Principal's Message

Kia ora koutou and welcome to the end of Term 1,

It has been a really good and dynamic 11-week term at WHS, in which WHS’ all-round education has been in full-swing. For the first time since 2019, we have had a disruption free Term 1 and were able to run Participation Day, Year 9 Greenstone Camp, Summer Tournament Week and our school Musical - Hairspray. In terms of teaching and learning, our Year 12 & 13 students have completed more NCEA credits in Term 1 than ever before. Additionally, we have started to roll out the ‘GoodSpace’ survey to better support students with their wellbeing.  

Our current (and former) students have had some significant regional, national and international achievements, including Mason Clarke being selected and playing for the U19 Black Caps in the U19 Cricket World Cup and Ava Boyt being selected to represent New Zealand at the London International Youth Science Forum. There have been so many other outstanding achievements from our students over the term, and they are all to be commended.

The continuity of the year seems to have generated a largely settled student-body which currently sits at 1442 students. Of the 1442 students, 94% have never had a referral from class, and only 30 students (2%) have been referred more than once. Our stand-down rate is at 1.38%, which is the second lowest rate in the past 6  years (in 2020, a covid-effected term, the rate was 1.32%). NZ attendance data has been being profiled in the media and this term 60% of our students are attending more than 90% of the time, so there is still some work to do there (NB. the government has set this target at 80% by 2030), and 136 students had a 100% attendance in Term 1. We have great students and a great community, and while that doesn’t mean that there aren’t lapses or errors in judgement, broadly speaking our students are great citizens and give me great confidence in the future.

Looking ahead, Term 2 is a very important term for teaching and learning. With lots of assessments and the ramping up of winter sport and extracurricular activities, students will need to be well organised and regularly attending (greater than 90%). On Thursday 2 May we have our Corequisite information evening for parents (see below for more details) and on Tuesday 7 May we have our Senior Next Steps (Parents/Student/Teacher interviews) which are held with subject teachers (see below for more details). 

Also, a reminder that from the start of Term 2, students' cellphones need to be ‘away for the day’ when at school. Students have been effectively adhering to these rules during class time but moving forward these rules are being applied to break times too (see below for more details).

Please see below for some key dates for Term 2.

• 14 April - Term 1 Reports Sent
• 25 April - ANZAC Day Commemorations
• 29 April  - Start of Term 2
• Thursday 2 May - Literacy and Numeracy corequisite information evening
• 6 – 10 May - Excellence/Ad Alta/Ākonga Assemblies
• Tuesday 7 May - Senior Next Steps
• Friday 24 May - Writing Corequisite
• Monday 27 May - Numeracy Corequisite
• Wednesday 29 May - Reading Corequisite
  
• 10 – 14 June - Junior Exams
  

A comprehensive newsletter follows with lots of important information, so be sure to have a read.

Once again, we greatly appreciate the support we get from parents and the community and I hope that everyone has a chance to rest and relax over the school holidays and I look forward to seeing all students back on Monday 29 April.

Ngā mihi nui, 

Oded Nathan
Principal/Tumuaki

House Competition - Spelling Bee

Congratulations to Duncan House who were crowned as champions of the House spelling bee competition today. The spellbinding showdown was between Duncan and Fox which saw Duncan take out the win. Mackenzie secured third place, with Arthur following closely behind. Hay, deserving of a special mention, received the coveted wooden spoon. 

Duncan maintains their top position overall in the House competition, closely followed by Fox. Mackenzie is making steady progress, while Hay and Arthur are competing closely. Coming up next in our House competition is Netball, starting in week 1 of Term 1.

Outdoor Recreation Adventures

Our Year 13 Outdoor Recreation students have had an incredible week of refining their whitewater kayaking skills in our region. Students tackled rapids on the Clutha (Mata-Au) River at Beaumont and honed their wave surfing techniques at Kaka Point in the Catlins.

