WHS Newsletter | Issue 4.04 | 03 November | 2023

Principal's Message

Kia ora and welcome again to the Wakatipu High School newsletter. Following our Year 13 Prizegiving last Friday, Monday was another important day as we held our Year 11 and 12 Prizegiving in Pouākai. Both were great celebrations of our students’ academic and other achievements, it was great to have so many parents in attendance.

Juniors had a range of exams this week, including English, Maths, Science (Year 10) and Social Science (Year 9). Many year 10’s also sat the corequisite exams for Literacy and Numeracy that are part of the NCEA changes for 2024 and will give students a head start towards achieving their NCEA Level 1. If students didn’t do the corequisite and/or do not pass these assessments, it is ok, as these assessments are part of NCEA Level 1, which many students around the country do at Year 11. As well as assessing students, these assessments provide an important opportunity for junior students to ‘rehearse’ the experience of sitting formal exams, and they went really well.

This week has also been Tutorial Week for seniors who have come and gone as they have attended tutorials and studied over the last four days. NCEA exams begin on Monday and we wish our seniors all the very best for their studying and their exams. Please be sure that students check their exam timetable (below) and note that we have included the excellent 'Managing Exams' article again below.

Senior End of Year reports will on the Portal tonight, and include summative comments from Kaiārahi. These reports provide an opportunity for students and parents to have a look at the learning that has occurred over the year and to review the feedback provided for the upcoming external examinations. Students will need to bring a focused revision programme to achieve to their potential in these important exams so that they may achieve their best qualification possible.

From next week, we will be trialling a weekly Learning Engagement (LE) report. This will be emailed out every Monday and will provide a single indicator for every subject from the previous week’s classes. The indicator will be based on students living the ‘Wakatipu Way’, i.e. living the school’s values and having a sense of pride. We know that parents/caregivers appreciate our 3-weekly LE report but hope that the weekly email will be even more conducive to parent/caregiver engagement. We will be evaluating this new report at the end of this four week trial and all parents/caregivers and students will be emailed a form after week 3 of this trial, but please feel free to email reports@wakatipu.school.nz at any time with your feedback, including things that you like, don’t like or believe could be better. 

There are a few Key Dates to note, particularly for Juniors:

• The final National Accord (Teacher Only) Day is being held on Monday 13 November. Senior exams will continue to run, but junior students will not have school.  
• Our Branches Camp workday is being held on Friday 17 November. This is an important day for Year 10 students to do some work to help pay the costs associated with the iconic Branches Camp. 
  

The newsletter below has some really wonderful articles in it, including recipients of local scholarship awards and the prestigious Mana Pounamu awardees, plus a photo of the Class of ‘23 Scholarship recipients, who have collectively earned nearly $600k in scholarships! A wrap up from the Branches Quiz night follows as well as details on the Wakatipu High School Foundation raffle.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and we look forward to seeing parents/caregivers at the annual visual arts display in Pouākai on Tuesday 7 November.

Ngā mihi nui,

Oded Nathan
Principal

Year 11 and 12 Prizegiving

Earlier this week, we held a prizegiving ceremony for our Year 11 and Year 12 students. Prizegivings are our most formal and important events that recognize and celebrate the academic excellence, leadership, service, and other achievements of our students.

Huge congratulations to all the recipients, a full list of prizewinners is included in the link below.

Wakatipu Community Foundation Scholarships

The Wakatipu Community Foundation awarded 8 scholarships to WHS students at an awards event at Te Atamira this week.  The foundation had a high number of entries for each scholarship this year and would like to thank all the students who applied.  Congratulations to all our 2023 recipients, and we look forward to following your successes over the next year and beyond. 

Arrowtown Autumn Festival Scholarship:
Three scholarships were awarded valued at $2500 each to year 13 students who have a strong track record of community service and volunteering and are heading to further study in 2024.  While they all have a long list of school led volunteering such as STARS peer mentors, it’s the out of school community support that the scholarship committee was impressed by.  Congratulations to each of the three scholarship winners for 2023.

