WHS Newsletter | Issue 4.06 | 02 December 2022

Associate Principal's Message

At Wakatipu High School, our vision is for ‘Aotearoa/New Zealand’s best all-round education’ and once again this week has delivered a multitude of opportunities for students to learn and develop in and out of the classroom. 

Branches Camp offers students the opportunity to learn and grow holistically through a range of experiences, and Camp 1 is off to a stellar start, as the 120 students have been experiencing the ‘Best of Branches’ - from Rafting to Polnoon to Lochnagar, and much more. A huge thanks to the Branches Trust and WHS Foundation who generously support the camp. To run a camp of this magnitude requires significant resources and while the cost per student is $670, families are only asked to contribute $350 per student. Thanks to those who have already made their $350 contribution, and thanks in anticipation to those who will make the contribution.  

Meanwhile the other half of Year 10 have been doing the ‘in-school programme’, focused on wellbeing and resilience. Yesterday, the students went up the Remarkables and helped clean up the environment while learning about the importance of citizenship and service. A reminder that the ‘in-school programme’ is a compulsory component of school and all Year 10 students should be attending this invaluable programme.

We look forward to welcoming back Camp 1 on Monday and seeing Camp 2 off on Tuesday 6 December (and a reminder that there is no school for Year 10’s on Monday 5). 

See below for photos and more info on Branches and the in-school programme.

A few weeks ago, we were informed that Helena Hornbacher (Yr 13) and Isabelle Mahoney (Yr 9) had received the ICAS Medal for English and Writing, respectively. Each student was the top student  in all of New Zealand and the Pacific in their respective categories. This is quite an achievement, and very uncommon, let alone for two students to win a medal from the same school in the same year, and yet this is the 2nd year in a row that WHS students have won at least two medals! What’s even more remarkable, is that this is the third year in a row that Helena, WHS’ co-Dux, has won a medal, as she received the English ICAS medal in 2020, and the English and Writing ICAS medal in 2021. See below for more details on all the ICAS achievements, and my congratulations to all those students who are striving to reach their potential, Kā Mauka Whakatipu!

On Thursday, the annual WHS Foundation Golf Tournament was held again at Millbrook. With more than $45,000 raised, the support that the WHS Foundation and Wakatipu community give to WHS is truly humbling. These funds have an immense impact on students’ all-round education, and as a school we are extremely grateful to everyone who is involved with organising and supporting events that contribute to the delivery of Aotearoa’s best all-round education. Next year, the WHS Foundation has committed $450k to the school which is phenomenal and makes a difference to the educational and all-round outcomes for students. The additional funds will allow us to double the amount of Literacy and Numeracy support, decrease the costs associated with extracurricular activities and so much more. Be sure to see below for the full list of things that funds from the Foundation are providing and also to see how you can help support the Foundation. 

Junior Prizegiving - As we look to wrap up another covid-affected year,  please make sure you note the dates and times for the end of year prizegivings, which are school days in which we expect all students to attend. 

• Year 9 Prizegiving - Tuesday 13 December
  Last Day of school for Year 9’s. School finishes at 12:30 pm (at the culmination of prizegiving, with buses running at 12:45 pm). No school for Year 10’s. 
• Year 10 Prizegiving - Wednesday 14 December
  Last Day of school for Year 10’s. School finishes at 12:30 pm (at the culmination of prizegiving, with buses running at 12:45 pm)

Prizewinners and parents will be notified early next week, but again, all students are expected to attend school and Prizegiving. 

2023 Start of Year Details
Please also note the following details for the 2023 Start of Year.

• Monday 30 January - Course Confirmation for Year 12 & Year 13.
• Tuesday 31 January - First Day for Year 9’s
• Wednesday 1 February - All students at school

Buses will run from Monday 30 January. Please see below and our website for more details regarding 2023.

There will be no newsletter next week and so the final newsletter of the year, including Prizewinners, Branches and the school’s annual magazine will be sent out on Thursday 15 December.

