22 May 2026
Kia ora whānau,
We certainly have enjoyed the recent settled weather, even if it has started to feel a little chilly in the mornings! There have been lots of outside activities going on at lunchtimes and the students have been very settled in the playground.
A huge thank you to all of our staff, and especially Cole, for organising such a fantastic Colour Run this afternoon. It was wonderful to see so many students getting involved, showing great enthusiasm, and having an absolute blast. Events like these create so much fun and energy around our school and are a great way to bring our school community together. Well done to everyone who participated and helped make the afternoon such a success! Have a look at the photos below.
We are now seeing significant progress with our new classroom block currently under construction. The ground works are almost complete and we will be seeing the building structure soon taking shape above the ground in the next month or so.
Finally, we received notification from the Education Review Office (ERO) that they will be visiting our school on 27 July to review our school. They have just started using a new review format. We are looking forward to their visit and what they have to say about our school.
Ngā mihi nui,
Brendon Henderson
Tumuaki | Principal
Be sure to visit our Parent Portal 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 2 Dates
- 27 May – Spell It Out competition at Maidstone
- 28 May – Otago Problem Solving Set 2
- 29 May – Art for Art’s Sake group visit to Village at the Park
- 30 May – Kapa Haka performing at National Ballroom and Latin American dancing competition at Alan Gibbs Centre at Wellington College
- 1 June – King’s Birthday, school closed
- 3 June – WRISSA Girls’ Basketball at Walter Nash
- 4 June – National Young Leaders Day (NYLD) trip
- 5 June – RONGOTAI EXPERIENCE. All Year 8 boys visit Rongotai for the morning 9am – 11.30am
- 8 June – WELLINGTON HIGH Open evening
- 9 June – RONGOTAI Open Evening, 6pm
- 10 June – WRISSA Boys’ Basketball Walter Nash
- 10 June – St Catherine’s College Open Evening, 6pm – 7.30pm
- 11 June – Wellington East Open afternoon and evening, 3pm – 4.30pm and 6pm – 8pm
- 15 June – Wellington Boys’ College Open Morning, 9am
- 18 June – Wellington Girls’ College OPEN EVENING
- 19 June – World Scholars’ Cup at QMC, 1pm
- 19 June – Forensics Enrichment visiting Police Museum
- 20 June – World Scholars’ Cup, 9.30am – 4.30pm at QMC
- 23 June – St Patrick’s College Open Day, 10-11.30am and 12.30 – 2pm
- 24 June – Showquest at St James Theatre – Kapa haka and Enrichment groups
- 24 June – Showquest Toi – Enrichment group
- 24 June – WRISSA Hockey National Hockey Stadium
- 25 June – Otago Problem Solving Set 3
- 25 June – St Patrick’s College Open Day, 10-11.30am and 12.30 – 2pm
- 27 June – ERO visit
- 30 June – Vision Nurse visiting
- 30 June – Regional Cross Country
- 2 July – SWIS Matariki Performance Evening, 6pm
- 3 July – Last day of Term 2
Note: Matariki is in the July School Holidays
School Notices
NIWA Science Fair
This is a fantastic opportunity for students to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) and connect their classroom learning with real-world ideas and challenges. Students choose a topic they are interested in, carry out research and experiments in their own time, and present their findings on a project board that will be showcased at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. There is lots of helpful information available on the NIWA website. Please note that registrations for individuals and teams need to be completed through the school.
If your child is interested or you would like more information, please contact Nadia, nadia.abdulsyafieq@swis.school.nz.
Optional ICAS exams now open!
SWIS is once again offering the opportunity for ākonga to register for the optional ICAS competition. ICAS is an online academic competition that gives students the opportunity to challenge their higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee, and Digital Technologies.
See here on our website for more details. Competition dates are all in August. Contact Josh, josh.hinman@swis.school.nz if you have any questions.
Are you interested in becoming a Homestay Family for an International Student?
Hosting an international student can be a rewarding experience for your family. It is a great opportunity to share your culture, learn about another, and see the world from a different perspective. Our students usually stay for 2 – 6 weeks. We are looking for caring and supportive families who will welcome a student into their home and enjoy the experience they bring.
As a homestay family, you will need to provide:
- three meals each day
- a private bedroom (with a heater)
- access to a bathroom and laundry facilities.
