WHS Newsletter | Issue 3.02 | 25 July 2025

Principal's Message

Kia ora and welcome to another excellent week at WHS. 

The week began with our junior mid-year Prizegiving which celebrated and acknowledged the academic and all-round achievements of our Year 9 and Year 10 students from Semester 1. Congratulations to all the students who crossed the stage and to everyone who is truly reaching for their heights, each and every day. See the list of all prizewinners below. 

On Tuesday, we held our annual Course Option Afternoon which provided students and families the opportunity to meet up with a range of teachers to discuss their Course Options for 2026. A reminder that all returning students must submit their 2026 Course Options through SchoolPoint by 10 am on Monday, 4 August. See below for more details, including how to make an appointment to go through this important process. Please also note that we have our Student Progress and Option Selection Meetings with Kaiārahi next Tuesday, 29 July. This is a day dedicated to meeting with students and their whānau to ensure that students are achieving and being supported to achieve to the best of their potential. We look forward to seeing you all next week and a reminder that there are no classes on this day.

On Tuesday night, we held a parent evening for our Brazilian students and their families. It was great to have a number of parents and students there as we strive to support all of our students and families to feel supported and that sense of belonging. We plan on holding another one of these evenings towards the end of term, so keep an eye on the newsletter. 

Next Monday, we are hosting our Excellence and Ad Alta Assemblies to celebrate academic achievement and engagement from Semester 1. All prizewinners and parents have been emailed and we look forward to seeing many of you for these important assemblies. A reminder that all prizewinners must be in full-school uniform to walk across the stage, including Blazer and Tie. 

The senior School Exams are now just two weeks away, with the timetable and details below. These exams present a great opportunity for students to consolidate the knowledge gained over the course of the year and set a good marker as they start to prepare for the end of year external examinations. See below for details regarding senior exams, which has been sent to students, and for the end of year examination timetable. 

Lastly, it was with great pride that we learned that our Head Girl, Manuella Sanches Pedrosa, was named to the 2025 YWCA Y25 national, change-makers list. See below for more details. 

Lots happening with respect to WHS great all-round education, so be sure to have a read through the comprehensive newsletter, including this weekend's TheatreFest and the launch of the ‘Showing Off’ Art Exhibition next Thursday, 31 July at the Arrowtown District Museum and much, much more.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. 

Ngā mihi nui,

Oded Nathan
Principal/Tumuaki

Junior Mid-Year Prizegiving

On Monday this week, we honoured our students' achievements at our Junior Mid-Year Prizegiving. It was fantastic to see so many of our students recognised for their hard work and effort. Whakamihi - congratulations to all the deserving recipients

YWCA Y25 Recognises Manuella Sanches Pedrosa's Leadership

Our Head Student, Manuella Sanches Pedrosa, has been selected for the prestigious YWCA Y25 programme. This national initiative celebrates 25 inspiring young wāhine and gender-diverse changemakers under 25, who are making significant positive contributions across Aotearoa.

Manuella's Girls Who Grow mentor, Cath van der Meulen, encouraged her application, recognising her impactful work on the Tagasaste project, a student-led sustainability initiative focused on native reforestation and community education. Manuella is deeply passionate about climate change, leadership, and inspiring rangatahi. Her vision is to empower young people to take bold action for a sustainable world, leading initiatives and advocating for their passions.

Manuella attended a special launch event in Auckland and a three-day wānanga, which provided a valuable opportunity for reflection and restoration. At the wānanga, she gained a true sense of community, allowing participants to consider the challenges, achievements, and passion they bring while striving to make a difference.

As exam season approaches, Manuella continues her busy schedule with resilience. "I want to thank my teachers, school, mentors, whānau, ice hockey team, and friends for their constant support and for always encouraging me to aim higher," says Manuella. "I’m incredibly grateful and honoured for this opportunity, and I’m excited to carry this momentum forward into future projects that create real and lasting change." We are incredibly proud of her achievements and anticipate her continued positive impact.

Student Leaders Message

At the moment we have our annual house basketball competition. It’s many students' favourite time of the year as it provides entertainment and a chance to be active. The atmosphere is unbeatable. Last week we had Junior boys battle it out for the winning title where Mackenzie took the win against Duncan. Arthur took out hay in the game for 3rd and 4th. This week we have the girls competition which girls of any year level can participate in. Duncan took the win against Mackenzie in the final, shout out to Kora who was the MVP.  Starting on Thursday is the senior boys competition which will run into next week. There’s lots of house points up for grabs so get involved! Next week we also have our Staff vs Students game. Watch out teachers.

