WHS Newsletter | Issue 4.01 | 22 October 2021

Principal's Message

Kia ora and welcome to the Wakatipu High School newsletter at the start of Term 4.

Despite the wee wobble of Wednesday morning’s power outage - which thankfully was restored as school began, we have had a really good start to the term.

In my last newsletters I noted that the first four weeks of this term were going to be a Phase 2 pinch point and we would be tight on space until seniors depart. With the rooming changes necessary to make it all work, Monday morning had the potential to go seriously southwards but nearly all students turned up having read Mr Nathan’s email and looked at the Portal and knew where they were going - impressive! Since then students and staff have got on with things really well and school has operated very smoothly this week.

Covid considerations continue - although I must say we remain very thankful that we are not in Auckland and dealing with the challenges schools face up there, and this week we have worked through a process re our significant ceremonies and events of which there are a number scheduled for this term. From this process there will be some ceremonies and events that we will not run, including the House Excellence and Ad Alta assemblies that were scheduled for week 3, and we will work though how to best acknowledge those students. Sporting and cultural Blues awards and prizegivings will proceed but with Covid adaptations - the most significant of which is that external guests, including parents, will unfortunately not be able to attend. We know that this will be disappointing to students and parents but we did still want these events to run and this was part of what we needed to do to make that happen, and we will look to livestream and/or record them. As we worked through this process we delayed the Blues events one week and are still finalising the format of the senior prizegivings, which are in week 4, and will update when that is confirmed. There are other events, including the full school assemblies which present next year’s head students and the Dux which we will also have to run in different formats. Life in Covid times …

Related, please note that education outside the classroom can proceed in Level 2, which includes Branches Camp - which has an important section below.

Also related, we encourage our students to get vaccinated and please see the section immediately below with a range of information re vaccinations.

The WHS Foundation are very generous and important supporters of WHS, and their financial support makes a significant difference to our ability to deliver our great all-round education. In Covid times their support is more important than ever, and one of their key fundraising events is their annual Golf Tournament at Millbrook on Wednesday 1st of December. Please see below for details, but note that there are only a few places left so get in quick for a great day out for a great cause! 

Also below in the Foundation section is info on an opportunity to be a Trustee and the Alumni.

Its a great newsletter below including sections on the Stars Community Project day today, Branches, the awesome Landrover project (it looked a million bucks!), and our new student rep on the board of trustees. 

One week down and only 12 days until seniors start to depart. This is an important time for seniors as they complete internal assessments and begin to look ahead and revise for external exams. We also know that it has been disrupted and different for them, so support them to find that balance of doing their best while looking after their wellbeing.

Unfortunately the glorious weather of the last two days is not going to continue into the long weekend - but it’ll still be ok for getting out and about and enjoying spring in the Wakatipu, enjoy :)

Steve Hall
Principal

Vaccine Information

Vaccination is an important topic right now. Here are some videos and articles from a wide variety of sources if you are looking for more information. 

Videos

• Nigel Latta, Dr Maia Brewerton and Dr Helen Petousis-Harris recently answered questions in a Facebook live event.
• Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Dr Nikki Turner, Dr Siouxsie Wiles and Dr Vanisi Prescott recently answered questions about the COVID-19 Vaccine, moderated by Mihingarangi Forbes.
• Mihingarangi Forbes sat down with Dr Hinemoa Elder to discuss some key concerns and hesitancies.
• Vax Facts with Māori Doctors: Dr Anthony Jordan, Dr Papaarangi Reid, Dr Rawiri McKree-Jansen, Dr Maia Brewerton (specialists and activists in Māori health) take phone calls from the Public about Covid and the Vaccine. (Most callers are unvaccinated.)
• Clinical psychologist Rachel Prebble explains how to talk to friends and whānau in this video create an opportunity for open, safe conversations which build trust and enable change over time
• A fun and informative item on the Hahana Facebook page with answers to lots of vaccine questions.
• A rangatahi panel with Dr Jason Tuhoe to kōrero about the vaccine from different perspectives (vaccinated, vaccine hesitant, wants to be vaccinated but whānau pressure not to).
• Watch a discussion between four health professionals where they share their thoughts, knowledge and experiences of the COVID vaccine in Straight Up with Dr. Lily Fraser – The Panel.