Host families receive a contribution of $80 per day ($400 per week).
For more information, please see our Homestay Family Information Booklet. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, see more info and apply here.
Kapa Haka performance! 30-31 May
Our Kapa haka has been asked to perform at the NZ Open Dance Champs, 30-31 May.
College Open Evenings/Days for Year 8s
As our Year 8 students begin to think about secondary school, a number of local colleges are holding open days and evenings. These are a great opportunity for students and whānau to visit schools, meet staff, and learn more about what each college offers.
Rongotai College (RC) will hold its Open Evening on Tuesday 10 June at 6pm (no booking required). In addition, all Year 8 boys will visit Rongotai College during school time on Friday 5 June from 9–11:30am, with transport provided from SWIS.
Wellington High School (WHS) has its Open Evening on Monday 8 June.
Wellington East Girls’ College (WEGC) is holding Open Evenings on Thursday 11 June, with two sessions available: 3–4:30pm and 6–8pm. Booking is required via their website.
Wellington College (WBC) will host Open Mornings on Monday 15 June and Tuesday 16 June from 9–11am. No booking is required.
Wellington Girls’ College (WGC) has Open Day sessions on Thursday 18 June at 9am, 9:45am, and 11:45am. Bookings are required through their website.
St Catherine’s College (SCC) will hold its Open Evening on Wednesday 10 June from 6–7:30pm (booking required). They will also be visiting SWIS to speak with students on Wednesday 6 June at 9am in the school hall.
St Patrick’s College (SPC) is offering Open Days on Tuesday 23 June and Thursday 25 June, with sessions available from 10–11:30am or 12:30pm–2:00pm. Bookings are required via their website.
We encourage families to attend these events to help support students in making informed decisions about their next steps.
School News
Colour Run!
Our colourful alternative to cross-country was filled with energy, smiles, laughter, and plenty of colour explosions along the way. Students embraced the fun, tackled the course with enthusiasm, and showed fantastic school spirit throughout the afternoon. A big thank you to our whānau who came along to support and cheer on our runners. It was wonderful to see everyone enjoying such a vibrant and memorable SWIS event!
Pink Shirt Day!
On Friday 15 May our SWIS ākonga and staff proudly wore pink as we stood together to celebrate kindness, inclusion, and respect 
At SWIS, we value creating a school community where everyone feels safe, supported, and that they belong. Together we continue to choose kindness, lift others up, and make a positive difference every day
WRISSA Cross Country
Congratulations to all of our students who represented SWIS at the WRISSA Cross Country! Our runners showed determination, resilience, and fantastic sportsmanship as they took on the challenge and gave their best effort out on the course. Well done everyone — you should be proud of your efforts!
Strategic Minds in Action: SWIS Students at ChessPower!
Congratulations to the 23 SWIS students who represented our school at the ChessPower competition at Altum Classical Academy. All of our students performed extremely well, with a special mention to Joseph, who started the tournament strongly and remained competitive throughout the day, and to Bhavishya who got the ‘Best Girl’ award. We were also incredibly proud of the way our students represented SWIS through their behaviour, attitude, and sportsmanship — exactly what we hope to see from our ākonga. There was even some fantastic piano playing between matches!
Well done to everyone involved on a great day of challenge, strategy, and school pride.
SWIS Reporters launch their 1st Edition
SWIS Reporters – First Edition Published
Our SWIS Reporters group, made up of eighteen talented writers from across the school, has officially published the first edition of the SWIS Reporter. This student-led team has been busy writing, creating, and sharing stories and news from around our school community. Congratulations to all of our reporters on this exciting achievement—we look forward to seeing many more editions throughout the year!
Leveling up our Skateboarding skills!
A massive thank you to Nukuora who provided our Kura with funding to support our Skateboarding programme. The money has gone towards a whole bunch of safety gear (helmets, wrist guards and pads for elbows and knees as well as new skateboards, a wide range of tools and components, as well as purchasing wood and metal for our new halfpipe, ramps and grind rails. Wahey! We have also had our first get together of the South Welly Skaters where we meet up from 8 – 8:30am on Wednesday mornings in Rm13 to fix, make and tweak our decks, as well as have a before school Skate! Goodtimes! 🙂
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.