On Tuesday we had our course option afternoon which gives students a chance to have a kōrero with teachers and see what classes have to offer. It’s an important and exciting time for many students. Our advice is to keep your options open as much as possible. Throughout our schooling, we have changed our ideas on what we want to do in the future and by doing subjects that enable us to meet the prerequisites for different courses we are able to do this. 

The Arts Expo was held on Wednesday and gave students the chance to explore opportunities in music, drama, dance, and art. It was a great way to join something new, find out what’s happening in the arts this semester and sign up for existing groups. 

July is New Zealand's mindfulness month. It’s a chance to reset. This can be done by committing to daily mindful practices whether that’s through meditation, journaling, mindful walks, or simply taking a few conscious breaths each day. Organised by Mindfulness Education Group, this annual initiative offers free resources, guided exercises, and a supportive community to help you build sustainable mindfulness habits.

How to Get Involved:

• Visit mindfulnessmonth.co.nz to sign up
• Download the free 31-day mindfulness calendar
• Try one small mindful action each day—at work, school, or home
• Take Notice’ because paying more attention to the present moment, to thoughts and feelings and to the world around, boosts our wellbeing.
• Download the ‘Down Dog’ yoga app and access content for free using your WHS login details.

This month, let’s make a collective commitment to Take Notice. Mindfulness isn’t about escaping reality—it’s about showing up fully for it.

Red Nose Day - Community and Service Council

Red Nose Day in New Zealand is Cure Kids' annual fundraising appeal focused on supporting child health research. It's symbolised by the iconic red nose and is a major fundraising event for the organisation. This year we will celebrate with the Red Nose Day songs as our bell throughout the week as well as having an info stall in the foyer. Students will be able to bring cash and purchase pinky bars and have a go at guessing the jaffa's in the jar in an attempt to raise funds for the appeal. We will celebrate with a kahoot on Friday at break 3 in the foyer with plenty of prizes up for grabs as well.

Grace Kunath, Katie Battrick and Zita Rylev
Student Leaders

Senior Excellence / Ad Alta Assemblies Monday 28 July

On Monday, July 28, we will be holding our Senior Excellence and Ad Alta Assemblies. These important events will celebrate the academic achievement and engagement of our students from Semester 1.

All prizewinners and their parents have already received an email with details. We're looking forward to seeing many of you there to acknowledge these successes, please see the outline for the day below.

As a reminder, these are formal assemblies, and all prizewinners must be in full school uniform, including blazer and tie.

Kaiārahi Progress & Option Selection Meetings Tuesday 29 July

Tuesday, 29 July - 9:00 am to 4:30 pm - Interview bookings close 3 pm Monday 28 July

These meetings will run onsite and in person.  This is a pupil-free day and there will be no classes on this day. However, students are expected to attend their 15-minute meeting along with their parents/caregivers.  

These meetings are an important opportunity for parents and caregivers to meet with their respective kaiārahi to discuss the holistic and academic progress of their student. Topics of discussion will include:

• How the year has gone so far
• What lies ahead and what can be done
• Any concerns/issues
• Finalisation of 2026 Course Option Selection

Use this link to book your interview times: https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code/uu6bt

If you need to get time off work to attend, the letter below can be provided to your employer.

Employer release letter

2026 Course Option Selection

Our school offers over 150 diverse courses across all year levels and learning areas, from Technologies and the Arts to Languages, Sciences, and more. There are opportunities for every ākonga to explore their interests, discover their passions and achieve their best possible qualification.

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 2026, please complete the leaving form here: Leaving Form  (Year 13 students do not need to complete this).

Students and their parents/caregivers are welcome to schedule an appointment with a member of our Senior Leadership Team to discuss 2026 course options and future pathways - click here to make a booking.

A reminder, 2026 Course Option Selections are due by 10 am Monday, August 4, 2025.

Senior School Exams (Thursday 7 August - Tuesday 12 August)

The Senior School Exams are coming up in weeks 4 and 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. 

Students will also discuss how to study effectively during Ako Time over the coming weeks using these resources: Study Skills & Exam preparation and Study Like a Boss as a guide.  It may be useful to discuss these with further with your student and helo them make a plan for how to manage their time leading up to, and during, the exam period.  Practising this now, will make it a habit for the end-of-year exams.

