Kia ora koutou,

Great news! Heather Lear (Head of the Supported Learning Centre) and the SNAP Frozen Team made the cover of the latest Education Gazette. They are the main article on pages 2-5. It's a great read about a fantastic group of students who run the business on Thursdays at lunchtime.

If you haven't already, be sure to try out a SNAP frozen ice cream. You can read the article by clicking here to learn more about what it is all about.

There are only a few weeks of classes left for senior students before exams. Year 11 and 12 students will have examinations and a summer break and then transition into senior school in 2025, where the seriousness of NCEA qualifications, future careers and work pathways becomes real. At our school, NCEA Level 2 is the minimum qualification we expect everyone to achieve – and we aim for 100% of our students to reach that level. But beyond that, our goal is for all students to achieve NCEA Level 3 and then move on to tertiary study, an apprenticeship, or full-time work.

However, staying in school through to Years 12 and 13 is about more than gaining formal qualifications. As many whānau, parents and caregivers know, especially if you are an employer, is that students need more than grades to be successful out of school. At a student's first job interview, course application, or audition, students will be asked about their honesty, integrity, passions, ability to communicate, perseverance through tough times, and how well they work with others. They’ll want to know if students can collaborate, problem-solve, and work hard. These are the skills that will help them succeed in life.

Our job is to encourage students to participate and be leaders in this big, busy school to develop those skills. Leading means being role models and participants, as well as being coaches and directors. As whānau and parents, I ask you to encourage your students to stay involved and active. It is sometimes too easy for a teenager to stop playing sports, attend that club, or hesitate and wait too long to take up a leadership opportunity. My advice to all students is not to reach the end of Year 13 thinking; I should have, could have, would have - because it will be too late. Get involved and stay involved the whole way through school.

Early in the week, we were excited to announce that 74 students would take up leadership roles in 2025. Next year, our Head Students, Lucy Davenport (12CW) and William Uriaro 12GU), and Deputy Head Students, Annabel Dee (12CW) and Aaron Chong (12RI), will lead this talented team. Grace Wright (Deputy Principal) oversees student leadership, and I look forward to working with you all next year. You can find the complete list of our 2025 student leaders by clicking here.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve seen some fantastic things our students can do. They have shone! I was particularly impressed by the Whānau Feast (pictured). The food room was transformed into a buzzing, lively space, like something out of a professional kitchen. It reminded me of a scene from ‘The Bear’, or maybe a Gordon Ramsay documentary—except Josh Nicholls (Acting Assistant Head of PE & Health Learning Area) was much more polite! What struck me was how our Year 11 students applied what they had learned in class to a real-life situation. Year 11 students weren’t just preparing food but serving their families and classmates’ parents. School isn’t just about ticking boxes or counting credits – it’s about preparing you for life beyond these walls. And in this case, student actions spoke louder than any words or essays could.

Earlier this year, we asked staff to be creative and authentic with the assessment they designed for Year 11; as you know, we have chosen not to offer the complete NCEA package - leaving that serious stuff until Year 12. I know that a dance benefit and art exhibition are coming up this year for Year 11. After reviewing this year, I look forward to seeing what different Learning Areas/Departments choose to do for assessments next year with their students.

I took four Year 11 students to the Inaugural Lower Hutt City Summit. They sat alongside business owners and Hutt residents to help shape the future of our city. Their contributions were thoughtful and constructive, and they were not at all overawed by the fact that they were the only teenagers in the room. The questions posed were big and open-ended, for example, “What can we do today that future generations will thank us for?” There was a lot of hope mixed with a lot of concern for our city. But everyone agreed that we must celebrate and care for the awa, the harbour, the native bush, and the beautiful surroundings.

Today, we walked in our annual Te Awakairangi March for Mental Health with Year 12 and 13 students. This walk is our way of acknowledging Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) and this year's theme of “Community is What we Create Together”. The walk stresses the Five Ways to Wellbeing - taking notice, giving to others, being active, connecting with others, and keeping learning. A 10 km walk around the area will provide plenty of time for all those things. Each day of MHAW has a set focus.

