WHS Newsletter | Issue 3.10 | 22 September | 2023
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Principal's Message
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Excellence and Ad Alta Awards
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Key Dates
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Student Leaders 2024
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End of Term 3 Wrap Up from Head Students
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Winning Design for 2024 Year 13 Tie
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Prominent Guest Speakers Provide Valuable Insights to Business Students
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Script to Screen Workshop for Media Studies Students
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Year 13 Bungy JumpStart
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Calling Local Businesses to Support Our Breast Cancer Brunch!
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Junior School Reading Plus Acknowledgements
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Sport and Active Recreation News
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Arts Department News
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Want a Career in Music?
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Careers
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WHS Foundation Golf Tournament
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WHS Foundation
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Community Notices
Principal's Message
Kia ora and welcome to the Wakatipu High School newsletter on the last day of Term 3.
I had written in my morning staff briefing comments to staff that Term 3 has been a very busy and productive term and was due to be the first ‘disruption-free’ term since the start of covid, going back to 2019! Unfortunately, it was not to be. A state of emergency was declared based on the weather and roading network and this, combined with minimal drinking water due to the ‘boil notice’ and a potential for further inclement weather, led us to make the difficult decision to close the school. I do apologise for any disruption this may have caused to the day for parents and students, but hope that all are safe and warm. I know that some students are keen to access their portfolio work (eg DVC & Art Folios), so that they may continue to work on their portfolios over the holiday period. With that in mind, the school will be accessible to students on Monday 25 September from 10 am until midday. Students should be in contact with their teachers to make more detailed arrangements.
This morning we had scheduled our third and final Excellence and Ad Alta assembly for seniors in our wonderful new gymnasium - Pouākai, where we were hoping to celebrate excellence in effort, achievement and citizenship of our senior students. Congratulations to all those students who were to receive these prestigious awards. See below for the full list of students who would have received an Excellence and or Ad Alta award today.
On Monday morning, we held our Winter Sports assembly, and it was great to celebrate the winter sporting achievements of our students. Our thanks go to all the staff, parents and community members who coach, manage and support and make these opportunities available for our students.
Another significant event this week was going to be the announcement of the 2024 student leaders. For students who put themselves forward this involves a rigorous selection process, and it is always very difficult to choose given how amazing our students are. See below for next year’s Head Students and Lead Prefects, and our congratulations go to everyone who applied and those who have gained these significant positions. We have a full school assembly scheduled for week 2 of next term, in which we will present all our student leaders with their badges.
Branches Camp (Year 10) - a reminder that the Medical and Permission Form was due yesterday. This form is a very important part of the Branches Camp process and if you haven't completed it yet please do so as soon as possible. Click Here. Additionally, a donation for the camp has been added to students accounts, which is only a portion of what it actually costs per person. We appreciate any donation to the camp that you can make, even if it’s just a portion of the amount added to the account. While we appreciate that some parents/caregivers may not be able to pay this donation, we also know that some parents/caregivers are willing and able to pay more. If you would like to pay an additional student’s donation, you can do so by clicking on the following link. https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/254041
As you know, we track and monitor our students' achievement, and our most recent predictions suggest that many students are not currently on track to achieve the academic goal they set at the start of the year. There is still time for students to improve their achievement, but it is important that students make a plan to ensure they achieve their goals and to their potential. Most students will have had this conversation with their Kaiārahi, so parents/caregivers should be able to ask students what their plan is to achieve their best qualification possible. If your student doesn’t have a plan, be sure to get in touch with their Kaiārahi to discuss.
A reminder that Junior Reports for Term 3 will be available on the Portal this evening. Also, there are many internal results and feedback for external exams now available for Senior students, so be sure to have a look.
Term 4 starts on Monday 9th October with Senior Exams beginning on 6 November and Junior Exams, including the Literacy and Numeracy Corequisite exams, beginning on Monday 30 October.
At WHS we describe Excellence/Panekiretanga as striving to achieve our personal best, in everything we do and I hope that all students will be striving for their own personal Excellence when they return for an important Term 4.
I do wish students and staff a good break over the holidays - and although seniors will have work to do and/or exams to begin revising for, it is still important that everyone takes some time to recharge before next term.
Ngā mihi nui,
Oded Nathan
Principal
Excellence and Ad Alta Awards
The Ad Alta award recognises students' consistent effort in homework, classwork, organisation and behaviour. The awards are calculated using the Learning Engagement reports which are reported on every three weeks throughout the year. Below are the students who have averaged 3.55 or higher across all learning engagement reports during term 3.
