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A great day of learning for our Year 12 students as they explored what healthy relationships look like and how to prevent relationship abuse. While some of the information was confronting, students were given practical skills to feel more confident in recognising and reporting unhealthy relationships, as well as knowing where to go for help if needed. A huge thank you to our teachers, the Police, and the NGOs who facilitated these important workshops. |
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Career News #10
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CareerWise displays events, tertiary news, scholarships, job opportunities, and other resources that will help students discover their future pathway. Here are some highlights shared with you in our latest newsletter.
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Proposed Changes to Hutt Valley Bus and School Bus Routes
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Metlink is currently reviewing bus services across the Hutt Valley to ensure the network continues to meet the needs of the community while balancing accessibility, affordability, and efficiency.
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Cook Islands Language Week Kia orana kotou katoatoa. SHC celebrated Te 'Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki 'Airani in Week 3. Activities included flag raising, daily phrases, a Cook Islands ura dance workshop led by Aunty Te Hau Winitana, 'ei katu making led by Mama Ashleigh Roil, and delicious Cook Islands food provided by our Cook Islands families. A huge meitaki ma'ata to the organising committee Te Ana Waiaraki, Marie Winitana-Patelesio, Eva and Lea-Marie Roil. Meitaki also to Ms Taeao and the Pasifika Council for their support. |
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Filipino Language Week Mabuhay, mga kababayan. During Week 4, the SHC Filipino community celebrated Buwan ng Wika with a week of activities showcasing Filipino language and culture. Students learned greetings from different Filipino dialects, enjoyed traditional games, took part in a flag-raising ceremony, discovered cultural facts, and sang along with our school band, Work in Progress (WIP). The celebration concluded with a Filipino Food Fest, where our community proudly ran a food stall. Many students also helped create decorations, including traditional parols and a jeepney photo booth. It was a fun and meaningful week that brought students together to learn, celebrate, and connect with Filipino culture. Maraming salamat to our Ates from Year 13 for organising the events and to Ms Sabrina Brown, Ms Erica Tuese, and Ms Eloisa Genova for their support. |
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Tongan Language Week On Thursday 20 August, as Head of Pacific, I had the privilege of organising Pō Hiva 2026, a celebration for the Tongan community across schools throughout the Hutt Valley. Pō Hiva is a celebration that brings together the unity of our voices through song and harmony. As part of Tongan Language Week, I wanted to highlight the importance of singing within our culture and connect this to our 2026 theme: "Ko 'etau hiva, ko e fe'unu mahu'inga ia ki he mo'ui 'a e Tonga" — "Our music is a vital strand of Tongan culture".
It was an honour to bring together our Sacred Heart community, Taita and Bishop Viard Colleges, alongside our VIP guests, families, staff and students. Seeing everyone come together to celebrate not only Tongan Language Week, but Tongan culture itself, made all the planning, preparation and hard work truly worthwhile.
I am incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed to the evening, whether through performing, helping behind the scenes, supporting the event, or simply coming along. Pō Hiva was more than just an evening of performances, it was a celebration of who we are, where we come from, and the importance of keeping our culture and language alive.
