We are pleased to announce that we have a plan for the new playground and are now in the process of fundraising and applying for grants.
Part of the fundraising is the PFA’s Ethel and Bethel evening on May 6th. As well as an evening of fun, there will also be raffles and a chocolate wheel. This means we need to collect items for the chocolate wheel.
We would like to give students a casual clothing day on Friday April 28th. They really enjoy the chance to not wear uniforms, but as payment we ask that a bar of chocolate OR a gold coin be donated, with all items or money donated going towards the playground fundraising. We would appreciate anything you could donate.
We will keep you updated on the progress of our playground.
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Board of Trustees Report
Carthika Luxmanan /
Tena koutou,
It is hard to believe that the first school term of 2023 is drawing to a close. Time seems to fly by (and I seem to be thinking this very often…maybe you do too!) but regardless, much has happened in Term 1. We must first acknowledge that many schools in the North Island are still reeling from the aftermath of the cyclone and the preceding floods; we are thus in a very privileged position of being able to reminisce on the speed of the term here in Dunedin. The St Hilda’s community has done or is doing its part to support the cyclone recovery efforts, which the Board is very proud of.
We began the school term reflecting on some remarkable achievements of our ākonga in the 2022 NCEA exams. We were far from the “normal” we knew pre-Covid, and the students and teachers can be proud of their perseverance and resilience during what was another difficult year. Equally, St Hilda’s’ students have excelled in the sports, arts and culture, with this term seeing particular highlights in sports; our students competed in regional and national tournaments, with outstanding results from the Challenge Wanaka, Tennis, Touch, Rowing, Cricket, and Athletics. The much-anticipated school athletics day didn’t disappoint, with some wonderful records broken. For me personally, the support and enthusiasm demonstrated by the students, and particularly the cheerleading squads, were rather heart-warming!
If you have managed to pop into school, you would have noticed the progress on the Whitby Chapel, which is very exciting. All things going to plan, we hope to inaugurate the new Whitby Chapel at the beginning of Term 3 this year.
On the Board of Trustees front, the main upcoming task over the next few weeks is to work through the changes to the Education Review Office’s style of review. In terms of BOT members, we are fortunate to have Louise Taylor join the BOT as a Board of Proprietors (BOP) representative. I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate fellow BOT member Andrea Chisholm on being elected as the new chair of the BOP. For the newer members of the St Hilda’s school community, I thought this might be a good opportunity to introduce the BOT.
Your current Board of Trustees consists of the following members: Craig Ashton (Parent Rep), Gretchen Beardmore (Parent Rep), Elsie Burnside (Student Rep), Andrea Chisholm (BOP Rep), Craig Erasmus (BOP Rep), Carla Joint (Staff Rep), Carthika Luxmanan (Chair & Parent Rep), Judy Maw (Acting Principal), Anne McLeod (Deputy Chair & Parent Rep), Ryan Priemus (Parent Rep) and Lou Taylor (BOP Rep).
Finally, while the semblance of pre-Covid normalcy is not quite in sight yet, we do anticipate that the school community will enjoy more social gatherings and celebrations in the near future, which the BOT looks forward to engaging with. Speaking of which, don’t forget to support this year’s PFA fundraiser event, which is a comedy evening hosted by “Ethel & Bethel”. In addition to the development of an outdoor interactive area, the fundraiser will contribute a donation towards our fellow Anglican Colleges in Hastings impaired by the Cyclone Gabrielle. The BOT are always interested in hearing from the school community on things we can do or do better to improve learning for our daughters. Don’t be shy to get in touch with us, whether it’s constructive feedback or a positive comment when we have got things right!
Wishing you an Easter break of rest and reflection, and a well-earned term holiday.