There are three levels to this award: Ad Alta, Ad Alta Blue and Ad Alta Gold. First time recipients receive an Ad Alta Award, second time recipients will receive an Ad Alta Blue Award, and third time recipients will receive an Ad Alta Gold Award.
The Excellence Award acknowledges students' achievement in NCEA. To gain an Excellence award, students must have gained over 50% of their Internally assessed in Term 3.
Similar to the Ad Alta award, there are 3 tiers to this award: Bronze for 1st time recipients, Silver for 2nd time recipients and Gold for 3rd time recipients within the year.
Congratulations to all our award recipients! See the full list of students below.
Key Dates
TERM 4 2024
Monday 9 October - First Day of Term 4
Wednesday 18 October - Sports Blues
Wednesday 25 October - Cultural Blues
Friday 27 October - Year 13 Prizegiving
Monday 30 October - Year 11 & Year 12 Prizegiving
Monday 30 October - Junior Exams Begin
Monday 6 November - NCEA Exams begin
2024 TERM DATES
Term 1: Monday 29 January to Friday 12 April
Term 2: Monday 29 April to Friday 5 July
Term 3: Monday 22 July to Friday 27 September
Term 4: Monday 14 October to Thursday 12 December
Student Leaders 2024
Wakatipu High School is proud to present our Student Leaders for 2024. Our Student Leaders are committed to upholding our school values and supporting our wider school community. A huge thanks to all the students who put themselves forward for a highly coveted leadership position. We look forward to the guidance and service from these young leaders next year.
End of Term 3 Wrap Up from Head Students
Kia Ora, it's Lachy and Annika here.
As term three comes to an end, we’re all beginning to enjoy some warmer weather and many of us are setting our sights on the end of year exams! Students have been working incredibly hard throughout the term with everyone pushing through their mocks and seniors facing the final slog of internals - it has been tough. Nonetheless, we’ve all managed to keep up with school events, extracurricular trips and activities, and all the bits and bobs!
Our most recent event has been Mental Health Awareness week that comes to a close today, where the Wellbeing Council has acknowledged the 5 ways to wellbeing in 5 weeks, then in 5 days! The awareness that the council has raised through activities and prizes have been a great reminder that regardless of all of the things we juggle in high school life, we should always be mindful of and aim to prioritise our mental health and wellbeing. Many of us students strive to perform well in our own endeavours (be it academic, sporting, cultural or otherwise), but if we don’t give our minds and bodies the chance to take a break then it will take one for us- and probably not at a very good time (that’s not something that you want to have to learn the hard way). This is super important for us to keep in mind as we head into what will likely be the most academically stressful time period of the year! Take care of yourself :)
Otherwise, there have been some super awesome opportunities for engagement. House gaming and House Basketball competitions this term which provided a bit of breaktime fun. Combined with our Learning Engagement results we have Fox in the lead with 77 points, followed by Mackenzie with 71, Duncan with 63, Arthur with 52 and Hay with 45.
We’ve also had ‘Lip Sync Battle’, where we saw so much involvement from students and teachers! Us head students were talented enough to win a prize for an escape room at Thrillzone, and thanks to the Arts and Cultural Council, other competitors also won awards for their exceptional artistry.
Some other highlights from the term have been:
- Māori language week
Specifically the signing of the pledge for the Māori language movement where we Students and staff pledged to:
Foster a learning environment where Te Reo Māori is respected, embraced, and promoted.
Strive for greater proficiency in Te Reo Māori, with the aim of using it in our daily interactions.
Encourage and empower others to embark on their own Te Reo Māori learning journeys.
- MAC Exchange
With fantastic results from Senior A boys basketball, 1st XI Girls Football, 1st XI Mixed Hockey, our Volleyball teams and 1st XV Rugby team- and some serious mahi from everyone involved.
- Theatrefest’s overwhelming win!