Mālō 'aupito to everyone who helped make Pō Hiva 2026 such a memorable evening. 'Ana Vaka, Head of Pacific |
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Students and their partners danced the night away at the Year 13 Leavers' Ball held on Saturday 15 August at Lower Hutt Events Centre. The theme was 'A Starry Night' and even a few staff were spotted on the dance floor. A big thank you to all the staff who gave up their Saturday evening to attend, and to the Year 13 Ball Committee who did a wonderful job behind the scenes. Mrs Anna Peszynski |
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On Friday 14 August our juniors attended the dance hosted by St Patrick's Silverstream. It was a great night out for our students, and they had an awesome time. Thank you to all students who attended and helped support St Patrick's Silverstream raise money for St Vincent de Paul. A shout out to our Deans Miss Kayla Liko and Ms Erica Tuese who supervised the students at this event. |
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Year 13 Outdoor Ed - Captivate Adventure Trip |
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As part of the 3.7 Risk Management assessment, the OED303 class went on an overnight Captivate Adventure Trip on Thursday 13 August and Friday 14 August. This trip involved cycling, camping, and white-water rafting. In the weeks leading up to the trip, we assessed the potential risks associated with outdoor adventures so that we could not only have fun and experience new activities but also keep ourselves safe. On Thursday morning we drove up to Raumati Beach to be fitted with bikes and helmets. From there we cycled to Otaki, mainly using the off-road cycle track next to the Kapiti Coast Expressway. We stopped for rest breaks and lunch on route and made it to Otaki within four hours. It was great to see the determination students had to reach our destination, even when it was challenging, at times. From there we took the school vans to Boielle's Campsite. Despite the damp, we set up camp and cooked dinner over gas cookers. The Year 13s got to enjoy their last overnight SHC trip, chatting, laughing, and relaxing in each other's tents. We woke up to a stunning morning for our white-water rafting. After packing up, we meet our Captivate Adventure guides, Pete and Steve for a fantastic morning of rafting. We all got fitted with wetsuits, life jackets and helmets, given a safety briefing then made our way down to the Otaki River. The rafting was definitely a highlight, with exciting rapids, calm floating in beautiful New Zealand bush, and a chance to walk behind waterfalls and jump off rocks. Thank you so much to Mr Thom King who came along on our trip and well done to the 18 Year 13 Outdoor Ed students who embraced our final trip. Miss Claire Risk |
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Last week in Year 13 Calculus, we were applying integration skills to examination questions. One of the best things about our class is the opportunity to work collaboratively with our table groups and classmates. Learning together helps keep the energy positive and makes difficult concepts easier to understand, as we can support and learn from one another.
While Calculus is definitely a challenging subject, we are incredibly lucky to have Mrs Rutherford as our teacher. She is kind, funny, knowledgeable, and deeply invested in the success of her students. Her encouragement and passion for teaching create a classroom environment where we feel supported, motivated, and capable of achieving our goals. Daisy Robinson |
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Dance NZ Made Interschool |
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The Dance NZ Made Interschool was held at the Lower Hutt Events Centre on 20 August. The event is over twelve hours celebrating creativity, connection, and the joy of dancing together. This was our first time entering, with two teams from Dance Club performing a hip hop set and a contemporary dance. Our students loved the experience, spending the day as a team, and getting to know each other better. The workshops in the morning were lots of fun, and a great opportunity to try different styles of dance. We really enjoyed watching fantastic performances from different schools. Despite the nerves that came with performing before a large audience, the experience was rewarding and we were pleased with how our dances went. Our team was incredibly proud of Kyana Te Hiini who was awarded a golden ticket. Thank you to our student leaders for all the time and care they have put into our dancers and congratulations to all our dancers for the way you have worked together over the past two terms to bring these performances together. Miss Dana Holt |
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Year 12/13 Classics - The Odyssey |
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On Monday evening the Level 2 and Level 3 Classics classes went to see the new The Odyssey movie by Christopher Nolan. This was such an amazing experience as the Level 2 students studied Homer's Odyssey at the beginning of the year and are being tested on it in our upcoming exams. The Level 3 students studied it last year.
Watching the movie brought the book to life and really grew our understanding of the different places, monsters, and characters that Odysseus encounters on his journey home. Seeing the characters perform Zeus's law (hospitality) and how it was an essential value to Greeks reminds us how we still carry their values in our life. These themes in the Odyssey are still relevant for us today and show us how ancient civilisation still influences our world.
It was a great movie and a fun time. I'm really glad we could go. Thanks to our Classics teacher Mrs Laidler for organising the trip, and to Mr Perkins and Mrs Peszynski for coming along too. Olivia Fairfield, Year 12 Classics Student |
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Tēnā tātou te whānau whānui o Te Manawa Tapu o Hehu Karaiti i raro i te mana o tō tātou Atua atawhai. Greetings to the whole family of Sacred Heart College living in the presence of our merciful God. Ki a Pihopa Paul rāua kō Pā Raja kua tautoko mai te miha mīharo nei, tēnā kōrua. A massive thank you to all of the staff and students who supported our wonderful students in celebrating the Sacramental Mass in the PAC on Wednesday. Ten students received sacraments of Initiation including Baptism (4) Confirmation (9) and Eucharist (10). This is a significant decision in a young person's life and in the life of their whānau and in the life of the school. There are many roles to play and jobs to make happen from preparing food, welcoming family, playing piano, helping with music, altar serving, setting up the chairs and putting them away, dressing the altar, hosts, readings, singing, photography, finding candles and clothes, making name cards, organising the candidates, sacramental programme, printing (oh the printing!), slides, prayer, and supporting Archbishop Paul and Fr Raja – all of you and everyone, thank you. I encourage all students who have not yet received baptism, or who are considering beginning this part of your faith journey to contact me or a teacher about what is involved and where to next. Mā te Atua koutou e manaaki e tiaki hoki. May God bless you and keep you. Richard Kerr-Bell, Director of Mission |
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Student Board Election Candidates |
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The following students have been nominated as candidates for the SHC Board election of Student Representative for 2026/2027: Rifaa Riyas (B9TF), Fa'ailoga Tuvale (S11RL), and Anna Forbes (B12NR).