A full newsletter this week, including some recommended books for juniors to do some summer reading. 

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. 

Ngā manaakitanga,

Oded Nathan
Associate Principal

Key Dates

WHS Foundation Annual Golf Day Raises Over $45,000!

The sun was shining yesterday at Millbrook Resort as 108 golfers in 27 teams fiercely competed in the sell-out WHS Foundation Annual Golf Tournament. Whilst there was no lucky winner on the $50,000 Crombie Lockwood Hole in One Competition, golfers did enjoy playing the sponsored hole games including Whip the Whippersnapper with the WHS junior golfers, Speed golf, Pay the Pro, Closest to the pin, and Longest drive. 
A big thank you to all our golfers! We are pleased to share that together, we raised over $45,000!!! These funds will benefit all WHS students through the $450,000 in initiatives the WHS Foundation is funding in 2023.

Congratulations to the winners of the day:

Team Results

• 1st:  The BDO Team with Richie O'Meara, Bjorn De Njis, Nathan Keil, Scott Donaldson
• 2nd: The Ben Terry - New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty Team with Ben Terry, Hayden Joblin, Ben Farrell, Jimmy Nicholson
• 3rd: The Heartland Ricoh Team: Laurie Martin, Geoff Cotton, Jamie McIssac, Richard Thomas
  

Individual Winners:
Nearest to the Pin Competition Sponsored by Jarden
John Edmonds
Karen Mitchell

Longest Drive Competition Sponsored by The Mountain Scene
Dean Tewes
Mary Thompson

The Colliers Nearest to the Pin Flamingo Competition
Simon Boland

The Wynn Williams Speed Hole 
The Heartland Ricoh Team: Laurie Martin, Geoff Cotton, Jamie McIssac, Richard Thomas, with a time of 1.34 minutes.

We would like to thank Millbrook Resort for generously sponsoring the day as well as all the wonderful local businesses that sponsored Holes and donated raffle, auction, and goody bag items.

A special mention goes to the WHS Whippersnappers - Diego Maddison, Toby Gallie, Ricky Kang, and Josh Harris. We would also like to acknowledge the hard work of our Friends of the WHS Foundation who assisted our team - Executive Officer Mia McGregor, Trustee Karen Spires, and Office Administrator Carolyn Rooney, to organize the event and volunteered on the day. Thank you Frances Packer, Jannah Mahoney, Bronwyn Anderson, Tania Flight, Jane Todd, Sandra Maddison, and Nicolle Marshall. Our Annual Golf Tournament would not be possible without the support and generosity of all involved.

Thank you!

Branches Camp 1

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Branches In School Programme

For the last 3 days the Branches Camp 2 students have been taking part in activities at school with the goals of improving their personal growth, resilience and wellbeing.  

Teaching staff have been sharing their "secret skills" with students in the mornings.  Ākonga got to choose two skills from origami, netball, international food and culture, sport and planting and knitting. 

On Thursday the students volunteered their time at the Remarkables Ski Area to perform community service by cleaning up parts of the ski area.  

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Science Pollinator's Garden

We now have a beautiful “Science Pollinator’s Garden” thanks to a generous donation of trees and shrubs from Bunnings and the tremendous planting efforts of our Year 10 Branches students, and support teachers.

The garden will be an important resource allowing students to understand the science behind sustainable practice. For instance, students will study aspects of flowering plants and the importance of bees and other pollinators in society, especially since bees in particular are on a decline in population. Apart from understanding the Science (plants, insects, environmental conditions) they will also consider the associated socioscientific issues to improve the outcome/ awareness of natural pollination into the future.

Ngā mihi maioha

Rose Kidd
Science Teacher

ICAS results

A huge congratulations to all of those who signed up to do an ICAS assessment this year. These assessments are designed to recognise and reward academic excellence, with over a million students taking part annually. This year Wakatipu High School students have had great success in these assessments. To gain a High Distinction certificate a student will need to be in the top 1%. A Distinction award is given to the next top 10%, Credit for the next 25%, and finally a Merit for the next 10%.   