Ruby Dawson is a keen mountain biker who also creates many events for her to volunteer at biking events but Ruby also helps with the marketing of Queenstown Gymnastics Club, umpiring at Wakatipu Netball Club, baking for Good Bitches Baking, and tutoring year 9 students in English and Social Studies. As a member of the Community and Service Council, she has organised many school fundraising and wellbeing events.

Zali Vaivars volunteering includes a youth leader for Girl Guides, the Mountain Bike Club, umpiring for Wakatipu Netball club, and assisting with a youth programme called INSPIRE which aims to boost body image and mental health of our youngsters, and a long list of organisations that have benefitted from her fundraising efforts through her role as Community and Service Prefect.  

Zara McRae is an Arrowtown volunteering star.  From her early days as a Mini Belle to coaching them for their performances, helping out at the Primary School fundraisers, volunteering in a leadership role at the Arrowtown Festival, and other events such as Arrowtown Choppers planting days there aren’t many groups Zara hasn’t helped. It’s not just Arrowtown that has benefited from Zara’s support as she also volunteers at ShowBiz Queenstown and as front of house manager for school productions.

Kate Moetaua Foundation Scholarships
Kate Moetaua was a teacher at Wakatipu High School who sadly passed away in 2018. She was passionate about her family, sports, the arts and her students.  The foundation has been created in her memory to help Whakatipu students achieve their dreams. This year $3050 in total was awarded to 5 recipients in sports and arts and we congratulate the following and wish them all the best as they follow their passions and inspire others.

Mackenzie Jackson – Mackenzie has already represented NZ at the Commonwealth games in Karate, and her goal is to continue to represent NZ. Her funds will be used to support training and competitions as all her compulsory training camps are held in Auckland.  

Lachlan Boniface – Once again, Lachlan has already represented NZ in the U18 NZ Ice Hockey team as well as being captain of WHS Ice Hockey team, and captain of U18 Stampede team. His goal is to play for the NZ U20’s in 2024, and then the Ice Blacks.  His funds will contribute to Lachlan being able to continue to play ice hockey while at university.  

Marley King Smith  -  Another student who has represented NZ, rowing in the U18 world rowing competition in Paris this year, He has led the Wakatipu High School rowing team to numerous gold placings in 2023 as captain of WHS rowing, and also captain of the South Island rowing team. Marley's funds will be used towards training and travel for competitions.

Mikaela Patterson: Mikaela's talent is dancing, and her goal is to be a professional dancer and choreographer. In Australia she qualified for the national dance finals, and here in NZ competes and places in various categories of dance such as musical theatre, choreography, jazz and hip hop. She will be representing NZ at Showcase Dance in Australia in early 2024.  Mikaela's funds will be used to attend Kairos dance convention, as well as the national dance competition.  

Rochelle Tickle: Rochelle’s talent is drama and her most recent accolade is as producer of the Wakatipu High School drama troupe which just won the National TheatreFest competition. Before that are many other awards at regional TheatreFest competitions. She was the lead prefect of Arts and Culture, and student Director of School musicals.   Rochelle will use her scholarship funds to help pay for drama school in 2024. 

2023 Mana Pounamu Awards

The Mana Pounamu Award celebrates Māori achievement in Secondary Schools across the Otago region. It acknowledges high performance academically as well as achievement in the areas of sport, culture, leadership and service.

Congratulations to our 2023 Mana Pounamu Young Māori Achiever award winners, Zara Small (Junior award) and Marley King Smith (Senior award).

Both Zara and Marley have had outstanding success in sport and academic achievement this year and have been excellent role models for the school. We are proud to have nominated them for this award. Ka pai te mahi!

Lakes District Museum Ray and Elizabeth Clarkson scholarship

The Lakes District Museum is proud to offer the Ray and Elizabeth Clarkson Scholarship to a deserving humanities student from our local area who intends to pursue tertiary study in New Zealand. This year, the scholarship, which is valued at $2,500, was awarded to Ruby Dawson. Ruby is going to study a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Otago in 2024.

