Kia ora and welcome to the Wakatipu High School newsletter at the end of the first week of Term 3. Term 3 is always an important one for teaching and learning, especially for our seniors, and this year it will feel even more special than normal in that it is only nine weeks long - with one already down and only eight to go! Option Afternoon - held on Tuesday, was the start of a very important process for students selecting their subjects for 2017. While there were a good number of parents who attended, please click below for the specific presentations that were made to students and parents. Click here for the current Year 9 presentation. Click here for the current Year 10-12 presentation. Additionally, the 2017 Course Option Booklet has been uploaded to our website. Please click here to view it. As I know many of you do, please do engage with your child re the process of selecting subjects and courses so that they make good choices for next year and their future. Related, next week Year 10 students have a 90 minute session with our Careers Adviser, Bronwyn Gardiner, which should be helpful to them in their choices of subjects. NB All 2017 courses must be submitted through the Portal by 3:45pm on Friday 19 August. Junior Next Steps - our Junior Next Steps (Parent-Teacher-Student) Evening is coming up on Tuesday 9 August. It will be a normal school day and the Next Steps Evening will run from 4.00pm-7.00pm. These evenings are very important for students’ learning, progress and achievement, and are carefully timed following students receiving their mid-year report at the end of last term and beginning to finalise course selection for 2017. We strongly encourage all junior students to attend this evening and ask them to bring both their Mid-Year and LE reports. Please note that if you received a letter expressing concerns at the end of last term we do expect to see you there.

To book your interviews please click on the link: www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and use the booking code unsv5. Internal Assessments Authenticity - below is an important piece of information for parents regarding helping students with assessments, please do read it. Similarly below is an important note re absences and internal assessments. Seniors’ School Exams - also below is a note re school exams for seniors, which begin in less than two weeks. ILE - one of the key features of the new school is that it is designed as an ‘innovative learning environment’ (ILE) school. This design is becoming common in new schools and classrooms being built in NZ. In anticipation of this change, last summer we had our D15 and surrounding classrooms (D6, D7 and D11) developed into a space for us to use to transition into these spaces in the new school. This semester some English and Social Science classes are operating in D15. These flexible spaces, which enable a range of different learning settings, work particularly well with our introduction of BYOD this year as we move towards a more future focussed and 21st century education. There will be more from us on this over the 18 months before we move into the new school. Sports Quiz - see below for information on the Ultimate Sports Quiz, a fundraiser for our Sports Committee, which is on next Friday 5 August. It promises to be a great night, see below and get a team together!

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ISSUE 23 • 29 July 2016

IN THIS ISSUE:

P R I N C I P A L ’ S M E S S A G E

Principal’s Message 1-2

Student Council Update 2

Absences & Internal Assessments 3

Authenticity for Internal Assessments 3

Senior Exams, NZQA Fees 3

Sports Council Quiz Night 4

G&T Update, Outdoor Ed 4

New School Van 4

Sports Coordinator Update 5

2016 Important Dates, Meet the Staff 6

Ice Hockey 6

Community notices 7-10

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P R I N C I P A L ’ S R E P O R T

Term 3 has kicked off to a good start with school exam preparation getting well under way. Given the fact this term is a short one (only 9 weeks) it is important that seniors start planning ahead and doing their studies before next term when externals will come around faster than expected. The Student Council have organised another mufti day this term on Friday 19 August. An a capella group from Yale university called the “whiffenpoofs” will perform at WHS to thank us for supporting the charity we have chosen. We are also looking at optimising and compromising on the use of D15. At the start of the year the students said that they wanted an inside social space and D15 was the best solution to this. However, due to the mistreatment of this area, we have had to do some consolidation on whether we can continue having this area open at breaks. The Arts Council has recently helped out with the running of the annual linguathletics competition. This house competition is a fun way to increase language diversity at Wakatipu High School and was very kindly organised by Mr Charton. Over the last month of winter, the head students would just like to remind all students driving themselves to school to take care on the wintery roads. Luke Petre