Friday Rāmere - is Whakawhetai. The day focuses on spreading good vibes and expressing gratitude to someone. I would like to thank all the community members who contribute to the success of HVHS - business owners who employ our students, Board members who volunteer their time to serve, coaches and managers who spend hours with our students, families who donate to causes within the school and all the whānau and families who come along to support our students.

Ngā mihi nui,

Denise Johnson

We've replaced our AED (Defibrillator), and the unit's location has been changed. The AED and its lockbox are now situated at the front of the school on Woburn Road, near the driveway by the Supported Learning Centre (pictured).

In case of an emergency, the AED can be accessed by calling 111 to obtain the lockbox code. The school office also holds the code for quick access during school hours. The AED is available for both the school and the wider community.

Yesterday, we were excited to welcome representatives from Embracing Hearts who worked alongside Exceed - we fix windows and doors, who donated the AED on behalf of our 'heart' students here at HVHS and Wellington Free Ambulance, which donated the community lockbox and organised the installation of the unit.

We are grateful for the continued support of these three organisations in ensuring our community’s safety.

Image: Representatives Rachel (Wellington Free Ambulance), James & Rebecca (Heart Kids Wellington), Emma (Embracing Hearts), Denise (Principal) and Joanne (First Aid Officer) and students from the Supported Learning Centre at the AED Presentation.

Last week, HVHS students excelled in the Wellington region’s EPro8 heats and grand final. EPro8 is a dynamic engineering competition where teams of four select from a range of problem-solving challenges, racing against a two-hour clock to score as many points as possible.

On Tuesday 17 September, during the regional heats (pictured below), HVHS teams swept the competition, securing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. These three top teams advanced to the Wellington Grand Final on Thursday 19 September.

The Wellington grand final challenges focused on enhancing or "pimping" household objects. One of the tasks asked students to attempt to beat the Guinness World Record for firing toast in the air (4.57m) by constructing a toaster frame and mechanism capable of propelling toast into the air.

At the end of the grand final, HVHS teams took 1st and 3rd places overall. Congratulations to Team 2 of Kevin Wang (10NSTT), Merak Manze (10TIWM), Jacob Anderson (10PDHA) & Teram Manze (9GSSP) who placed 1st and Team FOSH of Nina Ongley (10FYBB) and from 10NSTT - Hazel Mahoney, Madison Herapath & Evan Wells) for securing 3rd place.

It was a fantastic outcome for HVHS at EPro8. Both trophies are now proudly displayed at the School Office's entrance.

On Sunday 15 September, 19 students volunteered as servers at the 16th annual Vintners Lunch fundraiser for Te Omanga Hospice.

Thanks to the hard work of everyone involved, the event raised an impressive $251,274! This significant amount will greatly benefit the patients and whānau that Te Omanga Hospice serves.

Jodie Swanson, the event's Marketing and Communications Manager, remarked, "Your students' kindness and generosity have made a real difference in our community."

Photo credit - Brady Dyer Photography and Te Omanga Hospice.

The upcoming Derived Grade exams are a critical part of preparation for the NZQA exams. Not only do they provide valuable practice, but they also serve as the mechanism the school can use to assign compassionate grades in the event of unforeseen circumstances during the NCEA exam period.

The exams begin on the first day back in Term 4, and the schedule and student expectations have already been sent out. Students should manage any exam clashes with their subject teachers to avoid complications.

Key details to remember:

• Arrival time: Students should be at the exam venue 15 minutes before the exam starts, fully equipped and ready.
• Exam times: Morning exams start at 9:00 AM, while afternoon exams begin at 1:30 PM.
• Venues: These will be posted daily on the reception windows, with most exams taking place in the school hall.
• For those sitting Digital exams:
• Attending your exams with a fully charged device is essential.
• If students have any issues accessing a device for their digital exams, please contact Rob Everett (Deputy Principal) as soon as possible at rob.everett@hvhs.school.nz.

