Hero photograph
Linda Miller, Principal
 
Photo by Photolife

Principal's Report

Ms L. Miller, Principal —

On Wednesday NZQA announced changes to NCEA and University Entrance as a result of the interruptions to learning caused by Covid-19.

This has meant that students are required to have fewer credits than usual in order to achieve NCEA Levels 1, 2 or 3 or to get subject or certificate endorsements. Changes have also been made to University Entrance requirements with the details of these changes outlined elsewhere in this newsletter. While these changes will ease the pressure a little, students will still need to remain focussed for the remainder of the year to ensure they meet their goals.

Today the ‘Attitude to Learning’, real time, online reports will be available for all Year 11 to 13 students. These provide an indication of how your daughter is progressing and can be accessed through the Edge Portal. If you have any concerns, feel free to contact the school to arrange a time to talk to your daughter’s teacher or Head of House.

Prior to lockdown we began advertising for an Assistant Principal to replace Bridget Davidson following her appointment to the Deputy Principal role. With Covid-19 bringing the appointment process to a halt for some weeks, the appointment committee of the Board of Trustees were finally able to complete interviews this week. The short list was a mix of very strong internal and external candidates and I am delighted to announce that we have appointed the role to Ms Kathryn Dick. Ms Dick is currently the Head of our very successful English department and will be a huge asset in our Senior Leadership Team.

As the country inches towards Alert Level 1, more and more activities are able to be provided for our students. Sports and cultural activities are gearing up to get underway which is great to see. Please be aware that we have a range of ways to support students to play sport so let us know if you would like help around gear, subs or transport to enable your child to participate. Being involved in active, team based activities is extremely beneficial to wellbeing and it is our hope that every student who wants to participate can. To access help of any kind either email mi@otagogirls.school.nz or admin@otagogirls.school.nz