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News / Notices Weekly Wrap Up

Weekly Wrap-Up (Term 2, Week 4)

It has been another epic week: Roots and Shoots students met with Dr Jane Goodall; many students participated in the Strike 4 Climate and we welcomed more than 350 Year 8 students for the afternoon to experience WHS life. Read about this, the PPTA Teachers Strike, BoT elections and more in this Wrap Up.

Important Dates

  • 29 May – PPTA National Strike — please see article below
  • 31 May – Wellington Loop Day Teacher only day – School closed
  • 3 June – Queen’s Birthday holiday. School closed
  • 7 June – Board of Trustees Election Day
  • 10 June – Open Evening, 6pm – 8pm – School closes 3pm
  • 24 June – Board of Trustees meeting, 6.15pm
  • 5 July – End of Term 2

Important Information

PPTA Strike: update from the Chair of the Board of Trustees

Dear Parents and Caregivers

The Board of Trustees cannot provide teaching for students during the upcoming strike

The PPTA has advised the Wellington High School Board of Trustees that teachers at our school will be taking strike action from 12.00am on Wednesday 29 May to 11.59pm on Wednesday 29 May 2019.

The Board has carefully considered the availability of teaching staff, and unfortunately decided that we can’t provide the normal teaching services during the strike so the school will officially be closed for instruction during the above times.

If this is difficult we can still supervise a small number of students if required. Please contact Jude at Reception (04 385 8911 or email jude.aspinall@whs.school.nz) if your child/children will need this.

School transport will be operating to normal timetables.

I know that this is inconvenient for parents and students alike, but please be assured that student safety is our main concern.

Thank you for your understanding. Please contact Dominic Killalea if you have any queries relating to this decision.

Yours sincerely

Deanne Daysh

Chair Board of Trustees

 

Thanks for your support! Letter from the WHS PPTA branch chair

Dear parents, guardians and families of Wellington High School

As we prepare for our first major industrial action next Wednesday, we want to acknowledge the disruption that this may cause for you. We also want to thank you for supporting us in this campaign to improve our teaching conditions and your children’s learning conditions.

Strike action is not something we decide to do lightly, but you will be aware that the pressures of our workload and the declining rate of our relative pay is negatively impacting our ability to do the job that we love. Too many excellent teachers are being lost from the profession because our difficult conditions are turning them away into less stressful work that they are more fairly remunerated for. This is a huge loss for all of us, and especially our rangatahi.

We love teaching your children and we are committed to bringing out the best in them, but to do this we need the Government to take our claim seriously and value the work that we do.

We really appreciate your support, and will welcome you with open arms if you are able to join us and our primary and area school colleagues on Wednesday. We will gather in Civic Square from 11:30am and begin our hikoi to Parliament at noon. Please visit and share the website www.backtheteachers.co.nz for more information.

In gratitude and solidarity

Miriam Pierard

Open evening: Monday 10 June – adjusted timetable

  • Normal day with no rōpū, finish at 3pm
  • 8.45am – Period 1
  • 9.40am – Period 2
  • 10.40am – Interval
  • 11.00am – Period 3
  • 12.00pm – Period 4
  • 1.00pm – Lunch
  • 2.00pm – Period 5

Board of Trustees Elections

Nominations for the Board of Trustees elections have now closed. Voting papers are being prepared and will be posted out to the electoral roll at the start of next week.

Please note that the vote is a postal vote.

If posting your voting paper, you must use the addressed envelope that you will receive with your voting paper. Your vote will not be counted unless the envelope is postmarked before the day of the election (07 June, 2019) and received by the returning officer not later than 5 days after the date of the election.

Alternatively, you may return your voting paper to Reception. If your voting paper is delivered to the school, please ensure that it is delivered before noon on 07 June, 2019 in the addressed envelope that you will receive with your voting paper.

Registering students’ motorbikes and motorised scooters with WHS

As in 2018, we require all students who drive motorbikes and motorised scooters to register them with the school.

From Tuesday 4 June, Carepark will be fining those who have not registered their scooters.

Students need to come and see Alison (Level 5), bring their driving license and their license plate number.

 

What’s happening?

School Visits Best Yet

A record number of 353 students from our cluster and contributing schools visited WHS on the afternoon of Wednesday 22nd May. We were delighted with the 15 classes of students from Brooklyn, SWIS, Te Aro and Mt Cook. They loved their dry ice experiments in the science labs, explored with glee many taster topics in Food Tech, Music, Art, Drama, PE, Fashion, Sonic Arts, Media and Maori Studies. 

