HVHS Newsletter

Prizegiving Preparations

The countdown has begun! Staff and students are diligently preparing for this year's prizegiving ceremonies, which will celebrate both excellence and effort. Due to our venue limitations, we hold five separate prizegivings - we wish we had a large hall that could accommodate everyone! Students will be notified shortly if they are recipients of an award, and we warmly invite whānau to join us in acknowledging these achievements.

A special thank you goes to the students who will be performing at the events. While prizegiving is a formal occasion and you may feel nervous, please enjoy the moment and your performance. I am certain that both the staff and the audience will appreciate it greatly.

NCEA Completion

Senior students are wrapping up assessments and looking ahead to exciting next steps. A huge well done for the perseverance and focus you’ve shown during this busy time.

Volleyball Nationals

I had the privilege of watching two full days of volleyball, and what an experience it was! Our Junior A Girls team (pictured below) displayed incredible teamwork and spirit, earning well-deserved medals. A special shout-out to coaches Taane Koorey-Te Huki and Greg Neil Besa - your calm, strategic leadership helped the girls dig deep and fight back when the pressure was on. Every one of our school values - perseverance, respect, teamwork, and pride - was on display. This is a win for the whole school community!

100th Celebrations

Planning for our centenary in 2026 is gaining momentum. It’s going to be a milestone worth marking in style — watch this space for updates!

Farewells
I’d like to acknowledge the retirement of Chris Riley, who has dedicated 37 years to teaching Physics and Science, and coaching cricket at HVHS. Your quiet low-key presence, focus and commitment have left a lasting impact. And to Philippa Plewinski, who has been with us for 22 years, and is our Maths specialist with a gift for helping students who find the subject challenging - thank you for your kindness and welcoming approach. You will both be missed!

Community Generosity
A heartfelt thank you to those in our community who have donated funds for Chromebooks. Your generosity is making a real difference - some very grateful recipients will be notified soon. These contributions help ensure every student has the tools they need to succeed.

Health & Safety Update
Recently, some unopened Supported Learning Centre kinetic sand, listed as containing asbestos, was discovered on-site. This unopened sand was immediately disposed off following established health and safety procedures. In addition, purple sand samples were tested last week and confirmed to not contain asbestos. There is no risk to staff or students.

Ngā mihi nui
Thank you to everyone - students, staff, whānau - for making these past weeks so memorable. Let’s keep the energy going as we head toward the end of the year! Eight days to go.

Ngā mihi maioha,
Denise Johnson (Principal)

On behalf of the Hutt Valley High School Board: Jen Broster, Charles Darr, Andrew Hood, Will Moore, Denise Johnson (Principal), and Sarah Robbins (Staff Representative), I wish to thank everyone who has contributed to another successful year at Hutt Valley High School.

To our Principal Denise Johnson, senior leadership team, teachers and staff - thank you for your unwavering dedication to our students. Your commitment to providing a positive, supportive, and inspiring learning environment is helping to shape the future leaders of our community. You should be enormously proud of your accomplishments this year.

A thank you to those of you who have volunteered at Hutt Valley High School this year. So much of what we are able to offer as a school depends on our community dedicating their time - be it in the classroom, on the sidelines, or behind the scenes - we are so incredibly grateful for the support you provide to our students.

And finally, we would like to acknowledge and farewell our year 13 students. As you step into the next exciting chapter of your lives I hope you look back with pride on all you have achieved during your time with us. We hope your connection to Hutt Valley High School remains strong. Kia mau ki to ūkaipō.

On behalf of the Board I wish you all a safe and enjoyable Christmas break. We look forward to seeing you in 2026.

Meri Kirihimete ki a koutou katoa.

Susan Dunne
Board Chair

Hutt Valley High School is excited to announce that we will be staging the musical Urinetown in 2026. Do not let the name put you off. This is a fun show set in a world where water is tightly controlled and everyone must pay to use public toilets. The story follows a group of ordinary people who decide they have had enough.

The production will be performed in the final week of Term 2 in 2026. It will be led by Nicholas Kovacev (Music Teacher) and Derek Wood (Head of English Learning Area), with support from many other amazing staff members.