Well done to the following students:

Congratulations once again, and look forward to seeing next year's results!

Kyle Jackson
Gifted Coordinator

Year 9 Connected Curriculum Showcase

The 5XCR (cross-curricular) Year 9 academic course combines English, Maths and Science classes. All students who partake in this course form one whole group, which rotates through each of the three classes. Our cross-curriculum class has been phenomenal, and the teachers have been extraordinary, as we acquire new knowledge and skills every lesson.

This unique experience teaches students skills that will help them throughout high school using the context of current-world events. Students who participate in this course learn about time management, teamwork, responsibility, and other vital academic skills. However, not only did this course improve us academically, but it also supported and developed our wellbeing, respect towards others, and empathy, as we studied about real-world problems. This distinct journey helps us learn more effectively by relating classwork to content outside of the classroom.

The 5XCR course only takes place in one semester (two school terms). In Term 3, which was our first term of 5XCR, we learnt about the issues endangering the environments of Lake Hayes, and innovative solutions to combat this. During Term 4, we were given the privilege of choosing our own individual project to engage in. These projects had to be about one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and the aim was to be 'inventive, innovative, or campaign' for one of the goals. Several spectacular creations were produced; all of these were displayed in the foyer this week for other students and parents to appreciate. The Showcase proved how proud the cross-curricular class should be of their work in this course.

This is the second year this cross-curricular course has taken place, it was very successful and lots of fun. We are all incredibly grateful to our wonderful teachers Ms Ford, Ms Jermy, and Ms Aspin for giving us such an exceptional opportunity.

Written by Lucas Qi, Matheus Zanon Moreira 

Congratulations to all 5XCR students, including the following who were awarded prizes for their work:

Best Inventor - Makam Adams
Best Campaigner - Harvey McGee
Best Innovator - Jackon Nolan
Highly Commended Campaigner - Stella Esler
Highly Commended Innovator - Alisa Schenk

Blue Light Life Skills Award

Year 10 Wakatipu High School student Taurus Murray was awarded the Overall Merit Award at the Blue Light Life Skills programme held at Burnham Military Camp from 14 Nov - 18 Nov.

Blue Light’s Southern Life Skills Coordinator Nicola Patterson, who was at the camp, said “Taurus was awarded the Overall Merit Award through his consistent progress throughout the camp, his self-discipline, and support of others”.

The Rotary Club of Queenstown set aside funding for Taurus along with fellow students Declan Hogan and Harley Williams to attend the camp. 

This highly successful programme has been run by New Zealand Blue Light in partnership with NZ Defence Force for the past 12 years and has adventure-based experiential learning as a key part of the programme. The programme provides 14-17-year olds’ critical life skills such as self-development, self-control, and teamwork that will enable young people to be successful at home, school, communities, and employment.

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge The Rotary Club of Queenstown for their continued support of the youth in our school through their sponsorship of the Blue Light Life Skills programme.

Get reading this summer

This Week’s Word of the Week: prosper /ˈprɒspə/ verb: be successful

As the end of the school year approaches, exams are now done and dusted, and students will finally be able to switch off and enjoy their well deserved summer break - a chance to revel in everything they love to do, from video games to mountain biking - Queenstown is their oyster - but how many students will take the opportunity to find a quiet space over the holidays, sit down with a good book, and read? 

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that reading for pleasure declines throughout secondary school as curricular demands increase and students prioritise socialising, various sporting activities and everything else a teenager likes doing with their time. And don’t get me wrong, doing all of these things we enjoy are so important for our wellbeing, but making time to relax and delve into a fictional novel, one that takes us on a wondrous  journey, really does have a heap of benefits too. 

And what better time to motivate children to get back into reading - Aotearoa’s literacy crisis is something schools all over New Zealand are talking about, and with a decline in reading for pleasure being a key driver of this literacy downturn, it is time to get books back into our children’s hands. If we can understand more about our influence in creating young readers and the potential impact of reading for pleasure, we will have more of an effect in encouraging and supporting reading. And if our whānau, school and wider community can work together in collaboration, we can build a community that encourages reading and supports our tamariki.

