Kia ora koutou,

The Year 13 Graduation Ball was the highlight of the month. Our fantastic Year 13s enjoyed a night of glam and dancing at the Lower Hutt Town Hall (LHTH). Thanks to Alieta Ross, a former parent, who has ‘dressed’ the ballroom for many years, it looked amazing. The staff at the LHTH were full of praise for our student’s friendliness, manners and maturity.

The last formal event for our Year 13 students is their prizegiving later in December. Between now and then, they and our Year 11 and 12 students will have derived grade examinations starting on Monday 17 October and NCEA examinations starting on Monday 7 November. Please keep an eye on the school calendar for other important dates.

During the last couple of weeks, we have enjoyed other key events - on Tuesday, I headed to the Rugby Prizegiving, and last week, we celebrated the annual Premier Sports Awards. There will be invites going out shortly for our Hotuawipara Awards. Seeing so many caregivers and parents supporting these special evenings is lovely.

An event that has become an annual fixture is the Te Awakairangi March for Mental Health. It is the fifth year of this walk and stroll along the river. This event is open to all Year 12 and 13 students. We aim to raise awareness of mental health challenges and that we must look after our mental health. The school has adopted the Mental Health Foundation's Five Ways to Wellbeing.

BE ACTIVE. Do what you can. Enjoy what you do. Move your mood i.e enjoy a walk.

TAKE NOTICE. Remember the simple things that give you joy. Our beautiful surroundings, our awa, our maunga, our native bush, our native birds.

CONNECT. Talk and listen, be there, and feel connected with fellow students, friends and teachers.

KEEP LEARNING. Embrace new experiences, see opportunities and surprise yourself, for example, join the upcoming Te Awakairangi March.

GIVE. Your time, your words, and your presence on the march, and hopefully, you will also donate an old pair of sports shoes or boots to someone in need.

The march starts and finishes at HVHS. Look out for purple-clad students and teachers as they make their way along the Te Awakairangi River Trail to the Kennedy Good Bridge and then loop back to school on the western side of the river trail.

Ngā mihi nui

Denise Johnson, Principal

Below: images from the Year 13 Graduation Ball

Term three in science has been an action-packed one. Early in the term we had 8 teams of students represent the school at the annual STEMM challenge at the Lower Hutt Town Hall. This included testing their theory knowledge and practical skills against other schools from around the region in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Manufacturing areas. All students representing our school did fantastically well. A special mention to one of our junior teams who came top of the Hutt Valley teams so took home the Hutt Valley trophy, congratulations to Giselle Charleson (9RUMO), Zaaki Nunnian (9BAPS), Minara Dadallagei (9BAPS) and Byron Thistoll (10RTT).

Meanwhile, our Epro8 teams have been practising skills involving pulleys and gears. One team created a machine capable of sorting sports equipment by size, weight and type.

Several of our Year 10 students also took part in a Bioethics Hui at Victoria University with four other schools. The day was very interactive with students listening to university student presentations on a range of topics from; brain doping to sugar tax; xenotransplantation; AI in Healthcare and the storing and sharing of genetic information. Students participated in interactive sessions exploring the ideas, hearing multiple views and forming opinions based on evidence. It was great for students to hear and participate in discussions about pathways the primarily Māori and Pasifika Postgraduate Students had taken in arriving in their chosen field.

Our Year 9 students delved into the universe for a lesson as they were visited by two astronomers Hari and Sam who took them through a portable planetarium where they were able to visit different celestial bodies throughout our solar system and beyond. They also took turns controlling Mars Rover replicas while learning about what astronomers look for when searching for life on other planets.

The senior scientists have been busy too, the Year 13 biologists have been observing the behaviours of primates at Wellington Zoo (see photos below), several of the senior chemists participated in an inter-school chemistry quiz at Victoria University. The Year 12 students in Electronics have done a lot of work this term, and a couple of them have been very creative in the packaging of the flashing LEDs.

Our Year 13 students are busy rehearsing for their Drama Production called Ghost Story (see photos below). The play runs next week on Tuesday 27, Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 September in S1 from 7-8pm. The cost to attend is $5 at the door. The play focuses on the stories that surround us, moving into the future with our eyes on the past. Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua.

Every year students throughout New Zealand in Years 9 to 11, have the option to enter the Otago Junior Mathematics Competition. This year the competition was held in two parts - the first being a multiple-choice and short answer exam sat entirely online, while the second part will be a paper exam limited to the top 15 percent of participants in the first part. The emphasis of the questions is on problem-solving and students are told to expect surprises!

Congratulations to Michael Li (9BRBU), Nitesh Tappeta (9MKTJ) and Nicholas Kwok (11SP) who all gained Distinction awards in the Otago Junior Mathematics Competition.