Year 11 students are expected to resume their regular class schedule on Tuesday 22 October, while Years 12 and 13 will return to classes on Thursday 24 October. Good luck to all students - use this opportunity to put your best foot forward in preparation for the final exams!

Panda Perfect and our school's Mixed Chorus competed at yesterday's National Barbershop Finals at the Lower Hutt Events Centre, achieving fantastic results.

The quartet Panda Perfect placed 2nd in its category. This quartet (pictured below) includes Tara Randall (13JD), Jesusa Calasara (10CTSH), Charmie Calasara (12RO), and Fraser Neilson (13FL), who was standing in for Ezekial Fata Meafou (13JD), and is tutored by HVHS Alumni David Brooks. In the Barbershop Chorus section, the HVHS Mixed Chorus placed 3rd in their category!

New Zealand Short Course Swimming Championships Results

Four HVHS students were in action at the NZ Short Course Swimming Championships, achieving fantastic results against New Zealand's best age group swimmers.

• Daniel Williams (13JD) competed in the 17-18 Year Age Group, achieving the following results:
• 100m Backstroke: 3rd in the Age Group Final, 6th in the Open Division Final
• 200m Backstroke: 3rd in the Age Group Final, 7th in the Open Division Final
• 200m Individual Medley: 4th in the Age Group Final, 5th in the Open Division Final
• 50m Backstroke: 4th in the Age Group Final, 8th in the Open Division Final
• 200m Freestyle: 10th in the Age Group Final, 18th in the Open Division Final
• Lily Pua (10BE) competed in the 14-year Age Group, achieving the following results: 17th in the 100m Butterfly and 50m Backstroke and 20th in the 100m Butterfly

• Kayne Howat (11MS) competed in the 16-year Age Group, achieving the following results:
  • 50m Butterfly: 3rd in the Age Group Final, 15th in the Open Division Final
  • 100m Butterfly: 6th in the Age Group Final, 18th in the Open Division Final
  • 400m Freestyle: 5th in the Age Group Final
  • 200m Butterfly: 5th in the Age Group Final
• Hannah Sampson (10MVVY) competed in the 14-year Age Group, achieving the following results:
  
• 200m Breaststroke: 1st in the Age Group Final, 12th in the Open Final
• 100m Breaststroke: 2nd in the Age Group Final, 16th in the Open Final
• 100m Butterfly: 2nd in the Age Group Final, 15th in the Open Final
• 200m Individual Medley: 2nd in the Age Group Final
• 50m Breaststroke: 4th in the Age Group Final
• 50m Butterfly: 9th in the Age Group Final

Sports News

• Charlie Edhouse (10PDHA) competed at the New Zealand Club Championships for Indoor Handball last weekend in Wellington. It was a hard competition for her Spartans Club team as they have had quite a bit of change with members over the past 12 months, but it was a great experience as 5 teams from Aussie came over, which lifted the whole level of the competition even further.

• Mila Haami (12GL) for representing the Hutt Valley U17 Girls Softball team. The team won the Softball New Zealand U17 Girls National Tournament in Auckland. Mila and the Hutt Valley U17 Girls Softball team were also team finalists in the Hutt Valley Sports Awards held earlier in the year. Alongside Mila's achievements in softball, she was also selected for the Wellington U18 Girls Rugby Squad.

• HVHS's Mixed Netball Team placed 6th in the recent College Sport Wellington season.

Winter Tournament Week

It was a fantastic week for all our teams and athletes who competed in New Zealand Secondary Schools Winter Sports Tournament Week at the beginning of September!

