Visit Website

Newsletter

Issue 3/2025                         email: [email protected]                    webpage: www.wesley.school.nz    

SPECIAL CHARACTER
Wesley College has a direct affiliation with the Methodist Church and, with the support of the Church provides education based on the beliefs of Methodism

Principal's Message

Strengthening Safeguarding at Our School
We’re pleased to share that last week there was an induction/training for our staff ‘Safeguarding Champions’. A student group is also planned.

This is a major step forward to accompany our safeguarding policies and procedures and further strengthen the safety and wellbeing of all students and staff.

It is major, as it signal’s Safeguarding going from being driven by a core group of people, to spreading across all the key areas of our school campus.

This updated approach adds further support to the fact that all staff are fully trained, clear about their responsibilities, and able to respond swiftly and appropriately to any concerns. It also improves how we record and manage safeguarding information, in line with the latest government guidance.

Creating a safe, supportive environment is at the heart of everything we do. These changes help us continue to provide a school where every child feels secure, valued, and ready to learn.
There is no grey area for our staff, students and community around our pledge to be an exemplary Safeguarding environment.

If you’d like to know more about our safeguarding programme, or you are unsure of any aspect of your role within it, I urge you to take time to read the safeguarding page on the school website or discuss it with our Safeguarding Officer or a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Opportunity
Wesley College offers a vast range of opportunities outside of the classroom; to be able to attend these activities the expectation is students are at 90% plus attendance and achieving the required goals in the classroom. Consideration is also given to students with acceptable reasons for absence.

Students need to be thinking now about their goals for 2026. 

If they want to be considered for Polyfest Cultural Groups and Sports Teams in 2026, they need to meet the following criteria in 2025:

90% plus attendance
NCEA Level 1 or 2 achieved (seniors)
100 Reading Plus Reads (juniors)

(Special consideration may be given in some cases e.g. extended illness.)

Attendance vs Achievement 
Every student should be at 90% plus attendance this is a requirement the Government are monitoring. Overall attendance in Term 1 was very good, as a school we averaged about 86%.

However, there has been an increase in poor boarder return on a Sunday night to the Hostel. This is not acceptable and needs to be addressed. All boarders should be back between 3 and 7pm.

Boarding fees - Background
The Wesley College Trust Board set the boarding fees at $16,472:00 in 2016 and have not increased them since.  The maximum fee parents pay is $7,320:00 as there is an automatic grant of $9,152:00 applied to each student fee.
 
The college also applies a means tested financial assistance grant for families or scholarships to selected students. The average grant applied is $3,500:00 which leaves an average balance of $3,820:00 for families to pay.  The college accepts weekly payments over 52 weeks. 
 
The college held off reviewing boarding fees over 2020 and 2021 due to COVID lock downs which had a large financial impact on our community.
 
However, since 2016 there have been large increases in food (23% increase from 2020), utilities (college electricity costs increased 40% in 2024) and wages costs. 
 
The cost of each individual boarder is highlighted below, and we are sure parents understand how much it costs to feed and house teenagers if they were at home.
 
Current Cost of Boarding
The 2025 expected cost per student for boarding:

Catering costs:              
Hostel costs:                 
Laundry Costs:             
Health Clinic Costs:   

Total cost per boarder: 

 

$5,629
$14,309
$1,532
$1,059

$22,529  

Given the escalating costs, the college is recommending a review of the current boarding fee and a proposed increase in fees to ensure a positive boarding experience for students.
 
The first-year increase is 13.37% and the subsequent 2 years are 9.43%.  Our current grants are 47.6% of the fees charged, we propose grants be increased proportionally.
 
The table below is the plan for increasing fees over the next three years.

Year 
2025
2026
2027
2028

 

Boarding Fee
$7,320
$8,320
$8,820
$9,320

 

$ Increase each year

$1,000
$500
$500

Uniform
Looks amazing for the most part. In order to maintain our highest standards, a few students need to have haircuts and some girls definitely need to have false eyelashes removed.

Please ensure boys are not wearing 'Dickies' trousers they are not part of the school uniform and in fact cost as much as the official school trousers. Please also note taking the label off the 'Dickies' does not make them official school trousers either.

Please ensure haircuts, eyelashes and the Dickies changes happen this coming weekend.

