A very vibrant and active School Council structure operates within the college. This is led by elected Head Students who are well-supported by an Academic, Arts, Wellbeing, Sports and Active Recreation Captains, House Leaders, Pou Rangatahi, Komiti Pasifika and International Student Representatives and the Student Representative on the Board.
Supporting the Executive is the School Council that has representatives from all year levels.
These groups meet on a regular basis to facilitate all student related activities from the extensive inter-house arts, academic and sports competitions, senior ball and semi formal through to community based projects.
The voice of students is a priority of the School Council and they work closely with staff to ensure that events, projects and activities are incorporated into the daily life of the school.
The 2019 Executive established three paramount and over-arching focuses as you will see below. The 2024 Executive would like to acknowledge the lasting legacy which have formed the basis of their own focus for this year.
The 2024 Executive Goals
The goals encapsulate our school motto of Me Whakamātau.
These are our three paramount and over-arching focuses for the year; the impact we would like to create/the legacy we’d like to leave behind.
1 Participation and Contribution
We believe that all students should have a positive experience at our kura and maximise their potential.
As members of the school’s Student Executive, we aim to sustain student’s ‘participation and contribution spirit’ by actively encouraging them to strive beyond their comfort zones; to engage in a diverse range of events, co-curricular and activities that Newlands College has to offer.
Taking risks; regarding how one gives back to the school, is demonstrative of Mātauranga, an aspect of Newlands College’s Vision for Learning. By being innovative and inquisitive around how we involve ourselves in the opportunities on offer, students are enabled a greater potential to enhance their school life.
2 Embracing and Celebrating Diversity
The student body consists of a unique variety of individuals, each with a distinctive backgrounds and identity.
We believe it is important to acknowledge and cherish the cultures, identity, beliefs and values among students; strengthen our diversity and to be proactive and genuine in celebrating these aspects at Newlands College.
We foresee this to include encouraging one another’s exploration in, and integration of, other cultures, of which may differ from our own.
Encouraging Whānaungatanga, Manaakitanga and Akoranga as Newlands College learning values; in this way, is essential in forming a safe learning environment for all students and staff.
3 Communicating and Consistently Promoting School Events
A goal we find critical, is establishing and maintaining concrete communication between the students, staff, the community and the Student Council Executive.
We believe direct and clear communication of upcoming activities and events is a cornerstone when regarding increasing students’ involvement, engagement across different fields, and student-to-student support.
A crucial aspect of ‘Me Whakamātau’ is an honest and effective distribution of information between all parties of the school. Working collaboratively in this way enables us to strive towards greater achievement, as well as to more effectively support one another.