HVHS Newsletter

Kia ora koutou,

Today, we are holding our senior school prizegivings for Years 11-13 at the Lower Hutt Events Centre. We hope this venue provides a more comfortable setting where everyone can find a seat. Organising a prizegiving requires a lot of effort, so I want to extend my gratitude to the senior staff, Deans, and performers for their hard work in preparing for this evening.

Our Year 13 students began their journey at HVHS during a global pandemic. They faced numerous challenges during those early years, including lockdowns, working online from home, and the cancellation of significant events. However, they have embraced all the opportunities 2024 has offered, participating in international trips as well as cultural and sporting achievements.

For Year 13, this graduation ceremony marks the final formal event of their schooling years. After tonight, they will embark on their journeys toward university, polytechnic, apprenticeships, or the challenging world of full-time work. I understand that some students are still deciding where to go and what to do next; please remember that our Careers Team is always available to assist you.

The final days of school create lasting memories—whether it’s the excitement of moving on, as I recall from my own experience, or the comfort of a familiar environment filled with friends, support, and patient teachers. Life beyond school will be different, but I hope you recognise the privilege of your education here at HVHS. You have spent five years in a large, co-educational, very diverse school, which will have prepared you to embrace change, build meaningful relationships, and develop tolerance and resilience as you step into the next phase of your life.

Year 13 students, you leave HVHS with our best wishes for an exciting future. I encourage you to carry the HVHS values - kindness, inclusivity, curiosity, and openness - into the next chapter of your lives.

Ngā mihi nui

Denise Johnson

Next week's prizegiving events for Years 9 and 10 are in the HVHS Hall. With limited seating available, we warmly welcome invited student prize winners and their families and whānau to these prizegiving events. The prizegiving events take place on:

• Year 9 Prizegiving, Thursday 12 December 9:30am - 10:30am, HVHS Hall
• Year 10 Prizegiving, Thursday 12 December 11:00am - 12:00pm, HVHS Hall.

For students in Years 9-10 not attending prizegiving events their last school day for Term 4 is Wednesday 11 December.

Hutt City Council is consulting on a traffic resolution to convert the current P120 parking spaces on St Albans Grove into unrestricted parking. The proposed change is detailed in the plan below.

Hutt Valley High School strongly supports this proposed change, as our school has very limited parking for staff and visitors due to ongoing building works. This change would also help reduce the traffic on St Albans Grove caused by drivers entering and exiting parking spaces every two hours.

We have submitted feedback to the Council in support of this change. We encourage our community to share their feedback by emailing Hutt City Council at trsubmission@huttcity.govt.nz by 10 December 2024.

Kia ora ē te whānau ō Te Kura Tuarua ō Te Awakairangi,

This is my third year as Presiding Member/Chair. It has been a great privilege to hold this role for this time and work with a Board with such a depth of experience, skill, passion and care for our school community. We have continued to grow our capability, and collectively, we are a very effective and engaged Board.

I want to take the opportunity to thank each of our Board members individually: Blair Bushnell, Charles Darr, Susan Dunne, Jacinta Laulau, Mike Pēwhairangi, James Wilkinson, our student representative Tyson Szeto (12CV), staff representative Jason Tierney and our Principal Denise Johnson. I am so very grateful for what you each bring.

Finally, after 3 long years, we have approved funding to build one of our blocks to replace C-block. We have funding only to design the other – I urge you to support us in anyway you can to ensure we also get approved funding to actually build the other block. I yearn for the day the temporary village of portacoms are gone and we can have our sports fields back again.

Part of the original design of our rebuild was the inclusion of design elements (pictured) created by Len Hetet (of Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Te Atiawa and Ngāti Apa decent). This was to ensure the whakapapa of Te Ati Awa – Mana Whenua of the land on which our school is built - is woven into our new build. However, recently the build has undergone a value for money review by the Ministry, and the cultural designs will no longer be provided for in the funding envelope. The Board is very eager to hear from anyone who has ideas, skills, or funding they could donate to help us ensure these really important elements do actually become a reality.