S T U D E N T C O U N C I L U P D A T E

Cruise for a Cause - another reminder that the WHS Foundation is the fortunate recipient of Real Journey’s Cruise-for-a-Cause in 2016. This is a very special opportunity to escape to the peace and tranquillity of Doubtful Sound on a magical overnight cruise - all in support of the WHS Foundation, is on the weekend of the 27-28 August. There is a special deal just announced that quad share tickets are now just $300pp, with all proceeds going directly to the WHS Foundation. This is a wonderful opportunity to have this magical experience and support WHSF. For more information please see www.wakatipuhsfoundation.co.nz , or go to the WHS Foundation Facebook page Wakatipu High School Foundation. School Van - after several years of not having a school van we have recently become the proud owners of a great new school van. See below for a picture. Teacher Only Day - a headsup that our annual ToD on the Friday of senior exams is coming up on Friday 12 August.

Branches Parent Meeting - also coming up on Wednesday 17 August is an important meeting of Year 10 parents for Branches Camp. Well this busy term is well and truly underway. All students, but particularly seniors, need to be very focussed on their learning and achievement this term - please support them to do this and be their best. Winter is finally here, and a super weekend of skiing awaits. When the snow’s this good the weather is secondary - but Sunday looks best for fair-weather sliders, enjoy :) Steve Hall Principal

continued…

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N Z Q A F E E S & F I N A N C I A L A S S I S T A N C E

A U T H E N T I C I T Y F O R I N T E R N A L A S S E S S M E N T S & P A R E N T H E L P

Can I help my child with assessments? Yes, you can help your child with assessments but only by giving them encouragement, taking an interest in their work, and helping them find study material. You cannot actively be involved in the completion of assessment activities. For example, you should not edit or write answers, or tell your child what to write. If you do, this could be seen as a "breach of authenticity", as the student's work won't be their own, and can lead to an investigation by the school, which can result in a Not Achieved. More information about NCEA is available to parents through The NCEA Guide App, which is actually written for parents. Click here to view.

Students who are absent for an internal assessment need to provide a medical certificate or detailed note to the Principal Nominee to potentially available for a further assessment opportunity. We are aware that obtaining a medical certificate is a costly endeavour so if financial assistance is needed to obtain a medical certificate, please contact the school and talk with our Guidance Counsellor, Ms Vicki Patton.

A B S E N C E S & I N T E R N A L A S S E S S M E N T S

NZQA Fees & Financial Assistance for NCEA Exams 2016 Paying your fees will enable your results to be recorded on your Record of Achievement and to receive any certificates. Domestic Students pay $76.70 for all standards and International students pay $383.30 for all standards. Scholarship exam fees are $30 per subject but this will be charged later once students are attached to those standards. If you are a domestic student you can apply for Financial Assistance. Click here for further information and to see if you meet the conditions for assistance. To get Financial Assistance you need to complete the Financial Assistance form and hand it in to the school office. You can get this form from the office or the NZQA website. All fees and financial assistance applications are due by Tuesday 30th August 2016.

S E N I O R E X A M S

Senior Exams are from Thursday 11 to Tuesday 17 August. The timetable has been finalised and sent out to all students and is on our school website. Please click here to view the exam timetable and associated details. Students should now be preparing a plan and beginning their study. Schools exams are important for a number of reasons, including for students to practise the art of performing well in an exam environment, and they are used for ‘derived grades’ for the number of students who are always unable to sit external exams at the end of the year due to illness, injury, accident etc. Additionally, these results are used to determine end of year prizes.

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G & T U P D A T E

O U T D O O R E D

Change of Office Hours - This term my Office Hours have changed. I will be at school two days a week. Office Hours: Tuesday 11:30-3:30 Thursday 9:30- 1:30 If you want to meet at another time, please email me to schedule an appointment. I will also be available via email and will endeavour to get back to you within 24 hours. ICAS English on Tuesday 2 August. Year 10 students who are participating in ICAS English will complete it in Period 1 on 2 August in E2. Students in Year 9 and 11, will complete ICAS at Break 1 in E2. All students need to come prepared and bring a 2B or B pencil and an eraser. Practice English papers can be downloaded from https://www.eaa.unsw.edu.au/icas/download-practice-questions G&T Coordinator Sue Luus

In the July copy of the NZOIA (NZ Outdoor Instructors Association) newsletter/magazine that comes out four times a year there is a great article from Ken McIntyre show casing Outdoor Ed at Wakatipu High School – see page 16 in the online edition here. Dawn Aspin's photo made the front cover!

