Whitby Collegiate News, Week 7, Term 2

Week 7, Term 2 | 2026

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,

Whitby Collegiate continues to celebrate the diversity of talent within our school community, and we were delighted to see Maddy Riley-Hathaway and Faith Bennett selected to exhibit their work at the New Zealand Art Show over the weekend. As one of the highlights of the national visual arts calendar, it was particularly exciting to see both students featured in the Emerging Artist Zone. This is a significant achievement, and we congratulate them on representing the school so well.

It has also been exciting to see the progress of those students working towards their NIWA Science competition projects, with students demonstrating impressive innovation and curiosity in their work. Alongside this, our Year 11 students are now preparing for their mid-year examinations in Week 9, an important milestone in their academic journey. Our staff continue to support students across all areas of the curriculum, and we have welcomed a number of parents to discuss our enrichment programme with Mrs Patel who is leading this. This initiative focuses on providing opportunities for students to extend and deepen their academic learning, and we value the partnership with families as we further develop these pathways.

Our student leaders have been especially active this term, organising a wide range of activities designed to foster a positive school environment while also supporting charitable causes. Their efforts reflect a strong commitment to service and community, and we are proud of the leadership they continue to demonstrate.

We are looking forward to the Big Sing next week and our choir has been working very hard towards this event. Thank you to Ms Ting and Mr Leota for all their efforts in getting the students prepared to compete amongst their peers.

Our sports department continues to provide numerous opportunities for participation in a wide number of events and it was great to see our senior boys’ Football team reaping the benefit of their hard work defeating HIBS over this past weekend.

We extend our congratulations to Louisa Egley-Turner, who has been selected for the New Zealand Under-17 Football camp being held in July. Louisa is one of only three students chosen from the whole of the Wellington region, an outstanding accomplishment that reflects her dedication and talent.

Finally, we acknowledge the excellent performance of our Junior A Netball team at the CSW Netball Championships. The team narrowly missed on making the semi finals, losing on a count-back after drawing with eventual finalists St.Mary’s. Along the way they defeated Paraparaumu College, Tawa College, Samuel Marsden and St Orans to take 5th place. This was a commendable effort against strong competition. Well done to coach Julia Price and all players who represented Whitby Collegiate with pride. And we would also like to thank Maddy Hunt who took on officiating duties for the whole of the tournament.

As we move further into the winter term, there is a strong sense of focus and momentum across the school with some very busy weeks ahead of us in all areas of the school.

All the very best for a safe and restful weekend.

Shelley Addison
Executive Principal

Deputies’ Updates

Deputy Principal (Pastoral and Wellbeing)

Mālō le soifua manuia,

As part of our school’s Samoan Language week celebrations, Year 9 student leader, Zephaniah Tele'a, delivered a powerful and moving speech during yesterday’s assembly. Zephaniah spoke about the sense of pride he carries for his Samoan heritage and identity. In his address, he shared how central Fa’a Samoa (the Samoan way) is to his life, emphasising the core values of alofa (love and kindness), respect for elders, and the strength of extended family. He spoke passionately about how culture, faith, and family form the foundation of who he is, and how meaningful it is for him to share these traditions with the wider Whitby Collegiate community.

Thank you, Zephaniah, for inspiring us all with your words and your leadership - the students and staff really enjoyed the Samoan challenge you led also.

In the 32 years I have worked as an educator and pastoral care leader, some of the most fulfilling moments of my career have come from quiet, individual connections with students. Whether a student is navigating a challenging time and needs guidance, or looking for mentorship to step into a more purposeful role as a servant leader for the school, these interactions are the very core of my role. This past week, I felt privileged to connect individually with two of our students. One sought guidance on leadership, specifically how to meaningfully share his Samoan culture with the school, while the other needed a word of encouragement through some classroom challenges. In our conversations, I discovered that both are deeply driven by the same core pillars: family, faith, sport, and culture. When a student openly shares how their heritage and success are anchored in their faith, it reinforces the importance of leading in a way that mirrors Christ-like behaviours and attitudes. Witnessing our young people ground themselves so firmly in their values is incredibly rewarding and as a school community, we continue to support and encourage them on this journey.

Finally, Mr Atkinson and I had the pleasure of accompanying 30 of our junior student leaders to this year’s National Young Leaders Day (NYLD) Conference.

It was a fun, exhilarating, and inspiring experience for everyone involved. Our students had the opportunity to hear from a fantastic lineup of speakers who focused on a vital life lesson: the importance of resilience and bouncing back from failure. The insights shared gave our young leaders valuable tools to carry forward, reminding them that setbacks are simply stepping stones to growth. We are excited to see how they bring these lessons back to our school community in the coming months.

Ia fa’amanuia le Atua ia te outou ma ia manuia le vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa.

Ainslie Sauvao
ainslie.sauvao@whitbycollegiate.school.nz

Assistant Principal

Kia ora Students, Parents & Caregivers,

One of the great privileges of my pastoral role at Whitby Collegiate is being able to observe the unique dynamics and strengths that each year group brings to our school community. This week, I want to shine a spotlight on our Year 7 students, whose infectious enthusiasm and boundless positivity have been a true joy to witness.

I saw this firsthand recently when I had the pleasure of accompanying a number of our Year 7 students to the National Young Leaders Day (NYLD) conference at the St James Theatre. It really impressed me to see the boundless energy and enthusiasm our students brought to the occasion. Surrounded by inspiring speakers and peers from across the region, our young leaders engaged fully, asked thoughtful questions, and absorbed every lesson on facing fear and leadership with open minds and bright smiles.

This kind of positivity, regularly displayed by our Year 7 is highly contagious. It lifts the energy in our classrooms and reminds us all of the pure excitement of growth and discovery.

I took the time to ask some of our Year 7’s where they thought their apparent limitless energy and positivity came from. They found it tricky to answer but the quotes below do offer us a few hints.

“It comes from our friends and their funny stories”

“We just get excited when we are around great friends”

“I don’t think we are the greatest people, but we get our energy from our friends and family”

“Together we just have a spark”

A huge thank you to our Year 7 teachers, peer mentors, and of course, our parents and families, for supporting such a fantastic, positive group of young people. They are a wonderful reminder of the bright future ahead for our school.

Ngā mihi nui,

Maurice
maurice.atkinson@whitbycollegiate.school.nz

Enrichment Opportunities

ICAS assessments 2026

We know our students are amazing, so we’re giving them the opportunity to once again showcase and celebrate their talents in the world-renowned ICAS competition.

What is ICAS?

ICAS is an online academic competition that gives students the opportunity to challenge their higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee, and Digital Technologies.

ICAS results are in-depth and meaningful, and ICAS evaluates student performance against other competition entrants across the state and nation. The data reveals student strengths and weaknesses and can help you recognise and support your child's academic journey.

For further information and to register your child in one or more ICAS assessments, please click here.

School News

Artist of the week - Oriana Anamani

Congratulations to Oriana Anamani, our Year 10 Artist of the Week. Oriana has brought immense creativity to our theme of Water, experimenting with various media to investigate the natural movement, distortion, and reflective qualities of Wai.

As we dive deeper, all students will have the choice of working in a realism, stylised, or expressive style to create a final piece. We are looking forward to seeing these future outcomes! Watch this space.

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

Important: How to Reach Us by Email

Dear families,

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

Thank you,
Whitby Collegiate Office

A Reminder About Car Parking

Dear families,

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.

Sincerely,
Whitby Collegiate Office