And just like that, we sign off on another year in the life of Timaru Girls’ High School.

Our junior prize giving last week was a wonderful celebration of achievement for many of our girls. Having read through all of the reports last week, I can confidently say that a huge number of girls have had a successful year at school in 2023. ‘Success’ reveals itself in many different guises and represents different things for different people. Some girls experienced academic success this year, some experienced it in the sporting arena, others in the musical world, others learnt how to manage their behaviour more effectively and others developed stronger inter-personal skills. Success is measured in many ways. Congratulations to everyone who made progress this year in some way!

We farewelled many of our Year 13s one last time on Wednesday 6th December, as we came together for an enjoyable Leavers’ Dinner. This is a nice opportunity to wish the girls all the best for the future and thank our parents for their years of support and loyalty to the school.

Our Year 8 hostel girls had an enjoyable over-night stay in the hostel on Thursday 30th November, looked after by our current Year 9 hostel girls. Hopefully some ‘unknowns’ and nerves have been laid to rest for these Year 8 girls now. We look forward to welcoming them, along with the rest of our new incoming Year 9s, on Wednesday 31st January 2024.

Later on in this newsletter you will find an article about our Junior Prize Giving. I would like to make special mention to the recipients of four prestigious awards; well done to these girls.

Top Academic Award in Year 10 – Caitlin Hinton

Top Academic Award in Year 9 – Emmerson Ward

Best all-round Year 10 student – Hannah Kidd

Best all-round Year 9 student – Ilaivaha Finefeuiaki

I wish all of our whānau, students and staff a relaxing and safe Christmas break. I thank you all for your input and support throughout the year. We are certainly looking forward to 2024, but for now it is time to rest, unwind and take a moment to breathe out over this festive break.

Ngā mihi nui,

Deb Hales