will be a list of candidates’ names kept at the school up until election day, which you can view. Voting closes at 4pm on Thursday 15 October. 

Needed: Glass jars

We are looking for around 23 small 350ml size ones and then some quite large ones. Please drop to the office if you have any you can spare! Many thanks.

Confirmed dates for 2027

We will be doing things a little differently for the start of 2027.

• Fri 29 Jan – Interviews for new students (and whānau) with homeroom teachers. These will be 15 minute sessions and bookings will open through Hero after class assignments are set in December. 
• Fri 29 Jan – Second-hand uniform sale
• Mon 1 Feb – 8:45am start for returning students, 10am start for new students
• Mon 1 Feb – Pōwhiri will start just after 10am. Whānau are welcome and encouraged to attend. The day will finish as per normal at 3pm. 

• Term 1 – Monday 1 February – 9 April
• Term 2 – Tuesday 27 April to Friday 2 July
• Term 3 – Monday 19 July to Friday 24 September
• Term 4 – Monday 11 October to Wednesday 15 December

Public holidays

• Waitangi Day Saturday 6 February observed on Monday 8 February
• Easter break – Good Friday 26 March, Easter Monday 29 March and Easter Tuesday 30 March.
• King’s Birthday Monday 7 June
• Matariki Friday 25 June
• Labour Day Monday 25 October

Teacher only Days in 2027

• Friday 4 June
• Monday 16 August

Confirmed College Orientation Days in Term 4

See the confirmed Orientation Days below, however we recommend that parents check their emails (once you’ve enrolled your child you will be contacted with more info) and the college website.

Wellington Boys College and Rongotai College: Friday 13 November. Students must get themselves there by 9am in non-uniform and do not come back to SWIS, they are there the whole day. PARENTS MUST LET SWIS KNOW THEY ARE GOING.

Wellington East Girls’ College: Tuesday 24 November. Students must get themselves there and we will take them back to SWIS on a bus at midday. They must be in school uniform and they MUST come back on the bus. PARENTS MUST LET SWIS KNOW THEY ARE GOING.

St Catherine’s College,  St Mary’s College and St Patrick’s College: Thursday 19 November. Students must get themselves there by 9am in non-uniform and do not come back to SWIS, they are there the whole day. PARENTS MUST LET SWIS KNOW THEY ARE GOING.

Wellington High School – 2 Dec

Wellington Girls’ College – tbc

Scot’s College: Tuesday 3 November

Queen Margaret College: Monday 1 February

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School News

A fantastic day of music for our Year 7s at Intermediate Rocks!

What a fantastic day for our Year 7 musicians! The Needles and Midnight headed to Wainuiomata Intermediate for Intermediate Rocks, a fun-filled day of music, rotating through activities, watching and supporting other bands, and showcasing their own talents. A special congratulations to Mila, who was recognised as Best Vocalist! What an awesome achievement! It was fantastic to see our students getting out there, performing with confidence and enthusiasm, and enjoying the experience of being part of the wider school music community. A huge thank you to our wonderful parent helpers Nadine, Claire and Hanne for supporting our students and helping make the day possible. Well done to all our performers — you did SWIS proud!

Bandquest 2026!

Congrats to both our bands (Cavemen and Ryder’s Pups) for their participation in Bandquest 2026! And special congrats to Cavemen, who took out 1st prize for the second year in a row! Here’s a video link to both bands performances: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jAFo62YIh-KkjSWZDP0btKbV3fmopusX/view?usp=drivesdk!

‘’Bandquest this year was awesome – all the band had tons of fun and really enjoyed the evening. We played an original song called ‘Scars’ then ‘Sweet child o’ mine’ by Guns and Roses. We came first place again, and won many awards including: Rocking Drummer, Killer Guitarist, Original Song-Wrighter Award, and Star Vocalist.’’ – Theo, Yohann, Axel and Tarn, CAVEMEN

“This year our band went to Bandquest with our music teacher Aaron and the other SWIS band, Cavemen. We really enjoyed the whole experience, including hanging out, cheering each other on, performing, and seeing bands from different schools play.” -Tammy and Livie, RYDER’S PUPS

Books Alive at Te Matapihi

On 19 August we went to Te Matapihi (the central library) to meet some authors and illustrators. We got to ask them questions about their books and how they wrote them. It was a lot of fun! When we first got to the library, there were so many other kids from at least 30 different schools! Our first activity was being taught how to draw a taniwha by Isobel Joy Te-Aho White who wrote and illustrated Whenua. Everyone’s drawings looked AMAZING and we all had so much fun!

