WHS Newsletter | Issue 1.07 | 15 March 2024

Principal's Message

Kia ora and welcome to the end of a good week at WHS,

Our Year 9 Greenstone Camp was a resounding success with the vast majority of Year 9 students experiencing 3 days and 2 nights on the Greenstone Station. Students engaged in river-safety, learned a new skill (kayaking), walked the Lake Rere loop and developed their environmental awareness. A huge thank you to all the staff and contractors for giving up their time to support our ākonga with their development of the school’s values of Responsibility, Inclusion and Resilience. Also, we would be hard pressed to run this camp without the support of the community - thanks to those who have paid their voluntary donation and also thanks to the WHS Foundation, Hugo Charitable Trust and Les Hutchins Conservation Foundation for their ongoing financial support.

Yesterday, at Break time, we had a double-header, with staff and students getting their haircut for Mullet March, to raise awareness and support of Mental Health. A huge thank you to the Wellbeing Council for highlighting this important discussion (see below for more details). Meanwhile, we held an assembly for the 167 student-athletes who are preparing to depart for Summer Tournament Week. I asked the students to embrace the school’s vision for sport (see below) and to wear their WHS jersey with pride (see the sports section for more details).

The School Musical - Hairspray, is just around the corner and tickets are selling fast, so be sure to get your ticket to what is sure to be an outstanding evening. Opening night is just 3 weeks away on Wednesday 3 April. Related, we are currently seeking feedback on our Arts Strategic Plan (see below for more details), so be sure to have a read and provide your feedback.

With only 4 weeks (and 16 days) of school remaining this term, students will need to be well-planned and organised to manage what lies ahead. Junior Next Steps (Student/Parent/Kaiārahi) interviews are being held on Tuesday 26th March (see below for more details) and Seniors will have a number of internal assessments due to juggle around their extra and co-curricular activities. Students will likely be feeling a bit of pressure at this time and so eating well, sleeping well and minimising distractions (eg cellphone use) will be essential to supporting students with their wellbeing as they strive to achieve to their potential during this time. 

Speaking of cellphone use, see below an important piece regarding the school’s plan to implement the cellphone ban from Term 2. While we did get lots of feedback on this in 2023, we do appreciate any further feedback you may have. 

Once again, a reminder of some key dates for the next few weeks:

• Monday 25 March - Otago Anniversary Day - No School
• Tuesday 26 March - Junior Next Steps from 2:30 - 7:30. School finishes at 1:50 pm
• Friday 29 March - Good Friday - No School
• Monday 1 April - Easter Monday - No School
• Tuesday 2 April - Easter Tuesday - No School
• Wednesday 3 April - Saturday 6 April - Hairspray, the Musical
• Friday 12 April - last day of term

See below for the Senior students Internal Assessment Calendar

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

Today is a solemn but important day which marks 5 years since the horrific mosque terror attacks in Christchurch. Events are being held throughout the country with themes focused on “the wellbeing and welfare of survivors” and “remembering and reaffirming the aroha shown by the wider New Zealand community in response to the attack”. WHS has an increasingly diverse student population, and it is important that students learn to celebrate, appreciate and respect these differences, embracing our key value of kotahitanga/inclusion.  

A new and unique opportunity to visit Branches Station is now available. The Branches Trust is holding a Branches 4WD Muster next Saturday, March 23. See below for details on how to secure a space for this exciting opportunity.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I look forward to seeing many of you at Lake Hayes tomorrow for the ‘Relay for Life’, and once again, all the best to all the athletes heading across the country to perform and excel in their chosen sport. 

Ngā mihi nui,

Oded Nathan
Principal/Tumuaki

Junior Next Steps

Tuesday 26th March: 2.15 - 7.30pm

Junior Next Steps meetings are an important opportunity for Year 9 and Year 10 students and their parents to meet with their respective Kaiārahi. The discussion will centre around how the year has started, and will also cover their goals, Learning Engagement Reports, Progress and Achievement Grades and involvement in extra and co-curricular activities. This is a really important opportunity to connect with the school and Kaiārahi and all parents are strongly encouraged to attend.

Bookings are essential and will close at 9 am on Tuesday, 26 March.  Bookings can be made here.

Please note that these meetings will be held in person, onsite at Wakatipu High School.

Mullet March for Mental Health Awareness - The Mullet Matters

Business in the front, hero in the back - the mullet has a long history in Aotearoa. From indigenous resistance to colonialism, alternative music scenes, through to making a statement on the rugby world stage. It has always been a symbol of rebellion and change.

