Tēnā koutou, Malo e lelei, Tālofa lava, Bula vinaka, and hello. I write my first newsletter with a sense of both excitement and gratitude.

It has been a whirlwind week as I settle into my new role as Principal but it is wonderful to finally be here and I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to the school community for making my welcome so meaningful.

At the handover assembly on Monday morning I introduced myself to the staff and student body and spoke to them about three of the principles that will guide my leadership:

● My commitment for girls’ education and how it encourages young women to take risks and to step out of their comfort zones in a culture that is nurturing and empowering.

● My belief in the power of high expectations for behaviour, effort, appearance and attitude. This is a commitment to ensuring that every student can be the best that they can be.

● My passion for values based education. This includes a focus on qualities and characteristics such as those encapsulated in The Waitaki Way - respect, responsibility and resilience. It is an aspiration that every young woman will flourish, not only in their learning but also in their life.

These principles will be reflected in decisions that are made as we look to the future of our school, and as part of the strategic planning process the Board of Trustees would value input from the school community. In the next few weeks, a survey will be sent to all parents and caregivers which will support our goal setting for future years. This is an opportunity to share your thoughts on what you believe is important in the education of your daughters, so please take some time to complete this. Your contribution to this process is invaluable in helping us to understand what you want from us as a school, and to building the strong relationship between school and home that is so important to ensuring our young women are successful both at school and beyond.

To finish, I wish to acknowledge the staff, in particular Margaret Williams, Christine Williams and Helen McIntryre, in what has been an unprecedented year for us all. Their hard work and leadership has meant that the transition to my role as Principal has been smooth and they are making me feel very much at home in my new role.

I also wish to acknowledge the young women who attend Waitaki Girls’ that I have had the pleasure of meeting on both my visits to the school last term and throughout this week. They have impressed me with their enthusiasm for learning and their polite and friendly manner.

I look forward to meeting many more of you in the coming weeks.