So often, I hear, “My child was always a great reader.”, “They read so many books when they were younger.” Unfortunately, the reality is, as children grow up, many grow out of reading. And the importance of reading for pleasure has a tonne of evidence as to why our kids really do need to continue exposing themselves to a good book. Just like many other skills, literacy can be lost if we do not use it and research has shown that as regular reading declines over the summer period, student’s literacy skills slide, making it a struggle when returning to school in the new year. 

So what are the benefits of reading for pleasure? Regular reading has a positive effect on reading achievement. Students are exposed to greater vocabulary, and reading for pleasure, particularly books, leads to better reading comprehension. These are all skills that students need, not only to achieve in school, but to be successful and productive in life. 

‘Reading is the basic tool in the living of a good life’ – Mortimer Adler

Furthermore, if a student enjoys reading, literacy achievement is more attainable. And fiction books (rather than comics and magazines) are most closely associated with these literacy benefits. Therefore, if a student is positively engaged in reading, this will impact their reading frequency. So what can we do to make this happen? Well, whether a student is at the learning to read stage, or if they are reading to learn, it is still paramount that we, as parents, carers and teachers encourage our children to read for pleasure. It is key that they have supportive social influences in their lives that have an expectation and are there to motivate them. Even better if we can model keen reading, and also participate in shared reading activities with them such as reading aloud and discussing books. These are all well-researched strategies that we can use in school and at home to encourage young people to read and boost our teen’s engagement. And remember, like other skills, reading also develops with practice. So, with the right foundations, practising good reading will help young struggling readers to read more fluently. 

But wait. For some, you may be thinking that your child needs more help with writing, not reading? Well, there is a direct link between reading and writing, and how reading improves writing skills, guiding children to successfully imitate the skills authors have used and apply them in their own work. 

Lastly, not only can a book enhance student performance in literacy, it can support their growth and attainment in many other areas too. Regular reading of fiction has not only been shown to help children develop social skills such as empathy, but reading offers cognitive and behavioural benefits, building the stamina needed to apply sustained attention to completing complex tasks. Basically, reading helps children to focus - a crucial life skill that extends well beyond school years. And just like sports and fitness, reading supports wellbeing, providing a pleasurable and immersive escape from everything else going on in the world around our children. Our kids can use reading as a way of regulating their emotions and coping with stressors and challenging times. 

So you have finally convinced your child to read over the holidays, but now you have the issue of finding a suitable book. Often, when it comes to choosing a book, many young people struggle with a lack of good strategies for book choice. To help with this, below is a short list of ‘Great Teen Read’ book recommendations, in no particular order, from Whitcoulls that you could (but are not limited to) start with. 

• The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrews

• Shadow Hunters Series by Cassandra Clare

• Demon in the Wood (Graphic Novel) by Leigh Bardugo & Dani Pendergast

• The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

• My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

• All the Best Liars by Amelia Kahaney

• Indigo Moon by Eileen Merriman

• Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong

How to Develop your Child’s Reading Habit?

Reading every day
Set aside some time daily for reading. Ensure that they read for at least 20 minutes every day. It is a great start to develop the habit of reading.

Make reading a pleasurable activity
Ensure that they enjoy what they are reading. This will accelerate the learning process. Get them to share the books they are reading and describe them to family and friends. This could be a good way for others to recommend their favourite books. Once they have completed reading the book, they could even write a blog on it. Get your child to keep a log of what they have read and prepare a list of books that they want to read in the future. The more books they read, and the more authors they come across, the easier it will be to find books they will enjoy. The QLDC Library has a great reading challenge on this summer for teens - see our community notices for more.

Gifted Education

Kia ora koutou, my name is Kyle Jackson and I have the pleasure of being the Gifted Coordinator here at Wakatipu High School. Here at the school, we are committed to supporting students to achieve their full potential. We do this by utilising a multifaceted approach to provide for gifted students which includes acceleration, extracurricular opportunities, competitions as well as specialised classes to support their passions. 