The scholarship was established in honour of Ray and Elizabeth Clarkson, who were amazing lifelong supporters of the museum. Both retired teachers from Invercargill, they settled in Wakatipu and were passionate about subjects such as History, English, Politics, Performing and Visual Arts. Thanks to their generous contribution to the museum, this scholarship was created to help empower the next generation of humanities students.

Seniors - NCEA Exams

Senior end of year NCEA external exams begin on Monday 6 November, the NZQA Exam Timetable can be found via the link below. Students should have received a copy of their exam admission slip. Unfortunately, NZQA printed them in non-chronological order, so make sure students carefully look at the dates and times of their external exams. 

For a number of our students, performance in these upcoming examinations will determine whether or not they achieve a significant qualification. To that end, we strongly encourage students to use the resources below to prepare a comprehensive revision programme that covers the relevant course content for each subject.

A Message from the Wakatipu High School Foundation

Last night the Wakatipu High School Foundation hosted an end of year celebration for their valued Business Partners and donors on the rooftop of the Forsyth Barr Building. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with supporters and share all the wonderful things happening at the school and the foundation thanks to their generous contributions. The highlight of the evening was the amazing catering provided by WHS Foundation Trustee Hinano Bagnis! Thank you to Cook Brothers Construction for hosting the event on the stunning Rooftop space.  

The Wakatipu High School Foundation Āwhina Fundraising Raffle

Branches Quiz Night

Thanks to all those who supported and attended the Branches Trust quiz night last Saturday. It was an amazing evening and we raised $15,000. The teachers took out first place showing us they're not just pretty faces, whilst the rest of the teams behaved just like naughty kids back at school!  A huge thanks to our generous sponsors, in particular Skyline and Chef Brendan. 

Don't forget work day is coming up soon and watch this space for our next exciting fundraiser. 

The Jacks - School Shorts Success

On Sunday evening, Jack Smillie travelled up to Christchurch to attend the premiere of the School Shorts finalists' films at the Palms Reading Cinema. Their two films which were selected for the finals, "Pulling Up Stumps Featurette" and "Desolate Remnants" were played on the big screen alongside twenty productions from around the country. 

Jack Trounce and Jack Smillie took out the night with the 'Best Documentary' award given to their film 'Pulling Up Stumps Featurette' which is an extraordinary feat. 

The Jack's 'Pulling Up Stumps Featurette' explores the creative vision of the cast and crew's personal experience working on  the local short film, 'Pulling Up Stumps'. In March they both worked as Production Runners and behind the scenes videographers for the 5 days of shooting which involved them running around the set helping out wherever needed. While on set they got to work and network with a highly acclaimed team of professionals, including Kiwi veteran actors Ian Mune and Mark Mitchison. As well as world renowned cinematographer Alun Bollinger who is the eye behind 'Goodbye Pork Pie', 'Heavenly Creatures' and 'The Lord of the Rings'. The Jacks described their documentary with the following logline: 'Unveiling the layers of the New Zealand short film "Pulling Up Stumps," featuring Ian Mune and Mark Mitchinson, we gain insight into the creative vision of first-time film director Elinor Teele, as captured through the distinctive perspective of award-winning cinematographer Alun Bollinger.'

It was a great night and the level and calibre of the other films were insane. The experience of being able to see their films all live on the big screen along with New Zealand's best up-and-coming filmmakers was unmatched. 

They are currently waiting on results to be released for NZ Youth Film Festival (NZYFF) before they're able to publish the films to the public. Wakatipu wish them the best of luck for the rest of the competition season. 

Sport and Active Recreation News

New Zealand U20 Men’s Ice Hockey Team
A big congratulations to Year 13 student Joel Gerard who has been named in the New Zealand U20 Men's Ice Hockey team along with former student Tyler Challoner to compete in Bulgaria early next year. Well done!