You will have all noticed the continued building wrap and scaffolding across the school; good progress is being made on repairing the rest of our buildings and making them weather-tight again. We will be a building site for a bit longer – but by the time we have our centenary celebrations in August 2026, we should be mostly there.

Ngā mihi nui,

Miranda Cross (Presiding Member)

- by Katie Long (Head of Technology Learning Area)

It has been a busy year for the Technology Learning Area. We are very fortunate to have a wide variety of practical Technology courses available to students, such as Digital Technology, Product Design Technology, Design and Visual Communication, Furniture Making, and Mechanical Engineering.

These courses cover essential skills like digital design, programming, electronics, and engineering principles. For example, students develop digital outcomes in Digital Technology and enhance their computational thinking skills. In Product Design Technology, they create physical products using various materials and processes, including wood, fabric, electronics, and 3D printing.

Guitar Image: Year 12 Product Design Technology (Guitar) by Max Phillips-Brown (12GU).

Image Below: Year 12 Digital Technology Blender Project by Zuri Hazlehurst (12GL)

One standout community project this year involved our furniture and construction students, who took on the challenge of creating planter boxes for the school grounds (pictured below). These planter boxes were crafted from recycled pallets, showcasing the students' commitment to sustainability and creativity. Mitre 10 Petone generously donated soil and plants, allowing the students to complete their project and enhance the school's environment. This project taught students valuable construction and design skills and emphasised the importance of recycling and community involvement.

The international students also had the opportunity to participate in a hands-on Tech Day, where they learned how to design a pencil holder using computer software, cut it out with a laser cutter, and assemble it. This was their first experience working in a workshop environment for many of these students.

Image below: Year 12 Engineering by Ben Coubrough (12AN)

We are very fortunate to have the support of MJH Engineering throughout the year who have provided on site training at their works for many of our students and welding refresher courses at school for Engineering teachers. They have donated a welder and large quantities of steel to supplement our stocks for the Engineering projects (pictured above). The team at MJH Engineering have also allowed HVHS to use their purchasing power when buying steel to reduce our material costs significantly.

Re-Draft is an annual creative writing competition open to New Zealand teenagers, inviting submissions across all genres for potential publication in the Re-Draft Book Series.

This year, over 600 students participated, and the judges selected entries from three HVHS students: Rio Salisbury-Metcalfe (13LR), Oxie Taylor (10PDHA), and Kaitoro Walker (11MO). Their creative works will feature in the next edition of the Re-Draft Book Series.

The Re-Draft books aim to bring national attention to skilled teenage writers and their interests and concerns. Visit the Re-Draft Book Series website to learn more about their annual competition and the book series.

Tautoko-Supported Learning Centre would like to thank the following businesses and organisations for providing valuable work experience to our students this year:

• Buzz Cafe
• Days Bay Pavilion Café
• Enliven Woburn
• Eastbourne Library
• Golf Warehouse
• HUHA
• HVHS Library
• Muffin Break
• Neko Ngeru Cat Café
• PAK'nSAVE Petone
• Woburn Masonic Home
• Yes For Success

If you're in need of any of their products or services, please consider supporting these local businesses just as they’ve supported HVHS!

Images: Cameron Flynn (SLC) and Ben O'Riley (SLC) at Woburn Masonic Home and pictured below, Prahas Adidam (SLC) with staff from the Golf Warehouse.

The University of Otago Junior Maths Competition is open to students with strong mathematical ability in Year 9 - 11. It consists of two parts, with the first part featuring short-answer problem-solving questions, and the second part involving more extensive problem-solving with clearly communicated working. This year, HVHS had 41 students enter the competition. The following students received a Distinction certificate for performing in the top 15% of candidates nationwide: Chase Burgess (9KSDH), Emme Rodwell (9KSHD), Miriam Water (9GSSP) and Cameron Johns (10FYBB).

