WHS Newsletter | Issue 3.03 | 12 August 2022

Principal's Message

Kia ora and welcome to the Wakatipu High School newsletter at the end of a good week here at WHS. There has certainly been plenty going on - including the senior House basketball competition which is always exciting and attracts a great crowd, and congrats to Hay for their win today. Also this week we hosted ‘SpeedMeet’, a great initiative to support our students with their future careers and pathways, see more below. This week we also received notification from NZQA of ‘Covid Credits’ again this year - while students have been notified, please see below for more.

2023 Subject selections - were due today at 4pm, please ensure your student has submitted theirs.

LE Reports - are now up on the Portal, number seven for seniors and number one for the new semester for juniors. A reminder that LE Reports are a key mechanism for teacher feedback on a student’s engagement with their learning, and while 2s suggest a conversation is required, 1's require urgent attention and action. Please take the time to look through them and have celebratory or other conversations as appropriate.

Senior School Exams - begin next Thursday 18th. Another reminder that they are very important, including for the opportunity to rehearse the exam process and studying effectively. Please see below for more.

Junior Next Steps - are important opportunities for parents to connect with students' Kaiārahi. They are starting next week, please see below for more.

Mid-year Extracurricular Expo - is Break 2 next Wednesday. We believe that an all-round education really is good for students, so if your child is not involved in any extracurricular activities please encourage them to get along and sign up.

Branches Art Auction - is now only two weeks away on Friday 26th. Not only is this a great night but it's a very important fundraiser for Branches Camp. Please see below for more and put it in your calendar.

School Donations - while school donations are voluntary, they are very important to enable us to offer our students a great all-round education. A reminder that donations are now on our school invoices and, while $250 is on the invoice, people are also able to pay $500 or $150 as per the options we have offered this year. A huge thanks to everyone who has paid, and in anticipation of others' support.

Junior Teacher Only Day - as normal during senior exams is next Friday 19th. While seniors have exams, juniors will have no school that day. Related, please note that Friday 2nd September is our next national Accord (NCEA development) Day .

A big day for our 1st XV tomorrow with a home semi-final - come on down and support them, kickoff 12.45pm. We also wish Lucy Sinclair and Azaria Briscoe all the very best as they head to Texas for the World Youth Climbing Championships - amazing! 

Please note that with senior Exams and junior TOD there will be no newsletter next week. A great weekend of weather ahead - fine and frosty, perfect to make the most of the awesome conditions on the local ski hills. Hope you get to enjoy it :)

Steve Hall
Principal

WHS Board Election - Nominations Open

A final reminder that nominations are now open for the six parent representative positions.  Parents and caregivers will have received an email from CES with all the information and a link to the nomination form. 

Nominations close at 12noon on Wednesday 17 August. 
Election day (voting closes) at 4pm on Wednesday 21 September.

We look forward to your participation in this process.

Karla Dawson

NZQA

Learning Recognition Credits in 2022
This week NZQA and the Ministry of Education announced that students will once again be eligible for Learning Recognition Credits. 

You can see here for the full details but the highlights are as follows:

In 2022, students will be entitled to 1 Learning Recognition Credit (LRC) for every 5 credits earned through assessment, up to a maximum of: 

• NCEA Level 1 - Maximum LRCs 10  
• NCEA Level 2 - Maximum LRCs  8
• NCEA Level 3 - Maximum LRCs  8

To receive a Certificate Endorsement, students will need 46 credits at Merit or Excellence level, instead of the usual 50. 

To be awarded University Entrance, students will need 14 credits in each of two UE Approved Subjects, and 12 credits in a third UE Approved Subject (they will also need to attain NCEA Level 3 and meet the regular literacy and numeracy requirements)

External Exam Entries
All students completing senior exams would have received a printout of all of the Internal/External Achievement/Unit standards (including scholarships) that they are currently enrolled for. It is the responsibility of each student to carefully check that they are entered for the appropriate Achievement/Unit Standards in each of their subjects.

Please speak to your subject teacher or Kaiārahi to check your standards are accurate. Any changes to External entries (including scholarship standards) must be finalised prior to Friday 26 August.

