Campion College Newsletter

This week, we join Catholics around the world in praying for Pope Leo XIV, who is recovering in hospital following surgery for lung cancer. We are grateful to hear that his surgery was successful and that his recovery is progressing well. As a College community, we keep the Holy Father in our thoughts and prayers, asking God to grant him healing, strength and peace.

E te Atua,

We lift Pope Leo XIV to You in prayer as he recovers from surgery.

Surround him with Your healing love, grant him strength and comfort,

and guide those caring for him.

May he feel the prayers and support of Catholics throughout the world.

Bless him with renewed health,

courage and wisdom as he continues to lead our Church in faith, hope and love.

Amene.

Tēnā koutou parents, students, staff, and whānau,

I hope everyone has enjoyed a restful break and is feeling refreshed as we begin Term 4. It's hard to believe we are already in the final term of the year, with so much still to look forward to!

It's been a busy first week back, particularly for our senior students who have been sitting their school examinations. These exams provide an important indication of where students are at in their learning, helping them identify their strengths and the areas they need to focus on as they prepare for their external NCEA examinations. I encourage our senior students to make the most of the feedback they receive and use the coming weeks wisely.

This week, I welcomed visitors from the Ministry of Education, including my Leadership Advisor and a Curriculum Advisor. We had some valuable discussions about curriculum changes, strategic planning and attendance. It was particularly encouraging to receive such positive feedback about the work we have undertaken on our Years 7–10 curriculum for 2027. Our visitors were impressed by the level of consultation, collaboration and thoughtful planning that has gone into this work, and affirmed the direction we are taking. This was a pleasing endorsement of the considerable work our staff have put into developing a programme that will strengthen learning opportunities for our students.

Our consultation for the 2027–2028 Strategic Plan is also continuing. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. I am looking forward to welcoming whānau into the College next week for opportunities to share their thoughts and aspirations with me kanohi ki te kanohi. Your feedback is important as we consider our priorities and direction for the next two years.

Term 4 is always a special time at Campion, with many opportunities to celebrate the achievements, contributions and successes of our students. We have Sports Prizegiving, Senior Prizegiving and our Leavers' Mass coming up, and I look forward to welcoming families and members of our wider College community to share these occasions with us.

Our senior students will begin study leave following our Leavers' Mass on Friday 6 November, with NCEA examinations beginning on Tuesday 10 November. For our junior students, there is still plenty of exciting learning and activity ahead, including Activity Week, Prep Market Day and our St Edmund Campion Feast Day celebrations. We also have our Leavers' Dinner to look forward to as we farewell our Year 13 students.

Our final day for junior students will be Friday 4 December, following our Christmas Liturgy, a fitting way to bring our school year to a close.

As we move through this final term, I encourage our students to continue making the most of the opportunities in front of them, to remain focused on their learning and to support one another. There is much to celebrate, and I look forward to sharing these special moments with our Campion community over the coming weeks.

Yours in Christ,

Karyn Sadler

Tumuaki - Principal

We have some important events coming up as we head towards the end of the year, and we warmly invite our families and whānau to join us as we celebrate the achievements of our students and farewell our leavers.

• Sports Prizegiving – Thursday 29 October, 1.00 pm
  College Gymnasium. Celebrating the sporting achievements and contributions of our students throughout the year.

• Senior Prizegiving – Thursday 5 November, 1.00 pm
  College Gymnasium. Recognising the academic achievements, efforts and successes of our senior students.

• Leavers' Mass – Friday 6 November, 9.30 am
  College Gymnasium. A special opportunity to come together in faith to farewell our departing students and staff.

We look forward to sharing these occasions with our College community.

We are excited about the changes to our Years 7–10 programme for 2027. Following considerable planning and consultation, we have designed a programme that strengthens learning, ensures broad curriculum coverage and provides clear pathways for students.

One key change is that Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 will each have their own classes, rather than composite classes. This will allow learning to be better tailored to each year level.