This team has achieved outstanding awards at the local, regional and national level of Theatrefest, including:
2x Distinction Award for Best Youth Production
2x Excellence in Ensemble Playing
2x Excellence in Acting for Bethany Graf
Best Overall Production at the Local Round
Denise Walsh Award for Best Production of a New Zealand play
The Bryan Aitken Youth Theatre Award for Best Youth Production
The Theatre New Zealand Book of Honour Award for Best Overall Production
Drama Development Trust Award: New Director for Rochelle Tickle
Winter Tournament week, the Jazz Band’s annual trip to Blenheim, Get 2 Go challenge and OREC trip are amongst some other epic events that have gone down, but it's hard to acknowledge everything that’s been on the go because there has simply been so much! Fantastic mahi from everyone who pushed themselves to reach their own level of excellence, both in academic and extracurricular endeavours thus far :)
One more thing that has been particularly exciting for us head students is finding out who’ll be part of the leadership team next year! We want to say a huge congratulations to everyone who got a role, and to praise everyone who applied to be part of the leadership team next year. We encourage year 9’s, 10’s and 11’s to consider applying when the time comes because we can tell you that being a student leader is a fantastic opportunity. You can learn so many widely applicable skills that you’ll need in the future, and you can work to enact the change you’d like to see within our kura.
A lot to take in there, but it stands to show that we are a school of amazing, amazing students who work hard for what we’re passionate about and really reach for our heights. With all of the strain that we’ve been under after such a busy term, we’re extremely deserving of this 2 week break! Everyone has exams to look forward to, with juniors beginning in Week 4 of term 4, and NCEA exams beginning the week after. Tying up any loose ends with internal assessments (for seniors) and turning your focus to end of year study is a great idea - Lachy and I can vouch for the fact that you think you’ll be fine heading into the exam room, but will always look back wishing you’d cracked into study sooner! Amongst all the academic stuff, make sure you have a bit of fun. Catch up with friends and whānau, take time for yourself, and maybe even squeeze in a bit of spring skiing before the season wraps up! Just because Mental Health Awareness Week is over doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t still make the effort to connect, be active, give, keep learning and take notice.
Finally, us head students are coming to the end of our reign. We might see a bit of you next term throughout prize giving and the like, but with a busy term of exams ahead and our deserving future student leaders getting ready to step up, this may be one of our last messages to you all. We couldn’t be more proud to support and represent such an awesome group of kids here and we’ll really miss you!
Enjoy your well deserved holidays and we’ll catch you next term
Kia kaha.
Lachy and Annika
Head Students
Winning Design for 2024 Year 13 Tie
Our Year 12 students had the opportunity to showcase their creative talents by designing the tie that our Year 13 students will proudly wear next year. We're thrilled to announce that the winning design for this year has been chosen by fellow peers, and it belongs to the talented Eva Hemingway! Congratulations, Eva, on this fantastic achievement.
The Remarkables is the mountain our school holds its highest regard to which is the base of the design. The lines are the specific contour lines from a topo map of the front side of the Remarkables (the part visible to us). They indicate an elevation gain of 20m between lines, so the closer they are the steeper it is. I made this design not only to display our most important mountain but also to be a representation of the land formations around us and what makes Queenstown our home. Here we are surrounded by mountains, it's one of the defining features. Contour lines are always different on every piece of land but these ones are precise, creative, and personal to us as a school.
Eva Hemingway
Class of 2024 Tie Designer
Prominent Guest Speakers Provide Valuable Insights to Business Students
Senior Business students have been fortunate to meet with two prominent business speakers in the past couple of weeks.
Shane Wairua from AJ Hackett Bungy discussed motivational practices with Year 12 students and how these are implemented at Bungy. Shane focused on the importance of culture being established within the work environment and how this is critical in motivating employees. He explained a number of motivational practices that Bungy implements to support their employees and benefit the business. Once again, students were challenged to come up with the best questions in order to win a pass for one of the various Bungy products. Tom Martin and Ted Coutts were the worthy recipients of the prizes with their thoughtful and challenging questions.
Year 13 students met with John Wikstrom of Magic Memories. John shared his journey from the early years of establishing the business in Queenstown to the global success it is today. John explained the development through innovation of their customer service and the impact technology has had on the growth of the business, making them a leader in this industry today. John also discussed the change management strategies implemented over time, but more recently, how the team has had to adapt to changes and challenges caused by Covid.
Guest speakers are an integral part of our commerce curriculum; it enables our students to integrate the knowledge developed in class into real business in action. We appreciate the time and energy that both Shane and John put into their presentations and answering the students' questions.