Auditions for roles and chorus will take place in Week 2 of Term 1 next year. Students who are interested can sign up on Google Classroom using the code: kcbwk5ba. Details about songs and monologues to prepare will be posted there over the summer break.

More roles, including production and backstage positions, will be advertised later in 2026. If you have any questions, please email Nicholas Kovacev at nicholas.kovacev@hvhs.school.nz or Derek Wood at derek.wood@hvhs.school.nz.

Congratulations to our 19 performers in yesterday’s Year 10 Speech Competition. Each student delivered a thoughtful and engaging speech on a wide range of topics. Speeches ran for up to five minutes, giving students the opportunity to explore ideas they were passionate about.

We are pleased to share the top three places and their topics:

• 1st – Matilda Nevin (10TUTS), Women and the Film Industry

• 2nd – Bee Hebron (10BQMA), Oh God, She’s Fainted Again: How Tuberculosis Shaped Romance

• 3rd – Chiyuri Lee (10MYDO, International Student), Language, Culture and Belonging

Thank you to whānau, staff, and friends who attended the competition and offered their generous support.

Entries were received from all the Year 9 Literacy classes, showcasing our students’ creativity and the wide range of learning they have been undertaking in their Literacy lessons this year.

To celebrate their poster entries, winners were awarded a certificate and a small chocolate treat. Congratulations to everyone who took part!

Image: A selection of the entries in the Year 9 Poster Competition.

The Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) is a group for LGBTQ+ students and friends to meet weekly, hang out and support each other. Each week we participate in rainbow-themed activities, or learn about and discuss various queer-related topics.

Throughout the year we have had presentations by students and staff about gender diversity, asexuality, queer representation in media, feminism, microlabels, consent, neurodiversity and disability, mental health and queer history. We have also had a variety of activities including creating our own queer memes, making clay pride creatures, a queer book club, painting pride rocks, making queer art work with pastels, pride flag icing and competing in queer Kahoots. The pictures below show some of our creations.

The Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) group meets in meets every Thursday lunchtime in P6. For any questions please email Jill Skinner at jill.skinner@hvhs.school.nz.

Does your student need up to 12 NCEA credits to move forward with study, training or work? Te Kura’s short-term online learning is available to help students. Enrolments are now open you can visit the Te Kura's website by clicking here.

Te Kura's Summer School offers a range of NCEA Level 2 and Level 3 subjects (Level 1 is no longer available). Students can enrol in up to 12 credits to help meet their study goals. The credit limit drops to 6 credits from 12 January. Check your credit requirements early so you can plan ahead and make the most of Summer School.

For any additional questions, please contact Rob Everett (Deputy Principal) at rob.everett@hvhs.school.nz

On Thursday 27 November, students from Tautoko (Supported Learning Centre) caught the train over to Masterton for our annual sports exchange with Wairarapa College. It was great to catch-up with other friends and make some new friends.

HVHS won the tee ball and bocce and were narrowly defeated in basketball. Our students represented our school well with their great teamwork and fair play.

Volleyball

Congratulations to the HVHS Junior A Girls team who won Division 3 at the North Island Junior Championship in Auckland. This is a great achievement. Thank you to aib GROUP INSURED for your sponsorship and all our parent helpers who helped fundraise and organised to get the team there. Also to Taane Koorey-Te Huki and Greg Neil Besa who coached.

Cricket - HVHS Boys' 1st XI

Blake Smith (11FY) pictured, scored a century for the HVHS Cricket Boys' 1st XI in their recent game against Wellington College PR Gold. A very fine innings - 107 (not out) off 74 balls after coming to the crease with HVHS in trouble at 15/3. Blake put together a very good partnership with Hugh McWhinnie, who scored 32 and led HVHS to a very good win, by six wickets.

Cricket - HVHS Boys Year 9 & 10 Colts

The HVHS Cricket Boys Year 9-10 Colts XI team played in a Lower North Island T20 cricket tournament this week. Over three days, the team played six matches, showing outstanding team spirit and determination. Their efforts earned them 6th place out of 16 teams, making HVHS the highest-ranked co‑educational school in the competition.