Years 7 and 8

• 300 minutes each week of reading, 300 minutes of writing and 300 minutes of mathematics, in line with Government requirements.

• All students will experience the full range of curriculum areas rather than selecting options. This ensures everyone has the opportunity to discover new interests and build strong foundations for future learning.

• Religious Education will remain an important part of the programme.

Years 9 and 10

• Dedicated classes in Religious Education, English and Mathematics.

• Students have ranked their preferences for curriculum courses to assist us with class placements. We will do our best to accommodate these preferences. Every student will experience all curriculum areas, with the opportunity to study one area again.

• A new Enrichment Programme, with one course each semester, bringing Years 9 and 10 together to explore interests, passions and new opportunities.

We are confident these changes will provide stronger foundations for learning, clearer progression through the junior years and more opportunities for students to discover their interests and strengths. Our aim is to ensure every student is well prepared for senior learning while continuing to enjoy the broad experiences that make a Campion education special.

As we look ahead to 2027 and 2028, Campion College is beginning the process of setting our strategic direction for the next two years.

Our current vision is:

Excellence for the good of all, grounded in faith, belonging, and the development of the total person.

At present, our work is centred around three key strategic areas:

Faith and Formation
Strengthening the Catholic character of our College, providing opportunities for students to lead in faith, service and prayer, and continuing to build strong connections with our parish and wider Catholic community.

Learning and Achievement
Ensuring every student has the opportunity to achieve their best. This includes strengthening our Years 7–10 curriculum, improving literacy and numeracy, developing consistent high-quality teaching practice, and ensuring our learners are well prepared for their future.

Belonging and Wellbeing
Ensuring our students feel known, valued and connected to Campion. This includes strengthening attendance, pastoral support, student leadership, cultural opportunities and our relational and restorative approach.

These priorities have guided our work, but strategic planning is also about looking forward.

We now want to hear from our students, parents, caregivers, whānau, staff, parish and wider community about what matters most for Campion over the next two years.

We are particularly interested in five questions:

KEEP
What does Campion College currently do well that you believe we should protect and keep doing?

IMPROVE / CHANGE
What do you think Campion College most needs to improve, change or do differently?

START
What should Campion College start doing, or do more of, to better prepare our young people for their future?

OUR YOUNG PEOPLE
When a young person leaves Campion College, what do you hope they will know, be able to do, and be like as a person?

OUR PRIORITY
If Campion College could make significant progress in just one area over the next two years, what would you most want that to be? Why?

Over the coming weeks there will be a number of opportunities for different groups within our community to contribute.

We want our 2027–2028 Strategic Plan to reflect both the evidence we have about our College and the aspirations of the people we serve. Please fill out the form below, your voice is an important part of this process.

Over the coming weeks, we are inviting whānau, parish and our wider community to share their voice as we begin shaping the next chapter for Campion College. Through this consultation process, we want to understand what Campion is doing well and should keep protecting, what most needs to improve or change, what we should start doing or do more of, and what aspirations our community holds for young people leaving Campion. We also want to hear what matters most for Campion over the next two years.

Across our hui, our kōrero will be guided by five key questions:

Keep – what should we protect and keep doing?

Improve / Change – what most needs to improve or change?

Start – what should we begin doing or do more of?

Our Young People – what do we hope a young person leaving Campion will know, be able to do, and be like as a person?

Our Priority – if Campion could make significant progress in just one area over the next two years, what should that be, and why?

Your feedback will help us identify a small number of clear strategic priorities and will also help us show our community how its voice has influenced the final plan. We would love you to join us at one of our upcoming hui.

We welcomed Jess Samaila who is the Youth Worker from the Hamilton Diocese to lead our Year 10 Retreats this week. The theme of these retreats was "Look Again." Students were encouraged to consider the social pressures in their lives and how these either support or limit their living relationship with God. They participated in activities that enabled them to reflect on how God works in their lives and also to realise that God is always with them.