Nicola Proffit
HoLA Social Sciences
Script to Screen Workshop for Media Studies Students
On Saturday (16 of September) two Media Studies students Jack Smillie and Jack Trounce had the privilege of attending the "Developing Your Short or Feature Film Project with David White'' workshop through Script to Screen New Zealand. This one-day workshop was a unique opportunity for these students to learn from David White who is the writer, producer and director behind "Far North". The new six-part drama and comedy series produced by South Pacific Pictures (Shortland Street), is a mostly true story about New Zealand's largest drug bust in history. The series is now available on TV Three and Three Now.
The workshop was designed for both newcomers to the industry and experienced filmmakers looking to enhance their storytelling skills. The students learned how to take their film ideas through the development process, from a 1-pager to a dynamic and compelling script. David shared his experience of developing his new TV show "Far North” from an initial idea to a final series, providing valuable insights into the filmmaking process.
David gave a unique insight into how he approached funding his show Far North. Especially around how to get funding from big players like the Film Commission and Paramount Pictures which was invaluable for Jacks.
One of the key takeaways from the workshop was the importance of collaboration and attracting the right creative and producing partners to a project. This knowledge will undoubtedly benefit The Jacks as they continue to pursue their passion for filmmaking. The workshop not only invigorated their creative drive but also provided them with new knowledge and ideas to further develop their stories.
The Jacks were very grateful to have been given this extraordinary opportunity to network and participate with industry professionals.
For more information regarding the event see this link.
Jack Smillie
Media Studies Student
Year 13 Bungy JumpStart
For years, Queenstown's school leavers have embraced a daring tradition, marking the end of their high school journey with a thrilling Bungy Jump courtesy of the AJ Hackett Bungy JumpStart program.
Since its inception in 2006, over 1,000 teenagers from Wakatipu High School have participated in this local rite of passage. Henry Van Asch, one of the company's co-founders, shared, "It has continued to offer free Bungy jumps to Queenstown’s Wakatipu High School Year 13 students as an exciting challenge that builds confidence as they head into a new stage of their lives."
"There's nothing like standing on the edge of a bridge – especially at the world home of Bungy, the Kawarau – and jumping towards the unknown," Henry Van Asch exclaimed. "If you can Bungy, you can do anything; it's all about having the confidence to take on life's challenges head-first." This unique tradition not only celebrates their accomplishments but instils in them the courage to face whatever lies ahead.
This year, the opportunity to take the plunge will roll out over Week 3 - from Monday 23rd October through until Thursday 26th October. To find out more info and to sign up, pop along to the theatre at 11:45 am on Tuesday 10th October.
Calling Local Businesses to Support Our Breast Cancer Brunch!
Hey everyone! Just a heads up that the Community and Service Council will be continuing the well loved tradition of the Breast Cancer Brunch this year.
We will be running the event on Friday the 20th of October (Week 2 term 4) If any local business would like to help us with this event and donate some food or get involved please get in touch with the council by emailing Mila. See you all then!
Mila Lanuel
Community and Service Council
Junior School Reading Plus Acknowledgements
Sport and Active Recreation News
Winter Sports Assembly
On Monday WHS celebrated the regional, South Island and National achievements of our winter sport student-athletes and teams. 160 students were acknowledged for their efforts and successes in front of their peers and parents. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to celebrate and a big thank you to the sports council for delivering the assembly.
National Open Bouldering Champs
Congratulations to Lucy Sinclair who last weekend won the Open Women's event at the NZ National Open Bouldering Champs. Both Lucy and Azaria Briscoe qualified for the finals and Lucy went on to win while Azaria finished 6th. Two fantastic results in the women's grade.
New Zealand Schools Cross Country Team Selection
A huge congratulations to Year 11 student Siena Mackley who has recently been selected into the New Zealand Schools Cross Country team to compete in Kenya at the World Schools Champs next year! What an incredible achievement and recognition of hard work and results. Well done Siena, we are super proud of you!
Central Otago Junior Basketball
That’s a wrap on the Central Otago Junior Basketball competition! WHS entered 6 teams into the comp this year and it has been an awesome atmosphere in Pouākai on a Monday night. Congratulations to our Junior A Boys who took out the Boys A Grade with a 66-44 win over Mt Aspiring. The Junior A Girls also won their final 55-30 against Mt Aspiring. Both teams were undefeated throughout the competition. Our 10A, 9A, Junior Navy and Junior Gold teams also had some good wins and intense games. A huge thank you to all of our coaches, referees, managers, van drivers for their mahi and support of the teams this season!
