Whitby Collegiate News, Week 7 Term 3, 2026

Week 7, Term 3 | 2026

Executive Principal’s Update

Kia ora, Talofa, Bula vinaka, Malo e lelei, Fakatālofa atu kia te koulua, Kia orana, Hallo, Hola, Ni Hao, Konichiwa, Namaste and Greetings - parents, caregivers and families of Whitby Collegiate.

It is hard to believe that we are heading into the final weeks of the term. Once again, the year has simply flown by, and as we look towards the end of the academic year, there is plenty happening across the school and much to celebrate.

On Wednesday our Year 10 students had the opportunity to put their entrepreneurial skills into action with the annual Market Day. There was a wonderful range of products on offer, with students demonstrating creativity, initiative and a real understanding of what it takes to attract customers.

As always, Market Day proved extremely popular with the student body, and there was plenty of energy around the school as businesses promoted their products. Some of the marketing was particularly inventive, with a little 'ambush marketing' even making its way into assembly! It was fantastic to see our students embracing the opportunity to develop skills beyond the classroom and gain practical experience in planning, promotion, sales and teamwork. Well done to everyone involved.

A huge congratulations to our Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) participants, who have achieved outstanding results in the competition. TradeBrace, Marcia Laurenson's sole-trader entry, has made the final, and we are delighted to see her recognised. Marcia has developed a product that prioritises the longevity and wellbeing of tradespeople — an innovative back brace combined with a tool belt. TradeBrace has been nominated as a finalist in both the Innovation Award and the Cultural Impact Award. This is a programme that runs over the full academic year, with many challenges undertaken amongst students from the wider Wellington region. We are also proud of Kate McGinley, who is part of the StudyBuddy team developing study kits for students across the region. Kate has been nominated for a regional Leadership Award. It's wonderful to see both students recognised for their enterprise and leadership.

This is an excellent achievement and reflects the creativity, commitment and entrepreneurial thinking of our students. We wish the team all the very best for the final results to be announced shortly.

It was fantastic to see a group of our junior athletes head away for a great week of competition at the AIMS Games. These events provide our students with an opportunity to compete at a high level, challenge themselves and represent Whitby Collegiate with pride.

We are particularly proud of Alistair Bai, who returned with two bronze medals in swimming in the 200m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly. Jessica Macrae kicked off the week in the pool competing amongst more than 500 swimmers from around the country, producing a fantastic week of racing with several new personal bests and taking 1st place in her heat of the 100m Individual Medley.

Over on the squash court, Sophia Korban-Solomon achieved a superb result, finishing in the top six in the country – an incredible achievement at this level of competition.

Alina Babko made a brilliant return to competitive tennis after a year away from the sport, battling all the way through to the semifinals of her division, where an incredibly close match went right down to a tiebreak.

Our golfers also did the school proud, with Liam McKinstry, David Pohe and Caspar Fifield all competing across three days of a highly competitive tournament. David finished 13th in his division, Liam secured an impressive 11th-place finish, and Caspar finished 54th, with all three handling the pressure brilliantly.

Our Futsal team recorded their highest placing yet, finishing 37th out of 56 teams, putting in massive shifts all week and saving their best performance for last with an awesome 4–0 win. Meanwhile, our Netball team made an equally impressive improvement, moving up 40 places from last year's result, developing a real team style of netball that grew stronger with every game.

All of our students acquitted themselves extremely well, demonstrating commitment, sportsmanship and resilience throughout the week. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the coaches of the Futsal team, Year 12 students Tim Lee and Ben Ludlow, who have been outstanding in their commitment. They provided an environment that saw the team thrive and play the best they possibly could have, and the younger students have really benefited from their input. Another big thank you to Ms Kale for her coaching of the Netball team and to Ms Newlands for being across all of the sports that we had going on. Finally, a really big thank you to all the parents and supporters who travelled all the way to Tauranga supporting the students – amazing to have such a wonderful community.

Most importantly, our students were wonderful ambassadors for Whitby Collegiate, representing the school with pride both on and off the sporting field. We are very proud of them all.

As we move into the final weeks of the year, there is a real sense of momentum across the school. There is still much to accomplish, but also plenty to celebrate. Thank you to our students, staff and families for the energy, commitment and support they continue to bring to our community.

It certainly has been a year that has flown by!

Shelley Addison
Executive Principal

Deputies’ Updates

Deputy Principal (Academics)

Kia ora e te whānau o Whitby Collegiate,

Every year I am blown away by the manner in which our students approach NCEA examinations. This week, the Year 10 students have been completing their Literacy co-requisites common assessment activities (Lit CAAs). Achieving these standards, alongside Numeracy, are required before any NCEA Level can be awarded. These students, even as they were excited by Market Day preparations, were aware of the gravitas of the examinations, respected their peers’ right to a quiet exam room, and worked hard to complete the assessments to the best of their abilities. I couldn’t be more proud of them. We also have a small number of students completing the Numeracy CAA next week, and some catch ups from this week. Results for the Literacy: Reading corequisite are released via students’ NZQA portals on Wednesday 14 October, and for the Numeracy and Literacy: Writing CAAs on Tuesday 27 October, usually later in the afternoon. For students who do not achieve the results they need, there is another opportunity to complete any or all of the CAAs in May next year.

