WHS Newsletter | Issue 1.01 | 02 February | 2024

Principal's Message

Kia ora and welcome to the first full newsletter of the 2024 academic year. An especially warm welcome to the parents and caregivers of students new to WHS. With more than 330 Year 9 students and more than 30 students from Year 10 - 13 newly enrolled, WHS continues to grow and now has more than 1450 students and 130 staff. With more than 55 ethnicities represented, WHS certainly has a rich tapestry that is truly valued.

The start of the year is always very busy as we welcome new students to WHS and also transition returning students from summer, ensuring that everyone has their classes sorted, among other things. All students should now have full timetables that support their engagement, learning, progress and achievement, though there may be a few teacher changes over the weekend as we do the final balancing of classes. A reminder too, that all students must be in correct uniform and have their BYOD device charged and ready for school on Monday.

On Tuesday morning we welcomed our new students, including 14 new International students to WHS with a mihi whakatau. It was great to see our new entrants smiling and happy to be at high school and well supported by our STARS Peer Mentors. The day concluded with a Year 9 Parent Information afternoon, huge thanks to all of those who attended.  Year 9 parents will receive an email from Mr Field-Mitchell detailing lots of useful information to help get you underway at WHS, including the Year 9 Parent Handbook that was shared with parents on the day. 

On Wednesday, we had our first day for all students. We began with a full-school assembly where we paid tribute to Flynn Dawson, who passed away suddenly last week. Flynn was going into Year 13 and was known as a kind and friendly person who enjoyed sport and the outdoors - rugby, mountain biking, snowsports, hunting, fishing, and more. His loss will be deeply felt by our students, staff, the community and our heart and thoughts are with his family and friends. A Charitable Fund has been established to honour Flynn, click here if you wish to contribute.

I have emailed parents and caregivers over the past week and will send out more direct comms next week, but as a reminder, it is helpful for students to keep regular routines (sleeping, eating, attending school), to engage in activities that they would normally enjoy, and to be together with friends and family to allow time for talking and supporting each other.

I need to acknowledge our Deputy Head Students, Jack Smillie and Bethany Graf, who spoke beautifully at the full-school assembly about the importance of manaakitanga/kindness and kotahitanga/unity, as we mourn Flynn’s loss. 

We have a very full and wonderful newsletter below, including important information regarding Cellphones, Buses, Uniform, Reporting, Attendance, Āwhina (financial support), Student Leadership, Arts and Sports, and much, much more - so be sure to have a read.

A reminder to download the WHS App to your device, as it is a key communication channel for us, where you can do everything from reading the newsletter., notifying us of your student’s absence and our school calendar. (Please see below for details on how to download).

Once again, a warm welcome back to WHS. We really value the relationship that we have with all of our students and parents, so please make sure that you keep in touch with us throughout the year. Hope everyone enjoys the weekend and we look forward to seeing all students at school on Monday.

Nāku noa, nā
Yours Sincerely,

Oded Nathan
Principal/Tumuaki

WHS SZ App

All parents, caregivers and students should download the SZapp to your device as this is how we will communicate urgent and important school alerts and our weekly newsletter. The app also features an absence form, the online school cafe, a calendar and some handy links! See below information on how to download the WHS SZ app. 

 Apple Devices

1. On your device, open the App Store.
2. Search the App Store for SZapp.
3. Download and install SZapp.

 Android Devices

1. On your device, open the Play Store.
2. Search the Play Store for SZapp.
3. Download and install SZapp.

A Message From Student Leaders

Kia ora Koutou! It has been lovely to see everyone coming back refreshed from the school holidays and great to see some new faces! We’ve had good fun getting to know the new cohort of year 9’s, who we are sure were a bit nervous to be entering the WHS environment. We realise that each student will have had a different experience during the holidays with some working through the break, others trying to get some rest and some of us who have travelled the world. With that being said, as everyone returns from this long break, It's crucial to consider the diverse experiences everyone brings from their summer.

That's why, now more than ever we need to focus on showing Manaakitanga: care, support and kindness when entering the new school year.  Each of us deserve to feel valued. Our own paths that we have carved out through our unique experiences and connections make us who we are, so instead of rejecting that, let us embrace one another no matter your year group, clique or stage of life you are in.  Make it a point to smile, open the door or compliment someone today, little actions build up and become massive movements towards a positive school environment. 