On Thursday, the WHS Mullet Army was assembled! Three talented hairdressers from Cutting Edge visited us and gave around 20 students and two teachers (shout out to Mr Ford and Mr Matamua!) a magical mullet - all in the name of mental health awareness. The vibe was awesome as students connected in Te Kirikiri and the competition for the most 'Mad-dog' mullet began!

The mullet is an iconic hairstyle with the power to connect and start conversations, and we all know that through kōrero, we can break down barriers around mental health. The theme that underpins the initiative is 'Connect' - one of the Five Ways to Wellbeing, and during March students are encouraged to purposefully seek out and nurture connections at home, work, school or in the wider community.

The challenge: Create a mass of mullets across Aotearoa in March. (The March of the Mullets, if you will.)

How students can get involved:

• Grow a majestic mullet! 

• Follow the Instagram page - Wakatipu Wellbeing to get updated about all things Mullet March and to be in to win awesome prizes such as JBL speakers and Airpods. 

• Set up a profile on The Mullet Matters website and join our WHS team by clicking here. 
  

• Make connections and get talking about mental health. By unleashing the power of the mullet, we will be inviting people to talk about mental health. This month is all about the kōrero. Connecting with others is important, especially if you’ve noticed someone you care about hasn’t been themselves lately. You might have noticed a change in their behaviour, in the things they are doing (or not doing) or saying (or not saying). You may have noticed them withdraw from things they would normally enjoy. Check in with your mates and start the kōrero. If you’ve had a kōrero with someone and you think they need further tautoko, or if you’re worried about yourself, it’s okay, there is help available – no one should go through a tough time alone. The below resource might be help you navigate these conversations.

How to have a safe and supportive kōrero:

A huge thank you to support from Te Hau Toka who have provided awesome prizes to get students connecting and talking about mental Health in March.

Thank you to Cutting Edge for providing us with the stylists to make students' wildest mullet dreams come true! Cutting Edge will be offering $25 mullet haircuts for the next week and all proceeds will be donated to the WHS Mullet March cause. Ex-student Uta Higuchi is also offering discounted haircuts, so give the team a call on 03 442 8695 to join the cause.

Branches Trust Presents the 4WD Muster

The Branches Charitable Trust is running a unique event next Saturday, March 23. This guided self-drive tour of Branches Station has limited spots, secure your place by contacting Jane  (021 949 916).

Public Buses

The Orbus services continue to experience disruption and cancellations to bus runs due to driver shortages. We are keenly aware of how frustrating this is for students and parents and we recently met again with the Otago Regional Council transport team to try and reach solutions. 

In the interim, WHS strongly encourages parents and students to download the Transit App (see below), to receive up to date notifications regarding which routes have been cancelled. This will then allow students to make adjustments to their travel plans to ensure they can still arrive at school on time each morning.

If you do have any questions regarding the public bus system, please direct them to Otago Regional Council directly: 0800 ORBUSQT or transport@orc.govt.nz

Greenstone Camp

Over the three days that Arthur year 9’s spent at Greenstone camp, Arthur’s peer mentors were able to join, offering support by preparing dinner and breakfast, organising an hour of games to entertain the students after dinner, as well as joining the year 9s on the Lake Rere Walk. During the hour we spent with the year 9’s playing games like tricky tag and seaweed we were also able to start discussions about social skills, identifying our strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. These skills linked to the walk that we completed the day after as students connected with their peers that they hadn’t interacted with before, as well as forming new bonds with us peer mentors. 

The challenging 14km walk that students, peer mentors, and staff embarked on during day two of camp was a familiar route for returning year 12s but a new adventure for the year 9s. The river crossings and steep hills on the way up to Lake Rere were awesome experiences that provided year 9s with an opportunity to learn how to work together, get to know their peer mentors, and learn new things about the outdoors. 

The peer mentors had a great time during Greenstone camp setting the foundations for the rest of the year and we peer mentors are looking forward to spending the rest of the year with these year 9’s.  

Ava Weston, Hannah Eade and Manuella Sanches Pedrosa
Year 12 Arthur Peer Mentors

Ngā Reo Languages Area

Te Ao Māori & Rā :

Autumn is well under way... 'Tama-nui-te-rā (the sun), in Te Ao Māori, has two wives who represent the seasons, and divides his time between Hinetakurua, the winter maiden, and Hineraumati, the summer maiden.'

