WHS Newsletter | Issue 3.06 | 09 September 2022

Associate Principal's Message

Kia ora and welcome to the end of another great week at WHS.

There have been many highlights this week at WHS but one of the most enjoyable and humbling things I get to do at this time of the year is to read through all of the 2023 applications for our prestigious Head Student and Lead Prefect positions. While they take quite a few hours to read, it is remarkable to see how much our students can accomplish in just four years of high school. We had a large quantity and a high quality of applications and I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all the students who have put their hand up for a leadership role in 2023. We will work through the Head Student and Lead Prefect selection process next week and then the House Leader and Deputy House Leader process will ensue at the end of the term and into Term 4. Please encourage your student to continue to showcase those leadership qualities that are so important, irrespective of whether they are awarded to one of these sought after positions.

Speaking of leadership, Helena Hornbacher and Jacob Wilkinson were in Dunedin yesterday to receive the ‘Class Act’ award, which was presented by the Prime Minister. These two outstanding and deserving students beat out an extraordinary senior class to be selected as WHS Class Act recipients (read their bios below).

Another highlight of the week was the opening of the annual ‘Showing Off’ Art Exhibition which is currently at the Lakes District Museum in Arrowtown. Next time you are in Arrowtown, make sure you get to the museum to see the work of some of WHS’ talented artists. 

Staying within the Arts, our 2023 musical, Footloose, opens on Wednesday 21 September and runs through until Saturday 24 September. Tickets are on sale now, so make sure you get your ticket to what is certain to be a great show. 

Last night, we held another parent information evening, in a series of evenings, entitled ‘Parenting Adolescents’. It was great to have so many parents in attendance to hear Dr Kathryn Smith (General Practitioner), Maria Frewen (Public Health Nurse) and Wayne Park (Senior Constable) talk about a range of topics that impact young people in the world today and in Queenstown. See below for some information regarding vaping from Maria Frewen. If you would like to see the recording from the evening, please contact Mr Ryan Gilbertson, Deputy Principal, at rgilbertson@wakatipu.school.nz.

As you’re probably aware, the WHS Foundation offers significant support enabling initiatives such as the Awhi Fund, the employment of additional teachers to keep our average class size below 22, the employment of additional teacher aides which support students with significant learning needs, the employment of additional literacy and numeracy support, and the employment of a Director of Sport and a Director of Art.

At the moment, the WHS Foundation are running a raffle to support the school’s Awhi Fund, with some pretty incredible prizes available to the winners. This is the last week to purchase a ticket before the draw. Please see below for more details on how to buy a raffle ticket and support students at WHS. 

Related, the payment of the School Donation can have a significant impact on the resources that we can provide, which ultimately support students with their learning, progress and achievement. Thank you to those who have supported us with a donation. 

A couple of other messages from me:

• Uniform - we appreciate the variable weather that spring brings, so while students may be wearing their puffer jackets on the way to school, they are not allowed to wear their puffer jackets in the school building. The school blazer is the compulsory item and students should be wearing their blazer if they are cold inside the building. Hoodies are never part of the uniform. 
• On Monday, we brought a Drug Detection Dog through the school. We have been doing this every so often for the past few years to ensure that WHS is a safe place for all our students.
• The Year 10 Branches Parent evening is being held online next Tuesday 13 September at 7 pm. Click here for the link to Google Meet.
• Voting for the WHS Board parent representatives closes on Wednesday 21 September. Please make sure you cast your vote for this very important role (see below for more details, including statements from our outstanding list of candidates). 
• A reminder that Senior Next Steps are on Wednesday 14th September from 2.00pm, with school finishing at 1:50pm and buses running at 2:00pm.

With only 23 school days left before seniors go on study leave, WHS is certainly turning its focus to supporting students to get their best possible qualification in what has been another covid-affected year, and students should be doing the same. School examinations have been marked and returned to students, and Kaiārahi will soon be sitting down with senior students to ensure they have a plan in place to achieve well in the remaining internal assessments as well as the external examinations that begin in November (click here to see the end of year examination timetable). As Glen Sowry said to our student leaders at Thursday morning’s ‘external speaker series’, “mastery requires hard-work”, so please make sure students are putting in the hard work over these next few months. With that in mind, parents of senior students should now have made an appointment with subject teachers for next Wednesday’s Senior Next Steps evening (see below for more details)

Be sure to have a read of another bumper edition of the newsletter, which includes some great pieces from a couple of our Lead Prefects as well as items on Active Citizenship, Health and Wellbeing, and much, much more.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. 