Articles

• Why some people struggle to change their minds about vaccination is a video and article in The Whole Truth series on Stuff.
• Talking to vaccine hesitant people – an article on the World Health Organization website, also available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Portuguese and Spanish.
• A recent article in The Herald where University of Auckland vaccinologist Associate Professor Helen Petousis-Harris looks at 10 vaccine myths circulating on social media.
• In this The Spinoff article, Kate Hannah (a cultural historian at Te Pūnaha Matatini) shares some thoughts on how to talk to loved ones who are vaccine hesitant.

WHS Board Student Representative Election

A huge congratulations to Lachy Boniface who has been elected as the Student Representative on the WHS Board.  Well done to the four students who stood for this election and thank you to all the students who voted. 

Karla Dawson
Returning Officer

Year 10 Relationship and Sexuality Education Information

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Your Year 10 Student is about to start a topic around Sexuality Education in Health. Teachers use the newly revised Family Planning resource  - Navigating the Journey: Relationships and Sexuality Education. This resource is widely used by New Zealand schools and is linked to the New Zealand Curriculum as well as the Ministry of Education’s RSE Guidelines. Further information about this resource can be found in this article Navigating the Journey from the Family Planning website. In addition there is a Navigating the Journey Guide for Parents: This resource has been written to support parents who want to better understand the Navigating the Journey relationships and sexuality education programmes. This resource is free to download.

Relationship and Sexuality Education in the Year 10 programme focuses on:
Intimate relationships and exploring positive sexual health. It builds on prior skills, capabilities and knowledge developed during Years 1-9 and deepens the focus. Students strengthen interpersonal skills and specific knowledge around sex and sexuality, so that if and when they choose to engage in sexual activity, it will be consensual, safe, unpressured, and more likely to be a positive and pleasurable experience. Students develop further knowledge of sexual health services and how to access them.

These topics are taught in a sensitive and caring way in both group and individual activities. The learning activities are based around five main themes:

• Establishing a positive learning environment Te whakarite i tētahi ao ako huapai 
• Who am I? Ko wai au?
• Relationships Ngā whanaungatanga 
• Growing and changing Te tipu me te huri o te tangata 
• Staying safe Te noho haumaru

More specific topics for each theme can be found outlined in the parents resource linked above. It is important to acknowledge that although teaching will focus on the above topics, student questions and discussions may arise that are not specifically mentioned above. 

Parents and caregivers are reminded of their right to withdraw their children from these lessons. If you wish to do so, please supply a written request as soon as possible so an alternative can be arranged.

If you required further information please contact your child's Health and Physical Education teacher via their school email or phone extension. 

Hannah Gold
Acting HoLA Health and PE

Branches Camp

Branches Camps are only 5 weeks away (NB: the camps can run if we are at Alert Level 2 or Alert Level 1). The second Student Meeting about Branches Camp was held this morning, run by Mr McIntyre. It included a reminder about key events and dates tents and catering. Jane Bamford (Volunteer Student Workday Coordinator) spoke to the students about the Community Workday, and reminded students to complete their Work Day Student Survey. This will enable Jane to know which students have jobs, can get a job, and which students need help finding a job.
Students were also reminded that attending Branches is a privilege and with that comes responsiblity. If students cannot be trusted to behave and act responsibly in the outdoors, then this could put their ability to attend Branches at risk.

Another key source of information for students is the the electronic ‘2021 Branches Camp Google Classroom’ - information and notices will be added to this. Students are reminded to check this regularly and you should ask your student to show it to you.  