Year 12 and 13 have study leave for the four days of the examinations.  Besides their exams and studying, they are not expected to be at school.  Year 12 and 13s can sit their exams in non-uniform clothing that is comfortable but appropriate.

Year 11 students do not have study leave due to the small numbers scheduled for each exam session.  If they are not in exam, they are expected to be in class and this will be closely monitored.  Year 11 students will be in normal school uniform except for Monday 11 August which is a pupil free day.  If they have an exam that day, then they can come to school in non-uniform.

As Monday 11 August is a pupil free day, there are no classes running that day and students will be studying at home if they have no exam.  If your student does require supervision on this day, please email cmorrison@wakatipu.school.nz.

Buses will continue to run as normal.

Also, here is the link to the end of year NCEA exams for your reference.

2025 Board Election - Nominations

Nominations are now open for the election of 6 parent representatives to the Wakatipu High School Board. Election Pilot have been appointed as the Returning Officer for this election. All eligible voters should have received a nomination form by email, or if we do not have your email address, it will be sent to you by post. If you have not received an email from Election Pilot please check your spam folder.

The nomination pack will include a cover letter explaining the nomination process as well as a nomination form. You can use this form to nominate yourself, or you can nominate another parent in the WHS community. If you are going to nominate someone else, ensure they are aware of your nomination and are willing to accept the nomination. Information on who is not eligible to be a School Board member is provided with the nomination form. If you need additional nomination forms, forms in Te Reo Māori or a different language, please contact the Returning Officer directly on 0800 VOTENZ (0800 868 369) or election@electionpilot.co.nz .

Nominations close at noon on Wednesday 06 August. Nominations can be submitted by email, through the Election Pilot system at www.electionpilot.nz or by returning the completed nomination form to the school office. You may provide a candidate statement and photograph with your nomination.

The electoral roll is held at the school office and can be viewed during normal school hours. Voting papers will be issued on Wednesday 13 August. Voting closes at 4pm on Wednesday 10 September 2025. If you have any questions please contact election@electionpilot.co.nz or the WHS Board Secretary lbocatios@wakatipu.school.nz.

Embark on an Unforgettable Adventure: World Challenge Nepal January 2027

Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime? World Challenge is thrilled to again offer an incredible 3-week expedition to Nepal in January 2027, open to current Year 10, 11, and 12 students. This is a unique opportunity to explore a new culture, challenge yourself, and create memories that will last long after graduation!

Imagine immersing yourselves in the vibrant chaos of Thamel in Kathmandu before embarking on an exhilarating 8-day trek through the breathtaking Langtang Valley. You'll stay in authentic tea houses, surrounded by stunning Himalayan vistas, and conquer the summit of Kyanjin Ri at 4773m!

Beyond the trek, you'll engage in a meaningful community initiative in a rural Himalayan village, truly experiencing local culture and language firsthand. The adventure continues as you explore the picturesque city of Pokhara, with the possibility of an adrenaline-pumping white-water rafting experience down the Trisuli River.

This isn't just a trip; it's a student-led journey that fosters independence, resilience, and teamwork. As one past participant shared from the 2024/25 trip, "I liked the student led aspect of it. In our free time we got to explore by ourselves learning about how to travel." Parents praised the "High level risk management and planning" and the "combination of personal challenge, immersion in another culture and fun." Another parent described it as an "Amazing opportunity to embrace and experience such a different culture and to push themselves."

Spaces are limited for this incredible expedition. We invite you all along to a 45 - minute presentation by Troy from World Challenge. This will be held on the 31st July @ 6.00pm at Wakatipu High School to go through the itinerary and answer all your questions. Please register on the link above if you are interested in attending the information session or just show up on the evening.

In the meantime, for any questions, please contact Miss Noni Gabb at ngabb@wakatipu.school.nz (Teacher in Charge of trip at WHS) or Troy Greenem – tgreenem@worldchallenge.com.au (World Challenge Contact). You can also chat with students around campus who were part of last year's Nepal trip to hear about their amazing experiences!

NZAMT Senior Mathematics Competition

The NZAMT Senior Mathematics Competition is back for 2025. It is a fun and challenging annual Mathematics competition open to all students at secondary school throughout New Zealand. This competition is open to Individuals or Teams (2-3 students). It is recommended for Year 11 – 13 students, but open to any. The competition is running after school next Thursday 31 July (Term 3, Week 3), and past year competition papers can be found here. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Lin. 

