Issue 10 - 8 July 2021

E ngā reo, e ngā mana, rau rangatira mā, ngā matā waka, tēnei te mihi nui atu ki ā koutou katoa. Ko te wawata me te tumanako ka noho ora mai koutou katoa.

To all parents, caregivers and the community,

As we move towards the end of this term, I want to share with you the messages we have given our Junior and Senior students in the most recent formal assemblies. It is important to reflect on a great term that we have had, but also set our sights on Term 3.

I would like to acknowledge all the work the students have done this term, and how settled and calm our classrooms have been, and how engaged students are in their learning here. Our young people understand that what we do here at WHS is based on respect - one of our school values. Our students show this when they allow teachers to teach, others to learn, and they respect their own opportunities to learn. I have been impressed with the respect they have shown to our new toilet block and our modernised B block, as they are clean and well cared for.

I have been impressed by so many students being involved in the wider life of the school. What we are great at at WHS is our participation in school beyond the classroom. Whether that be kapa haka, Interact, basketball, netball, football, rugby, hockey, school production or Get2Go. Getting involved, being part of a team, giving back to the school (service) are all skills that will help students thrive beyond school.

At the recent Junior assembly, I posed the question of how many students had participated in one or more school activity beyond the classroom. We had 75% of our students raise their hand. It was such a powerful illustration of how engaged our young people are. I know that our Prefects are students who have shown the qualities of participation and service. I hope all students set their sights on aspiring to be like them.

As members of our school, we show our respect for others by appreciating the acts of others and the sacrifice they make to help us. I have asked all of our students to acknowledge the help they receive from our teachers before the end of term. I have also asked them to thank you, their parents, for going above and beyond. Whether that be driving them to sports, sitting in the cold and cheering them on, or getting them to school with a full puku. I hope they thank you.

As we move to Term 3, we will focus on the school value of achievement. Reports will be available at the end of this term for students. This will give them an insight into where they are in their learning, and what they need to do to improve. This will support students in their goal setting for which there is an opportunity in week 5 to meet with Student Mentors to review and set new goals. It is really important in life that our young people have goals to aim for.

Next term we start looking at 2022 and the subjects students will choose. For Year 9, this means looking at Year 10 options, for Year 10s, this means looking at their NCEA Level 1 options. It will be important for students to choose subjects that they enjoy and that link to their passions and interests. In weeks 3-4 next term, there will be a focus on career planning to support this.

Our teachers are working hard to develop new exciting courses that meet students' needs and aspirations and we will publish these in the curriculum books later in Term 3 to help whanāu make informed decisions with their children. In addition, we are also consulting around how we might strengthen the timetable, but this is consultation at this stage.

School Production

Our school production was a success and helped showcase the great talent we have here at Whakatāne High School. We had sold out shows that enabled us to bring the community in to our school. The feedback was incredible and the production created memories that will last a lifetime for the production team. None of this would have been possible without a dedicated group of students, staff and support from the community. I would like to acknowledge Theatre Whakatāne for their help.

I wish all our students a restful holiday so they come back refreshed and ready to learn.

Martyn Knapton

Principal

Current students Adam Reid (pictured) and Cambell Julian, ex student Malachi Zonneveld and teacher Sue Whale were among nine presenters on Friday 2 July at the War Memorial Lounge. About 100 people listened to slide show presentations. Adam spoke about his involvement as an actor, singer and technical person in stage productions, Cambell spoke about multisports and his attendance alongside others from WHS at the Hillary Challenge. Malachi spoke about his body building journey and Mrs Whale spoke about her son Joshua's (an alumni of WHS) e-motorbike business in Rwanda. Others spoke about Opal Mining trips to Australia, buying a piece of land in the Rangitaiki area to restore a wetland, exciting overseas intrepid travel experiences, how to look after kiwi eggs and more. About $3,500 was raised for the trust.

Year 13 students

Year 13 students will be beginning to think carefully about their plans for 2022. Part of that will include applying for scholarships and accommodation for those intending to study at the tertiary level. Students will be checking the due dates and ensuring that they are keeping to the deadlines for their applications. During Term Three the student recruiters will visit again, this time to help the students plan the papers that they will enrol in for 2022. A detailed calendar will be published soon.