Ngā mihi,

Oded Nathan
Associate Principal

Key Dates

WHS Board Election - It's time to vote!

Parent Election - Click the link in the email (iro@electionz.com) and follow the instructions to see the candidates, read their statements and place your votes. If required, you can log in and out of the voting site as many times as you like before casting your vote. 

The 10 candidates for the six Parent Representative positions are: 
- Blundell, Guy 
- Edmonds, John
- Exell, Rachel
- Hastie, Gaylene
- Irvine, Sara
- Januszkiewicz, Adrian
- O'Malley, Ben
- Maroszek, Daniel
- Mason, Simon
- Read, Melissa

Student Election - voting papers and candidate statements have been handed out in Ako Time this morning.  Please post them in the purple box at Reception. 

The four candidates for the one Student Representative position are: 
- Boyt, Ava
- Clarke, Mason
- Hudson, Jess
- Ricketts, Daphne

Voting closes for all elections at 4pm Wednesday 21 September. 

Karla Dawson
WHS Returning Officer

Class Act Awards 2021

Huge congratulations to Helena Hornbacher and Jacob Wilkinson, who are our 2022 recipients of the prestigious ODT Class Act Awards! Class Act awards celebrate the excellence of youth in our region. Helena and Jacob were presented with their awards on Thursday by the Prime Minister Jacinda Arden. 

Helena Hornbacher

Wakatipu High School pupil Helena Hornbacher’s Google calendar is, by her own admission, "very detailed". It has to be, to manage her hectic schedule, which is unlikely to change when she heads to university. Helena enjoys learning in general so took a wide range of subjects, ranging from German, chemistry, drama, history and English to a university-level maths paper.

Music has also been a strong theme throughout her high school years. She completed NCEA music in 2021, and continued it through extracurriculars this year.

She is applying for "a bunch" of universities before deciding where she wants to complete her double degree — a bachelor of laws and a bachelor of arts, focusing primarily on politics, philosophy, economics and international relations.

Helena also hopes to do some papers in maths or the performing arts, "just because they’re fun". As to her future career, Helena hopes to combine law and politics, for example, in diplomacy or public law.

Role model: Siblings Melina O’Keeffe and Etienne Hornbacher.

Hopes for the future: To make a difference and have a positive impact.

Achievements: Academic lead prefect (2021 & 2022); Ad Alta (2018-22); Ad Alta Blue (2018-22); Ad Alta Gold (2019-21); Bronze Excellence Award (2019-22); Silver Excellence Award (2020-22); Gold Excellence Award (2020-21); Principal’s Award (2018-21); cultural achievement blue (2018-21); Cultural Commendation (2019-21); Pounamu Award (excellence endorsement NCEA levels 1, 2 and 3) (2022); NCEA Scholarship drama and German (2021); distinction (L3 German) (2021); commendation (chemistry, drama, English and history) (2021); ICAS Medal winner (English and writing) (2021); distinction (English) (2020); commendation (drama and science) (2020); ICAS Medal winner (English) (2020); ICAS credit (maths and science) (2020); distinction (critical thinking in the humanities, science, English and Mandarin) (2019); commendation (drama and English) (2019); ICAS distinction (English) (2019); ICAS credit (maths) (2019); Bronze, Silver and Gold Akonga Awards (2019); Robertson Family Trophy for All-Round Effort and Participation (2019); Wakatipu Lions Club Trophy for Excellence in Writing (2019); Wakatipu High School Trophy for Outstanding Potential in Junior Drama (2019); distinction (music) (2018); commendation (English, maths, social studies and drama) (2018).

Jacob Wilkinson

Queenstown's Jacob Wilkinson is looking to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps. The Wakatipu High School pupil plans to head to the University of Canterbury next year. There he plans to study for a bachelor of science degree with a major in mathematics, with a longer-term view to get into research and lecturing at a university. It is the same university where his grandfather, Dr Peter Renaud, was head of the mathematics and physics department.

Jacob is taking a third-year university course in mathematics.He has already received an A+ in three second-year courses and says he enjoys the process of learning, particularly in mathematics and sciences.

"They make logical sense to me and I like that.

"I like it when things come together and make sense, like maths and science usually does."

While, in future, he wants to become involved in research, he is not yet sure which field that would be in.

Meanwhile, the talented pianist, who this year received a gold grading at the Blenheim Jazz Festival for jazz piano in the ensemble, says he also plans to continue tinkling the ivories.

"I started playing the piano when I was about 4 — my mum made me — and then a couple more years after that I actually started to enjoy it.

