HVHS Newsletter
Last Newsletter for 2023 | Info for the 2024 School Year
Principal's Update
Kia ora koutou,
This is the final newsletter for 2023. Thanks for listening to me all year! We have now enjoyed five prizegivings, each one quite special. Sadly, we cannot fit whole year levels and their whānau and families into our hall, hence the need for five separate events. We have considered combining two-year levels and hiring the Town Hall, but we would like to retain the uniqueness of each year level, and we do not want to limit the number of students honoured and rewarded for their efforts. One day, the school may have a lovely new auditorium that seats 600 plus folk.
We completed two year-level assemblies on Monday for Year 9 and then Year 10. Alongside beautiful guitarists, dancers, and speech-winners (who, with amazing humour and talent, explained why we shouldn’t make students do speeches!), we enjoyed staff dancing for their students. Many were out of their comfort zone, but peer pressure won on the day, and 20 mentor teachers took to the stage. A fun-spirited assembly to end the year for all.
Congratulations to all students who received an Ad Alta Award. The award signifies our school motto, Ad Alta or Whāia te iti Kahurangi - to the heights. We consider Ad Alta one of our most prestigious awards. The goal is to receive one each year and progress through bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and hopefully pounamu in Year 13. At that point, students are gifted a real pounamu taonga from us. However, I am super impressed by students who earned a bronze or silver in Years 11 and 12, demonstrating their perseverance and improvement. These awards signify students reaching and aiming high and striving to overcome any barriers placed in their way.
I would like to thank the businesses and families who have supported us this year. Many of you contribute time, money and opportunities for our students for no return other than knowing you are helping the next generation. In particular, thank you to the families who help with sport, those who supply kai to Te Korowai and help to feed our youngsters; thanks also to the businesses who allow our students to experience learning in the real world; a special thanks to our partnership engineering companies who not only employ our students but also donate precious resources, like the steel in the picture below given to us by MJH Engineering.
All the best for the summer. I hope you have a wonderful festive time with whānau, family and friends. See you back here next year.
Ngā mihi nui
Denise Johnson
Principal
Jacinta Keenan
As many of our school community may know, very sadly Jacinta Keenan (Director of Sport) passed away on Wednesday. Jacinta was the heart and soul of HVHS's massive sports programme, providing expertise, humour and guidance to all, and a much-loved member of the HVHS whānau.
A colourful celebration to honour Jacinta’s life will be held at Cornwall Manor, Corner of Knights Road and Cornwall Street, Lower Hutt on, Wednesday 20 December 2023 at 10.30am, followed by a private cremation. For more information please click here
Sports Registrations for 2024 - Register Now
Sports registrations for 2024 are now open. Please register your student for the sports they want to play next year by completing the Sports Registration Form
Sports registrations close on Sunday 4 February 2024. As you can imagine, many summer sports start Week 1 of Term 1 so please make sure you register your student/s as soon as possible. Once registered, the Sports Office will contact you with further information e.g. trial dates.
2024 Registration Form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvBzjBpO3cuqnoGchFcgyUsDOFy4IPkv5FEzvkf9V-SX2UqA/viewform
Free Music Lessons in 2024 - Register Now
Hutt Valley High School offers high-quality, free tuition on various instruments. Beginners are welcome on all instruments.
Applications are accepted all year round. However, applications completed by Friday 9 February will be considered for the first group of lessons in Term 1.
Music lessons are available in these instruments: bass guitar, cello, clarinet, classical guitar, double bass, drums, flute, French horn, guitar, percussion, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, viola, violin and voice.
If you would like more information, please click here to learn more about Music at HVHS or email music@hvhs.school.nz
2024 Stationery Lists
Please click on the links below for the stationery lists for students in years 9-13.
- Year 9 Stationery List
- Year 10 Stationery List
- Year 11 Stationery List
- Year 12 Stationery List
- Year 13 Stationery List
For students attending Tautoko, our Supported Learning Centre (SLC) please find the stationery lists for NZQA and non-NZQA:
Resource Centre (Uniform Shop)
Please find below the opening hours for the start of 2024:
- Tuesday 23 January to Friday 26 January - 9:00am - 4:00pm by appointment only.
- Monday 29 January to Wednesday 14 February - 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday (no appointment necessary).
- Thursday 15 February onwards - returns to the standard Resource Centre hours of Monday to Thursday 11:00am - 2:30pm during term time only.
The Resource Centre is located upstairs in the Library area. To visit the Resource Centre, please enter via the School Office in the main admin building and follow the signs to the Library.
Making a Booking/Appointment for a Uniform Fitting
To make a booking for a uniform fitting, you need to login and select the bookings button on the SchoolPoint website
School Office Opening Hours
The School Office reopens on Tuesday 23 January, please see the hours below:
- Tuesday 23 January to Friday 26 January - open from 9:00am to 4:00pm.
