Unlike other Hamilton state-integrated schools that primarily draw students from the state education system, we welcome many students from private contributing schools. This distinctive feature sets us apart by fostering a rich blend of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences within our student body. As such, we actively promote an ethos of respect, understanding, and collaboration among students, regardless of their educational background – celebrating diversity and empowering students to appreciate and learn from one another's unique perspectives.

In upcoming DioNews issues, we will profile different staff and community members to introduce you to the individuals who make up your school community. We focus on our teaching and learning senior leadership team for this issue.

Please refer to the website's online calendar for other important dates and the most up-to-date information.

Our sincere gratitude to Raewyn McPhillips, the retiring Presiding Member of the School Board, for her dedicated service to our school community. Her hard work and commitment have positively impacted our school, and we truly appreciate Raewyn's contribution to its governance.

The school community says farewell and thank you to the following staff members.

“Which way is up? “ These four words seem to perfectly sum up how many of our young people may feel nowadays. It is evident that our teenagers are looking for a ‘true north’ and will look to significant adults to serve as their moral compass and to help them make sense of their world.

I have seen a few decades of Lent now and it can be hard to think of something fresh. So, I tried YouTube for inspiration. Nothing.

Open Day is always a highlight of our school year as we showcase our beautiful kura to future Dio families.

As we pass the halfway mark of Term 1, Sport@Dio is in the thick of the crazy season with many of our codes coming to the end of their summer season and our big school-wide event. Below are some, school, team and individual highlights of what has been happening so far from our various sporting codes.

On 13 March, 158 Year 9 Dio students descended on the Christian Youth Camp at Ngāruawāhia for three days. During that time, they managed to ascend great heights, tramping, rock climbing, and crate climbing. During animal survival, they waded through mud pools, navigated a stream bed, and worked together to achieve problem-solving tasks. The focus of this camp is for the Year 9s to build new friendships and foster relationships. The students and staff had a fabulous time.

Good things take time - so it is with rebuilding the Dio Parents' Association. The goal is to have an Association that is an integral part of the Dio community and provides a platform for parents to support, engage, and be part of the school community. To this end, we have been working with the board to produce terms of reference for the purpose and structure going forward. We are excited to be progressing this and being able to continue getting on with things!

As part of our commitment to academic excellence and fairness in assessment procedures, we would like to outline the Assessment Policy at Waikato Diocesan School for Girls. Both students and parents must be familiar with these guidelines to ensure a smooth academic journey. Below are the key points of our assessment policy:

Our Gateway programme has had a busy start to the year. Dio has 30 funded spaces through the Tertiary Education Commission and had 110 applicants this year!

It was lovely to have the Class of 2003 recently on campus for a mini-reunion. What a gorgeous group. Keep in touch.

Dio's team Cherrington "walked the walk" at the weekend's Relay For Life - Te Ara Toiora, an inspiring community event that gives everyone a chance to celebrate people who have or have had cancer and the people who care for them, remember loved ones lost to cancer; and fight back by raising awareness and funds for the Cancer Society. The Dio team walked their way to raise $6,395.33 (as of the time of publication).

Do you have a spare room and do you or someone in the family drive? Do you enjoy learning about other cultures?