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As we move through a busy and rewarding start to the term, it has been fantastic to see so many of our students embracing opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Executive Principal’s Update
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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, As we move through a busy and rewarding start to the term, it has been fantastic to see so many of our students embracing opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Johnny Naisbitt for leading the representation of Whitby Collegiate at the annual ANZAC Service in Porirua. ANZAC Day remains an important occasion for reflection, remembrance, and gratitude. It is a time for us all to pause and honour the service and sacrifice of those who have served, and to consider the values of courage, commitment, and community that continue to shape who we are today. It has also been wonderful to hear updates from our students currently competing at the World Robotics Championships. They are clearly in their element, demonstrating innovation, teamwork, and problem-solving on an international stage. Reports show that Max Tai and his team are currently sitting 14th out of 80 teams in the middle school grade, Hardy and Yiqi are also placed 14th out of 80 teams in the elementary grade and Jaden’s team are currently in 18th place also out of 80. If the teams make the Top 20 they are through to the playoffs. A comment from Louise Grant, one of our parents says it all. "They have all fought so hard, played fair and are having a blast! It’s certainly a huge learning opportunity for all kids". We are incredibly proud of their efforts and achievements, and we look forward to sharing their further results with our community.
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Sport has had a strong and positive start to the winter season. Our Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball teams both secured wins in their first grading games, an excellent achievement. I was particularly impressed by the level of enthusiasm, teamwork, and discipline displayed on the court. A big thank you as well to the many whānau and supporters who created such a positive atmosphere from the sidelines. Our Netball and Football seasons also kick off this weekend, and we wish all teams the very best for the season ahead. Education outside the classroom continues to be a key focus this week, with Ms Kale having taken our Year 11-Level 2 Outdoor Education classes to TOPEC. Students have spent several days developing their outdoor skills and building resilience. |
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Meanwhile, Mr Tinney and Miss Mitchel are preparing to take our Year 13 Geography students to Queenstown this weekend, where they will gather data and investigate the impacts of tourism in the region. These experiences provide invaluable opportunities for students to connect their learning to real-world contexts and deepen their understanding of the wider environment. Finally, it was encouraging to have our senior student leaders, Evie, Gal and Laie present to the staff this morning the in-depth schedule of activities that our prefects have been working towards providing for our wider student community for the rest of the year. There are some exciting activities to look forward to which provides meaningful student engagement and interaction, and the level of project planning is very impressive!! Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support of our school and our students. Shelley Addison
Executive Principal |
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Deputy Principal (Academics)Kia ora e te whānau o Whitby Collegiate, There are a number of exciting competitions and other opportunities coming up this term and Term 3. Please ensure that you check out the Enrichment Opportunities section in the newsletter for details of the competitions, and how to register. Our Year 10 and 11 students will be attending the Porirua City Council Careers Expo next Tuesday 5 May. Students will get to explore 80+ stalls with careers in tech, health, construction, trades, and professions, and connect with industry professionals and education providers to kickstart their career journey. I am looking forward to hearing all the positive feedback from students following the expo, the third time PCC has hosted this free event for schools. For more information, please see here. Teachers are currently planning the inaugural Year 11 mid-year examination week. Scheduled for Week 9, starting on Monday 15 June, as part of the Collegiate Diploma, students will be assessed in a Unit of Learning in many subjects. Details of the subjects holding an examination, and a detailed timetable, will be released to students and whānau by the end of Week 4. As always, the first port of call with questions should always be directed to the subject teacher. The end of May will also bring an opportunity for Year 8-13 parents and students to make an interview time with subject teachers. More information will be sent out shortly, but in the meantime, please take note that Parent Teacher Interviews for Y8-10 (excluding new-to-the-school Year 9s who attended PTIs last term) will be Thursday 21 May, and for Y11-13 on Thursday 28 May. To facilitate the sessions running from 3pm - 7.30pm, school will finish at 2.25pm both days. With no assemblies scheduled, there will be no loss of lesson time. If you do not already, please remember to subscribe to our school calendar here. I am very fortunate to be accompanying Mr Darryn Tinney and the Level 3 Geography class to Queenstown next week. If you have any questions or queries, I look forward to helping after I return. Have a lovely weekend. Ngā mihi, Debbie Mitchell
debbie.mitchell@whitbycollegiate.school.nz
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Deputy Principal (Pastoral and Wellbeing)Talofa lava, Vanakkam, Mālō e lelei, Ni Hao, Tāloha ni, and Tēnā koutou e te whānau o Whitby Collegiate, This week, we were pleased to welcome our Community Constable Stephen Wairau to speak with our students about cyber safety. Constable Wairau provided important insights into navigating the online landscape responsibly. He focused on the lasting impact of a "digital blueprint," reminding students that their online choices today can shape their future opportunities. The session also provided practical tips for staying safe online and managing social media interactions with integrity. We appreciate Constable Wairau’s time and expertise in reinforcing this important message, helping our students become more informed and confident digital citizens. Our pastoral team will continue to reinforce these messages. We are proud to announce that Year 12 student, Ellie Beaumont has been selected as a successful applicant for the BLAKE Inspire Award. This programme celebrates young New Zealanders whose leadership creates a tangible impact on a sustainable future for Aotearoa. Ellie will collaborate with scientists, environmental experts, and diverse leaders to develop advanced leadership skills. Ellie’s commitment to global environmental stewardship doesn't stop there; she will also be attending the Fiji Marine Future Leaders Academy later this year. This international opportunity will allow her to explore marine science and conservation efforts in the Pacific. We are incredibly proud of Ellie’s proactiveness in seeking out these leadership opportunities. Her dedication to tackling environmental challenges is inspiring, and we look forward to hearing all about her experiences when she returns.
