This is the final newsletter for the 2018 school year. As the year draws to a close it is a great opportunity to reflect on the successes of the year and to think about our goals for 2019.

 The highlights for me have been the work done in arriving at our renewed vision statement: Inspire, empower, challenge, dream; the purchase of 29 Kitchener Street as a Classroom by the Sea; and the implementation of the vertical form structure to support student wellbeing. Topping all of these however, are the many and varied successes of our students. Many of these will be celebrated at our annual Prize-giving ceremony which will be held on Tuesday 4 December at 6pm in the Regent Theatre. We have been working hard to streamline proceedings on the night by awarding a number of prizes at the respective cultural and sporting blues events and by reducing the number of speeches and the length of items. We have however introduced one new element to the night, which is the announcement of Prefects for 2019. Our guest speaker for the evening is Dame Silvia Cartwright, ex-girl and former High Court Judge and Governor General. We are delighted to have her attend and I know that you will enjoy and appreciate what she will have to say. I warmly invite everyone from our school community to join us in celebrating the achievements of our students this year.

Unfortunately not everyone is able to be acknowledged at prize-giving and I would like to acknowledge the many other achievements of our students and staff this year. They are many and varied and have impacts that are often difficult to quantify but can be profound. Just because you don’t receive an award, doesn’t mean your achievement and contribution has not been valued. Validation comes in many ways and prizes are but one.

Looking ahead to next year, our focus will remain on wellbeing and engagement (as has been the case for the past two years) with curriculum innovation a key area of development. Teaching staff have been working hard over the past term developing ideas and programmes that will further support the development of the 21st Century learning skills of Collaboration, Creativity, Critical thinking and Communication among our students. We are changing the timetable structure slightly to provide one block of 75 minutes each week that will be used for wellbeing, innovation and study time. In addition, a number of teachers of Year 9 and Year 10 classes are exploring ways of integrating their curriculum areas to support the girls’ ability to make connections in their learning.

On the property front, next year will see work begin on transforming 29 Kitchener Street into a hub for water sports and Education Outside the Classroom activities. I am very grateful to one of our parents, Matt Caird, who has offered his architectural design skills free of charge to help us advance this project. I am hopeful that we will be able to hold an opening ceremony for this facility at some point in 2019. We are also hoping to begin work on the building project we have been planning this year which will see the creation of a number of modern learning environments for use by students and staff and will improve access to student support and administrative areas of the school. Although this work is not major in terms of changes to the structure, the application for a building consent will trigger much compliance work as it is nearly 30 years since the Dalrymple Block had structural changes made and requirements have changed significantly in this time. Discussions with the Ministry of Education about how this will be funded will need to take place before this project can go ahead.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped support the learning of our students this year; in particular parents, coaches, tutors, teachers, employers, tertiary institutions and members of our community. Together we provide the opportunities for our students to flourish and grow. I would also like to wish all our leavers, especially our graduands, all the very best for your future. An Otago Girls’ High School education is one that can open doors.

I hope to see many of you at our Prize-giving and Graduation Ball next week. All the best for a restful and restorative festive break and I look forward to seeing you all again in 2019.