Yesterday I spoke to all Year 12 and Year 13 students about expectations of the derived grade examinations next week. These examinations need to be taken seriously, both as legitimate preparation and feedforward for the NCEA externals in November and December, and in the event that a student needs to apply for a derived grade if they are unable to complete their NCEA assessment for reasons such as illness or bereavement. Next week, students need to only come into school for their scheduled examinations, or for independent study if they desire. Absences must still be reported to the school office. The timetable, and full list of rules and regulations are here. Any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Have a lovely weekend.

Ngā mihi,

Debbie Mitchell
debbie.mitchell@whitbycollegiate.school.nz

Chaplain’s Note

In preparation for church this Sunday, I’ve been reflecting on grace and mercy.

Grace is amazing. Grace is genuinely transformative. It changes how we see the people around us and how we respond when life gets messy. When you see somebody who is full of grace, it radiates from them. When we experience unconditional love and acceptance from God, it naturally spills over into how we treat others.

However, we all know that feeling when our grace reserves start running thin. People rub us the wrong way and we respond in ways that take us by surprise. Sometimes it’s knocked out of us by a hard day, and other times it just quietly leaks away under the weight of everyday busyness.

My hope for you this week is that you can catch your breath and let those reserves be replenished. Whether you find that recharge in a quiet moment, in prayer, reading scripture, or simply going for a walk outside, make time to soak in God’s love and mercy.

Blessings,
Reverend Chris

School News

Artist of the Week - Maddy Riley-Hathaway

They say a picture paints a thousand words, and Maddy certainly has a creative story to tell.

As an emerging artist in Year 10, she was awarded 1st prize in a National Competition for her beautiful and original interpretation of Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. Maddy has continued following her art passion in Year 11, and her paintings sold out at the NZ Art Show in Wellington. She is currently working on her L2 painting submission exploring childhood to adolescent themes, and the painting featured is a stunning self-portrait for her final portfolio.

But wait, there's more…

Maddy is also a regular participating artist on the Kapiti Arts Trail, and please if you can, go and visit and support her talents at Mac's Slabs during the trail dates this October and November.

And even more..

As a passionate Artist, Maddy has initiated and organised Whitby Collegiate's first-ever across-school Art Competition. Full details will be shared with the students soon with her poster design to be proudly displayed around the School. Maddy is currently securing sponsorships. Watch this space !

SVA Club

Upcoming Events

Key dates are located on the website calendar. Please check for your activities. Subscribe to the Whitby Collegiate calendar from the school website calendar page by clicking the button that reads “subscribe to this calendar”.

Sports Update

For all sports information and registrations visit our online sports hub here. Join the Whitby Collegiate Sport Facebook Group to keep up to date with all sport news and achievements.

Student Achievements

We love to celebrate our students’ achievements. For inclusion in the Whitby Collegiate newsletter or on our Facebook page, please submit via the button below or email communications@whitbycollegiate.school.nz

Community Notice

Senior History Trip to Vietnam 2027

The History Department is planning to visit Vietnam at the end of Term Three 2027. The Vietnam and the Cold War is studied throughout 11 to 13 History.

Planning is now underway. This will be for 11, 12 and 13 students in 2027. For expressions of interest, please email brad.hudson@whitbycollegiate.school.nz

Year 13 Young Enterprise Scheme

“The Study Buddy” is our small business created with the help of the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES).

Our business "The Study Buddy" has two kits. The first kit, "The Study Buddy," is priced at $49.99 and comes complete with an adjustable laptop stand, screen cleaner, template index cards, an interval timer, and a small guide on tips and tricks to help people study, also translated into Māori.

Our second kit called “The Study Bud” priced at $29.99 consists of pens, highlighters, template index cards, an interval timer and a study guide. This business idea allows us to reach out to all the schools across New Zealand, and supply kits to help them study, as this is becoming an issue for students at our age, so we wanted to leave an impact before going off to university.

If you’re interested in purchasing, visit our website and if you have any questions, please contact us through email.

Website: https://thestudybuddykit.company.site/

Email: thestudybuddykit@gmail.com

School Notice

Reminder Regarding Student Absences & Illness

If your child feels unwell during the school day, please remind them to report directly to the school Office. To ensure student safety and proper attendance tracking, we ask that students do not contact parents directly to be picked up. All communication regarding sick students will come directly through the Office.

Thank you for your cooperation and support!

Friendly Health Reminder: Keeping Our School Community Healthy

Unfortunately, we have had quite a few bugs and viruses doing the rounds at school. Please be considerate of fellow students, families, and staff by keeping your child home if they show any signs of illness—such as a fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, or upset stomach.

If your child will be absent, please remember to notify the school office as early as possible.

Thank you for your consideration and ongoing support in keeping our community healthy!

Important: How to Reach Us by Email

Please note that emails ending in “school.kiwi” are sent from our student management system, KAMAR. These are used for school communications and absence notifications and have limited functionality, as KAMAR isn’t designed to be a primary email system.

You’re welcome to reply to these emails; however, new emails sent directly to a “school.kiwi” address won’t be received. Forwarded messages and attachments also won’t come through.

To ensure your message reaches us, please use staff email addresses ending in @whitbycollegiate.school.nz

A Reminder About Car Parking

A friendly reminder to all whānau, please ensure you are not parking in the staff car park when dropping off or picking up your children. The staff car park is reserved exclusively for our teachers and staff. Your co-operation helps keep our school running smoothly and ensures our staff can get to their classrooms on time.

Thank you for your understanding and support.