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Our Wellness Prefects and Gabriel Anthony are proud to present our annual Kindness Week (11-15 May), a time dedicated to reminding students about the importance of empathy, gratitude, and a positive school culture. We have an awesome lineup of daily activities designed to bring our students closer together: Appreciation Monday: In tutor classes, students will write messages of gratitude on pink hearts. These will be gathered and displayed on our school Appreciation Tree, visually representing the strengths of our community. Thankful Tuesday: Spread a little sweetness! Students can purchase a note and a chocolate to be delivered to someone they are thankful for. All profits will go directly to support Pink Shirt Day and its anti-bullying initiatives. Gratitude Wednesday: We invite students to a lunchtime screening of Paddington 2 in Rooms 17 and 18. This heartwarming film beautifully explores themes of kindness and appreciating the goodness in our lives. Wellbeing Thursday: We are pleased to welcome Lana from Youthline, who will speak with a group of students about practical ways to promote wellbeing and create a more supportive and inclusive school environment. Pink Shirt Day Friday: We wrap up the week by turning the school pink! Students are encouraged to wear pink to celebrate inclusivity, anti-bullying and kindness. Thank you to our Emily De Munnik, Lachlan Dhyrberg and Gabriel Anthony for their leadership in organising such a meaningful week. We look forward to seeing everyone get involved! Congratulations to Amelia Chen and Kate McGinley for the incredible progress they have made with their Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) project. Recognising the physical strain that long hours of study can place on students, Amelia and Kate have developed specialised Study Kits. Their business features a carefully curated pack including an adjustable laptop stand, wrist protection, and a blue light reduction screen cover. With a vision to support the health and wellbeing of students across NZ, their goal is to leave a lasting, positive impact on the secondary school community before they head off to university next year. To help fund the initial production of these kits, Amelia and Kate held a very successful bake sale today. Well done, Amelia and Kate! We wish you the very best of luck as you prepare for your upcoming project presentations. |
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Finally, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to Year 11 student Johnny Naisbitt, who represented Whitby Collegiate at last week’s ANZAC ceremony. Hosted by Mayor Anita Baker, the service was a poignant opportunity for our local community to come together in reflection and remembrance. We are proud of the way Johnny upheld our school values while honouring the service and sacrifice of those who came before us. |
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Someone said to me this week, “I hope this sunny weather doesn’t change.” I said, “Oh, it will.” Not to be negative, just honest things change. That’s how life works. Easter meets us in that. Whatever the season looks like for you at the moment, we’re invited not to lose heart, but to give thanks and keep our hope in God, whose love doesn’t shift with everything else. Blessings,
Reverend Chris
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A word from Marcia Laurenson, Whitby Collegiate’s Sacristan: Being Whitby Collegiate’s Sacristan for 2026 is an absolute pleasure, throughout this year I plan to continue incorporating faith into our everyday school life, whether that's by our termly scripture posters or an upcoming Bible drive to allow students the opportunity to learn about faith. I come from a Christian household and after attending church, working youth camps and youth group events the connections you make with those around you are ones of kindness and support, one standout about being sacristan is these connections I get to make with individual students. Last weekend I attended a Scripture Union tramp, at this event we connected with God through nature. It reminded me to stop sometimes and just take in what's around you. Our lives get so busy at times that we forget to be thankful for the little things that make up our time, such as a hug from a parent or smile from a stranger. Sacristan is a position of honour and grace and I hope as the year continues that God works through me to encourage my peers and younger students to get involved with every opportunity thrown their way. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” - Ephesians 2:8. Thank you to Peter Free and Reverend Chris Darnell for their support and I encourage you this week to look for God's work in creation, find his beauty in the little things, God bless. Marcia Laurenson - Sacristan |
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Student PerspectiveOver Easter weekend and the first week of the school holidays, we were lucky enough to participate in the Girlboss Edge Healthcare Career Path Acceleration Programme. Over the ten days, we were exposed to words from a variety of healthcare professionals: General practitioners, surgeons, medical school advisors, nurses, and many others. As part of the programme, we were asked to create a project outlining an issue related to women’s health, or women’s health in sporting spaces, to be presented to Sport New Zealand advising them of what youth think are the most pressing issues in our healthcare and sporting systems at present. The programme also linked us with hundreds of female students across the country with similar career goals and aspirations, and provided us invaluable connections and conversations with healthcare professionals. We would like to extend our thanks to GirlBoss, Mrs Patel, and Whitby Collegiate for providing us with this opportunity. The programme was incredibly insightful and interesting and has certainly helped us to shape a clearer picture of what our potential future healthcare and medical school journeys could look like. By Year 11: Emma Whyte and Nyah Bhat
