WHS Newsletter | Issue 3.03 | 09 August 2024
Principal's Message
Kia ora and welcome to the Wakatipu High School newsletter at the end of Week 3.
It was great to see so many students and parents at our Next Steps meetings on Tuesday. Feedback from parents was very positive and if you didn’t have a chance to catch up with your students kaiārahi, we strongly suggest you get in contact with them to have these important conversations.
On Monday, the Numeracy and Literacy corequisite results were released which primarily affect Year 10 and some Year 11 students who sat these assessments. Please be sure to check your students portal for these results and more information will be provided to parents and students early next week.
Last night, I had the privilege of seeing the outstanding junior art exhibition at Te Atamira before heading to the events centre to see our Senior A Netball team dominate their semifinal match. Our students certainly work and train hard to achieve their best in and out of the classroom.
A few reminders for the week ahead:
- 2025 Option Selection - is due by 10 am on Monday 12 August. See below for all the details regarding 2025 Option Selection.
- Senior School Exams - begin next Thursday 15th August and are only being held for Year 12 and Year 13 classes at this time. Another reminder that they are very important, including for the opportunity to rehearse the exam process and studying effectively. Please see below for more information as well as some key study tips.
- Yr 9 - 11 Teacher Only Day - is Monday 19th August. While Year 12 and Year 13 students have exams, juniors and Year 11 students will have no school that day. Buses will run as normal.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Ngā mihi nui,
Oded Nathan
Principal/Tumuaki
Key Dates
Course Option Selection
A reminder, the selection of 2025 course options needs to be completed by 10.00 am Monday 12 August.
Information regarding the option selection process, including detailed information on the range of course options on offer, is available through our website. The instructions on how to log in and submit the option selections can be found here.
If you know your Year 9 - 12 student is not returning in 2025 please complete the leaving form here: Leaving Form (Year 13 students do not need to complete this).
Year 12 and 13 School Exams and Study Tips
The Year 12 and 13 School Exams begin next week and continue into week 5 of this term. While they don't directly contribute to NCEA credits, they are a very important opportunity for students to revise and then test their understanding of course work covered to date. Additionally, in the event of a student missing any of their final NCEA external examinations, the school exams are used to determine derived grades.
Here is the link to the Term 3 Senior School Exam Timetable, as well as a presentation on achieving "High Performance" in examinations that could be discussed at home.
Also, a reminder that on Monday 19 August there are no classes running that day and students will be studying at home. The only students requried at school on this day are those Year 12 and 13 students who have exams. If your student does require supervision on this day, please email cmorrison@wakatipu.school.nz.
Year 11 students do not have exams at this time, and any practice exams that they have will be conducted during normal class time. Their teachers will provide them with ample preparation time for these.
Thanks to Mrs Ford who ran a great ‘Study Like a Boss’ session last Friday at Ako Time. It was all about study tips and tricks and how to cope with exam pressure - click here for the slideshow.
Shave for a Cure
Our students are showing Kiwis living with blood cancer that they stand in solidarity with them by Shaving for a Cure. Wel done to all the students who have braved the shave this week - we have already raised over $8000. Help us reach $10,000 by donating here: https://www.shaveforacure.co.nz/wakatipu-high-school
House Basketball
The fiercely contested House basketball tournament is coming to a close. This week, the Senior Boys have been battling it out on the court, with valuable House points at stake. The scoreboard is looking extremely close, with Hay currently vying for the top spot. Fox will be taking on Duncan in the Final game on Monday and is sure to be a thriller!
Extracurricular School Photos
Extracurricular school photos are now available to order via the PhotoLife website.
Students who were in atleast one of these photos would have received a set of instructions, including how to order online, and their own unique code for ordering.
To view and purchase the 2024 Extracurricular School Photographs please follow these steps:
1. Click on this link: https://photolifeonline.
2. Enter your unique Access Key Code provided in the email you received
3. Click on the Teams tab to view the options available to purchase
Order before midnight on Sunday 25 August 2024 to qualify for free delivery of your photos to WHS.
Any queries can be directed to Photolife:
Email: enquiries@photolife.co.nz, Phone: (09) 262 1040 or 0800 50 10 40.
Arts Department News
Artist of the Week - Jorja Lane, Year 13 Painting
My theme is about a child growing up, growing through the influences and experiences that change us as a person. The central idea is about exploring dreams and aspirations, using role models while growing up to find the person you want to be when you are older.
Viewpoints - Junior Art Exhibition
Please join us to celebrate a wonderful collection of artworks created by Wakatipu High School students at the opening of Viewpoints - Junior Art Exhibition. It will be held Thursday, 8th August 5.30pm at Te Atamira. The exhibition will run from 8 August until 18 August at Te Atamira, so please tell all your family and friends to come and enjoy the work on display.
