WHS Newsletter | Issue 3.07 | 17 September 2021

Associate Principal's Message

Kia ora and welcome to the end of te wiki o te reo māori. It was ka rawe to have members of our Māori Council open and close each day with a karakia, mīharo to see Te Iti O Tahuna perform prior to school on Wednesday, whakamere to hear some of the history of Tahuna at staff professional learning, and ka mau te wehi to have so many celebrating the ‘Māori Language moment’ at midday on Tuesday.

Day 2 of our abbreviated senior school exams are in session today, and while juniors are not at school, it has been good to get back to a full week of school. Students and classes have felt settled and focused and I want to commend staff, students and parents for enabling and supporting the smooth transition back to school. The shortened school exam period however, does mean that senior students will have a range of external practice exams and internal assessments over these last two weeks of term, and it will be important that students are organised and planned so that they can achieve to the best of their ability.

With regards to the recent lockdown, we are seeking feedback from parents and students as to how WHS managed the teaching, learning and wellbeing of students during this time. Please if you could spend some time filling out the survey below, we would really appreciate knowing if we are striking the right balance in supporting students with their learning and wellbeing. A reminder that there are a range of supports available for students and families, please see below for more details. 

With us continuing to be at Alert Level 2, we have made the decision to hold our Senior Next Steps via remote on Tuesday 28 September. Please see below for more information, including how to book your meeting with senior subject teachers. 

Some other great items in this week’s newsletter, including stellar performances and achievements from a range of students.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend,

Noho ora mai,

Oded Nathan
Associate Principal

Covid-19 Support

The Covid-19 Support and Wellbeing information sheet below contains active links to contacts and additional resources from various local and national organisations who can help. Please download the PDF document to access the links.

Te Hau Toka Southern Lakes Wellbeing Group was set up in response to the uncertainty that Covid 19 brings and the subsequent community-wide mental health impacts.  Te Hau Toka hopes to build awareness of services that are available, connect people with the support they may need and help them to stay well.

Te Hau Toka has put together this ‘traffic light’ guide (designed to be folded into a brochure)  for looking after your wellbeing.  It covers tips for what to do in an immediate mental health crisis (red), extra support (orange), and keeping well (green).  

COVID Vaccinations

Anyone over the age of 12 can be vaccinated for COVID. Vaccinations are free and appointments can be made online at the link below. The online booking system is really easy to use.

There are a number of vaccination centres in Queenstown that have available appointments before school, after school and during weekends. Locations handy to school for students to receive vaccinations include;

• Unichem Remarkables Pharmacy (closest to school)
• Unichem Summerfields Pharmacy
• Queenstown Events Centre
• Engage Safety - 18 Glenda Drive
• File Mile Pharmacy
• Antidote, Five Mile
• Engage Safety

Please encourage your students to book and receive their vaccinations.

School Drop-offs and Pick-ups

A reminder to all parents that Red Oaks Drive, outside of WHS, is a no-stopping zone and vehicles are not permitted to stop in bus stops, cycle lanes or on dotted yellow lines. We are increasingly concerned about the safety of our students as vehicles stop abruptly, pull out into traffic, perform U-Turns or block the bus area whilst students are crossing the road as they arrive and depart school each morning.  Please take this opportunity to talk to students about responsible driving behaviour, and set a good example by complying with road regulations.

Parents wishing to avoid traffic within the school perimeter are encouraged to meet their children in the public car park on Hawthorne Drive which is 250m from the school and has free parking for 2 hours.

Better Public Media Student Challenge 2021

Elke Koehn, Year 13, has won a national competition run by Better Public Media for the second year in a row. Entries were required to address the question:

$55 million has been earmarked for public interest journalism. How would you spend that money?

Elke's winning entry is a 10-minute video essay that aimed to examine which area of media in New Zealand requires the most attention and funding. She concluded in her video essay, funding needs to be directed into programs and journalism that hold a higher level of integrity than what is seen today, shifting away from the neoliberal, profit -driven agenda of the current news media. 

Here's what the judges said:

"We realise that Elke was our 2020 winner but we think their 2021 entry has a wider brief and, once again, demonstrates a willingness to engage with complexity and critical analysis.  It is also very well constructed and visually interesting. Initially, we thought the entry was a little hesitant in addressing the core question, but the film was constructed in order to address it (albeit a little light on specific spending areas).

"We don't agree with all the arguments in Elke's video (The Project often deals with serious issues) and she confused Seven Sharp with Close Up, but we think Elke's arguments are consistent and strong."
You can view Elke's entry below.

