Newsletter Week 2 Term 1

Nau mai, haere mai, hoki mai ki te tau 2023!

Welcome back to all of our returning students and whānau. A huge welcome to our new students and family from Waiheke Primary, Te Huruhi, our 11 international students and new students from other schools. You are now a part of the only island based secondary school in the country.

I would also like to welcome back Paul Knighton as a Deputy Principal. Our new teachers are Mo Skelton - Physics, Charlotte Willson - PE/Health/Outdoor Education and Irina Borowski - Health/Social Sciences. Michelle Richards, Jackson Simpson, Rachel Falconer and Jemima Davis-Goff are also new support staff. A big welcome to all our new staff.

After a false start beginning the school year we are now well underway. One big change for 2023 is that we have changed some of our structures to have more of an emphasis on our school houses. We are looking to further foster our school culture and embed our school values, WISE.

Whanaungatanga - Caring for all

Independence - Managing Ourselves

School Culture - Pride in our Values, Environment and Community

Excellence - Striving for Success

We have some exciting events happening in the next few weeks including Athletics Day, Beach Sports and the Piringākau Te Matatini trip. The school will be open on Thursday 23 February 6:30pm - 7:30pm for whānau to come in and meet our staff. We hope you can join us.

Let’s have an amazing 2023.

Ngā mihi nui,

Mikaere October

Principal/Tumuaki

• 15 February - Beach Sports Day (Rain Date 17 January)
• 22 February PhotoLife Student ID and Class Photos Photoshoot
• 22 February - Te Maratini Trip for Piringakau Group
• 23 February - Parent/Teacher Meet & Greet Evening 6:30 - 7:20pm
• 24 February - Athletics Day
• 28 February - PhotoLife Catch-up Photoshoot
• 28 February - Y7 Team Building Day at Onetangi Sports Park
• 6 April - Year 8 Careers Day
• 6 April - LAST DAY OF TERM 1
• 7 April - Good Friday (No School)
• 24 April - FIRST DAY OF TERM 2
• 25 April - Anzac Day (No School)

When: 1st of March 2023 at 7.15pm
Where: School Foyer
Hosted by Friends of Waiheke High School - food and nibbles provided

Friends of Waiheke High School is the parent group that raises funds for the school through fun school and community events.

We are looking for new parents to join the group to run events/fundraising and support our school where needed. This is a great way to meet other parents and be involved in helping raise funds for Waiheke High School.

Please email barberm@waihekehigh.school.nz if you are interested in joining us!

It is great to be back. We are looking forward to 2023 being a better year. We are pleased to have

some new staff on board this year. Maggie and Rachel will be job sharing the nurse role (see

information below). We are fortunate to have a new Psychologist starting in 2023.

We are open from Monday to Friday during School hours. Our focus this year is to make sure

students and whanau are aware of the support services on offer. We want to encourage students to

access our resources and feel they can ask for help.

For students to make an appointment they can- come to clinic, email (using emails below) or put an

appointment slip in the box outside the Health Centre.

We have the following staff in Student Support Services:

• Liz Morris – Counsellor (Monday to Thursday) morrisl@waihekehigh.school.nz 371 9000 ext217

• Bill Kinghorn – Counsellor (Friday –from March 2023) kinghornb@waihekehigh.school.nz 371 9000 ext217

• Maggie Lethwaite – Nurse (Monday, Wednesday and alternate Thursdays) nurse@waihekehigh.school.nz 371 9000 ext215

• Rachel Falconer – Nurse (Tuesday, Friday and alternate Thursdays) nurse@waihekehigh.school.nz 371 9000 ext215

• Tanique Deacon – Careers Advisor deacont@waihekehigh.school.nz 371 9000 ext216

• Dr Rob Kay – School Doctor (Thursday 9 to 1pm, appointments made via nurse)
• Philippa - School Psychologist (Monday, referrals via nurse or counsellor)

Now that the warm weather is here, a reminder that sunblock is available at the front office and during PE lessons. We have plain blue baseball hats available as part of our uniform. Students may wear any hat during outdoor PE lessons. We encourage all students to utilise these options when outside.

We provide career education from Year 7 through to Year 13. We have two qualified Career Advisors, Tanique Deacon and Liz Morris, who are available for appointments with students, parents, and staff.

We provide students with a range of career exploration opportunities including the Career Taster Days, Careers Expo, Employment Engagement Fair, Gateway Work Experience and STAR short courses.

If you would like to know more, please email Tanique Deacon: deacont@waihekehigh.school.nz

Please welcome our 9 new International Students to the 2023 school year and also welcome back Pascal and Lena Pascal and Lena were with us for terms three and four last year. Some of these students come to Waiheke High School for a term and some stay for the whole year. Our students originate from Austria, Germany, Japan and the USA. If you see them around campus or on island, please say Hello, Kon'nichiwa, Servus or Hallo!

Pictured from left to right: Linda, Louise, Fiona, Leo, Wootae (front), Saaya, Hennes, Silas, Pascal, Gautoma (in yellow - front), and Lena

We continue to invest in improving our school property and teaching equipment.

New furniture purchases have been made, including items for a quiet reading room adjacent to the new library. T6 in Whare Toi has been updated with the addition of drawing desks and powerful computers for design and digital technology. Our older Hard Materials block has also now been painted throughout.

Plus: Weights room is open daily (morning, lunch, after school) for Y9- 13 (FOS). Starts Week 3 or 4 after maintenance is finished.

Contact our Sports Co-ordinator, Shelly Foster, at fosters@waihekehigh.school.nz with any queries.

Principal:
Mikaere October

Senior Management:

Rebecca Rose (Deputy Principal)

Paul Knighton (Deputy Principal)

Rachael Wheeler (Business Manager)

Emma Musson (Assistant Principal)

Pita Mahaki (Poutakawaenga)

Email: Enquiries@waihekehigh.school.nz
Website: http://waihekehigh.school.nz/
Location: 11 Donald Bruce Rd, Surfdale, Waiheke Island 1081, New Zealand
Phone: (09) 371-9000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaihekeHighSchool/

To access our Waiheke High School Board Policies and Procedures go to http://waihekehigh.schooldocs.co.nz Username is waihekehigh and password is WaihekeWise

Effective communication is often taken for granted. Whilst some people are naturally gifted in this area, others may feel anxious or apprehensive when asked to speak in public. The ability to communicate effectively and confidently is more important than ever in today’s world. These classes can give you the skills and confidence to feel comfortable speaking in public, or sharing your ideas in class or your future workplace.

Some students will already have a passion for performing and may want to further their skills and experience by taking a Speech & Drama exam, competing at SAPAC, working on audition pieces, or getting some further performance experience. Classes will be tailored to suit the needs of the students.

Topics include: voice and diction, public speaking, improvisation, theatre games, mime, scriptwork, character work, devising, poetry, sight reading.

Years 7 to 10 - sessions will take place on Thursdays during the school day, on a rotational timetable. There will be up to four students in a group. After school classes will be available for Years 11 to 13, please enquire for those.

Tuition fees: $220 per term.

Spaces are limited, so booking is essential.

For enrollment forms, further information, and to secure a place please email Lucinda on

l.peterken@icloud.com