Dax Richards
Principal's Nominee

Senior School Exams

School exams will be running for senior students from Thursday the 18th August up to and including Wednesday the 24th August. These exams are an important opportunity for senior students to prepare for their NCEA External Examinations. Performance in these exams, while not directly contributing to credits, will allow students to take stock of where the gaps in their knowledge are, so that more targeted study can take place moving forward. It is also important to note that, in the event that a student is sick or otherwise unable to attend their final NCEA Examination, the school will be asked by NZQA to submit their school exam grade which is then converted into a "Derived Grade". For this reason, taking the time to carefully prepare for school exams is highly recommended. For context, approximately 25 students in 2021 applied for a derived grade.

In order to best prepare for their exams, seniors should be checking with each of their teachers to clarify exactly which units of work are being assessed. NB: Some subjects, e.g Visual Art, Food Technology, do not have exams.

See below for the School Exam Timetable, during which time senior students will be on ‘exam leave’.  There will be dedicated study zones available to those students who wish to revise onsite during this time. Net NZ and Te Kura exams will run later in the term.

Junior Next Steps

Our upcoming Junior Next Steps interviews will comprise a 15 minute meeting with students, parents and Kaiārahi. The discussion will centre around the students’ goals, their learning engagement, progress and achievement, and course selection for 2023, including future pathways. These will run remotely from next Friday, 19th August through until the following Friday, 26th August. Each Kaiārahi have designated slots of availability, and appointments will be bookable via the "School Interviews" website from early next week. 

Next Steps are really important for all junior students and parents and we do expect all to attend please. Once the booking system is live, we will email with login details. If you or your child are unable to attend at any of the times indicated, please email your child’s Kaiārahi directly to make alternative arrangements. 

Justine Duncan
Acting Assistant Principal 

Branches Trust Art Auction

Duke of Edinburgh Tramps

Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Hillary's Award
Last weekend, on the 6th and 7th August, 25 students did the Greenstone and Caples Tracks as part of completing their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Hillary's Award.

Even though the weather was pouring rain, it was still an exciting Adventurous Journey and we all learnt many important lessons about exploring the New Zealand outback. We built our teamwork and leadership skills and all worked together to make it an amazing experience for everyone. Most importantly we learnt that it is always important to have a plan A, B, C, D and E because you never know what situation you could get into, like having to fit 13 people in a 3 person hut :). Even though we were all soaking wet and our feet were covered in mud by the end of it, it was an amazing tramp where everyone made new friendships and lasting memories. We would all definitely recommend getting involved with this award to be a part of these fun and memorable experiences. 

- Ava Boyt (Year 11)

Duke of Edinburgh Silver/Gold Tramp in the Eyre Mountains
Taka Ra Haka Conservation Park - 6 - 8 August
Mr Mac and 5 students headed south to Five Rivers on Saturday to test themselves in the challenging terrain and beech forests of the Eyre Mountains. The first day to Irthing Biv was relatively straightforward and we made it to the tiny hut and camping site in good time (Mr Mac's first return tramp to there since 1984!). Sunday and the forecasted snow certainly arrived in the early hours and during the day! But we had a shorter day with another hut - Cromel Branch hut, to look forward to.

There were a lot of trees down over the track after the norwest gales earlier in the week but we made it there by early afternoon and soon had the fire roaring. Day three and it was time to head out the Cromel valley with the weather fine but cool. Mr Mac's van was 'snowed in' up on Mt Bee so we headed out to Five River's Station and to a welcome pick up by Mr Battrick. This was a truly memorable tramp for all with real resilience required and true learning about tramping occuring. ps. Mr Mac's van is still there...awaiting recovery this weekend!

2022 SpeedMeet

Yesterday we welcomed SpeedMeet to Wakatipu High School.

SpeedMeet is a way of linking young people with employers - speed-dating style! It was a great opportunity for senior students who are ready for work, or those looking for work within the next six months, to discover all the exciting careers available.

