WHS Newsletter | Issue 2.03 | 12 May | 2023

Principal's Message

Kia ora koutou, 

Welcome to the end of Week 3, one that has been disrupted by industrial action, including a strike day on Tuesday and the rostering home of Year 13’s on Thursday. Unfortunately, it looks as though industrial action will be continuing through this term (see below for future ‘rostering home’ dates) and so it is really important that students use the days away from school’ productively and endeavour to maximise their learning. Seniors have many internal assessments that they can be working through and should also be consolidating their learning for external exams by reading and summarising their notes and/or completing homework exercises. Similarly, juniors need to ensure they are working through their assignments and using their Education Perfect accounts to consolidate learned skills accross all their subjects. Additionally, juniors will have access to Reading Plus (or Power Up), which are online programmes that the school has purchased for all junior students to support them with their literacy skills. Parents of junior students will have received an email today outlining further details regarding these literacy programmes.

On Wednesday evening, we held a numeracy information evening, which outlined the numeracy corequisite that most Year 10 students will be sitting in four weeks time. This followed on from the literacy information evening that was held in March. If parents were unable to attend either of these evenings, we strongly recommend that you watch the recordings of these important evenings with the links below. 

The fourth Learning Engagement report of the year is now available online through the Portal. Be sure to have a look and discuss with your student how they’re going, especially if there are 1’s or 2’s in the report. If you have concerns about how your student is going in any of their classes, please be sure to get in touch with their subject teacher, Kaiārahi or Dean as required.

In spite of the disrupted week, there has been lots of action at WHS, much of which can be read about in the following newsletter, so be sure to have a read through. 

A reminder that with winter now fast approaching, it is important that all parents download the WHS SZApp to ensure you are receiving push messages regarding any changes to the school day (see below for more details). Also, be sure to update your Portal Password if you haven’t already done so. Again, further details are available below.

We’re looking forward to celebrating the Year 13 Formal on Saturday night. Hope that everyone has an enjoyable and safe weekend.

Ngā mihi nui,

Oded Nathan
Principal

PPTA Industrial Action - Rostering Home

The following is the rostering home plan by year level which means there will be no school and no classes for  that year level on that day. All other year levels are expected to attend school on that day.

• Tuesday 16 May - Year 9
• Wednesday 17 May - Year 10
• Thursday 25 May - Year 11
• Tuesday 30 May - Year 13
• Thursday 1 June - Year 12
• Tuesday 6 June - Year 10
• Thursday 8 June - Year 9

Numeracy Information Evening Recording

On Wednesday 10 May we held a numeracy information evening for parents of Year 10 students regarding the numeracy corequisite. Please see the video and slideshow linked below for all parents that missed this important information evening.

Literacy Information Evening Recording

Last term we held a literacy information evening for parents of Year 10 students. We highly recommend watching the recording of this crucial evening below if parents were unable to attend this event.

NCEA Literacy and Numeracy Corequisite Exams

As part of the upcoming NCEA Change Programme (due to be rolled out for Year 11 students at NCEA Level One from 2024), NZQA will be introducing mandatory NCEA reading, writing and numeracy co requisites. These will form part of the NCEA qualification, and NCEA cannot be achieved without theses co requisites.

Year 10 students and their parents / caregivers have all received email communication 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 maths class to date. This is not expected, or required however.

In the event that any student is unsuccessful in their first attempt, there will be a second opportunity in Term four. There will also be additional opportunities to sit each corequisite test in Year 11.

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

Reading - Katie Tomkins, Micha Palmer (Literacy Team)

Numeracy - Juliet Jones (Assistant HoLA, Maths)

Writing - Craig Jack (HoLA English)

Internal Assessment Calendar

The 2023 internal assessment calendar provides the due dates for all internal assessments that students undertake throughout the year for each course in Years 11-13.  This calendar, when copied, enables students to create a calendar with just their internal assessments.  We highly recommend that parents ask their children to create their individual assessment calendar to better enable them to organise and plan so that they may ultimately achieve their academic goals. (NB. Students will also have external practice exams that can be added to the calendar. Ask to see the ‘Course Outline’ for each of their subjects).

