The school year is rapidly drawing to a close but we still have a few annual highlights to enjoy.

On Monday our Year 10s students leave for their five day camp at various locations in Otago and Southland. This is a wonderful opportunity for these students to challenge themselves, develop resilience, explore and appreciate nature, and foster new friendships. When our Year 13 students look back on their time at Otago Girls’ this is often one of their favourite memories. I hope the weather is kind to all the campers.

On Tuesday 10 December we will be holding our annual Prize-giving at the Regent Theatre commencing at 6pm. This is a key event in our school calendar and one at which we recognise the leadership, academic, sport, cultural and service contributions of a large number of our students. Our Head and Deputy Prefects and House Captains for 2020 will also be named, along with the names of the other prefects who will be allocated roles next year. All students are expected to attend this evening of celebration and recognition.

We will also be holding a Hamper Assembly on Monday 9 December to support the wonderful work that Presbyterian Support does. I encourage all Juniors to think of others at this time of year and bring a donation to school for their Whanau groups contribution.

Our NCEA exams come to a close on Tuesday and I would like to acknowledge the work of our NZQA Examination Supervisor Jock Murley for the calm and well organised manner with which he has carried out his role, enabling the examinations to run smoothly.

I would also like to express my thanks to the OG’s Sports Council, particularly the teacher in charge of Sport Duncan Trickey, for organizing a very successful bowls tournament last Friday evening. Approximately $3000 was raised to assist the Council with the valuable work that it does in supporting students who may require assistance for the funding of sports trips as well as supporting our high performance athletes. The event was a great opportunity for staff, parents and members of our wider community to enjoy a social event for a worthy cause.

This evening staff will be farewelling our Guidance Councillor Ada Crowe who has held this position at the school for almost 30 years. During this time the role of school Guidance Counsellor has become increasingly complex and demanding and Ada has done an incredible job of keeping those in her care safe. We wish you a happy retirement Ada. You will be able to read more about Ada’s contribution to the school in this year’s school magazine which will be available to students on the last day of term. If you haven’t already paid the $25 for the magazine please do so early next week.