What a week we have had at Tolcarne! From our Mexican Fiesta, right back in time throughout the decades for dress up day - it has been a big few days of excitement in preparation for the 125th Anniversary of St Hilda's this weekend!

Rosie and Kaylee looking dapper for the decade dress up day at school - such a stunning couple!! — Image by: Isla Huffadine

The Wanaka Show went well over the weekend, with sunny weather and lots of visitors (some famous faces spotted too)! This is always a great weekend away, so thank you to the parents and girls who helped make it happen.

On Saturday the Year 9 girls had the perfect day to head out to the beach for surfing! This was a first for many of the group, making the most of the opportunity to take on a new skill. If the photos were anything to go off, they made it look easy - professionals in the making!

On Sunday and Monday evening the Year 12 Boarding Leaders and Year 13 cohort were lucky enough to have Libby (from Bold and Brave) facilitating workshops with them. We hope all of the girls were able to take away some of the many important messages and skills she discussed.

Monday evening was one of the most anticipated nights on the Tribe Calendar... Our Mexican Fiesta!! This was a fabulous evening, with the girls dressed head to toe in all sorts of outfits - from traditional dress, all the way through to sombreros and the 'three amigos'. We were treated to a feast of enchiladas and salsas from the kitchen team, before face painting, games and of course the Churros Olé food truck! Thank you to Ziggy for organising the event, to Ross and the kitchen team for the amazing food, Churros Olé for coming to visit and all of the the girls for getting so involved! See the bottom of the article for a range of photos from the night 🇲🇽

On Tuesday afternoon a group of junior students headed to Moana Pool for their after school activity. There were lots of bombs, dives, interesting takes on flips and time to burn off energy in the wave pool. This was a great way to cool off and end a busy day at school 🏊‍♀️

Year 10 Koru this week had a focus around the activity of 'stepping up to the line'. A range of questions are asked, requiring bravery at times to step up to the line if you have experienced one of the situations or agree with the statement read out. The group leaned into the challenge, showing strength when they may have been the only individual to 'step up'. We finished the session with a brainstorm on self compassion and compassion for others. It lead into a discussion on what this looked like and how we could show more compassion to everyone, including ourselves in daily life.

Year 10 Koru, during the 'step up to the line' challenge — Image by: Isla Huffadine

The Year 9 group focussed on their timelines during Koru. The timelines were an opportunity for the girls to reflect on what they have achieved throughout their life to date, and other significant events that have affected them in some way. From here we looked at goals for the future, both small and large. It was great to see the group aiming high, with aspirations to be leaders, achieve well at school, travel plans and more. The timelines were decorated in all sorts of patterns, with jewels and stickers, really showing the individuality of each student. We are looking forward to sharing these amongst the group next week 💟

Our list of Private Tutors has been sent out to all families and girls this week. Make sure to check out our list of recommendations, if you or your daughter are after more one-on-one assistance than we can provide in our group sessions. Get in touch with Isla if you have any questions, or would like some guidance around who to ask!

We are busy getting the hostel ready for the Tolcarne Tours this weekend, as part of the St Hilda's 125th Anniversary. This is a very exciting event for the school and we are looking forward to showing St Hilda's Old Girls around the boarding house they used to call home! I am sure it looks slightly different now to how they remember it - maybe minus the all time favorite bush track walk 😉

We hope you all have a relaxing long weekend break! Enjoy time with your special people and we look forward to seeing you recharged on Tuesday afternoon 💛 Tolcarne will be open from 3pm on Tuesday the 23rd of March.

Otago Art Society's 'Meow' Exhibition