32 employers came from a range of different industries offering on-the-job training and career opportunities from Automotive, Civil Services, Tourism, Health and Wellbeing, Hospitality and Horticulture sectors. 

Employers met with each student for six minutes, then both noted whether they wanted to see each other again. Matches were made and contact details were shared for another meeting. Students from WHS and Dunstan High School enjoyed the experience and made some good industry contacts while learning about industries they hadn’t really considered before.

Lead Prefect Message

Kia ora,

We are already at Week 3 in one of the busiest terms of the year.

Senior House basketball has been in the swing of things, with some intense matches taking place during breaks. This has followed the Junior House Basketball which took place last week, resulting in Fox winning. Congratulations to everyone who participated and helped organise these competitions, it has been great to see so much involvement.I hope everyone is looking forward to seeing the Yr 13s take on the Staff in what will be a very interesting game for sure.

In the past couple of weeks the Arts department has been very busy, with One Act Play, where 8 drama and tech students went to Dunedin to compete in the Otago Theatre Festival, performing an extract from the play Peninsula. Wakatipu was lucky enough to be selected to go through to the next round, the Lower South Island Theatre Festival. As well as winning three other awards for Best Technical, Best Design overall and an acting award. Also, last weekend our jazz band travelled to Christchurch for the JazzQuest competition, with the ensemble receiving a gold grading, and the big band receiving a high silver.

Lastly, good luck to all the seniors for the upcoming school exams.

Jacob Marriott
Arts and Culture Lead Prefect

Sports and Active Recreation News

Climbers to Compete in Youth World Championships
WHS wishes our two amazing climbers Lucy Sinclair and Azaria Briscoe all the very best as they leave today to compete in this year's World Sport Climbing Youth Championships in Texas! This is the first time ever that we have students involved in this elite event, just to be selected to compete is already a massive achievement. Karawhuia Lucy and Azaria! You can follow the action here:
https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php/news/689-2022-ifsc-youth-world-championships-to-take-place-in-dallas-texas

Otago/Southland Ski and Snowboard Champs
The Otago/Southland Ski and Board Champs took place on Sunday in tough conditions at Coronet Peak. Wakatipu HS students achieved some great results across the Slalom events. Well done to the Boys team of Charlie Manser, Harry McNay, Jasper Crawford and Samuel Stanton for winning their teams event. Olivia Key and Chloe Wild dominated the Women's racing. A huge thank you to Mr Kendall for managing the team. Results are below.
Women's Slalom
1st - Olivia Key
2nd - Chloe Wild
Men's Slalom
1st - Charlie Manser
2nd - Harry McNay
4th - Jasper Crawford
6th - Samuel Stanton

Wakatipu Netball Centre Finals
The Wakatipu Netball Centre finals took place on Saturday at the Event Centre. This year WHS had eight teams competing across three senior grades. The final placings for these teams are below. A huge thank you to our fantastic coaches; Kay O'Connell, Mrs Kemp, Tracy Galbraith, Sasha McLeod, Cheryl Phillips, Miss Murphy, Lisa Murphy, Sue Albrecht and Jessie O'Connell for all of the mahi and commitment this season!
- Senior A – 4^th Premier grade
- Senior B – 9^th Premier grade
- Senior C – 6^th Senior A grade
- Development A – 4^th Senior B grade
- Yr 10A Gold – 2^nd Senior A grade
- Yr 10A Blue – 7^th Senior A grade
- Yr9A Gold – Winners Senior B grade
- Yr9A Blue – 2^nd Senior B grade

Rugby Semi Finals this Weekend
The 1st XV Boys rugby team has made the semi-finals of the middle four in the Otago Premier Schools competition for the first time. The team will be taking on Dunstan High School in a local derby on Saturday 12:45pm at WHS. All support is welcome, let's get behind our team! We are also wishing the Colts team all the very best as they take on John McGlashan U16’s in the semi-final of the Colts Cup in Dunedin on Saturday. Up the Waka!