Southland Secondary School Sports Awards
The Southland Secondary Schools Sports Awards were held on Monday night in Invercargill and a number of WHS students were selected as finalists. A big congratulations to all of these students! It is awesome to see the recognition at this level for our student-athlete's 2023 achievements with our highly commended and overall winners listed below. Ka Mauka Whakatipu!
Malik Boatwright (Mountain Biking) - Winner Junior Sportsman of the Year
Marley King Smith (Rowing) - Joint Winner Senior Sportsman of the Year
Lucy Sinclair (Climbing) - Highly Commended Senior Sportswoman of the Year
Kai Milburn (Tennis) - Highly Commended Senior Sportsman of the Year
U18 Boys Double Sculls (Rowing) - Highly Commended Team of the Year

New Zealand Youth Development Climbing Squads
Congratulations to Lucy Sinclair, Azaria Briscoe and Alisa Schenk who have all qualified for the 2023/2024 Climbing New Zealand Youth Development Squad for bouldering. Azaria and Lucy have been named in the Junior Female Squad and have also qualified for the Open Development Squad for bouldering for the current season while Alisa has been named in the Youth B Female squad. Congratulations!

Southland Junior Volleyball Champs
It was a busy day of volleyball in Invercargill on Sunday with 5 teams competing in the Southland Junior Volleyball Champs. It has been awesome seeing our junior volleyball programme grow in strength and numbers and all teams had some awesome sets! Final placings were Navy 3rd, Gold 4th, Silver 6th, Blue 9th and Junior Boys 2nd. Thank you to our amazing coaches and helpers: Steve Henderson, Ksena Proskur, Ayako Fukutake, Janina Gerlach, Julie Johnston, Greg Trounce, Rachel Lea, Fabiola Letieri and Duane Te Paa. Our top teams are looking forward to the South Island Junior Champs in Dunedin in 3 weeks!

Pickleball makes its debut
WHS is excited to offer a new afterschool activity - Pickleball! This racket sport has exploded in popularity over the last few years and combines elements of tennis, table tennis and badminton. A huge thank you to the Queenstown Pickleball Club for sharing their expertise and challenging our students to some pretty intense games! Sessions run on Tuesdays 3.30pm in Pouākai, all students are welcome.

Get2Go Nationals - Fundraising 
The WHS Get2Go Adventure Racing Team has qualified for the Torpedo 7 Get2Go National Finals, and they need your support to get there! The intensive 5-day event is held at the Hillary Outdoors Centre in Tongariro in the first week of December. You can support the team by ordering Kai Pai pies and savouries.

https://wakatipuhighschoolget2gopies.raiseit.co.nz/team

Orders close on Sunday 5th November. Pick up will be on Thursday 23rd November at WHS from 3-5pm. We appreciate your support!

Head Injury Management and Mental Health First Aid Seminar
All coaches, managers, parents and teachers are warmly invited to a seminar on head injury management and mental health first aid. This will be held on Tuesday 14th November, 7.30am at Wakatipu High School. Come along to hear valuable insights from head injury researcher Kate Mossman, ex pro cricketer + coach Shawn Hicks, and mental health first aid instructor Barry Grehan. These issues affect rangatahi across all sports, but are not always well understood. Muffins, tea and coffee will be provided for the early morning start! Please email Jo Knight to register; jknight@sportotago.co.nz. 

Boys 1st XI Cricket Tour Fundraiser
A chance for a great day on the Arrowtown Golf Course, please check out the 1st XI Boys Fundraiser below!

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

WHS Musical 2024

Auditions are currently underway for senior students wishing to be part of our 2024 production of Hairspray.

Auditions for Year 9/10 students will happen in Week 5 of this term.

The auditions are for anyone interested in being Leads, Singers and Dancers.  Please sign up via the link below and see Mr Hansen or Mrs Price if you have any questions. Crew roles for areas such as Tech, Costume, Make up, Hair and Backstage will happen early next year.

The Musical occurs in Term 1 of 2024 and does require a considerable time commitment inducing some after school practices, break times and Sunday rehearsals. However, it is a hugely rewarding experience in one of the biggest and most fun filled musicals of all time.

