HVHS Newsletter

Fakaalofa atu, kia ora,

Earlier in the week, we were proud to raise the flag of Niue on our school flagpole to celebrate Niue Language Week. It is wonderful to see our school community working together to strengthen vagahau Niue (the Niue language) with staff and students speakers teaching those who are learning it.

Here are some recent musical performances by ex-Hutt Valley High School musicians to share with you. William Berry was a student at HVHS from 2016 to 2020. He played a formidable part in our music programme and is one huge talent. I remember him playing at his final Year 13 assembly, and the mesmerised audience didn't make a sound - so in awe of his talent were they. To watch William's Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor, Op. 20 by Scriabin (1872-1915) with the Wellington City Orchestra click here.

Sam Zhu a student at HVHS from 2015 to 2018 also played regularly for our school community. His tuba made quite an impression in our relatively small hall. How exciting that they are continuing their music journey! Watch Sam playing Concerto in Tuba by Edward Gregson, accompanied by the Wellington City Orchestra by clicking here. Some of you may pick up that former teacher Gary Wilby is part of the Wellington orchestra.

Additionally, Grace Wright (Deputy Principal) was fortunate to attend the Aotearoa Jazz Orchestra to hear them perform 'Alalaupapa', a composition by former student and Fulbright Scholar, Dexter Stanley-Tauvao (2012). He is an absolute global talent. Here’s a link to Dexter's website - https://www.dexterstanleytauvao.com/ for more information.

Our senior students have now completed their derived grade examinations. Please take time to chat with your children about their results. The idea of these examinations is two-fold: first, to have evidence of progress, if by chance, something happens that prevents them from sitting the formal NCEA examinations; second, to identify where they are strong and prepared, or where they need to do more work. In addition to this, many seniors are completing portfolio and internal assessments.

Our aim is for all leavers to have NCEA Level 2 and Year 13s to have NCEA Level 3, with most also gaining University Entrance (UE). In case you are a little confused about what is required, that means 60 credits at Level 3 and passing 3 subjects with 14 or more credits.

There isn't a big break between now and the formal examinations but students should have developed some kind of study plan in order to prepare well for what are extremely important examinations. Do encourage your students to put in that extra effort now so they can be rewarded with great qualifications in January when results for final exams are confirmed.

Many teachers and departments are offering tutorials and support lessons - one just needs to ask. But please make sure students are not asking teachers to do the work for them; they need to dig deep, be resilient, sacrifice personal time, and work hard. A little like training for a 10 km run, learning lines or a score for a performance.

Next week is huge with three major celebrations. Dance Benefit, Premier Sports Awards, and Hotuwaipara Awards. I look forward to seeing you supporting your children and acknowledging their hard work and effort this year. Like me, some of you will have children involved in three events - could be a week of takeaways!

Congratulations to everyone who has been invited to these events, and thanks so much to the staff going the extra mile to organise them.

Nonofo ā mutolu kia, ngā mihi nui,

Denise Johnson (Principal)

Photo credits: Dexter Stanley-Tauvao courtesy of Aotearoa Jazz Orchestra and from Wellington City Orchestra with Virginie Pacheco (Assistant Conductor) , Sam Zhu (Tuba) and Ewan Clark (Conductor).

At the end of Term 3, twenty-three students studying Japanese went to Japan on the HVHS school trip. They spent the first week living with a Japanese family in Tokyo as part of our Sister School arrangement with Suginami High School. They spent time experiencing Japanese school life, learning about Japanese culture - including calligraphy, tea ceremony and wearing Yukata, as well as visiting theme parks, shopping and hanging out with their homestay family.

Their host families were all very kind and hospitable and they enjoyed learning more Japanese language and making lifelong friends and connections, having an amazing time.

We then spent a week visiting Hiroshima, Himeji Castle and Kyoto, where we all learnt a lot about Japanese culture, visited some beautiful places, navigated our way on various trains including the shinkansen (bullet train) and found great things to eat at the convenience stores and awesome souvenirs to bring home.

The most surprising thing is that there are very few rubbish bins in Japan, and you are not allowed to eat while walking through the streets! There are vending machines everywhere and lots of delicious drinks and ice-creams to try. It was a successful and fun trip.