This period of time is marked by challenges, uncertainties, and the need for a sense of belonging. This is where Manaaki becomes not just an ideal but an incredible support for our peers who may be facing struggles we cannot see.  Let Manaakitanga be the compass that directs our actions and together, we can create an environment where kindness, inclusion, and respect flourish.  

Above your school foyer we have five blue banners with our respective five school values on them. One of them is Kotahitanga / Inclusion. The design on this is significant as it is a visual representation of harakeke (flax), the plant used to make ropes, fishing lines and net making. In this sense, the harakeke can be symbolic to togetherness as being essential strength. “My strength is not from myself alone, but from the strength of the group.” 

We as a Student Leadership Team want to channel this strength through a 6 word statement: “It is cool to be kind”. You’ll hear this statement repeatedly throughout your time at high school. Yet we as students always seem to forget the meaning behind it. There has always been a stigma amongst students regarding the topic of kindness - being nice to each other and supporting those who need it, and we’ve got to work on this together as a school. Quite often for us to get caught up in social hierarchies, overlooking true strength found in the simple act of kindness. So as we start 2024, let us embrace these principles together. Because it's cool to be kind!

Jack Smillie and Bethany Graf
Deputy Head Students

Student Council Applications Are Now Open

Wakatipu High School has ten student councils who organise and support a wide range of student initiatives. This year student leaders are focusing on increasing participation in activities, promoting kindness, and increasing pride in the school. 

Joining a council is a great opportunity for students to have their voice heard and get involved in some of the exciting activities going on at school. They will have the chance to work with a diverse group of students and learn some important leadership skills. Note this year we are also collecting interest in being part of Students Against Sexual Harm (SASH). Students should see the Sunday email from Mr Gilbertson for more details and complete the application form before Monday 12 February. 

Uniform

We believe that wearing the school uniform correctly is an important way in which students can represent our school with pride, and is an expectation of students attending WHS. Accordingly this week we carried out a school-wide audit of basic items of the uniform (socks, shoes, skirts/shorts, shirts, etc.) during Ako Time. A number of students were identified as having either missing or non-regulation uniform items - in particular non-polishable shoes, hi-top boots and black socks. Please click here for uniform requirements, and Uniform Shop hours.

We would appreciate you please taking the time to check that your student has the full correct complement of uniform items. If you wish to seek financial support through our Āwhina Fund for uniform items please see our website or contact our Guidance Counsellor Ms Vicki Patton, vpatton@wakatipu.school.nz, or phone her through the school office on 03 442 7370.

We know that there may be legitimate reasons for students to be in non-regulation uniform items. In such cases however, students should bring a note from parents which they can provide to their Kaiārahi for a Uniform Pass.

Our expectation is that all uniform issues are resolved by the end of this week, after which we will begin to enforce our uniform expectations with students. If there are ongoing issues or you're awaiting orders please give your student a note explaining this. 

Craig Morrison
Deputy Principal

Learning Engagement (LE) Reports - A change for 2024

In the latter half of Term 4 last year, we trialled an amended version of our Learning Engagement reports with junior students. The feedback from parents and staff was overwhelmingly positive, so the decision has been made to move forward with this model for 2024.

Key changes are:

• Frequency - the LE report will be sent to parents and students on a weekly basis.
• Every student will receive a single grade from each of their subject teachers to indicate how well they have embodied the "Wakatipu Way" in their classes for the week.
• The details of the LE report will be embedded in an email, reducing the need to navigate to the WHS Portal.

These changes are part of a larger package of regular reporting to parents and students around their engaement, learning, progress and achievement. The first such report will be sent by Monday, February 12. We will have more detailed information in next week's newsletter.

Justine Duncan
Deputy Principal

What to Do If My Child Is Being Bullied

The most common reason students don’t report bullying is a fear of making it worse - being labelled as someone that tells. While this is a legitimate concern, it is really important that your students feel safe, which means dealing with any instances of bullying needs to be done very carefully and will be addressed confidentially. 