Senior Exhibition 2023

For the first time the Visual Arts Department will be presenting all completed Senior Student Folios for a full day in the new gym (Pouākai) - this is the gym at the entrance to the school before walking into the main building. 

The exhibition will run from 10am to 6pm on Tuesday, 7 November. Everyone in the community is welcome to attend. Please be aware that artwork will be placed on the ground and it is advised that young children attending are closely supervised. 

Central Soundwave

The annual Central Soundwave competition is happening at 5.30pm on Sunday 5th November at Yonder.  Huge thanks to Rockformation and Whakatipu Youth Trust for their support in creating this opportunity.

Posters are up all around the school with details on where to find more information.

Yonder Cafe - 14 Church Street, Queenstown

Register online.

Black Grace

It’s been a decade since Black Grace came to Tāhuna and we are delighted to share with you a free workshop this week for Rangatahi, 15+ with Black Grace, New Zealand's leading contemporary dance company.
 
1-2:30pm, Friday 3 November | KAPA TAHI, Te Atamira
Free - Please  register: https://nz.patronbase.com/_TeAtamira/Productions/BGWH/Performances
 
The workshop will be focused on contemporary dance techniques and movement aesthetics specific to the Black Grace style.    Other workshops include:

10am - 11:30am, Saturday 4 November | KAPA TAHI | $25
1pm - 2:30pm, Saturday 4 November | KAPA TAHI | $25
12pm - 1:30pm, Sunday 5 November | KAPA TAHI | $25
2:30pm - 4pm,  Sunday 5 November | KAPA TAHI | $25
‍https://www.teatamira.nz/events/black-grace-workshops

Artist of the Week - Sophie Askham - Year 13 Painting

After all the other students have left, Sophie Askham is sitting quietly in the Visual Arts space placing her final pieces of art on her panels. She is one of the few Year 13s who will be working towards a scholarship in Painting. We are very proud of Sophie and all her hard work she has done throughout her time at WHS. 

Sophie’s folio tells a story of two girls finding themselves in pieces of art who slowly morph in and out of various famous artworks. Eventually, they accept that they are art themselves. 

Important Dates Coming Up in the Arts

• Nov 3 -   Black Grace Workshop
  
• Nov 5 -   Central Soundwaves - Yonder Cafe
• Nov 7 -   Senior Folio Art Exhibition

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.

Library Books

Students have now been charged for books which should have been returned the end of term 3. If you have been charged for a book and then return it in good condition (and within a reasonable time) we will remove the charge. The fees collected are used to replace lost books but we would much rather have our books than your money!

If you believe that you had returned a book or been charged in error, come and talk to the librarian. You should already know that we love a good story.

Now that it is the end of the school year for senior students; please make sure that all school books, camera's and laptops are returned to the library. 

Returning students can borrow books over the summer break.

Mrs Bell

Uniform Shop Opening Hours

Our uniform shop will be open from the 1st of December for current Year 8 students and new entrants joining WHS in 2024. This will allow students to try on a uniform before ordering it with confidence online through Argyle Schoolwear (link below). Small items, such as socks, belts, jerseys, tights and ties, will also be available to buy at the uniform shop during this time. 

OPENING DATES & TIMES 
December 4 -  8 | 3:30 - 4:45 pm
January 22 - 24 | 9:30 - 3:30 pm
January 25 - 26 | 1 - 3:30 pm

Uniform Donations

We are seeking uniform donations to give away.

If students are finished with their uniform because they are leaving school, please consider donating the uniform to school.  We have families that would gratefully receive free second hand uniform items.

Please take any clean, tidy uniform items you wish to donate to Student Services.

WHS Foundation

Community Notices

Support our fundraising and enjoy 100s of everyday savings!
Entertainment is the easy-to-use App packed with incredible savings of up to 50% off and 2-for-1 offers, so you can save on takeaway, dining, shopping, groceries, gift cards, activities and more!

And what’s even better, 20% of every membership purchased goes to support Wakatipu High School!

https://subscribe.entertainmentnz.com/fundraiser/260506v

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