There are a number of extracurricular sporting, academic, cultural and arts programmes, which students can opt into, and which provide opportunities to extend their interests and passions.
- We run many SWIS sports teams such as water polo, netball, basketball, floorball and touch rugby, who play after school or on weekends.
- We are members of the Wellington Regional Intermediate Schools Sports Association (WRISSA) and participate in a range of inter-school sporting events annually.
- We offer PEAK Opportunities such as the AIMS Games, EPRO-8, Kids Literature Quiz Competition, ICAS examinations (external optional international exams), World Scholars Cup, National writing and art competitions and events, the William Pike Challenge and much more. See more details on these below.
- Throughout the year we also participate in social awareness activities such as the 40 hour famine and Pink Shirt Day.
PEAK Opportunities at SWIS – (Pride in Extending and Accessing Knowledge)
PEAK is the name given to the range of SWIS school programmes that operate over and above the classroom programme, opening new pathways and exposing students to new skills. These aim to:
- extend students who want to be challenged academically;
- tap into student interests and activities that they are passionate about;
- take students’ prior knowledge and skills and build on these;
- offer students opportunities to try different activities that may lead to a lifelong interest.
This is a list of the many and varied activities available at SWIS for students keen to extend themselves. Meetings will be offered for interested students at intervals or lunchtimes – these are announced in the school’s daily notices. Many students self-nominate for activities, and others may be shoulder-tapped by friends and teachers. For options with costs, these (with the exception of the ICAS exams) will be able to be paid on HERO.
Future Problem Solving (FPS) – whole year
Future Problem Solving (FPS) is an internationally competitive programme for students in Years 6–13 that fosters futuristic thinking, teamwork, and problem-solving skills to address future challenges. The program has several components:
- Global International Problem-solving (GIPS): Teams of four or individuals analyse a future scenario to identify challenges, formulate an underlying problem, develop solutions, rank the best options, and create an action plan. Teams advance from national to international competitions.
- Scenario Writing: Students write a fictional story (up to 1500 words) based on one of the 2025 topics. This has yielded past international winners from SWIS.
- Scenario Performance: Students dramatize their written scenarios on video, a newer FPS component.
- Community Problem Solving (CmPS): Groups tackle real-world local problems by developing and implementing solutions.
Topics change annually and are selected internationally. The 2025 topics include Food Security, Rising Sea Levels, Agriculture, and Nanotechnology. The programme is ideal for students passionate about STEM, teamwork, and creative thinking. FPS sessions are held twice a week before school, and participation involves a registration cost. For more details, contact Christine Sangster at christine.sangster@swis.school.nz.
World Scholars’ Cup – Terms 1 & 2, and possibly Term 3, dependent on the competition date
WSC is a fun opportunity for students to work with two others in a team of three. The topics change each year, and WSC provides the links and questions. The topic for 2025 is Reigniting the Future. There is a cost involved for students who are keen to take part.
Teams participate in debates, as well as take part in the co-operative writing competition. The Scholars’ Bowl and Scholars’ Challenge quizzes usually take place on a Saturday, and for all the students the highlight of the weekend, receiving their alpaca, happens then as well! Parents are very welcome to come to the Saturday sessions, and the prizegiving at the end is an experience in itself. For more information, please contact Christine at christine.sangster@swis.school.nz).
ShowQuest Toi – Term 1 & 2
The Wearable Arts (WOW) programme is for Year 8 students who begin creating their garments in the previous year. The competition includes five annually changing categories; this year’s are Open, Stories of the South Pacific, Imaginary Friends, Rewind Time, and Crafted Couture. A total of 48 students are participating, with a $10 entry fee per student.
Competition Day (to be confirmed – either Thursday 22 or Friday 23 May)
- Afternoon: Professional photo shoot at St James Theatre.
- Evening: Garment parade before an audience at St James Theatre (on May 22 or 23).
Preparation:
- Term 1 Enrichment: Wearable Arts sessions every Friday afternoon (2 hours 30 minutes).
- Additional support: Two lunchtimes per week for garment work.
- Garments must include at least 70% recycled materials.
The programme has featured esteemed judges like Dame Susie Moncrieff and Heather Palmer in past years. For more details, contact Christine Sangster at christine.sangster@swis.school.nz.
Kids’ Lit Quiz – Term 1
Reading as a sport?? Definitely! This is a competition for really keen readers who read a wide variety of different genres. We are only allowed to register two teams of four to take part in this, but we are more than happy to have lots of potential team members coming to the practice sessions. We select the two teams closer to the competition, which will be held on May 16 at Wellesley College in Eastbourne. There is a cost involved for students who are selected for the two teams.
