Tēnā koutou, Tālofa lava, Konnichiwa, Fakaalofa atu, As-salāmu ‘alaykum, Kia orāna, Hola, Mālō e lelei!
5 September 2025
Kia ora whānau,
Firstly I’d like to congratulate all our ākonga who represented SWIS at the AIMS Games last week. We’re really proud of you all, not only for participating and giving it your best, but particularly for the awesome sportsmanship you displayed, Ka rawe! A huge thanks to all the whānau and our staff who supervised, refereed, fed, and looked after kids, while also getting them to where they needed to be – we couldn’t give your tamariki these wonderful experiences without your support! He mihi aroha ki otautahi whānau.
We’ve got a couple of exciting events coming up that we can’t wait to share with you! First is the much-anticipated SWIS Market Day on 10 Sep – see the full details below. Then, we’ll be celebrating the official opening of our brand-new classrooms with an Opening Ceremony on 17 Sep, and everyone is warmly invited to join us. Details are below.
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. There is a prize draw for those who enroll before 12 September!
Have a great weekend!
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 3 Dates
Also keep an eye on the school google calendar as dates are added and changed from time to time.
- 10 Sep – SWIS Market Day
- 13 Sep – Tournament of Minds National Final competition at Victoria University
- 15 – 19 Sep – Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori
- 17 Sep – Opening Ceremony for new classrooms
- 17 Sep – WRISSA Volleyball at Ākua Tangi
- 17 Sep – WOW preview, 7pm at TSB Stadium
- 19 Sep – Last day of Term 3
- 6 Oct – First day of Term 4
- 5 Dec – Staff Only Day
School Notices
Market Day – Wednesday 10 September, 3-6pm!!
The excitement is building! Purchase everything from cinnamon rolls, to tote bags, to Samoan pankeke, to gladiator fights! There is definitely something for everyone. See details in the poster below and invite all your friends and whānau. It’s a great event and all funds raised go towards our kura.
PAYMENT INFO
Note that all our stalls will be using SWIS tāra (NZD$1 = 1 SWIS tāra).
Students can pre-order their tāra at the office next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday during morning break only. They can pay by cash or eftpos. Tāra will be handed out to students before the end of the day on Wednesday.
SWIS tāra will also be available for purchase via cash/eftpos on the day from the stand in the main courtyard, but the more you get in advance, the faster it will be for your whānau! Note: once tāra has been purchased, it cannot be refunded back.
Opening Ceremony for our new classrooms – 17 Sep!
We are delighted to invite our community to the official opening of our four new classrooms.
The ceremony will begin with a blessing from a local kaumātua, followed by student contributions to help us mark this important occasion. These new learning spaces are an exciting addition to our school, and we look forward to celebrating this milestone together.
Nau mai, haere mai – everyone is welcome to attend.
2025 SWIS Term 4 Enrichment Options
It’s that time of term again! Students will soon be selecting their Enrichment option for Term 4. Students have until 9am on Friday, 12 September to submit their choices via a Google Form sent to their school email account. Once choices are in, we’ll place students into groups. While we do our best to give everyone their top preference, this isn’t always possible. Enrichment electives take place on Friday afternoons throughout Term 4, beginning in Week 1 and running until the end of term. See the options here.
Ready to celebrate Te wiki o te reo Māori (Māori language week)?!
In the last week of term, we’ll be giving out prizes to students who proudly use their reo Māori during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week). A huge thank you to Iko Iko for generously donating all of these wonderful prizes!
School News
Farewell and bon voyage!
It is with sadness that we share the news that Roshni Parbhu will be leaving SWIS at the end of Term 3, moving to Australia to explore the other side of the Tasman. Roshni has been part of our school whānau as a teacher since January 2023, and before that as a teacher aide — and even earlier, as a student. She will be greatly missed by staff, students, and families.
Roshni has built strong connections with her students and their whānau, and we are very grateful for the care, commitment, and energy she has brought to Room 13 this year.
To ensure a smooth transition, Roshni will be working closely with Christine Sangster over the coming weeks, passing on class information and supporting Christine as she prepares to take over homeroom duties for Term 4.
We know you will join us in thanking Roshni for her contribution and in warmly welcoming Christine into her new role with Room 13.
If you have any questions or concerns, please know that we are here to support you.
Making a splash at ArtSplash
Congratulations to all the students whose garments were on stage at Artsplash! You looked amazing and the backstage crew were blown away by your creativity. You did SWIS proud! See all our entries on our Facebook Page!
School of Rock Success at Bandquest
What an incredible result for SWIS School of Rock! Our bands brought the house down at Bandquest, with Cavemen taking 1st place (Axel, Theo, Tarn and Yohann) and Rocktapus (Sadie, Billee, Eddie, Gabe and Louis) earning 3rd place. We couldn’t be prouder of the hard work and energy you all put into your performances. Ka pai tō mahi!
Tournament of Minds
Huge congratulations to the two Tournament of Minds teams who did so well in the competition last week. SWIS We Are The World gained a Merit award (3rd place) in the Intermediate division of the Arts category (Miles, Lyra, Sara, Maisie, Dora). And….drumroll please…. SWIS Re-Union won the Intermediate division of the STEM category (Ame, Ari, Reuben, Gabe, Chloe, Phoebe)!!! They now get to represent the Wellington region at the NZ ToM finals on Saturday 13 September at VUW.
NIWA Science Fair
15 ākonga went to the NIWA Science Fair at Victoria University! Congratulations to Ari who got got Highly Commended for his project “How many parents care about Science?”‘ (thanks to everyone who filled in his survey!), and congrats also to Poppy, Chloe and Jessica who received Highly Commended for their project on thermoelectric energy/creating electricity, and won a special award from Engineering New Zealand! See more photos on our Facebook Page!
SPRING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS AT SOUTHERN PRIDE: SOUTH WELLINGTON INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL (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.
Activities include: Daily busking trips, Band school (Thursday) – Perfect for drummers, Table tennis, 4 Square, Badminton
Book here: https://www.therockacademy.co.nz/school-holiday-programme-booking