Tēnā koutou, Tālofa lava, Konnichiwa, Fakaalofa atu, As-salāmu ‘alaykum, Kia orāna, Hola, Mālō e lelei!
Dear Parents & Whānau,
It’s been a great start to the year! Thank you to everyone who came along to our Meet the Teacher BBQ, it was wonderful to see such a great turn out!
At SWIS, challenging ourselves is a core value. We’re excited to see so many ākonga getting involved in activities already this year. With a wide range of options in both our curriculum courses (Enrichment, sports and languages) and our extracurricular programmes (SWIS sports teams, and our PEAK (Pride in Extending and Accessing Knowledge) arts and literature programmes), there’s something for every interest. It’s a wonderful chance for ākonga to try new things and discover new passions!
Update on 2025 Noho Marae stays, Camp and Term 1 EOTC
Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is a key part of our school curriculum, with camp and noho marae stays typically being a highlight for our ākonga. This year, due to unforeseen cancellations, we’ve worked hard to provide these experiences during the upcoming EOTC week at the end of March, as well as in our traditional EOTC week in Term 4. We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding!
Your child will have brought home a hard-copy EOTC Ākonga Health Profile and Permission form. Please fill it in and return to school as soon as possible. Note that the information on the form will be kept confidential.
Please see here for trip details, cost, transport details and information about what your child will need to bring for each of the trips. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email your child’s Homeroom teacher. You can also contact Karl with any question or concerns at karl@swis.school.nz.
SWIS communications
Clear communication between home and school is important. We use the Hero app’s Community Feed to share reminders, school updates, and newsletters. You can also find this information on our website in your preferred language. If you’re having trouble with Hero, please contact Mel at comms@swis.school.nz.
We’re also always happy to speak directly with whānau, either in person or by phone. Be assured that your child’s Homeroom teacher will reach out if there is anything in particular they need to discuss with you, and similarly you are always welcome to contact the teacher directly if you have any particular concerns.
In emergencies, such as lockdowns or natural disasters, we will send text alerts (SMS) to all listed caregivers, as well as providing relevant updates on Hero and our website.
Have a great weekend,
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 1 Dates
- 28 Feb – World Scholar’s Cup entries close
- 1 March – Movin’ March starts!
- 1 March – SWIS Netball trials, 4.15-6.45pm
- 10 March – School Athletics Day at Newtown Park
- 14 March – ShowQuest Toi enrichment group visit Vivienne Westwood exhibition at Te Papa
- 17-28 March – EOTC for all classes
- 19 March – WRISSA (Wellington Regional Intermediate Schools Sports) Athletics – Newtown Park
- 31 March – 16 May – Bee Healthy Dental Van onsite
- 7 April – School Photos
- 11 April – Last day of Term 1
- 28 April – First day of Term 2
School Notices
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.
Parent help needed – 2 March Newtown Festival Parking fundraiser
On Sunday, 2 March we have the opportunity to do some fundraising at SWIS by selling our court spaces for Car Parking to Newtown Festival Stall Holders.
Stall holders arrive early and park for the day, so we need a few adults to help direct traffic and take their payment in slots from 6am to 9am. If you are able to help please fill in the survey here on Hero. Contact karl@swis.school.nz for more info.
Athletics Day – 10 March at Newtown Park
All ākonga will be participating in our annual SWIS Athletics Day at Newtown Park on Monday 10 March. Ākonga need to be at Newtown Park by 8.45am where their Homeroom teachers will be taking the roll, and they will be dismissed from the park at 3pm. Ākonga need to bring lots of food, water, their PE uniform and a hat. They may choose to wear their class team colours or their PE uniform, however no paint is permitted in the grounds.
Reminder: please let us know if your child has a notifiable infectious disease
Just a reminder that we require whānau to inform the school about any infectious illness (eg. chickenpox, mumps, COVID, whooping cough etc). This helps protect both our SWIS whānau (especially our immuno-compromised ākonga) and our wider community. See more information here on the Ministry of Education website the illnesses that are included, as well as the school’s obligations.