Junior Freeride Tour Results
The final leg of the NZ Freeride Tour took place at Mt Olympus last weekend and WHS students achieved some great results to cap off the series. The overall results for the three legs have also been released and it is awesome to have Sam Riddle and Keani Wilson win their respective categories and both be invited to represent New Zealand at the International Freeride Tour this January in Austria! Congratulations boys! Mt Olympus and overall results for the NZ Freeride Tour are listed below. Well done to all involved!
Mt Olympus Highlights:
U14 Ski Women: 3rd - Alice Jeffery and 6th - Bailey MacKay
U14 Ski Men: 2nd - Theo Riddle
U16 Ski Men: 1st - George Reddell and 6th - Bede Dawson
U18 Ski Men: 1st - Sam Riddle
U18 Snowboard Men: 1st - Keani Wilson
Overall NZ Freeride Tour Top 10 Results:
U14 Ski Women - Alice Jeffery 3rd and Bailey MacKay 8th
U14 Ski Men - Theo Riddle 7th
U16 Ski Men - George Reddell 3rd
U18 Ski Men - Sam Riddle 1st =
U18 Snowboard Men - Keani Wilson 1st
WHS Rugby Prizegiving
Last night the annual WHS Rugby Prizegiving was held in the school theatre. A big thank you to all players and parents who attended and thank you to our awesome team of coaches and managers for the 2023 season. Below is a list of all of this year's award winners.
U14 Team:
Most Improved: Cooper Swaffield
Greatest Contribution: Josh Hill
Player of the Year: Finn Wallis
Most Valuable Player: Isaac Harvey
U15 Team:
Most Improved: Lachlan Henry
Greatest Contribution: Louis Ryder
Player of the Year: Tama Kopa
Most Valuable Player: Charlie Rule
Colts Gold Team:
Most Improved: Kaleb Poole
Greatest Contribution: Jackson McElrea
Player of the Year: Finn Leahy
Most Valuable Player: Oscar Pullar
Colts Blue Team:
Most Improved: Jan Vavera
Greatest Contribution: Remy Vaivars
Player of the Year: Brodie Banks
Most Valuable Player: Angus O'Neill
Girls Team:
Most Improved: Mina Nakazawa
Greatest Contribution: Georgia Boulton
Player of the Year: Aily Joll
Most Valuable Player: Kerys Duffy
1st XV Boys Team:
Most Improved: Keegan Green
Greatest Contribution: Xavier Small
Player of the Year: Harrison Miller
Most Valuable Player: Sam McAtamney
Term 3 Holiday Tournaments and Events
A number of students are involved in a range of events these coming holidays. We wish them all the very best as they represent WHS or their respective rep teams. Go well!
- Hillary Challenge National Finals
- NZ Schools MTB Champs
- NZ Junior Nation Freeski and Board Champs
- National U15 Hockey Tournament
- South Island U16 Boys Rugby Tournament
- NZSS Artistic Swimming Champs
- NZ National Ice Figure Skating Champs
Hillary Challenge National Finals
For the first time WHS has qualified to compete at the Hillary Challenge National finals in Tongario during the second week of the holidays. We are super excited to wish the following students all the very best for this exciting adventure and experience; Pete Davis, Jude Deaker, Abby Fookes, Jess Hudson, Siena Mackley, Elsbeth Purdue, Tom Schenk, Seb Watson.
Opportunities to Get Involved
Summer is around the corner and we have a stack of awesome opportunities to get involved in sports and physical activity. Please check out the various details below for summer sports. There are also more details on each summer sports google classroom and you can grab the codes for each GC here.
Pickleball
We are excited to be bringing pickleball to WHS next term! The Queenstown Pickleball Club will be running free sessions on a Tuesday afterschool (3.30-5pm) in Pouākai. The sessions will run from week 2-9 (17th October - 5th December). Students of all year levels and abilities are welcome to attend. These are 'open' sessions for you to learn some new skills and play games with your friends. Grab your mates and come along for a fun hit around!
If you would like to attend please complete the sign up form.
Waka Ama Rangatahi Muster
Come and check out the Wakatipu Waka Ama Club; Saturday 23 September - 10am - Kelvin Grove Beach.
Contact Frances - 021 082 7264.
Queenstown Cricket Club
All weekly cricket is played through the Queenstown Cricket Club. School teams for school tournaments or competitions/exchanges are selected from players playing weekly cricket. If you have not yet registered to play weekly cricket please check out the details and link below. There are two options for those below 1st XI level this year; Saturday afternoon cricket and/or Friday night T20 cricket.
