WHS Newsletter | Issue 4.04 | 12 November 2021

Principal's Message

Kia ora and welcome to the newsletter at the end of an important week at WHS.

Central to the week was yesterday’s senior prizegiving - our most formal and significant ceremony of the year, in which we celebrate the academic as well as leadership, service and all-round efforts and achievements of our students. While it was a shame that parents and external guests, including from the various organisations who offer prizes and awards for our students, were not able to attend, the livestream went well and we hope that people enjoyed being able to at least join us virtually. 

Senior Prizegiving culminates in the awarding of our top academics - the Proxime and Dux, and my congratulations again to our Proxime Accessit, Elke Koehn, and our 2021 Dux, Jasmine Crichton. Our prizegivings are a real pleasure as we know just how hard so many of our students work and how much service many of them do in the community as well as at school, and it is great to be able to acknowledge that and my congratulations go to all prizewinners. My thanks also to staff and students who organised and contributed to the prizegiving and the livestream. 

Please see below for photos, lists of prizewinners and Jasmine’s valedictory speech - another in a line of wonderful Dux speeches.

Today is a very different day at WHS with seniors now on study leave, Year 10s on their pre-Branches tramps, leaving just Year 9s in the house. Next week will certainly feel different with seniors on tutorial week and junior exams. As I said in my prizegiving speech, ‘rehearsal’ is a very important part of effective preparation and achieving success, and junior students should be using next week as an important opportunity to rehearse for the experience of exams, including studying for them. A reminder that tutorials will be offered in classes next week for seniors, with NCEA exams beginning on Monday 22 November. It is an important time for seniors and to support them to be their best ensure they have a study plan and see Mr King’s piece re wellbeing and study below.

The other thing that was different about today was that it should have been ‘Orientation Day’ when we welcome next year’s incoming Year 9 students to WHS for the first time. Unfortunately Covid has meant that was not possible and we have had to change things up - including us going out to the primary schools to do our entrance testing there. It also means a warm welcome to our 2022 Year 9 parents who will be receiving the newsletter for the first time over the next few days.

The seniors departing means that today also marks the end of the Phase 2 pinch on space that we have been in this term. It has gone very well, with staff and students doing a great job of getting on with it - my thanks to everyone for their patience and resilience. In terms of Phase 2 this week has seen another important milestone with the structural steel for the new gym starting to go up - exciting progress.

A great newsletter below with prizegiving, as well as the new Arrowtown Festival scholarships, agricultural opportunities, sporting and cultural happenings and successes, and our awesome school magazine - enjoy it. After such a great run of weather the weekend looks pretty wet - hopefully it doesn't turn out too bad.

Steve Hall
Principal

Senior Prizegiving Awards

We had a wonderful ceremony yesterday celebrating the success of our senior students at our annual senior prizegiving. The ceremony took place with staff and senior students present, and was made available to parents and whānau through a live stream. A huge congratulations to all of our students on their academic, leadership, service and other achievements.

Senior prizegiving culminates in the awarding of the Proxime and Dux, and the Dux’s Valedictory speech. This year the 2021 Dux was awarded to Jasmine Crichton and Proxime Accessit to Elke Koehn. Jasmine's valedictory speech has been included below for viewing.

Congratulations to all recipients of awards - a full list of prizewinners is included in the link below.

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Branches Camp

On Monday afternoon we had a student meeting and each activity group selected a name for their group from a place on the map of the Branches area. Tent groups were discussed for when students are at Branches Camp and not out on activities. There are separate male and female tent areas. Students are required to organise themselves into tent groups, and try to source a solid weatherproof tent. These tents will be pitched for six nights and students will sleep in them for three nights. A maximum of four people per tent, with the student supplying the tent bringing a form home for parents to sign.  Completed forms should be handed into the HPE office by Monday.

The final student gear check for essential gear items will be on Monday 22 November for students who were missing some essential items on Friday. The school has some items it can issue to students at camp (rain jacket, thermal top/bottom, sleeping mat, fleece top, tramping packs). If you have any concerns about gear please get in contact.

Transport for students into and out of Branches is provided by parents with suitable 4WD vehicles.  It is a huge logisitical task, and we still need more assistance with transport. Please contact Kayleigh Murray,  kmurray@wakatipu.school.nz if you are able to able to assist with transport. Transport details will be emailed to  parents/caregivers early next week. 

Branches Trust, which fund raises to support Branches Camp, has arranged Camp Merchandise for this year. Any profits will go directly to supporting the cost of running this year's camp. Orders and payments are due by 12pm Monday 22 November.  Note - Branches Trust is organising the merchandise not the school, so payments cannot be loaded onto school accounts but must be made directly to Branches Trust.  

