It is with much sadness that I announce the resignation of two long-serving and dedicated staff members Mrs Theresa Miller, Deputy Principal of Senior School, and Ms Louise Simich, Senior Guidance Counsellor.

After almost 16 years of service, Mrs Miller accepted the Associate Headmaster Wellbeing position at St Paul's Collegiate. Her final day at Dio will be 15 January 2023.

After 18 years of service, Ms Simich is leaving Dio to follow some new exciting opportunities. Her final day with be 9 February 2023.

Our school has benefited immensely from their gentle leadership of the pastoral care programme. Both have prioritised student well-being and have continuously put students at the centre of everything.

Thank you both for your care, kindness and professionalism. Our best wishes as you start your new ventures. We will miss you.

The recruitment process for both roles has begun. We are still confirming a date for Mrs Miller and Ms Simich to be formally farewelled. We will let the community know once confirmed.

As I write, our senior students have started their NCEA and Scholarship exams, and our junior students have completed their end-of-year examinations that will provide valuable practice for future NCEA externals.

After the COVID journey of the past few years, I have enjoyed participating in person at our school's traditional end-of-year celebrations that acknowledge our achievements throughout the year or, in the case of our 2022 leavers, over their entire Dio career.

I would like again to acknowledge our 2022 Academic Dux, Michelle Jeng. This is the highest academic accolade awarded to the student who produces the most successful academic profile during the year. Congratulations, Michelle, and to our 2022 proxime accessit, Bahaar Mahal.

Well done to our 2022 leavers, who received over 40 tertiary scholarships this year. Thank you to our Careers Advisor, Mrs Sue Wylie, for the many hours of support she has given these students with their scholarship applications. It is yet more affirmation that our graduates are highly sought after in the tertiary sector and that their impressive academic records, combined with extra-curricular involvement, leadership experience and commitment to service, are a winning combination.

I would also like to acknowledge our culinary students and the support of Mrs Knott and Mrs Fox in achieving top school at the WINTEC Culinary Fare at the end of the last term. 

I will leave the final words to Roger Garland, Dio Dad, who delivered a powerful speech at the recent Leaver's Service. Thank you to our Dio whaanau for the support you give your aakonga and the school. The home/school connection has never been more critical.

Mary Curran

Principal

Leavers Speech 2022

By Roger Garland - DoD (Dad of Dio)

Good afternoon. My name is Roger, and I am Jonti's dad. Jonti has had the privilege of being head of Scott House this year. 

It is an honour today to represent not only the school leaver parents but all the parents that have girls at Dio, past and present. I am sure I speak for all the parents when I say one of the best decisions Amanda and I have ever made is to send our girls to Dio. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and we are delighted with the village we chose. From the caretakers right through to the house parents, teachers and principals, Dio has provided an environment where our girls can focus on learning and participate in all activities without feeling judged. The girls arrive at Dio as Year 9s often unsure and nervous. Five years down the track, they stand here as confident young women, ready to embrace the next chapter of their lives. They cry when they arrive, and they cry when they leave.

We salute you all for providing this opportunity for our girls.

For many parents, this is an end of an era at Dio, but it is particularly important to our family. Amanda and I have had four daughters pass through this school, the first being Brooke who started at Dio in 2004. This was before just about all of you were born. I didn't need glasses back then!

My wife Amanda and my sister Joanna also attended Dio many moons ago. 

My standout memories of Dio:

The scariest is going to an inter-house sports day for the first time. When the rolling house chants began, I thought it was time to take cover, waiting for the noise police to arrive.

The proudest was our 3rd daughter Lauren and I attended the NZ Secondary Schools' Athletics Champs in Dunedin. Lauren was disqualified wrongly for moving at the start of the 100-metre heats. They let her rerun her heat at the end of a very long day by herself. Lauren's Dio teammates returned to run the heat along with boys from Hamilton Boys' High and St Paul's. There were more than 20 of them. She qualified for the final, and Dio went on to win the New Zealand 4x100 metre relay.

Most surprising was how could a House Singing competition ever be entertaining. How wrong I was, especially for the few years we packed out the Mystery Creek venue. It became the highlight of the school year.

The craziest was when all the boarders were sent home because of bed bugs. Jonti was one of the only ones left onsite because she had an athletics meet the next day. I don't think she got much sleep.

In 2004, when our oldest started at Dio, it was a very different place physically. We have seen principals, teachers, and house parents come and go, and we have seen some truly amazing new builds, including the new gym, boarding houses, and classrooms. But one thing that hasn't come and gone is the Dio spirit which has always been a big part of this school. In the years we have been involved, it has thrived and is now stronger and more visible than ever. We have always been so proud as parents to walk onto the grounds of Dio and be met with such spirit, enthusiasm,  and a family-type feel, unfortunately, is lacking in many New Zealand schools today.

You see it when the new Year 9 girls are greeted by the Years 12 and 13 peer support crew. You see it when you attend any inter-house competition. You feel it the minute you enter the Dio grounds. It is refreshing.

My words of wisdom to the school leavers and perhaps to all of us:

Take every opportunity, and don't be the person that looks back and says if only I had.

The friends you have made at Dio will be your best friends for the rest of your life through good times and bad. Make sure you always take the time to keep in contact. Really good friends will be an important ingredient in your life.

Make sure world travel fits into your plan somewhere. Experiencing other cultures and countries will only make you realise how fortunate we are to live in the best country in the world.

Always remember this rule, safety in numbers, especially on social occasions in unfamiliar territory. You will never get into trouble with friends at your side.

Always be true to yourself, remember the values and the morals you have cherished at Dio and don't let anyone try to take these away or bend them to suit.

We live in a society overrun with the details of other people's lives; you find yourself constantly obsessed with what they are doing, what they are wearing, and who they are dating. In the midst of all this, you forget the most important person; it's you. What about your life?

When you shake someone's hand, look them in the eye and shake their hand with a firm grip. I know you have all heard this before. Try it. You will be surprised by the outcome.

The most significant discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude.

Be a good listener. If you talk all the time, you never hear what the other person says.

The problem with technology is that it has reached a stage where our devices are way superior and faster than the human brain - we can't keep up. As technology evolves, it will only worsen. Don't let social media rule your lives. I believe this is the greatest problem facing our society today.

On leaving school, I gifted each daughter a jar of rocks, pebbles and sand. These symbolize your life. The rocks are truly important things such as family, health, and relationships, and that's why they are at the top. The pebbles are the other important things in your life, such as work and school. Then the sand signifies the small stuff which, unfortunately, most of us spend most of our time worrying about, this is often the trivial stuff like a Dio leavers speech, what your mates are saying about you on social media and often things you can't change, or never eventuate anyway, but we spend 90% of the time thinking about. Always spend your time on the rocks and pebbles, and you will find the sand generally sorts itself out. My girls still have their rock jars and frequently refer to this theory; for all of them, it has helped when stressing about the small stuff. Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's mostly small stuff.

As school leavers, you are about to depart the safety of your village, which will seem a bit scary. Don't forget your village, it will always be very keen to hear what you have achieved in the future. Many of you will be unsure about what you want to do. Please don't worry about that too much. As adults, most of us still have that problem. It is a fact that the average adult will change careers 5-7 times during their working life.

Enjoy your youth and uncharted territory, and don't forget your roots and what your parents have done to get you to this point. You leave Dio as very confident young women, never underestimate yourselves and good luck.