Students at the end of the retreat were invited to join the Year 11 Discipleship Class for 2027. This class forms the beginning of the three-year Intentional Discipleship Pathway, where students complete an academic programme while learning retreat skills and exploring their personal relationship with Christ.

Student reflection: In our retreat we explored the theme Look Again, we learnt about how much Jesus loves us and how he is always waiting for us to come to him. In small groups we talked about how Jesus was there in our lives even though sometimes we did not feel his presence. The retreat leader Jess talked about how Jesus was a loving and forgiving father. The theme Look Again reminded me to look at things with a different perspective and to look beyond what we see. The retreat was really fun because we got to learn more about Jesus’ love for us and grow in faith while had fun with our friends.

Congratulations to our Campion College Equestrian Team, who were crowned overall winners at the VetEast GPC Interschools Event!

It was a fantastic team effort, with some outstanding individual and team performances. Shannon Kanz won her jumping and Derby classes and placed in her Games events. Riaan Manuel dominated in her Games events, while Alexis Clare won her show jumping round and placed in her Derby class. The team also performed exceptionally well in the medley and team events.

Beyond the impressive results, what really stood out was the wonderful team spirit shown by our riders. It was fantastic to see students from different equestrian disciplines coming together, supporting one another and representing Campion with such pride.

Well done to our riders on a fantastic achievement. You have done our College proud!

The Campion College PTFA is fundraising for our school courtyard development, as requested by our students, and you could win a wonderful beach getaway while supporting a great cause!

THE PRIZE

Enjoy a 5-night stay at a beachfront bach at Mahanga Beach, generously donated by The Linmarric Trust.

• Sleeps up to 11 people
• Dogs welcome
• Surfboard and boogie boards
• Puzzles and board games
• BBQ and family-friendly facilities
• Beautiful beach views with stunning sunrises over the waves

The lucky winner can choose any available dates, with the 5-night stay to be taken as one consecutive booking by 31 December 2027.

Check out the bach, photos and availability here:
https://airbnb.co.nz/h/mahanga

RAFFLE DETAILS

$10 per ticket
Only 650 tickets available!

• Tickets on sale: 16 October 2026

• Sales close: 25 November 2026

• Prize draw: 26 November 2026, under Police supervision

HOW TO ENTER

Purchase your raffle tickets through Kindo.

https://shop.kindo.co.nz/app/login?shop=Campion%20College&service=campion_college_ptfa_fundraiser

Every ticket purchased helps us create a better courtyard space for Campion College students to enjoy.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• The prize is a 5-night stay at the Mahanga beachfront bach.

• Retail prize value is $1,370.

• The 5-night stay must be taken as one consecutive booking by 31 December 2027.

• Booking dates are subject to availability.

• The prize is not transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or other goods.

• A maximum of 650 tickets will be sold, with each ticket having an equal chance of winning.

• The winner will be contacted by email, phone or text following the draw on 26 November 2026.

Organiser: Campion College PTFA
Enquiries: 027 689 9140

Thank you for supporting our students!

Our dates for when the College is open for instruction in 2026 are:

Term 4

Keep up to date with all the wonderful things we are doing on our new Campion College Facebook Page. Head over to Facebook to check it out here.

Instagram page is another place you can keep up to date. Find us here,

If you haven't yet downloaded our College App, please do so. It's an easy way to stay on top of school admin.

We love to hear about and celebrate our students' achievements.

Please share info and/or photos with karyn.sadler@campioncollege.school.nz

Our church is St Mary, Star of the Sea. We are fortunate to have our church onsite. Our parish Mass times are:

Tuesday 5.30 pm

Wednesday and Thursday 9.00 am

Friday 12.10 pm,

Saturday 9 am and Vigil Mass 6.00 pm

Sunday 9.00 am

Children’s liturgy at every Sunday 9.00 am