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:
Mon 22 Nov - Student meeting - Final essential gear check
Thurs 25 Nov - Final student meeting
Mon 29 Nov - Camp 1 in
Mon 29 Nov - Thurs 2 Dec - Camp 2 in school programme
Fri 3 Dec - Camp 2 - Work Day
Sun 5 Dec - Camp 1 out
Mon 6 Dec - Camp 2 in;  Camp 1 rest day
Tues 7 Dec - Thurs 9 Dec - Camp 1 in school programme
Fri 10 Dec - Camp 1 Work Day
Sun 12 Dec - Camp 2 out
Mon 13 Dec - Yr10 Rest Day
Tues 14 Dec - Yr10 Prizegiving

Bridget Janse
Branches Camp Coordinator

Wellbeing - Study Tips, Sleep and Yoga

Kia ora whānau,

With exams just around the corner, it is important to be mindful of maintaining your wellbeing during what can be a busy and high pressure time.

Please find attached some resources to help you learn and consider what you can do to keep yourself in tip top shape for success in your exams. One of the resources is what we covered in an assembly last term, which are some tips and tricks to help you through the exam period. Also included is some information, resources and tasks on the importance of sleep and a quick introduction to Yoga, which could be an effective practice for you to maximise your study breaks.

I highly recommend that you spend some time before starting your exam preparation reading through these resources and start to think about how you can manage and improve your wellbeing as we move into exams in the coming weeks. In particular I encourage you to look into the "Sleep" resource, it is really important to keep up a healthy level of sleep when trying to revise and when a change in routine (such as exam leave) can have impacts on sleep schedules.

Please do not hesitate to email me with any questions about these resources or any other wellbeing tips you may be seeking.

Ngā mihi,

Mr King

Arrowtown Autumn Festival Scholarship

We were very humbled by the generosity of the Arrowtown Autumn Festival Community who came to Wakatipu High School with the offer of a new scholarship. The Akarua Arrowtown Autumn Festival Community Scholarship was created to recognise two individuals who demonstrated a strong sense of community involvement and leadership. According to the scholarship committee the number and standard of applicants was so high, the committee awarded three!

Congratulations to the three very deserving recipients, Hannah Battrick, Marigold Kunath and Johannes Mackay who were the three winners of the inaugural $2500 Akarua Arrowtown Autumn Festival Community Scholarship. The Arrowtown Autumn Festival Community  would like to thank you for what you give to our community. Celebrating youth within the Wakatipu!

Exploring Pathways in the Agricultural Sector

Kia ora,

In recent weeks a handful of students interested in careers in the agricultural industry have had the privilege of checking out programmes on offer to them in Central Otago / Southland. 

We first visited Otago Polytechnic’s High Country Farming Programme at Tinwald Farm between Wānaka and Cromwell. Highlights included their regenerative farming approach, income diversification initiatives, and their sheep milking shed; the horses and hens were a hit too!

This week we visited the Growing Future Farmers Programme at Mount Linton Station just outside of Ohai, Southland. Mount Linton is one of Aotearoa’s iconic stations. It is also one of the largest privately-owned stations in New Zealand at 32,000 acres, carrying 2,000+ cattle, and 80,000 sheep. We were impressed by its focus on genetics, efficiency, and the quality of the land and stock. Seeing some shearers at work, beautiful views, and an amazing lunch were real highlights as well.

Ngā mihi nui ki a kōrua, a big thanks to Roger Williams from Otago Polytechnic and Heather Mackie from Growing Future Farmers for hosting us city slickers. Pretty amazing that students from our kura in Queenstown are able to experience and consider these programmes as future pathways.

Ryan Gilbertson

Thanks Shotover Jet!

A lucky bunch of Wakatipu High School teachers found themselves to be the recipients of the Essential Worker Reward Programme currently being run by Shotover Jet. This entailed blazing up the Shotover River at breathtaking speeds. 

A truly unique experience that provided a great buzz for the staff, whilst also enabling access to some of the most spectacular scenery through the Shotover Canyon.  It is the experience you cannot help but rave to friends and family about it. The Shotover Jet staff, as always, were super engaging, humorous and informative (the perfect blend!)...  Phil in particular was absolutely fantastic as the jet boat driver - highly professional and highly personable. 

A really memorable experience for all of us on board. Thank you Shotover Jet for thinking of us - super appreciated!!! 

Lead Prefect Message

Kia Ora,

Congratulations to all the seniors as we approach the end of the academic year. You have all worked incredibly hard and I’m sure your work will pay off greatly in the future. Keep your minds clear and remember to get plenty of sleep throughout exams to make all your learning worthwhile.

Senior prizegiving took place on Thursday. This ceremony was sadly not open to parents due to current restrictions however it was live streamed to all with massive success. Congratulations to all the prize winners and those who went the extra kilometer this year. 

The Year 10s embarked on an intrepid quest around the lakes district in order to equip themselves for the Branches camp later this year. The journey took them to highs and lows but will be better off for it. Good luck to all the Year 10s going into branches this year.