Term One Wrap Up

What a term! Firstly, let's start by saying a big well done on making it through the first term of school in 2024. It's been an action packed start to the year with events, activities and, of course, a fair bit of schoolwork keeping us students busy. With the year 9s settling in, year 10s stepping up and our senior students getting well underway with their NCEA work, WHS has been buzzing this term. 

That being said, we encourage you all to take time over these school holidays to rest, reset and simply take time to unwind before diving into the second term of school. So as you start to settle into the holidays, here’s a quick wrap up of the student executive events so far this term:

Participation Day
We started off the year with participation day which was not only a great way to kick start house spirit for the year but also an opportunity for the students to make new connections with peers and teachers. The chants were loud, the marches were strong and the day was all round a great success. Participation day is a highlight we all look forward to each year and seeing the hard work of our house leaders and students pay off was awesome to see.

Mullet March and Happiness Day
Noticed any fresh new mullets around the place? You may have seen a few extra people with the classic cut thanks to a brilliant initiative from the wellbeing council. We had a big turn out of students getting their hair cut on March 14  in an effort to raise awareness for men's mental health. Thanks to all the students who put their hands up!
On top of Mullet March, the wellbeing council also celebrated International Happiness Day! It was an awesome day and great to see people taking the chance to acknowledge someone or something that makes them happy :)

Friday Chats
Something new that the head student team has started up this term is our walk-arounds at break 3 each Friday. In a growing school, this is a chance for us to get to know our fellow students better and hopefully an opportunity for them to get to know us. Conversations can be as easy as a song request for the school bell or maybe something you would like to see change in the school. The feedback we’ve had so far has been incredible and we are already seeing things change so please feel free to rock up for a chat with us - same time next term.

Next term
Looking forward to next term, work is set to ramp up for many of us with seniors’ NCEA internals picking up and juniors entering the second half of their semester one classes. Because of this, we strongly encourage you to write out a plan that will help you figure out where your ‘pinch points’ will be. That being said, with so much set to be happening, ensure you take the time over the break to look after yourself and do things that you enjoy because, as we’ve been saying all term; it’s cool to be kind- and that includes to yourself.

Have a great holiday!

The Head Student Team 

Tree Planting at Lake Hayes

Do you want to do your part to help our environment? Do you want to volunteer and socialise with an amazing group of people? Or do you just have a free Saturday and want to get some fresh air and light exercise in? If the answer is yes (or no), you should think about coming along to one of the tree planting days run by the Whakatipu Reforestation Trust! Everyone is welcome to come give a helping hand with reintroducing native plant species and helping our waterways be clean and healthy in the process. One of the core volunteers will show you what to do with the gardening gloves (and ideally shovel as well) that you bring and then you can just enjoy the fresh air and know you are leaving a lasting positive impact on the biodiversity of our beautiful home. Having attended a fair few of these myself, I can say that I’ve never seen an unfriendly face at a planting day and I would definitely recommend you check it out - the environment will be grateful for your mahi!

The upcoming dates for the plantings are as follows:

Lake Hayes Pavilion | Saturday 13th April from 9:00 am to 12 pm
Location: Lake Hayes Pavilion, Lake Hayes-Arrow Junction Highway, Lake Hayes Estate

Bush Creek | Saturday 20th April from 9:00 am to 12 pm
Location: Bush Creek, behind the Chinese Village with parking next to the Dishery

Slope Hill Road | Saturday 27th April from 9:00 am to 12 pm
Location: Slope Hill Road - off Speargrass Flat Road - along the cycle trail (see link below for further instructions)

See the Whakatipu Reforestation Trust website for further info about what you should bring and about what these planting efforts do to help Queenstown. https://wrtqt.org.nz/community-planting-days/

Isla McGlynn
Environmental Council

WHS Foundation

Sport and Active Recreation

Results and Achievements

Athletics - South Island Champs

WHS had four students compete in the South Island Secondary School Athletics Championships held in Timaru over the weekend. These athletes qualified based on their success at the Southland Champs last month. A huge congratulations to James Weber who claimed 1st in both the 1500m and 3000m run! Results below.