Key dates
This years' two 7-day camp dates are: Camp 1 - Monday 29 November to Sunday 5 December, and Camp 2 - Monday 6 to Sunday 12 December. 
Other important Branches dates to note are:
Monday 1 Nov - Students advised which Camp they are on; Transport Google Form sent out
Monday 8 Nov - Transport Google Form due 
Friday 12 Nov - Pre-Branches day tramps, incl Activity Groups

Branches Student Workdays
Every year students going to Branches Camp have a ‘Branches Workday’ where they spend a day working to raise money for Branches Trust who support students and the school with Branches Camp. Depending on which camp students are on, their Workday is either: Camp 2 - Friday 3 December or Camp 1 - Friday 10 December.

With Covid again this year however it will be a little different. While students are still required to complete a workday this year they will work for a local company or community group who support the school and the Branches Camp and give back to the community. If some of these organisations are able to give a donation towards the cost of camp to help keep the costs down for students and their families that will be great, and if you are able to sponsor a student to work for a community group, eg. Happiness House, Reforestation Trust, that would be a ‘double good deed’ in that it supports a Branches student and a local community group. 
Of course if you can provide paid work for our students on workday, or if you know of any businesses or individuals who may be able to support us, we would also love to hear from you.
Please contact Jane Bamford - Volunteer Branches Trust Workday Coordinator (021 949916 or by email: jbamfordqt@gmail.com )

While the Branches Trust very generously supports the camp to help make it affordable for families, we strongly encourage parents to please contribute towards the $350 donation we request for Branches Camp. This amount is currently loaded to your student’s school account and we appreciate any (all or part) payment towards this amount. As this is a donation payment, you will be entitled to a tax credit. Please pay through the School Portal, online (ASB a/c 12-3234-0080772-00), or at the school office by Eftpos. Many thanks in anticipation.

Bridget Janse
Branches Camp Coordinator

Magazine Order

The School magazine will be available later in the year to everyone in a digital format. Students who also wish to receive a printed copy need to complete the form below by 29 October. The cost of the magazine is $20 and will be charged to your school account. Please note printed copies will only be ordered if we receive the minimum order quantity.

Congratulations to Marigold Kunath (Year 13) whose artwork was chosen for the cover.

To order a printed copy please complete the form: https://forms.gle/qAwGUh4V7ns91Z8C9

Spirit of Adventure Scholarship Winner

Congratulations to Hannah Battrick who has been awarded a Spirit of Adventure Trust scholarship from Triple Star. This is the second year Triple Star have sponsored a WHS student to go on a 10 day development voyage aboard the Spirit of New Zealand. 

This year's recipient, Hannah is our Community and Service Lead Prefect who has always been keenly involved in her community and dedicated her time to various school and voluntary roles. Amy Kirk, Planning Manager from Triple Star was particularly impressed with Hannah's application noting her "interest in leadership, the time you have given to school, community and other voluntary groups and also your personal experience in the Christchurch earthquakes – all of this makes you a very deserving applicant!  Your love of the outdoors and interest in personal health and fitness is a bonus also!"

Hannah noted that she was very excited to take part next year in what will be a trip of a lifetime. 

Congratulations Hannah!

STARS Community Project Day

Over 200 Year 9 students and some keen peer mentors headed out to Lake Hayes today to help plant native trees along Mill creek.  The students got into the spirit of the day and did their bit towards helping the community to restore the water quality of the lake.  

Huge thanks go to the Mana Tāhuna charitable trust who coordinated the day with support from the Friends of Lake Hayes.   We would also like to acknowledge the Wakatipu Reforestation Trust for supplying materials and Bungy NZ for transporting the students on the day.

Landrover Project

This year the Automotive classes and lunchtime Engineers Club have restored a Landrover series 3, 1974. It was found by Mr Brickell their teacher in Frankton where it had sat for 17 years. The students have done chassis rust, brakes, body work, fuel systems and painted the vehicle. Central 4WD and Mitre 10 have helped source parts and correct paint. A great practical nuts and bolts project where students have gained a wealth of knowledge and hands- on experience.   