After that Jem Yoshioka, who wrote and illustrated Folk Remedy 1, then showed us how she created the characters in her graphic novel and answered lots of questions! Then we walked up to the room titled Earth Monsters because of its large paintings stretching from floor to ceiling. We listened to the lightning speeches from 3 authors at a time. They all wrote supercool books and it was so fun to listen to! Some of the authors were Brian Falkner, who wrote Spider Games and Katipo Joe, Giselle Clarkson, who wrote The Observologist and Omnibird, and Mat Tait, who wrote and illustrated Kupe and the Giant Octopus of Muturangi, the traditional Māori pūrākau of navigator Kupe on the epic search for the giant wheke (octopus).

Books Alive was SO much fun! I recommend coming next year!

Book Battle!

Book Battle took place on Friday 14 August at Naenae Intermediate in Lower Hutt. Two teams from SWIS competed and both did really well. The 8 students practised for 4 weeks before the competition and had to do a hard test to be on one of the teams. They were quizzed on 6 books and the quiz lasted about 2 hours. SWIS A. made it into the top five and came third, winning some books for them and the school. The students had an amazing time! by Robin J

SWIS Takes on Mathswell

Last Tuesday, Joseph, Shiv, Tarn, Livie, Anne and Robin represented SWIS at the annual Mathswell competition. They did incredibly well, scoring 52 out of 56 questions correct. The competition was fierce however, and so we ended up in 9th place while competing for the top prize of the cup. Well done!

Welcoming our International Students

Over the past month, we welcomed three international students from China to SWIS. They spent just over three weeks with wonderful host families from our SWIS community, enjoying a true Kiwi experience and exploring all that Wellington has to offer. A highlight was a day at Wellington Zoo, where the students enjoyed time with their study buddies and new friends. It was fantastic to see them settle in, get involved, and make the most of their time at SWIS. We look forward to welcoming more international students in the future! If you are interested in becoming a host family, please contact international@swis.school.nz.

Art Appreciation: Cinquain Poems

Ms Shuker and Room 13 have been exploring cinquain poetry, creating poems inspired by pictures they chose. Writing a cinquain poem is a great challenge! Students had to carefully follow rules about the number of syllables and the type of words used on each line. Despite the challenge, Room 13 rose to it—and created some fantastic poems! We hope you enjoy reading their work!

What is a Cinquain Poem?

A cinquain is a structured, five-line poem that does not rhyme. The form was created by American poet Adelaide Crapsey.

A traditional cinquain follows this structure:

Line 1: 2 syllables – Noun (subject)
Line 2: 4 syllables – Adjective, Adjective
Line 3: 6 syllables – Three “-ing” verbs
Line 4: 8 syllables – Four-word phrase
Line 5: 2 syllables – Noun

It takes creativity, careful word choice and a good ear for syllables to make it work—and Room 13 did a fantastic job!

Art for Peace: Inspired by Fred Graham

Our students have been inspired by the work of world-renowned Waikato artist Fred Graham, who was also an art teacher! His powerful sculpture Te Manu Rangimaarie (Bird of Peace) celebrates heritage, unity and peace, reflecting the deep connections between Ngā Hapū o Waikato, the land and the many waterways that flow through the region.

We thought this was the perfect inspiration for our contribution to the Tūmanako Children’s Artwork for Peace Exhibition. Our students created their own artwork inspired by the sculpture, incorporating the word PEACE in different languages into the waves. A huge well done to Alba, Hazel, Ishmael, Ada, Lila, Rahi and Scarlet for their creativity and thoughtful work.

📍 See their artwork at Johnsonville Library at Waitohi Hub
📅 14 August – 6 September
🎟️ Open to the public

Why not head along and check out the wonderful artwork celebrating peace and creativity from young artists across our community!

A National Achievement for Spirit of the Wind – congrats Posy!

We are incredibly proud to celebrate an outstanding achievement by Posy, who has been awarded a Junior Highly Commended award for her garment, Spirit of the Wind.

Racing the Trails: My Life in Mountain Biking by Ollie S

Mountain biking is one of my favourite sports. I enjoy being on my bike because I like to go as fast as I can. I race both enduro and downhill, which are both about getting down mountain bike trails as fast as possible against the clock.
Enduro races can be 10-20kms in distance and have 4-6 timed downhill stages. You ride between each stage, but only the downhill sections count towards your overall time. At the end, your stage times are added together and the fastest overall time wins. Downhill is one track around 1-2kms from top to bottom. You get practice runs to learn the track and choose your lines before your timed race run. Downhill tracks are usually fast and technical, with things like rocks, roots, steep sections, tight corners and jumps.

I have been racing since I was a 9. This year, I represented SWIS at Nationals in Nelson, placing 16th DH & 18th in the Enduro and North Island school’s champs here in Wellington, placing 10th in the DH & 11th in the Enduro.