• U16 Boys 1500m run – 1st James Weber
• U16 Boys 3000m run – 1st James Weber
• U19 Boys 800m run – 3rd Jude Deaker
• U19 Boys 1500m run – 4th Jude Deaker
• U15 Boys 80m Hurdles – 4th Bryn Veint
• U15 Girls 3000m run – 8th Keira Redden
• U15 Girls 1500m run – 10th Keira Redden
• U15 Girls High Jump – 15th Keira Redden

Touch Champions

Congratulations to the WHS touch team All Try No Tries who won the Touch Southland Queenstown Monday Night Adult Module last night in a thrilling final vs RealNZ. The game was all tied up at 1-1, with the team clinching the win in overtime. Nice work!

Matthew Flinders Anglican College Exchange

On Sunday we hosted Matthew Flinders Anglican College from the Sunshine Coast, Australia for a sporting exchange. Queenstown put on a beautiful day for our visitors! This was a great preseason opportunity for our netball and rugby teams, and our football players had a fun couple of futsal matches. Thank you to all of the coaches and umpires who volunteered their weekend to make this happen, it was a great day!

• Boys Futsal 7-6 to WHS
• Girls Futsal 11-2 to WHS
• Hockey 19-3 to WHS
• Netball B 19-16 to WHS
• Netball A 38-29 to MF
• Rugby 19-14 to MF
• Girls Rugby 34-5 to MF

Skiing

Year 10 student Cooper Breen is currently overseas representing the New Zealand National Freeski Team. He just missed out on the podium with a 4th place at the Freeski Halfpipe European Cup in Corvatsch. Keep up the awesome work Cooper!

Otago Cricket Awards

Mason Clarke and Hugo Bogue were acknowledged at the Otago Cricket Awards last Wednesday. Both cricketers received the Patrons Scholarship, which will help fund and support their cricketing development and skills nationally and internationally. Hugo was also awarded Otago U17 Men Batter of the year, with Mason Otago Under 19 Men Bowler of Year. Well done Boys!

https://www.otagocricket.co.nz/newsarticle/139390?newsfeedId=1099515

Climbing - Climbing NZ Youth Team

All the best to Alisa Schenk (year 11) who will be climbing in her first international competition during the first week of the school holidays. Alisa is headed to Australia as part of the Climbing NZ Youth team. She will be competing in the Bouldering event in the Youth A category, proudly wearing the Silver Fern. Go Alisa!

Equestrian

A number of Wakatipu High School riders have been competing in equestrian events throughout the term, achieving some awesome results!

Cara Quin - Show Jumping

It’s been an outstanding Show Jumping season for Year 13 student Cara Quinn and her 11-Year-Old French Warmblood Haupouri Dakota NZPH competing in both the South and North Island series. Cara and Dakota have developed a great partnership over 2 years and have enjoyed consistently placings in the New Zealand Junior Rider Age Group Series, whilst also stepping up in the height classes.  Cara is also producing her new horse Cavalli GNZ and is busy planning for next season.

• Haupouri Dakota NZPH
• 1st Junior Rider (1.20-1.30cm) - Ashburton Area ESNZ Jumping & Show Hunter Premier Championship Show - Jan 24
• 2nd Junior Rider - Woodhill Sands Auckland Summer Grand Prix Show – Feb 24
• 2nd Junior Rider - Waimate SCNO Area Championships – Nov 23
• 3^rd Junior Rider - Ashburton A&P Show Oct 23
• 4th Junior Rider - Taihape 65th Annual Show Jumping Championships – Feb 24
  4^th Junior Rider – Waimate Southern Canterbury Spring Equestrian Show - Sep 23
• 1st 1.25cm - Christchurch Labour Weekend Jumping Carnival – Oct 23
• 2^nd 1.25cm - Canterbury Xmas Cracker Premier Dec 23
• 3^rd Young Rider (1.25-1.35cm) - Gore Southland Festival Show – Dec 23
• 5th 1.30cm - Taihape 65th Annual Show Jumping Championships – Feb 24
• 7th 1.30-1.35cm - Woodhill Sands Auckland Summer Grand Prix Show - Feb 24
  
