​​Kia ora koutou and Eid Mubarak to those celebrating!

It has been another busy and vibrant week at OGHS, with Mrs. Davidson joining our Year 12 Biology and Outdoor Education students away at Borland Lodge. We hope they had a successful and enriching experience in the beautiful outdoors. It is always a highlight of our Term One calendar for both staff and students.

The remaining Year 12 students have been focused on their future pathways this week, participating in a comprehensive Careers programme. This included visits to the University of Otago, providing valuable insights into tertiary education and the diverse opportunities available to them. These experiences are designed to equip our students with the knowledge and direction they need as they begin to make decisions about their future.  

Wednesday saw the celebration of Pacific culture and oratory at the Pacific Voices competition, held at King’s Auditorium. We are especially proud of our school's connection to this event, as it was founded here at OGHS. A highlight of the competition was Mia Tavake's second-place finish in the junior section, delivering a thoughtful and moving speech about growing up in a Pasifika family. Other powerful and entertaining speeches were made by Frances Tuigamala and seniors, Eleanor Dean and Siosiana Mau.

The performing arts have also been in the spotlight, with many of our talented students showcasing their skills at the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival on Thursday. Three student-directed performances of Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet went on stage with charm and enthusiasm. It was great to see that two of our pieces came from our junior drama students which bodes well for the future.

We are delighted to share that the Eid celebrations will be held tonight at the Bayfield Pavilion. With our hall temporarily out of action, the Bayfield Pavilion was made available to our cluster coordinator, Madiha Farid. This event, hosted for girls across our Former Refugee Cluster and their friends, will be a wonderful opportunity to mark this special occasion on the Muslim calendar. We thank Madiha for her ongoing work supporting our students not only at Otago Girls’ but across Dunedin.

Next week Year 9 is heading up to our brother school, Otago Boys’ as part of our ongoing “Friends First” programme. Peer support leaders and our prefects will be coordinating some fun activities to engage our students on Tuesday afternoon. We will be walking up the hill at

1:15pm for a 1:30 pm start and returning at 3 pm.

As we approach our final week of Term One, we ask our students to consider the elderly members of our community during our break. Holidays like Easter can be a lonely time for those without family so it would be great to see a few more little gifts for our baskets that head out to local rest homes. Tuesday is the final day for a collection of chocolate goodies, small soaps, and hand creams for both men and women. Students can bring them to Mrs. Watt at the school office. Our Community Service prefect and helpers will deliver them later in the week.

This week has highlighted the diverse talents and activities that make our school community so special. From career exploration and academic pursuits to cultural celebrations and the performing arts, our students continue to shine in many different ways.