We are looking forward to welcoming Suginami High School to Hutt Valley High on 20-25 March 2027. If you are studying Japanese and interested in hosting a student please email me (Sarah Langley) at sarah.langley@hvhs.school.nz

Whether or not your student currently plays sport for HVHS, we would love you to complete this brief parent survey by Friday, 30 October 2026. Any feedback will directly inform how we run sport at HVHS in the future. Please click on the link below to complete the survey. We really appreciate your time and support in shaping the future of sport at HVHS!

The Sports Department invites all Premier Sports students, whānau, coaches, managers, and officials to join us for an evening of celebration and recognition of sporting excellence.

Date: Wednesday, 28 October

Time: 6:30pm (please be seated by 6:20pm)

Location: School Hall

Guest Speaker: Julia Gluyas (NZ Women's Black Sticks Hockey Goalie)

Dress Code: Smart, tidy school uniform for students

Seating: Students will sit with their respective teams

We look forward to honouring our athletes, teams, volunteers, and coaches who made this year so memorable! See you all there.

- Kristi Tia, Sarah Coales, Noor Hatem, Rosie Kirkpatrick (HVHS Sports Department)

End of year exams for NCEA and NZ Scholarship subjects run from Tuesday, 10 November until Friday, 4 December 2026. Please find below helpful reminders for students sitting these exams.

Schedule & Attendance

• Dates: Exams run from Tuesday, 10 November until Friday, 4 December 2026. Please click here to view the exam timetable.
• Venues: Room allocations will be posted daily at reception and at various other key places around school.
• Timings: Morning exams start at 9:30am and afternoon exams at 2:00pm. Please arrive 20 minutes before the exam starts.

• Daily Routines: Senior students in Years 11-13 are on study leave when they don't have an exam. Year 10 students will attend regular classes unless they are sitting an exam.

• For Students with Special Assessment Conditions (SAC): Please follow the instructions that will be sent from the Learning Support team. If applicable, students to go to V5 to meet their Reader/Writers.

Exam Requirements & Equipment

• Admission slips: No admission slip, no entry! If students don’t have an admission slip or have misplaced it, they should visit the Student Reception as soon as possible to get a new one reprinted. These will be issued to students in Week 3.
• What you can/can't bring: Students can bring a clear drink bottle, and blue and black pens. They are not allowed to bring phones, watches, calculator covers, or their your own paper.
• Non-uniform is allowed for students during their NCEA exams.
• If a student needs to borrow a device to sit their exam, please use this request form by clicking here (as soon as possible).
• myNZQA Account: If your exam involves using a device, ensure you’ve logged into your myNZQA account ahead of time to ensure your device is working correctly (if needed).
• Digital Exams: Students must download Chrome browser to their Windows, Chromebook or Mac laptop prior to starting the exam, and bring a fully charged laptop.
• For Paper Exams: Students must use blue or black pens only.
• For Numeracy Exams: Students may also bring rulers and calculators (see the Maths Learning Area if they need one).
• For Language Exams: Students must also bring headphones.

If an unexpected event (such as illness or an emergency) disrupts a student's ability to take an exam, impacts their exam performance or if an exam is missed, please email Katie Long (Principal's Nominee NZQA) at katie.long@hvhs.school.nz as soon as possible to start the process of applying for a derived grade.

Our school has dedicated Maths and Science Help Rooms to support students in all year groups. For both Help Rooms, students are welcome to drop in, no bookings are necessary. See the timings and room locations below.

Maths Help Room: Ongoing Wednesday Sessions & Extra NCEA Exam Support

• Regular Wednesday Afternoon Sessions: Every Wednesday after school from 3:30pm to 4:30pm in P6, a range of Maths teachers (and student helpers) are available to support you. The Maths Help Room is open to students of all year levels and ability levels. Come along to get help with homework, studying for assessments or any Maths questions.
• Extra NCEA Exam Support: To help senior students prepare for exams, we are running additional drop-in revision sessions in the Pavilion from Monday 2 November to Monday 23 November. These are running from 9:00am-3:15pm every school day (from 10:00am on Mondays). Students are welcome to drop in anytime throughout the day. Please bring past papers or revision materials with you. Non-uniform is permitted during these extra sessions.