For more information, contact Christine at christine.sangster@swis.school.nz
Books Alive – Term 3
As part of the NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, Wellington Libraries has a day in Term 3 at the National Library in Thorndon where authors and illustrators who are finalists in the awards present practical workshops and talk about their books and how they approach writing/illustrating. We take a group of interested students along to this event for the whole day, and they get to take part in the various workshops/talks and meet the authors, who are usually very willing to sign books! Previous years have been amazing, and for those super-enthusiastic readers, it is a great opportunity to gain insight into successful writing processes. More information will be given out once the date has been finalised.
Tournament of Minds – Terms 2 and 3
Tournament of Minds encourages and fosters team cooperation and both the Long Term and Spontaneous activities are performed as a team. The ongoing aims of Tournament of Minds have always involved inclusivity – to encourage mentorship, gain experience through friendship and peer support, and overcome problems through creativity and collegiality.
Term 2 is spent working on responding to a range of different spontaneous challenges. The Spontaneous Challenge involves solving a quick challenge that teams have not seen before. They are judged on their creativity, originality, and teamwork. Six weeks before Tournament Day, the topics for the Long-Term Challenge are released, and students work on these as a team, but without any outside assistance from friends or family. There is a cost for each team which will be finalised closer to the tournament date. For more information, contact Christine at christine.sangster@swis.school.nz
Artsplash WOW – Term 2
We participate in the biennial Artsplash performances in the WOW section of the choir performances. This opportunity is open to Y7s and Y8s who are keen to design and make their creative garments to show at one of the performances. The Toi group will have the option of reshowing their garments or constructing a new one. The performances are scheduled to take place in September. When the dates are finalised, they will be announced in the newsletter. An enrichment option in Term 2 will offer time for these students to work on their designs and garments.
ICAS Exams – Term 3
For those students who want to extend themselves, the ICAS exams are an excellent way to do this. SWIS takes part in six different exams: Digital Technologies (Digitech), Writing, English, Spelling Bee, Science and Maths, which are all online exams. There is a cost involved for each exam, and parents can pay through the ICAS online parent portal. You will need login details to access this and these will be added to the SWIS newsletter closer to registration time. Students sit the exams at school. There may be some coaching available, depending on staff availability. For more information, contact Christine at christine.sangster@swis.school.nz
Ethics Olympiad – Terms 3 & 4
The Ethics Olympiad is a philosophy-based competition where students collaborate to discuss ethical issues with schools nationwide. Participants, called “Eth-letes,” engage in respectful discourse, critical thinking, and teamwork to explore pre-prepared ethical cases. Unlike debating, students choose their own stance and work collaboratively to develop the best answers.
Key Details:
- Activities:
- Training day (date to be confirmed)
- Lunchtime discussions
- At-home reading on set cases
- Competition day
- Competition Format:
- Teams of 5–10 students from schools in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.
- Three heats judged on clarity, respect, and reasoning.
- Awards: Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals for the top teams.
- Cost: $100 per participant (funding assistance available if needed).
The Ethics Olympiad is a valuable opportunity to build communication, ethical reasoning, and critical thinking skills. There is a cost of $100 per participant. For more details, contact Christine Sangster at christine.sangster@swis.school.nz.
Children’s University (https://youtu.be/7ZxSzcLDNaM) – whole year
The Children’s University program encourages tamariki (children) aged 7–14 to engage in educational experiences outside the classroom. It fosters a love for learning, confidence, and curiosity, emphasizing that learning can happen anytime, anywhere.
Key Features:
- Registration:
- Open to tamariki aged 7–14 through participating schools or rūnanga.
- A small cost applies.
- Expressions of interest open in March, with a potential limit on participants.
- Learning Activities:
- Students receive a Passport to Learning, which tracks their learning hours.
- Activities include:
- Visits to local learning destinations like Pukeahu and Tuhuru Tech or others across Aotearoa and Australia (e.g., museums, libraries, parks).
- Online portal activities for at-home learning.
- Participation in extra-curricular activities (e.g., sports, kapa haka, robotics, and FPS).
- Discovery Day:
- A day of exciting activities hosted at the local Massey University campus for participating schools and rūnanga.
- Recognition:
- Students earning 30+ learning hours receive certificates at an annual graduation ceremony.
- Returning students achieve higher awards for accumulated hours.
This program is a fantastic way for ākonga to explore, learn, and be rewarded for their efforts. For more details, contact Christine Sangster at christine.sangster@swis.school.nz.
Chess Competitions – Terms 2, 3, & 4
During the year, keen chess players of differing abilities will have the opportunity to compete in local and regional chess competitions. Calls for interest are usually made a few weeks in advance, and students should have a basic understanding of the game, the pieces, and the moves. If you have an enthusiastic chess player coming to SWIS, please contact Miss Wendy (wendy.collis@swis.school.nz).
EPro8 – Terms 3 & 4
The Electronics and Construction Challenge is an exciting opportunity for students interested in creating devices and machines to solve problems. It allows students to unleash their creativity while working with a variety of tools and components.
