Tēnā koutou, Tālofa lava, Konnichiwa, Fakaalofa atu, As-salāmu ‘alaykum, Kia orāna, Hola, Mālō e lelei!
22 May 2025
Dear Parents & Whānau,
The term is flying by and there is always a lot happening at SWIS! The last week or two have been jam-packed with events – WRISSA football and waterpolo, Kids’ Lit Wellington competition, World Scholars’ Cup, Tough Girl and Guy Challenge and the ChessPower Tournament to name a few. We are incredibly proud of all our ākonga who gave these events a go, it’s great to see them challenging themselves, working hard, and learning a lot while having fun. Ka rawe! See some great photos below. With Spell it Out, ShowQuest Toi, and WRISSA cross country still to come over the next week, there’s never a dull moment!
A big thank you to all the staff and whānau who help make these events happen – taking training, practices, driving kids from A to B, we couldn’t do it without you and your time is really appreciated!
Just a few reminders. Tonight (Thursday) is the Our Kids Online Parent session, 6.30-8.30pm in the Hall, and also check out the College Open Days/Evenings that are coming up. It’s well worth going along to check them out to get a feel for which school will suit your child.
Staffing update
As I finish up my time here at SWIS, I’d like to congratulate Karl Emson who has been appointed Acting Principal. I am confident he will do a fantastic job and the Board is excited to support his leadership journey. The Board is currently following the process for establishing a permanent appointment and will let you know once the role has been filled.
Ngā mihi,
Toby Stokes
Principal | Tumuaki
Remember to check out the school’s Facebook Page, which has the latest updates about what is going on at school
Term 2 Dates
Also keep an eye on the school google calendar as dates are added and changed from time to time.
- 23 May – ShowQuest
- 26 May – Y7 immunisations start
- 27 May – Spell-a-Mania competition at Maidstone Intermediate
- 28 May – WRISSA Cross Country
- 2 June – King’s Birthday, school closed
- 3 June – Staff Only Day, school closed to students
- 6 June – ALL Year Y8 boys to Rongotai for a visit
- 11 June – Y7 Vision and Hearing Screening
- 11 June – WRISSA Girls’ Basketball
- 12 June – Kapa haka retirement village event
- 17 June – School Board meeting, 6pm in the Staffroom
- 18 June – WRISSA Boys’ Basketball
- 17/18 June – “Moments That Made Us” SWIS production at the Indian Centre. More details to come
- 19 June – SWIS Matariki celebrations – dawn ceremony, shared kai, games and more. Details to come
- 19 June – WISPA Speech Competition @ Wainuiomata Intermediate
- 20 June – Matariki, school closed
- 26 June – SWIS Matariki Showcase – see details below
- 27 June – Discovery Day @ Massey for Children’s University students
- 27 June – Last day of Term 2
- 14 July – Term 3 starts
School Notices
We need: Scooters/Skateboards and Art Room supplies
Brown paper bags and egg cartons needed for the art room! Please drop off to Ms Shuker in the Art room, or leave at the office.
At SWIS we give our students the option to skateboard and scooter at morning tea and lunch. The benefits are huge. Students are happy and engaged with this activity during their break, they meet new people, and they have fun while gaining confidence and new skills. BUT we need more boards!! If you have any old or unused skateboards or scooters we would love to collect them and use them for riding or parts. Please drop these off to Room 20. Thanks, Greg
School payments
School donations
School donations are voluntary (and tax deductible) and help fund the curriculum, classroom resources including playground and sports equipment, and library facilities. The donation is $270/child (per year).
Other than optional and sporting events, we anticipate no extra in-school costs over and above these costs. School donations can be paid online to the school bank account – South Wellington Intermediate 12 3141 0338498 00 (please reference the child’s name and what the payment is for), cash or eftpos at the school office or credit card on Hero. Also remember that you can claim a third of your donation back from the IRD. See more information here.
Extracurricular activity costs
Payment for extracurricular activities such as non-curricular sports events, and other optional activities (such as William Pike Challenge, Chess Tournaments, Kids’ Lit etc) can also be paid as above. Many thanks for your support. As always, we don’t want cost to prevent participation, so please contact Karl Emson if you have any queries or concerns.
Homestay families needed!
At the end of July, SWIS will welcome five Chinese international students as part of a school trip. The students will be accompanied by a teacher and some parents, and have a full programme of activities organised, including time in our classrooms and also around Wellington.
We are looking for Homestay families that can take one or two of these students for three weeks from the end of July (exact dates tbc, but after 21 July). All Homestay families are vetted before the students arrive, and will receive a payment of $55 per student per night.