Career Events

Last week we had a focus on Careers in Health. The Students of Rural Health Aotearoa (SoRHA) group came to share their tertiary experiences of studying toward a health career with the Year 10 students. Following that, a group of Year 12 and 13 students attended the DHB Health Career Expo at Whakatane Hospital. There they were able to speak to the SoRHA students as well as practicing health professionals. It was very useful for our students to speak directly to professionals to determine which career in health is for them. Later in Term Three a group of Year 11 Maori students will be able to attend Te Whe, a day-long programme at the hospital and Awanuiaarangi exposing the students to careers in health. Te Whe is part of the University of Auckland Whakapiki Ake programme, promoting Maori students into Health Careers.

Gateway

Our students continue to have Gateway work placements within our community. Recent placements that have been very successful include the Seeds programme, run through Service IQ and based at Whakatane Countdown. Stevie Emery has had the opportunity to join DOC workers recently, including releasing weka near Opotiki.

Four of our experienced baristas were able to to upskill and gain the Level 3 Barista Certificate with Jenny from Coffee Counsel.

If any of our community have suitable workplaces where our students could experience what it is like to be in work, please contact us for further details.

Futures Academy

Our students continue to attend their Futures Academy courses each week. The Level 2 Agriculture and Farming course has had some particularly interesting days out recently. They were able to attend the Farm 4 Life HUB Day at Te Puke and a visit to the goat farm at Awakeri.

Keep up to date with tertiary events and other Career ideas on the Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/WhakataneHighSchoolCareers

Jo-Anne Stuart

jo-anne.stuart@staff.whs.co.nz

Julie Ball

julie.ball@staff.whs.co.nz

We would like to acknowledge and send our best wishes to our Kapa Haka group as they travel to Tauranga Moana for the Mataatua Regional Kapa Haka competition. They are set to hit the stage tomorrow at 10.40 where they will represent our school with pride and carry the mauri of our kura with them on stage. The commitment from the students, tutors, parents and teachers have not gone unnoticed so we would like to acknowledge them too.

E hiahia ana mātou ki te whakaae, ā, tuku mai i o mātou mihi pai ki to tātou roopu Kapa Haka e haerere ana ki Tauranga Moana mo te whakataetae Kapa Haka a rohe mo Matāatua. Hei āpopo ka tū te Kapa nei ki runga i te atamira i te 10.40, ka tū rangatira mai rātou, ka kawe hoki i te mauri o tā tātou kura. Ko te pono o ngā ākonga, o ngā kaiako, o ngā mātua hoki kua kore e kitea, nō reira he mihi nui hoki tēnēi kia rātau mā.

KIA WHAKATĀNE AU I AHAU!

On Wednesday, we heard some fantastic speeches by a few of our Year 9 and 10 Pūāwaitanga (ALP) classes. Participation awards were presented to: Kithmini Melville, Emilie Rosset, Forsaith Hahipene, Riley Rutter, Finn Jones, Jai Julian and Monique Prasad. Our placegetters were as follows:

Year 9

1st Catelyn Santos

2nd Jessie Jones

3rd Lily Isaac

Year 10

1st Kenna Baker

2nd Maddison Lynch

3rd Ella Murphy

Congratulations to all students on their participation and achievements.

The EBPHA is rolling out another round of MMR vaccinations at Whakatane High School on 23-24 August. Consent forms have been given out to all students 15 years and over. If you'd like your child to be vaccinated, please fill out the form and have them return it to their Mentor teacher or the office by 30 July.

Huge Congratulations to Kokako Raki who has been named in the NZ Maori Rugby League U16 Kotiro team recently. Kokako has represented her Tuhoe Iwi with mana and pride at the recent NZ Maori Rugby League Rangatahi tournament held in Rotorua. Her team managed to place 3rd at the huge event which had teams from all over the country in participation.Kokako will represent this NZ Maori team at a Pasifika Cup later this year.

*Photo credit: from NZMRL page and Zac Luke Photography

A big well done to our Motocross team who had some good results at the North Island champs this weekend, the team placed 8th out of 64 High schools involved!