Glenn Brickell
Technology Teacher

Head Student Message

Kia Ora Everyone, 

I hope you all had a great break and have started off the term well. Term 4 can be a busy one, especially for seniors with exams coming up. Yes, it can feel overwhelming, but if we get organised early and plan well, we are setting ourselves up for a much less stressful exam period. Whether your academics are your strong suit or not, I really encourage you to work hard in the next few weeks. That goes for everything, the classes that are your strengths and especially for those subjects that you find most challenging. We all have our weaknesses and the things we find most difficult, and now is the perfect opportunity to embrace them, overcome them, and to enjoy the struggle.

A huge congratulations to the newly awarded head students and lead prefects for next year. There were so many outstanding candidates this year and it was a long, and difficult decision making process. These positions will be announced to the school next week. I wish you the best of luck, I’m sure you will do an incredible job at leading the students and your individual councils next year. 

I know you might feel like you've heard it enough but I think it's important to remind ourselves how lucky we are to be back at school and living life more or less as normal right now. Yes, we may have had to miss out on some opportunities, and there still may be events we are unable to attend in the near future, however, it is the ability to see one another every day that we should be truly grateful for. 

Once again, I hope you had a great holiday, and that you’ve made it through the first week of Term 4. 

Enjoy the long weekend

Carmen Woodhouse
Head Girl

Sports News and Information

Torpedo 7 NZ Freestyle Champs
WHS had a number of students compete at the Torpedo 7 New Zealand Junior Freestyle Champs at Cardrona over the holidays. Some great results were had across the disciplines of ski/boarder cross, slopestyle and halfpipe. Below are the overall results that students achieved across the events. Congratulations to these students. 
Madeleine Disbrowe - 1st U14 Girls Freeski
Sam Riddle - 1st U18 Boys Freeski
Charlotte Muir - 1st U18 Girls Freeski
Taylor Breen - 2nd U16 Girls Freeski
Brooke Hansen - 2nd U16 Girls Snowboard
Anru Wakushima - 2nd U18 Boys Snowboard
Harper Souness - 5th U18 Boys Freeski
Keani Wilson - 5th= U16 Boys Snowboard
Abbie Rooney - 6th U14 Girls Freeski

Snow Sports NZ Volkl Freestyle Series
A special congratulations to Year 9 student Madeleine Disbrowe who has won the overall U14 Girls Ski title in the Snow Sports NZ Volkl Freeski Series. This series is made up of a number of freestyle events across the year and points tallied from the competitors top three results. Around seven WHS athletes competed in the Volkl Freeski and Burton Snowboard series this year, highlights of final season placings are below.
Madeleine Disbrowe - 1st U14 Girls Ski
Brooke Hansen - 2nd Open Womens Snowboard
Harper Souness - 4th Open Mens Ski
Abbie Rooney - 4th U14 Girls Ski
Kaiya Collins - 4th Open Womens Snowboard

Football South Age Group Reps
Congratulations to the following students who have been named in Football South Age Group squads to compete at the National Age Group Tournament held in Wellington in December. It is awesome to see this many WHS students selected!
U15 Boys -  Stan Blair and Ben McAuliffe (non-travelling reserve)
U17 Boys - Todd Vermier, Paulo Bjork and Cato Williams
U15 Girls - Bianca Lupi
U17 Girls - Keely Osborne and Madi Mclean

Central Otago Girls Football Winners
Below is a match report from Girls 1st XI Football coach Jamie Whitmarsh of the Central Otago final and following match against Southland Girls High School on the last day of Term 3. Congratulations to the WHS Girls Football team who are now back to back Central Otago champs.