If you hear your child is being bullied please talk to the school. There are different ways to do this. You can contact your child’s Kaiārahi or Dean, or you can let us know by completing a bullying reporting form from our website (https://www.wakatipu.school.nz/reportbullying.html).

If you complete the bullying reporting form, a Dean or Senior Leader will get in contact as soon as possible. The first step is to arrange a meeting to talk about what the student is experiencing. The meeting can be just with the student or with the student and family. Sometimes the student will bring a friend along for support. We can do this out of school hours if there is concern over being seen talking with staff. 

Once we have a picture of what is happening, the Dean or Senior Leader will talk through possible options. We will also talk through what to do if anything else occurs. There are many considerations depending on the circumstances. Often the student or family will take some time to think about what they want to do. Sometimes the student will want to take time to see if small changes have an impact, sometimes we head straight into talking with the alleged bully and looking at discipline. 

Whatever next steps are agreed, there will be a component for checking in with the student. This can be with one of our guidance team, or another staff member, or sometimes it is via email with the family. 

A few things that we need to be really clear about

• We can’t impose consequences for an alleged bully in any way without being specific about what they are accused of, and giving them a chance to put forward their side. 
• If there is a safety concern, school will intervene even if the victim doesn’t want us to. Ideally we can agree on a path together and recent experience has been that the student and family are in agreement with the school. 
• If bullying is occurring on the way to and from school, school can still intervene. It does not need to be within school hours or on school site. 
• If there are significant social media posts/messages (in breach of the harmful digital communications act), or there is lower level but continual negative social media interaction, even if it is outside of school time, school can intervene if it is having an impact on a student’s ability to learn at school.  There have been instances of a formal consequence for breaches in the past.
• School will work with the Police if appropriate. This includes putting the family in contact with the Police. School action does not stop if the Police are involved, both happen simultaneously. This is not common, but does occasionally happen.

There are clear definitions of what bullying is and isn't. Sometimes what we are dealing with is not technically bullying, but the student still needs support and some of the behaviours are still not OK. 

Good places for more information:

• Bully Free NZ (https://www.bullyingfree.nz/)
• Netsafe - for online events (https://netsafe.org.nz/)

We can’t act if we don’t know. It is heartbreaking to hear a student is feeling intimidated or unsafe weeks or months after it began. There are always steps we can take to improve the situation. As much as staff try to look out for any bullying it can be hidden.

From surveying students multiple times last year we believe Wakatipu High School doesn’t have a particularly high rate of bullying compared to National data. However, it is our view that any bullying is not acceptable and we are working to get our school bully free. There will be future newsletter articles to explain more about what we are doing for prevention, intervention, and monitoring. 

Please talk to us if you have any concerns.

Justine Duncan
Deputy Principal
jduncan@wakatipu.school.nz

Student Attendance

If a student misses one day of school every two weeks, they miss a whole year of school by 16 years of age. As a parent or caregiver, you, alongside our school, play a key role in building strong habits of regular school attendance.

All students are legally required to attend school every day and it is a shared responsibility to make sure students attend and engage in learning from when they first start school. As we enter 2024, every day of school matters.

Please let the school know if your child is going to be absent for a day or intends to be absent for a portion of the school term for whatever reason. Family holidays or taking time off for extracurricular activities (not organised by school) are not acceptable reasons for being absent.

If you're struggling at home with getting your child to school, talk to us! Our school is committed to supporting your child to attend school and building a culture that fosters excellent attendance by having:

• School staff who have strong relationships with students and whānau.  
• A school culture that recognises your child and your family for who they are, where they come from and who they want to be.
• A school community that does everything to make sure students are at school, and they are participating, and progressing in their education.

Please see the link below for more information from the MOE regarding attendance.

Justine Duncan
Deputy Principal

Buses

Start of Year

Reviewing and sorting the bus routes is a key task at the start of every school year. Due to changes in numbers of students travelling from different locations, new routes can be created and others changed. As with last year, we are operating under a mixed-model for school transport, meaning only some areas are serviced by the Ministry of Education, while students from other areas are to catch public buses. Regarding public buses: last year ORC and Ritchies committed to providing a Route 1 Bus for school students only - departing Sunshine Bay at 7.55am for travel to school and one departing at 3.35pm from Red Oaks Drive. This will continue in 2024. Additionally, there is a public bus that departs Red Oaks Drive at 3.30pm for Hanley’s Farm / Jack’s Point. NB: Because these are a public bus service, students will need to use their Bee cards for payment.