House Basketball Junior Champs
Congratulations to the Fox Juniors for taking out the top spot in the Junior House Basketball competition last week with a 34-24 win over Hay in the final. The final placings are below.
1. Fox
2. Hay
3. Arthur
4. Duncan
5. Mackenzie

Southland Badminton Champs
12 students competed in the Southland Badminton Champs in Invercargill yesterday. These students have been training regularly over the past few months in the school gym at break times and on Friday afternoons. It was great to see them have the opportunity to compete against other schools in both singles and doubles. A huge thank you to our wonderful TIC Mrs Hearn and Mr Overton and Ms Kwan for all of the coaching and development towards with these players. 
Girls team - winners Division 2 - Kelsey Strudwicke, Chalisa Noradee, Isabella Sun and Yoonae Kim
Senior Boys team - 3rd Group A Boys - Ashton White, Mace Korani, Sylvan Lawn and Rohil Prasad
Junior Boys team - 2nd = Group C Boys - Gordon Kim, Ardash Chand, Luke McPherson and Shou Zak Sakamoto White

MAC Exchange
The annual MAC/WHS winter sports exchange is happening for the first time since 2019. Over 180 students will be traveling to Wanaka on Tuesday 16th August to compete in 14 matches across six sports. Final details regarding bus lists will be communicated on Monday morning. Support from parents/caregivers is welcome at Mt Aspiring College. Please see the draw for the day here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VeTijnvSnpTmHKSRUcyXJuA0L2Kc3nF1UeTSjqSzGZ8/edit?usp=sharing

Winter Tournament Week Countdown
This year WHS has 125 students involved in winter tournament week, which is taking place for the first time in three years at the end of August. WTW happens in Week 6 of Term 3 each year and involves tens of thousands of students from all over NZ competing in a range of tournaments across various sporting codes. It is often the pinnacle event for secondary school sports teams. WHS is sending eight teams to seven different tournaments and also has students involved in NZSS golf and climbing competitions. Our students are excited and on the countdown towards this awesome week of sport! Teams representing WHS are:
- Senior A Boys Basketball - Southern Cup - Dunedin
- 1st XI Boys Football - Jim Wishart Tournament - Christchurch
- 1st XI Girls Football - Lotto Sportswear Tournament - Dunedin
- 1st XI Mixed Hockey - SISS Mixed Hockey Tournament - Gore
- Blue and Gold Ice Hockey - SISS Ice Hockey Tournament - Dunedin
- Senior A Netball - SISS Senior Netball Champs - Timaru
- U15 Rugby - SISS Co-ed Junior Rugby Champs - Nelson

Wakatipu Wild
Our proud ice hockey school and community is hosting the New Zealand Women’s Ice Hockey League (NZWIHL) this weekend. The local Wakatipu Wild team begin their third season second highest in the league. Several current and former WHS students are selected in the team this year; Caitlin Hollyer, Inge Kemp, Lucy Boniface, Manuella Sanches Pedrosa, Aoife Orr, Jessie Strain and Polly Bennetts as well as former students Gabby Mills and Tallulah Bryant are are all putting on the Wild colours. Come down and support the team at the Queenstown Ice Arena against the Canterbury Inferno this Friday and Saturday nights, puck drop at 7pm. 

South Island Ice Figure Skating Champs this Weekend
The Queenstown Ice Skating Club is hosting the South Island Figure Skating Championships this coming weekend. With over 100 skaters this will be a great spectator sport with many high level competitors. We wish our four competitive skaters all the very best for this coming weekend’s competition. Come along and support our local skaters at the rink.

Mid Year Extracurricular Expo
The Mid Year Extracurricular Expo is taking place on Wednesday 17th August at Break 2 in the school gym. This is a great opportunity for anyone wanting to sign up for summer sports and activities or those yet to get involved in an EC activity in 2022 to do so. Put this in your calendar!

Opportunities to Get Involved in Sport and Active Rec!

