Term Three News

Sporting Success

Congratulations to our Golfers, who placed third in the recent BOP Secondary School Championships. We also won the Secondary Schools Junior Basketball Championships, and many of those sports stars are also in netball finals this Friday. Our Badminton crew also placed as did our Squash players. Racquet sports continue to do remarkably well at our school. It is thanks to all the staff, coaches and managers who get in behind your daughters and young people to provide them with the multitude of opportunities that we can continue to be as successful as we are.

Te Ao Māori

Kapa Haka Regionals is a feature of the Te Ao Māori calendar, and this week our Tauranga Girl’s Tauranga Boys’ College combined Kapa Haka ropu compete at the regionals (in Opotiki). Under the tutelage of Matua Ed, this group has worked under some trying conditions, and their efforts will be judged on Thursday. We hope to have a live stream available at school for those who cannot travel to Opotiki but would like to support from afar.

The Arts

Our chorale group continues their rigorous practice regime as they prepare for Cadenza in Rotorua. In the meantime, our Deputy Head Prefect of the Arts, Sarah Smith, has been working diligently to present an Arts Showcase of Tauranga Girls’ College talent this weekend. This will be followed by the Tauranga Girls’ College Artful Wahine Art Exhibition at the Historic Village. Details are on our Social Media pages.

Derived Grade Examinations (DGE)

Our important DGE begins on Friday, 8 Sept. Students will be aware of these upcoming examinations as they are used to derive grades when students are unwell or encounter (as approved by NZQA) an event that prevents them from sitting their formative NCEA examination in November. There is no school for all students on the senior-only day of that examination week, Friday 15th September.

Pride in our Uniform

Thank you for your support of the correct wearing of our school uniform. Trousers, shorts and skirts are all options for students, as is our lava lava. These items, along with our shirt, jersey and jacket, ensure that students have a uniform choice, are warm and wear the uniform with pride. Students that have joined us from non-uniform-wearing schools do comment on not having to ‘compete with other girls’, to ‘feel like they have to have brands’, or to ‘have to worry about what I need to wear’ as the uniform allows for everyone to have a choice, to show their sense of belonging to Tauranga Girls’ College and it ‘reduces costs’ over the year.

Attendance matters

Attending school is an expectation, as is coming to school prepared for learning (items in your bag, Chromebook charged, food to feed the brain etc). Thank you to all those students who attend and who have been acknowledged by their Dean and or Deputy Principal last term. Our attendance target is 85% attendance. We know that sickness is around during the winter term, so keep us informed if your young person is unwell.

Need to contact us?

Who to contact if you have any questions? If your young person comes home and voices a concern, take the time to speak with them to ascertain the context and to triangulate the story. If you wish to talk to a staff member about the matter, then raise that with the learner's coach, subject teacher, dean etc., depending on the context. Please make the time to do this. Email (addresses are on our website) or phone to make an appointment. All of our staff have classes they need to attend, and with the current industrial action, the time to complete all of their mahi falls between 8:20 am - 4:20 pm. Our staff will always do their best to support you as soon as possible.

Cameras at school

I remind you again of the cameras in use at school. A sign that reads ‘camera operating’ indicates where they are positioned. You will see this at reception too. Our cameras are also helpful in capturing vandalism. Cameras are not located in changing rooms or toilet cubicles for privacy reasons but can show sites of gathering, including in those spaces where students should not be.

Winter bugs and staffing pressures

There are several nasty flu and other illnesses at the moment, which is putting pressure on students and their learning and on staff who are away supporting their own family illnesses. With relief shortages being well-publicised, we, too, are not immune from this. Where staff absences exceed classes that need cover, we will always prioritise relievers in the junior school, pairing up smaller classes or, where necessary having a senior class without a teacher but having a check-in teacher nearby. Students will always have work to do as relief is set via Google Classroom. Please support us by ensuring your daughter or young person has a fully charged Chromebook (our preferred device) or laptop and are using their Google Classroom. You can ask them to show you their Google Classroom space too.

Building works have begun

Two rather large signs on Cameron Road and 22 Avenue display our future J Block. Fencing marks the boundaries between students and construction workers. Health and Safety guidelines must be adhered to during this period of work. This multi-million dollar project is exciting and has been long overdue. We will keep you updated every few months.

Attendance consequences

Term 3 always marks the School Ball season, and ours is fast approaching. All students have to meet an attendance requirement to have the privilege of attending the ball. Teachers are providing regular attendance updates to those students who are at risk, but all students will know when they are or are not in class. The parent portal allows you to follow attendance also. Attendance does matter, and poor attendance has consequences for learning, sports teams, and cultural and arts groups who could be in jeopardy of not reaching their academic potential and/or attending key events like tournaments because they have not met attendance requirements and expectations.

Thank you to all the new and familiar families who attended our Open Evening. Your feedback is appreciated. I was able to meet all thirteen tour groups that evening, and despite the cold wintery spell that night, the event was very well attended, and our enrolments reflect this. Lastly, don’t forget we have a long weekend coming up with mid-term break on the 4 September.

Tara Kanji