Te wiki o te reo Māori language week

Tihei mauri ora!

Nau mai, haere mai ki te wiki o te reo Māori mō tēnei tau, te tau 2021. Welcome to this year's Māori language week. As a kura, school we’ve had a variety of different things going on this week including Māori waiata as the bells, karakia to start and finish the day over our PA system, Te Iti o Tāhuna (the kapa haka group) performing on Rāapa, Wednesday, and a Kahoot for Māori language moment. Ka pai tō mahi to Toby Tregidga for winning the Kahoot competition!

As a kura, we’re proud to support te wiki o te reo Māori and to strengthen the language and culture of our tangata whenua, Māori. 

Kaua e whakamā ki te kōrero Māori, ahakoa he iti, he taonga. Don't be shy to speak Māori, no matter how little, treasure it.

Matua Gilbertson

Branches Camp

The first Branches Camp student meeting will be held next Friday morning during Ako time. The weekly student meetings will then resume again in Term 4. These meetings will progressively inform students about the camp and preparations, including the Community Workday and Pre-Branches tramps.

A reminder for all parents/caregivers of Year 10 students, to please complete the Branches Student Medical, Dietary and Consent Form.  Thank you to those who have completed the form. If you haven't already, could you please do so as soon as possible, it is due by 24th September.

Another key source of information for students will be the electronic ‘2021 Branches Camp Google Classroom’ - you should ask your student to let you access and view this.  

Bridget Janse
Branches Camp Coordinator

Thank-you from Branches

Our Librarian Paula Bell has completed 10 years of Branches camps! Quite an achievement. As part of this service, she has been presented with a jacket for her dedicated service to the camp since 2011. This is quite special as she has attended all 10 camps for the full duration of 12 days!

2022 STARS Peer Mentoring Applications

This week, applications opened for all current Year 11&12 students to take on the leadership role of being a STARS Peer Mentor in 2022.  It is an opportunity for senior students to help the incoming Year 9s successfully transition into life at WHS, whilst developing their own leadership, communication and organisational skills.  The role includes facilitating fortnightly group sessions during Ako time and participating in the Lake Rere walk at Greenstone camp, a community adventure and a community service day.  Applications are via a google form which has been emailed out to all Year 11&12 students - closing date Friday 24 September.  A great opportunity to get involved and be an active citizen of WHS!

Lead Prefect Message

Hello everyone!

Wow - I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say that time is passing quickly. With the arrival of sunny weather, spring has arrived and summer doesn’t seem too far behind. 

It's only our second week back at physical school, so it’s sure to be a time of transition for many. Make sure to take breaks while you adjust! :)

This week marks the start of mock exams for senior students, occurring later in the term than usual due to COVID. Because of COVID, I feel there's a lot more anxiety around mocks this year - no one really knows if these grades could be the ones we use later on. Because of this, I think it’s even more important to remember to treat yourself kindly. This could be things as simple as: staying connected with friends and family, listening to music, eating well, and getting good amounts of sleep. 

You may also find this study skills doc useful to stay organized: link.

Remember to look after your health. Relax and stay healthy. If you haven’t already, make sure to vote for your student representative on the Board of Trustees. The voting closes Wednesday, 29 September at 4pm.

We have come to the end of week 8, with term 3 ending on the 1st October. This means the end of the school year is drawing closer; for Year 13s, this means graduation day. As the weather gets warmer, remember to take advantage of the sunny days and get some vitamin D.

Remember to stay home and rest up if you’re feeling unwell!

(Take care of yourself!)

Kira Almquist
Arts and Cultural Council Lead Prefect

Arts News and Information

Important Arts Events Coming Up

Songs of the Wakatipu - 30 September - TBC
Roger Fox Workshop - 20 October
Invercargill Jazzfest - 21 October 
Labour Weekend Jazz Performances -TBC
Cultural Blues - 26 October
Senior End of Year Art Exhibition - 9 November

Artist of the Week
Showcasing the work of EMILY BISSET a Year 13 Design student. Emily devised a design campaign that revolves around SHOPPING LOCALLY.

In her brief write up she states :
'The New Zealand economy has been significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to this, the government has been encouraging everyone in New Zealand to spend their money locally and help support all the businesses affected by the pandemic. They encourage those who can afford to go on holidays to travel around New Zealand and partake in local tourist activities and those who may not be able to afford to travel to spend at their local cafes, bars, restaurants and shops when possible.'  - Emily Bisset

Sports News and Information

NZ Freeride Tour Results
Round One of the NZ Junior Freeride Tour took place at Mt Olympus last weekend. Two WHS students competed and achieved awesome results. Congratulations to Cam Marshall who won the U18 Men's Ski event and Bede Dawson who placed third in the U14 Boys event. Well done lads!