New to WHS?
If you have just recently joined Wakatipu High School and keen to find out more information about sport and active recreation opportunities please visit our website to see what is on offer and join the google classrooms of those activities you are keen to participate in: https://www.sporty.co.nz/wakatipu

Deans Bank 10 Hour MTB Event - Labour Weekend
The Deans Bank 10 Hour event is open to and welcoming of anyone who can hop on a bike and ride a lap, or 2, or 10 - or more! Teams - each person is to register and pay the entry fee individually.  There is a school category - mixed team, male and female. For those entering with a membership discount - proof of membership will be requested at event registration. You have until Race Day to become a member. Register here: https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=283837

South Island SS MotoX Champs
The South Island Motocross Championships will be held on Sunday 4th September in Gore as part of Winter Tournament week. Information on the event can be found on the MotoX Google Classroom, to join the classroom use this code: uzf67co. If you're interested please email sportscoordinator@wakatipu.school.nz before the 15 August.

Otago/Southland Road Cycling Champs
The Otago/Southland Secondary Schools Road Cycling Championships are being held on Friday 2nd September at Teretonga Park in Invercargill as part of Winter Tournament week. Events include road race, individual time trial and team time trial (4 in a team). If you are interested please email sportscoordinator@wakatipu.school.nz by Monday 15 August.

NZ Schools MTB Champs
The NZ Schools MTB Champs are taking place between 13-16 October in Bluff. These entries are now open and spaces fill up fast. If you wish to compete at the national champs please email lnathan@wakatipu.school.nz.

Merv Aoake Scholarship
The Wakatipu Yacht Club in conjunction with the Lions Club Queenstown are proud to be offering the Merv Aoake Scholarship for the 2022-2023 season. This scholarship is open to our junior members interested in furthering their sailing skills in an O’pen Skiff. This is an amazing opportunity for any junior member to enhance their sailing skills and also have a go at regatta racing. If you would like to apply for the scholarship please fill in the application form: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ajmeVcbL5mdpjkhDkqwSK0PJmHjgixME/view?usp=sharing and return by 4th September 2022 to  waktipuyachtclub@gmail.com. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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

Join A Musical Crew For Footloose 
We have several crews that help make the WHS Musicals amazing. Set construction, Hair, Makeup, Costume,  Front of House, Sound, Lighting, Backstage, Props and Publicity. Please complete this form if you are seriously interested. The Musical this year is “Footloose” and runs from 21 -24 of September. You must be available in order to join a crew. 

Entries will close on Friday the 19th of August at 4 pm.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfItBwY1rZKllF-SaUfLJyU2Lqj_SUDy6mBld_s6TQRkQtS2g/viewform?usp=sf_link

Theatrefest
On Saturday the 6th of August Sophie Thompson, Finn Hyndman, James Scoles, Sebastian Cera, Rochelle Tickle, Sofia Taquet, Baxter Bamford and Tomas Colby travelled down to Dunedin to perform in TheatreFest. TheatreFest is an annual drama event that takes place all over New Zealand with three rounds, first the local round, then the regional round and then the final round. Our group performed and made it through to the regional round, we also won three awards! Best tech, best overall design and an acting award! It was a great privilege to get to go down and perform and we were very lucky to have Jake Hansen and Genevieve Foster coaching us along the way. We will be performing in the next round at the Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall on the 20th/21st of August, so feel free to come on over and cheer us on!

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 through details and photos to mparker@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 Monica Parker the Arts Coordinator at mparker@wakatipu.school.nz

Instagram Page
Follow our school’s Instagram page for recent successes or news within the school’s Arts Department at whsartdepartment

Local scholarships and other opportunities

Kate Moetaua Foundation Scholarship (Open to Years 9-13)
The Scholarship fund was created in memory of Kate Moetaua to support Wakatipu students in Years 9-13 with existing talent, particularly in Arts or Sports, to achieve their full potential and to follow their dreams. Up to $3,500 in total will be granted in scholarships to students. The maximum awarded per student will be $1,000.

Applications open on the 1st of August and close at 5pm on 31st August. For more information, and application forms visit www.wakatipucommunityfoundation.co.nz or https://www.katemoetauafoundation.org/scholarships

Merv Aoake Scholarship 
The Wakatipu Yacht Club in conjunction with the Queenstown Lions Club are proud to be offering the Merv Aoake Scholarship for the 2022-2023 season. This scholarship is open to our junior members interested in furthering their sailing skills in an O’pen Skiff.  This is an amazing opportunity for any junior member to enhance their sailing skills and also have a go at regatta racing.