• Cavalli GNZ
• 2^nd 1.15 cm - Ashburton Area ESNZ Jumping & Show Hunter Premier Championship Show - Jan 24
• 2nd 1.05-1.10cm - Woodhill Sands Auckland Summer Grand Prix Show - Feb 24
• 4th 1.05cm - Taihape 65th Annual Show Jumping Championships – Feb 24
• 4th 1-1.05cm - Woodhill Sands Auckland Summer Grand Prix Show - Feb 24

New Zealand Mounted Games

Georgia Dee & Sophie Eade attended the NZ Mounted Games Competition in Christchurch at the end of March. Both riders competed in the U15 Category, with Georgia placing 7th and Sophie coming in 9th place. Awesome work!

Opportunities to Get Involved 

QEC Strength Classes

Term 2 of Strength 101 and 102 at the Queenstown Events Centre will be starting soon. The programmes are designed specifically for 13-18 year olds, to teach you how to train safely and effectively. Strength101 is the foundation course, and 102 the progression. 

• Strength101: 9 May – 27 June, Thursdays 4.00-4.45pm
• Strength102: 6 May – 24 June, Mondays 4.00-4.45pm

Bookings will open at the Queenstown Events Centre on Monday 22 April.

Please contact deni.zawalski@qldc.govt.nz with any questions.

Keep Us Informed

The Sports Department would love to hear from you if you know of any awesome sporting achievements from our students! Please send through details/results and photos to Sian at shorn@wakatipu.school.nz so we can share and celebrate these as a school.

Support Sport at WHS

Support the team by liking the Wakatipu High School Sports Facebook page. This is the best way to stay up to date with the successes of our athletes and teams and celebrate their great achievements!

https://www.facebook.com/WakatipuHighSchoolSports/ 

Sian Horn
Director of Sport

Corequisite Information Evening Thursday 2nd May (7:00pm) online

We would like to encourage whānau of Year 10 students and any parents new to NCEA to join us to learn more about the corequisite exams and what they mean for your child’s NCEA journey. 

When: Thursday 2nd May 7:00 pm online

To participate in the online session via Google Meet, you can either download the Google Meet app onto your device or simply join using your web browser. Should you not have a Google account, you may log in with your students'.

Video Call Link: https://meet.google.com/pob-tqao-sjh

What will be covered:

• What the Corequisites are 
• How it fits within the NCEA change programme
• The main components including example questions
• What we learnt from the 2023 exams
• Accessing special assessment conditions
• What students can be doing at home

NCEA Literacy and Numeracy Corequisite Exams

As part of the NCEA Change Programme NZQA have introduced mandatory NCEA reading, writing and numeracy corequisites. These will form part of the NCEA qualification, and no qualification level can be achieved without passing all three of the corequisites.

Year 10 students and their parents/caregivers will receive email communication during the holidays regarding whether or not they have been entered for participation in each of these corequisites. No specific preparation is required, although some students may choose to build additional reading into their daily routines, or perhaps review some of the work covered in their classes to date. 

Senior students (Years 11, 12, and 13) will also receive an email if they are still required to sit one or more of the corequisites.

In the event that any student is unsuccessful in their first attempt, there will be a second opportunity in week 9 Term 3. There will also be additional opportunities to sit each corequisite test in the following years.