We were thrilled to see 234 students take part. A huge thank you to our coaches, managers, parent helpers, and everyone else who contributed. Your support is what makes it possible for us to send teams and athletes to these tournaments. Here are the results from the week:

• Badminton - Girls Division 1 placed 8th and Division 2 placed 16th and the Boys Division 1 team placed 7th and the Division 2 team placed 20th.
• Basketball Junior Boys placed 4th in their tournament, narrowly missing a top 3 finish.
• Climbing - Jess Young (12CW) placed 8th in the final.
• Football - the Boys 1st XI Team placed 2nd at the Jim Wishart Tournament, the Boys 2nd XI placed 8th at the Trident Tournament, and the Girls 1st XI placed 5th at the Grant Jarvis Tournament.
• Hockey - Girls 1st XI Team placed 10th at the Eveline Hanker Tournament, and the Boys 1st XI Team placed 12th at the Johnson Cup Tournament.
• Netball - Premier 1 Team placed 19th overall at the Lower North Island Secondary Schools Tournament.
• Rugby - Boys 1st XV Team placed 2nd at the Quadrangular Tournament, Boys U14 Team placed 9th at the Hurricane Tournament, Boys U85 Team placed 5th in the National College Rugby Festival Cup, and the Girls U15 Team placed 8th in their tournament.
• Table Tennis - the Senior Boys Team placed 15th.
  
• Underwater Hockey - Junior Girls Team placed 8th and the Senior Open team placed 10th.

Thank you to everyone who attended the HVHS Premier Sports Awards earlier this week. It was wonderful to come together and celebrate the outstanding achievements of 2025, as well as to hear from our guest speaker, Fusi Feaunati, the newly appointed Head Coach for Super Rugby Aupiki 2025.

A special congratulations to Jacob Williams (9GSSP), who received the HVHS Junior Sportsperson of the Year Award, and to Mikayla Sola (13JD) and Daniel Williams (13JD), joint recipients of the HVHS Sportsperson of the Year Shield. To view the complete list of HVHS Premier Award winners, New Zealand representatives, and national titleholders, click here.

Over the last 4 weeks, HVHS has hosted an in-school Valorant tournament for students to show their prowess in strategy, teamwork, and technical skills.

The final results were:

• 1st place: Team Le Tree (Peter Zhou (11TW), William Kan (11WL) & Xuan Loh (11TW)
• 2nd place: HVHS Pandas (Charles Gray (12CV), Adam Kennet (12MR) & Rajan Subramaniam (9SRDL)
• 3rd place: HVHS Vanguards (Ali Munshi (9TUTS), Lucas Sanford (9QKDO) & Isabelle Carino (11WL).

A shout out to Hutt City New World, which kindly sponsored the event, and everyone involved who played according to our school's values and the code of conduct they signed. It was fantastic to see.

The Year 10 Speech finals were held yesterday in the library, with a fanatic crowd supporting our eight finalists (pictured below). The competition's rules allowed students to speak on any topic, and our top three speakers illustrated the range of topics covered!

Well done to all participants for their outstanding speeches and a special congratulations to our top three speakers:

• 1st - Mia Pinkerton (10NIWE) on Fast Fashion

• 2nd - Priya Silwal (10NSTT) on Trophy Hunting

• 3rd - Alexis Hood (10TIWM) on AI

Image: Mia Pinkerton (10NIWE), Priya Silwal (10NSTT) & Alexis Hood (10TIWM)

- by Sylas Barker (12BW)

I am a 16 year old student attending Hutt Valley High School, turning 17 in 2025, who is really into video games and really keen on travelling! Football is another big interest of mine, and sometimes I play power chair football! I also have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), which is a condition that causes my muscles to progressively weaken. This results in the full-time use of a wheelchair, and is also how I was eligible to apply to the Make a Wish Foundation!

As many of you know, Australia and New Zealand co-hosted the 2023 Women’s World Cup, with our city of Wellington being one of the host cities! Because of this, I had a chance to see the Swedish team play! Even after this match of Sweden vs Italy, I continued to follow the Swedish team for the rest of the tournament, which led to me wishing I could meet the Swedish women’s football team!