Our Philosophy Club meets every Friday at lunchtime in the P10. It's open to all year levels and no prior knowledge of philosophy is required. What is Philosophy? It is the study of the fundamental nature of reality, knowledge, morality and logic.

At Philosophy Club students hang out, discuss and debate a range of issues like - is the world a simulation, is corporal punishment unethical, or what is truth? This club also counts for Ad Alta. This club is organised by Jill Skinner (jill.skinner@hvhs.school.nz) and Paul Christeller (paul.christeller@hvhs.school.nz) who can be contacted with any questions.

Ever thought math was too easy? Looking for a challenge aimed towards the pinnacle of maths students? Look no further. The NZAMT Senior Mathematics Competition requires students to answer questions using critical thinking and adapt to various questions above your level. Even maths teachers find the questions a bit challenging!

Different schools across New Zealand enter this competition which is one of the most challenging maths competitions for high school students, other than the Mathematical Olympiad.

Before the competition, we prepared for it by going over past questions. These questions sparked our further curiosity in the subject beyond high school and exposed us to different ways maths is adapted in practically every situation. I participated in the Senior Maths Competition because I was looking for a challenge and wanted to improve my communication skills within a group by being our team leader. I wanted to be exposed to diverse ways maths is used in the real world that wouldn’t be covered inside of school and learn from it to improve my skills.

I found this competition fun and I’ll definitely be competing again next year. I encourage everyone interested in maths to take part in this competition and to explore math’s limitless possibilities.

Image below (left to right): Martin Jin (11CI), William Li (11SP), Ezra Chai (12KO), Vinushan Kanthasuvami (12CT), Basil Faris (12CT) and Tom Nguyen (13HA)

Being at school after school hours really showed me the value this school has. I hope to meet more of the school community. This opportunity has been life-changing. I've learned what the board does to help our education and wish to be an asset to them in the future.

Image below (left to right): Bailey Porima (12BE, Student Representative), James Wilkinson (Parent Representative), Charles Darr (Parent Representative),‍ Julie Chuor (Parent Representative), Tina Marama Wairau (Co-opted Parent Representative), Miranda Cross (Board Chair - Parent Representative), Jason Tierney (Staff Trustee), Susan Dunne (Co-opted Parent Representative), Graham Dyer (Parent Representative) and Denise Johnson (Principal).

We held our Premier Sports Awards on Tuesday 13 September. Thanks to all those that attended (nominees and players), Lara Andrews for her insight into how she got to where she was, our student athletes, and to the Student Leaders who were brilliant on the night.

Premier Sports Winners for 2022:

Team of the Year - Girls 1st XI Football Team

Overall Sportsperson of the Year - Serina Tautau (11SP)

Junior Sportsperson of the Year - Brooke Neary (10ANGL)

Athletes with a Disability - Toby Ireland (10CSMN)

Athletics - Mikayla Sola (11SP)

Badminton - Darren Leishman (10KIBG)
Badminton - Thenuka Sebesan (13BU)

Badminton (Junior) - Aaron Chong (10RI)

Basketball - Asher Pasia (12PD)
Basketball - Gregguil Niel Besa (13JDFX)

Cricket - Oliver Tewatiya (12WB)

Cricket - Hanna Turner (12WA)

Cross Country - Jessie McKenzie (10SMLY)

Football - Kāhu Rolfe (13AL)

Football - Alyssha Eglinton (11BQ)

Futsal - Nick Drayton (13VE)

Futsal - Zora Tavernet (13TJ)

Golf - Lane Jiang (13LG)

Hockey - Juliette Langley (13WR)

Hockey - Camron Neilson (12WB)
Netball - Māia Morehu (13JDFX)
Netball (Junior) - Samantha Knox (10ANGL)

Netball Umpire and Student Officiator - Karen Chen (12WB)

Orienteering - Nicholas Green (12SK)

Rowing - Madeleine Dee (12FE)
Rowing - Amelia Williams (13LN)
Rugby - Te Ariki Apanui (13RD)

Rugby - Serina Tautau (11SP)

Softball - Everett Parker (11HF)

Squash - Diana Galloway (13JDFX)

Student Volunteer - Amiria Hynes (13HY)

Swimming - Daniel Williams (11TH)

Swimming - Lauren Young (12FE)

Swimming (Junior) - Millie Sampson (10SMLY)

Swimming (Junior) - Kayne Howat (9HTMS)

Table Tennis - Abilash Sivasith (13HM)

Touch Rugby - Serina Tautau (11SP)

Touch Rugby - Marcus Alexopoulos (12PD)

Ultimate - Zara Bowen (13JDFX)

Ultimate - Steven Leishman (13WR)

Ultimate - Matthew Wessels (13AL)