Finals against MAC always bring an extra sense of both excitement and nerves in equal measure. Today was no different for the CO Girls final. The nerves are clear as MAC starts brightly and we have to show strong commitment to keep them at bay in the first half when we are required to do a lot of defending. Defend we do and resilience has been one of the main pillars for this group all season. 0-0 at half time and we changed our shape and it gives me the opportunity to provide some reassuring words and some clear instructions in the second half. The second half we were simply ruthless with and without the ball. As like so many times this year the girls score goals in quick succession. Bella, Keely and Mikoto score in a short period of time and the game is up for MAC. MAC has a strong history in their girls program and should be applauded. I believe our girls have now surpassed MAC in this space. We retain the trophy and the girls are naturally stoked.

Game 2. vs SGHS (friendly)
Having never played SGHS before it was hard to know what to expect, they are good but with Rachel, Mia and Olive having to return to school for exams we are depleted in numbers and clearly weary having only a 45 gap between this game and the MAC game. By half time it's 4-0 and we concede goals based on our mental tiredness. Our second half is simply a show of character and fight from the girls and as a coach you can't ask for anymore. The short break also see's SGHS lose 5-1 to MAC in the final game of the day. Personally, I am really proud of what the girls have achieved with so many junior players and beginners. Next year we aim to go one better at the national secondary schools. I'll sign off by saying thanks to (TIC) Ms Jermy for her support and to Todd Vermier and Cam Scobie for officiating today and wish them well on the next part of their journey and a special mention to Emily Bisset and Natalia Tatge who played their last games for the school today, both champions literally.
Jamie Whitmarsh

Boys 1st XI Football Tournament
On Friday the 8th of October, 13 members of the WHS Football 1st XI traveled down to Dunedin to compete in the Football South Community Tournament. We started off with a game against the South City Royals in weather conditions that could only be described as horrendous. After a sluggish start which saw us conceding two early goals, we pulled one back early into the second half through a cool Cato Williams finish after their goalkeeper failed to clear the ball correctly. Unfortunately it was a little too late as the game finished 2-1 in their favor, leaving us feeling we deserved something more. Our second game wasn’t much better, losing 4-0 to a team we felt we could beat. By the third game of the day, our bodies were dead but we managed to dig deep and get our second win of the season against bitter rivals, Mount Aspiring College. Goals from Cato, Cam Scobie, Henrique “The Machine” Wandarte and MVP Finley Husheer helped secure a 4-3 win. It was a good end to what was ultimately a frustrating day, leaving us with 3 points and sitting second last on the table. Being more determined than ever to win, we started the second day a bit brighter in our first game against Dunedin Suburbs. After leading for most of the game through a Finley Husheer corner, we unfortunately conceded a last minute penalty, which they duly converted. Luckily all of the other teams in the competition also drew, giving the opportunity to reach the final, based on our performance in the second game of the day. We came up against an unbeaten Gore High School team, a team we had lost to 1-0 the previous year. We played some of the best football I have seen a WHS team play, running in 4 late goals to take the game 4-0. We had done all we could but unfortunately we fell 1 point short of the final. We finished our tournament playing for 3rd/4th place against South Canterbury, a team we lost to the previous day. We scored in the first half through another Cato Williams goal but we were unable to hold on and the game finished 1-1. The placing was shared between the two teams. Cato Williams took home the golden boot as he ended up joint top scorer for the tournament. A big thank you to our Coach Steve Henderson, it's been a pleasure playing under you. A thank you to Kris Vermeir and John Scobie for the parent support and Mrs Nathan helping to organize and make sure we had a tournament to go to this year. It's been a pleasure being a part of a great team, and I wish you boys all the best in the future. 
Todd Vermeir 

Junior Southern Stampede Teams
A large number of WHS students competed for the U15 and U18 Junior Southern Stampede teams in the Southern Series over the middle weekend of the holidays in Dunedin. Without the Auckland teams able to travel down no national finals could be held and the Southern Series was played between teams from Canterbury, Dunedin and Queenstown. It was great to have both age groups playing on the same weekend for parents and players to support both teams. The U15 Junior Stampede won the tournament convincingly without loosing a game and played Canterbury in the final winning 9-1.  The U18 Junior Stampede played well and grew as a team during the tournament. Players stepped up to fill the spot of strong players who have gone overseas to play ice hockey.  This team included players from outside of Queenstown. The team played well in a close final with good sportsmanship and lost 4-2 to Dunedin. Jake Pankhurst, Tyler Challenor, Toby Hart and Bryn Rasmussen played well in their last season in this age group.  Well done to all!