The Australian Maths Competition is open to students of above-average mathematical ability in Year 9-13. It consists of multi-choice and short answer problem solving questions. This year, HVHS had 42 students enter the competition. The following students received a Distinction Certificate for being in the top 20% of candidates nationwide: Rajan Subramaniam (9SRDL) - top 13%, Cameron Johns (10FYBB) - top 5%, Jacob Anderson (10PDHA) - top 7%, Michael Li (11BR) - top 11%, Idrees Munshi (11BU) - top 14%, Haruka Miyake (13JM) - top 13%.

The NZAMT Senior Mathematics Competition is the most difficult maths competition that HVHS students participate in. It is aimed at skilled mathematics students in Year 12 and 13, and covers a wide range of mathematical and statistical problems. Students must demonstrate correct working and clear communication as well as getting the correct answers to obtain a high score. Students can choose to compete in teams of up to three members, or individually. Some Year 11 students who take Year 12 classes also choose to participate.

The following students received a Merit Award:

- Tanush Arra (11BU), Michael Li (11BR) and Nitesh Tappeta (11AD) achieving the best score ever in this competition by a Year 11 HVHS team

- Samuel Bennion (13JD), Martin (Qicong) Jin (13WA) and William Li (13FE) achieving the best score ever in this competition by any HVHS team

- Haruka Miyake (13JM) achieving the best score ever in this competition by an individual at HVHS.

Image: Back row from left is Haruka Miyake (13JM), Martin (Qicong) Jin (13WA), Nitesh Tappeta (11AD), Tanush Arra (11BU) & Michael Li (11BR) and in the front row are Samuel Bennion (13JD) & William Li (13FE).

Registrations for free music lessons are now open for 2025. Music lessons are offered for the following instruments: bass guitar, cello, clarinet, double bass, drums, flute, french horn, guitar, percussion, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, viola, violin and voice.

To apply for free music lessons in 2025, please click here. For more information on music opportunities visit the school website's music page or email the Music Department at music@hvhs.school.nz

If you have an unused scientific calculator gathering dust or your student no longer needs their calculator once their NCEA exams are completed, consider donating it to HVHS.

We're not worried about the brand/model of the calculator - all donations are greatly received. You can drop off your old calculators at the Main Office at HVHS. It's open Monday to Friday from 8am-4pm during term time.

The HVHS Fusion programme is run by Ignite Sport. This programme is for HVHS students who are from migrant backgrounds. It's a personal development and leadership programme and has been running at HVHS for several years now.

The programme is supported by special funding from the Ministry of Education and from Ignite. Students are invited to join predominantly through our English language classes. The criteria for joining HVHS Fusion is students not born in New Zealand and those who might benefit from more community connection and stronger friendships within our ever increasing migrant student body.

Students were asked what they learned and how had the HVHS Fusion programme changed them:

• 'In this programme, | have made a lot of friends and | lost my shyness'.
• 'I learnt to speak loudly and to talk to people in English'.
• 'The leaders are really good. They valued everyone and heard everyone's voice and are very respectful. | feel very comfortable with everyone and enjoyed the games'.
• 'The best thing | experienced here is laughing with friends while helping each other in activities'.

If you're interested to learn more or have any questions please email Sarah Roper (Head of English Language) at sarah.roper@hvhs.school.nz

We are saying farewell to two long-standing guitar teachers in the Music Department. Owen Moriarty has been with us for 18 years, and Leigh Jackson, 45 years! We have enjoyed listening to their students in assemblies, concerts, and competitions like Rockquest and the New Zealand Secondary School's Chamber Music Contest.

Leigh and Owen have taught the likes of Theo Thompson, Finn van der Bar (13RS) and the up-and-coming guitarist Scott Barlow (11PL), to name just a few. Many of their former students have careers in music both in Aotearoa and around the world.

Image (left to right): Owen Moriarty & Leigh Jackson

• Leah Turner (9LMKV), Isla Gellatly (9SATO), April Reeves (9SATO), and Sophie Reeves (9QKDO) for their selection to Cricket Wellington's U15 Girls Representative team
• Liv Turner (9CNMC) and Leah Turner (9 LMKV) for their selection to Cricket Wellington's Māori U15 Girls Representative team.