We thank Te Atamira for their support and to provide a professional space for our students to exhibit their work as well as for their appreciation for the arts at Wakatipu High School.
Ruby Solly Visits Wakatipu High School
Year 11 Music Students gathered in the Drama Room for a workshop by accomplished Taonga Pūoro performer Ruby Solly. Ruby shared her knowledge of the instruments and their whakapapa, discussing the history of these instruments both in their traditional cultural settings and throughout their twentieth century revival by Hirini Melborne, Richard Nunns, and master carver Brian Flintoff.
We hope to continue welcoming her back to Wakatipu High School to assist our Year 11 students in their understanding of Māori music in future years as we deepen our commitment to Te Ao Māori within the Music Department.
Here is a brief introduction about Ruby by the artist herself:
"Kia ora! I'm Ruby Solly, or you might have seen my name as Ruby Mae Hinepunui Solly which is my full name. Sometimes I use this so that I can share the name of my tūpuna, Hinepunui, with people and find connections. I'm a musician, taonga puoro player, writer, composer, and music therapist from Kai Tahu and Waitaha. Because I work as a cellist and have a jazz background, I'm really lucky to get to play with a whole range of artists. Once I was told that the job of a good string player (and I think of any good musician) is to 'make the music more of itself'. I'm constantly working towards this as a goal and slowly I'm getting closer to being able to achieve it, if that's even possible!
I have a few music experiences that really stand out in my mind as pou of my musical identity, and they all seem to connect up over time in a circular way. Kind of like reflections of themselves. When I was a child I lived on Mount Ruapehu, and saw Yo-yo Ma on Sesame Street. I told my parents that's what I wanted to do when I grew up, and years later when we moved to a city, I got to do just that. I also was very lucky to be introduced to taonga puoro at my primary school, and could play the koauau. Last year I was invited to play taonga puoro with Yo-yo Ma on our whenua in Te Wai Pounamu. It was beautiful to look out over our awa and see my Mum watching things come full circle."
Showing Off - Senior Art Exhibition
Showing Off is an exhibition that features a collection of Paintings, Designs and Photographic work. The exhibition will run from 2 August until 25 August at the Lakes District Museum in Arrowtown, so please tell all your family and friends to come and enjoy the work on display. All artworks will be eligible for prizes with one for each discipline. These are “People’s Choice” awards so the winners will be contacted after the exhibition ends. Trinity Construction has been generously sponsoring the prizes for this event for many years and we thank them for their support.
The Lakes District Museum also continues to support us with providing a professional space for our students to exhibit their work. We thank them for the curation of this event and their continued appreciation for the arts at Wakatipu High School.
As a special thank you to Wayne Foley from Trinity Construction & Projects for his years of support for Showing Off, this year the Art Department gifted Wayne with an original artwork by Benji Watson-Palmer.
Jazz Band Concert at Te Atamira
On Sunday, August 4th, the Wakatipu High School Jazz Band and Jazz Combo performed to a full house of whanau and friends at Te Atamira. The concert was a great opportunity for the audience to see the fruit of the bands’ hard work in preparation for the Blenheim-based Southern Jam Jazz Bands competition. Capably compered by Hugh Hodgson, the concert started with the Jazz Band performing their five big band pieces which included impressive solos by a number of students and beautiful vocal piece featuring Bethany Graf. The second half of the concert featured the jazz combo playing their five pieces. These traversed a wide range of jazz, from a classic vocal jazz standard, sung by Venice Alzaga, to 1970’s funk and a demanding contemporary jazz-fusion piece. Both bands are currently in Blenheim, performing a number of concerts at local schools and community venues and participating in the bands competition on Saturday.
If you missed this concert there will be an encore as part of the Performing Arts Showcase on Saturday 14 September
Photos and video courtesy of Akira Kuroe
Out and About
There are a number of Musicians in the school who are keen to play out and about in the Community, koha would be appreciated. Please contact Alison Price for more information at aprice@wakatipu.school.nz
Extracurricular groups - Groups have restarted for the term and some have been adjusted, but students should be up to date with all updates as they are posted on the Performing Arts Classroom Group.