• Level 1 Internal Assessment Calendar
• Level 2 Internal Assessment Calendar
• Level 3 Internal Assessment Calendar

Adverse Weather

With winter fast approaching this piece is regarding ‘adverse weather’. The most important point to note is that again this winter in the case of adverse weather we will communicate through the following channels: 

• To parents - via the WHS SZApp (see below if you don't have it on your device) and the WHS website
• To students - via normal school email

On a morning with adverse weather (which particularly includes snow and/or ice on the roads) we liaise with QLDC’s roading contractor and the school bus coordinator and make a decision regarding school for that day. If it is not a normal school day, the common options are either a delayed start or school closed, in which case we will communicate through the channels above, endeavouring to do so by 7:15am. 

Please note that if we do get adverse weather during the day we will not normally close the school - this is primarily because school buses are not normally able to run early. However we do monitor adverse weather and conditions very carefully and make decisions and communicate accordingly.

Please also note that we do liaise with the other schools in the basin and decisions are generally coordinated. Although sometimes conditions vary for different schools and some primary schools do not have school buses - which are a key consideration, and ultimately each school will need to make its own decision.

WHS Schoolzine App

There is a new version of WHS SZapp available for Android and IOS Devices. Please ensure that you have updated to this version to assure you receive communications from the school. Click here for more details.

Please ensure you (all parents, caregivers and students) have download the WHS Schoolzine App to your device as this is how we will communicate important school alerts, student notices and our weekly newsletter.  The app also features an absence form, the online school cafe shop, a calendar and some handy links! 

Top tips and helpful information at this link: www.schoolzine.com/szapp-installation

A reminder also for students to also check the Student Noticeboard regularly.

Web Portal Updates

The vendor of our portal software has introduced some changes to the password complexity rules for added security. This update forces caregivers to change their passwords on first logon. On first logon you will be taken to the "Change Password" screen and enter a new password of your choosing.

Students will now also have a change password feature but will not be required to change it.

House Competition Update

Ka pai tō mahi, congratulations to Mackenzie house for winning the house netball competition on Wednesday. That means that Mackenzie house now streaks ahead on 37 points, followed by Duncan and Fox (tied on 29 points), Arthur (26), and Hay (14). Houses don't have long to wait until their next opportunity to get one over Mackenzie with house debating kicking off on Monday, closely followed by Matatū training beginning in Week 8. See below for some awesome actions shots and the Mackenzie 'A' netball team.

Pink Shirt Week

It is New Zealand Sign Language Week

23,000. The number of people in Aotearoa who use NZSL as their main form of communication. 23,000 the number of people who benefit from New Zealand's widespread efforts to incorporate sign into our education and culture. Sunday marks the end of this year's sign language week, whilst it was a messy one with strike days and school trips, we truly hope you have learnt something about the language or even a few signs themselves! 

New Zealand sign language or NZSL is a crucial aspect of many deaf people's ability to learn, communicate and actively participate in society.  The language is vital to the expression of deaf culture and identity.  New Zealand sign language is one of three official languages in Aotearoa, standing along with English and Te reo Māori, Sign has its own set of grammatical rules and narrative structure, making it unique from spoken languages and all that more important to have education around.

Learning NZSL or even a few basic signs helps build stronger connections with people. In addition to communicating with those non-verbal, sign improves listening skills and maintenance of engagement within a conversation. By learning even a few signs we are helping people learn about deaf communities and cultures, giving us better insight into the challenges people face every single day. Learning sign language helps people to feel less marginalised and more included. Wakatipu High School centralises on inclusivity, let's work together to make it happen!

Wakatipu High School aims to promote sign language in any ways we can, so throughout the week we have been spreading awareness regarding this vital language, a language built within the foundation of our country. Our very own Supported Learning students from Wakatipu High School have made a video showcasing 11 simple signs that we encourage everyone to watch and try out! 

Give it a go!

If you're interested in learning more signs to gain some further knowledge into why the language is so important, I have linked some resources below, happy signing!