Queries related to the corequisites can be directed to the following staff members:

Reading - Katie Tomkins (Literacy Team)
Numeracy - Juliet Jones (Assistant HoLA, Maths)
Writing - Craig Jack (HoLA English)

The corequisites will take place across Weeks 4 and 5 of Term 2 with Year 10s sitting in the morning and Year 11s to 13s in the afternoon, as well as students requiring special assessment conditions:

Friday 24 May - Reading 
Monday 27 May - Numeracy
Wednesday 29 May - Writing

What can you do to support your child?

• Literacy - Reading and Writing
  • It is helpful to encourage your child to read and write at home or in their day-to-day activities. We can support them to achieve this by gathering materials that are meaningful to them from our school library.
  • Student resources for reading Student Workbook - Literacy (Reading) which use the 2022 practice exam resource materials for the questions which can be found, along with other NZQA reading exam resources, here
  • The NZQA resources for the writing exam can be found here
    
    
• Numeracy
  
  • You can find ways to support numeracy in the home, such as using measurements in recipes, discussing angle directions, reading scale maps, finding areas or volumes of objects, and working out the best deal whilst shopping.
  • Students who are logged onto Education Perfect can access all the Numeracy Corequisite lessons here
  • In this Google folder there are several practice numeracy questions and old exam papers that you can discuss and do with your child
  • Mana Tāhuna run after-school maths and science tutorials every other Thursday for Māori students
  • The WHS Mathematics and Statistics department runs a Math Study Hub after school every Thursday for students looking for a quiet, supported place to study
  • Encourage your child to ask for support when they need it

More ideas to support learning at home can be found here.

Senior Next Steps - Tuesday 7th May (Week 2 Term 2)

Our Senior Next Steps conferencing (teacher/parent/student) are on Tuesday 7th May from  2:30pm - 7:30pm  at school. 

Next Steps bookings are now open - please click on the link below. Please note that we will be closing bookings at midday on Monday 6th May.

These parent-student-subject teacher meetings are very important for students’ learning, progress and achievement. We strongly encourage all senior students to attend this evening, and please note that if your student has received Learning Engagement reports containing a one (serious concern), or two (needs improvement), it is particularly important you are there. 

When making your bookings, you’ll need to know your students' subjects and teacher.   If you need to know who the teacher is for each subject, check the WHS Portal.  Please try to leave at least five minutes between each of your interviews, as this will give you time to move to the next teacher and will help prevent people running behind schedule.

If you find that a teacher that you would like to see has no more slots available, please contact them directly to discuss an alternative. 

School will finish at 1:50 pm for all students on Tuesday 7 May, with buses running at this time. 

Please use the link below to book your interviews.

Arts Department News

Hairspray - It's A Wrap!
It was once again our privilege to celebrate the achievements of the Performing Arts students at WHS as they showcased their skills in the production of Hairspray; piled bouffant-high with laughter, romance and catchy songs. Whether on stage, in the band, or working in one of the crews for sound and lighting tech, choreography, backstage, costume, props, set design, hair and makeup or front of house; the students once again demonstrated the skills that are developed through the musical process.

As always, this show couldn’t be possible without the support of the community and our major sponsor Tomtom. A very special thanks to Stine Cooper, Kate Ferguson, Paula Bell, Dax Richards, David Partee, Kristen Dobbie, Vicki Patton, Genevieve Small, Jackie Rodgers, Tim Shawcross, Petra Thompson, Nicky Huck and Oded Nathan for their time and commitment to the show this year. As always, our student leaders are key to the success of this event so thank you all for the extra hours and leadership shown during this process. Finally, a thank you to the families of the cast and crew who have again supported the extensive demands of time and commitment.

TO OUR FABULOUS STUDENTS, Thank you for your mahi and focus and we can’t wait to see you bring the WHS stage back to life again next year! 

-  Mr Hansen and Mrs Price 

TOI WEARABLE ARTS

The Art Department would like donations of materials for our TOI wearable arts students to use to make clothing.  In particular we need calico, white and black material, any fake fur type materials or red material. 

