Adding to the occasion was our Resolution House Band, who performed at the event. They represented the College exceptionally well and did a fantastic job entertaining the audience. Well done to all involved.

We were also delighted to celebrate the rich diversity of cultures within our Whitby Collegiate community this week. A special thank you to our Cultural Prefects, Tiyamika Banda and Lina Aiono Te Tau, for their amazing work in promoting the diversity of our community and creating opportunities to celebrate the many cultures represented at the College.

The Parade of Nations was a particularly colourful and joyful occasion, bringing our community together in a wonderful celebration of identity, culture and belonging. We are very grateful to Tiyamika and Lina for their leadership and the energy they have put into making these celebrations such a meaningful part of College life.

This week was also a big one for our debating teams, with both our Junior Premier and Senior Certificate teams competing in fiercely contested inter school semi-finals.

Our Junior Premier team of Isabella Beach, Abbey Joostens and Judah Isaac took on Wellington Girls' College in their semi-final. While they narrowly went down in what must have been incredibly close adjudication, the team were outstanding in their delivery and demonstrated a strong command of their arguments. We are very proud of the way they represented Whitby Collegiate.

Our Senior Certificate team of Cameron Leitch, Isabela McLean and Yug Mundra were also outstanding, defeating St Catherine's College in another highly contested debate. The effort, preparation and commitment our students are putting into debating this year has been exceptional, and we look forward to the finals in a couple of weeks. Debating has been going from strength to strength and next term we'll be looking forward to the junior house debating competition.

Three teams of six students travelled into Victoria University this week to compete in the Wellington Mathswell competitions. After the first round consisting of problem-solving format and multi-choice format questions, all of our teams made it through the first cut to compete for the cup in their division. Congratulations especially to our year 10 team, Gabriel Anthony, Lewis Jin, Adhi Kumarasamy, Raffa Jacob, Hunter McArthur, and Max Tai, who were pipped right at the end and placed fourth.

This was an excellent result in our first year competing, and we congratulate all three teams on their effort, enthusiasm and determination.

We are also very proud of Year 12 student Lucy Wray, who has been announced as a finalist in the New Zealand Secondary School Art Competition. Lucy's work was selected as one of just 70 artworks from more than 800 submissions, an outstanding achievement. Her work will now be showcased in an exhibition in Auckland. This is a wonderful recognition of Lucy's creativity and artistic talent. Well done, Lucy.

This week, students entered in the ICAS examinations completed Science and Spelling. The ICAS programme continues next week with students taking part in the remaining disciplines. We wish all our students the very best as they continue to challenge themselves academically.

Next week, our senior students will begin looking ahead to 2027 subject selections. This is an important step in their academic journey, as students consider their interests, strengths and future pathways when making their subject choices. We encourage students to take the time to make informed decisions and seek advice where needed. There will be some additional offerings in the curriculum this year so students are encouraged to talk to their teachers about their interests.

This week also saw some of our students making the most of the fine weather with EOTC opportunities. Ms Kale's Outdoor Recreation class made their way down the freezing Ōtaki River for their kayaking assessment, and our Year 11 Geography students have been up the Kapiti Coast ensuring the practical application of knowledge gained in the classroom.

Winter sport culminates this weekend, with the final Saturday of the winter season bringing a number of exciting finals for our teams. Three of our Netball teams will be competing in divisional finals, while, following an outstanding win last week by our Junior Football team, our Senior Football team will take to the field for their final this weekend. A special thank you to Year 13 student Kaleb Gribben, who has provided outstanding service in coaching the Junior Football team. His commitment and leadership have made a real difference to the team, and we greatly appreciate the time he has given to supporting our younger students.

Our Senior Boys Basketball team also finished their season on a high, securing a thrilling win last week to cap off an excellent campaign. Congratulations to the team on a fantastic season.

A special mention to Year 12 student Louisa Egley-Turner, who has been selected to represent New Zealand in the OFC U16 Women's Football Championship in the Solomon Islands. This is a fantastic achievement, and we are incredibly proud of Louisa for earning this opportunity to represent her country on the world stage. We wish Louisa all the best as she prepares to compete, and look forward to cheering her on.

Looking ahead, our Senior A Netball and Basketball Girls teams are preparing to compete at the Zonal Championships during the upcoming Winter Tournament Week and we are also counting down to the AIMS Games, with our athletes travelling to compete in just a few weeks' time. We wish all our students the very best as they prepare for these exciting opportunities.

Finally, a very big thank you to all our coaches, managers, supporters and families who have contributed to another fantastic winter sports season. We would also like to acknowledge Ms Newlands, our Sports Coordinator, for the enormous amount of work she has put into managing and coordinating sport across the College throughout the year.

There is plenty to be proud of at Whitby Collegiate, and it is wonderful to see our students continuing to challenge themselves, support one another and represent the College with such enthusiasm and commitment.

Have a wonderful weekend, and best of luck to all our teams competing in their finals!

Shelley Addison
Executive Principal

Thank you to our Cultural Prefects, Tiyamika Banda and Lina Aiono Te Tau, for encouraging everyone and leading the charge with so much heart. We also want to recognise Evie Haughton and the rest of the Prefect team, whose hard work behind the scenes made the ‘Weeks of the World’ a success. Thank you for inspiring others to embrace and celebrate the many cultures and diversity we have within our special school community.

It has been great connecting with parents during meetings this past week. Strengthening that partnership between home and school means a a lot to our pastoral team and we appreciate your time and support.

Wishing you all a safe and restful weekend ahead.

Ainslie Sauvao
ainslie.sauvao@whitbycollegiate.school.nz

Whitby Collegiate Foundation Gala Dinner Tickets Sold Out

Dear Whitby Collegiate Community,

We are delighted to announce that tickets for this year’s Whitby Collegiate Foundation Gala Dinner have officially sold out!

Thank you to everyone who has supported the Gala Dinner. We are incredibly grateful for your generosity and contribution towards making this event such a success.

If you missed out on securing a ticket but would still love to attend, we are now accepting names for our waitlist. Should tickets become available, we will be in touch with those on the waitlist first.