NSL Week Resources,  NZ Sign Language Alphabet, Basic signs in NZSL

Lee Hiestand
Deputy Principal

Rangatahi In Our Democracy

Stacey Te Pōhue Rose, a Community Advisor – Youth for Te Kaitiaki Take Kōwhiri – The Electoral Commission has reached out to WHS to offer online hui sessions with our Year 12 and 13 Māori students to opt into. The focus of these will be to kōrero with the students about the upcoming Election, as well as the Māori Electoral Option. The Māori Electoral Option is where Māori get to choose whether they wish to be on the Māori Roll or the General Roll, and with changes to legislation, Stacey and her team are encouraging all Māori across Aotearoa to get involved and make the choice of which roll they wish to be on. If this is something our Māori students and whānau are interested in then please click the link to register your interest in attending, and they will email you a link to your preferred Microsoft Teams session.  

They have three online sessions available, on May 16, 17 and 18 at 7pm.

Ngā mihi,

Ryan Gilbertson
Deputy Principal l Kaihāpai Māori

The Business Pitch

Last Friday Year 13 Business Studies students pitched their innovative and sustainable products to local business leaders, in a friendly “Dragons Den”. The pitch is a requirement as part of evidence of consultation for their internal assessment. Feedback provided by panel members is extremely valuable for students to improve their product and business planning. 

A special thanks to our panel members: Adrian Januszkiewicz, Angela Spackman, Paula Ryan, Oded Nathan and James Rasmussen. We truly appreciate your time and valuable feedback for the 17 different business groups.

Students will be selling their products over the next couple of weeks. Keep an eye out for order forms, WHS market days and students at the local markets.

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Sport and Active Recreation News

Kai Milburn Represents the NZ Junior Davis Cup Tennis Team
This week, Year 11 student Kai Milburn has been representing New Zealand as a member of the Junior Davis Cup team in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. The tournament is played on clay and dad Mark Milburn is coaching the team. This tournament is a qualification for the Junior World Championships. We are super proud of Kai and the Milburn family!

Adventure Racing Action
A number of WHS students competed in the 6+6 adventure race in Invercargill last weekend. There was great racing by all the kids at this awesome event. Our teams took out 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the student category with Team 51 and 50 also placing top 5 overall, finishing 2nd and 3rd across the line respectively. Well done to all those who competed in this very long race!
Team 51: 1st student, 2nd overall (700 10:42:44): Siena Mackley, Seb Watson, Elsbeth Purdue, Charlie Manser 
Team 50: 2nd student, 3rd overall (700 10:33:48) Tom Schenk, Pete Davis, Jude Deaker 
Team 49: 3rd student (540 11:53:11) Neive McLeod, Emma Andrew, Harry Lightfoot, Jasper Crawford, McKellar Thornton

Opportunities to Get Involved

Otago Swimming Champs
The Otago Secondary School Swimming Championships will be held at Moana Pool, Dunedin, on Sunday, 28 May 2023. This is open to all students, you do not need to be part of a swimming club. Please email shorn@wakatipu.school.nz if you are interested in getting involved.

Save the Date
Southland Climbing Champs - Tuesday 27 June
Southland Table Tennis Champs - Wednesday 28 June

US Sports Scholarship Information - Kiwi Athlete Agency Webinar Wednesday 17 May
Some of our students consider the option of going to university in the United States and explore the possibility of sports scholarships. WHS has a relationship with the Kiwi Athlete Agency who will be running an online webinar on Wednesday 17 May at 6pm for anyone wanting to find out more information about this possible pathway. There is a flyer below and the event link can be found here.

Part of studying abroad in the US is also participating in SAT’s, the standardised test for secondary school students looking to go to university in America. WHS hosts these exams throughout the year. If you wish to participate in the SAT’s following the webinar you will need to go to the College Board website, create an account and register for the date you want to take the test through the College Board website. The remaining dates for SAT’s this year are 26 August and 2 December 2023. 