Le Fabuleux Voyage de Georgia Chinn's 
A 2 month full immersion experience in a French family.

Over the last December and January, I went on a two-month exchange to France. I was placed in a little village in a region called Pays de la Loire, with the most amazing host family. While in France I had to go to school there, as well as spending Christmas and my birthday away from my family.

At first it was a little scary as I had never met my host family in person before and they did not speak much English, but I quickly became very close with them and my exchange became one of the best experiences I could have wished for. I learnt so much not only about the French language and culture but also about myself and how to manage living in a different country. I think that an exchange is such a beneficial experience that you can have as a teenager as it teaches you so much about being independent and being able to adapt to a different culture, language, and lifestyle which gives you so many useful life skills and memories.

I gained so much from being pushed out of my comfort zone. Life was quite different with school in France, as my school started at 8 am and finished at 5 pm, which was very tiring at first! In the beginning, it was quite difficult only speaking in French, but I had learnt a lot from taking it as a subject for NCEA so I was well prepared.

Everyone there was so kind and I made so many friends as well as met my host family's big extended family. People were so interested in New Zealand and I felt so much pride in showing them what life is like here. They found it so strange that we have a summer Christmas here!
Overall, it was an amazing experience that showed me the world from such a new perspective.

Georgia Chinn
Year 13 French

Environmental Council - Refashion Show

Sustainable Queenstown are hosting Refashion, a fashion show highlighting slow fashion choices and they are looking for 8 people to model Offcut hats that are being loaned to them. Put together the best secondhand outfit to match one of these hats for the chance to win one for yourself (valued at $75)! 

Offcut create hats out of fabric scraps that would otherwise end up in landfill, turning waste into style in a conscious, planet-loving way! Check out their collection here. You'll be assigned a hat once you sign up, and you can create your outfit accordingly! Email rc@sustainablequeenstown.org.nz for more info. 

We are also looking for volunteers in lots of different areas - complete this form for further details. 

Sophie Rasmussen
Environmental Council 

International Students A&P Show Experience

Last Saturday we went to the Wanaka A&P show as part of some activities we were offered in the international students programme. It was a great Saturday that showed the others and me another side to New Zealand that we had never seen before. There was so much to see from the cute animals in the petting area to the sheep shearing contest, there were so many activities to do and so much food to try. The best part about it was definitely the Jack Russel race.  

Nina Heinrich
Year 12 International Itudent (from Germany)

Homestay Families Required

Relay for Life

We're joining Relay For Life to raise funds for New Zealanders affected by cancer.  We will be walking Lake Hayes non stop from 10 am - 10 pm this Saturday, your support will be well appreciated.  You can donate here we'll make a real difference for New Zealanders with cancer and their whānau. The funds we raise will stay in the Wakatipu basin and go to the Cancer Society's supportive care services, education programmes, prevention policy, and life-saving cancer research.

Erin Tapp
Team Captain

Arts Strategic Plan

Over the past few months, the Arts Department has been working on developing a draft strategic plan to be implemented from 2025 - 2027. 

The strategic plan sits below our Vision Statement here and is an overarching document from which specific annual goals and targets will be developed. 

It is important that we undergo a rigorous process and that feedback is reflective of the needs of our students, school and community. Your feedback in this process is valued and we would very much appreciate you taking the time to fill in a brief feedback form here.

Thank you so much in advance for taking the time to be involved in this process.

The feedback form will close on April 5

Arts Department News

Wakatipu High School presents Hairspray. 

Tickets Selling Fast!!!  Make sure to get yours now!
Wakatipu High School students are set to return to the mainstage with their annual musical production, Hairspray which opens April 3rd.

About the show
The 1950s are out, and change is in the air! Hairspray, winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, is a family-friendly musical, piled bouffant-high with laughter, romance and deliriously tuneful songs.

It's 1962 in Baltimore, and the lovable plus-size teen, Tracy Turnblad, has only one desire – to dance on the popular "Corny Collins Show." When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star. She must use her newfound power to dethrone the reigning Teen Queen, win the affections of heartthrob, Link Larkin, and integrate a TV network... all without denting her 'do!

Tickets: Tickets are General Admission only and are on sale now via iTicket.

http://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2024/apr/wakatipu-hairspray

Refreshments will be available before the show and during intermission. 