Event Overview:
- Workstations:
- Each team has access to equipment such as gears, pulleys, joiners, nuts and bolts, aluminium framing, motors, electronics, and tools.
- Challenges:
- Teams receive a booklet with four challenges, each broken into parts ranging from easy to difficult.
- Teams strategically choose challenges based on their skills, as not all can be completed within the time limit.
- Harder challenges are worth more points.
- Competition Structure:
- Teams work collaboratively to earn the highest score.
- Top-performing teams qualify for the regional finals.
This event is perfect for students who love hands-on problem-solving and engineering. For more information, contact Morgan Jamieson at morgan.jamieson@swis.school.nz.
School of Rock – whole year
This has been a popular and challenging part of our enrichment programme, which is always over-subscribed! This year auditions will be held again to select those students who want to be part of this. Those who audition should be capable musicians/singers, as there isn’t the time available to teach students how to play the instruments. These will be announced in the daily notices. Bands will have the opportunity to compete at Rockquest later in the year. Contact details for information will be included in the enrichment options choices.
Extension Writing and Maths – whole year
These two options are offered to those who have been identified through teacher observations and testing as being candidates for either or both of these two groups. The students work collaboratively each week.
In the maths group, they are challenged with simple trigonometry and calculus and more advanced algebraic problems. The writing group focuses on different writing styles and enjoys playing with words. Selected students will normally start these options later in Term 1. More information will be available once the groups have been finalised.
Spell It Out – Term 2 or 3, dependent on the competition date
This is an inter-intermediate competition hosted by Maidstone Intermediate. We send two teams of top spellers: one of four Year 7s and one of four Year 8s. The competition involves a combination of informal, fun activities at the start followed by more serious questions and activities. It starts with a group competition and then moves into an individual competition which has the format of the American Spelling Bee competition. In past competitions, SWIS has done extremely well, with wins in both individual and team competitions.
Once a date has been set in Term 3, more information will be forthcoming. Students can self-nominate, but a selection test will be conducted to pick out our top spellers. For more information, contact Christine at christine.sangster@swis.school.nz.
WRISSA – whole year
WRISSA (Wellington Regional Intermediate Schools Sports Association) offers a wide range of different sporting opportunities, from athletics and volleyball to Ki-o-rahi and aerobics. Students can sign up for consideration to take part in the ones SWIS is taking part in – in many cases, the teams are selected after trials. These competitions are scheduled to take place on Wednesdays throughout the year. Some may have a cost for transportation to and from the venue.
PolyClub and Kapa Haka – whole year
We have two amazing cultural groups that meet once a week during school time. Both groups perform at outside events which have included the opening of the new Wakefield Hospital buildings and inter-intermediate cultural festivals. All students are welcome and we take pride in our culturally diverse students who take part in these two groups. For more information, please contact Rebecca Amos for Kapa Haka (rebecca.amos@swis.school.nz) or Stephen Moli for PolyClub (stephen.moli@swis.school.nz).
PolyClub and Kapa Haka Leaders – whole year
Our two cultural groups, PolyClub and kapa haka, offer opportunities for Year 8 students to step up and take on leadership roles within these groups. These leaders are expected to be role models for the rest of the group, both within PolyClub, kapa haka, and their classes. They are selected by the teachers taking the groups.
Class Leadership – whole year
SWIS offers several leadership opportunities for students:
- Class Reps – Two Year 8 students are elected by their class to join the student council.
- Librarians – Volunteers manage book checkouts/returns and assist the school librarian with displays.
- Green Team – Students help maintain the school environment through planting, watering, and weeding.
- IT Monitors – Responsible for managing class laptops, ensuring they are charged, returned, and noting any repairs needed.
More details on these roles will be shared with classes in the coming month.
School Production – dates tbc
This year we are looking at putting on our first school production in many years! This is still under development, but there will be plenty of opportunities for students to take part onstage or backstage. More information will come out as the term goes on.
Mathswell (Term 3) & Otago Maths Competition – Terms 1, 2 & 3
SWIS offers two maths competitions for students who enjoy problem-solving:
- Otago Maths Competition (Terms 1–3) – A challenge with five rounds, where top scorers are invited to the finals.
- Mathswell (Annual) – A Wellington-wide competition for Year 7 & 8 students, featuring multichoice and problem-solving sections. The school enters ttwo teams of three for each year level, with selections made in Term 2.
For more details, contact Josh Hinman (josh.hinman@swis.school.nz).
SWIS Sports teams – whole year
Over the course of the year, students will have opportunities to sign up for different sports teams, including netball and water polo. These teams practise after school. There are registration costs which will be put up on Hero closer to the time.
AIMs Games – Term 3
This is an annual New Zealand-wide competition for intermediate schools that is held in Tauranga over August/September. In past years we have had students participate in netball, football, swimming, mountain biking, and rockwall climbing. Students will need parent support in order to be able to attend, as fundraising has been essential in past years. More information will come out closer to the time.