Southland Secondary School Sports Awards
We had the Southern Series played in Dunedin over 4 days during the middle weekend of the holidays. Without the Auckland teams being able to travel down no national finals could be held.  The Southern Series was played between Canterbury, Dunedin and Queenstown Junior Stampede in the U18 and U15 age groups.  It was great to have both age groups playing on the same weekend for parents and players to support both teams.The U15 Junior Stampede won the tournament convincingly without loosing a game.  They played Canterbury in the final and winning 9-1.  Year 13 Toby Hart has been selected as a finalist in the Senior Boys category at this year's Southland Secondary School Sports awards along with Year 12 student Olive Watherston in the Senior Girls category. The U16 Double Sculls crew of Sam McAtamney and Marley King Smith have been shortlisted for the Team of the Year award for winning a gold medal at Maadi Cup. It is great to see these students recognised for their achievements at a regional level.

Southern Junior Development Cycling Team
Congratulations to Year 12 student Eli Tregidga who has been selected into the Southern Junior U17 Development road cycling team. This is a great recognition of Eli's hard work and is an exciting opportunity for him to progress his cycling to the next level. Well done Eli!

Otago Country U19 Girls Cricket Squad
Congratulations to the following students who have been selected into the Otago U19 Girls Cricket Squad for the 2021/22 season; Paige Loggenberg, Mia Williamson, Lucy Viggers, Abby Fookes, Sorcha Wilkinson, Eva Hemingway as well as Stella Rhind and Madeleine Harvey as non-travelling reserves. The team heads away to a three day tournament in Oamaru this weekend. 

Central Otago U15 Boys Hockey Tournament
Oliver Battrick, Hugo Bogue and Samuel Robertson-Muir represented the Central Otago U15 boys hockey team at the South Island tournament over the holidays. The team were were placed in a very competitive top tier with games against Canterbury, Otago, Southland, Nelson, and South Canterbury. They beat South Canterbury 6-3 and lost most of their other games by only one or two goals, playing some very competitive hockey and performing well as a team. Oliver and Hugo were a force to be reckoned with in the front lines, scoring many of the team's goals between them and Samuel worked very hard in the back as goalie, and rose to the challenge, often putting his body on the line for the team. Well done boys.

Remarkables Slopestyle 
The Remarkables Slopestyle event took place on the 9th October and was the final event for the winter season for freeski and snowboard athletes
Madeleine Disbrowe - 2nd U14 Girls Ski
Brooke Hansen - 3rd Open Womens Snowboard 
Charlotte Muir - 2nd Open Womens Ski

Cardrona Interfields Results 
The final interfield competition for the alpine ski season took place over the holidays. This wrapped up a busy month of racing with most events rescheduled into September following lockdown. Well done to these students.
GS Race 1 and Race 2 Results
April Bentley - 3rd U14 girls, 2nd 
Violet Smillie - 6th U14 girls 
Finn McCaw - 1st U14 boys, 2nd 
Hyugo Saunders - 1st U16 boys, 1st 

McCullum Cup
The WHS 1st and 2nd XI cricket teams are heading to Dunedin this weekend to compete in the McCullum Cup, a pre-season secondary schools T20 tournament. We wish both our teams all the best!

Volleyball Invitational Tournament
WHS has two junior volleyball teams travelling to Christchurch this weekend to play in an invitational tournament. This is an excellent learning opportunity for our players to compete against some good competition in Christchurch as part of their preparations for the South Island Champs in November.