Corban Toone was the best of our team, placing 5th while Carter Davies (pictured) came a commendable 12th in a large field of riders. Tayla Brady was 16th and Emma Cloke 17th.

Well done to all and a huge thank you to the large support crew that is always needed to make this sport successful.

Junior Boys A had an absolute thriller of a game against Papamoa Volcanoes. The score was all tied up at the break at 1-1 and the 2nd half was filled with end to end chances for both teams. After an early goal to Papamoa in the 2nd stanza, there was a large break of no one getting that ball across the goal line. A brilliant goal for us came from Billy Dawson sailing in the back of the net but then a return goal from the visitors meant we were trailing with only minutes to go in the game. Our boys showed real gumption and kept going right to the end and ended up with the 3 points, a 4-3 victory. (Pictured, Sam Littlejohn).

Congratulations to Brooke Young who has been selected to trial for the NZ Maori U18 rugby side!

Brooke has made it through to the final trial after 3 initial training camps were held in Timaru, Huntly and New Plymouth. From these camps, just under 50 boys and 50 girls have been selected to attend the next stage of the selection process which will be happening in the next school holidays in Rotorua.

Brooke was part of our WHS, 2020 Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology Baywide Secondary School U18 Girls Championship winning team last year and continues to show great leadership as the captain for the girls U18 Rugby team this year.

Brooke had this to say, "Just wanna say how appreciative I am to be able to make something big with only a few years under my belt and I couldn’t have done it without my mum. She’s been a big support on and off the field helping me get to the places I need to be to make things like this happen for me."

Good luck Brooke! We wish you all the very best with this process.

Brooke pictured here (left) with WHS team mate Cameron Waaka.

Make sure you follow our Sports at Whakatane High Facebook page to keep up to date with our sporting achievements, draws and results.

https://www.facebook.com/sportswhakatanehigh

Congratulations to our Deputy Head Girl, Te Aniwa Tutua on being selected to participate in the REACH (Realising Educational Aspirations for Careers in Health) 2021 Otago Scholarship in August!

The selection process was incredibly tough and Te Aniwa was one of only 22 students selected nationwide for this amazing opportunity!

The REACH Otago Scholarship is provided by the Māori Health Workforce Development Unit and is funded by the Ministry of Health.

The REACH Scholarship includes transport, accommodation and all activities on and off the Otago University campus. Ka mau te wehi Te Aniwa!

The 2021 Whakatane High School Senior Ball will be held on

Friday 30 July. Tickets can be purchased from the student office this week. Then, take your receipt to B8 during interval and lunchtime this week to collect your ticket - $50 for a single ticket and $90 for a double. Students must have at least 80% attendance to attend the ball.

Any queries, please see Mrs McKane.

Below is a small list of events coming up.

For the full calendar of events, check out this link:

https://portal.whakatanehigh.school.nz/index.php/calendar

• Kapa Haka Regionals - Friday, 9 and Saturday, 10 July
  
• Last Day of Term 2 - Friday, 9 July
  
• First Day of Term 3 - Monday, 26 July
• Teacher Only Day and Senior Ball - Friday, 30 July

Health services provided FREE in school:

• School Nurse: daily except Wednesday morning
• School Doctor: Tuesdays P2
• Nutritionist/Dietitian: Weekly on Wednesday morning

Visit the Student Office to make an appointment.

The Science Department are always in need of ice cream containers, newspaper and paint test pots (even if they have a little bit left in them). Any time you have some spare, please drop them in to the front office.

If you require information about your student/s bus route or timetable, please contact Uzabus directly on: 07 308 6169.

3:15pm-4:30pm in the library every Wednesday.

Check out the Rangiatea Facebook page and see what our fantastic teachers have been up with with our young parents: https://www.facebook.com/RangiateaWhakatane/

Email: admin@whakatanehigh.school.nz
Website: https://www.whakatanehigh.school.nz
Location: Whakatane High School Goulstone Rd, Whakatane 3120, New Zealand
Phone: +64 7 308 8251
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whakatanehigh/