S C H O O L V A N

We are excited to show you our new school van which has already been popular for bookings for all school trips!

S P O R T S C O U N C I L Q U I Z N I G H T

Wakatipu High School Sports Council Presents the "Ultimate Sports Quiz - Like No Other“ This year the WHS Sports Council is looking to raise funds to support school sports teams and athletes by hosting The Ultimate Sports Quiz - Like No Other. The quiz will take place at the Memorial Hall on Friday 5th August with a 7pm kick off. Teams are up to 5 people per table at a cost of $100 per table and it is compulsory to wear your favourite supporters gear! Get those competitive juices going as this quiz is a winner takes all event! Limited to 40 tables so get in quick by registering your team here or on the school website: www.wakatipu.school.nz. This will be a great night of entertainment, hosted by Ferg and Richie. There will be a bar, snacks and some awesome auction items to get your hands on. So get behind our athletes and start stacking your team for the Ultimate Sports Quiz - Like No Other!

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S P O R T S C O O R D I N A T O R U P D A T E

South Island League - Congratulations to Xavier Sadler who trialled for and has been named in the wider training squad for the U17 South Island Scorpions. This team will compete in a national tournament in September. All the best with this Xavier. U14 Otago Country Rugby - Congratulations to the following players who have been named in the wider U14 Otago Country Rugby Rep Squad: Harry Clark, Charlie Campbell, Levi Collins, Keanu Panapa and Alesana Tulofono. Well done boys. Rugby Semi Finals - This weekend the U15s take on a Southland Boys’ High School team in Invercargill in the semi finals of the Southland U15 Club Competition. The U17 team is hosting Southland Boys’ Blue at the Events Centre at 1:15pm in their Division 2 semi final. The U14s carry on their quest this weekend to make the semi finals of the B grade U14 Southland Club competition. All the best to our teams as they move closer to achieving their 2016 season goals. Good luck boys! Netball – The Year 10 A and Year 9 A netball teams competed in their South Island Tournament during the school holidays in Christchurch with some good results. The 9A team battled hard to finish 7th while the 10A team finished in 12th place. Congratulations on your efforts girls, and thank you to all of the parents and coaches that made it such a successful trip. Ski – The Otago Southland Ski and Snowboarding Championships will be held at Cadrona on the Monday 8th August. For any students wanting to take part in this please see Mr Robb by Wednesday. This will be followed by the South Island Secondary Schools Championships in September. Central Southland Exchange – We will be travelling to Winton on Wednesday to compete in our annual exchange with Central Southland College. This will be a good challenge for teams leading into winter tournament week. Any students that do not have a permission slip need to see Mr Munday ASAP. Wakatipu Sports Academy - The second semester of sports academy starts on Tuesday 9 August. There is an information evening at 5.30pm on Monday 1 August in G4. This is for all students interested in learning more about what the WSA is and parents are also encouraged to attend. This academy is open to all students to apply. James Munday, Sports Coordinator

Swimming – The WHS swim team tasted success at the South Islands Swim meet in the school holidays. There were seven swimmers - Danique Ehmann, Isaak Frewan, Tasmin Hepburn, Archie Ritchie, Cool Wakushima, Gabby White and Molly Woodham. All team members qualified for finals, which is a fantastic result. Placings went to: Isaak Frewan - 2nd 50 Free, 2nd 100 Fly, 3rd 200 Breast, 3rd 200 Free in the 14 and under male age group. Molly Woodham - 2nd 200 Back, 1st 50 Breast in the 14 and under female age group. Gabby White - 3rd 50 Back, 3rd 100 Back in the 15 and over female age group. The WHS Freestyle relay team of Danique, Gabby, Isaak and Archie - placed 2nd in the mixed open event. Congratulations team, it is great to see the hard work paying dividends.