"I’m looking at halls at university that have pianos, because I would like to keep going." 

Achievements: Ad Alta (2019, 2021, 2022), Ad Alta Blue (2019, 2022), Gold Excellence Award (2019, 2021), Silver and Bronze Excellence Awards (2018-21); musical band and jazz band (2020-22), Pounamu Award (excellence endorsement NCEA Level 2 and 3) (2022); Pounamu Award (excellence endorsement NCEA Level 2), Academic Award — distinction for chemistry, music and physics, gold, silver and bronze excellence awards, Principal’s Award (2018-21) cultural achievement Blues (2020-21); calculus scholarship, Big Band (2021); commendations for biology, chemistry and physics, Science Buskers Academy, JazzQuest ensemble (2020); Academic Award — distinction for English (visual) and calculus, commendation for French, cultural commendation certificate, commendation for all-round effort and participation, Bronze Akonga Passport (2019);  Academic Award — commendation for science, English, music, distinction for maths with calculus, music and social studies — difficult decisions (2018).

Role model: Dr Peter Renaud

Plans for the future: University lecturer

Lead Prefects' Message

Kia Ora Everyone,

We hope you have all had a lovely week and managed to escape the surprisingly cold weather. It isn’t too far until the end of the term, and with lots of assessments and pressure, it’s important to make sure you are taking care of yourself and ensuring that you are resting and getting some fresh air. We wish everyone good luck for the upcoming scholarship exams next week and a massive congratulations for everyone who is taking part and aiming for their personal best!

Sports:
Last week, 127 Wakatipu High School students went all around the country to participate in the long awaited ‘Tournament Week’. After a two year wait due to COVID-19, it has been a highly anticipated event that has involved so much training, organisation and support. All of the competitors displayed an immense amount of respect, resilience and determination on and off the fields/courts regardless of whether they were winning or the opposite. A massive thank you to all of the staff, parents, umpires and coaches who contributed in so many ways, whether it was cheering from the sidelines or making sure that everyone was being fed! All of your support was extremely appreciated and ensured that WHS had an exceptional week. Wakatipu had some fantastic results that can all be seen on the Wakatipu High School Sports Facebook if you haven’t had a chance to check them out yet. Although everyone performed amazing, here are a few highlights:

• Jan Ebbinge - 3rd U19 Mens at NZ Age Group Golf Champs
• Josh Harris - 7th U16 Boys at the NZ Age Group Golf Champs
• Henrique Wandarte - Golden Boot Award at the Jim Wishart Boys Football Tournament
• Oliver Battrick - Top goal scorer at the SISS Mixed Hockey Tournament

Shout to teams:

• Ice Hockey - 1st and 2nd at SISS Champs
• Senior A Netball - 2nd best result ever with a 12th place out of 76 teams.
• Hockey - 3rd at the SISS Mixed Champs

Overall a very successful tournament for our teams and awesome that finally our students get the opportunity to experience the demands, rigours and fun that goes along with a multi-day tournament. Thanks again to all of the students involved who represented the school so well. 

STARS:
This was a different looking week for the peer mentors and Year 9’s without a regular STARS session. On Monday the 5th, the annual House event WakaStars took place, run by the Peer Support Council.  It allowed students to show the competitive side to peer mentoring and collaborate in an “out-of-class” environment. Typically, senior students deliver fortnightly lessons in life skills to Year 9 students, such as time management and internet safety. However this week they were challenged to support Year 9’s in a high paced trivia quiz. The event required Ako Groups to split into smaller groups to answer as many questions as they could in 15 minutes, running back and forth from a central answer table in the theatre. The morning ran smoothly on account to the Peer Mentors getting involved and encouraging their House teams on. There was impressive Year 9 participation and competitive spirit, despite some of the challenging questions where we saw a lot of perseverance. On behalf of the Peer Support Council, we would like to thank the senior students for contributing their time to helping run the event as well as the Peer Mentors for adapting to the high-paced environment. After calculating the scores from each round, Arthur House won overall, followed by Duncan and closely behind for third, Fox. The highest scoring Ako Group was Arthur group 2 (AKTK), who answered 110 questions in total! 

Year 9 students and Peer Mentors competing in the annual STARS event, WakaStars.
On Thursday morning our student leaders had the opportunity to listen to Glen Sowry and his incredible leadership journey. He inspired us with his wise words from his challenging sports and business career, from competitively sailing around the world to his current position as CEO of Queenstown Airport. He shared  messages including “Grass doesn’t grow under big trees” - referring to being a leader who supports others through allowing them to be authentic. He demonstrated that to be a leader, you don’t have to have a big personality as long as you hold key values in your work.

