Hero photograph
 
Photo by Cheree Henderson

Principal's Report

Mrs B Davidson, Tumuaki~Principal —

Kia ora koutou

I was delighted to take part in the annual Year 10 marae trip to Puketeraki Marae in Karitane with my Year 10 class on Tuesday. As usual we enjoyed reconnecting with the people there and wish to express our heartfelt thanks for the manaakitanga, stories and experiences shared with us. The sun shone and the new addition of shared kai at lunch really added to the whanaungatanga of the day.

I was privileged to be at both Netball and Rockquest last weekend and was inspired by the skill, passion, determination and energy shown in both arena. This is a reflection of all sport and activities in our school, where the magic comes together with excellent coaching, running around and support by parents, role-modelling by older students and leaders and real school spirit. I am proud of every student in every Facebook post and cannot keep track of all of the wonderful things happening here in our school and out on sportsfields, stages and in the community around Dunedin.

Recently I have been working on our School Prospectus for 2024. This brings together all of the awesome things that happen here and outlines what the school has to offer for prospective students. I am thinking that decisions about schools begin earlier than Year 8 and that it would be good to share your school experience widely with any younger students or families considering coming here. Our school is on the crest of a large wave of success just now and our school culture is positive and welcoming, with our prefects leading a range of fun and inclusive initiatives that have really brought the people together and raised school spirit exponentially. Our Excellence Entrance Scholarships are now open on our website so please spread the word widely with any Year 8 students you know, especially if they are already performing highly in Arts, Cultural, Academic, Sport or Leadership fields. If we all ‘adopt’ a Year 6, 7 or 8 student to encourage into our school community, we will be in a positive place going forward.

Next week I am attending the Secondary Principals’ Association of New Zealand (SPANZ) conference and the Asia-Pacific Summit for Girls’ Education in Hobart, run by the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Association in Australia (AGSA). AGSA soon will merge with the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools in Maryland, USA, opening up a global world of research and collaboration on education at girls’ schools. I look forward to reporting back to you on learnings from these events.


Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa

Let us keep close together, not wide apart

This whakatauki speaks to the importance of keeping connected, of maintaining relationships and dialogue so that we can keep moving forward together.

Ngā mihi nui