Summer Sport
Summer sports are underway now with touch, tennis, volleyball, cricket and rowing all ramping up. It is not too late to get involved and if you are keen, please drop one of the members of the sports department an email or pop in to see us so that we can help make this happen! You can email Mrs Nathan; lnathan@wakatipu.school.nz or Matua Brad; bfleming@wakatipu.school.nz

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

Arts New and Information

Important Arts Events Coming Up
Invercargill Jazzfest - Cancelled
Labour Weekend Jazz Performances - 23 October
Cultural Blues - TBC
Central Soundwaves - 7 November

Labour Weekend Jazz Performances
The WHS Jazz Band will be performing in Arrowtown this weekend. This skilled group of musicians received a Gold Grading at the Blenheim Jazz Festival earlier this year. They will be performing their set on Saturday in two different locations. The Jazz Band will be playing at The New Orleans Hotel from 1pm and The Fork and Tap from 3pm.  It is going to be a stunning day, so go out and support the students at our local venues. 

Central Sound Waves 2021  
DATE: Sunday, November 7th, 2021.  
TIME: 5.30pm - 9.30pm (approx)  
VENUE: Yonder Queenstown.  

Registrations are now open : http://whakatipuyouthtrust.co.nz/product-category/events 

Please register ASAP. This includes soloists and bands. 

2022 Musical
A huge thank you to all students who have auditioned for the cast of the 2022 Musical. Students will be notified over the weekend, and the show will be announced early in Week 2 of Term 4. If you are interested in being a Head of the Department of the Musical Crews for 2022, please contact Mr Hansen. 

Artist of The Week  - Eva Hemingway
This week we celebrate again, this successful young lady, Eva Hemingway. She has just won the Mīharo Polyfest T-shirt Design Competition. Her T-shirt design has been printed for all volunteers and exhibition organisers of Central Otago and Southland Polyfest. Congratulations. Mīharo Art Exhibition is also on display at the Frankton Library until the 18th of November.

Roger Fox Jazz Workshop
On Wednesday afternoon the WHS Jazz Band went down to the Memorial Centre to experience a jazz workshop with Roger Fox’s Big Band. The students were able to receive expert tuition from members of this big band in their specific instruments. This was finished with a mini-concert from the professionals.  We feel very lucky to still have these opportunities for our students.  Long may they last.

AWE  Community Outreach Music Workshop
We were very fortunate to have the AWE Community Outreach programme bring in nine musicians to play chamber music and run a workshop for our Year 12 and 13 students senior music class. They had just finished playing at the Chamber Music Festival in Wellington and are currently sharing their knowledge and skills throughout NZ. They had musicians as young as Year 12 (violin/viola) and Year 13 (cello) playing with them so it was a great opportunity for our students to see performers of the same age playing this incredible music. Among these performers was a young NZ composer, and she had five of her pieces played at the Wellington Chamber Music Festival.  One of the pieces played was composed when she was in Year 11! 

A Message From Leslie Koehn - Acting HoLA of the Arts
Hello, Wakatipu High School community. With our HoLA Alison Price taking a sabbatical leave this term, I am filling in temporarily, so if you need to make contact, have queries, or have concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me and I will endeavour to get back to you as soon as is possible. I am contactable at lkoehn@wakatipu.school.nz.

Student Job Vacancies

Bunnings Warehouse is now recruiting senior Wakatipu High School students  to become casual team members for the busy season!  

If interested please make direct contact with: Emily Wills - QueenstownBMC@bunnings.co.nz

Hallensteins Brothers are looking for 2 or 3 senior students for fixed term contracts from mid Nov- mid Jan to support the team with shifts over Christmas. 

Do you love people and fashion? Do you want to be a part of an energetic and hardworking team?

We are ramping up to our busy Christmas period and we're after some dedicated staff to jump on board and make the shopping experience first-class for all our customers.