When we told Make a Wish that I wanted to go to Sweden, we were told they could cover four days. Before I go any further, let me tell you that I am INCREDIBLY grateful to Make a Wish for covering part of the trip! However, to help make my dream of being in Sweden for two weeks come true, we have set up a Give a Little page to fundraise for the difference. I am also writing on my blog about my preparation and adventures on this trip.

We'd appreciate any help from our school community to find work experience opportunities for senior literacy students. Our senior literacy students are seeking real-world work experience to enhance their learning and help them think about their pathways beyond school. They are excited to see different workplaces and interesting and diverse types of roles and careers.

We’re looking for businesses across all industries who can provide:

• a supportive environment for skill development
• opportunities for hands-on experience in a variety of roles

Ideally, we would love to hear from workplaces that can offer a two or three day placement.

If you are able to help, or would like more information, please contact Nicola Fletcher and Genevieve Hanify at senco@hvhs.school.nz

We have a number of spaces open for junior students from the start of Term 4. Why not sign up and get a head start on learning an instrument for 2025. Hire cost for instruments is $25 for the term.

Instruments available to learn are: bass, cello, clarinet, double bass, flute, french horn, guitar, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, viola and violin.

To enrol a student for lessons in Term 4 please email Jhan Lindsay at music@hvhs.school.nz

At HVHS, we encourage students to bring their own device to school. With over 90% of our students arriving in Year 9 with a Chromebook they are well equipped to access course materials, resources, and assessments through Google Classroom. Unfortunately, for some families, the $400 cost of a basic Chromebook is out of reach due to financial hardship.

To bridge this gap, we work with these families, using the support of our community and whānau to provide solutions. In previous years, we have been fortunate with our annual request to gift Chromebooks to our students most in need. If you think that this is something you can do to help a student - we would love to hear from you.

How to Make a Donation to the Chromebook Appeal

To donate, simply make your contribution to Hutt Valley High School's bank account below using the references 'Chromebook' and 'Donation'.

Hutt Valley High School

02-0528-0030654-00

For more information, please contact Principal Denise Johnson at denise.johnson@hvhs.school.nz to discuss your donation. All contribution, big or small is greatly appreciated and can be truly life changing for many students.

Finding your homework hard? Have a test coming up? Wanting some extension work? Didn't get the grade you wanted in the last assessment? Come to the Maths Help Room and get some individualised support with whatever maths you need help with.

The Maths Help Room is open to all year levels and ability levels. It runs from 3:30-4:30pm every Wednesday after school in P4. Every week there are a range of maths teachers available to help. You can bring your own work from class, or we can find you something suitable.

There is no need to book; just turn up. Please email Jill Skinner (Maths Teacher)

at jill.skinner@hvhs.school.nz if you have any questions.

Do you have a student who is struggling to connect with classmates at school? The Dungeons and Dragons Club is a welcoming and inclusive place for students to foster more connections at school.

We are currently seeking junior students who would benefit from joining the D&D Club. With senior students increasingly focused on their NCEA exams, we have several new groups forming, providing an excellent opportunity for junior students to get involved.

The D&D Club meets every Thursday after school in room V8 until 5:30pm. Teachers are on hand to support students, especially those who may feel shy about joining a group.

If you have any questions, please contact Marcus Blomquist (Maths Teacher/Assistant Head of Restorative Practices) at marcus.blomquist@hvhs.school.nz.

We currently have a shortage of secondhand uniforms to donate to students. We'd greatly appreciate your help, especially with donations of school jerseys/hoodies, black shoes and black jackets.

All donations of secondhand uniforms are given to students to ensure they stay warm and comfortable. If you can help, please drop your donated items off at the School Office, which is open from 8:00am to 4:00pm, Monday through Friday, during term time.