Youth Cricket:
- Hardball Cricket ($125 Volunteer Rate - $175 Non-Volunteer)
- 4 Nov - 9 Dec & 3 Feb - 16 Mar - Friday Night Colts - Years 9-11 and/or Saturday Afternoon Cricket - Years 9-13
- Teams to get 1 x weekly training slot with Club/Parent coaches
- Matches: Friday 2-3 Hours, Saturday 3-5 Hours
- Travel for away games through Otago Country region
*Please all WHS First 11 Current Players to register under Senior Cricket
Registration Form: click here.
Queenstown Tennis Club
Queenstown Tennis Club had their Junior (Under 18) two weekend's ago but if you were unable to get along but keen to play here is the link to their website to register.
Softball Central Otago Summer Competition
It's softball time again! It's been great to see our OG softball team back and some new faces signing up. Our games start in Alexandra on Tuesday October 17, which is week two of term 4. We travel to Alexandra straight after school each Tuesday in a school van and get back after 7pm each week. Games finish for this term on Tuesday December 5. In term one the season goes from 13 February-12 March. If you are new to softball, all good, we will teach you everything you need to know. Please let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to seeing you at practice on Tuesday! Mrs Hollyer
Queenstown Mountain Bike Club Membership
Join one of the biggest sporting clubs in the Wakatipu through the link below to get the latest information on all things mountain biking and become part of the MTB community.
Membership details are available here.
Skyline Passes
The Skyline opens back up next weekend so don't forget to purchase your annual pass! Link to purchase here.
Treadmark School Holiday MTB Programmes
There are a number of options available these coming school holidays for mountain bikers of all abilities. If you are keen to get involved in some structured coaching for the start of the season, check out the various links below.
https://www.treadmark.co.nz/mtbjuniors
https://www.treadmark.co.nz/shop/p/gravityfocusedspring
Wakatipu Yacht Club
Keen to join to learn more about sailing and get involved with the local yacht club. You can register here for the coming season. Registrations close on the 1st October.
AM Equestrian
AM equestrian would like to announce the beginning of our Spring season and a new structure to ou riding school. We currently have spaces available in our Pony club program and private one-on-one lesson. Check out the flyer below.
First XI Boys Cricket Tour Speed Quiz Fundraiser
Join us for a night of fun at the Memorial Hall on Friday 3rd November as our senior cricket players put on a fun quiz night as part of their fundraising for their 2024 trip to Sri Lanka: https://www.sporty.co.nz/
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. https://www.facebook.com/WakatipuHighSchoolSports/
Laura Nathan
Director of Sport
Arts Department News
Winning Artwork at Mīharo
A 5ART3 junior class from Semester 1 had their artwork submitted to the local art exhibition called Mīharo held at Te Atamira Gallery in Frankton.
Tā moko was the theme for this junior art class's artwork. To understand the unit of work, the students researched what a moko was, its history, and meanings behind various patterns, symbols and motifs of the Māori culture. The whole unit of work took several weeks to research, design the moko and create it.
Traditionally, tā moko is a tattooing practised by Māori. The tattoo is used to tell a story of a person’s ancestry, tribal affiliations, achievements, personality and social status. Therefore, each tā moko is unique to the individual who wears it. It can be located on the face or body.
The students were asked to either create a moko to represent themselves or someone close to them. Because many of our students come from other cultures or are a mixture of several cultures, they were supported to add other symbols, motifs and patterns that come from their own culture or that were meaningful to them.
The judges were blown away with the high calibre of art. They thoroughly enjoyed the wide variety of mediums and great connections made to the theme. They also mentioned the meaningful learning behind each of the pieces.
The team at Mīharo were very excited to inform us that the following artworks have been selected as prize winners in the 2023 Central Lakes Art Exhibition.
Maria Goncalves Hannah Lewis Lexie-Ray Apolosi
Lucilla Moffat Sofia Sharpe
The exhibition will be open to the public from Thursday 21st September - Friday 20th of October.
Te Atamira gallery hours: Monday - Saturday 9:00am - 5:00pm. Sundays 10:00am - 4:00pm.
Music in Te Kirikiri
The students had a lovely Break 2 out in Te Kirikiri listening to some great music performed by the Jazz Combo and “Cyber Hippies”
Artist of the Week - Sorcha Wilkinson
Sorcha is a Year 12 painter who was also our Head of Set Design for this year’s musical. She has an eye for detail and is always working on her craft.