Contact: Stine Cooper,  Arts Coordinator - scooper@wakatipu.school.nz

The WHS Musical Sponsorship Opportunities
There are still opportunities for sponsorship.  Our musicals are fantastic shows with wonderful opportunities for many of our students, and because of their popularity they provide a great opportunity for the community to support our students.
There are various tiers of sponsorships and advertising opportunities detailed in this document.

Please contact me if you wish to be a sponsor or advertiser or have any queries at scooper@wakatipu.school.nz many thanks in anticipation!

Stine Cooper
Arts Coordinator

Musical Showcase
Wednesday and Thursday - Break 2 in the Foyer

Come along and get a sneak peak at Hairspray, make sure you arrive early and get a great spot to watch and enjoy a fantastic performance.

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

Find out more here: https://www.smokefreerockquest.co.nz/regional-homepage/central-otago

Play it Strange Songwriting Competition is now open for entries.  Make sure you come along to the Songwriting Group with Solomon Crook on Thursday mornings at 8.15am.

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

Extra/Co Curricular groups
Extra Curricular Music Groups have started up,  more will be starting in Term 2 when the Musical finishes.

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

Check each of the  Classroom Groups for more details and updates

Dom Ryan off on a new adventure

This week we farewelled Dom Ryan who has been our itinerant drum and guitar  teacher for the past two years. He is heading to LA to pursue his music and we wish him all the best in his next adventure. Dom has been an amazing teacher and mentor to our students and he will be missed.

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.

Sport and Active Recreation News

Summer Tournament Week

Next week nearly 170 WHS students will be competing in 10 different sporting events during the Summer Tournament Week period. These National and South Island tournaments are the pinnacle sporting events for many of our students, who have been training hard over the last few weeks. This is the most teams and students WHS has sent away to Summer Tournament Week and it's awesome seeing our summer sports continue to grow in strength and number. Details of the teams and events are below.

• 1st XI Boys Cricket: Gillette Cup, Tues 19th - Thurs 21st March, Dunedin
• 1st XI Girls Cricket: Gillette Venus Cup, Sun 24 - Mon 25th March, Dunedin
• Rowing: Aon Maadi Regatta, Mon 18th - Sat 23rd March, Lake Ruataniwha
• Mixed A Touch: South Island Champs, Sat 16th - Sun 17th March, Christchurch
• Senior A Girls Volleyball: NZSS Champs Mon 18th March - Fri 22nd March Palmerston North
• Senior B Girls & Senior A Boys Volleyball: South Island Satellites, Tues 19th - Thu 21st March, Christchurch
• Waka Ama: NZSS Champs, Tues 19 - Fri 22nd March, Lake Tikitapu Rotorua
• Triathlon: NZSS Champs, Thurs 21st - Fri 22nd March, Mount Maunganui
• Mountain Biking: South Island Champs, Thurs 21st - Sun 24th March, Coronet Peak
  
• Golf: Southland Champs, Mon 18th March, Winton
  

A huge thank you to the Aotearoa Gaming Trust who have provided $30,000 of funding to cover the accommodation costs for teams. This significantly lowers the cost of attending tournaments for families. Thank you also to the Wakatipu Foundation for their continued support of sport at WHS, particularly through the Āwhina Fund.

Results and Achievements

Athletics - Southland Champs

The Southland Athletics Champs were held in Invercargill last weekend, with WHS students winning a number of events. The top 3 placings qualify for the South Island Champs on the 6th-7th April. Congratulations to Siena Mackley who set a new Southland Record for the Senior Girls 3000m with a time of 10:18.71 (beating the previous record by over 8 seconds). Full results below. 

• Siena Mackley: 1st Senior 3000m - new Southland Record; 1st Senior 1500m
• Jude Deaker: 1st Senior 800m; 1st Senior 1500m
• James Weber: 1st U16 3000m; 1st U16 1500m
• Keira Redden:1st U15 3000m; 1st U15 1500m; 4th U15 High Jump
• Bryn Veint: 1st U15 80m Hurdles

Volleyball - Senior Champs

The WHS Senior A, B and C Girls and Senior A Boys teams competed at the Volley South Senior Champs last Sunday down in Invercargill. Congratulations to the Senior A Girls who placed 2nd, with the Senior Bs taking out 3rd. Our teams have had a volleyball-packed term! Best of luck to the Senior A Girls who are off to Nationals in Palmerston North, and our Bs and Senior A Boys who are heading to Christchurch for the Satellite Champs next week.

