Week 6, Term 1 | 2025

Executive Principal’s Update

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

This week, our Year 9 students have been away on camp, embracing the great outdoors and developing essential skills while forging strong connections with their classmates. We are so lucky to have Talima Lodge out at Waikanae to support our outdoor education programme and be the home base for our activities. Our students experienced a range of opportunities where they were put out of their comfort zones, including rock climbing, rafting and more. The students were certainly challenged to push their limits and grow in confidence. A huge thank you to Ms Worsfold and the team from TOPEC for taking our students on these outdoor adventures and to all the Whitby staff for their encouragement.

We are incredibly proud of the outstanding work our senior students have been doing in mentoring and tutoring younger students who need additional academic support. A special mention of Laie Vatuvai Nimarota for taking the initiative to support junior students, with her after-school tutorials, as well as to our dedicated prefects - Conor, Yogesh, and Siddhesh — who have been volunteering their time to work with groups of students during lunchtime. Their efforts, along with the junior maths initiative led by Ms Baker and Ms Aukett, and the support of our SENCo leader Mrs Bradley, highlights the importance of learning support at Whitby Collegiate.

This week, we proudly acknowledged our Athletics Champions at assembly. Congratulations to the outstanding students listed in the graphic below. Looking ahead, we are excited for the College Sport Wellington Athletics Championships next week, where we’ll have our largest contingent of athletes ever qualified for the event. Best of luck to all our athletes.

It was great to see the large number of parents who came to the NCEA information evening. A special thanks to Mrs Mitchell who led this event providing very important clarification and information for those about to embark on the NCEA qualification journey.

We are looking forward to our Open Day this Sunday. This is a wonderful opportunity for prospective families to visit Whitby Collegiate, meet our staff, and experience what makes our school special. Thank you in advance to our student tour guides, staff and the Parents’ Association for their support – we truly appreciate your time and effort in showcasing our school. Thank you also to our current families who have helped spread the word!

Next week, we are excited to welcome a contingent of students from Japan as part of a cultural exchange programme. This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to learn about Japanese culture, make new friendships, and share their own experiences. We look forward to the enriching interactions ahead! We also welcome our Year 7 parents to the school on Tuesday evening and our future leaders attending the GRIP leadership conference later in the week.

Thank you to everyone in our school community, and I hope you all have a restful weekend.

Shelley Addison
Executive Principal

Deputies’ Updates

Deputy Principal (Pastoral & Wellbeing)

Tālofa lava, Da jia hao, Mālō e lelei, Namaste, Kia orāna, Kamusta, Tāloha ni, Kia Ora e te whānau,

At Whitby Collegiate, we value the strong partnership between home and school, recognising the vital role that connection and collaboration play in the success and wellbeing of our students. I have enjoyed getting to know our new parents on the sidelines of sporting events and hearing about their experiences at Whitby Collegiate so far.

Next Tuesday, we warmly welcome our Year 7 parents and families to our annual gathering. This event provides a valuable opportunity for families to hear how well their child has settled into life at Whitby Collegiate. A special focus will be on the incredible work our Year 13 student leaders have done to ensure our new students experience that unique sense of belonging and spirit of service we cultivate at our school. We are excited to connect once again with our parent community and share in the journey of our students. A special thank you to parents’ Mukund Kaashyap and Lance Duckett for volunteering to speak at this event.

This week, our Deputy Head Girl Lucy Bain and Deputy Head Boy Garv Arora led the Year 13 student leaders in their first session of Tuakana-Teina. Tuakana-Teina is a programme where older students (tuakana) help and guide younger students (teina) in their learning and wellbeing journey. In this programme, Year 13 students are paired with junior classes from Years 8 to 10 every Monday tutor time. Year 13 students provide support by helping with schoolwork, offering advice, and being there if things get tough. It creates a safe space for students who might not feel comfortable talking to a teacher, giving them someone they can turn to for support and guidance. The tuakana offer reassurance in both school and personal matters, building a strong sense of belonging. This can also be a way to address issues like friendship, bullying, or anything that comes up in the wellbeing survey sent out monthly. Thank you to Lucy and Garv for your leadership in this space – it is an important part of monitoring junior students' overall experience at school.

Looking ahead, another special community event will take place at our first Pasifika Families gathering next month on Thursday, 3rd April, where our Cultural Group will perform. This celebration of culture and community promises to be a very special occasion, and we warmly invite all our Pasifika families to join us.

As we continue through the year, there will be many more events and opportunities to strengthen the partnership between home and school. We appreciate the support and involvement of our parent community and look forward to building even stronger connections in the months ahead.

I look forward to enjoying the movie Tinā with our parents and students next Monday evening at the Pauatahanui Light House cinema.

Wishing you all a safe and restful weekend. God bless.