Keep an eye out for the candidate statement posters. Candidate videos will be shown in Ako on Monday 7 September. Voting takes place on Wednesday 9 September (Juniors) and Thursday 10 September (Seniors) in Ako. |
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Within School
College Sport Wellington |
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Badminton - Junior Doubles Tournament Sacred Heart had a great day at the Junior Badminton Champs with 16 playing lots of great games. Congratulations to Lennox Heyes and Leah Stead for winning the doubles competition. |
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Badminton - Junior Division 2 Winners Congratulations to our Junior B Badminton team for winning the Hutt Valley Junior Division 2. It was great to see the commitment of this team over the season. |
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Basketball - Senior A Win A great result for the Sacred Heart Senior A Basketball team who won the Division 2 Competition 66-53 against Hutt Valley High School. |
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Hockey - Senior P2 Winners Our 1st XI Hockey team (combined with Chilton St James) won the P2 final 4-0 against Mana College. A great achievement after narrowly missing out on the grade win in 2025. The team will be offered a place in P1 for 2027. |
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Netball - Senior A RSSL 2 Winners A fantastic game for our Senior A Netball team winning the RSSL 2 final 43-34 against Upper Hutt College. Awesome netball from the team who played hard without our year 12s. |
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Netball - Junior 12 Winners Our Junior Takahe Netball team played a great game against St Orans winning their grade final 16-8. |
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Other Events CrossFit Charlotte Lloyd (AV10VS) has qualified to compete at the National CrossFit Championships in Hamilton, which will be held at the end of August. We wish Charlotte well and look forward to hearing results of the event. |
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Rugby - Wellington Under 18 Squad Great news for our students Jahzel Ben-Tupuola, Niamh Woolett, Amelia Tangata'olakepa and Lanuola Pedersen selected in the Wellington Under 18 Rugby Team. We wish you well in your game against Tasman and participation in the U18 Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council Development Camp. |
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(Based on Gospel values and embedded in all school policies and practice.) Mana Atua – a heart for God We contemplate Mana Atua, the power of God, through God’s great love, represented by the Sacred Heart. We aspire to the spiritual virtues of faith, hope and charity. As a community we pray together daily because “There in the sanctuary of his heart, he will keep you gathered together.” Euphrasie Barbier Mana Tangata – a heart for people We uphold Mana Tangata, the power and dignity of all members of our community, by showing manaakitanga – generosity and kindness, respect and inclusion. Our strength as a community comes from following the cardinal virtues of wisdom (prudence), dignity (temperance), courage and justice. “Be kind to everyone; give everything a good interpretation.” Euphrasie Barbier Mana Tīpuna – a heart for our ancestors We gain spiritual strength from Mana Tipuna, the Mission Sisters’ Charism and our school’s Catholic heritage. The RNDM charism is “contemplation, community and mission”. Their mission is to take light, wisdom and social justice to the world. “We are all missionaries. Let us strive to imitate the qualities of Jesus.” Euphrasie Barbier Mana Mātauranga – a heart for knowledge We value Mana Matauranga, the power of a depth and breadth of knowledge and the education of the whole person. We aim for personal excellence and seek to realise our all-round full potential. Behind our motto “Virtue and Knowledge” is the goal of gaining wisdom. “Whaia te maramatanga” – pursue enlightenment (wisdom). “Develop their hearts and minds.” Euphrasie Barbier Mana Whenua – a heart for the land We honour Mana Whenua, the power of our earth, in our care for the environment and our aspirations to live in harmony with it. This is our place which we value. The three guardian spirits of Atawhai guard us, and our place. Mana whenua is also about protecting our wholeness and wellbeing as young women. “Seek the fullness of life for the whole of creation.” Euphrasie Barbier |
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