To all students: keep participating and supporting your House in the House dodgeball competition at breaks and keep an eye out for activities during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori language week) which starts on Monday the 12th. Don’t forget to purchase your tickets for the Musical, Footloose on iTicket, opening night is the 21st of September so make sure you come along and support our students. 

Nga mihi ki a koutou,  

Bella Middleton, Sports Lead Prefect, and Ollie Pope, Peer Support Lead Prefect

Every School Day is a Big Day

In June 2022 the Attendance & Engagement Strategy was launched by the Ministry of Education which focuses on a collective effort to increase the number of our rangatahi attending school. Aotearoa New Zealand’s children need every opportunity to learn, participate, and flourish by regularly attending school or kura.  Every school day is a big day when you are young. Regular attendance at school is important for our children’s learning, wellbeing and their futures.

Regular attendance = attending more than 90% of the time or being in school 9 days a fortnight. It becomes a more serious problem when our tamariki don’t attend regularly: If a child or young person is absent for two or more days a fortnight they are considered irregularly absent. Students who have a lower attendance rate than 80% across the course of their five years at secondary school will miss the equivalent of one year of schooling.

School attendance data across Aotearoa has shown a marked decline since 2015. Right now, almost half of our tamariki nationally do not regularly attend school. Feedback from principals and teachers highlights that 2022 has been the “most difficult” year for poor attendance during the Covid era. When students are absent from school, not only are they missing out on important learning they need, but they miss out on friendship, connections, and fun moments.

We know there is a direct correlation between regular attendance and NCEA achievement. A Year 11 student who attends school every day has about a 90% chance of achieving NCEA Level 1, but this drops to a 1-in-5 chance if they only attend school half of the time.

As parents and caregivers, you play the most important role in helping our ākonga, students to regularly attend school. Some tips and strategies for parents:

• if your child is sick, they should stay home and limit the spread of illnesses
• If your child is going to be away from school you should let the school know as soon as possible. To report a student absence, please complete this form, call the school office at ​03 442 7370 or email attendance@wakatipu.school.nz The WHS SZ app also features an absence form
• regularly check the attendance of your child via the WHS Portal and encourage your child to do the same thing
• while we all enjoy a break as whānau, a holiday is not a good enough reason to take your child out of school, so holidays should be planned outside of term times
• prepare your children the night before for school – have they done their mahi for the next day? Do they need to take anything along tomorrow? Do they know which classes they have? Have they charged their laptop?
• have a consistent good morning routine, so its not too rushed and they have time to get everything they need
• if your child refuses to go to school (or talk about it) this can be really upsetting for parents.  Talk to your child about why they don’t want to go and be supportive. Talk to us, whatever the reason, you won’t be the first parent to talk to us about that type of situation. We have good advice, experience and insight - we’ll be able to work together to help your child.
• don't let them have the day off just because they would rather be at home or want extra time to complete an assessment
• don't keep them at home when you know that they are just nervous about school – talk to your child and talk to us about how they are feeling
• please reach out to your students kaiārahi in the first instance if you are having a challenging time getting your son or daughter to attend school. We are here to help and support you. 

If your child misses a lot of school because of a serious illness you may be able to get help from the Southern Health School. Please reach out to Ryan Gilbertson via 03 442 7370 or rgilbertson@wakatipu.school.nz if you want to know more about this avenue for support.

Vaping

There has been a lot of coverage in the media recently concerning vaping amongst rangatahi, teenagers. You only need to ask young people, teachers and parents of teenagers about the prevalence of youth vaping and you will hear the same message – it is everywhere. Certainly as a school we have noticed a greater prevalence of vaping over the past five years and we are not alone. There has also been a huge increase in vaping within schools across Aotearoa that has been reported since COVID. Concern is growing among schools and health professionals about the increase in children and young people vaping – and we are taking measures to address the issue.

Both the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ (ARFNZ) and Action for Smokefree 2025 (ASH) surveys indicate that students are vaping more frequently, alarmingly at Years 9 and 10 in particular. Given the product is restricted to people 18 and over, various measures are not having the desired effect of protecting young people from potential harm.

From national research and our own experience, we know that whilst some students vape regularly, most rangatahi use vapes out of curiosity/just wanting to try them. We also know that most rangatahi buy them online or source them from friends and family rather than vape shops. 

