Week 3, Term 3 | 2024

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,

As we dive into another week at Whitby Collegiate, I’m delighted to share some of our latest accomplishments and upcoming events. It’s been a week filled with academic assessments, achievements, and sports updates. I’m thrilled to celebrate our students' hard work and dedication across all fronts.

Our students have been busy with a series of academic assessments, showcasing their commitment and resilience. A special highlight this week was our Physical Education (PE) students who completed their practical coaching programme at Discovery School. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive, with commendations for our students' enthusiastic engagement with the children at Discovery School. Their dedication and ability to inspire the younger students were truly commendable.

I’m also excited to recognise our junior mathematicians for their outstanding performance in the Education Perfect ANZ Maths competition where students are benchmarked internationally. A special mention goes to Harshit Kumar, who achieved Elite status by being in the top 1%, Max Tai achieving Emerald status being in the top 1.5% and Fautstina Anamani, Josh Farrand, Cam Parkin, and Christian de Wet who achieved Gold status by being in the top 2%. Well done everyone.

This week has been an excellent one for our sports teams, with teams advancing to the finals in their divisions. We’re thrilled to announce that our Junior Boys’ Basketball team will be competing in their final next Tuesday at 5:00 pm here at school and we invite everyone to come out and support them!

Additionally, our Senior Netball team has made it to the final of their grade, having defeated Aotea College in a thrilling match. Our Footballers are also performing exceptionally well, currently sitting at the top of their table. It’s wonderful to see so many students participating and importantly giving their absolute best on the field and court no matter the result.

As we move into the latter part of the year, it's the perfect time for students to start considering their subject selections for 2025. This is an important period for planning future careers and academic paths. We are eagerly anticipating the upcoming School Science Roadshow that we will be hosting here at Whitby Collegiate and our own subject selection fair, where students will gain valuable insights into the curriculum and opportunities available for the next academic year. We encourage all students to take full advantage of this event to make informed decisions about their future.

Our staff will be showcasing their own sporting skills next week by taking on the prefects at Volleyball next week. It’s worth noting that over the past four years the staff have been undefeated!!

A heartfelt thank you to our Foundation Board for their continuous support of our school. The "Claim Your Turf" campaign has had a fantastic start, and we are excited to see this project develop with the help of our community. Your involvement and enthusiasm are key to bringing this initiative to fruition.

Looking ahead, we are thrilled about the Gala Dinner later this year, where we will have the honour of welcoming both past and present Olympic champions. It promises to be an inspiring event, celebrating excellence in sports and our community’s achievements.

Thank you for your ongoing support and engagement and I hope you have a relaxing weekend.

Shelley Addison
Executive Principal

Deputies’ Updates

Deputy Principal (Academics)

Kia ora e te whānau o Whitby Collegiate,

In a term full of important external assessments for our Year 10-13, it is pleasing to see the diligence and focus with which our students are approaching their studies and revision.

The majority of the Year 10 cohort will be sitting their Literacy and Numeracy common assessment activities (CAAs) in Weeks 7 and 8. Literacy and Numeracy are both requirements for all levels of NCEA. Students who do not achieve the standards in Year 10 will have multiple opportunities as Year 11s, and plenty of support to get there.

• Monday 9 September: Numeracy CAA 

• Thursday 12 September: Literacy: Reading CAA

• Wednesday 18 September: Literacy: Writing CAA.

The current Year 10 cohort will be the second group of students to be assessed under the new NCEA programme, more information about which is available on our website. I am happy to answer any questions you may have, and reassure you that there will be another NCEA information session for parents/whānau at the beginning of next year. If there are specific questions regarding the LitNum corequisites, please contact Mrs Katherine McKinlay (katherine.mckinlay@whitbycollegiate.school.nz), our knowledgeable LitNum coordinator.

Year 11 students, approaching multiple submitted external assessments this term, are encouraged to read over the assessment summary emailed directly to them last week. Subject teachers are the first point of contact for all questions regarding these upcoming assessments.

Students entered in Level 2 and Level 3 examinations will have their derived grade examination week in Week 5, from Monday 26 - Friday 30 August. Year 12 and 13 students  do not need to be at school for DG Examination week unless they have an examination session - the Art and DVC workshops are compulsory for those students involved. When students are at school they should be in full uniform. I will be going over the rules and requirements for DG examinations next week, and these are the same as the NZQA rules. The one difference to the external examination is that students are not allowed to leave exam sessions during the DG exams. Please take the time to read the rules with your child; these are on the back page of the timetable, emailed to all students and found on the website. Students who take a Level 1 language subject (Spanish, or Japanese and Chinese via Te Kura) have their DGE on the morning of Wednesday 28 August, and will be excused from classes to complete this.

I am excited that next week we are beginning the process of subject selection for 2025. For the first time we will have a “subject selection fair”, for Y9-12 students to hear from all teachers of senior subjects, and have the opportunity to ask questions face-to-face. Following the fair, students in Years 10-12 will receive subject selection booklets, and details as to the process of selecting subjects using their KAMAR portal. I encourage parents/whānau to have important conversations with their child/ren regarding subject interest, abilities, and life-beyond-school opportunities.

Please reach out if there is anything I can help with,

Ngā

Debbie Mitchell
debbie.mitchell@whitbycollegiate.school.nz

Deputy Principal (Pastoral & Wellbeing)

Tālofa lava, Ni Hao, Mālō ni, Namaste, Kia orana, Mālō e lelei, and Kia Ora e te whānau o Whitby Collegiate,

This week, I've had the pleasure of catching up with several students to see how they're progressing and to check in on their wellbeing. These conversations are invaluable as they allow me to understand how I can support them during challenging times or help them find opportunities to develop their leadership skills.

One heartwarming moment that stood out was when the 8SV Tutor Group organised a surprise birthday party for our International student, Shusei, during our Science lesson. Shusei was very appreciative and since joining us, he has made so many friends, and it’s clear that he is thriving within our school community.

This is the kind of culture we strive to create and maintain at Whitby Collegiate—a culture where every student feels supported, valued, and connected. I am always deeply grateful to those students who consistently demonstrate our faith-based values, contributing to the positive and inclusive environment we have.

During school assembly this week, I encouraged our students to continue to uphold these values and ensure that every member of our community feels the same sense of belonging and support that makes Whitby Collegiate so special.

Finally, thankyou to all those parents who have come in to meet with me this week. Your support and input is very much appreciated.

Looking forward to a restful weekend and I hope you all enjoy a well-deserved break.

Ia manuia,

Ainslie Sauvao
ainslie.sauvao@whitbycollegiate.school.nz

Chaplain’s Note

The virtue of this week, honesty, matches closely with the focus on misinformation and epistemology that we have been engaging with in our Senior Religious Education classes this term. Despite how things may appear in this confusing world, honesty has not gone out of favour. Honesty is ultimately about the strength of character that we exhibit.

Being honest with others (and yourself) is seldom the easy path, but as William Shakespeare wrote, “No legacy is so rich as honesty.” 

Ephesians 4:25 says, “Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body.” May you live a life of truth and sincerity, setting an example for this world.

Blessings,
Reverend Chris

Upcoming Events

Sports Update

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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 Notices

The Student’s Perspective

Welcome to a new section of the newsletter! This was an idea formed by a few of our Student Council members. The whole inspiration behind this was to create a section specifically targeted towards our student community and activities that they may be interested in. We are starting off with a Teacher Profile column - kicking off with Mr Hudson this week! Here, you will also be able to see student accounts on recent events and student art on display!

Jade Lin and Liam Cummings
Head Prefects