Many WHS Year 9 students stayed behind as guides and helpers and had fun renewing acquaintances with students from their former schools. These students are now keen in their turn to come to High for the comprehensive curriculum, diversity and inclusive nature of our teaching programmes. Thank you to all the teachers, students and staff who made this fantastic afternoon possible.

 

 

 

 

Feminist Club and friends

In the wake of recent events, including the changing Alabama abortion laws, students and friends from the Feminist Club demonstrated their support for pro-choice outside the hospital on Tuesday afternoon. The public supported this rally with lots of toots and encouragement and it was a positive experience for all!  

 

 

 

 

 

Our climate challenge conference

This week WHS students including Rilke, Sophie and Molly, and recent  alumni Gwen and Anya, organized a major national conference for High School students to discuss how to save the planet from overheating. The conference took place on 18 and 19 May 2019 at Victoria University’s Kelburn Campus. Over 260 students from all over Wellington region attended including 40 from WHS as well as those organizing it. The weekend included a range of nationally acclaimed speakers, workshops, panels and opportunities to connect with other high school students along with local and national leaders. 

For more information, see the conference website: http://www.climatechallenge.co.nz/

Roots and Shoots workshop with founder Dr Jane Goodall

Hayley Bulmer, Alexa Lee,and Ursula Palmer Steeds from WHS Roots and Shoots along with students from  other schools were able to share their achievements to Dr Jane Goodall, education leaders from the Jane Goodall Institute, the Zoo and Zealandia  at Samuel Marsden Collegiate. Students were further inspired by Dr Jane Goodall and by each other.

 

“Every individual matters.

 Every individual has a role to play.

 Every individual makes a difference.”

Dr Jane Goodall

 

 

 

 

Students Strike for Climate Change Action

Tens of thousands of students took to the street today to strike for climate change action. Wellington High Students organised, marshalled and spoke at the Wellington event. 

After the first strike on March 15, a second strike was planned because New Zealand’s youth “still don’t feel that our planet and future is secure,” according to Tony Huang from School Strike 4 Climate NZ.

The strike aims to encourage all parties in Parliament to support passing the Zero Carbon Bill into law.

For more information and to see how you too can help save our future climate from change click here

 

Māori Philosophy day in Taraika

On Monday, our senior te reo students and the year 13 English with Philosophy students gathered in our whare for wānanga and to listen to two amazing guest speakers: Serahn Kahukura, an expert in te reo Māori and te ao Māori, and Anahera Gildea, a WHS parent and author extraordinaire. We are very grateful to Serahn and Anahera for sharing their ideas and energy! This day has enriched our understanding of te ao Māori and the mana of language. Ngā mihi nui to all involved!

Achievements

Poetry Mentorship: Reza Zareian Jahromi (Yr 13)

Following the publication of his poetry in the ‘More of Us’ anthology (read more about it here), Reza was recently selected as a recipient for the New Zealand Society of Author’s Youth Mentor Programme. He has been paired with poet Ivy Alvarez, who will work with Reza to help him further develop his craft.

Only a handful of young poets and writers are selected from the many who reply. In selecting Reza, the N.Z.S.A. commented: Several applications stood out instantly. These were confident in voice and tone; understood structure and form; knew how to evoke characters / setting / mood; knew how to focus.

Congratulations, Reza. This is a great opportunity, and we are confident you will make the most of it!

 

 

 

 

Sports

Ultimate Frisbee

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected into the NZ National Junior (U20) Ultimate Frisbee Training Squad: 

Girls: Amelia Mance, Sophie Mance

Boys: Morgan O’Hara, Khalid Adam

From this squad, 20 athletes will be selected to each of the NZ U20 Boys and NZ U20 Girls teams to compete at the inaugural Asia-Oceanic Junior Ultimate Championships to be held 13-15 December in Manila, Philippines.

After the January camp, the teams for the World Junior Ultimate Championships will be selected and this group will continue their preparations for the tournament in Malmo, Sweden in July 2020.

Sports Draws

If you are searching for next week’s sports draw, this can be located on our school website www.whs.school.nz please click on the Sports Tab, then select Sports Draws and from the drop down arrow you can then select your chosen sport.

The only sports that cannot be found on here at Netball and Hockey

Wellington Hockey draws can be found by clicking here: http://wellingtonhockey.org.nz/competitions/?group=secondary

Netball Wellington draws can be found by clicking on the link below http://websites.sportstg.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-7022-0-527711-0&a=COMPS

Upcoming Sports

There will be NO Senior Basketball or Senior Badminton on Friday 31 May