At assembly this week we celebrated aspects of the cultural diversity of our school. We were treated to two cultural performances both of which provided all of us with insights into the cultures of a number of our students.

First Hermione Hai played her Guzheng (a Chinese zither) as an accompaniment to Sherry Wu who performed a traditional Chinese dance. This was followed later in the assembly by members of Miss Choo’s Year 9 Dance class who performed a Bollywood dance. We also welcomed Mr Mukhamad Nurochman and Mr Iden Sujana, teachers from Al Azhar Junior and High Schools in Jakarta, Indonesia. They were visiting Otago Girls’ as part of an Asia New Zealand Foundation and South East Asia Centre of Asia and Pacific Excellence exchange programme that saw Mrs Nicki Chapman and Ms Lisa Taylor visit their school in Term One. The aim of the exchange is to establish connections between New Zealand and Indonesian schools and in so doing learn more about each others’ cultures.

On Wednesday our Year 12 students participated in the full day Love’s me Not Programme. This was developed by Lesley Elliot and the New Zealand Police following the tragic death of Lesley’s daughter, Sophie, at the hands of her ex-partner. The programme gets students to explore the characteristics of healthy and unhealthy relationships and learn how to support themselves or their friends or families if they find themselves in unhealthy relationships.

Also on Wednesday we were treated to a sneak preview of Hairspray, this year’s OBs/OGs musical production. It was outstanding! The show has its premier next Wednesday so make sure you book your tickets while they are still available from the school office.

Earlier this week we received notification that the strike action originally set down for next week has been cancelled. There is however a Paid Union Meeting for all PPTA members on Friday 28 June which is for members to vote on the offer made by the Ministry of Education. Classes that day will finish at the end of period 3 (12.30pm). Limited supervision will be provided by non-union teachers. Please contact the school office if your daughter requires supervision for the afternoon.