We have had another very busy few weeks at the International Department.

A big congratulations goes to Honoka Kinoshita who received awards for Senior ESOL and Level 3 Mathematics at the recent Academic Prizegiving.

Our international students are still sitting their exams over the coming weeks, so we wish them all the very best.

Our Farewell Evening is always an emotional night, and even more so due to some of the students having been here during Covid, which was an unsettling time for them. Although there were tears, we also celebrated all the good times. It is always a pleasure to hear how our students have grown from their time here, and to acknowledge the host families and staff that have helped make their time here a success.

Waimea College International Department also hosted the International Dance for all Secondary schools in the top of the South Island. We had close to 80 students from Nayland College, Nelson College, Nelson College for Girls, Garin College, Westland High School and Golden Bay High School. It was a fantastic event that was enjoyed by all! Special thanks go to our Waimea College Band (Road Lady) who did not disappoint us with their tunes, Harry Munro and his team that did a very professional job of the lighting, and the Waimea College international students who spent hours decorating the hall with beautiful decorations.

Our annual 'Xmas on the Beach' was a lovely day spent at Kaiteriteri Beach in the Nelson sunshine. International students from Nayland College joined us and we all enjoyed beach volleyball, swimming, walking and, more importantly, a visit from Santa (Bunta) who gave out presents!

We have had a busy time with our end-of-year programme for those students that are not sitting NCEA exams. The students have enjoyed kayaking, hiking and camping in Abel Tasman National Park, Brook Sanctuary tour, Marae experience, Pics Peanut Butter tour, a very competitive Amazing Race around Nelson central, and the Tahunanui and Saxton sports days.

We have a number of students travelling back to their home countries for the summer period to spend Christmas with their families, and we look forward to welcoming them back to Nelson at the end of January 2023. A number of our international students are lucky enough to remain here in our beautiful country enjoying our sunny beaches and planning various trips away.

It is exciting to announce that we will have over 70 international students from a wide variety of cultures starting at Waimea College next year, and we look forward to having them join our campus.

We are very lucky to have an amazing group of host families all looking forward to welcoming the students into their homes and showing them around our wonderful Tasman region in January 2023.

The International Department would like to take this opportunity to thank our host families, Kiwi friends and teachers who have cared for and supported our students in 2022, and we wish you all a safe and happy holiday season with your family and friends.