 While we have tried to be as proactive as possible in working with Go Bus to anticipate changes and likely routes, there is always a period of several weeks until all the routes are completely finalised. Students will be continuously updated on any changes. If a bus fails to turn up (i.e is more than 15 minutes late), please phone the school so we can inform the bus company of this and they will send a bus to pick you up. We thank you for your patience during these first weeks. 

Student Expectations for Travelling on Buses

Use of the school bus system is a privilege, not a right. Poor behaviour, or exploiting the system by travelling on ineligible routes, may mean that students are stood down from using the bus service. Students MUST exemplify all elements of the Wakatipu Way while travelling to and from the school on buses, either MOE or Public. That involves following the rules and expectations, including:

• No eating, drinking, vaping or smoking on the bus. 
• Verbal or physical harassment of any sort will not be tolerated.
• Vandalism will be treated as a significant breach of school rules, and any costs incurred in the process of repairing damage will be passed on to the family
  
• Please be patient, respectful and courteous towards your bus drivers at all times.

Any student to be found in breach of these rules will be subject to the WHS Disciplinary Process.

Justine Duncan
Bus Controller

School Operations: Important Information for Parents

Welcome to the 2024 school year. This section contains some important information about school operations. Parents of new students in particular need to review, but there's some good reminder information for everyone.

Parking
Parents should not park in the staff and student car parks at any time during school hours (9.00am - 3.30pm) as these parks are for registered vehicles only. Parking enforcement applies and unauthorised vehicles will be ticketed. There are approx 25 visitor parks available at the front entrance to the school.  There are a number of public car parks available within a 1 block radius of the school with 2 hours free parking, if you are coming to the school for an event - these should be where you park.

There is very limited parking for students on site at school. The available student parks are offered to Student Leaders.  We are currently in touch with Remarkables Park Limited who have in the past very generously given staff and students a heavily discounted parking rate at one of the nearby public parking areas. If they are prepared to continue this offer we will let you know.  As there is limited on street parking in the vicinity we strongly encourage students who may drive to register for the discounted parking should it become available. Remarkables Park Limited will clamp vehicles parking illegally in adjacent paddocks and business car parking areas.

BYOD Devices
Students need to bring their devices to school fully charged ready for the school day.  The school will assist students with connecting to the school network but does not repair student devices. If your student does not have a device and you require financial assistance, please see our BYOD page on the school website which has a section on Financial Support. There are a good number of online vendors who sell refurbished laptops at reduced prices that are also worth looking at.

Loan Laptops
We have a limited number of loan devices that can be borrowed and returned on a daily basis.  This year we have introduced a hire charge for these devices which will be added to your student account should a laptop be requested. Note that the daily charge will be waived under certain circumstances (eg for max of 3 weeks whilst laptops are away being repaired).

Café
The School Café has had a change for the start of 2024 and along with a new menu we are now CASHLESS. For students that do not have an EFTPOS card, parents can choose to pay in advance (at Reception) and an account will be held in credit for the student at the Café that they can draw down on. If you are unable to come into the school to pay at Reception, please email accounts@wakatipu.school.nz and advise them of the value you wish to pay in advance. The Accounts team will add the charge to your students' account which you can go onto the student portal and pay. Note that your student will be unable to access the credit at the cafe until payment is made.

Picking up and dropping off your student(s)
QLDC have CCTV monitoring the bike lane/bus stop outside the school on Red Oaks Drive directly in front of the school. QLDC advises: “The cameras have been installed to monitor the area for vehicles that stop, stand or park on broken yellow lines or in bus stops, vehicles that double park and other offences under the Land Transport Act 1998.” We would therefore encourage you to continue to use the drop-off areas within the school site for dropping off and picking up students.

School hours and school security
The school building is open from 7.45am - 4.00pm on school days. Any students arriving before or after these times must only be at school for a supervised activity. Any unsupervised students remaining in the building at 4.00pm will be requested to leave when the onsite facility team do their daily lock up. Students cannot stay at school waiting for other activities after 4.00pm unless they are participating in a supervised activity.