If you  would like to apply for the scholarship please fill in the application form and return by 4^th September to waktipuyachtclub@gmail.com

Year 13 students are encouraged to apply for scholarships.  For a comprehensive guide to a range of University, Regional, Industry and Sport Scholarships that are available for our Year 13 students, please see link below. 

Tertiary Course Planning Sessions in Term 3
University Liaison Officers visit Wakatipu High School during Term 3 for course planning and to assist students with the transition from school to university. This is a good time to look at individual interests and help students put their first-year course together. These visits are scheduled to take place on the following dates:

• Auckland University of Technology - 15 August 
  
• Otago Polytechnic - 5 September
• Victoria University of Wellington - 13 September
  
• Lincoln University - 20 September
• Massey University - 23 September
• University of Canterbury - 26 September
• University of Otago - 27 September
  

Careers - Career Profile of the Week

If you're ready to play your part in enabling a low carbon energy future and reducing environmental impact, and are looking for a challenge... read on! This week we profile ex-WHS student, Sharne Newsome, who shares her exciting role as a Senior Environmental Advisor /Environmental Superintendent in Western Australia. 

Careers - Job Vacancies for Students

Student Job Vacancies can be viewed at the link below. Please join the google classroom with the code: 3spycgk

WHS Foundation

Office Administrator wanted!
10 hours per week – independent contractor
The Wakatipu High School (WHS) Foundation is a charitable trust, working with our community to
support a world-class, all-round education for the youth of the Wakatipu Basin. 

This independent contractor role will provide administration support to our Executive Officer and
Board of Trustees to ensure that all our programmes, fundraising activities and communications is
delivered as planned.  
 
This role is for a part time Wakatipu based contractor for 10 hours per week, offering flexibility and
both a work-from-home and office arrangement.  Attractive pay rate based on experience.
There is room for both hours to increase as workload varies and over time.

Applications including cover letter and CV to be sent to exec@whsf.nz.
Applications close 20 September 2022

Community Notices

For more details contact: MKoslenridd@wakatipu.school.nz

Disinformation, Misinformation and Democracy.  Sanjana Hattotuwa, Thursday September 1, 2022

Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa has watched “splintered realities” emerge in New Zealand, as divisive and destructive disinformation and misinformation spread through social, media and political landscapes with the pandemic.  His fears for democracy in his adopted country are based on having seen and studied this, in his homeland Sri Lanka, since 2010. For six months prior to the start of the occupation of Parliament grounds, he analysed often poisonous, conspiracy-propagating threads and live streams as part of The Disinformation Project. The exchanges he has seen are “so horrific that I don’t think most Kiwis would recognise their country”. If nothing is done to rein this in, he says, the trajectory is chilling for its impacts on next year’s general election and the very foundations of New Zealand's democracy.

Thursday, September 1, 6 – 7.30pm in The Rees Hotel Queenstown’s conference room. Registration required here as seats are limited. Please bring cash for your koha. This will be given to The Manaaki Collective. Masks must be worn.

Co-governance: what does it mean, where is it headed and why is it so feared? Chris Finlayson, August 10, 2022.

Government proposals for Three Waters and health sector reforms have sparked alarm among some about what co-governance might mean for them and the country. But are these proposed reforms actually co-governance? And if so, is it a threat? Former National Party Treaty Negotiation Minister and Attorney General Chris Finlayson will background the evolution of co-governance, what it entails and where it might lead us. He says it is not the same as co-government, it is happening already, “and the sky has not fallen in”. He is keen to lead Catalyst Trust’s discussion of this hornet’s nest to help trigger “a sensible conversation about the substance of power-sharing”.

Wednesday, August 10, 6 - 730 p.m. at the Hilton Hotel’s Remarkables Room. Registration required here as seats are limited. Please bring cash for your koha, which will be given to Happiness House. Masks must be worn throughout.

Support Wakatipu High School
and purchase your Entertainment Membership from us today!!