NZSKI Passes - Secondary School Student Passes
NZSKI passes for secondary students are now available and can be purchased online up until 31st May. NZSki will manage the eligibility audit directly with our eligible local schools, this is the easiest option for you. From June 1 purchasing can only be done in town at the Snowcentre (corner Camp and Shotover St) or by phone 0800 697 547. Please purchase a secondary school pass through NZSki.
Any questions please reach out via info@nzski.com or call 0800 697 547

Keep Us Informed
The sports department would love to hear from you if you know of any awesome achievements from our students so that we can celebrate these as a school. Please send through details and photos to lnathan@wakatipu.school.nz.

Support Sport at WHS
Jump on board and support the team by liking or following the Wakatipu High School Sports Facebook page. This is the best way to stay informed and up to date with the successes of our athletes and teams and help celebrate their great achievements.

Laura Nathan
Director of Sport

Arts Department News

Term 2 Events

• 19 May - Toi Wearable Arts & Showquest Southland
• 20 May - Rockquest Heats - Cancelled
• 27/28 May - Jazz Workshops
• June - NCEA Music Nights 
• 01 June - Opening of Showing Off Art Exhibition
• 11 June - Big Break 
• 16 June - Play It Strange Songwriting Peace Song Competition
• 17 June - Rockquest Regional Final
• Term 2 Holidays - Jazz Practices

Artist of the Week - Georgia Henderson

Georgia is a Year 13 Painting student working at Excellence. She is in the process of creating Senior Folio which follows a theme and is based on chosen artist models, Barbara Kroll and Junji. With both artists as a reference combined with Georgia's normal painting style, she has created some amazing pieces. 

“The theme is essentially the train station and all the people inside of it. I love painting scenes or portraits of people in candid settings. There are heaps of people at places like a train station, all different and all having their own stories.” - Georgia

Rockquest

We have had updates from the organisers that there will be no heats this year. The Regional Final will be held in Wānaka on 17 June . 

Open Extracurricular Groups Running in Term two  - Performing Arts Classroom 

• Tuesday's Break 2 - Keyboard and Guitar Basics Sessions
  
• Tuesday's Break 2 - Drama Group
• Thursday's 8am - Song writing Group
• Thursday's Break 2 - Digital Music Sessions

Big Break - 11 June 

Big Break is a WHS event for bands and solo/duo acts at all levels to have some mentoring from local musicians and perform at a concert later in the afternoon. Details TBC.

Singing Lessons

Singing lessons are now on offer to students enrolled in Music classes. Let Mrs Price know if you are interested. Look for her in the Performing Arts space are email her at aprice@wakatipu.school.nz

Vistor in School -  Mike Gubb

We were fortunate to have Mike Gubb in with some of our senior Music students last Monday. Mike has an extensive background in piano performance, particularly in the jazz genre and has worked with many key figures in the music industry. It was great to hear his story and listen to his amazing piano skills. 

YAMI

YAMI (Youth and Adults in the Music Industry) happened on the second weekend of Term two, running all day and night over both days. This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to attend practical workshops with some of the great NZ musicians of the era, including P-Diggs (Shapeshifter), Anika Moa, Finn Andrews (The Veils), Elizabeth Stokes and Jonathan Pearce (The Beths), Lisa Tomlins (Backing vocalist for Fat Freddy’s Drop, Fly my Pretties and many others), and Anthonie Tonnon (winner of the 2022 APRA Top Songwriter Award). Here are some photos of our students in the midst of working on their songs / writing new songs / listening to one-on-one advice from the experts. 

Leo McMenamin
Music Teacher

May NZ Music Month

We continue to celebrate NZ Musicians this month with the school bells featuring ex and present students alongside other NZ Acts. This week our student input was:

Mild Orange (lead singer Josh Mehrtens ex WHS)

Killergrams (lead singer Tom Maxwell ex WHS)

Cherry Moon (Hannah Coombe, Becky Reid, Zac Komene)