Options available to students include the QLDC Frankton Library at Remarkables House which is open until 5.30pm and "The Loft" at the Wakatipu Youth Trust across the road on Red Oaks Drive . The Youth Trust Drop-In is open from 3.00pm - 5.30pm Monday to Thursday and 3.00pm - 5.00pm on Fridays. www.wakatipuyouthtrust.co.nz/programmes/the-loft/

Andrea Wilton-Connell
Business Manager

Lockers

Lockers are available for hire, the annual fees are $25 for a Small Locker, $50 for Medium and $75 for a Large.

If your child would like a locker please click on the link below to complete the form. Once you have requested the locker, the charge will show up on your child's account. When the payment has been received students will be able to collect their lock and allocated locker number from Student Services.

National Rotary Science and Technology Experience

The National Rotary Science and Technology Forum can only be described as a once in a lifetime opportunity. A unique experience where you’re surrounded by the brightest young minds in STEM, gaining knowledge from Aotearoa’s most inspiring lecturers and professors, and getting a taste of independent uni life.

This “nerd camp” gave me so much more than just two weeks of science. I’ve walked away from this experience with what I’m sure will be lifelong relationships, knowledge of what my future holds, an ignited curiosity in STEM, and memories that will last a lifetime.

For any current year 12’s considering applying for next year, it’s like school camp but on a whole other level. It’s a sneak peek into your future in STEM but with more Sherk themed movie nights in lecture theatres and colourful volleyball tournaments. You are exposed to so many different fields of science and technology in an environment where you can explore, experiment, and find your passions. No other program in the country offers such an in-depth, unique, behind the scenes experience where we have access to some of the highest grade tools and resources in STEM.

Despite missing the forum and the incredible people involved, I start this new year grateful knowing that I got to be a part of this inspiring journey and am now forever a member of a STEM community that will carry me into my future career. Thank you to Queenstown Rotary, the Science and Technology forum, the businesses and companies involved, the advisors, Enrico, and everyone else who made this forum possible for me and other STEM passionate students around Aotearoa. It was truly a life changing experience that has given me new hope for my future after high school. I am eternally grateful and will never forget the 34th National Rotary Science and Technology Forum with the class of 2024.

Ava Boyt 
Year 13 Student

Environmental Council Update

Hi everyone, It’s Sophie and Pete here from the environmental council. Before we announce a fantastic initiative for February, we just want to encourage people to consider applying for a position in the environmental council! If you are passionate about the environment or are keen to take on an exciting role which can help make a difference, go check out Mr Gilbertson’s student weekly email for more information. 

We have an exciting initiative to be part of this February called the “Aotearoa Bike Challenge”. This month, people and groups all over New Zealand will be competing against each other by logging their bike rides and earning points on the “Love to Ride” page or through other apps like strava. If you live close enough to school or are willing, we also encourage biking to school when you can - it is a great way to help get some cars off the road and will also count towards your points. It is a super fun and completely free event with great prizes to be won. For more information click here or go to AOTEAROA.BIKE/QUEENSTOWNLAKES where you can sign up under the Wakatipu High School Staff group as a student, or as an individual.

STARS Peer Mentoring

Our impressive Year 12 STARS Peer Mentors received their first two days of induction and training this week. 

STARS is a Graeme Dingle Foundation mentoring programme that provides leadership opportunities to senior students and supports a positive transition for Year 9 students during their first year at secondary school. Year 12 and 13 students are trained to be Peer Mentors and follow a programme that addresses key life skills such as goal setting, time management, good communication skills and building positive relationships.

Over the two days the Peer Mentors learnt skills, tips and tricks that will help them deliver their first session to the Year 9’s on Friday 9th February. 

I am already blown away by the Peer Mentors' participation and positive mindset to learn and grow. Thank you in advance also to all our AKO teachers for supporting STARS this year.  