Olive Watherston - Otago Spirit Call Up
A huge congratulations to Year 12 student Olive Watherston who has spent the week training with the Otago Spirit team in Dunedin and has earned herself a start at fullback for the premier women’s rugby team in Otago. This is incredibly exciting for Olive and WHS Rugby! Olive travels to Tauranga to play the Bay of Plenty Volcanix as part of the Farah Palmer Cup and you can catch the game live on Sky Sport 2 on Saturday afternoon at 2:35pm. Go well Olive!

Otago Emerging Volts
Congratulations to Year 13 student Toby Hart who has been selected into the Otago Emerging Volts training squad and spent early this week training with the Otago Men’s A Cricket team in Dunedin. This is really exciting for Toby and we wish him well for what is sure to be another busy season of cricket.

Otago U19 Women’s Cricket Squad
We are excited to announce that four WHS players have been selected into the wider Otago Women’s U19 Cricket squad. Congratulations to Paige Loggenberg, Abby Fookes, Lucy Viggers and Sorcha Wilkinson. A final team of 13 will be selected later in the year to represent Otago at the national U19 tournament in Lincoln in early January. Well done!

EVO Downhill Dunedin Series
Congratulations to Year 11 student Josh Bonnar who competed in the EVO Downhill MTB Series in Dunedin over the weekend finishing second in the Junior Men’s race.

Social Sixes Hockey League
To kick off the use of the new multipurpose turf at the Event Centre Wakatipu Hockey Club in conjunction with QLDC are running a Tuesday night twilight social hockey competition in Term 4. This competition is fun for all levels and will have a Year 9-11 grade and a Year 12+ grade where seniors will play with adults. If you are keen to have some fun, try a new sport and improve your fitness, sign up on the form below. Sign ups need to be completed by Friday 1st October. This is an awesome opportunity for students!
Social Sixes Hockey Sign Ups: https://forms.gle/k4taaqeVDowYYPWo7

Keep Us Informed
The sports department would love to hear from you if you know of any awesome achievements from our students so that we can celebrate these as a school. Please send through details and photos to lnathan@wakatipu.school.nz. 

Support Sport at WHS
Jump on board and support the team by liking or following the Wakatipu High School Sports Facebook page. This is the best way to stay informed and up to date with the successes of our athletes and teams and help celebrate their great achievements. https://www.facebook.com/WakatipuHighSchoolSports/ 

Laura Nathan
Director of Sport

Scholarships - Careers Department

Careers Department - Student Job Vacancies

Waste Management NZ has a summer job!

The role involves riding an electric trike in Wanaka to service, clean and maintain public rubbish bins in the CBD and along the waterfront from approximately 12 to 5pm daily Monday to Sunday. Desire to have two students job share this role. 

Full training would be provided for this very relaxed and chilled job. A pre-requisite of the role is a reliable, outgoing and confident personality.

 For the right candidates we are offering $22.00 per hour.

Applications to Sean Cronin

M: +64 27 675 2159   E: scronin@wastemanagement.co.nz

Branches Trust 'B' Quiz Night

With uncertainty around when we will move to Level 1 we have taken the precaution of changing the date of our upcoming Quiz Night.  The new date is Friday November 12.  This new date is now at the end of week 4 of Term 4 and it coincides with the Year 10 Branches practice tramp – it will be a very Branches day for our Year 10 families!

Table sizes are now 8 (previously advertised as 6) and will be $200 per table which includes finger food throughout the night.   To book a table please email branchestrust@gmail.com and we will revert back with confirmation of your table and bank details for payment.   Your ticket will then be emailed to you.  We have limited capacity at the Lake Hayes Pavilion so make sure you get in quick!    

If you would like to support this event further then please know we are looking for prizes for the silent auction and raffles.  We know these are difficult times so anything you can offer would be very gratefully received.

Kia kaha
Branches Trust

WHS Foundation

Community Notices

Queenstown Lakes Christmas Show Auditions Auditions: Saturday 30th October Ages 8-11: 1.00pm – 2:30 pm Ages 12-18: 3:00pm – 4:00pm Do you or do you know a young person who would be interested in auditioning for the 2021 Christmas Show!? Auditions are open to all children aged from 8-18 years. Complete the Audition Form through our Website