Dear Parents and Caregivers

This term has been a long and at times challenging one, and the promise of better weather and the holidays around the corner has certainly lifted spirits. Watching the Yr 10 rugby team play at South Otago HS on Wednesday, I was reminded about the infectious joy our girls can find in playing sport and being together.......and mud. Bless them, I have never seen so many teenage girls excited about getting that dirty - and they won as well. It really made me laugh to watch them sliding in the mud, and I admit that was easy for me, as I did not have to wash their gear!

Congratulations too, to the 1st XV who beat OGHS in the Otago final in such convincing fashion. I was also able to pop into the Edgar Centre earlier in the week to watch our 9A and 10A netball teams win their respective games. After such a disrupted sporting season, it has been a privilege to watch at least some sport, and share in the joy of team work, camaraderie and success that our girls have enjoyed.

I know many of our senior girls will have welcomed the chance to test themselves against the recent benchmark examinations, and staff are spending considerable time marking and feeding back to the girls their next steps, as part of this important academic exercise. The holidays give girls a chance to recalibrate their academic planning and also work flexibly before their final few weeks of the senior school year. We welcome the opportunity to support the girls as they head into the business end of their senior studies.

Jackie Barron