As we end an extremely busy year, I find myself reflecting on the incredible strength, resilience and talent of our young wāhine at Hamilton Girls' High School.

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all our parents and whānau for the mahi, the work you do to support our students. Your love, care and involvement are essential to their success and happiness. At our Junior Prizegiving, I shared two key messages that I believe are the key to growing our girls into independent, confident and resilient young women. 

The first is to let them learn from challenges.  Challenges and mistakes are powerful teachers. When young people face obstacles, they learn problem-solving skills, perseverance and self-confidence. By stepping back and allowing them to navigate, we are giving them the tools to handle life's ups and downs. Guide them, rather than try to fix their problems, and offer encouragement and advice when needed.

The second is to model resilience.  Show our young women what resilience looks like - share stories about how you have faced setbacks, stayed determined and overcome obstacles. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and talk openly about your challenges and how you managed them - strength doesn’t mean perfection - it means perseverance.  

Raising a resilient daughter is one of the most powerful gifts you can give her. It's about learning to rise every time life knocks you down.  

Over the past few weeks, I have seen and heard some very strong-minded, resilient and capable young sportswomen on the sports field. Sport brings joy, camaraderie and success, but it also tests our character through challenges and setbacks.  I want to say how incredibly proud we are of the 70 girls who represented us on the National stage in the past three weeks:  Junior Condors Rugby - placed 4th in NZ; National Condor Rugby 7s Premier team - placed 2nd in NZ, losing the final in overtime; HGHS Premier Touch Team placed 1st at the NZ Secondary Schools Touch Nationals; and at the NZSS Athletics Champs in Timaru, we had top 3 placings in 7 National Athletics events. Special mention to Year 10 student Jamie Fell, for her extraordinary performance at the NZSS Nationals: first in the Junior Girls Long Jump and 300m Hurdles, second in the Triple Jump and 80m Hurdles, as well as being named in the NZSSAA Championship Team alongside senior student Zarrah Rattray. They are fantastic achievements that reflect hard work, resilience and determination. Congratulations to all teams, including our coaching management and Sports Department. 

I have been taught from an early age that sport is a mirror for life. It teaches us to celebrate victories with humility and to face losses with grace. 

We have many incredibly talented, hard-working young women in our kura, from the sports field to the stage, both in the classroom and outside, and it is always important to remember ... that every moment, high or low, is shaping you into the best version of yourself.  

I want to take this opportunity to thank our Board of Trustees for their leadership in the HGHS governance space.  Led by Carissa McCay, we have a Board that understands the education landscape, has a vision for our school and works hard to focus on the students of today.  

No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa,

Marie Gordon

Principal