Good luck to our Senior Mixed Touch Team, which is travelling to Rotorua this weekend for the Bunnings New Zealand Secondary Schools Touch Championships, and to our Athletics Team, who will be in Christchurch for the NZSSAA Track, Field & Road Race Championships.

The HVHS cricketers showed excellent skills and teamwork in a recent three-day Junior Secondary School Boy’s Tournament. Competing against schools throughout the Wellington region, our combined Year 9/10 team placed 4th out of 12. They narrowly missed out on a win in a very close game with HIBS in the third vs fourth playoffs.

Well done to the team who played and represented our school with pride, enthusiasm and tenacity. There were many fine individual performances throughout the tournament. A special congratulations to our students who made the tournament leaderboard:

• Liam Olivier (10HRKO) was the first equal wicket-taker with 10 wickets, pictured with joint-winner Connor McGregor (Upper Hutt/ Heretaunga College). Liam's 10 wickets included five wickets in one over, including a hat-trick!
• Mannraj Jubbal (10MVVY) was the third top run scorer of the tournament with 110 runs.

We're excited to announce the coaching line-up for HVHS's 2025 rugby season:

• Girls Rugby U15 & U18 - Madi Gold (Teacher - PE & Health) & Mikayla Sola (13JD)
• U65 Boys - John Leonard
• U15 Boys - Frans Geldenhuys & Louis Boshoff
• 2nd XV Boys - Mitch Neilson
• First XV Boys - Kris Dunne, Scotty Bonner & Cam Fenton.

If you have any summer or winter sports uniforms that need to be returned, please drop them off at the Resource Centre by Wednesday, 11 December. If the Resource Centre is closed, you can also drop them off at the Main Office.

Please contact the Sports Office with information on our students’ sporting successes by emailing sport@hvhs.school.nz with any information and results. Photos are also appreciated, as we often share these in the newsletter and on social media too.

If you have any outstanding sports fees, please arrange payment as soon as possible. Parents and caregivers can pay through the Kamar Parent Portal or via a direct credit payment to the HVHS bank account. Payments can also be made through the Resource Centre using cash, Eftpos or credit card. For any questions regarding your account, contact the Resource Centre at resource.centre@hvhs.school.nz

The School Board would like to thank the school community for their helpful feedback on the Term 4 policies being reviewed. This input plays a critical role in helping identify areas for improvement in our school's operation and internal processes.

Our school's policies are available to view on the SchoolDocs website by following the instructions below:

1. Visit the SchoolDocs website - https://www.schooldocs.co.nz/
2. Click on the ‘Search for your school’ button and enter Hutt Valley High School
3. Enter the username - hvhs and the password - Adalta

Congratulations to all those students who passed the Common Assessment tests that are essential for the attainment of any NCEA. We are proud to say that more than 70% of Year 10 students attained Literacy in their first year of trying, and nearly 70% attained Numeracy.

More details about ongoing support for those students who still need Numeracy and Literacy co-requisites will be released at the start of the 2025 school year.

The NZQA exams were held throughout November. Thanks to the NZQA team, which ensured they ran smoothly for everyone who sat them. Best of luck to everyone who gave them a go. We saw that student attendance percentage rates were high, and students stayed longer to pass their exams. It is time to relax now and wait for the results that will be out in mid-January.

Thank you to our team of amazing volunteers who provided support to students as Reader/Writers as well. Your time and efforts are greatly valued and help support our students with special assessment conditions.

If your student thinks they need more NCEA credits check out the article below on Te Kura's Summer School Programme. Parents and students are also welcome to contact Rob Everett (Deputy Principal) at rob.everett@hvhs.school.nz with any questions.

Registrations for Te Kura’s Summer School are now open. Te Kura, formerly known as Correspondence School, offers a learning programme over the summer holidays for ākonga needing up to 12 NCEA credits to progress to further study, training, or employment.

Te Kura Summer School is designed to support students who:

• are concerned about meeting the 14-credit requirement in a subject for University Entrance
• need additional literacy credits to complete NCEA Level 3
• or require up to 12 NCEA credits to pursue further study, training, or employment.