To address this issue, we are increasingly using a research-based approach and resources, using material and strategies from organisations trying to reduce vaping use. We primarily take an educational approach through both curriculum delivery and wider school messaging, including assemblies, presentations, school resources and targeted conversations with individuals. We also offer guidance and counselling support to students who are either addicted to vape use and/or wish to quit,  and we can make referrals to external programmes to support the breaking of habits and addiction. As a vape/smoke free school, we also have formal consequences for students who vape/smoke either at school or when they are identified with the school (e.g. after school), and these consequences escalate if students continue to vape/smoke. 

We have a great relationship with our Public Health Nurses, Maria Frewen and Karina Anderson,  who provide us and students with the most up-to-date and reliable information and resources regarding vaping. Maria and  Karina are at school every Monday from 9:00 - 10.00am and Tuesday from 11:45 - 12:20am. Students can make an appointment to see them at Student Services at a time that suits. 

Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ (ARFNZ) has created a vaping awareness website ‘Don’t Get Sucked In’, which is a resource aimed to challenge youth on whether they have been ‘sucked in’ to some of these misconceptions. The site contains information including what’s in a vape and the risks, as well as what to do if youth are feeling pressured to vape. It is well worth a look for parents too if you are interested in having a kōrero with your rangatahi at home.

5 Ways in 5 Weeks - Keep Learning

In the lead up to Mental Health Awareness Week (Week 10), the Wellbeing Council is running 5 Ways in 5 Weeks to increase awareness about how we can use The Five Ways to Wellbeing to help us feel good and function well. Each week, there will be a challenge or activity aimed at improving wellbeing, so keep an eye out on the Insta page - @wakatipuwellbeing - and get involved to win prizes and feel good!

This week was the third week of 'Five Ways in Five Weeks' and the focus was Keep Learning. Our board in the Library contained fun facts and riddles that students had to solve over the course of the week. 

Why is it important to engage our brains and 'keep learning'?

Learning new things can be fun, boost our self-confidence, self-esteem, help us to find meaning and purpose in life, and connect us with others. Studies show learning throughout life can help us enjoy life more, and improve our knowledge, thinking skills and ability to cope with stress. Broadening our minds helps us gain insight into life, ourselves, and the world around us, which are all good things for our wellbeing.

Exploring new ideas, seeking out new experiences and sharpening our skills positively stimulates the brain. 
We encourage you all to set yourself a challenge you will enjoy achieving! 

Try something new… Rediscover an old interest…. Sign up for that course... Take on a different responsibility at work…. Fix something broken…. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. It all counts!

Here are some riddles to get you started:

What has to be broken before you can use it?

I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I? 

You measure my life in hours and I serve you by expiring. I’m quick when I’m thin and slow when I’m fat. The wind is my enemy. 

I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I? 

What word in the English language does the following: the first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four letters signify a great, while the entire world signifies a great woman. What is the word? 

Community Service Day

Students from Wakatipu High School decided to put their day off to good use last week as they volunteered their time and energy to support six local non profit organisations on their teacher only day.

Friday 2nd September was a teacher only day at the high school and nearly thirty students decided to spend a chunk of their day supporting their community through a partnership between the school and Volunteer South - Central Lakes.

The community minded students from all year groups signed up to help with a range of activities including mulching and weeding with The Friends of Tucker Beach, planting preparation for The Wakatipu Reforestation Trust, baking for Kiwi Harvest, helping run activities and engaging with the littlies at the Plunket playgroup, supporting the work at Orphans Aid International and helping prepare and decorate the hall for Queenstown Primary School’s quiz - their biggest fundraiser of the year.

The Volunteer South team chatted to volunteers and organisations on the day to find out how things were going. Jess Dredge, Eoin McGlynn and Ollie Pope joined a team from the Wakatipu Reforestation Trust who were helping get 1500 native plants ready for the community planting day at Whitechapel Reserve.

“I do quite a bit for the trust so it’s great to be able to help behind the scenes and give a hand getting ready for the community day tomorrow.”  said Ollie who is also the Youth Trustee Advisor with the trust.

“I felt like I could do something to help and I’m passionate about environmental conservation so this role was a great match for my interests.” said Eoin who was also heading along to the main planting day at the weekend.

“I like being outside and as I’m thinking about my plans for next year, it’s great to be able to come out and talk to others, meet new people and have different conversations.” said Jess. 

Trust Chair Neill SImpson was thrilled to welcome the young volunteers.

“It’s marvelous having them here. They need to be invited, it’s their future and so having them join us helps them understand the importance of looking after our environment.”

