Kia ora koutou

Our Open Night on Tuesday was a wonderful occasion. It was special to see all of our guides and helpers meet the incoming families and we had a wonderful welcome in the hall. A reminder to everyone that enrolment applications must be in to us by Thursday 27th August and Entrance Scholarship applications in by Thursday 20th August. In-zone places can be offered and confirmed prior to that. Out-of-zone places are confirmed definitively on Friday 28th August and welcome interviews follow. We also invite school tours at any time. There are more than 100 out-of-zone places available as long as applications are received by the deadline.

Welcome to Yasuda High School and their teachers and students from Hiroshima, Japan. This is a 30 year partnership and exchange between Yasuda High School and Otago Girls’ High School. Last year I was fortunate to visit Yasuda High School myself on the Japanese trip with the girls and we had a wonderful four days in Hiroshima with the school.

Congratulations to our swimmers away at the National Swimming Championships in Auckland. There have been four medals including three Gold Medals already on the first day. Best Wishes for the rest of the competition.

Our Jazz Band and rock bands held a wonderful concert last Sunday and both All Blues and Minor Blues perform at the Dunedin Youth Jazz Festival today. On Tuesday they depart for the Southern Youth Jazz Jam in Blenheim and we wish them well. The quality of all of these performances has been staggering.

A reminder to get all parts of the uniform in place in this cold weather. Layering a white merino or singlet under the school shirt is optimal. Stay warm in the weekend. Reading a good book, baking, doing crafts or watching a good movie are great Winter activities. We look forward to Cultural Day on Monday where students are encouraged to wear their cultural or Kiwi dress. It is special to celebrate this with our Yasuda guests.

"To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold." - Aristotle

Ngā mihi nui