Reminder for Students Catching the No. 1 Orbus

Students who travel to school on the No. 1 public bus from Sunshine Bay via Queenstown CBD need to ensure they’re on a bus before 8:00 am to arrive at school on time.

Buses leaving at 8:15 am or later will not arrive at school before the bell, and you will be marked as late.

Branches Quiz Night

Careers

 Scholarships Closing Soon!

A timely reminder for Year 13 Students, CLT applications are closing soon —don’t miss out!

Central Lake Trust Scholarships
Cosgroves Scholarship
Margaret Templeton Scholarship 

Tertiary Course Planning – Book Your Session Now!

Year 13 Students, now’s the perfect time to get your tertiary course planning sorted!

We’re excited to offer you the opportunity to meet with your relevant student liaison officer from a range of universities and tertiary providers. These sessions are designed to help you with your course planning.

Register here: https://wakatipu.careerwise.school/post/1034

Careers Expo- Friday 1 August 2025

All students are welcome to join us during Break 2 in the Old Gym for our Careers Expo!

Come along and explore a range of exciting career pathways, with 29 local businesses and industry representatives showcasing opportunities right here in our community. Whether you're curious about trades, business, services, or future study options — there's something for everyone!

🗓️ When: Break 2 Friday 1 August 2025
📍 Where: Old Gym
🎯 Who: All students welcome
🌟 Why: Discover career options and connect with local professionals.

Don’t miss this chance to get inspired and start thinking about your future!

Click here to view our Careers Brochure to see who will be attending from our community.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all our stallholders for generously giving their time and sharing their knowledge by participating in the event.

A snapshot from the OSTC Trades Academy

From the kitchen to the front of house, students enrolled in the Cookery and Hospitality Trades course at the Otago Polytechnic Trade Academy are gaining more than just technical skills. They are developing confidence, creativity, and a strong work ethic in a real-world learning environment.

Sports and Recreation News

Rowing

Congratulations to Seb Watson who was part of the Rowing NZ team which attended the International Rowing Challenge Regatta held on Ford Lake, Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor, Michigan and consisted of 12 national teams of 9 rowers, representing the U.S.A., Canada, Mexico and New Zealand. The regatta provides a first taste of international racing for developing U19-level athletes.  

Each team fielded a crew for the male and female singles, doubles, pair, quad, four and a mixed 8.  This required all of the athletes to row both Sweep and Scull (one and two oars).  The races were held over 1500m as opposed to the normal 2000m course, to align with the new race format for the next U.S. Olympic 1500m course length.

The Kiwis did well, taking Gold in 6 of the 11 races overall and gaining podiums in a number of the remaining races.  With the regatta being a points aggregate format, New Zealand took out the overall IRC Regatta Cup. Seb along with Harrison Thode, won the Men's Double race in a very close race, swapping leads with Mexico throughout the race, digging deep to cross the finish in first place.  Seb and his teammates also placed 3rd in both the Men's Quad and Four.

NZSS Touch Champs Support and Sponsorship Needed Please

The Mixed A Touch team are once again heading to the national champs in Rotorua this December to try and crack the top 10 for the first time. We are in fundraising mode at the moment to lower costs for all players and are looking for community support from businesses or generous donors. We are on the look out for the following:

- Sponsorship for the team - business logo can be added to our tournament warm up tops, promotion in school newsletter and on social media

- Items towards a hamper for an upcoming fundraising - due by 31st July

- Items/vouchers that can be auctioned off at our upcoming quiz night at The Hayes on Thursday 21st August

If you or a business is in a position to support a great group of young athletes towards their upcoming national campaign, please email the teacher in charge of touch, Laura Nathan: lnathan@wakatipu.school.nz. Any support is greatly appreciated. 

What's on this week

A reminder to check out WHS Sports on Facebook for all the games times for the week ahead.

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 Bruce at bhunter@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/ 

Bruce Hunter
Director of Sport

Arts Department News

TheatreFest – Local Youth Performances This Sunday!

Wakatipu High School is proud to host the 2025 Queenstown Local TheatreFest this Sunday 27th July at our school theatre in Frankton.

Join us from 1:00pm for an afternoon celebrating youth theatre from across the region, featuring performances from:

• Mount Aspiring College – Enoughness

• Lakes Theatre Arts – The Spy Next Door

• Wakatipu High School – Taking the Plunge

Tickets are available on the door: $10 for adults / $5 for students – with cash and Eftpos accepted.