Please drop it into the school office with your name and number so we can express our thanks

Onscreen - groups or individuals can create a music video, short narrative film or short documentary.  Contact Mrs Hamilton for information,  support & registrations at  jhamilton@wakatipu.school.nz

Plenty happening on the Music front in Term 2 as we build up to the Jazz, Rock and Songwriting events/competitions.

Rockquest 2024 - entries are open until 3rd of May.  Regional heats will be held on 19th May.  Find out more here:

https://www.smokefreerockquest.co.nz/regional-homepage/central-otago

Play it Strange Songwriting Competition is now open for entries.  The Yrs 9-11 Songwriting Competition closes Friday 31st May.  Make sure you come along to the Songwriting Group with Solomon Crook on Thursday mornings at 8.15am.

More information can be found here:  https://www.playitstrange.org.nz/competitions

Showquest 2024
The decision is ours! Our story is about the impact of a significant decision could have on our environment, wildlife and our native land. We will be using the sliding door theory to showcase how one decision can lead to a completely different path in life than if you had chosen the other option. We aim to illustrate how we can work towards making New Zealand, and specifically Queenstown, a better place. 
Expressions of Interest will be Week 1 Term 2, here is the classroom code s6nzppc add yourself for updates!  You do not need to be able to dance, just be willing to move!  We are also looking for students to create a media wall, and design lighting, music, and costumes!

Jazz Band Weekend - The Jazz Band Workshop will be held during the School Holidays,  April 27/28 which is the last weekend of the holidays.  Details have been sent home regarding this event.

Wakatipu High School Jazz Band are raising funds for their trip to the Southern Jam Youth Jazz Festival in August this year.  A fantastic raffle has been organised with amazing prizes.  Tickets will be on sale until 10th May.  Please contact WHSjazzband2024@gmail.com for information on tickets.

Extracurricular groups
Extracurricular Music Groups are up and going,  more will be starting in Term 2.

• Guitar - Mondays Break 2
• Digital Music Production - Wednesday Break 2
• Junior Jazz - Wednesday Break 2
  
• Songwriting Club - Thursday 8.15am
  

Keep checking each of the  Classroom Groups for more details and updates

Let Us Know
The Arts department would like to know about any artistic achievements that students have attained outside of school be it in Drama, Dance, Music or Visual Arts. Please send details and photos to artscoordinator@wakatipu.school.nz

Support the Arts
We are always looking for local professional performing and visual artists to visit our school and run workshops for our students. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact the Arts Coordinator at artscoordinator@wakatipu.school.nz

Instagram Page
Follow our school’s Instagram page for recent successes or news within the school’s Arts Department at whsartdepartment.

World Challenge Fundraiser - A Prize a Day for the Month of May

🌟 Get ready for a month of excitement and winning with the World Challenge Raffle! 🌟

🎉 Each day in May brings a new chance to win incredible prizes!

🎁 Gift vouchers, merchandise, experiences, and more await our lucky winners!

💖 Every ticket purchased supports a meaningful cause !

🌍 Purchase your tickets now for a shot at daily prizes throughout May. 

1. Complete the Google Form below

3. Pay by direct debit

With thousands of dollars worth of prizes don't miss out on this amazing opportunity. Buy your tickets today!

A massive thank you to our incredible community who have supported us to create such an incredible raffle.

2024 Winter Sports Academy

Calling all pro athletes for the 2024 Winter Season!

Calling all winter sports athletes! If you are currently enrolled with, or planning to enrol with a snowsports training provider (QAST, Coberger, HPC, Remarkables FWT) and would like to apply to join the WHS Winter Sports Academy, please complete the application form by Friday 10 May, click here.

The Academy runs from 3:30 - 5:30 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (starting between Week 8 and 10 - exact date is TBC and dependent on the commencement date of training for the training providers), and offers a quiet, supported space for students who are missing school during the day to catch up on their learning. Students are supervised and mentored to balance both their sporting and academic commitments, and guided to develop their self-management skills. For more information on what the Academy offers and for pricing information, please click below:

WSA Information

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at kmurray@wakatipu.school.nz.

