9 November 2026

Kia ora whānau,

Our Latest ERO Report

We have now received the confirmed ERO report following their visit to SWIS in July. The report is available to read on our school website. There were many positive things noted about our school, along with some areas where we can continue to improve. Prior to the review, we had identified that strengthening our evaluation capacity was an important area of focus, and this is reflected in the report. The findings also help inform our strategic direction, both in the short and medium term. I encourage you to take the time to read the report. It provides a useful overview of where we are doing well and where we need to focus our efforts next.

Our next ERO review is scheduled for four years’ time.

Celebrating Our Cultural Groups

Over the past few weeks, we have had a number of opportunities for our cultural groups to perform outside of school. Our Poly Club and Kapa Haka groups have worked incredibly hard throughout the term in preparation for these events.

I want to acknowledge the staff involved, who have given up many extra hours and weekends to support our students. The performances have been outstanding. I also want to recognise the students for their resilience, commitment and dedication to their practice. It has been a pleasure to see them perform so well and represent SWIS with such pride.

Toa Whakaihuwaka – Sporting Opportunities

This week, a number of our sports teams (Girls’ Football, Boys’ Football, our Netball team, and our Basketball team) travelled to Palmerston North to compete at Toa Whakaihuwaka. As always, these opportunities rely on the support and commitment of staff and parents, and I want to thank everyone involved for the time and effort they have given. Congratulations to all our students who took part. It is great to see them representing SWIS and making the most of these opportunities.

Thank you, as always, for your support.

Ngā mihi nui,

Brendon Henderson

Tumuaki | Principal

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Term 4 Dates

Week 5

• 13 Nov – Rongotai Experience Day

Week 6

• 18 Nov – WRISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Touch
• 19 Nov – St Catherine’s College,  St Mary’s College and St Patrick’s College Orientation Day

Week 7

• 24 Nov – Wellington East College Open Morning
• 25 Nov – Te Ora Atamira Kapa Haka @ Avalon Intermediate

Week 8

• 30 Nov – French Language Enrichment Cafe
• 1 Dec – Regional Athletics
• 2 Dec – Wellington High School Orientation Day
• 3 Dec – School Board meeting, 6pm

Week 9

• 7-11 Dec – EOTC week
• 9 Dec – WRISSA Viliamu Festival
• 11 Dec – Whole School Service to the Community Day
• 11 Dec – Leavers Dinner and Dance – details tbc

Week 10

• 14 Dec – Prize Giving – details tbc
• 15 Dec – Last day of school for 2026, 2pm finish

See the confirmed dates for 2027 here on our website.

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School Notices

Te Whanganui a Tara EOTC Week – 7-11 December

EOTC events offer unique, hands-on learning experiences that support our curriculum and help students build confidence, teamwork, and resilience outside the traditional classroom setting.  

Below is a timetable of events that classes will participate in during the course of the week.

Actions Required

• Please return the form to your child’s classroom teacher.
• If your child’s health or medical profile has changed since the beginning of the year, please update it by contacting the school office.

Thank you for your ongoing support in making these memorable experiences possible for our tamariki.

Day	Māwhero	Kikorangi	Waiporoporo	Kakariki
Rooms	Room 1, 3 & 8	Room 10,11,14 & 16	Rom  4, 12 & 13	Room 2,9 & 15
Monday	Pirates Cove Mini Golf / Adrenalin Forest	Beach Day	WRAC / Kilbirnie Rec	Whanganui a Tara Amazing Race
Tuesday	Whanganui a Tara Amazing Race	Pirates Cove Mini Golf / Adrenalin Forest	Beach Day	WRAC / Kilbirnie Rec
Wednesday	WRAC / Kilbirnie Rec	Whanganui a Tara Amazing Race	Pirates Cove Mini Golf/ Adrenalin Forest	Beach Day
Thursday	Beach Day	WRAC / Kilbirnie Rec	Whanganui a Tara Amazing Race	Pirates Cove Mini Golf/ Adrenalin Forest
Friday	Day of Service	Day of Service	Day of Service	Day of Service

Seeking Event Lighting for Year 8 Leavers’ Dinner! 

This year, we are excited to be hosting our Year 8 Leavers’ Dinner right here at school in the Hall!

To help us create a special atmosphere for our leavers, we are reaching out to our school community to see if anyone has event-style lighting we could borrow. We are particularly looking for:

• Fairy lights / string lights
• Disco / party lights
• Any other ambient or decorative event lighting or tableware

If you have equipment you would be happy to lend us for the event, we would love to hear from you! Please email Hayley (Office Manager) at office@swis.school.nz.

Thank you so much for your support in making this a memorable night for our Year 8 students!

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

Click here for Homestay info!

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School News

Kapa Haka Regionals

Last week our Kapa Haka group performed at Te Whakataetae Kapa Haka mō ngā Kura Tuatahi – Te Whanganui-a-Tara ki Ōtaki Regional Competition. The group performed exceptionally well and were a real credit to themselves, their whānau and our school. I would like to acknowledge Hannah, Rebecca and Te Po for the time, dedication and hard work they have put into preparing and supporting the students. A big congratulations to all our ākonga on their performance!

Toa Whakaihuwaka

Toa Whakaihuwaka is a premier annual multi-sport tournament for intermediate-age students from the lower North Island (including Wellington, Manawatū, Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay, and Wairarapa). Teams qualified through regional competitions (such as WRISSA).

The WRISSA girls football team placed 6th after two long days of hard work. We lost the first few games but didn’t give up, managing to win 3 out of the eight games we played. Our final game was all tied up but we unfortunately lost the penalty shootout. Staying energetic was very hard due to the insane heat but we managed to pull through. Thank you very much to the teachers and parents; we could not have done it without them. Sylvia, Rm 13

We went to Toa Whakaihuwaka, jumping on the bus at 7.30am. Noah was blasting music to keep us awake. After the powhiri, we started our first basketball game. We had three tough games on the first day including a tough loss against Taradale, where we lost by two. The next day we were determined to play well. With a good team effort we capably beat Wainuiomata. We continued our winning streak for the rest of the day with two more wins. At the end of the tournament we were exhausted and satisfied with our performance. The best thing about going to the tournament was being able to play and hanging out in between games. The tournament was quite competitive and challenging and I felt determined to try my best. – Koru, Rm 9

TOA was amazing. Great to play more netball and seeing our besties the Maidstone team was definitely a highlight alongside placing third in the tournament. I think everyone wished it lasted longer because cheering on the other SWIS teams and hanging out with our friends with so much fun. It was such a great way to finish an amazing netball – Mac B, Rm 14