Last term we held a number of consultation meetings with staff, students and community to ‘find our why’.

The aim of these meetings was to develop statements that would form our vision as a school. The 17 statements that resulted went out to all members of our community (staff, students and parents) via an online survey. There were two statements that were preferred - one by parents and students, the other by staff. They were: To empower our young women to embrace challenges and follow their dreams, and To inspire and empower young women to be intellectually and emotionally courageous.

Following the results of the survey the senior leadership team identified the key elements of both statements. These were: inspire, empower, embrace challenges, pursue their dreams, compassionate, courageous. Staff then participated in a workshop where they unpacked these terms, considering what each incorporated and what they would ‘look’ like, before coming up with statements that embraced the essence of what all groups consulted wanted. These were then considered by the Senior Leadership Team which focussed on identifying the statement that best reflected the following criteria: encapsulating these ideas, had resonance, was succinct, was inclusive of all members of our school community and aligned with our future focus as a school. What we ended up with was the following: Inspire, empower, challenge, dream. We felt that this statement met the criteria listed above and also implied a developmental progression. We have since shared this potential vision statement with the Board of Trustees and staff. We would welcome your feedback on this statement which you can provide by emailing the oghsadmin@otagogirls.school.nz email address. Please do so by Friday 17 August.

The next step in this process is to develop a graduate profile for our students. This will outline the qualities and dispositions we believe our students should have when they graduate at the end of Year 13. If you would like to be involved in developing this profile please let us know via the above email address.

Wednesday morning saw the departure of our guests from Yasuda Girls’ High School in Hiroshima, Japan. This is the 27th year of this exchange, which provides a wonderful cultural experience for both the Yasuda girls and the families with whom they stay. A particularly poignant moment of the trip was the Yasuda girls’ participation in a ceremony to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima which was held at the peace pole by the museum. A group of students from Otago Girls’ will be visiting Yasuda later this year as part of their Japanese language trip.

Last night Otago Girls’ hosted the first Pacific Voices Speech Competition. The brainchild and product of Year 11 student, Tiare Makanesi, this competition brought students from around the province to present speeches on “What it means to me to be a Pacific Islander”. The speeches presented were powerful and moving with the winners awarded outstanding prizes, including scholarships from the University of Otago. Two students of OGs won their respective sections - Storm Maole (senior English) and Ananisi (junior Tongan). Congratulations to all involved.

I will be away from school for the next three weeks marketing the school to prospective students in Argentina and Germany. Ms Taigel will be acting principal at this time.