I look forward to meeting all the new students and families and invite you to get in touch to discuss your passions by sending me an email (kylejackson@wakatipu.school.nz). For more information please visit the link below and have a great summer break!

Ngā mihi nui,
Kyle Jackson - Gifted Coordinator

Uniform Donations

We are seeking uniform donations to give away.

If students are finished with their uniform because they are leaving school, please consider donating the uniform to school.  We have families that would gratefully receive free second hand uniform items.

Please take any clean, tidy uniform items you wish to donate to Student Services.

English Textbooks

The English Learning Area is requesting that all novels and other texts that have been issued during the year to students, be returned to the school library as soon as possible please. It costs thousands of dollars to replace missing texts and we have a huge number still outstanding. There may even be some lying around the house from last year, so we'd appreciate these all being returned as well. The library will be invoicing shortly for missing texts, but we'd prefer to just get them back.

Happiness House Christmas Hampers

Junior students are currently bringing in donated goods for our annual Happiness House Christmas Hamper appeal. We know Christmas time can be challenging for many families, so if you you are in a position  to be able to donate any items (new and unwrapped), please bring them in and pass them on to your House Dean or drop at the front desk (be sure to label what House box it is to go into - it's a wee bit competitive!). Happiness House has given us a few suggestions and has said they would love some more items for teenagers and adult family members. 

• Vouchers – activities, shops, restaurants, cinema, swimming, books
• Teenagers – Games, toiletries, t-shirts, outdoor items
• Adults – puzzles, creative crafts, gardening items
• Homeware – Towels, candles, kitchen items
• Gifts for men – toiletries, outdoor items, sports items
• Gifts for women – clothing, PJ’s, skin care
• Toiletries

Thank you again for your generosity at this time. 

Stationery

2023 Stationery requirements are available for ordering online via the link below (through myschool.co.nz). This is a quick, easy and affordable way of ordering your student's stationery with convenient delivery to your home. Order early to avoid the back to school rush. 

Learning Support raise $600 for The Cancer Society

The Cancer Society set a challenge to complete a marathon in the month of November, to help everyone get active, and help cancer patients in our community. Five members of the Learning Support Team, signed up to walk, run, bike at least one marathon over the month of November. Two of us chose to do two marathons over the month and completed 84km (or 52 miles). Micha Palmer, Caroline Fossey-Smith, Natalia Marin, Jason Boel and Tayna Siegl have raised over $600 for this great cause. 

Thank you to all those that have kindly sponsored us. If you still wanted to donate, you can find all information in the link below. 

Sports and Active Recreation News

New Zealand U18 Ice Hockey Squad Selections
A number of WHS students have been selected into the New Zealand U18 Men's Ice Hockey Squad; Lachlan Boniface, Logan Campbell, Tristan Bryant and Joel Gerard as well as former pupils Axel Ruski-Jones and Joel Paterson. The team will compete at the IIHF World Championship Division III, Group B event, to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, in March 2023. Congratulations to these students!

South Island Junior Volleyball Champs
The WHS 9A and 10A girls teams competed at the South Island Junior Volleyball Champs in Nelson last week. They had a tough few days battling against good teams, picking up sets and enjoying really close battles but unfortunately were unable to notch up a win. The 10A’s competed in Division 1 for the first time while the 9A’s competed in Division 2. Both teams really grew and developed significantly over the course of the three day tournament. It was quite the South Island road trip heading up the West Coast staying in Hokitika on Sunday night and travelling back inland staying in Hanmer on Thursday night. A massive six days away that was lots of fun and a great experience for all involved. A huge thank you to our all star coaches Steve Henderson and Mrs Panapa and our number one camp mum, Rachel Vermeir. Ka pai te mahi to all!