For more information on enrolment dates and to see the complete list of courses and standards offered at Te Kura's Summer School, please visit their website - https://www.tekura.school.nz/learn-with-us/learning-at-te-kura/summer-school

Parents and students are also welcome to contact Rob Everett (Deputy Principal) at rob.everett@hvhs.school.nz with questions about Te Kura's Summer School.

Students who have hired HVHS Music Department instruments need to return them to their Music Teacher or the G Block Art Office by Wednesday, 11 December. If the G Block Art Office is closed you are welcome to return instruments to the Main Reception which is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm during term time.

For any questions, please email Jhan Lindsay (Performing Arts Coordinator / Teacher in Charge – Itinerant Music Programme) at music@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. Thank you to those who have already donated items!

If you haven’t enrolled your Year 8 student yet, please do so as soon as possible. All Year 8 students must enrol – enrolment is NOT automatic even if you live in-zone, attend Hutt Intermediate or have a sibling at HVHS. To enrol, please click here https://hvhs.school.nz/how-to-enrol/

Why enrol now? Enrolling over the weekend will help ensure your student is able to start on the first school day of 2025 with their classmates. Please note - the School Office closes on Thursday 12 December 2024 at midday and re-opens at 8am on Monday, 27 January 2025.

If you have any questions, please email Lesley Mackay (Enrolment Officer) at lesley.mackay@hvhs.school.nz. Please note that applications for out-of-zone enrolments for all year levels in 2025 have closed.

Students can help themselves to two packets of period products per month. We also encourage students to take products home for their upcoming school holidays to cover their full menstrual cycle. Period products are located in the tall white cupboard outside the First Aid Room (Sick Bay). Available to students are pads, tampons and liners.

The last day of the school year is Thursday, 12 December, and Hutt Valley High School will be closed from Wednesday, 18 December 2024 to Monday, 20 January 2025 (inclusive) as teachers take their annual holiday leave. During this period, teachers will not be available on-site, checking emails, or working.

This closedown aligns with the Holidays Act 2003 requirements and provisions in the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement. We appreciate your support and understanding.

Friday 6 December

• Year 11 Prizegiving, 11:30am-12:30pm, Lower Hutt Event Centre's Town Hall
  
• Year 12 Prizegiving, 1:00pm-2:00pm, Lower Hutt Event Centre's Town Hall
• Year 13 Graduation Prizegiving, 6:30pm-9:00pm, Lower Hutt Events Centre's Town Hall

Tuesday 10 December

• Supported Learning Centre Production & Prizegiving, 3:30pm-5:30pm

Wednesday 11 December

• Last school day for students in Years 9 & 10 (Excludes Invited Prize Winners Attending Tomorrow's Prizegiving Events).

Thursday 12 December

• Year 9 Prizegiving, 9:30am-10:30am, HVHS Hall (Due to Limited Seating, For Year 9 Student Prize Winners & their Families Only)
• Year 10 Prizegiving, 11:00am-12:00pm, HVHS Hall (Due to Limited Seating, For Year 10 Student Prize Winners & their Families Only)
• School Office Closes for the School Holidays from midday
• Last day of Term 4

Wednesday 18 December

• Secondary Schools’ Annual Holiday Closedown (runs till Monday 20 January)

Saturday 1 January

• Secondary Schools’ Annual Holiday Closedown continues (runs till Monday 20 January)

Tuesday 28 January & Wednesday 29 January

• Year 13 Leadership Camp

• First Day for New Staff

• Teacher Only Day (No classes for students)

• Year 13 Liaison Training Day & Pastoral Day

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

• Second Day for Year 9 Students (9:00am start time)
• First Day for Students in Years 10-13 (11:30am start time)

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

Friday 14 February

• Year 9 Meet & Compete Event

Monday 24 February

• School ID Photos (runs till Tuesday 25 February)

Wednesday 26 February

• HVHS Board Meeting, 5:30-7:30pm

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