Riversdale Arts Emerging Artist Award 2023 - $1000 Prize 

• Artists between the ages of 13 and 25 (at 21 July 2023) 
• Riversdale Arts Incorporated’s definition of “Emerging Artist” is: An artist between the ages of 13 and 25 (at 21 July 2023) who has not exhibited their work in a commercial or public gallery (excluding exhibitions specifically for students or young and emerging artists). An artist who has not received awards, or commissions for their artwork.
• The Emerging Artist Award is a selected exhibition. There will be 10 shortlisted finalists - these will be judged by a selection committee of up to three people. The judging panel’s decisions will be final and no communication will be entered into. Artists’ images will be de-identified to support a blind and merit-based judging process, to the extent that this is achievable. The panel of three judges will view digital images of all eligible entries to shortlist works that will be included in the exhibition, and required for the second judging round. The selected entrants will be notified of their selection via email and given instructions for delivery of the artwork to Riversdale for the final judging and for display in the exhibition. Entrants who are not selected for the shortlist will also be notified of the outcome of the selection via email. Final judging of the exhibited artworks to select the award winner will take place prior to the opening of the exhibition. The award winner will be announced at the Gala Opening of the Exhibition on 21 July 2023. Artists who are selected will receive a complimentary ticket to opening night.

• Entry is by digital image (maximum 2MB or for larger files send via wesendit.com or a similar file transferring service - entry form is due to riversdalearts@gmail.com by 1 June 2023. All artwork must be original and ready to hang or display if selected.
• The artwork that is selected is to be delivered by 1 July 2023 to Riversdale Arts, C/- Austin Bros., Newcastle Street, Riversdale.
• Commission on sold artwork is 30%; unsold work will be returned freight free.

See Monica Parker in the Visual Arts Area (Kawarau) for a registration form or contact her at mparker@wakatipu.schoolnz.

Don’t Get Sucked In Poster Challenge 2023 - USE YOUR CREATIVE TALENTS TO HIGHLIGHT THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF VAPING TO RANGATAHI!

The Don’t Get Sucked In Poster challenge is an art competition for Year 7 – 13 students organised by the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ.   They are asking young people to design a poster to highlight the risks of vaping to rangatahi.  This competition is an opportunity to learn more about vaping harm and share this information in a creative and impactful way.

Entries open Monday, 8 May and close Friday, 30 June.

Contact Monica Parker for more information at mparker@wakatipu.school.nz

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 through details and photos to mparker@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 Monica Parker the Arts Coordinator at  mparker@wakatipu.school.nz 

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

Senior Drama Workshops

This week, Senior Drama classes have participated in workshops with Sam Scott the founder of Massive Theatre Company in Auckland. Students exploring the theatre form of physical theatre and understanding the process that Massive Theatre take to create their work. A huge thank you to Sam and the Massive Theatre Company. 

Careers

Click link below to view latest job listings.

Otago Tertiary Trip

Making decisions about where to go and what to do after school can be daunting. Otago University and Otago Polytechnic opened their doors on May 7 and 8 to our Year 13 students. This tertiary trip offered a unique opportunity to experience lectures from different faculties and engage with current and past students, whilst also gaining invaluable insights into university and polytechnic life. The students enjoyed a full itinerary including attending classes, having tours of various halls , and had a chance to engage with current and past students. 

Hopefully this experience has supported students so that they can decide whether or not university or polytechnic is right for them.  

The Careers Team

Library Book Charges

At the end of last term, students were sent emails asking them to return their overdue books and devices to the library. They had until Friday 28 April, to return those items.

Last week, the replacement cost of the outstanding items has been added to the students' accounts.  If the items are returned to the library, we will remove the charges.

Students should come to the library and speak to me if they have any queries or concerns about this process.

The funds collected will be used to replace what has been lost or damaged by students.

Mrs Bell
Librarian

WHS Foundation

Community Notices

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LEARNER & INTERMEDIATE DRIVING LESSONS

Dan Gerard Driving Instruction has professional male and female driving instructors, and members of the New Zealand Institute of Driver Educators. We offer high quality friendly driver training covering a range of driving lessons.

• Learner lessons for beginners
• Assessment for Learner drivers who have been taught by family and need their skills polished before sitting their Restricted Test
• Refresher lessons to brush up before sitting the Full Test
• Street Talk defensive driving courses

http://www.drivinginstruction.co.nz/ , E: info@drivinginstruction.co.nz

Rach Gerard: 027 273 9610,  Dan Gerard: 027 349 2447