Standout performances during the tournament included:

• Batting highlights:
• Ishan Valabh - 68 runs vs Kuranui College (170 runs across the tournament), Ishan joins the team from Wā Ora Montessori

• Yash Prasad (9FTWS) - 59 runs vs HIBS
• Josh Bruce (10PUPF) - 51 runs vs Paraparaumu College
• Bowling highlights:
• Cole Gibert (10KSHD) - 3 wickets for 24 runs vs Paraparaumu College, 10 wickets across the tournament
• Enzo Meikle (10CIGB) - 3 wickets for 13 runs vs Kuranui College
• Toby Pepper (10BQMA) - 3 wickets for 5 runs vs Onslow College
• Fielding highlights:
• Gautham Muthukumaran (9DMST) - 3 catches, 2 run outs
• Josh Bruce (10PUPF) - 3 catches, 1 stumping
• Liam McHenry (9BESD) - 2 catches, 1 runout

The Colts (pictured below) demonstrated skill, teamwork, and resilience throughout the tournament, achieving impressive results against strong competition.

Touch

Congratulations to Zara Baker (11CT) and Taihana Baker (11TT) for making the U21’s Wellington Mixed Touch Team.

Athletics

Good luck to our six athletes who will be competing at the New Zealand Secondary Schools' Athletics Nationals next Friday to Sunday in Hastings. Representing HVHS are: Anna Green (9FTWS), Leo Hyink (10GSSP), Jessie McKenzie (13ST), Finnigan Strickland (10GSSP), and Jacob Williams (10GSSP).

Floorball

Well done to our HVHS Floorball Junior Mixed team that came 2nd in the Junior Mixed Grade.

Sports Uniforms

Our summer sports finished this week. If your student was issued a sports uniform these need to be returned to the Sports Office by Wednesday 3 December.

Thank You & 2026 Sport Registrations Dates

To all our sports teams and athletes we would like to say a huge thank you for this year for demonstrating great sportsmanship and always showing the HVHS values. A massive thank you to our coaches, managers and parents who helped this year without you we wouldn't be able to do what we do. Also, a huge thank you to the businesses and organisations who sponsor teams and help to keep costs more manageable for our athletes and their whānau.

For our returning students, please keep an eye out on our social media pages and emails regarding sport registrations for 2026. Information on how to register will be sent out in early December. The close off date to register will be Friday 23 January.

We hope you have a wonderful and safe break over the holidays.

Ngā mihi maioha,

Kristi, Noor, Dan & Sarah (Sports Office)

Congratulations to the following students who have achieved their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award:

• Poppy More (9BESD)

• Evie Watts (9WHAR)

• Hazel Mahoney (11TT)

• Ella Adams (10CNPA), who has already signed up for her Silver Award!

• Cameron Johns (11BB)
• Mac Smith (12PL)

The Bronze and Silver Awards recognise a student’s commitment to community service, developing a new skill, regular physical activity, and outdoor adventure. To learn more about the Duke of Edinburgh Awards please click here or contact Sarah Coales, HVHS Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator, at sarah.coales@hvhs.school.nz.

Get ready to satisfy your sweet tooth while supporting a great cause!

Our talented Year 10 Food students have been busy creating delicious Christmas treats including: handmade chocolates, Rice Krispie treats, fresh-baked cookies, gourmet popcorn, Christmas crack and many more festive sweets!

Christmas Market Event Details

We’re excited to welcome Year 9 & 10 students and staff to our Christmas Market!

When: Thursday, 4 December, 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Where: Lawn by the Food Room (or V Block if it's rainy)

Payment: Cash or card accepted (EFTPOS available)

Supporting Our Community

All profits from the market will be donated to the Lower Hutt Women’s Refuge, helping support families in our community who need it most this Christmas. So bring your coins or cards, treat yourself to something sweet, and make a difference this festive season!

Sign up for Music Lessons in 2026

Registrations are now open for students to sign up for music lessons in 2026, please click here to learn more and to complete the enrolment form.

Hire Instrument Returns

As part of your end-of-year checklist, please ensure all hire instruments are returned following prize giving performances. Instruments can be dropped off at the Music Department on Wednesday 3 December and Thursday 4 December, or at the HVHS Student Office (open Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm during term time).

