It was great to welcome students back this week for the start of Term 4. Celebration practices are well underway and I have been enjoying listening to the strains of happy voices coming out of the hall. For parents who are new to the school this year, Celebration is held each year at Knox Church and is an inclusive and enjoyable night at which we enjoy massed singing, readings and group performances. Each year we have a theme with this year’s being “You and I” and is a recognition and celebration of how we have worked together to make it through this difficult year. Celebration will be held on the evening of November 3rd this year. Parents are warmly invited to attend so I suggest you put this date in your calendars now.

Today is Pink Shirt Day, an event that had its origins in the United States. The aim of the day is to raise awareness about bullying and to provide students with strategies they can use if they are the victim of or witness to bullying. Our student Wellbeing Team put together a kahoot and a presentation on being an ‘upstander’ for Whanau Time, providing students with an opportunity to discuss the issue and ways to make a difference. Part of the presentation was about ways to get help if anyone is suffering from bullying, something that we encourage anyone to do. It is important for everyone for bullying to be called out and acted upon so please let us know if you or your daughter have any concerns in this regard.

There have been many student achievements since our last newsletter. We publicise these through our Facebook page and this newsletter and also record them in our school magazine. We rely on coaches, teachers in charge and parents to inform us of the girls’ achievements so please email us if your daughter has achievements you would like us to record and report.

Next Tuesday evening we will be acknowledging our many sporting successes for the 2020 year. While we have had to make some modifications due to Covid-19, there is still an outstanding array of accomplishments and service to sport that have been achieved by students this year. Blues, outstanding awards, juniors in a senior team, and student coaches, umpires and referees will all be recognised. The Sports Awards are also a great time to acknowledge the hard work of parents, coaches and administrators who do so much to make these opportunities available to students.

As I write this report I can hear the Year 11 Economics market day which is underway in the hall. We currently have Year 11 Outdoor Education students returning from their Outdoor Ed Camp and Scholarship Biology students making their way to Okarito for a kiwi experience. Last night our eSports team had their first victory in a match up against another school. These are all experiences made available by teachers to engage students in learning that is experiential and rich and I thank these teachers for their commitment to making these opportunities possible.