Ollie agrees, “We can learn so much from these volunteers. They have such great knowledge, it's important we take the time to learn from our local experts.”

Closer to town three young women were assisting at the free playgroup that Plunket runs for new parents in the town. 

Isadora Figueroa, Rachel Scobie and Mikaela Patterson helped alongside Plunket volunteer Lizanne Knights and staff members Belinda Ricketts and Krista Baker.

“The girls have been a massive help this morning as we have been making Fathers day cards, singing, reading, playing and providing a space for new families to spend time together. The girls have achieved a huge amount and saved us a lot of preparation time which has been so appreciated.” said Belinda, Plunket’s Community Service Coordinator. 

“I like to give back and it’s been great meeting new people, the mums and their kids. It’s a really welcoming group and I’ve really enjoyed helping the little ones.” said Mikaela who is in year 11.

Isadora, who moved to Queenstown from Chile three years ago, said she was keen to have something to do on her day off school and was keen to see what it was like working within early childhood. “It’s been really fun, it’s nice to talk with the little kids and also reminisce about my own childhood!” she said.

Stars

Community Project
As part of the STARS Peer Mentoring Programme, Peer Mentors facilitate Year 9 students to plan, organise and spend a day giving back to their community (taking into account the social, environmental and economic needs within the community). Due to popular demand and falling on Conservation Week, we decided to contribute towards Mana Tāhuna's goal of planting 20,000 trees over spring to restore the water quality of Lake Hayes as this year's Community Project.

It was an awesome day with over 250 students involved! Mana Tāhuna have provided a great opportunity for students of WHS to give back to the community and I hope that all those involved realise the postive impact that you made today, and look to give back to your community more often!

Loved Tree Planting today and want to get back out ASAP?  There are plenty more opportunities with Whakatipu Reforestation Trust who are planting every weekend in September! For more info; Check out their website for more Community Planting dates HERE

The Graeme Dingle Foundation Drop for Youth 2022 details

The GDF Drop For Youth is back for 2022!
This is one of our biggest fundraising events that enables tamariki and rangatahi in the Lower South Island to develop self-belief, resilience, life skills, and build their mental and emotional wellbeing. All money raised goes directly into our Youth Development programmes (like Stars at WHS) within our Southern region schools only. Our goal this year is meeting or exceeding last year's fundraising total ($38,227). This will fund atleast the equivalent of delivering the Stars programme and peer mentoring for a year for over 200 Year 9 students. 

• What: A scenic and thrilling bungy jump in support of our future generations
• When: 2-4pm, 26 November 2022 
• Where: AJ Hackett Kawarau Bridge Bungy, Queenstown
• Who: You, or people you know (you know you want to!)
• How: By fundraising a minimum of $780 (which equals a return on investment of roughly $6,084, based on research that shows for every $1 invested in Graeme Dingle Foundation programmes, $7.80 is returned to the New Zealand economy)

Why sign up?
Drop for Youth is a unique, FUN fundraiser which will challenge you to step out of your comfort zone – just like our programmes challenge our young people. You can make a difference for tamariki and rangatahi in the lower South Island to thrive, belong and contribute meaningfully to society.

Please contact Cheryl (Stars Coordinator) if you would like to sign up. I can't wait to join you! 

With much appreciation for your generosity and support

The Team at GDF Southern
Cheryl Phillips
Stars Coordinator

Sport and Active Recreation News

NZ Age Group Golf Champs
A number of current and former WHS students competed in last week’s New Zealand Age Group Golf Champs in Auckland. There were some outstanding results achieved by our golfers. A huge well done to these students!
Jan Ebbinge - tied for 3rd U19 Mens
Sumin Kang - 6th U19 Womens
Josh Harris - 7th U16 Boys
Noah Novacek - tied for 29th U16 Boys
Nico Cheifetz - tied for 30th U19 Mens
Other Wakatipu Junior Golf Club Member results include:
Yoonae Jeong - 1st U16 Girls
Liam Judkins - tied for 16th U19 Mens

Top Hockey Goal Scorer
In addition to the 1st XI Mixed Hockey's 3rd place finish in their SISS tournament, Oliver Battrick was the top goal scorer for the tournament, scoring 19 goals across six games. Well done Oliver.

Golden Boot for Football
The golden boot for the NZSS Football Jim Wishart Tournament was awarded to Henrique Wandarte with 6 goals. Awesome effort Henrique.