Science Help Room

• Regular Weekly Sessions: Every Thursday after school from 3:30pm–4:30pm and every Friday at lunchtime from 1:30pm–2:15pm in B11, students in all year groups are welcome to come along and get help with science homework or upcoming assessments.
• Extra NCEA Exam Support: To help students prepare for science end of year exams, we are running a Science Help Room in B11 from 9:00am–4:00pm every school day from Monday 2 November to Friday 20 November, where students can drop in to get help studying for their external exams.

The Drawing Club was recently issued a challenge to design a new attention-grabbing poster to entice in some new members. Pictured below the entries from 3rd place winner: Jess Low (11TU), shared 2nd place winners: Craig Curwen (9DUCS) and Anahera Ilari (11RS) and 1st place winner: Jessica Chan (10WMCE). Congratulations to the artists!

Please contact Olivia McVey (Art & Design Teacher) at olivia.mcvey@hvhs.school.nz if you're interested in hearing more about Drawing Club.

At Hutt Valley High School, our School Board adheres to a three-year policy review schedule to ensure our policies remain current and effective. This term, we are reviewing the following policies:

• Curriculum and Student Achievement
• Reporting about Student Progress and Achievement
• Learning Support
• Health Curriculum
• Māori Educational Achievement
• Privacy Policy

To read the policies click here and search for 'Hutt Valley High School', and enter username 'HVHS' and the password 'Adalta'. The School Board welcomes feedback and input from the school community. Please email your feedback to Tania Jovanovich (Office Manager) at tania.jovanovich@hvhs.school.nz by Sunday, 15 November.

Following a recent review, the decision has been made to move our annual Year 9 camp to Year 10. From 2027 onwards, a Year 10 camp will run in Term 4. This ensures our current Year 9 students do not miss out. In place of the camp this year, Year 9 students will participate in "Clash of the Classes" on Friday, 20 November at Sladden Park. Students are asked to arrive at school dressed in their house colours. Year 9 students and staff will then walk over to Sladden Park to compete in a series of sports events organised by our PE teaching staff and senior student leaders.

Further details regarding the day will be shared soon. For any questions, please contact Tim Fox (Deputy Principal) at tim.fox@hvhs.school.nz.

Throughout September Music Ecademy ran a competition designed to encourage students across Australia and New Zealand to strengthen their music theory, aural skills and general musicianship. Two of our Year 9 Music Classes were placed first and second respectively. They were part of a field that included over 300 schools in both New Zealand and Australia.

Image: Students of the Year 9 Music (83C Class)

Welcome to Term 4! Our summer sports are already underway or kicking off soon. We have another action-packed term ahead with plenty of one-day tournaments.

Artistic Swimming

Jacqueline Hannaford (9CWMH) recently competed as part of the 15-athlete Wellington Synchro team at the Artistic Swimming New Zealand National Championships in Hamilton, which featured 198 competitors from New Zealand, Australia, and New Caledonia. Jacqueline placed 5th in the Dolphin Combo event (with 3 students from other Wellington schools) and 6th in the Aquanaut Duet (alongside her partner from Wellington Girls' College), while also competing in the figures event and achieving a personal best.

Cheerleading

Congratulations to Clementine Kircher (13IN), who recently traveled to Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast with Wellington-based "Big Air" Cheerleading Squad "Divergent" to compete in the Australasian Majors. Following two years of training 2 to 3 times a week, Clementine and her team achieved outstanding success, placing first in their section and taking out the Overall Trophy against top teams from across Australia and New Zealand.

Cricket

Our 1st XI Girls Cricket team had an amazing time at their recent tournament in Napier (Oct 1–3). We are extremely proud of their effort, determination, and outstanding sportsmanship both on and off the field. Out of 10 competing teams, the girls secured an impressive 3rd place overall, losing only 1 of their 4 matches throughout the tournament! Our 1st XI Boys Cricket team also traveled to the Hawke's Bay tournament from 4-7 October to compete against top regional talent.

Darts

A huge congratulations to Laitesha Ward (9DBME) who recently represented the New Zealand in the Darts Youth Team that competed at the 21st World Dart Federation Asia-Pacific Cup in in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 7-10 October, 2026.

Football

Congratulations to Evan Thapa (10GFDI), who has been selected for the U16 South team to compete in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Football annual North v South Tournament, taking place from 20–22 January 2027.

