Week 4 , Term 3 | 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.

As we wrap up another busy week at Whitby Collegiate, our senior students are turning their attention to derived grade exams in a few weeks’ time. This is a key period to stay on top of classwork and seek support from teachers as needed. Our biology students have also begun the NZIBO (Biology Olympiad), sitting the first assessment this week, and ICAS continues, with English now completed.

Well done to Yiqi Liang, who competed in the Junior division, and to Xiangyi Liang and Max Tai in the Intermediate division. Both teams achieved an impressive third place in the Robotics Rescue Line challenge.

We are particularly thrilled with the progress of our debating teams, with an excellent result last week as our Junior Cert 1 team, Judah Isaac, Isabella Beach, Abbey Joostens, and Emily Thurston, defeated Queen Margaret College to reach the semi-finals. Well done team!

A special mention of Gabriel Chionh who has been showing great leadership and skills in adjudicating a number of debates over the season. This is not an easy task and Gabriel has been doing an outstanding job.

Our student leaders have embraced the rich diversity of our school community, initiating a range of activities over the past few weeks to celebrate all cultures, with the grand finale happening this week. This final celebration featured vibrant costumes, international foods, and a colourful nations parade during assembly. It was a wonderful showcase of the diversity and unity that make Whitby Collegiate such a special place. Well done to all those students who proudly walked in the parade, cheered on by the whole school.

As our winter sports season heads towards the end of their competitions we have again had a strong showing. Congratulations to our Senior A Netball team, who finished their season on a high with a strong win to secure third place in the Kapi Mana competition. This is an outstanding result, particularly as the team had only just been promoted to this current grade this year.

Our badminton players also represented Whitby Collegiate with determination and skill at the CSW Championships. Xiangyi Liang and Divya Kumar earned an impressive second place in the Junior Doubles Championships.

Across the courts and fields, our Basketball teams have also had an outstanding season. In particular, we wish our Junior A Girls’ Basketball team well as they have played their way into the CSW inter-school final at Walter Nash Stadium next week. Hockey finished last week with a narrow loss, and we now look ahead to a full Saturday of sport with all Netball teams and the Junior Boys’ Football team competing. Excitement is building for NZ Secondary Schools Tournament Week, with Hockey, Netball, and Basketball all competing; special mention to our AIMS Netball and Futsal teams, and for the first time we will have an entrant in Tennis.

Of course the most exciting thing on our senior students minds at the moment is the school ball happening on Saturday. A special thanks to the ball committee for all their hard work and to Ms Keilty and Ms Longstaff who have also worked tirelessly. We look forward to seeing everyone in their finery on Saturday night.

Next week we are looking forward to celebrating the success of our national champion Softball team at a special function hosted by the Rt Hon Chris Bishop at Parliament. This has been a significant achievement for the school and not only will we be celebrating our sporting success, we will also be celebrating our top academic students as they work towards the NZQA Scholarship exams at the end of the year. We look forward to joining with family, friends, staff, the Proprietors Board, supporters of the school and the Mayor Anita Baker.

Finally it was wonderful to see our school community come together this week, to support Ms Sauvao with the recent passing of her dear mother. Thank you to all those who shared their condolences and I know how much this meant to Ms Sauvao.

Wishing everyone a very blessed weekend.

Shelley Addison
Executive Principal

Deputies’ Updates

Deputy Principal (Academics)

Kia ora e te whānau o Whitby Collegiate,

Senior students are now deep into preparations for their Derived Grade (DG) examinations, scheduled for Week 8 Monday 8 to Friday 12 September. During this period, Years 11–13 will be off-timetable, attending school only for their scheduled exams and any compulsory workshops.

The initial examination timetable has been emailed to students, with instructions to flag any clashes. Once this feedback is reviewed, the final timetable including exam room allocations (almost always one of Rooms 16-18)) will be distributed next week to students, parents, and caregivers, and published on the school website.

While DG examinations serve as an essential backup should a student be unable to sit their NZQA exams or be impaired during them, they also provide vital preparation. Students gain practical experience in managing 2–3 hour assessments, adhering to examination protocols, and demonstrating the breadth and depth of understanding required for high achievement.

Please remember that I am once again facilitating an order of Learnwell AME revision workbooks for selected Levels 2 and 3, and Scholarship subjects. Before ordering, I encourage students to check with subject teachers that these resources suit their individual revision requirements. If you would like to make an order, please use this online order form . I will make the first order next Monday 18 August so that the books arrive in time for the derived grade examinations. There will be at least one more additional order prior to NCEA examinations in November.

We are mid-way through the ICAS competition assessments, with Digital Technology, Writing, and English completed. Over the next two weeks there are sessions for Spelling Bee (headphones and the locked down browser required - (Tuesday 19 August), Science (Wednesday 20 August), and Mathematics (Wednesday 27 August). Students have been approaching these assessments with enthusiasm and I look forward to seeing the results.

This weekend also brings another special highlight on the school calendar, I’m excited about the senior Ball and I can’t wait to see all our lovely seniors dressed up in beautiful clothes, and having a fantastic time.

Ngā mihi,

Debbie Mitchell
debbie.mitchell@whitbycollegiate.school.nz

Assistant Principal

Kia ora Students, Parents & Caregivers,

On Wednesday, our Junior Cert 1 Debating Team emerged victorious in a thrilling quarter-final debate against Queen Margaret's College, firmly securing their place in the semi-finals. Our team, composed of Judah Isaac, Emily Thurston, and Abbey Joostens, with fantastic support from Isabella Beach on the sidelines, were tasked with affirming the moot: "That all Wellington schools should merge to make one big 'mega' school."

In a display of incredible wit and strategic thinking, our debaters cleverly argued that this "mega" school would operate across all existing school sites, effectively creating a unified educational body while maintaining individual campus locations. This brilliant maneuver nullified much of the opposing teams' pre-prepared rebuttals, which were based on the assumption of a single, physical location. We are incredibly proud of our team's performance and look forward to cheering them on in the semi-finals.

Ngā mihi,

Maurice Atkinson
maurice.atkinson@whitbycollegiate.school.nz

School News

Art of the week -  Zara Chambers

Zara Chambers, a Level 2 painting student, is exploring the poignant story of the Huia bird in her portfolio. Her work beautifully traces the bird's flourishing life in the vibrant forests of Aotearoa, capturing the harmony and balance that once existed between humans and nature.

Zara’s intention is to portray the sad loss of this beautiful taonga, making key use of colourwhich will gradually fade to symbolise its decline. Her portfolio promises to be a thoughtful and visually impactful tribute to a cherished part of New Zealand's natural history.

Student Perspectives

Environmental Club: Hands-On Conservation

On Wednesday, the Environmental Club started our very own Whitby Collegiate pest trap line. Alex and Phil from Predator Free Whitby came in, and helped us learn how to set, disarm, and bait rat traps.

We then ventured into the bush to cross the stream, and baited the trap lines without setting them. This was so that the local pests would feel safe to get the food, but next week we will start setting them and exterminating pests.

Alongside this, we learnt a lot of interesting and valuable information, such as how pest bites look on chew cards (cards with bait like peanut butter inside to determine what pests are around from bite marks). Thank you to Alex, Phil, and Ms. Brown for arranging this for us!

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.

Junior Girls’ Doubles Championships

A fantastic achievement from Xiangyi Liang and Divya Kumar who battled their way to an impressive 2nd place finish.

Senior Boys’ Individual Badminton

Ryan Collins, Alexander Biss, and Frank Arnold competed with determination, proudly representing Whitby Collegiate. They showed excellent spirit, resilience, and sportsmanship throughout their matches!

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