- Monday 29 February onwards - returns to normal School Office hours of 8:00am to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday during term time only.
2024 Enrolments
If you need to enrol your student for 2024 during the school holidays all enrolments are completed online. Enrolments received over the December/January school holiday period will be processed in late January. To enrol online, click here
Please note, out-of-zone enrolments for 2024 have closed.
Start Dates for Years 9-13 in 2024
- Year 9 - students start on Thursday 1 February at 9:00am. Please meet on the lawn between B Block and the Hall (pictured below). On Friday 2 February, year 9 students start at 9:00am for day two.
- Tautoko - students in the Supported Learning Centre start on Thursday 1 February at 9:00am.
- Years 10-13 - students start on Friday 2 February at 11:30am.
Co-Curricular Clubs, Groups & More
Hutt Valley High School has over 20 different clubs for students to join. You can check out the full list here on our website. Students can join Poly Club, Philosophy Club, Dungeons & Dragons, Chess and Board Games Club, Anime & Manga Club, Green Fingers Horticultural Club and more.
Collection of 2023 Art Folios
Student's 2023 art folios will be available for collection after the NCEA Art exhibition in early March 2024. Kia pai te raumati, have a great summer from the Arts Learning Area.
News from the Sports Office
Congratulations to the following students:
- Finn McQueen (13EV) & Oliver Tewatiya (13HM) representing Wellington at the U19 Men's Cricket Nationals in Lincoln. Their team placed second to a strong Auckland side in the National Tournament's final.
- Oliver Tewatiya (13HM) has been selected to represent New Zealand in the U19 Men's Cricket Squad that is heading to the World Cup!
- Charlie Edhouse (9FRTI) selected for the Wellington U16 Touch Rugby Development Team heading to Nationals.
- Kayne Howat (10HTMS) finished the year with the following New Zealand age group swimming titles - 1st in 50m butterfly, 7th in 100m butterfly and 3rd in 200m butterfly (in the 14 years old group) and 4th in 50m butterfly, 6th in 100m butterfly and 6th in 200m butterfly (in the 15 years old group).
New Zealand Secondary Athletics Results
Four students represented HVHS at the New Zealand Secondary Athletics Championships achieving fantastic results:
- Toby Ireland (11CS) - 1st in the Boys 2000m (Para Junior) Multi Class with a time of 8:40.85
- Jessie McKenzie (11SM) - placed 11th in the Girls 1500m (Seniors), qualifying with a time of 4.57.24 and placing 15th in the final with a time of 5:01.89.
- Isla Hughes (11CW) - 10th in the Girls Discuss Throw (Juniors) 1kg with a throw of 28.99m.
- Mikayla Sola (12SP) - 8th in the Girls Discuss Throw (Senior) 1kg with a throw of 40.53m, 3rd (bronze medal) in the Girls Hammer Throw (Senior) 3kg with a throw of 48.79m and 11th in the Girls Shot Put Throw (Senior) 3kg with a throw of 11.31m.
Keeping in Touch
Help us celebrate our students' sporting successes by emailing sport@hvhs.school.nz with any information and results. We can share any photos on our social media pages. For reminders, news and results follow HVHS Sports on Facebook and Instagram.
Image - Isla Hughes (11CW) at the NZ Secondary Schools Athletics Championships with her coach Shaka Sola.
Final Gateway Community Project ‘Done and Dusted’
- Article from Rob King, Head of Learning Pathways
The last of 22 community projects run by the Gateway classes crossed the line on 30 October. Yep, that was a long journey for our students, but they delivered it.
The students persisted from inception in early Term 2, with debates about ideas, design changes, materials hold-ups (supply chain), and a fair bit of mucking around in between. The end result was that the kids at Lower Hutt Kindergarten love their new indoor play equipment!
The equipment is constructed to high safety standards, painted by the children, (students got their
fingers in the paint, too), sealed, and now enjoyed, especially on rainy days. Our students developed lots of skills along the way, argued a lot and solved problems – but the greatest buzz was doing good and getting the thanks. Well done to Lachlan Moore (12TH), Jack Armstrong (12TH) and Maz Bennett (12TH) for all the mahi they put into their community project and the final result pictured below.
For more information about Gateway Community Projects, please get in touch at rob.king@hvhs.school.nz
Reporting a Student Absence
Especially for our year 9 families arriving in 2024, if you need to report a student absence, please include the following details in your message: student’s name, mentor class and reason for the absence. You can report an absence by:
- Emailing absences.notification@hvhs.school.nz
- Phoning the absence line on (04) 560 1568
- Using the HVHS SchoolBridge App (select the ‘Report an Absence’ icon and follow the instructions).