Ainslie Sauvao
ainslie.sauvao@whitbycollegiate.school.nz

Student Perspective

Inspired at Zonta Club of Mana’s International Women’s Day Event

Last Sunday, three of us (Olivia, Lucy and Natalie) had the privilege of attending the Zonta Club of Mana's International Women's Day afternoon tea. This was an amazing experience, with inspiring speakers Carolyn Young, the CEO of Retail NZ, and Iona Ellwood Smith of CanSurvive. Carolyn Young is the CEO of Retail NZ and former CEO of Netball Central Zone and the Special Olympics, and she shared her powerful journey of overcoming challenges throughout her career. Her story of resilience and leadership left us feeling motivated and empowered. The second speaker, Iona Ellwood, bravely told her story of battling breast cancer while also achieving remarkable success as part of a dragon boat cancer crew that won multiple national and international medals. Her strength, determination, and the unbreakable spirit of her teammates, all of whom were cancer survivors, was truly awe-inspiring. Both women are shining examples of strength, courage, and perseverance, making this event a memorable and uplifting experience for us. Their stories have taught us the invaluable lesson to never give up, no matter the obstacles or hardships we face. They reminded us that with persistence, determination and a strong support system, we can overcome anything life throws our way. Beyond the speeches, the event was a lovely afternoon. We were served afternoon tea and had the chance to connect with some of the inspiring women in our community.

We feel very blessed to attend this event, and this experience has left us feeling grateful and inspired. Thank you to Ms Sauvao for the opportunity.

Olivia Kilford and Lucy Bain
Year 13

A New Student’s Perspective

Kia ora, my name is Zara, and this year, I was lucky enough to join Whitby Collegiate as a new student in Year 12. Having attended 6 schools within New Zealand as well as internationally, I have found that Whitby Collegiate has offered a superior amount of opportunities in the short time I have attended the school compared to others.

Whitby’s staff, students and community made joining Whitby Collegiate a smooth sailing, pleasant experience. By the first week, I had great student-teacher relationships, made many friends and felt included in everything. On the educational side, I felt confident with what Level 2 NCEA had to offer and felt secure with my learning position as my teachers took time to learn and understand my educational past. Overall, I felt eager to head to school in the mornings because I felt so accepted and welcomed by the community.

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”.

School News

Turf Commemorative Sign Coming Soon!

As part of our Claim Your Turf campaign, we are excited to announce that a commemorative sign recognising the generous contributions of our community is coming soon! This sign will celebrate those who helped bring our state-of-the-art turf to life and serve as a lasting reminder of the spirit and support behind this incredible addition to our school. Be part of the lasting legacy here.

Lost Property

A friendly reminder to please check that all uniform items are clearly named. We have a tremendous amount of unnamed lost property in our school office. We are now at a point where we are running out of space to store these items. If your child has misplaced anything, please encourage them to visit lost property as soon as possible. At the end of the term, any unclaimed items will be boxed and sold at our Market Day later in the year.

NCEA Information Evening

There was a wonderful turnout to the NCEA Information Evening on Tuesday 11 March. For those who were unable to attend, please see a copy of the presentation here. Any queries, please direct them to debbie.mitchell@whitbycollegiate.school.nz.

Guidance Counselling

Our confidential and non-judgemental counselling service provides a safe space for students to talk through thoughts, feelings, and challenges. Our trained professionals support students with stress management, relationships, emotions, and personal growth.

Availability: Whaea Susan Singer – Tuesdays, Ms Rachel Martelli (Counselling Intern) – Thursdays & Fridays. Sessions can be booked via Guidance Counselling Booking or by emailing guidance@whitbycollegiate.school.nz or susan.singer@whitbycollegiate.school.nz.

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.

Regional Volleyball Championships

Last weekend, our Senior Boys and Girls teams were in action at the College Sport Wellington (CSW) Secondary Schools Regional Volleyball Championships, putting in strong performances against tough competition. The teams showed great skill, resilience and teamwork throughout pool play, with some thrilling matches and hard-fought sets. A big thank you to our coaches, Mr Sam Ryburn and Mr Tim Gledhill, and to our supporters - your encouragement is invaluable! Both teams have qualified for Nationals as part of the summer tournament week in a couple of weeks.

Winter Sports Registrations

Registrations are now open for Winter Sports at Whitby Collegiate here! Students in Years 7-13 can sign up for a range of sports, including Badminton (Skills & Drills), Basketball, Football, Hockey and Netball. Registrations close on Friday 21 March. A pre-paid deposit is required upon registration.

Winter Sports Coaches

We are pleased to introduce our Winter Sports Coaches for the upcoming season! Additional team announcements will follow once team selections are finalised.

• Basketball Senior A Boys - Arno Reichenvater

• Basketball Senior A Girls - Mike LeToa

• Football First XI - Dave Willing

• Hockey First XI - Steffan Cavill-Fowler

• Netball Senior A - Julia Price

• Netball Junior A - Frances Solia

Volleyball Fundraiser: Screening of Tinā

Join us for a special fundraising screening of Tinā at Light House Pauatahanui this Monday 17 March at 8.30pm (arrive from 8.00pm). Tickets are $20 and all proceeds will support the Whitby Collegiate Volleyball Teams as they prepare for the 2025 NZSS Volleyball Championship. To book your tickets, email lonasei.lolo@gmail.com.

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