Important Dates

Monday 10 March – Board Meeting 6.00pm
Monday 7 April – Board Meeting 6.00pm
Friday 11 April – End of Term 1

Important Information

Principal’s message

Dominic’s mid term Principal’s message is now online here

Visitor sign in and car parking

If you come into school during the day, please come to Reception and sign in as a visitor. You must also sign in your vehicle if you have parked in our car park, but please note we cannot guarantee parking spaces are available.

Our car park is operated by SmartComply with a number plate recognition entry/exit system, and is a P30 during school hours Monday-Friday and overnight from 10pm. The car park system is not operational during the evening, during the day at weekends and is turned off for events such as Learning Conversations.

We recommend that, when you sign in, you sign in for a longer period than you might anticipate needing. As the system is automated it strictly applies the P30 rule. Should you receive a breach notice that you feel has been unfairly awarded e.g. because a meeting has over-run, please email it to admin@whs.school.nz and we will follow up with SmartComply.

What’s Happening?

Neurodiversity Celebration Week

Please note that Neurodiversity Celebration Week is 17-21 March this year. Wellington High has been involved in this worldwide initiative for several years now. The aims of the week are to transform how neurodiverse individuals are perceived, by celebrating the unique strengths and talents of neurodiverse people and helping to create a more inclusive and equitable culture. This initiative started in the UK and the online events are held in UK time however this year these events are being recorded so people participating in other countries can also have access to them. Please see below for a calendar of events that you can sign up to if you wish. You need to register and you will be sent a recording after the event.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week Events Calendar

International students

The international department has started off a busy year with 65 students from 18 different countries enjoying the balmy Wellington weather for the start of Term 1. Most of our students are hosted by families from the school community and beyond so it was wonderful to welcome everyone to the year with a BBQ on a sunny but windy day. Without our host families we can’t welcome students to WHS so we are forever grateful for their care and support.

Guys and Dolls

Have you booked your audition? There’s still time to sign up! You can try out for any role: there are non-singing characters, comedy parts, triple-threat lead roles, and loads of things to do in the chorus. Sign up in the foyer – bring a friend!

Year 13 Drama Camp

Last week we took two year 13 classes to Riversdale Beach in the Wairarapa. Students used this time to work on their self-devised scenes and monologues for assessment at the end of term. While we were away we also celebrated a birthday, lucked out with great weather, and enjoyed amazing food.

You can see the students’ final performance pieces in week 11: 8-9-10th April at 6.30 in the Riley Centre. Admission by koha.

Spotlight on independent creativity

Wellington High’s Tama Mùnoz went from watching wrestling DVDs as a kid to training with Valiant Pro Wrestling. Now, he’s on the path to turning his passion into a career. Want to know how you can get involved in the local wrestling scene? Check out the full story here

Alumni reunion

More than 20 ex-students who attended either Wellington Technical College or Wellington High School met up at the Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre in Auckland last Friday.

Hosted by the WHS archivist and Chair of the Friends of Wellington High School and Technical College Association Carey Clements, the two-hour buffet luncheon (held inside the appropriately named Wellington Restaurant and Bar) reunited some old friends and provided an opportunity to make new ones.

Alumni also had the option to join the association if they had attended the school either as a student, support staff member or teacher. For further information on becoming a member (with benefits like receiving newsletters and invites to functions), contact Carey on carey.clements@whs.school.nz or on his work phone of 04 385 8911 extension 935.

Achievements

Top Art Show – Year 13 Art students

Congratulations to five of our Year 13 Art students from 2024 whose mahi was selected for the Top Art Show, a collection of Level 3 Art portfolios hand picked by NZQA to feature in a travelling exhibition around the moto this year. The exhibition is currently showing at Massey CoCA and online NZQA Facebook Top Art.

Millie Crowe | Printmaking (Scholarship)

Over the last two weeks, senior Art classes attended the Top Art exhibition at Massey during class time. On one occasion when we stopped by The Engine Room gallery on the way back to school to see local artist Angerlia Oliver’s sculpture installation, we were fortunate enough to meet the artist in person and hear the story behind her work.

Sport

Dragon Boating

On Sunday 2 March the Wellington Secondary School Dragon Boating Festival was held down on the waterfront at Frank Kitts Park. This year we had two teams entered in the Youth mixed category Tangaroa and Tawhirimatea. Both teams competed against six other Colleges around Wellington and one from Otago. The winds were NNW 50k so our waves were high, hard and fun.

Tangaroa had the fastest time for the whole of the festival paddling at 78.57 beating some of the adult times the previous day. Tawhirimatea was more of a development team with mainly our International students on board. Both teams together competed well, with 4 heats and a final. It was really hard not knowing which final we should be in, but the results were in and both Tangaroa and Tawhirimatea had made the Youth Grand A Finals.What a final it was! Tangaroa came first in the Wellington Festival Gold medal, and they also won the New Zealand Dragon Boating Silver medal. Tawhirimatea won the bronze medal, what an epic achievement for our students.

We would like to thank all of our wonderful students who trained hard over these past four weeks, they competed with a full heart and made us so proud, those students are:

Ahitanahapi Alexander, Fern Ashby, Eva Baker, Moritz Besecke, Maja Bottcher, Selma Clemens, Sophie Connert, Adrien de Beauffort, Anna Lucia De Santis, Willow Dearnley, Osea Drala, Suzie Dubuisson, Lukas Duerkes, Bertine Feyling, Maia Fletcher-Walker, Giorgia Giarran, Aidan Gillespie, Zara Gray, Miro Ireson, Sophia Khrypko, Meg Lowe, Margot Macey, Jefferson Mann,Dan McSherry, Ari Menzies, Ella Millen-O’Brien, Frank Monastra Woods, Anna Mossler, Arlo Murphy, Freddy Pearson, Molly Price, Natalie Sanson, Frankie Savage, Lily Scott, Eve Shaw, Pett Simma, Piccolo Simma, Miro Stegh, Eru Walker Love, Estella Ward, Heather-Ruth Ward Jet White. Paula Schweizok.

A big shout out to Evelyn Scally for taking such impressive photos on the day. The full gallery of photos can be viewed HERE

Ngā mihi

Whaea Char and Joe

Careers

Check out this weeks pathways newsletter to find out more about featured opportunities here