Kayleigh Murray
Winter Academy Coordinator

Gifted Education

Huna Māhirahira - Curious Minds

Hunga Māhirahira Curious Minds is a Google Classroom where teachers from all Learning Areas post about competitions, trips, and other opportunities for any student to get involved with.  This includes ICAS and CAM competitions, university trips, Mathematics, Science, and Writing competitions, and local presentations, to name a few. 
To ensure your child has access to all of these exciting opportunities, make sure they are signed up to Google Classroom using this code: cgizhbc.

NZ Physics and Mathematics Competition

The NZPMC is open to Physics and Mathematics students from Year 9 to Year 13. There are two separate papers for Junior division (Years 9-11) and Senior division (Years 12-13). To make the competition experience more exciting, the organisers have decided to introduce a two-round system. Round 1 will take place online, and Round 2 will take place at a venue in the South Island. The competition will be a perfect opportunity for passionate students who wish to be challenged and learn about physics and maths at the same time. Registrations close on Sunday, 27 April. Round 1 costs $12 and is held online on Saturday, 4 May. More information can be found here. 

Click here to register on the NZPMC website. 

University of Canterbury CAM Junior KIWI Competitions

Calling all Year 9 and 10 students looking to flex their academic prowess in Mathematics, Science, and / or English! 

The annual KIWI Mathematics, Science, and English competitions are skills-based and closely aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum. The tests are designed by New Zealand teachers for New Zealand students. Results are provided to schools in Term 3. All participating students will receive a certificate and a prize will be awarded to the top student nationally in each competition. The competition will also provide parents / caregivers with an Individual Pupil Report of the student's performance in that subject. 

Fill out this form to register for the competitions, which must be completed by 10 May. 
Each competition costs $9.90 and this must be paid via the School Portal by 5 July to participate. The competition assessments will be sat at WHS in Week 1 of Term 3 (22 - 26 July)  Click here for more information.

ICAS 2024

ICAS is an online academic competition that gives students the opportunity to challenge their higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, and Writing. The competition is open to all WHS students, Year 9 through to 13, with test dates throughout August. Every student who participates is celebrated and recognised with a printed certificate in each subject area, and an online results report to track development each year. Top performers are eligible for one of the highly coveted ICAS medals. 
 
If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please:  
1. Read about ICAS subjects and prices here.
2. Read the terms and conditions here. 
3. Go to the Parent Portal to sign up to chosen subject areas here.  
4. Enter our school’s access code – QFN331.  
5. Enter your child’s details, select the subject areas your child would like to participate in, then proceed to payment.  
 
After payment is made via the Parent Payment System, you will receive an order confirmation email. Please keep this for your records. Applications need to be in by Friday, 26 July. 

Ngā mihi nui,
Logan Rae
Gifted Coordinator

Duke of Edinburgh Moke Lake Hike

Last weekend, a group of seven year 10 and year 11 students, along with Ms Hone and Mr Rae, completed either a practice or qualifying journey for the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award. On the first day, we hiked 14 km from Arthurs Point to the Moke Lake campground on the Moonlight track. During the walk, we encountered farm animals such as cows, horses and sheep. At times, the cows were difficult to pass but we were patient waiting for the right time to keep walking ahead. Arriving at Moke Lake, we were greeted with a pristine lake that was so calm it mirrored the mountains above. This was truly quite incredible as it is not often that the lake is so serene. 

We set up our own tents, cooked our meals and carried all the equipment, food and clothing we needed for the weekend. On the trip, I learned how to use a PLB (personal location beacon) in case of an emergency, how to read a topographic map, precautions to take when using a gas cooker, to take enough water, and more! 

Some of the many highlights of the hike included seeing all the farm animals up close, seeing some of the most beautiful stars I have ever seen, meeting new people, exploring our backyard, and seeing awesome views! 

