WBHS Newsletter 2018

Greetings all,

Over the past two weeks we have had some issues with the school boiler and classrooms have not been as warm as they should be. Hopefully this has all been sorted now and we appreciate your patience with this.

Last Friday night it was my pleasure to attend the opening of the whare in D2 whilst celebrating Matariki. It was a great occasion and for all those boys involved well done on showing a great deal of courage in front of friends and whanau. Seeing the new haka “tahu potiki” you performed was a real highlight. A huge thank-you must go to Mr Ryburn for being the driving force behind this development. Without his pas-sion this would not have happened.

I alluded in the most recent staff weekly plan that for seniors we have now completed 19 of 34 weeks of the academic calendar year(study leave begins Week 4, Term 4). With the Scrano cultural competition and Term 2 inter-schools behind us it really is time to focus on the pursuit of personal aca-demic excellence before the year is too far gone.

Mr Fifita and I attended an NCEA review ambassadors meeting in Dunedin on Tuesday. Essentially the message was the more feedback the better, go to the website conversation.education.govt.nz

The public consultation process finishes on the 16th Sep-tember and the government plan is to begin phasing in im-provements to NCEA from 2020.

We will be holding a parents information evening on Tues-day July 24th at 7pm in the Auditorium. At this meeting we will be explaining the essence of the “6 big opportuni-ties” for change that the advisory group has proposed.

A reminder that next Thursday 28th June we have our sec-

ond mentoring session for senior stu-dents between 3 – 5pm in the social

centre. You should expect a call over the coming days from your son’s men-tor to arrange a meeting with you and your son. The purpose of this second meeting is to go back over the goals he set at the first meeting and discuss his progress towards these.

On Monday 2nd July we will be having an Academic Red and Black awards assembly. After consultation with both staff and students it has

been decided to award a red award to those boys receiving an excellence endorsement and a black award to those boys receiving merit. My apologies for this assembly occurring so late in the year and we will rectify that for 2019 now that the criteria is established.

The “historians corner” this week is devoted to Sir Denis Blundell – the only old boy who went on to become the Governor General of NZ. Hope you enjoy his remarkable story.

It is also time to mark into your calendar – Friday 6th July 1.30pm. This is the time for “kick-off ” in the annual WBHS – SKC 1st XV match.

Our boys were beaten by SKC last weekend in a close en-counter and hopefully that defeat will motivate them to play their best in 2 weeks time. There are numerous sports taking place in the interschool week, and the timetable of events is included below. Your support for any of our teams would be greatly appreciated.

“Ma ponga ma whero ka oti - By black and red together it’s done”.

Floreat Waitakia

FROM THE RECTOR

Newsletter22nd June 2018

Waitaki Boys’ High School

Below is the link and password for the online ordering of the sports photos.

https://fotographix.shootproof.com/gallery/WBHS2018SUMMERPIX

Password: wbhs2018smrpix

WBHS Newsletter 2018

SCRANO NIGHT RESULTS

MATARIKI

DON FORRESTER LEE SUTHERLANDATHLETICS 150.00 96.64 85.38 80.70SWIMMING 75.00 43.70 49.62 47.31

SCRANO NIGHT 250.00 212.84 226.07 229.22TOTAL 474.99 353.18 361.06 357.22

SCRANO POINTS SO FAR...

DRAMA1st Don2nd Sutherland3rd= Lee and Forrester

CHOIR1st Lee2nd Don3rd Sutherland4th Forrester

HAKA1st= Don and Forrester3rd Lee4th Sutherland

Best Writer: Don House (George Parker and Glen McClea)Best Actor: Sutherland House (Joel Brosnan)Best Supporting Actor: Lee House (Jacob Takuira-Mita)Best Accompanist: Lee and Forrester House BandsBest Solo: Don House (Paddy Henwood)Best Haka Kaia: Don House (Paddy Henwood)

WBHS Newsletter 2018

SOUTHLAND BOYS’ INTERSCHOOL

SPORT SOUTHLAND WAITAKIRugby 22 10Trap 244 243Hockey 4 1Football 8 0Basketball 75 71Debating 338 321Smallbore 705.1 723Overall 6 1

WBHS Newsletter 2018

CALENDAR - TERM 2/3

JUNEThurs 28 Mentoring meetingsJULYMon 2 Winter Sports PhotosFri 6 SKC Rugby game. End of Term 2Mon 23 Start of Term 3Wed 25 Otago Boys’ Interschool (Home)Mon 30 Rural Schools Open MorningMon 30 Talent Quest FinalsAUGUSTFri 3 OIS Open MorningMon 6 Open NightThurs 23 Fiefia Night (Rec Centre)

