Tēnā koutou, Tālofa lava, Konnichiwa, Fakaalofa atu, As-salāmu ‘alaykum, Kia orāna, Hola, Mālō e lelei!
PRINCIPAL’S PĀNUI
Dear Parents & Whānau,
Welcome to South Wellington Intermediate School for 2025! We are looking forward to getting started with Term 1 next week and can’t wait to see you all!
Firstly however, I’d like to acknowledge the difficult start our SWIS whānau have had with the sudden passing of Aloma, our Deputy Principal. Thank you to everyone in our community who has shown their support, particularly to the SWIS staff at this sad time. Your messages have been much appreciated.
The opportunity to spend time with Aloma’s family at their home, then join together with the many people she loved, cared for and worked with at her funeral, as well as the blessing of the school, have all helped the staff through this challenging time.
We have counselling support available at school for students, parents and staff who would like to speak to someone. The timing of these opportunities are being finalised now. Please reach out if you would like support in how to speak with your child about what has happened.
A few reminders and notices before school starts
Monday, 3 February, 8:30am – 3pm– Second-hand Uniform Sale in the school library. Gold coin koha, bring your own bag to fill. Note you can also purchase new uniforms directly from NZ Uniforms https://www.swis.school.nz/school-life/uniforms/
Tuesday, 4 February – all Year 7 and new Year 8 ākonga and whānau are invited to come in and meet their Homeroom Teacher. This is a 15-minute meeting and is your chance to learn where your homeroom is, find out how the class works and get to know your Homeroom Teacher a little bit. You do not have to wear your school uniform for this meeting.
Visit https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code/7ugp4 and follow the prompts to select the teacher you want to meet.
Wednesday, 5 February – ONLY Year 8 ākonga attend school. This is a leadership day and they will be preparing to welcome our new ākonga.
Thursday, 6 February – Waitangi Day. School is closed.
Friday, 7 February – ALL ākonga need to be at school by 8:45am for the pōwhiri. On arrival at school, put school bags and belongings in class, then new ākonga meet on the bottom court ready to be welcomed into the Hall. Year 8 ākonga will meet in the Hall. After the pōwhiri, ākonga will go to their homeroom with their teacher. Please wear correct school uniform.
Wednesday 12 February – Meet the Teachers Evening. Bring the whānau and join us for a BBQ as we meet and introduce our new and current staff members. Everyone is welcome to join us. A HUGE thank you to Newtown New World who have most generously donated all the BBQ supplies!
Our website has a lot of information that will help you understand how things work at SWIS.
Have a great last weekend of the holidays and we look forward to seeing everyone next week!
Ngā mihi,
Toby Stokes
Principal
Remember to check out the school’s Facebook Page, which has the latest updates about what is going on at school.
Term Dates
- 3 Feb – Second-hand uniform sale starts at 8:30am (Gold coin donations)
- 4 Feb – Year 7 & NEW Year 8 Meet the Homeroom Teacher slots – book below
- 5 Feb – Returning Year 8 Students ONLY – Whole Day
- 7 Feb – Pōwhiri and first full day of school for everyon
2025 School Terms | School Holidays
Term 1 4 Feb – 11 April
Term 2 28 April – 27 June (Staff Only Day 3 June)
Term 3 14 July – 19 Sept
Term 4 6 Oct – 18 Dec
School News
Sign up to Hero for all school communications!
SWIS is moving to the Student Management System Hero in 2025 for parent communication and engagement. We would like all parents to sign up for this. Please follow this link for full instructions.
Bring Your Own Device
SWIS is a BYOD school, and students are strongly encouraged to bring devices to school to assist with their learning. Opportunities will always be provided for those students who do not have a device to bring, with classrooms having a small supply of Chromebooks for student use. If you are considering purchasing a device for use at school then we recommend that you read the information on the NetSafe website (https://www.netsafe.org.nz/) as they are helpful in ensuring that devices are as safe as possible.
What device should students have? We recognise that students are only at SWIS for two years so parents should also take into account any requirements that secondary schools may have if buying a brand new device.
Stationery
We have two options for ordering stationery and encourage you to choose what works best for your needs. Alternatively, the list is on our school website.
OfficeMax MySchool website – https://www.myschool.co.nz/swis
Quizzle School Packs team – https://schoolpacks.co.nz/south-wellington-intermediate/
Road safety around SWIS
Please ensure your child is aware of the importance of using designated crossings (either light-controlled or zebra crossings) when travelling to and from school. Even when using these crossings, it’s essential that they always check both ways for vehicles and cyclists before proceeding.
We also ask that parents ensure their children wear helmets to school if scooting or biking.
Sun safety in Term 1
All ākonga must wear a hat outside in Term 1 & 4 and we recommend that they apply sunscreen in the morning. Staff monitor hat use in break times and ākonga without a hat will be asked to stay in the shade.
Classrooms and Teachers for 2025
Rm 1 – Josh Hinman
Rm 2 – Morgan Jamieson
Rm 3 – Alida Middlebrook
Rm 5 – Stephen Moli
Rm 10 – Hannah Quince
Rm 11 – Rebecca Amos
Rm 12 – Alex Radovanovic
Rm 13 – Roshni Parbhu
Rm 14 – Cole Hanfling
Rm 15 – Aaron Kling
Rm 18 – Dan Miller
Rm 19 – Kelly Bush
Rm 20 – Greg Kyle
Rm 21 – Xiaoyu Zhai
Welcome to new staff!
Introducing Eseta Uini and Cole Hanfling! We’re excited to have you both join our SWIS teaching whānau!
Talofa Lava!
My name is Eseta, and I’m proud to share my Samoan and Tokelaun heritage. I’m passionate about teaching and have been inspiring students for seven years. My six wonderful children are my greatest joy and family time is incredibly precious to me . I love celebrating their successes, both on the sports field and on stage, and I’m their biggest supporter! In my free time, I enjoy the energy of music and sports.
Tēnā tātou katoa,
I te taha o tōku matua, nō Whakatū me Pōrana ōku tīpuna
Ko Ahumairangi te maunga e rū nei taku ngākau
Ko tune Taku mihi ki ngā tāngata whenua o te rohe nei
Ka mihi hoki au ki ngā tohu o te rohe nei
Ko Cole Zino Eade Hanfling ahau
My name is Cole Hanfling. I live here in Wellington with my hoa Lisa, two cats and an axolotl. My Tūrangawaewae is in Wellington, where I come from a big blended family. We hail from Nelson, Levin, Stokes Valley, Whanganui, Holland, Bundaberg, Canada, Poland and all over. Some of you may recognize me from working at Newton School.
I have studied Geology and worked in te taiao before becoming a teacher. I got the chance to see a bit of Aotearoa, reinforcing a lifelong passion for hiking and exploring our natural world. This is alongside my passions in the arts, history, games and all sorts of other interests.