Paula Denton
Stars Coordinator
GRAEME DINGLE FOUNDATION

Sport and Active Recreation

A warm welcome back for 2024 and I hope you are looking forward to an awesome year of sport at WHS!  There is a new face in the Sports Department this year, with Bel Strano our new Sports and Physical Activity Coordinator and Sian taking up the Director of Sports role. A huge thank you to Laura Nathan for the years of incredible mahi and passion she has put into WHS Sport!

• Sian Horn - Director of Sport - shorn@wakatipu.school.nz
• Belinda Strano - Sports Coordinator - bstrano@wakatipu.school.nz
• Kate Ferguson - Sports & Arts Administrator - kferguson@wakatipu.school.nz

There have been a number of incredible National and International sporting selections and achievements over the summer break, check out all of the action below.

Cricket

U19 Cricket World Cup
WHS Head Student Mason Clarke is currently in South Africa with the NZ Men’s U19 Cricket Team at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup. The team won their first match against Nepal by 64 runs, with Mason leading the defence (3/25). They went on to win their second match against Afghanistan by 1 wicket, but lost to Pakistan. The team qualified for the Super Six stage, where the team went down to India on Wednesday. Mason was best with the ball for New Zealand (4-62), which places him in the top 10 for most wickets. The team plays Ireland on Saturday and you can catch the action live on Sky Sport. We wish Mason and the team the best for their remaining games!

National Age Group Cricket Tournaments
A number of WHS students have been competing at representative National Cricket Tournaments over the summer break. Hugo Bogue (VC), Angus O'Neill, Matthew Langford & Harry Walker-Leach were all selected & played for Otago in the National Under 17 Tournament in Lincoln from the 18th-25th of January, a record number for WHS. The team played well with 2 draws in 2 day games against Northern Districts & Wellington. They had 1 run loss against Auckland & a last over loss to Central Districts in one day games. A highlight of the tournament was Hugo Bogue’s century (108) in the team’s win against Wellington. 

In the women’s comps, Abby Fookes represented Otago U19 Women at the National U19 Tournament in Lincoln from the 6th-12th of January. The tournament consisted of four one-day matches and three T20 matches, with the team finishing third overall across both formats. Abby followed this up with selection into the Otago U17 team, playing in Palmerston North from the 15th-18th of January.

Well done Hugo, Angus, Matthew, Harry and Abby!

Queenstown Cricket Carnival
WHS boys cricket first XI played in the eighth annual Queenstown Cricket Carnival in mid January 2024. With a mixture of experienced players and new to first XI players this was a great opportunity for all involved. Playing teams from Canterbury and Northern Districts as well across the south, it was a great experience. Two stand out performances are worth noting: Oscar Pullar scored a fantastic 97 runs and Jack Trounce took a 5 wicket bag - making him the second top wicket taker in the carnival. Jack Gallie and Jack Trounce also represented WHS in the All Star match.

Willows Girls Cricket Tour
A WHS Girls Cricket Team made up of 7 players from Wakatipu and 4 players from the Otago region travelled to Canterbury from 24-26 January 2024 for the inaugural Willows Cricket Tour. The team were invited by the Willows Cricket Club to play at their historic and traditional Willows Cricket Ground in North Canterbury against Waimea College, followed by two games at Hagley Park Grounds against Joe Root Academy U16 and St Margaret's College. The team put on a strong front, winning all 3 games. Congratulations to Abby Fookes, Sorcha Wilkinson and Stella Rhind who were presented with their Baggy Caps as recognition of their achievements in the WHS 1st XI Girls Cricket Team. A special shout out also goes to Abby, who scored the first ever century (101) by a female at the Willows Ground - earning her a place on the Honours Board and Willows Cricket Club membership. A huge thank you to Emma Campbell, Greg Trounce, Jason Rhind and Debbie Hutton for all of their mahi with the tour. The team would also like to acknowledge the support and funding received from Steamer Wharf Queenstown, Fulton Hogan and Otago Cricket. Check out the full tour report below.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t_IEnFM1WsE-60-l0ZuADe-sWGh-xlcR/view?usp=sharing

Cross Country

U20 World Champs Selection
A massive congratulations to Siena Mackley who was recently named in the New Zealand U20 Women’s Team to compete at the World Cross Country Champs in Belgrade, Serbia in late March. This is arguably Cross Country’s biggest world stage, and is an even more impressive achievement given Siena is only 16 (beating out a number of top 17-19 year old athletes for this selection). This adds to what was already set to be an incredible year for Siena, who last year was selected for the NZ team to compete in the World Secondary Schools Cross Country Champs in Kenya in May. Both selections reflect a significant amount of mahi, commitment, and perseverance - well done Siena!