Our Sales Assistants are the welcoming face and helping hand for our customers and are driven to provide exceptional service. They are experts in our product and are comfortable providing guidance and inspiration for our customers on fashion & trends.

About You

• You will have stacks of enthusiasm & high energy, with a genuine interest in fashion and will love a fast-paced environment.
• Ideally, you will have some experience in fashion retail, general retail or a customer service role.
• However, we will also consider you if this is your first role – provided you can show us you have the right attitude & enthusiasm!
• In exchange, we can provide you with a fun and energetic place to work, with outstanding product discounts and an opportunity to expand your retail career with one of NZ's best retailers!

About the Opportunity
You will need to be available to work weekends and extended trade periods.  Its an absolute MUST that you are available to work over the entire holiday period, including Boxing Day & New Years (and all the public holidays!).

The roles are fixed-term from mid-November to approximately February 2022 and you may need to be available to attend interviews in mid-late October to be considered.

How to Apply
Register your interest by sending your CV and relevant cover letter to Keren Norling - Email: keren@corehr.co.nz 

Looking for work over Summer?            

Why not come and work in one of our local Orchards or Packhouses

Pure Pac Ltd is Cromwell’s newest state of the art Export Cherry Packhouse, operating for the first time in December 2017.  We grow, pick and pack all our own cherries and have a variety of positions available in both the Orchard and Packhouse.  Our positions start from Mid-December and finish end of January so perfect timing to earn some money over the school holidays!

Look us up at www.purepac.nz  then click on “Join Our Team” for more information on the opportunities available this season.

We welcome applications from any student from 15 years up.  Unfortunately due to our compliance regulations we cannot employ anyone under 15 years of age.

If any of these positions sounds like you and you are a keen, hard worker with the ability to work in a fast paced team environment flick us an email at hr@purepac.nz or give us a call to chat further on 0273877163

Looking for school leavers who may be interested in working in the civil construction industry. Wilsons are a locally owned and operated company based in Queenstown, with branches in Cromwell and Invercargill as well.

Wilson Contractors has opportunities for entry level civil construction workers. Ideally you would hold a full class 1 licence.  Wilsons also have a role for an apprentice Fitter/Turner/Machinist which would be based in the Kingston Workshop. 

If interested please send a CV and cover letter to Kim Clearwater | Human Resources Coordinator - kim@wilsoncontractors.co.nz 

KINROSS  has an after school / weekend / school holiday job available, starting immediately.  This role is for a dish-hand in our kitchen team.  Hours can be to suit school and study commitments.  It would be on a casual contract at $20 per hour.

Any interested students can contact Christine on the below email christine@kinross.nz

New Zealand Cherry Corp in Cromwell are looking for Cherry Pickers, lifters, Quad bike drivers and Packhouse workers for the Cherry season. 
If you are age 14 or over and willing to work from mid-December to end of January, we would love to hear from you!

Starting pay rate $20 per hour! Contact Carol on carol@nzcherrycorp.com or apply on our website www.nzcherrycorp.com.

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

‘Beginning with B’ BRANCHES QUIZ NIGHT – Friday 12 November 2021

I have two pieces of information regarding the upcoming Branches Trust Quiz Night, firstly that we have decided we will continue to run this event even at Level 2 with slightly fewer tables allowing for increased social distancing.  Secondly, as a result of that the Quiz is now SOLD OUT!! 

 The organising committee of Branches Trustees and Year 10 parents are working hard to put on a great night out!  We are still on the hunt for prizes, prizes, prizes ... we would be very happy with anything big or small, in fact small would be excellent given our current climate.  If you are a business that cannot give a voucher yourself why not consider buying a hospitality or excursion voucher to donate or perhaps a supermarket voucher, just about everyone would appreciate those!   This quiz and it’s proceeds are 100% for our Year 10 Branches kids, if you can donate anything then please contact Belinda at branchestrust@gmail.com to arrange for delivery or the item can be left at school with Erin Tapp.

Many thanks

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