Hosting an international student with SWIS is a great experience that brings the world into your home. Each hosting journey is unique, creating lasting memories and friendships across cultures.
For more information and to register your interest please email nicola.clissold@swis.school.nz. Note: if you are unable to host this time, but are interested in future opportunities, let Nicola know and we can add you to the list.
SWIS production “Moments That Made Us” – 17/18 June!
We’re excited to announce our upcoming school production, Moments That Made Us, taking place at the Indian Centre on 17 and 18 June!
This original performance involves all our ākonga in some way, and we’re eager to include our wider SWIS whānau!
We are looking for whānau support with:
- Theatre lighting and sound experience
- Adults to help at the door on the performance nights – checking tickets and door sales
- Adults to help with the bake sale table on the performance nights
- Do you have a business that could sponsor the production in return for advertising in the programme?
Please contact hannah.quuince@swis.school.nz or roshni.parbhu@swis.school.nz if you can help!
Y7 immunisations start 26 May
Our public health nurses are coming to school in the week starting 26 May to provide immunisation for Year 7 tamariki.
- If you have changed your mind or your child’s medical situation has changed please contact us at
- gw-nphsimmunisation@tewhatuora.govt.nz, or call us on 04 587 2949.
- If you have not yet consented, but want to, please collect a consent form from the school office or contact us.
- If you declined the vaccines last year but you have changed your mind and you now want your year 8 child to receive the vaccine(s) please collect a consent form from the school office or contact us.
- If your Year 8 child missed out last year and you would like them to catch up on their vaccinations please collect a consent form from the school office or contact us.
- If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at gw-nphsimmunisation@tewhatuora.govt.nz, or call us on 04 587 2949
Save the Date: SWIS Matariki Showcase – 26 June
College Open Evenings on now!
It might feel very early in the year, but the College Open Days/Evenings and school visits are fast approaching! The following list includes visits to SWIS by the Colleges, whānau Open Days/Evenings – some which you have to book directly through the colleges (see below for this info), and finally visits where our students go to the colleges.
May
- 27 & 29 May (Tue & Thu)
- St Patrick’s College tours (10–11:30am & 12:30–2pm) – book via website
June
- 6 June (Fri)
- All Year 8 boys visit Rongotai College (9–11:30am, bus from SWIS)
- 9 June (Mon)
- Wellington High School Open Evening – 4:30pm & 6pm (ticketed)
- 10 June (Tue)
- Rongotai College Open Evening – 6:30-8:30pm – no booking necessary
- 11 June (Wed)
- St Catherine’s College Open Evening – 6pm (book online)
- 12 June (Thu)
- Wellington East Girls’ College Open Evening – 3-4:30pm and 6:00-8:00pm – RSVP online
- 16–17 June (Mon–Tue)
- Wellington College Open Mornings – 9–11am – see website
- 17 June (Tue)
- Wellington Girls’ College Open Day – 9am, 9:45am, 11:45am (book online)
School News
Welcome to our new Office Manager, Janen Vigar!
Fakaloafa lahi atu, kia ora and hello. I’m Janen and a lot of you may have already known me from previous schools I worked for. Also among a few sports teams that my youngest two participate in. I’m the new Office Manager and delighted to be part of the SWIS staff and community. I enjoy being part of the school community! I live in beautiful Lyall bay and enjoy living close to the beach. I’m a mum of 4 children. Eli who will be 20, Micah 18, Olly 11 who is here at SWIS and Beau-Jessie 6. Eli is in Melbourne and has competed in a few Melbourne hip hop competitions. Micah is in Melbourne staying with family. Beau-Jessie is at Berhampore School. I enjoy playing the piano and cooking for my family. We enjoy family time together, soccer on Saturdays and church on Sundays.
Science in Action: the wonders of space
This term in science our topic has been Astronomy, and we have been focusing on: planets, dwarf planets, black holes, and stars. Highlights from this term include: creating planet travel brochures, using chalk to arrange the lifecycle of a star; finding out that there are 3 different ways a star can end its life, and exploring the scale of planets and stars compared to Earth.
Congratulations to our World Scholars’ Cup participants
We all had so much fun at World Scholars’ Cup. The two days were intense but it was all worth it in the end. I remember smiles and excitement on everyone’s faces as we went up to get our awards. I can still hear all the cheering when people we knew were going up for awards. We did so well – we came back with 36 gold medals, 49 silver medals and one trophy for Gabe, Alex and Livie who won the Junior Scholars’ Bowl! by Emily B
Tough Girl and Guy Challenge a winner!