AIMS Games: 30 Aug – 5 Sept
The Zespri AIMS Games is Australasia’s largest junior sporting event, held annually in Tauranga Moana where Year 7 & 8 ākonga have the opportunity to compete in over 27 sporting codes. Registrations open on 14 March and at the moment we are looking at entering a SWIS boys football team and possibly other teams if there is interest (such as netball or hockey). Have a look at the AIMS Games website, and if your child is interested in representing SWIS either in individual sports or in a team sport, email Toby, principal@swis.school.nz to discuss. We will hold trials for any SWIS team sports to ensure the opportunity is open to all interested ākonga, but noting that teams will need to be largely parent-led in terms of training, and organising accommodation, food and transport etc.
Join the SWIS Whānau Fundraising Force (SWIS WFF)
We are keen to start up a whānau-led fundraising group! The goal would be to run a few events a year, such as quiz nights, movie fundraiser sessions, discos and the like, which will raise funds for things like podcast equipment.
Ideally this group would meet once a month or every six weeks, and be whānau-led, but with school support. If this sounds like something you’d like to be involved in, please email Toby, principal@swis.school.nz and I will aim to set up the initial meeting.
EOTC reminder
As mentioned above, as part of our Term 1 Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) experience, classes have the following activities from 18 to 28 March:
- an overnight camping experience at Kaitoke,
- a day trip to Adrenaline Forest and Pirates Cove mini golf,
- a beach education day at Taputeranga Marine Reserve.
See full details here, including specific dates for each classroom. If you have volunteered as parent help, your child’s Homeroom teacher will be in touch.
Reminder: SWIS Netball Trials
Our first netball trial is on Saturday 1 March 4.15pm to 6pm at Ākau Tangi. The session will be on courts 3 & 4. Note that due to the EOTC week, we have had to move the session on the 19 March. This is now on Sunday 23 March from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.
Do you know someone who has not registered yet?
Netball is for everyone – experienced players, new players and players of all genders. You just need to be free on Saturday mornings in Terms 2 and 3 and bring lots of enthusiasm. We can teach you the rest. If you know someone who may be keen but has not registered, please contact Diana Miller if you would like more information.
School News
What it means to be Māori!
All our ākonga Māori gathered for some whakawhanaungatanga. So many cousins meeting for the first time! Our ākonga shared what it means to them to be Māori, and brainstormed some goals for the year! Looking forward to meeting again ā tērā wiki!
Congratulations to our SWIS Kapa Haka team!
Huge congratulations to our Year 8 Kapa Haka ākonga whose power, courage and mana really showed through at the opening of Wakefield hospital’s new building last week. Ka rawe! We are so proud of you all, you did a phenomenal job representing SWIS.
Special thanks to Rebecca, Hannah, and Aaron for their efforts preparing our ākonga ready, and to the staff who stepped in to help cover classes during the practices and the performance.
Thanks for coming to the SWIS BBQ!
Thank you to all our whānau that came and met with us at our BBQ evening! It was great to see so many new and familiar faces enjoying themselves. Special thanks to the staff who ran the BBQ and huge thanks to Newtown New World for providing all the ingredients for the BBQ. We really appreciate the support we get from our wider community!
Exciting delivery to the Art room
Something very exciting has been delivered to the SWIS Art room! After MUCH anticipation by Ms Shuker the new kiln arrived! This is an essential piece of equipment for our clay lessons. Our school is very fortunate to have one. This one is bigger and better than the original one which had been at the school for around 40 years, but had become very rusty. So many pieces in it have been replaced that you could ask yourself the philosophical Ship of Theseus question about whether an object is the same object after having all of its original components replaced over time – is it the same kiln?…
Making Music: Exploring Rhythm, Timbre, and Talent
In music class this week, ākonga have been exploring rhythm, tempo, and beat. They’ve been using percussion instruments, digital tools, and boomwhackers to create and share their own musical sequences with the class. We even had a blast playing along to the song “Riptide”!
In addition, we’ve been learning about timbre—the unique sound characteristics of different instruments and voices. Students had the opportunity to explore a variety of instruments to better understand these differences.
Paddy and I have also finished running auditions for our School of Rock bands, and we’ve been blown away by the incredible musical talent our students are showcasing!
~ Aaron Kling, SWIS music semi-spec teacher