- Jazz Combo - Monday 8 am / Wednesday 8 am
- Guitar - Monday Break 2
- Songwriting - Wednesday 8.15 am
- Digital Music Production - Wednesday Break 2
- Junior Jazz - Wednesday Break 2
- Jazz Full Band - Wednesday 3.20 pm
- Chamber Music Group - Thursday Break 2
- Senior Singing - Thursday 3.15pm
Keep checking each of the Classroom Groups for more details and updates
Term 3 already shaping up to be a very busy time in the Art and performing arts departments, here is a quick look at what is happening in Term 3
1-25 August - Showing Off Student Art Exhibition
6-11 August - Southern Jam Youth Jazz Festival
8-18 August - Junior Art Exhibition at Te Atamira
31 August - Entries for Strange Art (album cover art) Competition close
5 September - Invercargill Jazz Festival
14 September - Performing Arts Showcase at Te Atamira
Te Atamira - is a multi-purpose arts and cultural space at Remarkables Park Town Centre - check out what is happening at Te Atamira here
Te Wahi Toi - Nau mai, haere mai, Te Wāhi Toi is the meeting place and online directory for Queenstown and Wānaka’s creative community. Find them here
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 Mrs Cooper 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
Basketball - Central Otago Competition
Congratulations to the WHS Junior A Girls Basketball team who took out the Senior A Girls Grade of the Central Otago Basketball Competition! The team, which consists of mostly year 10 girls, performed exceptionally well in the senior comp. Well done to coach Callum O’Connell and all of the players!
Monday night brings semifinals for the Senior A Boys Grade. WHS Senior A take on WHS 11A at home at 6pm, with WHS Junior A heading over to Alexandra to play Dunstan High School. There’s plenty of Monday night basketball action with the Junior Competition also underway.
Swimming
Xanthe Spence and Finn Henderson spent the weekend swimming at Southland Short Course Champs. They both achieved some great results with lots of top 10 placings! Nice work team. Results below
- Xanthe - 13/14 yrs - 1st 200IM & 400IM, 4th 100IM, 5th 50 Free, and 6th 100 Back.
- Finn - 15 yrs and over - 2nd 800 Free & 100 Back, 3rd 100 Free, and 4th 50 Back & 50 Fly
Rugby - Cheese Roll Fundraiser & Semi Finals
Our WHS rugby teams were hard at work over the weekend making cheese rolls for their annual rugby fundraiser. In total over 13,300 cheese rolls were made across the 2 days - with over 1100 dozen sold. Transport costs alone for our 1st XV, 2nd XV, Senior XV, U15s, U14s and Girls 1st XV teams total over $25,000 for the season, so the funds raised go a long way to keeping subs as low as possible. A huge thank you to all of the players, parents, and whānau for their support making and selling the cheese rolls!
The rugby season is wrapping up with semifinals for most of our teams on Saturday. Head along to support our teams at the following locations. A special shout out to the 2nd XV who finished top of the table in the Senior Grade to secure a home semi!
1st XV v SBHS 2nd XV
Div 2 Semi - 12pm at SBHS Field 1, Invercargill
2nd XV v OBHS 3rd XV
Top 6 Semi - 12.45pm at Jack Reid, Arrowtown
Senior XV v JMC Senior Colts
Bottom 6 Semi - 12pm at Bishopscourt, Dunedin
U15 vs King's Colts
Round Robin, currently sitting in 2nd place - 12.45pm at WHS
U14 vs OBHS Stripes
Timu Pool Semi - 12.45pm at Queenstown Rec Grounds
Junior A Girls Basketball team - Central Otago Champs
Finn Henderson and Xanthe Spence
Cheese rolls for the annual rugby fundraiser
Back on Track - Concussion Clinic
Back on Track Physiotherapy are offering a concussion clinic, Brain on Track Physiotherapy. This is part of an ACC Pilot study aimed to improve concussion assessment and outcomes. They can provide x3 free concussion treatments for people as part of the pilot study. It's really important to diagnose and treat concussion quickly so they're encouraging booking in a for an appointment within a couple of days of sustaining a concussion. The team are also able to communicate with the school on your plan for returning to school and sport to support you in this process. For more information please contact the team at Back on Track directly.
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
Explore Scholarship Opportunities for WHS Students!
We are excited to let you know that there are some fantastic local scholarship opportunities available to WHS students.
Cosgroves Scholarship
We are thrilled to announce that Cosgroves is now accepting applications from Year 13 students at Wakatipu High School for their incredible scholarship programme. This scholarship, valued at $2,500, is specifically designed to support students planning to pursue a degree in Civil, Electrical, Fire or Mechanical Design Engineering at a university in New Zealand.
This is a fantastic opportunity to receive financial assistance and support as you embark on your academic journey.
Applications open: Friday 26 July
Applications close: Friday 16 August
Please email your completed handwritten application to Careers@cosgroves.com by Friday 16th August. In addition, a hard copy needs to be posted. We will be sending a courier to Cosgroves on Friday 16th August so if you want your application included, please ensure it is at the Careers desk by 12:00 noon.