Enrolments for 2025 are open for in-zone applications for Years 9-13 and out-of-zone applications for Years 10-13. Please note that out-of-zone applications for Year 9 have now closed, and we are no longer accepting applications.

All enrolments are now completed online. Please go to the enrolment page to find the online enrolment form and key enrolment deadlines.

We strongly encourage parents and caregivers to enrol their children as early as possible. Year 8 Enrolment Conversations are scheduled for mid-November. These enrolment conversations allow us to meet with parents, caregivers and students to plan for their learning needs and ensure a smooth transition to high school.

If you have any questions, please email our Enrolment Coordinator, Lesley Mackay at lesley.mackay@hvhs.school.nz

Nau mai, haere mai! Turou Oro Mai! Mauri! Afio Mai! Mālō e lava mai! Fakaalofa lahi atu! Ni sa bula!

Date: Wednesday 2 October 2024

Time: 11am–1:00pm

Venue: Whitireia Community Polytechnic, Wi Neera Drive, Porirua

A great opportunity to hear more about career choices, enrolment advice and study support. There will also be student skills demonstrations, fun activities, and spot prizes, and the sausage sizzle will be sizzling! The team at Whitireia Community Polytechnic look forward to seeing you there. For more information email pacificstudentsupport@wandw.ac.nz

Wednesday 2 October

• Whitireia Community Polytechnic - Open Day for Pacific Families (11:00am-1:00pm)

Monday 14 October

• First Day of Term 4
• Derived Grade Exams (run till Wednesday 23 October)

Wednesday 23 October

• NCEA Level 2 Art Portfolio Workshop, 8.30am - 3.15pm
• HVHS Board Meeting, 5:30pm-7:30pm, HVHS Boardroom

Friday 25 October

• HOSCARS (HVHS's Oscars), 6:30-8:30pm, Hall

Monday 28 October

• Labour Day (Public Holiday, School Closed)

Tuesday 29 October

• Hotuwaipara Awards, 7:00pm - 10:00pm (New Date)

Wednesday 30 October

• Last day of school for Year 13 Students

Thursday 31 October

• Dance Benefit

Friday 1 November

• Last day for Year 11 & 12 Students

Tuesday 5 November

• NCEA Exams Begin (runs till Fri 29 Nov)

Thursday 7 November

• Teacher Only Day (School closed for students)

Monday 11 November

• Year 10 Production Season - Classes FY, KO and MI (runs all week)
• Year 9 Social Studies Bus Trips (classes scheduled to Wed 13 Nov)
• Year 8 Enrolment Conversations (run until Friday 15 November)

Monday 18 November

• Year 9 Camps (classes scheduled over two school weeks until Fri 29 Nov)

Wednesday 20 November

• HVHS Board Meeting, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, HVHS Boardroom

Friday 29 November

• Last day of NCEA Exams

Friday 6 December

• Big 10 Sports Event for Year 10 Students
• Year 11 Prizegiving, 11:30am - 12:30pm
• Year 12 Prizegiving, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
• Year 13 Graduation Prizegiving, 6:30pm - 9:00pm, Lower Hutt Events Centre

Thursday 12 December

• Last Day of Term 4
• Year 9 Prizegiving, 9:30am - 10:30am
• Year 10 Prizegiving, 11:00am - 12:00pm

Tuesday 28 January & Wednesday 29 January

• Year 13 Leadership Camp

Thursday 30 January

• First Day for New Staff & Liaison Leaders Day

Friday 31 January

• Teacher Only Day (no classes for students)

Monday 3 February

• Pastoral Day

Tuesday 4 February

• First Day for Year 9 Students (9:00am start time)

Wednesday 5 February

• First Day for Students in Years 10-13 (11:30am start time)

Thursday 6 February

• Te Rā o Waitangi | Waitangi Day (public holiday, school closed)

Email: office@hvhs.school.nz
Website: hvhs.school.nz
Location: Hutt Valley High School Woburn Road, Woburn, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Phone: 04 566 4584