My favourite event was the Wellington Enduro series, which is 5 separate enduro races in different places in Wellington. In this event I won in my age group U13. I am looking forward to racing and representing SWIS at AIMS games & Nationals next month.

The latest edition of SWIS Reporters is here (note: access now available)!

Our amazing SWIS Reporters have officially released Edition 3, and it’s packed with fantastic stories written by students, for students. Over the past few months, our reporters have been busy researching, interviewing, writing and editing—putting in countless hours (both in and out of school) to create what they believe is their best edition yet.

A huge thank you to journalist Adam Ray for sharing his expertise with our team, and to our dedicated teachers and Lisa for their ongoing support. We also extend a warm SWIS welcome to our new international homestay students from China, who feature in this edition. We hope you enjoy the read!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xyRTx4B0U0kiCRzQEITU8HFzhBtt_RdS/view?usp=drive_link

Children’ University Discovery Day

Our SWIS Children’s University students had an incredible day at Children’s University AustralasiaMassey University – Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa , discovering that learning really can happen anywhere!

Throughout the day, our students rolled up their sleeves and took part in four hands-on workshops:

• Food Technology – exploring, creating and tasting while learning about food science.
• Conservation – discovering how we can protect our natural environment and become better kaitiaki.
• Printmaking – unleashing their creativity through artistic design and print techniques.
• Communications – building confidence and learning new ways to share ideas and connect with others.

The Children’s University programme is all about inspiring a lifelong love of learning by connecting young people with exciting experiences beyond the classroom. It encourages tamariki to explore new interests, develop confidence, and discover that learning can happen anytime, anywhere. A huge thank you to the fantastic team at Massey University for creating such engaging and inspiring experiences for our students. We loved every minute and can’t wait for our next Children’s University adventure! Chris Holloman Photography

What an incredible Open Evening and Open Days!

This week we loved welcoming so many Year 6 students and their whānau to SWIS! It was fantastic to see our future students exploring the school, meeting teachers, trying new activities and getting a taste of life at SWIS.

Thanks to all the schools, students and whanau who came to visit! We were so impressed by the enthusiasm, curiosity and confidence shown by all of your Year 6 students. Whether they were asking thoughtful questions, getting involved in activities or making new friends, they embraced every opportunity with big smiles and a willingness to give everything a go. One of the highlights was the Magic Milk experiment during the Science rotation, where students discovered the colourful science behind surface tension.

A huge thank you to our wonderful staff and student leaders who made everyone feel so welcome and helped showcase what makes SWIS such a special place to learn. We can’t wait to welcome our new Year 7 students in 2027 — we’re already excited to see you back through our gates! Enrol here if you haven’t already https://www.swis.school.nz/enrolment/

Nau mai, haere mai! Welcome to the SWIS whānau!

It was a privilege to officially welcome our new students and staff to South Wellington Intermediate at our pōwhiri last week. We were delighted to welcome our new students, our visiting international students, our German teacher intern, and our new Kapa Haka tutor into our school community. We hope your time at SWIS is filled with learning, friendships, and unforgettable experiences. A special congratulations to everyone who helped make the pōwhiri such a meaningful occasion. Ka mau te wehi to:

• Escher for delivering the whaikōrero.
• Te Poiakino, our new Kapa Haka tutor, for your leadership and contribution.
• Tyler, Māreikura, Niamh, Emma, Daisy, and Skyler for their beautiful karanga.
• Our incredible Kapa Haka group, whose powerful waiata and performance created such a warm and memorable welcome.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this special occasion. Together, you helped create a welcoming environment that reflects the values of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga that are at the heart of SWIS. Nau mai, haere mai—we’re so glad you’re here!

 Celebrating 30 Years of Inspiring Students at SWIS!

This month we proudly celebrate an incredible milestone — 30 years of service from our amazing Textiles teacher, Christine Sangster! Over the past three decades, Christine has made a lasting impact on generations of SWIS students. From inspiring creativity in the Textiles classroom to guiding students as a caring homeroom teacher, she has always gone above and beyond to help young people grow in confidence and discover their strengths.

Christine has also been the driving force behind our popular PEAK Enrichment Programme, creating opportunities for students to explore new interests, challenge themselves and build lifelong skills. Alongside this, she has generously given her time to countless extracurricular activities, helping make school life richer and more memorable for so many students.

And who could forget her unforgettable performance as “Miss Sangster the Gangster” in last year’s school production? She had audiences laughing and showed, once again, her willingness to throw herself into every aspect of school life!

Thank you, Christine, for your dedication, passion, creativity and unwavering commitment to the SWIS community. Your impact has been immeasurable, and we are so grateful for everything you have given to our school over the past 30 years.

Here’s to an incredible legacy—and many wonderful memories. Congratulations on 30 years, Christine!