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Weekly Wrap Up

The Wrap Up (Term 3, Weeks 9 & 10)

The final two weeks of term were fast and furious! From EPro8, to political debate, staff vs students sports to our shared dinner for families of refugee and migrant students, not forgetting the return of the Music Evening, there was a lot going on. Catch up on it all in this bumper Wrap Up!

Important Dates

  • Monday 9 October: Start of Term 4
  • Thursday 12 October: Sports and co-curricular photographs
  • Monday 16 October: Board meeting – 6pm

Important Information

Principal’s message

Dominic’s Principal’s message for the end of Term 3 is online. Read it here.

Term 3 reports

Term 3 reports have been emailed to parents and caregivers. Reports are also available for download from the Parent Portal.

Mental Health Awareness Week

Week 10 was Mental Health Awareness Week! You can check out all the information and resources about this on the Mental Health Foundation website. Each day we have focused on one of the five ways to wellbeing:

Take Notice | Me Aro Tonu – Monday
Take Notice refers to the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness can be thought of as open and receptive attention to, and awareness of, what is occurring in the present moment. Cathy Gamba from Pause Yoga treated students to some mindfulness, yoga and relaxation!Give | Tukua – Tuesday
Give refers to actions based on kindness, altruism, or generosity. Carrying out acts of kindness boosts our happiness, life satisfaction, and overall wellbeing. Students were invited to dress up and donate a gold coin to the Mental Health Foundation and give compliments to one another!

Be Active | Me Kori Tonu – Wednesday
Widely recognised as being crucial for physical health and fitness, being active is also a powerful mood booster. Being active can not only make us feel good, it also enhances our thinking and learning abilities. An opportunity to ‘Just Dance’ was provided for students at lunchtime! 

Connect | Me Whakawhanaunga – Thursday
Connection is the ngākau/heart of our wellbeing. It weaves us together, making us feel seen, heard, and understood. When we nurture meaningful connections with others, we fuel our own happiness. Students were encouraged to connect at lunchtime by picnicking on the field!

Keep Learning | Me Ako Tonu – Friday
Keep Learning refers to ‘exercising our mind’ – almost like taking our brain to the gym. Any activity that challenges our thinking and expands our consciousness improves our ability to think. 

Noho ora mai, 

Gavin, DeNeen, Nikki and Jawahir (your counselling team)

What’s happening?

Music Evening

Music Evening returned!

After a hiatus the Riley Centre transformed into Wellington’s ultimate gig last Tuesday evening. Featuring performances from our junior bands, senior Music students, Māori Performing Arts and co-curricular groups. Classical, jazz, rock, samba – you name it, it was there.

Visit the photo gallery for a taste of the evening.

 

Political forum 

The library was packed to the brim at lunchtime on Wednesday 13 September, with students and staff eager to hear what our local political candidates had to say. Ibrahim Omer (Labour), Tamatha Paul (Green), Taylor Arneil (New Zealand First) and Scott Sheeran (National) were all kept on their toes as they fielded challenging questions from the students. Of particular interest were the candidates views on the current voting age, climate change and support for low-income families.

Family evening shared dinner

On 20 September we hosted a family evening and shared dinner for our former refugee and migrant families. It was a lovely evening with delicious food from all over the world.  

 

Athletes with a Disability (AWD) indoor bowling

Senior ākonga competed in the Athletes with a Disability (AWD) Indoor Bowling competition held in Upper Hutt against other high schools in Wellington. They made it to the semi finals! Thank you to the Upper Hutt Cosmopolitan Club for hosting the game and to the staff who assisted the students with technique and scoring. 

 

Achievements

EPro8

Six WHS teams participated in the Wellington region qualifying round of the EPro8 Challenge. EPro8 is an inter-school science and engineering competition and this year’s competition was held at Hutt Valley High School from 12 – 14 September. Two WHS teams made it through to the final! Congratulations to all the participants.

Sports

Staff vs students: Wakefield Boot 23

Over the past two weeks students have taken on staff in a range of sports. The aim? To determine who would win the Wakefield Boot.
Ki O Rahi: staff won 40 – 23
Volleyball:  students won 2 sets to 1
Basketball: students won 50 – 26
Netball: staff won 25 – 18
It all came down to football which the staff won 3 – 1
The Wakefield Boot was returned to the staff after a 3 year hiatus.

Powerlifting champs

Congratulations to Ruben du Toit, Kauri Sekido and Leo Cromie who recently competed at the College Sport Powerlifting championships. Ruben placed 1st in his division, Kauri came 4th in a heavier weight division and Leo placed 2nd in the U16 category. Congratulations on these phenomenal achievements!

Careers

Gateway work experience – applications open for 2024

Gateway work experience is for one day a week for a term/10 weeks or over a school holiday period. On Gateway you will achieve a minimum of 20 credits on a Health and Safety course and a Work Ready course or Industry-based unit standards.

Gateway is not a timetabled class and successful students will have to catch up on the school work they miss due to the work placement. You can choose a day that works best for you and that least impacts your school timetable.

You must have good attendance. Places are limited and some courses and work placements will start as soon as Term 1 next year so get your application forms in to Paula now.

Want to find out more about Gateway? View the presentation here.

Wellington Trades Academy 2024

The Wellington Trades Academy (WTA) offers the best of school life and vocational training skills development. Programmes are open to students who will be in Years 12 and 13 in 2024. The WTA course runs alongside a student’s school programme: students are at school three days a week and at the WTA for the other two days.

 The options available at NCEA Level 2 and 3 are:

Level 3 (2 days per week)

  • Cookery (60 credits )
  • Animal Care (40 credits)
  • Barbering (40 credits)
  • Health Sciences (20 credits – one day a week)

Level 2/3 Te Ao haka (Maori Performing Arts) – 1 day a week for 25 credits

Level 2 (all approx 40-45 credits). Courses are for two days a week.

  • Engineering & Automotive
  • Creative Tech
  • Construction Mixed Trades
  • Salon Environment
  • Health Sciences (20 credits – one day a week)

If you want to know more about these options, please contact Chuni Bhikha (Careers Advisor) at bac@whs.school.nz

Have a look at this presentation to find out more.