Do you have a scientific calculator gathering dust at home? 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 Main Office at HVHS. It's open Monday to Friday from 8am-4pm during term time.

Year 13 Visual Art students will have their NCEA Level 3 folios returned directly to their home address.

For those who would like to collect folios or workbooks from previous years (NCEA Level 1 and/or Level 2), your welcome to pop by the Department in the new year. It’s always great to hear how our former students are getting on with their new courses, employment, or other exciting life directions.

For any questions, please contact Adrian Cartwright, Co‑Head of Learning Area (The Arts) at adrian.cartwright@hvhs.school.nz.

Hutt Valley High School extends a massive thank you to Four Winds Foundation for their generous $1,000 grant to purchase four tents used at our recent Year 9 Camp and for future senior PE trips.

The generous support from Four Winds Foundation helps to ensure all students have access to camping equipment, reducing the burden of purchasing gear that can otherwise place additional financial pressure on families.

Students can help themselves to two packets of period products per month. We also encourage students to take products home during their study leave and for the upcoming school holidays to cover their full menstrual cycle.

Period products are located in the tall white cupboard in the hallway to the IT Help Room. Available to students are pads and tampons in sizes regular and super, and also liners.

The library will be closed on Monday 1 December, for the annual stocktake and will reopen on Tuesday 2 December, when our librarians look forward to helping students choose their holiday reading.

If you have a student starting Year 8 who is not yet enrolled, there is a short window before the School Office closes for the school holidays. Enrolling now ensures they can begin the 2026 school year on the first day with their class.

School Office Closure Dates:

• Closes: Wednesday 10 December 2025, midday

• Reopens: Thursday 22 January 2026, 8:00am

In-zone enrolment is not automatic. All Year 8 students must apply - even if they live in the HVHS school zone, attend Hutt Intermediate, or already have a sibling at HVHS.

To enrol now, visit: hvhs.school.nz/how-to-enrol. Please note that applications for out‑of‑zone enrolments for Years 9–13 in 2026 have now closed.

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.

During term time the Resource Centre is open Monday to Thursday, 11:00am to 2:30pm and closed on Fridays. For families with a Year 8 student enrolled to start at HVHS in 2026, please check your emails for information on how to book a uniform fitting this term.

A huge thank you to those of you who have supported our students by donating kai in the past to help us supplement our breakfast club we run each day from Te Korowai.During the colder months, we've seen an increase in students coming in for food, and it's been great to offer sandwiches and fruit alongside the regular breakfast programme.

We’re grateful for your ongoing support. If you’d like to contribute by donating sandwich spreads or fillings, please contact Claire Ross (Head of Wellbeing) at claire.ross@hvhs.school.nz, or drop off donations at the School Office (open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm during term time).

Friday 28 November

• NCEA Exams, Last Day of Exams

Tuesday 2 December

• 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

Wednesday 3 December

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

Thursday 4 December

• Year 10 Foods Christmas Market, 1:30pm-2:30pm, Area Between Rooms P9 & P10
• Tautoko, Supported Learning Centre Production, 3:30pm-5:00pm

Friday 5 December

• Big 10 Event (for Year 10 Students)

Tuesday 9 December

• Last Full School Day for Students in Years 9 & 10

Wednesday 10 December

• Year 9 Prizegiving, HVHS Hall, 9:30am-10:30am (for invited students and their families only - due to limited seating)
• Year 10 Prizegiving, HVHS Hall, 11:00am-12:00pm (for invited students and their families only)
• Last Day of Term 4

Wednesday 17 December

• Secondary Schools Annual Holiday Closedown (Provided for in the Secondary Teachers' Collective Agreement), Runs till Monday, 19 January 2026

Thursday 1 January 2026

• Secondary Schools Annual Holiday Closedown Continues (Provided for in the Secondary Teachers' Collective Agreement), Runs till Monday, 19 January 2026

Monday 26 January

• Year 13 Camp for Student Leaders, Runs till Tuesday 27 February

• First Day for New Staff

• Teacher Only Day, No Classes (School Closed)

Friday 30 January

• First Day for Year 9 Students Only, 9:00am Start

• First Day for Students in Years 10-13, 9:00am Start

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