“My theme this year looks at how we as humans perceive nature, and how we combine our environment with work of our own. To convey this I have used varying statues and plants as my subjects. I also looked at artists Richard S Johnson and Paul Kenton, taking elements of their works and applying them to my own.”
Important Dates Coming Up in the Arts
Oct 21 - Jazz Band, Queenstown Village Green performance. 12pm start
Oct 21 - Theatrefest group, Jazz Band, Jack Speedy and Mala Januszkiewicz all performing at Te Atamira with the evening starting at 7.00pm.
Oct 25 - WHS Cultural Blues (Various Music and Entertainment - Invite Only)
Oct 27 - Y13 Prizegiving (Combo/Ensemble Performing)
Oct 28 - Jazz at the Blues Bar at Maya Music (Combo/EnsemblePerforming)
Oct 29 - Y11/12 Prizegiving (Ensemble/Combo Performing)
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.
Want a Career in Music?
On Friday the 13th October we are lucky to have Matt from Universal Music NZ connecting (virtually) with us. The purpose being to offer information and advice on the music industry – to those students that are interested in a career in making music.
Universal Music NZ promote, market and distribute the music for a number of local artists from SIX60, Shapeshifter to Lorde. The music business is going through unprecedented change that can be a little daunting to those that are wanting to pursue this path, and this has been the catalyst for this event.
It is a 45 – 60 minutes presentation with some time for a Q and A, held in Matuitui on Friday 13th October, 9-10am AKO time.
If interested please sign up Here
Careers
BDO Southern Lakes & Central Otago Accounting Scholarship
Are you a Wakatipu High School student who dreams of becoming an accountant? If so, the BDO Southern Lakes & Central Otago Accounting Scholarship could be your ticket to success!
The BDO Southern Lakes & Central Otago Accounting Scholarship has been established to provide financial assistance to students of Wakatipu High School to enable them to attend a University in New Zealand and study towards a career in Accounting. The scholarship award also includes an incredible opportunity for work experience as an intern during university breaks.
BDO is an accounting firm with 20 offices throughout New Zealand and over 1,700 globally.
If you love this region and want to get into the accounting world, then this is the scholarship for you.
Please note that the application deadline is 27th October. We have attached the scholarship application form along with further scholarship information below.
AUT | Course Planning | Friday 13th October
On Friday 13th October, Corey Sio, the Liaison Officer from AUT will be at WHS to assist students with their enrolment and paper selection for their first year. The session will include a 15-20 minute presentation, followed by a 30-minute workshop-style Q&A session. If you would like to attend this session, please register here: https://wakatipu.careerwise.school/post/212
WHS Foundation Golf Tournament
WHS Foundation
Community Notices
Perceptions of Asia: What do New Zealanders know about the region considered most consequential to our future?
Sunday, September 24, with Asia New Zealand Foundation’s Suzanna Jessep
What do New Zealanders know about Asia, and what worries us? What about friend and threat perceptions, defence partnerships, and who should we invest more energy in building relationships with?
These are among questions the Asia New Zealand Foundation is researching in New Zealand’s longest-running study of NZ – Asia relations. ANZF director Suzannah Jessep will lead discussions about what their latest findings might mean for New Zealand’s future.
The veteran diplomat and international affairs adviser is also happy to discuss any of the many other geostrategic issues now facing us.
Such as, how is New Zealand navigating a region increasingly defined by US-China competition? Should our private sector be diversifying out of China and spreading risk? What impact are new groupings such as the Quad having on New Zealand’s foreign policy?
6-7.30pm this Sunday at The Rees Hotel Queenstown’s conference room. Please register here to secure your seat.
The ‘why’ of the New Zealand Wars, and significance of the first Taranaki War and Waikato War
Thursday, October 5, with University of Otago Emeritus Professor Lachy Paterson
After a series of small wars in the 1840s, Māori and Pākehā appeared to be on the road to peace and prosperity. Why did this fall apart in 1860? And what is the significance of the First Taranaki War and Waikato War?
Prof Paterson’s Catalyst Kōrero will focus on the causes of these two conflicts; whether it was the insatiable Pākehā desire for land, the Crown’s quest to establish a more substantive sovereignty, or something in between? Eventbrite registration on this link, October 5, 6-7.30pm at The Rees Hotel Queenstown conference room
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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