We’re also thrilled to welcome Nick Meissel as our adjudicator for the day, whose insights and support help make this event such a valuable learning opportunity for our young performers.

With three short shows, we expect to finish up by around 2:30 pm – perfect for a Sunday outing. We hope to see you there supporting our talented rangatahi!

Showing Off - Senior Art Exhibition

Please join us to celebrate a wonderful collection of artworks created by Wakatipu High School students at the opening of Showing Off - Senior Art Exhibition. It will be held Thursday, 31st July, beginning at 6pm at the Lakes District Museum in Arrowtown. 

Showing Off is an exhibition that features a collection of Paintings, Designs and Photographic work. The work has been selected based on last year’s external folio exam grades and all the students in this exhibition received Excellence for their final submissions in 2024. The exhibition will run from 1 August until 31 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.

Jazz Band

The jazz band is having its last rehearsal prior to the Blenheim trip on August 5. On August 3, we will be performing on the Village Green in Queenstown at 1.30, and we welcome everyone to come and hear the bands perform. It will be a great mix of music and your support would be very much appreciated.

Into the Woods Jr: 

TICKETS ARE LIVE!

Wakatipu High School proudly presents our first-ever Junior Musical Production: Into the Woods Jr.

Join us for a magical mashup of your favourite fairytale characters in this fast-paced, one-act musical packed with heart, humour, and incredible student talent.

📆Show dates: 18th & 19th September
📍WHS Theatre
🎟️Book now: https://events.humanitix.com/whs-into-the-woods-jr

Let’s go Into the woods... and onto the stage! 

Creatives Session: 

On Monday evening, we held our second Creatives Session which was an opportunity for students and parents to hear from three presenters working in the Creatives industries. They shared some of their experiences of working in the Art, Music, TV/Film areas and it was great to have their insights into how their careers have developed to date. There were also some excellent suggestions given in terms of practical tips/skills needed to succeed and how to plan for the challenges that occur.

Huge thanks to Fiona Garlick, Victoria Boult and Rakuto Kurano for their time.

The Arts Mini Expo 

On Wednesday Break 2 we held our Arts MIni Expo which was an opportunity for new semester students to see what's on offer in the Arts dept for the remainder of the year. It was also a chance for other students to revisit and reset their involvement in the various groups/activities on offer. Groups have their own classroom link.

For an overview of what's happening in the Arts area sign up to All Things Arts Classroom:
https://classroom.google.com/c/MTMyMjY2Mzg5NjMw?cjc=sijw2gw

Sign up code is: sijw2gw

Wednesday Morning Arts Time - hang out with the Arts

Happening every Wednesday morning from 8 am in the Music area. It’s a great way to get involved with different aspects ofthe  arts in a social setting. Come along and see if this might be for you.

• Songwriting
• Live sound and lighting events 
• Stage Make Up 
• The practice rooms are available at this time for any bands or solo/duos who want to practice

Y9 Music

Emails have been sent to parents/caregivers of all new Y9 Music students with information on how the Music department operates. Please contact Alison Price on aprice@wakatipu.school.nz if you have any further questions.

Play it Strange competitions for this term include:

Waiata Māori competition (some element of Māori language must be included. Other languages can also be included alongside te reo Māori). Entries close July 31. Please see Mrs Price for more information.

We invite you to share your skills in the arts

We love it when artists want to share their skills and experience with our students. If you would like to share your experience and knowledge, please get in touch with Arts Coordinator Stine Cooper scooper@wakatipu.school.nz. 

Upcoming in Term 3

27 July - Theatrefest in Queenstown
31 July - Entries close - Play It Strange - Waiata Māori Competition
31 July - Opening of SHOWING OFF Senior Art Exhibition at Lakes District Museum in Arrowtown. The exhibition runs until end of August
3 August - WHS Jazz Band and Jazz Combo concert 
4- 10 August - Southern Jam Blenheim Jazz Festival 
6 September  - Performing Arts Showcase at Te Atamira
18-19 - September - Into The Woods Jr

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 scooper@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 scooper@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 Foundation

Community Notices

👉Support us today: https://subscribe.entertainmentnz.com/fundraiser/260506v

*Terms & Conditions Apply. Please visit www.entertainmentnz.com/promotions to view