Hockey

Congratulations to the following students who recently represented their regions at the U16 National and Lower North Island hockey tournaments:

• Under 16 Boys National Tournament (Auckland)

• 5th Place (Wellington U16 Team): Zack McRobbie (10STSF)

• Under 16 Boys Lower North Island Tournament (Palmerston North)

• 2nd Place (Tier 1 Storm): Chase Burgess (11HD) and Kain Burgess (9PAFN)

• Under 16 Girls Lower North Island Tournament (Palmerston North)

• 2nd Place (Tier 1 Panthers): Peyton Burgess (9RBTS) and Emmy Christensen (10SF)
• 1st Place (Tier 2 Falcons): Victoria Caulfield (9GUSP)
• 3rd= Place (Tier 2 Wildcats): Alicia Wallace (9OAPH)

Swimming

We had five students competing at the New Zealand Short Course Swimming Championships in Christchurch over 5 days, in the first week of the holidays achieving the following results:

• Desmond Lin (11RS) - Placed 6th in the 15yo Boys 50m Breaststroke at his first National Meet.
• Hannah Sampson (12VY) - National Champion in the 16yo Girls 200m Breaststroke (+ 6th in NZ in the Open A Final), 2nd in the 100m Breaststroke (+14th in NZ in the Open B Final), 2nd in the 50m Breaststroke (20th in NZ in the Open B Final), 2nd in the 200m Individual Medley, 9th in the 50m Butterfly, and 5th in the Open 4x50m Medley Relay (New Wellington Record).
• Lizzie Butters (10ADSB) – Placed 15th in the 14yo Girls 100m Breaststroke and 18th in the 200m Breaststroke at her first National Meet.
• Selena Pua (9PAFN) – 4th in the 14yo Girls 50m Butterfly, 4th in the 100m Butterfly (22nd in NZ in the Open C Final), and 17th in the 50m Backstroke.
• Zach Moore (9PAFN) – Placed 23rd in the 14yo Boys 400m Freestyle at his first National Meet.

Running

A huge congratulations to Poppy Wilkinson (9MTTH), who recently achieved an incredible milestone of 150 Parkruns by running 5km every Saturday morning at 8am over several years!

Touch Rugby
Congratulations to the following students who have been selected for Wellington Representative Touch Rugby teams this season, as well as the adult coaches and managers supporting them:

• U16 Girls: Elise Tapine (9GERA)

• U16 Boys: Ollie Forster (10WHAR), Xavier Potaka-Knox (9SHDM), and Riley Johnston (9PAFN)

• U16 Mixed: Charlie Menzies (9PAFN) and Aimee Hurley (10ASKO)

• U18 Girls: Taihana Baker (12TI), Halo Cowan (12DA), and Zara Baker (12CT)

We are also very proud to have five members of a wider school community - Nick Baker, Tania Potaka, Ike Tapine, Anna Tapine, and Brayden Ward - selected to share their expertise and support as coaches and managers for these representative teams while also helping with our HVHS Term 4 teams.

Friendly Reminders

• HVHS Sport Premier Awards are next Wednesday, 28 October from 6:30pm-8:30pm in the Hall. All Premier Sports students, whānau, coaches, managers, and officials to join us for an evening of celebration and recognition of sporting excellence.
• Please keep checking your school emails as this is our way of sending communications from the Sports Department.
• Term 4 sports fees have now been added to your school account. Please ensure these fees, along with any other outstanding sports payments, are paid as soon as possible.
• Winter Sports Team Photos: Check your inbox for an email sent on Tuesday, 20 October from the fantastic team at InPhotography. It includes your login and password details to view and purchase photos.

Stay Connected - Like & Follow Our New Social Pages

The Sports Office has recently updated their social media pages for the Sports Office, please use the link below to follow these pages, and hear the latest HVHS sports news and reminders:

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sporthvhs/ | @sporthvhs
• Facebook - Click here | Search 'HVHS Sport'

The marae is open for breakfast from 8am until 8.55am for students needed kai before school starts. On offer is toast, weetibix, warm milo and great company! There will always be pre-made buns (jam or peanut butter) available on a table close to the door for everyone to help themselves, as well as any fruit that is donated.

Every now and then a bonus pot of something filling might be on offer like pumpkin and bacon soup or curried sausages, especially during the colder days. For any questions or offers of help, please email Sonia Talivai (Literacy Support) at sonia.talivai@hvhs.school.nz

At HVHS we want every student to have the opportunity to learn and thrive. One of the ways we support this is by making sure students who arrive without breakfast or enough food for the day can access kai when they need it.