For a more comprehensive calendar, see http://www.waitakibhs.school.nz/about-us/upcoming-

events

HISTORY CORNER

Sir Denis Blundell (GCMG, GCVO, KBE, QSO)The B Block at the south end of the school frontage is named after Sir Denis Blundell who attended Waitaki Boy’s from 1920 to 1924. Denis was a boarder, his family lived in Wellington. In his final year at Waitaki, Denis was Deputy Head Boy. He ran the school battery and shooting club, he also excelled at debating, writing and sport – most especially cricket. In one interschool cricket match against Christchurch Boy’s he took 5 wickets for 6 runs (Waitaki won by an innings and 150 runs!). In an inter-house match between the North Island boarders and the day boys he took 8 wickets for 25 runs. Whilst at school he represented the North Otago senior team against the New South Wales senior state team. He went on to play for New Zealand against England (then called the MCC) in 1935 and 1936. He was later President of the New Zealand Cricket Board from 1959 – 1962.

Leaving Waitaki, he attained a scholarship to the prestigious Trinity College, Cambridge where he read Law and was called to the Bar in 1929. Returning to New Zealand in 1930 he practised as a barrister and solicitor in his hometown of Wellington until war

broke out in 1939. It is no surprise, with his background in armaments at Waitaki that he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the 2nd NZEF, commanding the 23rd batallion by the end of the war. Following the war he returned to prctising law becoming the President of the New Zealand Law Society from 1962 - 1968. At the end of 1968 he was appointed as New Zealand High Commis-sioner to Ireland.

In 1972 he returned to New Zealand and was appointed by then Prime Minister Jack Marshall to the office of Governor General of New Zealand a position he held until 1977. In 1974 he returned to his old school for the occasion of opening the new Gymnasium and Swimming Pool complex (which still stands to this day). Sir Denis Blundell passed away in Townsville, Australia in 1984.

Today we honour his memory not only with the naming of the Blundell Block but with the presentation of the Denis Blundell award at senior prize giving. In 1924 he had won an Otago wide essay competition from a field of 67 high school students for his essay on the topic of “Goodwill towards men”. 50 years later in 1974, when he returned to school he presented an award in his name to be given to a student who “while at Waitaki, has demonstrated by reason of his qualities of good character, initiative, breadth of vision, understanding of the problems of others and having the common touch, that he is most likely, in future years, to give significant per-sonal service to those in need and generally for the well-being and benefit of society in New Zealand”.

In other words a man just like Denis Blundell. In 2018 we will present the Denis Blundell award for the 44th occasion.

This was some man!

Fri 24 Choir Tour / Winter ConcertWed 29 Timaru Boys’ Interschool (away)SEPTEMBERMon 3 Mid Term BreakMon 3 - Fri 7 Winter Tournament WeekMon 10 Teacher only DayThurs 13 - Tues 18

Senior Exams

Fri 14 Polyfest (Dunedin)Wed 19 SCRANO speechesMon 24 Falcon Scott Memorial SpeechThurs 27 Cross CountryFri 28 Mastermind. End of Term 3

WBHS Newsletter 2018

WBHS & SKC WEEK BEGINNING 2nd JULY 2018

MONDAY 2ND JUNIOR FOOTBALL 3:45pm @ WBHS BASKETBALL JUNIORS 6:30pm @ REC CENTRE BASKETBALL 1st V 7:30pm @ REC CENTRE TUESDAY 3RD 1st XI FOOTBALL 3:45pm @ WBHS U14.5 RUGBY 3:45pm @ SKC U16 RUGBY 3:45pm @ SKC WEDNESDAY 4TH S.O TEN PIN BOWLING 11:00am @ GALLEON TRAPSHOOTING 3:00pm @ WBHS BADMINTON 3:45pm @ WBHS GYM THURSDAY 5TH HOCKEY 5:30pm @ N.O. TURF FRIDAY 6TH 1st XV RUGBY 1:30pm @ WCS

WBHS Newsletter 2018

Open Night

Monday 6th August 6.30pm

Auditorium

Open Night

Monday 6th August 6.30pm

Auditorium

Waitaki Boys’ High School

Waitaki Boys’ High School

Waitaki Boys’ would like to welcome all potential students for 2019, and let you know of a number of relevant dates.

Fri 8th June - Don House overnight stay, for all prospective Hostel boysMon 6th August - Open nightFri 30th November - Orientation Day

You are welcome anytime to come and see Waitaki Boys’ for yourself, please ring the Rectors office on (03) 4370529 ext 840 to make an ap-pointment to meet the Rector and take a tour around Waitaki Boys’.

Waitaki Boys’ would like to welcome all potential students for 2019, and let you know of a number of relevant dates.

Fri 8th June - Don House overnight stay, for all prospective Hostel boysMon 6th August - Open nightFri 30th November - Orientation Day

You are welcome anytime to come and see Waitaki Boys’ for yourself, please ring the Rectors office on (03) 4370529 ext 840 to make an ap-pointment to meet the Rector and take a tour around Waitaki Boys’.