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WHO EVENT DATE

CSC Sports Exchange 3 Aug

All Ultimate Sports Quiz Night 5 Aug

Yr 9,10 Junior Next Steps Evening 9 Aug

All Excellence & Ad Alta Assembly 9 Aug

Blenheim Jazz Festival 9-14 Aug

Yr 11, 12, 13 School Exams 11-16 Aug

All Teacher Only Day 12 Aug

Yr 10 Branches Parent Meeting 17 Aug

Yr 9-12 Course Options Selection Due 19 Aug

All Full School Assembly 24 Aug

Important dates for your diary…

Meet the Staff…

Janet Theelan

How long have you been at WHS? I have been at WHS since the beginning of Term 2. What is your position? Last term I was teaching in the social sciences and mathematics learning areas and this term I am teaching in the Mathematics learning area. What do you love about the job? Working with the young people and seeing them realise their potential. What do you like doing in your free time? Tramping, cycling, swimming, reading and craft work What item could you not live without? Chocolate and coffee! What do you like about Queenstown? The people, the scenery and the opportunity to be able to do some many amazing outdoors activities. Describe yourself in three words: Friendly, Positive, Enthusiastic

The U17 Junior Stampede ice hockey team are leading the New Zealand Midget U17 Ice Hockey tournament and are competing with Auckland, their main rivals, in QT this weekend. Queenstown have won 8 out of 9 games, with their loss occurring in hard fought overtime play. Auckland have won 7 out of 9 games. There are two tournament points in it with this weekend’s games being the last rounds before finals so it’s going to be an exciting couple of games. Puck drop on Saturday is at 3:30pm and Sunday at 3:00pm at the QT Ice Arena. Events are free of charge for spectators. Dawn Palmer

I C E H O C K E Y

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W H S F U N D R A I S E R

Wakatipu High School Foundation's Cruise for a Cause Fundraiser : Doubtful Sound Dinner Theatre

featuring Wakatipu High School’s Drama Department Wakatipu High School Foundation is thrilled to announce an exciting Dinner Theatre fundraiser in Doubtful Sound on 27 August as part of Real Journey’s 2016 Cruise for a Cause. Escape to the peace and tranquillity of Doubtful Sound on a magical overnight cruise in support of Queenstown’s only high school. All ticket sales will directly fund the Foundation’s critical investment in the quality of education at Wakatipu High School, including assisting students in financial hardship. This overnight cruise aboard the Fiordland Navigator passes through some of the most stunning vistas in the world, with resident dolphins, fur seals and even some rare penguins often providing additional delights. After exploring the shoreline by kayak or tender, guests will settle in for a fun-filled evening. Our talented students from the drama department at Wakatipu High School will be performing short skits, extracts and improvisation during dinner for your exclusive entertainment. The Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise for a Cause in Fiordland National Park promises to be a spectacular two days with fellow guests and benefactors of Wakatipu High School Foundation. For more information and tickets ($575 pp - hurry there are limited seats on our coach and for your choice of cabin): visit us at wakatipuhsfoundation.co.nz or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Wakatipuhsfoundation/

New special deal - only $300pp for a quad share cabin! Special deal for early birds - 1 complimentary return coach seat between Queenstown and Manapouri!

Please ask our staff when booking.

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C O M M U N I T Y N O T I C E S

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C O M M U N I T Y N O T I C E S

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C O M M U N I T Y N O T I C E S

DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE QUEENSTOWN The next AA New Zealand Defensive Driving course is to be held on July 12,14, 19 & 21(inclusive) from 7.00-9.00pm. Further information please email kaye@lakesdrivingschool.nz; call/ txt 027 623 3534 or web inquirieswww.lakesdrivingschool.nz;

Guitar, Drums and Bass Tuition Estab 2007 Phil Hartshorn BA (HONS) PGDip Tching Email: phil@philiphartshorn.com Mobile: 021 075 0927 Please read my student testimonials.

Dan Gerard is a professional driving instructor and a member of the NZ Institute of Driver Educators. He offers high quality driver training and specialises in driving lessons for learner drivers for their restricted class 1 licence and polishing lessons for those doing their full licence. His driving assessments and reverse parallel parking technique is very popular. Having been a driver licence testing officer he understands not only how to ensure you are driving safely, but also what is legally required. DAN GERARD – 027 349 2447

Public Health Nurse – Karina Anderson Visiting Schedule

WHS every Monday

Break 2 from 1.45pm – 2.20pm NZQA Office in the Admin Block.