Road Cycling
Year 13 student Eli Tregidga recently competed in the B Grade of the Timaru Road Cycling two-day tour. He achieved an overall General Classification of 2nd placing in his grade, and placed in the following stages:
Stage 1 - 3rd, Stage 2 - 1st, Stage 3 - 4th, Stage 4 - 5th, Stage 5 - 2nd.
Well done Eli!

WHS Netball Awards
The WHS Netball prizegiving was held on Tuesday evening in the school theatre. Each team presented their award winners for the 2022 season. A huge thank you to our student coaches and umpires for their contribution and service for the season. A big thank you also to our all-star coaches for their incredible commitment and effort for the year; Kay O'Connell, Mrs Kemp, Tracy Galbraith, Sasha McLeod, Cheryl Phillips, Lisa Murphy, Miss Murphy, Sue Albrecht and Jessie O'Connell. Congratulations to all of the students listed below.
Senior Social Player’s Player Award
Deez Nets - Zara McRae 
Material Goals - Ruby Dawson 
Net Soup - Olive Ritchie and Paige Cuisel 
The Flamingos - Jemima McKay-Lund 
Waka Hoopers - Zara Martin

Junior Development Team Awards
9 Magic: MVP - Tila Peysner, Best Defence - Piper Bamford
9 Pulse: MVP - Jess Downer, Most Improved - Emmasen Holmes
9 Stars - Most Improved - Lily Goding Ross, Greatest Contribution - Josie Mitchell
10 Giants: MVP - Ava Weston, Greatest Contribution - Jess Hodge
10 Lightning: MVP - Harriet Bodle, Greatest Contribution - Ayla Brown
10 Thunderbirds: MVP - Georgia Adams, Most Improved - Armani Souness

Senior Competition Awards
9A Gold: MVP - Keirah McMaster, Most Improved - Tylah Norman
9A Blue: MVP - Maddy Tulofono, Most Improved - Indy Hamilton
9A Tournament Team: MVP - Aily Joll, Most Improved - Sasha Key
10A Gold: MVP - Lulu Middleton, Most Improved - Imogen Olliver
10A Blue: MVP - Mia Manderson, Most Improved - Grace Kunath
10A Tournament Team: Best Attack - Elsbeth Purdue, Best Defence - L’oreal McMaster
Development A: Most Improved - Helena Hornbacher, Greatest Contribution - Julia Morrison
Senior C: MVP - Kaitlyn McKay, Greatest Contribution - Mia Pagan
Senior B: MVP - Izzy Burgess, Greatest Contribution - Bella Middleton and Olivia Flight
Senior A: MVP - Jett Fa’amelepe, Greatest Contribution - Jess MacDonald

Major Awards
Umpire of the Year - Rachel Scobie
Junior Player of the Year - Neive McLeod
Senior Player of the Year - Jett Fa’amelepe

Opportunities to Get Active!

Cricket Registrations
If you are wanting to play cricket this season the registration forms are available for both Queenstown Cricket Club and Wakatipu High School. NZ Cricket has moved to a new system for the upcoming season and all players will need to register with both school and club through separate Play HQ forms. The WHS registration form can be found below. Anyone wishing to play regular, weekly cricket will need to register with the club. School cricket is for school exchanges and secondary school tournaments only.
WHS Cricket Registration Form: https://www.playhq.com/new-zealand-cricket/register/3e80df

Boxing and Muay Thai Sessions in Term 4
There will be boxing and Muay Thai sessions being run for five weeks on Tuesday afternoons in November for students on site after school with an instructor from Industrial Fitness. Boxing will run from 3:20-4:05pm and Muay Thai will run from 4:05-4:50pm. These sessions are for boys and girls and they can do one or both. There will be a cost involved in attending the five sessions which will be confirmed after registrations close. If you are interested, please register on the form by Monday 19th September: https://forms.gle/sb2vv49FxjzS8JXXA

Junior Volleyball Competition
The Junior Social Volleyball competition is back for 2022 and will run for 7 weeks on Thursdays after school in the WHS gym from Week 1 to Week 7 in Term 4. More details can be found on the registration form below. All juniors are able to participate in this social competition, including those who are training for competitive volleyball. Please complete the registration form by Thursday 15th September if you are wishing to participate.
Junior Social Volleyball Registration Form: https://forms.gle/Pbd9vTEwvAdmwiMw6
If you have any questions please email sportscoordinator@wakatipu.school.nz