Underwater Hockey - Lauren Grigsby (13LG)

Underwater Hockey Junior Open - Ali Rahman (10SMLY)

Volleyball - Grace Thompson (13LN)

Volleyball - Gregguil Niel Besa (13JDFX)

Water Polo - Matt Nixon (12WB)

Water Polo - Kennedy Snelgrove (12IC)

National Titleholders for 2022:

Climbing (Team) - Jamie Birchler (RUMO), Will Browne (9BHPL), Mac Duggan (11SP) and Jess Young (10CWOA)

Climbing - Mac Duggan (11SP)

Rugby League - Serina Tautau (11SP)

Softball - Everett Parker (11HF)

Swimming - Daniel Williams (11TH)

Ultimate - Zara Bowen (13JDFX), Gabrielle Claridge (13WR), Margot Claridge (9INJA), Holly Dungey (11MC), Isabelle Elliot (13PN), Sadie Fleming (9MKTJ), Tess Gendall (9INJA) , Gemma Grant (13JA), Marta Guevara-Benet (13NS), Eva Langridge (13JDFX), Karin Nakazono (13HM) and Lara Pennington (13NS)

New Zealand Representatives for 2022:

Aerobics - Elizabeth Hanaray (13JDFX)

Orienteering - Jonathan Green (11SP) and Nicholas Green (12SK)

Powerlifting - Anna Jamieson (11LA)

Rugby - Serina Tautau (11SP)

Ultimate - Zara Bowen (13JDFX), Gabrielle Claridge (13WR), Gemma Grant (13JA) and Steven Leishman (13WR)

Congratulations this week to:

- HVHS Ultimate Teams: HVHS Ovation won the A Grade and HVHS Matt took out Division 1.

- Chloe Jarvis (13HM) for being selected to play for the U18 Central Zone team for Underwater Hockey.

- Aiden Foster (11PF) who competed at the NZ Secondary School Indoor Bowls Tournament and represented the Hutt Valley Wellington region for the NZ Junior Singles Indoor Bowls Champs and represented the Southern Zone in a North/South event.

The workshops are open to all senior visual arts students in years 11-13. We encourage students to take advantage of these opportunities.

Nau mai, haere mai ki te whare pukapuka, welcome to the library. The library currently has the 'Finding Hope: Seeking Refuge in Aotearoa New Zealand Exhibition' on display from the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand. This display examines the role of New Zealand during the Holocaust. It asks the audience to consider the local history of Aotearoa when considering topics including whether we did enough as a country before and during the Holocaust. It is our honour to host this wonderful teaching resource until the end of the month for many classes and students to reflect on.

Volunteer reader/writers assist students with learning differences and disabilities during their exams and assessments. As a reader/writer you’ll get the satisfaction of helping support students with dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, physical disability or a sports injury to their writing hand!

We’re looking for volunteers with clear spoken English, good reading skills, and either good handwriting or the computer skills to quickly type answers and navigate around an online exam. Training will be provided, and acceptance is subject to a satisfactory Police check.

What’s involved? Volunteers are needed at HVHS during school hours, especially from October to December. A reader/writer might help for 2-3 hours each term or up to 10 exams a year. We’ll match your availability and willingness to our student’s schedules. You can also say no if a day/date doesn’t suit.

Contact Raewyn at (04) 566 4584 or email raewyn.kerr@hvhs.school.nz to learn more. Please note - current HVHS students aren't able to volunteer.

In-Zone Applications

Enrolments for 2023 are open for students who live in-zone. We ask that parents enrol now so that we can plan for your child's learning needs for 2023 and ensure a smooth transition to high school. A big advantage to enrolling now is that your child will receive the email with subject selections (some subjects have limited spaces) and a booking time for an Enrolment Conversation. Please complete an online enrolment application.

Already Enrolled for Year 9 2023

For those Year 8 students joining us next year, look out for an email regarding subject selections and booking a time for an Enrolment Conversation.

Out-Of-Zone Applications

The closing date for out-of-zone applications for students in Years 10-13 in 2023 is Friday 14 October 2022. Out-of-zone applications for Year 9 students in 2023 are now closed.

Saturday 24 September - Weekend Art Folio Workshop, 10am-2pm (for years 11-13)

Sunday 25 September - Weekend Art Folio Workshop, 10am-2pm (for years 11-13)

Monday 26 September - Queen's Memorial Holiday (School Closed)

Tuesday 27 September - Year 13 Production, Ghost Story, Starts 7pm in S1

Wednesday 28 September - Year 13 Production, Ghost Story, Starts 7pm in S1

Thursday 29 September - Year 13 Production, Ghost Story, Starts 7pm in S1

Friday 30 September - Last Day of Term 3

Monday 17 October - First Day of Term 4