School Board

Appointed Proprietors Trustees
Mrs Patisepa Tāla'imanū - Presiding Member
Ms Gillian Laird
Mr Jeoffry Moeakiola

Mr James Thomas - LSM
Mr Brian Evans - Principal
Mr Jean-Paul Eason - Staff Representative

 


Elected Parent Trustees
Mrs Fifita Viria
Mrs Carla Makiha
Mr Sakeo Buke
Ms Misty Edmonds
Mr Apulu Asiata

Miss Moeata Ngataki - Student Representative

2025-2028 School Board Parent Representative Elections

This year the School Board Parent Representative elections will be held in September. 

School board members play an important role in shaping the education experience and achievement of students.

Information on what school boards are can be sourced by clicking on the following link community member guide to the role of he school boards

More information and nomination forms will be posted in the Principal's Newsletter over the coming months.

Junior Deans

Mrs Charlotte Saunders
Mrs Janine Raos (Assistant Junior Dean)
[email protected]

 

Senior Deans

Year 11 - Mr Rod Jack
Year 12 - Ms Shazia Nisha
Year 13 - Dr Brian Evans
[email protected]

 

 

Ms Ngatia Vaike, Assistant
Senior Dean

[email protected]

Boarding Costs - Student ID and School Magazine

A reminder, boarding payments should have begun the first week of January 2025.

Payments for boarding can be made to 12-3023-0351966-00

Payments for the Student ID and School Magazine can be made in person at reception or by direct payment to 02-0280-0302600-04.

Please use your son/daughters name and code in the reference fields.

Student ID cards are ready to be collected on payment of $8.50 t
o the school office.


Student ID cards can be used to verify a students identity, offers discounts on public transport, movie theatres and many other businesses

Hostel Contact Details:

House parents are on duty to take phone calls from 6.30am - 7.30am and 3.20pm - 9.30pm. 
The Hostels are closed during the day.

Alternatively you can email the hostels on:

Te whare Taina
Te whare Maia
Te whare Pakeke
Te Paea

 

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

Notifying a daily absence

Daily absences can be made by:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (09) 2370224
Portal: https:/login.bridge.school.nz/?
Special extended leave requests of more than 2 days must be made to the Principal.

2026 Enrolment Applications

Applications for 2026 are now open for students enrolling in Year 9.
An application can be sourced by clicking on the following link Application for Admission

Community Acknowledgement

From time to time we receive wonderful feedback from the general public complimenting our students who represent Wesley College with pride.

To view community acknowledgements please click on the following link: Community Acknowledgement

Events Calendar

Calendar

 

Recent News

 

New Parent Portal

With the launch of the ‘parent-friendly’ versions of both our national curricula, you will know exactly what your child is learning, why it’s important, and when they’ll be learning it, so that you can actively support and complement your child’s learning at home and have meaningful conversations with…

View More
 
 
 

Academic Achievement - NCEA 2024

View More
 
 
 

NCEA and Curriculum Information Evening

Thursday, 15th May 2025 at 6:30pm

View More
 
 
 

Student of the Month - MIT

Year 13 student James Asitomani has been awarded the ‘Student of the month’.

View More
 
 
 

Gateway Forklift Course

Students gain their forklift license!

View More
 
 
 

MITO Bus Tour

Students visited three different businesses that work in the automotive industry.

View More
 
 
 

Have you got feedback or a complaint about anything at Wesley College? SPEAK UP

View More
 
 
 

Safety & Wellbeing

Safety & Wellbeing

View More
 
 
 

Exeat Weekend - 10/11 May 2025

View More
 
 
 

Polyfest

Some superb photos and performances from the 50th Anniversary of Polyfest. Big thank you to all our students who represented Wesley well!

View More
 
 
 

Fiafia Night

Photos from the night.

View More
 
 
 

Anonymous Concern Reporting - STYMIE

View More
 
 
 

2025 Phones Away for the Day

Mobile Phones ‘Away for the Day’ Procedure 2025

View More
 
 
 

2025 Daily School Timetable

Our school day commences with Chapel. This is a central aspect of our Special Character everyone is welcome to attend.

View More
 
 
 

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

From the start of 2025, it is expected that all students at Wesley College bring their own learning device to school every day

View More
 
 
 

2025 TERM DATES

View More