Moetaua Foundation Scholarship
Kate Moetaua was a much loved drama and arts teacher, and Dean of Mackenzie house at Wakatipu High School who sadly passed away in 2018 when she was only 45. Kate was passionate about arts, drama and sports. She directed the school musicals and set up the drama academy known as the Kate Moetaua Collective in Queenstown.
Kate inspired so many people and one of her final wishes was for a foundation that supported young talented people in the sporting, arts, cultural, and education arenas, especially where families may be experiencing financial hardship. Now in its sixth year, over 20 students have received funding from the foundation to help them pursue their dreams.
Kate's family are the trustees of the Kate Moetaua Foundation assisted by the Wakatipu Community Foundation, who work together to realise Kate's legacy. Up to $3,000 in total will be granted in scholarships to students currently in years 9-13 in 2024 by the Kate Moetaua Foundation.
To find out more about the Kate Moetaua Foundation, read about the past recipients or to apply for the 2024 scholarship, visit www.katemoetauafoundation.org
Applications are now open and will close on 31 August, 5 pm 2024.
Unlock Your Engineering Future with the Meyer Cruden Scholarship
The Meyer Cruden Engineering Scholarship is an exciting opportunity for enthusiastic Year 13 students who aspire to build a career in Structural or Civil Engineering. They offer a one-year scholarship worth $4,000 to students planning to study Civil Engineering at the University of Canterbury, with the possibility of extending the scholarship to subsequent years based on certain criteria. Meyer Cruden Engineering Limited, a dynamic consultancy with offices in Cromwell and Wanaka, specializes in a wide range of engineering services, including structural design for residential, commercial, and industrial projects, overhead line design, geotechnical engineering, civil engineering, and pavement design. If you are passionate about this region and eager to dive into the structural, civil, or geotechnical engineering fields, this scholarship is perfect for you.
Value of Scholarship: $4,000
Applications open: 1st August
Applications close: 31st August
BDO Southern Lakes & Central Otago Accounting Scholarship
Do you aspire to be a 2024 BDO Scholarship recipient?
We are thrilled to announce that the prestigious BDO Southern Lakes & Central Otago Accounting Scholarship opens on Monday 12 August.
The BDO Accounting Scholarship offers significant financial assistance, providing $2,500 for every year of full-time study towards a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Accounting at a New Zealand university. In addition to the financial aid, BDO offers invaluable work experience opportunities.
This is an excellent opportunity for aspiring accountants to kickstart their careers with strong support from one of the leading accounting firms in the region.
Nathan Keil from BDO will be here on Monday 12 August at 9:00 am (in the boardroom) to talk though the scholarship and informally interview interested candidates. Please register for the meeting using the following link: https://wakatipu.careerwise.
WHS Foundation
Community Notices
August Campaign - 30th Birthday Campaign
Promotion Dates : Friday, 2 August 2024 at 8:00 pm - Friday, 30 August 2024 at 1:59 pm
Offer Name : A bonus Multi City upgrade with every Membership purchase, plus go into the draw into the draw to win 1 of 30 prizes!The Offer :
Starting 8pm NZST 5th August, your supporters can get a bonus Multi City upgrade with every Membership purchase, plus go into the draw into the draw to win 1 of 30 prizes!
From an unforgettable night out at Catalina with a chef’s table to a thrilling family adventure with a Village Roadshow Theme Park Escape Family Pass, there are so many great prizes up for grabs.
This special 30th Birthday competition will be available right through to Friday 30 August 2024, providing an extra Birthday bonus on any Single City Membership purchased.
*Terms & Conditions Apply. Please visit www.entertainmentnz.com/promotions to view.
Order yours today: https://subscribe.entertainmentnz.com/fundraiser/260506v
The complex Middle East context of the Gaza war, Sunday, August 18
More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed and 70% of residential buildings destroyed in Gaza in the Israeli retaliation for Hamas’s October 7 attack, when some 1200 Israelis were killed and 240 hostages taken.
The potential for this human catastrophe to spread was illustrated, again, with a rocket attack on a football ground in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, killing 12 on Sunday.
Israeli authorities blamed Iranian-backed Hizbollah, who “categorically denied” the allegation. And Israel’s military on Thursday killed a Hamas leader in Iran and a Hizbollah senior commander in Beirut in retaliation.
University of Otago politics researcher Dr Leon Goldsmith, who has spent much time in the Middle East, will outline the political and historical context that provides the complex drivers of this conflict – and its “very real scope” for expansion across the region.
Sunday, August 18, 6 to 7.30 pm at The Rees Hotel Queenstown’s Ruma Wai Kahu on the fifth floor. Registration required HERE to ensure your seat. Koha (cash at the door or deposit to the account on the registration link) will be given to Médecins Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders for their work in the region.