Touch - Southland Champs

WHS entered 2 mixed junior teams into the Southland Touch Champs in Winton on Wednesday. Both teams put in a solid effort against predominantly senior teams from the Southland area, ultimately placing 4th and 5th. Big thanks to Mr Hamlin and Mr Sinammon for taking the teams down and standing in as coaches!

Axis Sports Medicine Session

Sarah Beable and Dane Baker from Axis Sports Medicine will be running a presentation for WHS athletes, coaches and parents on Wednesday 27th of March at 4pm in Matuitui. The session will cover performance nutrition, recovery and optimising energy availability. Nutrition is a critical part of an athlete's success, so come along to hear some valuable information and tips from experts in the field!

Please RSVP using the form below.

https://forms.gle/YUJAkqKvZ89cDDrX8

Wakatipu Rugby Fundraiser

Wakatipu Under 12 Rugby team is having a Jingo night on Friday 12th April to raise funds for the team to travel to Taupo to play in the Global Games NZ Junior Rugby Festival which will be held in September this year. Please see the flyer below for more details.

Wakatipu Hockey Club Newsletter

Please see attached the latest newsletter from the Wakatipu Hockey Club.

Keep Us Informed

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

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

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

Sian Horn
Director of Sport

Careers

It's been a busy time, and we've had the pleasure of offering several bespoke courses for our Gateway students.

Just last week, we had 23 students complete a First Aid course. Not only is this course a super important life skill to learn,  it's also a requirement for many vocational pathways.

This week, some of our Gateway students participated in a Working at Heights course, which was an exciting experience for them. During the course, they were taught how to use a safety harness for personal fall prevention while working at height, which is perfect for those pursuing jobs in fields such as construction, scaffolding, lighting and audio technology.

We also offered a Health and Safety Risk Assessment course and a customised course covering some essential topics such as sexual harassment in the workplace, discrimination, time management and banking products and services.  

These courses are designed to prepare students for their transition from school and provide them with valuable life skills for the future.

Scholarship

Anderson Lloyd is excited to announce an incredible scholarship / internship programme aimed at supporting students from Wakatipu High School. Year 12 and 13 students who align with Anderson Lloyd's values have an exciting chance to gain valuable real-world experience through this internship program.

The scholarship objective is to provide financial support and encourage tertiary education for a student who may not otherwise have considered tertiary education due to personal or financial circumstances. 

Please note that the deadline for submitting applications is  Friday 29th March. 

MITO Careers Bus

WHS Foundation

Community Notices

Predator Free New Zealand

What Does it Mean and Why Should We Care?

Catalyst Kōrero, 6-7.30pm, Tuesday, March 26

New Zealand is the only country in the world that has turned pest eradication into an export industry, says renowned conservationist David Bellamy – and yet many of our native species are still gravely at risk from rats, mice, stoats and other introduced pests.

What can we do about it? What happens if we don’t? Why should we care? And why is biodiversity so important anyway? 

These are some of the questions three local experts will cover from local, national and international perspectives, in our March 26 Catalyst Kōrero.

In Queenstown Lakes, some 1000 volunteers are the major backstay of predator elimination work in the 163,000 ha of Southern Lakes Sanctuary’s back country.

Starting just two years ago, the original consortium of six groups now supports around 100 volunteer groups. Some of which had already been operating, but in isolation, for over 25 years.

Collaborative efforts in conservation have already led to the return of takahē chicks to the Whakatipu in late 2023, SLS project director Paul Kavanagh says. Takahē had previously been declared extinct  and he admits returning endangered species to the wild is a risk.  “But one worth taking, as Aotearoa’s sanctuaries are reaching saturation point.”

The former Kiwi Birdlife Park manager will be speaking alongside Ange Newport,  the Department of Conservation’s conservation programme senior adviser and detection dog trainer, and Keith ‘Spang’ Springer, now operations manager for Birdlife South Africa’s Mouse Free Marion Project.

Ange has been training and working with conservation dogs around New Zealand for some 15 years. She trains different dogs for feral cat, mustelid, rodent and possum control. They are trained to track and identify, not kill.

Spang has been involved in pest eradication and animal control work for 35 years, moving from mainland pest control to mainly island pest eradication programmes around the world since 2006. 

Tuesday, March 26, 6 to 7:30 pm at the Rees hotel Queenstown’s conference room. Registration is required, as seats are limited. Please bring cash for your koha, which will be given to Southern Lakes Sanctuary.

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