62 of our ākonga participated in the Tough Girl & Guy Challenge this week and did us proud! It’s a 3km mud-splattered obstacle course event designed for kids to run, climb, and crawl their way through. It’s confidence building, promotes teamwork, and judging by the grins on their faces at the finish line, a great experience!
“I usually don’t like getting muddy but at the mud run when I had the chance to get really muddy I definitely took it and it so fun! I would 100% recommend the mud run to anyone.” – by Scarlet, Rm18
Chess tournament
Over 100 students from 8 schools came to the ChessPower interschool Wellington event held in the SWIS Hall on Wednesday. Nearly 40 of these students were from SWIS. There were three categories: Rookies, Juniors and Intermediate. Students played 7 rounds of Chess from 9am, finishing with a Prizegiving at 2pm. There were also badges awarded for finishing under ten moves or under thirty seconds.
All students who participated demonstrated great sportsmanship and enthusiasm for Chess. Adults from other schools commented on what a great vibe there was and how seriously the students took the competition.
Congratulations to Bhavishya from Rm 18 who won Best Girl in the Intermediate section. Congratulations also to the team called ‘SWIS Knights’ (Max, Ethan, Axel, and Matthew) who won Gold in the Intermediate section. There was some tough competition so this was quite an achievement! Axel also won badges for having the biggest increase in his Chess rating.
“It was a fun and exciting day with lots of people and we had lots of fun playing Chess.” – Sam, Rm 3.
SWIS Waterpolo team take 3rd place!
SWIS team coming third in the Wellington Waterpolo Festival. Well done to Ava, Chiara, Daniel, Donavon, Eabha, Eloise, Frankie, Genevieve, Koru, Matthew, Max, Penny, Tadhg and Tallah. The team was coached by ex-SWIS students Arlo and Ethan.
Congratulations WRISSA Girls’ Football team and A Boys’ Football Team
Congratulations to the WRISSA A Boys’ Football team for placing 2nd at the WRISSA tournament. Brilliant Football on Display combined with excellent teamwork and FairPlay. They have picked up a qualification to Toa Whakaihuwaka Tournament later this year alongside our Sevens team!
The SWIS girls football team also competed at the WRISSA Girls’ Football tournament. Miss Middlebrook and Eugene helped get us well prepared in the weeks before. We had some wins, some losses but unfortunately we didn’t place. We all had lots of fun though. – Maddie, Rm5
Celebrating our diversity with Pink Shirt Day!
Art for Art’s Sake Enrichment Activity
Art for Art’s enrichment group have created their own glazed banana mugs! We needed to look at the different glaze examples before we chose the final colour or colours we used on our final pieces! We enjoyed the ‘fruits’ of our labour by celebrating with hot chocolate and marshmallows.
Using liquid paint, the element of art of VALUE has been demonstrated while looking at the famous artist – Chris Judge – and the way he sees different images in clouds. We looked at different cloud formations. These ones are cumulus clouds and we created our own imaginings using their shapes.
Wider Community Notices
Youth Mini-Term: A 4-Part Taster Series to Dip Your Toes into the World of Clay. Got a creative kiddo aged 10 to 15 who’s keen to explore clay but not ready for a full term? Our Youth Mini-Term: A 4-Part Taster Series is the perfect way to dip their toes into the world of hand-building pottery!
This short and sweet series is all about experimenting, playing, and discovering the magic of turning raw clay into something totally unique. It’s relaxed, fun, and designed to give young makers a taste of the pottery process—without the pressure. See here to register and for more details.
Calling All Kids!
Whether you’re a dancer, an active go-getter, or just love to move – Enhance Your Skills at Bigair with Gym and Tumbling Classes!
- Pocket Rockets Gym Classes (3-4 years) – Start building coordination and confidence early!
- Gravity Busters Gym Classes (5+ years) – Perfect for beginners looking to develop fundamental gym and tumbling skills.
- Team Extreme Gym Classes (Advanced) – For those ready to take their skills to the next level.
- Free Running (5+ years) – Enhance agility and aerial awareness through parkour and flips.
- Trampoline (5+ years) – Boost spatial awareness and acrobatic abilities.
- Recreational Cheerleading (5+ years) – Build strength, flexibility, and performance skills.
- Tumbling (5+ years) – Focused on mastering walkovers, handsprings, aerials, and more – perfect for dancers, mastering fundamental tumble moves like walkovers, aerials, and handsprings which can significantly enhance performance, flexibility, and overall stage presence.
Hurry – Book Now Before Spots Run Out! Don’t miss out on the chance to help your child grow, learn, and have fun at Bigair Gym! Contact us at: Bigair Gym Owhiro Bay: ph.383 8779, e.wgtn@bigairgym.co.nz at 14 Landfill Road, Owhiro Bay.
