Welcome back to term 4. We hope everyone has had a restful break and is ready for a productive and engaging final term of the year.

This term is an important time for our Yr 13 students as they prepare for life beyond school either through further study or employment. Our seniors will be using the next three weeks to focus on completing assessments and preparing for external exams. Our Yr 12 students will also be looking forward to taking on leadership roles next year and we are looking forward to announcing those next week on 13th October. Dates for Yr 12 & 13 Leaver’s Assemblies are shared below and information regarding exam schedules will be communicated shortly.

Please note the following dates for Staff Only Days 

• Friday, 14 November

• Monday, 17 November

The school will be closed to students on these dates, to allow our staff to engage in professional development, curriculum development and planning for 2026.

We would like to advise all parents and guardians that the email address for reporting student attendance has changed. Please update your records and direct all attendance-related communications to attendance@wegc.school.nz For those that use the app the email address has been changed you will not need to do anything.

We would also like to welcome our newest staff members, Natalie Zhao, Tony Williams and Fiona Gordon-Smith who join us this term. We are delighted to have them working with us and know they will be valuable additions to our teaching staff.

Term 4 is also a time for celebrating the achievements and talents within our school. We will be holding a number of significant events, including:

• Prize Giving Ceremony

• Sports Awards

• Nga Kaitiaki Toi (Arts Celebration)

• Pasifika Graduation

• Māori Graduation

Further details for these celebrations will be announced in due course. We encourage all families to attend and support our students to celebrate their achievements.

We will be hosting our annual Year 8 Taster Day in November, providing prospective students with an opportunity to experience life at WEGC. This provides a great opportunity to build whanaungatanga with our incoming students.

Measles cases in Aotearoa

You may be aware from the media of increasing concern around Measles cases in New Zealand. Recent measles cases linked to overseas travel have been reported in Te Tai Tokerau and Queenstown. Cases were active in the community while infectious and there is a risk of measles circulating there, and more widely in Aotearoa.

• Measles is very contagious and can make people of any age very sick.

• Watch for measles symptoms – fever, cough, runny nose, sore eyes and a blotchy rash. 

Measles: Locations of interest in Aotearoa New Zealand – Health New Zealand (https://info.health.nz/conditions-treatments/infectious-diseases/about-measles/measles-locations-of-interest-in-aotearoa-new-zealand)

• If anyone in your whānau has measles symptoms keep them home and contact a doctor or Healthline urgently on 0800 611 116.

• Vaccination is the best protection from measles. Check all whānau are immunised. 

Measles immunity – Health New Zealand (https://info.health.nz/conditions-treatments/infectious-diseases/about-measles/measles-immunity)

Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine – Health New Zealand (https://info.health.nz/immunisations/vaccines-aotearoa/measles-mumps-and-rubella-mmr-vaccine)

• Anyone closely exposed to measles who has not received two MMR vaccinations cannot attend their school | kura for at least eight days.

If you are unsure of your child’s vaccination status, it is safe to have additional doses of the MMR vaccine, so you may wish to consider having them vaccinated. 

Ngā mihi nui,

Gael Ashworth

Principal

Upcoming Dates to Note

Please note some dates can change - please keep an eye on the school calendar and this document 

2026 Start of Year: 

We look forward to welcoming our Year 9’s in 2026 on Friday 30 January, and all year levels Monday 2 February. More information will come to you before the end of Term 4, 2025.

See our website for more information https://www.wegc.school.nz/