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Development Tennis ProgrammeWe had a really successful lunchtime this past Wednesday with the first session of our new partnership programme with Whitby Tennis Club, our Development Tennis Programme! Six students took part in the first training. Andrew Chuah, an accredited coach from Australia, ran the group through a fun and detailed beginner session, finishing with some small game play at the end. The students showed awesome improvement even in just the first session, and we’re really excited to see how the programme develops over the term. Registrations are still open on the sports website for any other keen tennis players who may have missed the first sign-up.
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Art of the Week: Chuck Close Inspired Self PortraitsYear 7 students have been delving into the world of contemporary art, finding inspiration in the colourful work of the American POP artist, Chuck Close. The self-portraitists by our Artists of the Week Jaden Wong and Aaron Zhou have successfully embraced Close's style using a grid pattern and filling each square with individual shapes and colours. |
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Upcoming EventsKey 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”.
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University of Canterbury Kiwi CAM Competitions: Mathematics, English and Science 2026This is a final reminder as today is the final day to register: The University of Canterbury is delighted to offer the annual Kiwi English, Mathematics and Science competitions for Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 students. The skills based Kiwi competitions are written by New Zealand teachers for New Zealand students and closely align with the New Zealand Curriculum. The competitions take place at school under exam conditions and are likely to be on the following dates (subject to change): Kiwi Competition Mathematics: Term 2, Week 9 Wednesday 17th June lunchtime (Room TBC) Kiwi Competition English*: Term 2, Week 10 Wednesday 24th June lunchtime (Room TBC) Kiwi Competition Science: Term 2, Week 11 Wednesday 1st July lunchtime (Room TBC) *Please note that any students that have registered and have a justifiable absence such as Showquest or illness have one catch up opportunity on Thursday 2nd July. Please email enrichment@whitbycollegiate.school.nz if your child is affected so that these alternative arrangements can be made. Parents/caregivers will be provided with an individual student report outlining student performance. All participating students will be awarded a certificate, and a prize will be awarded to the top student in each competition. The cost for a student to participate is $9.90 per competition entered. If interested, please complete the attached permission letter no later than Friday 1st May. Late entries will not be considered. |
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Sports UpdateFor 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.
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Student AchievementsWe 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
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Licence plate technology hits Porirua streetsPorirua City Council is introducing licence plate recognition technology from 4 May 2026 to help Council manage parking in a more efficient, consistent, and customer-friendly way around the city. We know that unsafe parking is an issue around our schools, creating a real danger for tamariki by limiting visibility and making them hard to see. The cameras will be attached to one of the Council’s cars to monitor parking around the city’s schools, checking if cars are parking on broken yellow lines, across driveways, or on berms and footpaths. As the vehicle drives through an area, it can register whether parking requirements, such as payment or time limits, have been met. The technology will record the plate number of vehicles, the time and location and any visible parking signage. The information is then sent back to Council and will be reviewed by a warranted parking officer before an infringement is issued. Council’s Manager of Policy, Planning & Regulatory Services, Nic Etheridge, confirms that the camera operates within the requirements of the Privacy Act and people’s faces will be blurred in any images. Council will use images only for evidence gathering and enforcement – LPR information will be stored on the same system as our current infringement information. In Porirua, this technology will support parking officers in their day-to-day work and keep them safe as it allows our them to stay in the vehicle. Down the track, LPR may be used for checking warrants of fitness and registrations and whether a car is stolen, along with data collection of parking and road use around Porirua, informing future decisions and city development by our transport team. Please visit the Council’s website for more information and FAQs; go to https://poriruacity.govt.nz/services/parking-transport/find-carpark/
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