Chilton Saint James School

During the school holidays, Eva Bolton and Madelyn Yee (Year 5) had the opportunity to visit Wellington Mayor Andrew Little.

After introductions, they enjoyed a tour of the Mayor's office and the Council Chambers before Eva sat down to interview Mayor Little.

A fantastic opportunity to learn more about local government and leadership.

Congratulations to Mary-Grace Prisk (Year 7) and Marielle Prisk (Year 8), who won Bronze in the Show Skate category at the 2026 New Zealand Artistic Roller Skating Championships in Napier. 🥉⛸️

Competing with a synchronised team routine, the pair delivered a fantastic performance to earn a place on the podium at the national championships.

Well done, Mary-Grace and Marielle!

Congratulations to Alice Carter (Ngāti Maniapoto), from Chilton Saint James School in Lower Hutt, and the overall winner of the 2026 CMNZ NZCT Chamber Music Contest Original Composition award. Alice's work "Silent Camp" brings together both female and male perspectives of WWI through the use of two texts; Silent camp by Jessie Pope and an excerpt from the diary of British soldier Private Charles Blackmore.

Currently in Year 13, Alice is a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir and she has had success in national vocal competitions, most recently in the New Zealand Aria and Nicholas Tarling Aria Competitions last year.

As a composer, in 2024 Alice won the open-aged category of the Choirs Aotearoa NZ composition competition “Compose Aotearoa” for choral works using a text in Te Reo Māori. Her work was subsequently workshopped by Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir.

She also currently plays violin in the Wellington Youth Orchestra, and the New Zealand Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra.

Ka pai also to the regional composition winners:

* Northern: 'The Merchant's Antiques' - Charlotte Victoria Vernon, ACG Tauranga (Bay of Plenty)

* Southern: 'Fjord' - Lachie McGregor, Verdon College (Southland)

* Highly Commended: 'Pursuit' - Mami Koizumi, Woodford House (Hawke's Bay)

We’d like to thank Original Composition adjudicator, Christchurch-based composer Pieta Hextall.

New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT), SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music

It has been a successful cross-country season for our primary and secondary school runners, with strong performances across the Zone, Interzone, Regional and New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships. 🏃‍♀️

Isabelle Hunt (Year 10) and Elme Pienaar (Year 11) represented Chilton at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships,

Our Primary and Intermediate Interzone team ran strongly on a new course at McEwan Park, with Grace Smith, Harriet Campbell, and Harriet Edwards earning selection for the Regional Championships. Special mention to Grace Smith, who finished 11th in her age group at Regionals.

Mānawatia a Matariki! ✨

Our school community came together for a special dawn service to reflect, remember, and celebrate the Māori New Year.

As part of the service, kawakawa leaves were placed on the fire in remembrance of those who have passed over the past year, and a hēbe was planted as a symbol of new beginnings, growth, and hope.

A meaningful morning spent honouring the past while looking ahead to the year to come.

We are delighted to share that Kaydi Chin (Year 13) has achieved first place at the Central Regional Round of the NZCT Chamber Music Contest with her ensemble, The Swiss Watchmakers.

They performed beautifully to win first place in the Central Regional Final round on Saturday night and have now been selected as one of eight ensembles nationwide to compete at the National Final in Christchurch on Saturday 1 August.

We wish Kaydi and The Swiss Watchmakers all the very best for the National Final!

Our Kotāre class visited Principal Mrs Robertson to share their Kindness Jar and tell her about the kind words and thoughtful actions they have been showing at Preschool. 💛

Each time a child demonstrates kindness, they are invited to place a kindness ball into the jar, celebrating the many ways they care for and support one another.

A beautiful way to grow and celebrate manaakitanga – showing respect, generosity, and care for others.

An outstanding result for Year 13 student Phoebe Bridger-Atkins at the 14th World Hapkido Festival & Championships in Busan, South Korea!

Competing in the adult division, Phoebe was awarded:
🥇 Gold – Fan Pattern
🥈 Silver – Unarmed Pattern

In addition to her competition results, Phoebe was also awarded a Hapkido Scholarship by the Korean Grandmasters.

An exceptional achievement. Well done, Phoebe!

Our Oreikura Kapa Haka group shone at HuttFest, performing with immense pride, passion, and mana. ✨

The group made history with an outstanding performance, and our kaupapa was recognised during the closing remarks, with the presenter acknowledging not only their performance but also the spirit they brought to the festival.

A performance like this is only possible through the dedication of many people. Thank you to everyone who supported, encouraged, and contributed to the success of Oreikura Kapa Haka. We are incredibly proud of what this group has achieved.

Giving back to our community is an important part of life at Chilton. On Wednesday, our students swapped their uniforms for pyjamas in support of Jammies for June.

As part of our Primary-led service initiative, we are collecting new pyjamas and raising funds throughout June for Wellington Children's Hospital, helping provide warmth and comfort to children in need.

If you would like to support this wonderful cause, you can donate online here before Tuesday 30 June:
www.jammiesforjunewellington.org.nz/fundraisers/ChiltonSaintJamesSchool25

Or donate a new, unused pair of child-size pyjamas by placing them in the tubs in the Little Chilton foyer or FitzGerald reception before the end of term.