Southland Junior Adventure Race
Last week WHS entered two teams into the Southland Junior Adventure race in Invercargill. The teams had a great day out biking, paddling and running around Sandy Point as part of their training in the lead up to the national Get2Go finals. Well done to the team of McKellar Thornton, Seb Watson, Emma Andrew and Harry Lightfoot who placed 3rd. The team of Jasper Crawford, Elsbeth Purdue, Harry McNay and Charlie Manser finished 5th. This is an awesome effort as there were 44 teams entered in the Year 9/10 division. Great stuff!

Junior Boys Cricket Tournament
Our Junior Boys Cricket team enjoyed a three day tournament at St Kevins in Oamaru this week beating St Thomas’ of Canterbury Year 9 and Southland Boys and losing to St Thomas’ of Canterbury Year 10 in 40 over matches. This was an awesome opportunity to travel away and play longer forms of the game against players of the same age. There were a number of highlights across the three days but the top one was Hugo Bogue’s 295 run innings on day one against St Thomas’ Year 9 team. A remarkable effort that earned him a nice wee article in the ODT, check it out here: https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/queenstown/teenager-shows-tons-talent. Well done to all players on their contribution to the team over the four days away and a huge thank you to our coaches Mr Overton and Bevan Clarke, we really appreciate all the mahi from them.

U19 Rowing Camp Selections
Congratulations to Neve Bates, Emily Howick, Olivia Key, Marley King Smith and Xavier Small who have been selected to attend a Rowing NZ U19 Development Camp at Lake Ruataniwha on the 11th-12th December. Go well!

International Football Opportunity
Congratulations to Year 12 student Ben McAuliffe who has been selected into the Waikato University Team to compete at a soccer tournament in Las Vegas in February next year. Ben is the only applicant from the South Island that has made it onto the team. This is an incredible opportunity for Ben. We wish him well.

Regional Karate Result
Well done to Year 9 student Nate Grant who finished with a bronze medal in the green belt category at the Ranfurly Goju-Ryu Karate Club a couple of weeks ago.

Upcoming National Events
The final secondary school events for the year are taking place next week and WHS has a number of students competing at these national tournaments and competitions. We wish all students competing at the following pinnacle events all the very best! Kā Mauka Whakatipu!
NZSS Athletic Champs - Inglewood - 4 students
NZSS Touch Champs - Rotorua - 16 students
Get2Go National Finals - Great Barrier Island - 8 students

Opportunities to Get Active

School Holiday MTB Programmes and Opportunities
Treadmark have released their school holiday sessions for you to check out. There are a variety of different programmes to challenge yourself and improve your biking skills. Click the link to find out more: https://www.treadmark.co.nz/juniorsmtb

Windsurfing and Kite Foiling Open day
Wednesday 7th December 4-8pm at Frankton Beach. Please refer to the flyer below.

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

New Zealand Secondary School Photography Competition: Registration Starts Now
The New Zealand Secondary School Photography Competition is thrilled to announce the fourth year of its competition!

The competition will see Year 9 to Year 13 students submit up to three unique photos to be adjudicated by a panel of the Photographic Society of New Zealand's accredited judges. The top twenty photographs will be displayed in an exhibition, with various prizes awarded to the top three and people's choice.

This year we have over $2500 in prizes! More detail can be found on our instagram @nzsspc, tiktok @nzsspc, and website  https://www.nzsssc.org.nz/

Registration will also be done through our website or through this form:

For this year, we have chosen the theme of Peace, in response to current global issues. Note that the theme is only a guideline but is open to a wide array of artistic interpretations. The competition will also be split into three categories: people, nature, and still life. Submissions are open until the end of the year.

A Collection of Level 3 Scholarship Design Folio Work

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

Scholarships

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

Community Notices

 

Thanks for your continued support!

Order here at our fundraising page: https://subscribe.entertainmentnz.com/fundraiser/260506v

Be the teen King or Queen of summer reading!
Win a prize fit for a royal and win a King(or Queen)PIN voucher in our inaugural Teen Summer Reading Challenge. Find out more by clicking the link below.