If you’re able to help, we are currently seeking donations of sandwich spreads, muesli bars and milo. Donations can be dropped directly to the School Office during term time, Monday to Friday, 8am–4pm. For any questions, you’re also welcome to email Lloyd Ward (Acting Head of Wellbeing) at lloyd.ward@hvhs.school.nz. Ka nui te mihi.

Has your child achieved something amazing? We’d love to hear about and celebrate our students’ successes outside the classroom — whether in sport, music, speech, dance, or other activities.

If your child has a sporting achievement, please email the details to Kristi Tia (Sports Director) at sport@hvhs.school.nz. For all other achievements, contact Lana Goddard (Principal’s PA) at office@hvhs.school.nz.

We're currently running low on donated uniforms, especially school skirts and black formal trousers. 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 to the HVHS Office, open Monday to Friday from 8am-4pm during term time.

Need New School Trousers & Shorts?

From the start of 2027, all students will be required to wear the approved school trousers and shorts, which will only be available for purchase through the Resource Centre. If you need to purchase black trousers or shorts, we strongly recommend purchasing the correct ones from the Resource Centre now to avoid having to buy another pair at the start of next year.

Resource Centre Opening Hours

The Resource Centre's opening hours are Monday to Thursday during term time from 11:00am to 2:30pm, and it is closed on Fridays. For any questions, please email resource.centre@hvhs.school.nz.

Enrolments for 2027 are now open for in-zone applications in Years 9-13. We encourage families to enrol early to help us plan for your child's learning needs. Out-of-zone applications have now closed for Years 9-13.

Early enrolment allows students to select their Year 9 subject options (many of which have limited spaces) and enables families to book a Year 9 enrolment conversation before popular time slots fill up. For information on how to enrol and key enrolment deadlines please click here.

Monday 26 October

• Labour Day (Public holiday, school closed)

• Dance Benefit, School Hall, 7:00pm-8:30pm (Tickets on sale at the Resource Centre)

• HVHS Premier Sports Awards, HVHS Hall, 6:30pm-8:30pm (Please be seated by 6:20pm)

• Hotuwaipara Awards, HVHS Hall, 6:30pm-8:30pm

• Last Day for Students in Years 12-13

• Tutorial Week Starts
• Visual Art, NCEA Level 3 Portfolios Due

• Whānau Feast, C Block, 5:00pm-8:30pm (Evening 1/3)
• School Board Meeting, Boardroom, 5:30pm-7:30pm
• Year 10 Productions (Class - BE), Scheduled Across Two Week Period, Week 1 of 2, 7pm

• Whānau Feast, C Block, 5:00pm-8:30pm (Evening 2/3)

• Last Day for Students in Year 11 (Finishing at 2pm after final assembly)
• Whānau Feast, C Block, 5:00pm-8:30pm (Evening 3/3)

• Enrolment Conversations Start for Enrolled Year 8 Families
• Year 10 Productions (Class - KO), Finishing on Thursday, 12 November, Week 2 of 2, 6pm

• NCEA & NZ Scholarship Exams Start, Running until Friday 4 December

• Junior Music Concert, Room S1, 6:30pm-8:00pm

• NCEA & NZ Scholarship Exams Continue, Running until Friday 4 December

• Teacher Only Day - Ministry of Education Curriculum Day (No classes for students)

• Year 9, Clash of the Classes, Sladden Park

• NCEA & NZ Scholarship Exams Continue, Running until Friday 4 December
• Solomon Islands Pidgin Language Week

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

• Tautoko (Supported Learning Centre) Wizard of Oz Production, HVHS Hall, 3:30pm-4:30pm

• Big 10 Event (for Year 10 Students)
• Last Day of NCEA & NZ Scholarship Exams

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

• Last Day of Term 4 for Students in Years 9 & 10
• Year 9 Prizegiving, HVHS Hall, 9:30am-10:30am
• Year 10 Prizegiving, HVHS Hall, 11:00am-12:00pm

Thursday, 28 January

• First Day for Year 9 Students, 9:00am-3:15pm

• First Day for Students in Years 10-13, 9:00am-3:15pm

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