With the sun beating down and temperatures reaching well into the twenties it is important to stay sun safe. Remember to apply plenty of sunscreen, wear a hat and seek out shade. The dangers of extended sun exposure are nothing to joke about and can be catastrophic in the long term.

Have a great weekend and keep up the good work.

Linus Ritchie
Lead prefect

WHS 2021 School Magazine

The 2021 school magazine has been published digitally and is available to download at the link below. Students who have purchased a hard copy will contacted to collect hard copies at the end of the month.

Sports News and Information

National Alpine Youth Squad
Congratulations to Year 10 Bayley McDonald and Year 9 Finn McCaw who have both been named in the Snow Sports NZ National Alpine Youth Squad for 2022.

Otago Cricket U19 Squads
A number of WHS students have been recently named in the Otago U19 wider squads. Congratulations to Toby Hart, Abby Fookes, Paige Loggenberg, Lucy Viggers and Sorcha Wilkinson. Squads will begin training for January’s national tournament. Well done!

Climbing New Zealand Youth Development Selections
Congratulations to Azaria Briscoe and Lucy Sinclair who are two of seven Youth A Female climbers named as part of the Climbing New Zealand initial youth squad selections. Well done girls!

Steel Steps Accelerator Naming
Eight WHS netballers have been named in Netball South’s new Steel Steps Accelerator programme for 2022. A huge congratulations to Izzy Burgess, Lulu Middleton, Ava Rona, Eliana Collins, Mia Bulling-Eady, Bridget O'Malley, Jess MacDonald and Maisie Grufferty. 50 players were selected at both the junior and senior level across Otago and Southland and will be supported next year through a more specific development pathway.

Central Otago Girls Cricket
The WHS Girls development cricket team have had two good wins over Dunstan High School and Maniototo to begin the Central Otago girls cricket competition that runs for five weeks. The team beat Dunstan by 50 runs on Wednesday afternoon in Alex. A huge thank you to Mr McNamara for coaching this team. 

Southland Volleyball Champs
A big weekend of volleyball is ahead for Wakatipu High School at both the Southland Beach and Indoor Volleyball Champs. There are 16 teams competing on Saturday at the Beach Volleyball Champs and seven senior and junior teams competing at the indoor champs on Sunday. All the best to the 54 students representing WHS this weekend!

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 News And Information

Central Sound Waves
Congratulations to all the bands who performed at last Sunday’s Central Sound Waves, run by RockFormation and Whakatipu Youth Trust. 

The Performance Prizes went to both Billie Comer and Good Days from WHS. Well done. 

Year 10 Music Performance Assessments
On the 18th of November, the Year 10 music class has a compulsory after-school music performance that is part of the curriculum. Normally this is a much bigger event with parents attending and watching the progress their child has made throughout the year.

Unfortunately due to Covid and still being in Level 2, we cannot have any parents attend; however, the performances are filmed and will be uploaded to their folders so families can view it that way.

This performance is graded and gives students an idea of how a solo performances work at NCEA Level 1.

It starts at 4pm and should last about an hour as they only have to perform one song.

Billie Comer - WHS Star Songwriter
Billie received her two national awards from Play It Strange this week. Under normal circumstances, she would have been at the Play It Strange event in Auckland and received these awards at the evening gala event. Unfortunately, due to COVID, this was not possible.  This has been a great year for Billie with her songwriting and these top awards fully acknowledge her skills.

Awards: David Richwhite lyric award  & Youthtown Best Song Award

Library Books

Student Job Vacancies

Our Swanndri Queenstown Store is looking for a senior student that is full of enthusiasm for our iconic brand! What you need to join our team…..

 # Enthusiasm, an interest in fashion plus a love of the outdoors, seen Swanndri has been ‘Outdoors everyday since 1913’  

# You need to be available for a regular week end shift, plus keen on extra shifts during the term holiday breaks.

# You MUST be able to work over the entire holiday period including Boxing Day and New Years Day

 This is not a fixed term contract, the right candidate will have access to buying privileges, retail and sales training plus ongoing support to grow and learn in a positive and fun environment!

 How to apply… Email your CV and cover letter to Alicia McBeth - managerqt@swanndri.co.nz

Branches Camp Fundraiser

WHS Foundation

Community Notices

Otago Regional Council is developing a new Land and Water Regional Plan including rules and regulations for land and water use in your area and they would love your input. They will be in:

• Frankton on Wednesday 17 November at the Queenstown Events Centre
• Wanaka on Thursday 18 November at the Lake Wanaka Centre

Meeting times: 12:30-2pm or 7-8:30pm. Drop-in before or between the meetings to chat with them. For more  details and background information go to: www.orc.govt.nz/UpperLakes
NB: Please do not attend these meetings if you have cold or flu symptoms or waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test.