Wakatipu Stars Programme Overview 
Stars is a national programme operated by the Graeme Dingle Foundation and is made up of four key components spread across the year, which the Peer Mentors, selected Year 12 and 13 Students from each house undertake with their Year 9 Mentees from their respective houses. Wakatipu High is the only school to deliver the Stars Programme in the Lower South Island.
The four components are;
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1. Adventure Camp
The aim of this is to take students out of the normal day to day classroom setting and bond using the natural environment as well as the Peer Mentors to support their respective Year 9 Mentees on the Lake Rere Track.

2. Community Adventure
The Community Adventure helps students get to know and connect to their community, giving them the opportunity to explore resources and supports. 

3. Community Project
Students plan, organise and spend a day giving something back to their community.

4. Peer Mentoring Sessions
Year 12 and 13 students are trained to be Peer Mentors and follow a structured programme that addresses key life skills such as cyber safety and awareness, time management, good communication skills and building positive relationships.
The content of the sessions are planned and delivered in a way to;

• align with the school and curriculum as well as tasks year 9s are presently doing e.g. looking at cyber safety when the year 9s were doing their digital citizenship to strengthen their understanding,
• match with what is happening in our community,
• and also, with what is happening around us in the world e.g. looking at content such as time & stress management while in lockdown.

Click here or visit https://dinglefoundation.org.nz/stars/ for more details on Stars nationally.
For more information on Stars at Wakatipu, please contact the school office.
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Tel: 03 442 7370
Email: office@wakatipu.school.nz

Some of the Benefits:

• Stars makes the transition to high school a positive experience for Year 9 students.
• The Stars Programme aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum.
• The Stars Programme enables all students (Peer Mentors & Mentees) to engage better with the school and the wider community and helps develop key life skills.
• The Stars Programme adds another element of Student Leadership for the seniors to immerse in
• Assists student welfare by:
  • Developing students’ communication and teamwork skills.
  • Encouraging a sense of belonging to a wider community 
  • Supporting students to form and maintain positive friendships.
  • Positively reinforcing student’s helping tendencies.