Please follow the same instructions for informing the school about an appointment during the school day. Parents and caregivers are also welcome to write a note for appointments during the school day.
If a Student Feels Unwell During the School Day
If your student feels unwell or is injured at school, please remind them to come to the First Aid Room (Sick Bay) in the first instance. This ensures that students are assessed and well-supported while at school.
The First Aid Officer will work with the student to assess their condition and the best course of action, e.g. returning to class, resting in sick bay and/or calling a parent or caregiver to discuss or collect their student.
Te Kura Summer School Registrations - Now Open
Te Kura Summer School is designed to help students who are:
- worried they may need more credits to make up a packet of 14 credits in a subject for University Entrance
- require additional literacy credits to ensure NCEA Level 3
- require up to 12 NCEA credits to progress to further study, training, or employment.
Te Kura accepts short-term registrations over the summer break and ākonga can register now. Find out more here or contact the Te Kura team on 0800 65 99 88 or email summerschool@tekura.school.nz
Donate Your Unused Scientific Calculator!
If you have an unused scientific calculator at home or your student no longer needs their calculator, consider donating it to HVHS. We'll get it in the hands of a student who needs one.
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 School Office at HVHS. The Office re-opens on Tuesday 23 January at 9am.
School Uniform Donations
We're currently running low on donated uniforms. If your student has outgrown their uniform or no longer needs it, please consider donating it back to HVHS.
We'll ensure it is passed on to a student who needs it or loaned to a student who needs a replacement uniform item for a couple of days.
Any uniform items you wish to donate can be dropped at the School Office at HVHS. The Office re-opens on Tuesday 23 January at 9am.
Download Our New App - SchoolBridge
We've changed to a new school app called SchoolBridge. Downloading the new SchoolBridge app will help keep you informed with alerts & notifications. Parents/caregivers can also report a student's absence using the app, and students can use the app to access their student ID card.
Download the new SchoolBridge App by searching for 'SchoolBridge' on the App Store or Google Play. If you need more information on signing in for the first time, please click here
Year 9 students will receive their login and password for the SchoolBridge app in the first week of Term 1. This information will allow them to log into the app. If your student requires parental permission to download an app to their mobile, consider approving the download of the SchoolBridge app to their mobile before their first day at school.
Become a Homestay Family in 2024
Are you interested in learning about another culture? Do you have a spare room? Homestay families are still needed for our International students arriving in January 2024 and staying for one or two terms. Students are arriving from Germany, Brazil, Japan, Italy, Austria, France and Thailand.
An in-zone address is preferred and students need to have their own bedroom. Homestay families are remunerated at $320 per week.
If you are interested and would like some more information, please email our Homestay Coordinator, Anna Kingsford at anna.kingsford@hvhs.school.nz with a short bio about your family and your contact phone number.
Image: Our international students recently walked the Ōrongorongo Track and stayed overnight. Many wonderful memories were made while enjoying this beautiful part of New Zealand.
School Board Casual Vacancy for a Parent Representative
A casual vacancy has occurred on the HVHS school board for an elected parent representative. The board has decided to fill the vacancy by selection. If 10% or more of eligible voters on the school roll ask the board to hold a by-election to fill the vacancy within 28 days of this notice being published, then a by-election will be held.
To request a by-election, please email the HVHS Board Secretary, Lana Goddard at lana.goddard@hvhs.school.nz by Friday 29 December 2023.
HVHS Calendar - Key Dates & Events
Monday 29 January
- First Day for New Staff & Year 13 Student Leaders
- Teacher Only Day (no classes for students)
- Pastoral Meetings and Student Leadership Day
- First Day for Year 9 Students (school day starts at 9am)
- Second Day for Year 9 Students (school day starts at 9am)
- First Day for Students in Years 10-13 (school day starts at 11.30am)
- Waitangi Day (public holiday, school closed)
Wednesday 7 February
- School ID Photos (runs till Friday 9 February)
Thursday 8 February
- Year 9 Meet n Greet, 6:00-8:00pm in the Hall
Wednesday 14 February
- Athletics Day (all year levels)
Wednesday 21 February
- HVHS Board Meeting, Staffroom, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Friday 1 March
- Canterbury University, Introduction Presentation, 1:30pm-2:15pm
Monday 11 March
- Art Exhibition of NCEA Portfolios
Tuesday 19 March
- Suginami High School Exchange (runs till Tuesday 26 March)
Wednesday 20 March
- HVHS Board Meeting, Staffroom, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Friday 29 March
- Good Friday (public holiday, school closed)
Monday 1 April
- Easter Monday (public holiday, school closed)
- Easter Tuesday (school holiday, school closed)
- Last Day of Term One
Monday 29 April
- First Day of Term Two
Contact Information
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