Secondary School Athletics
WHS is currently the top school in Southland for Athletics and with the Southland Champs being postponed from Term 1 to Term 4 it would be great to have an awesome turn out at this regional event again. If you are keen to compete for WHS it is time to start thinking about training. Formal school training/support will kick off in Term 4. If you have any questions please email sportscoordinator@wakatipu.school.nz.
Key Dates:
Southland Athletic Champs - Saturday 12th November - Invercargill
NZSS Athletic Champs - Friday 9th to Sunday 11th December - Inglewood
Please complete this expression of interest form for the events you are interested in: https://forms.gle/EMuqAeHsFneCuDEN9

Term 4 Social Touch
It is time to gather your mates and get your touch teams together for another summer of fun or opt to be put into a touch team for the season. Below is a registration form for those wanting to play touch at the Event Centre on Monday evenings in Term 4. Details can be found on the form. There is also a team sheet below for those creating their own teams. Team sheets and expressions of interest are due on Monday 26th September.
Touch Registration Form: https://forms.gle/6xGMEqfCbznggbpy7
Team Sheet (please make a copy):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BB-1SfMz3zSeDTl1cRkH6gtUK8XNeLYzc03piEJv0AE/edit?usp=sharing

Queenstown Tennis Club Open Days
The tennis club is holding a series of open days throughout September at the tennis courts in Queenstown Gardens. More details can be found on the flyer below. The tennis club is for anyone interested in being coached and developing their tennis skills. It is also for competitive players.
Junior Open Day - Sunday 25th September 1-4pm
For more details check out: www.queenstowntennisclub.co.nz

Running Club
The running club is starting up this Thursday (15th of September) and will continue until the end of the year. All staff and students are welcome to join! It's a great way to kickstart your fitness for summer! We will meet each Thursday at the front of school at 7:20am, and will 'win the day' by starting it with a scenic run alongside the river. We will split into groups (fast, medium, beginner) and run for approximately 30 minutes. The aim is to be back at school by 8am to have time for showers and breakfast. See Mrs Hoffman or the sports office if you have any questions.

Kiwi Athlete Agency Seminars
The Kiwi Athlete Agency is hosting a series of zoom meetings for any students and parents/caregivers wanting to find out more information regarding the U.S. student-athlete pathway. This is a chance for those interested to ask any questions that you may have. These seminars are going to range from basic information to sport-specific sessions with guest speakers from their respective sports. The first seminar is going to be on Tuesday 20th of September at 6pm. This is will cover all of the basics and is a good way to get things up and running for those  interested. It is free and to sign up you can use the link below. https://events.humanitix.com/recruiting-101

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

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

‘SHOWING OFF’ - Senior Visual Art Exhibition
It is that time of year again when the Visual Art Department showcases the work of their Senior students in the annual SHOWING OFF EXHIBITION.  

The work covers the three disciplines of Design, Photography and Painting. The selection process is always a difficult one as every student produces at least one piece they are proud of during the year. However, the final selection is based on choosing work from the students who have achieved Excellence this year.

The exhibition is being held at the LAKES DISTRICT MUSEUM  in Arrowtown, running from Thursday 8 September until Sunday 9 October.

There is a People's Choice for one of each discipline (painting, design, and photography) and one overall winner at the end of the exhibition.

Come and see the wonderful and varied artwork on display!

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

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

Who do you think should be our mayor for the next three years?
Wakatipu High School students are working with long-time local journo and editor David Williams, now Newsroom South Island correspondent, to probe behind the political sound bites at Catalyst Trust's Mayoral Candidate Forum.

Masks to be worn to ensure only information is spread.

Registration required at the link below. Entry Free- Koha Welcome. All koha collected goes straight to WHS's Awhi Fund.

Session 1
Please register by text, call, or email to Mandy by Monday, 5th September to receive your programme material.
Tuesday, 13th September 7.30pm to 8.30pm
Online - Join Zoom Meeting by clicking this link.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6957453407?pwd=Y2h3bEpBVW5JSno1VUhlb1N5M1hIdz09
Session 2
Please register by text, call, or email to Mandy by Monday, 5th September to receive your programme material.
Wednesday, 14th September 7.30pm to 8.30pm
Online - Join Zoom Meeting by clicking this link.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83983934854?pwd=Rk1NWC9YaXFzTUM0QWZsUTFvOFlLUT09 

• You must register to attend both Session 1 and 2.

For more information please contact: Amanda Greer (Mandy) Te Kaiwhakahaere mō te Matauranga (Education co-ordinator)
Seasons for Growth Coordinator
Central Otago REAP
Ph: 021 544 894
Ph: 0800 267 327 or 03 448 6115
mandy@coreap.org.nz

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