Miko Agnew
Year 10 Student

Sold out Shows for Hairspray!

For the first time in 20 years, our school Musical has sold out before opening night! We are overwhelmed by the support of our school and incredibly proud of the talented group of individuals who have put on the show.

Whether on stage, backstage or working in one of the crews for tech, costumes, props, hair, media, set design makeup or front of house, the students have worked incredibly hard to bring you a show that exemplifies hard work and professionalism. For our senior students, the experience of working with community specialists, leading crews and mentoring younger cast members reflects the powerful nature of this process to positively impact the lives of young people.

As always, this show wouldn’t be possible without the support of the community and major sponsors. A very special thanks to Stine Cooper, Kate Ferguson, Paula Bell, David Partee, Vicki Patton, Genevieve Small and Nicky Huck for their time and commitment to the show this year. As always our student leaders are key to the success of this event. Thank you all for the extra hours and support during this process. Finally, a thank you to the families of the cast and crew who have again supported our extensive demands of time and commitment. 

TO OUR FABULOUS STUDENTS, Thank you for your mahi!

Mr. Jake Hansen as Director and Mrs. Alison Price as Musical Director.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 16

Next

Ākonga Passport

The Ākonga Passport is a system of positive acknowledgement for students in Years 9 & 10 that aligns with our Ākonga (Learner) Profile. The Ākonga Passport acknowledges students for their behaviours that exemplify the School Values, Their LE (Learning Engagement, 3-weekly) Reports. For their participation in extra & co-curricular activities and service to others both in and out of school as well as their engagement in a Digital Certificate (Year 9) & Careers Certificate (Year 10). Each section has points which students accumulate in their Passports. They strive to gain as many points as possible throughout the year, aiming for the different levels of the Passport Bronze (15 points) Silver (30 points) Gold (50 points).

Students reaching the required thresholds will be presented with the relevant ‘Peak’ during the year at our Excellence/Ad Alta Assemblies and a badge to wear on their blazer. As the First term draws to a close we will be looking to acknowledge those students that over this term have met the criteria for an Ākonga Bronze award. If your child has been involved in any external activities ( extra and co-curricular ) we want to acknowledge this effort. Below is a link to a Google form that can be filled in to acknowledge their efforts.

Sir John Kirwan visits WHS

On Wednesday, a large group of Wakatipu High School students got the pleasure of listening to a talk by All Blacks legend Sir John Kirwan about the best way to approach sport, work and everyday life from a perspective of mental wellbeing. He discussed the difficult times he faced from the beginning of his professional rugby career and the continual uncertainties and anxiety he lived with, starting at just 19 years old. By sharing his personal story of navigating a healthier way through life, WHS students received insight and a slight head start in terms of strategies and habits that can make getting through the tough times that bit better. The opportunity to hear from a New Zealand sporting icon on such a personal and open level made for an exceptionally engaging talk. To hear about the importance of mental fitness in sports and in life at an early stage in the potential careers of so many students was incredibly valuable. The talk as a whole was incredible and the conversations it has sparked so far are great ones to be having.

The key message behind John Kirwan’s words was the importance of giving something to the six pillars of mental wellbeing whenever you can. John's six pillars were; Chill, do, connect, move, celebrate and enjoy. At the end of the day, if you’d ice your knee on the sports field, why wouldn’t you give your brain and mind the same care? 

Special thanks to Westpac Queenstown for bringing such an influential New Zealander to our school.

Abby Fookes
​Deputy Head Student

NZ Marine Centre Portobello 2024

Our Year 13 Biology students completed 3 days research at the NZ Marine Centre (University of Otago), Portobello. They investigated the behaviour of crabs in different contexts for an internal assessment. The marine staff at the University were very impressed with all of them- hardworking, great problem solving abilities and very respectful !! Ka pai students.

Rose Kidd
Teacher in charge of Biology

Key Dates