Ice Hockey 

NZ U18 Women’s Gold
The New Zealand Women's Under 18 Ice Hockey Team recently clinched gold at the IIHF Division II B World Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria. A huge congratulations to WHS students Polly Bennetts, Lucy Boniface (Assistant Captain), Inge Kemp, Aoife Orr, Manuella Pedrosa, and Jessie Strain who were part of the winning team. Polly Bennetts was also one of the two top scorers for the tournament. A write up on the action can be found on the link below. An awesome achievement!

Snowsports

Freeride Junior World Champs
Brooke Hansen, Keani Wilson and former student Sam Riddle recently competed at the Yeti Freeride Junior World Championships in Kappl, Austria. All three athletes gave it their everything in challenging and ever-changing snow conditions on the face. A huge congratulations to Brooke who took out the silver medal in her event, marking New Zealand’s first ever women’s snowboard medal at the Freeride Junior World Championships. An incredible achievement!

Northern Hemisphere Alpine Skiing
A number of WHS students are currently training and competing overseas for the Northern Hemisphere winter. April Bentley, Hyugo Saunders, Violet Smillie, Jessica McCaw, Finn McCaw, Emily Harris and Miko Agnew have been racing at a number of European events as part of the NZ Alpine Youth Squad, and achieving some awesome results. Congratulations to Hyugo who is now skiing at FIS level. Best of luck for the rest of the European season!

Tennis

Junior ITF Titles
Kai Milburn has had another incredible summer of tennis, winning his first International Tennis Federation Junior Tournament in Christchurch on the 13th of Jan. Kai followed this up by taking both the Doubles and Singles Titles at the ITF J60 event in Wellington, as well as the ITF J100 Singles Title in Auckland on Saturday. Kai currently has a career high ITF Junior World Ranking of 177. Keep up the amazing work!

Touch

National Youth Champs
Congratulations to Mia Manderson (U18), Cooper Deaker (U18) and Charlie Rule (U16) who have all been selected to represent Southland at the National Youth Touch Championships in Auckland this weekend (2nd-4th Feb). Play well!

Opportunities to Get Involved

WHS Sports Expo - Weds 14th Feb
The annual WHS Sports Expo will be held on Wednesday 14th February at Break 2 (11.45am) in Pouakai. This is a key opportunity to see what sports and physical activities are on offer through WHS and in the basin and sign up for any activity students may be interested in. We encourage all students at WHS to be involved in some form of extracurricular activity at or outside of school, as these are a key way for students to connect with peers, staff and the community and have significant benefits to students wellbeing and holistic development.

If you are keen to find out more information about sport and active recreation opportunities please visit our website. You can also sign up to the Google Classrooms directly using the code on each sport’s page. https://www.sporty.co.nz/wakatipu

Coaches, Managers and Referees - We Need You!
Like many sports clubs in New Zealand, we rely solely on volunteer coaches, managers and referees. While we do have some incredible staff members involved with coaching, the majority of our teams are still coached by parents and/or community volunteers. As our school role continues to grow, so does our number of sports teams, and the number of coaches/managers we need! This is particularly the case for our year 9 and 10 teams. We are on the hunt for sports coaches for the upcoming season for:

• Volleyball
• Touch
• Basketball
• Football
• Hockey
• Netball
• Rugby

If you have any knowledge, skills, and passion in these sports are keen to join the WHS sports community please reach out to me at shorn@wakatipu.school.nz for further details. We have an awesome group of passionate volunteers on board and support available. 

