Yesterday, some of our Year 7 and 8 swimmers represented Whitby Collegiate at the Parumoana Swimming Competition, with some outstanding performances in the pool!

Whitby had an incredible start to the competition and, following the completion of all individual races, we were leading the overall points standings. This is a fantastic achievement, particularly considering the relatively small number of swimmers we had competing compared with many of the other schools in the area. Our swimmers certainly made every race count!

There were some brilliant individual results that see the following students into the next round of competition at Regionals:

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing our Level 2 Economics students putting their academic learning into practice at the markets last weekend. The students have been developing their products over the past few months, and it was fantastic to see them take the next step and put their entrepreneurial skills to the test.

I was particularly impressed by their selling techniques and the pitches they delivered about their products. There was clearly a great deal of thought behind both the products themselves and the way they were presented to potential customers. My wallet was certainly a lot lighter when I left!

A special well done to Archie Lowe, Andoni Cole, Jeremiah Cheng and Sidney Jones from Trials of Olympus, who designed and manufactured their own playing card game, and to Campbell Eggleton and Ben Ludlow from Wellington Jam Co, who developed and sold their own artisan jam.

Of note this week was the culmination of our Junior Scientists as they competed at the NIWA Science Fair. We had ten teams chosen to put their projects forward.

I was delighted with how our students performed. Gabriel Anthony placed fourth in Class 4 for his project Real Mahi: Testing a Fairer, Better Alternative to AI Detectors for Schools, while Junyi Zhang and Lawrence Wang took out first place in Class 2 for Smart Seawalls — a project so well received it also picked up the Engineering New Zealand Award and the New Zealand Coastal Society Award.

Aryaveer Chopra was recognised with a Highly Commended for Beyond Needles: Investigating NIR Light Transmission as a Signal for Blood Glucose Levels, as were Zachary Dickinson and Gibson Mangos for The Great Marshmallow Drop.

Congratulations to all of our Junior Scientists for their curiosity, hard work and the quality of thinking they brought to this year's fair.

As we look towards next year, this is an important time for our students as they begin considering their futures and the pathways they may wish to pursue. We have been pleased to welcome representatives from a range of universities who have been helping to keep our students informed about the opportunities and options available to them beyond school.

Our returning students are also currently making their subject selections for 2027. It was certainly an entertaining assembly this week, with staff outlining, in a variety of creative ways, what their subjects have to offer. Choosing subjects for the following year is an important decision, and we encourage our students to think carefully about their interests, strengths and future aspirations when making their selections.

Our Outdoor Education students have returned from their final camp of the year at TOPEC. Outdoor Education provides our students with opportunities to challenge themselves, develop resilience and teamwork, and experience environments beyond the classroom.

A special thank you to Ms Kale, whose commitment and enthusiasm ensure that our students continue to have these valuable opportunities to learn, grow and excel in the outdoors.

It has been another busy and rewarding few weeks at Whitby Collegiate, with our students continuing to demonstrate the breadth of talent, curiosity and commitment that makes our school such a special place. I look forward to seeing many more of our students take up opportunities to challenge themselves and make the most of the experiences ahead.

Shelley Addison
Executive Principal

On Monday next week, during tutor time, Years 12 and 13 students will have the opportunity to check a printed version of their results and entries towards their respective NCEA levels. Students must check entries carefully and indicate any changes on the sheet so that corrections can be made as soon as possible. Students can also check their entries on the KAMAR portal, and I encourage students to make this a regular habit. A reminder: Levels 2-3 derived grade examinations are in Week 8, Monday 14 - Friday 18 September, and are held at school. You can find the timetable and guidelines for the derived grade examinations here. More information about the importance of derived grades and the NCEA derived grade application process is available on the NZQA website. The first order of Learnwell AME revision workbooks will be processed next week. While these books are available to purchase in stores and direct from the publisher, I can secure a small discount by ordering in bulk. Should you wish to order any Level 2 or Level 3 AME workbooks, please complete this electronic order form. Please note that the charge for your order will be disbursed to your account and must be paid before students receive the workbooks.

As we start planning for 2027, Years 10-12 students received their subject selection booklet and instructions for making subject selections this week. Year 9 students also received instructions for making their Year 10 subject selections. Students had the opportunity to listen to subject teachers at the end of yesterday’s assembly, and everyone was very engaged. I encourage all students to ask their teachers questions before making their subject selections for next year, and for parents and caregivers to have conversations with their child/ren about options. Students can make their selections via the student KAMAR portal here, with selections due by Friday 4 September. The subject selection process on KAMAR is new this year, and after a few teething problems, I am confident it is a very easy and intuitive way to make choices.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Ngā mihi,

Debbie Mitchell
debbie.mitchell@whitbycollegiate.school.nz

Thank you to our wonderful students and parents for your dedication, hard work, and for being such fantastic representatives of our school community.

As we begin looking ahead to student leadership for 2027, our Year 12s have been joining our Wednesday morning Prefect meetings. It’s been a great chance for them to ask questions and see firsthand how our Prefect team works with such synergy to bring school events to life. There were some thoughtful exchanges, but one moment really stood out. When asked how many prefects would be selected for next year, Tiyamika Banda shared a piece of wisdom worth repeating:

And on that note, have a wonderful and blessed weekend. I look forward to connecting with you at our next school event.

Fa’afetai tele lava ma ia manuia.

Ainslie Sauvao
ainslie.sauvao@whitbycollegiate.school.nz

Whitby Collegiate Foundation Gala Dinner Tickets Sold Out

Dear Whitby Collegiate Community,

We are delighted to announce that tickets for this year’s Whitby Collegiate Foundation Gala Dinner have officially sold out!

Thank you to everyone who has supported the Gala Dinner. We are incredibly grateful for your generosity and contribution towards making this event such a success.

If you missed out on securing a ticket but would still love to attend, we are now accepting names for our waitlist. Should tickets become available, we will be in touch with those on the waitlist first.