News
Principal's Weekly Message
Kia Ora Whanau,
The weeks are flying by, and the positive, caring energy across our Kura continues to grow as we navigate the second half of Term 2. It is an absolute pleasure to see our tamariki showing such kindness, enthusiasm, and focus in everything they do, whether they are learning in the classroom, competing on the sports field, or leading our school.
Our weekly tradition of celebrating high-quality student mahi at our Formal Assemblies remains a proud highlight for us all. This week, we had the pleasure of acknowledging some exceptional creative writing pieces from Rooms 5 and 6 in Te Whanau o Ōtāmakaokao.
The vivid imagery, thoughtful vocabulary choices, and genuine effort shining through these pieces were a delight to witness. Seeing our young writers take such ownership of their work and stand tall to share their successes with the wider school is truly inspiring. Well done, Rooms 5 and 6!
This week, our student leaders - our māngai - took part in a fantastic three-day Leadership Camp at Ngāmuwahine Lodge. Working alongside student leaders from four other schools, they engaged in a variety of teambuilding activities and workshops centered around the core ideas of effective leadership. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to build confidence, share ideas, and grow as role models for our Kura.
A massive thank you to our Deputy Principal, Whaea Haruru Douglas, for overseeing this group of students and organizing the camp experience. We also want to extend our gratitude to Whaea Beth Long and Matua Ezra Taylor for their valuable assistance and support throughout the trip.
We are incredibly proud to celebrate the success of our technology and engineering teams at the recent EPro8 Challenge, which was hosted right here at Whakatāne Intermediate. Our teams had a brilliant day of problemsolving, construction, and electronics.
A huge congratulations to our top intermediate team, who walked away with the overall winning trophy for their age group! They have now qualified for the semi-finals in Rotorua later this term. A special shout-out and thank you to Mr. Ben McDonald for his outstanding guidance, encouragement, and enthusiasm in preparing our teams for this event.
As you read this, our school Ultimate Frisbee team is currently in Gisborne competing in the Super 11 Ultimate Frisbee Event. They have been training hard and are excited to test their skills against the best in the region. We wish the entire team the absolute best of luck - play hard, enjoy the experience, and represent WIS with pride!
Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support in making our school community so special. Have a safe and happy weekend with your whanau.
Nga Mihi,
Mike Webster
Principal