Wakatipu Junior Golf Fund
The Wakatipu Junior Golf Development Fund has been set up by the Wakatipu Junior Golf Club and is offering $10,000 in funds per year to help players aged between 5-18 with coaching, competition and gear costs. There are three funding rounds each year, with $500 available per applicant. This is a fantastic initiative to develop our young golfers in the Whakatipu. The first round is now open and closes February 13th. More details and the application form are on the website below.

https://www.wakatipucommunityfoundation.co.nz/scholarships

QEC Strength Programmes
The Queenstown Events Centre are again offering their Strength101 and Strength102 programmes for 13-18 year olds. These 8-week strength training programmes are led by qualified gym instructors and are tailored to your fitness level - there is no experience required. More information is provided on the flyers below.

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 schoo.

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

Arts Department News

WHS Musical 2024
Cast rehearsals have begun, please refer to the schedule to make sure you attend all rehearsals. If you would like to be a part of the Hairspray Musical Crew please use this form to sign up before Friday the 17th of February. The Schedule for all rehearsals and meetings is in the Hairspray 2024 WHS Musical Classroom Group (pvgr6zm).

Parent Meeting - there will be a meeting for parents of students involved in the musical after practice this Sunday. Band Practices this Sunday will be running as follows:
Act 1 Band - 12.15 - 1.45 (arrive at 12 to get set up in the band room upstairs)
Act 2 Band - 2.00 - 3.00

Itinerant Music Lessons. 
Students enrolled in Music classes this year will be able to access the in-school instrumental lessons that run throughout the week. Further information will come through in an email to parents. Semester 1 students will make their choices in the Music classes with the lessons happening in the next ten days/two weeks. Semester 2 Music students may be able to access trumpet, trombone, brass, saxophone, bass guitar, vocals  but will need to see Mrs Price in the Music area first.

Performing Arts Classroom Group
The Performing Arts Google Classroom code is: sijw2gw. This provides information about a range of events/activities happening within the area. 

Music Groups.
The Senior Jazz Band will be underway next Wednesday with a short practice/meeting to get things started. New students interested in being involved with this need to see Mrs Price. 

All other groups will be underway in the next 2-3 weeks with information posted on the Performing Arts Classroom and at the upcoming Arts Expo.

Arts Expo. 
This event is happening on Friday 16 Feb in the Theatre in Break 2 and provides an opportunity for students to see what is offered in the Arts department.

Gibbston Valley Concert. 
Good luck to Estrogen who are performing as one of the warm up acts to this weekend's Gibbston Valley concert. The band includes Ruby Ross, Emily Johnston who have just left WHS and Mya Wilcox who is in Y13 this year.

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.

WHS Careers website

Did you know that WHS has a dedicated Careers website?

CareerWise is a one stop shop for sharing up-to-date information on student job vacancies, university open days, scholarships, career events and information evenings, workplace resources and more.

As a senior student at WHS, you and your whanau are already subscribed to the site, and you will receive a fortnightly newsletter containing all the latest news and events posted. We encourage parents and guardians to keep themselves updated with the opportunities available to their teens now and in the future. However, if you do not want to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe anytime.

No matter what your pathway is, we strongly recommend bookmarking this page and utilising this fantastic resource.

To access Careerwise, simply click on the button below or visit the school's website and find CareerWise under the careers tab.

WHS Foundation

Community Notices

To access the survey click here

Climate change – the science, the business…

John Lang, Net Zero Tracker

Catalyst Kōrero, February 15, 2023

We are kicking off this year’s Catalyst Kōrero on February 15 with a visual tour of the science of climate change led by UK-based Kiwi John Lang, co-founder and lead of the international project Net Zero Tracker.

Also the founder of Kiwis in Climate, a 300-strong group of global Kiwis in climate and sustainability-related fields, John will cover topics from what “good net zero” looks like, to what companies and individuals can and should be doing to bend the emissions curve downwards.

One of John’s specialities is ‘explainer infographics’ designed to make the intricacies and jargon of climate change understandable. We featured one of them, about COP28, on our Catalyst Facebook page on November 29 last year. 

John is with the London-based Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, holds a Master of Laws in environmental law and policy from UCL, and runs Consult Climate and ‘the e-nvironmentalist’, a climate communication blog.

Thursday, February 15, 6 -7.30pm at The Rees Hotel Queenstown’s conference room. Registration required here, as seats are limited. Please bring cash for your koha, which will be given to Sustainable Queenstown.

Support our fundraising and enjoy 100s of everyday savings!
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