Epsom Girls Grammar School Newsletter - Term 4, Issue 1

Newsletter

Term 4, Issue 1

Principal’s message

Greetings Parents and Caregivers,

We take this opportunity to share some superb results and performances from our students across a range of academic, sporting and creative arts spaces. At our penultimate celebration of academic achievement for the year, our Senior Prizegiving tomorrow, we look forward to further celebrating studentship, perseverance and the pursuit of excellence.

At this time of the year, our focus at Epsom Girls Grammar School is to balance our first priority: academic performance in end-of-year examinations, with appropriate celebration of friendship, service and leadership. We are justifiably proud of the progress our Year 13 students have made during their time at the School. Their heartfelt expressions of gratitude this week towards the teachers, coaches, managers and peers who have supported them have been particularly heartwarming.

We hope you enjoy the highlights provided in this newsletter, and we wish each of our senior students well for their end-of-year examinations in the coming weeks.

Per Angusta, Ad Augusta,

Brenda McNaughton
Principal

Upcoming Events:

For a full list of upcoming events, see the calendar page on SchoolBridge.

Showdown Awards

The Auckland Live Showdown Awards were held at the Bruce Mason Centre on 21 August, celebrating outstanding school theatre productions from across Auckland. After our performances of Les Misérables, Epsom Girls Grammar School and Auckland Grammar School received 17 nominations across performance, production and musical categories, recognising the talent and dedication of the cast and creative team.

The production received two awards: Best Musical Director for Ms Le Cren and Best Vocal Performance for the cast. Given the central role of singing and orchestral music in this sung-through musical, these awards were particularly meaningful, recognising the musicality of the production and the skill and precision of the cast and orchestra.

Emacyn Ieremia Selected for New Zealand Under 21 Rugby Squad

Congratulations to Year 13 student Emacyn Ieremia, who has been selected for the New Zealand Under 21 Rugby Squad to face Australia in an international women’s age-grade match at One New Zealand Stadium on 31 October.

Emacyn’s selection follows an outstanding season, including winning the College Sport Auckland competition with our 1st XV, finishing third with the 1st XV at Secondary School Rugby Nationals and earning selection for the Auckland Storm. This is a significant milestone and well-deserved recognition of her talent, commitment and hard work.

Senior Mathematics Success

Congratulations to Ruby Song, who placed fifth equal nationally in the Senior Mathematics Competition. This is an outstanding achievement for a Year 10 student competing against some of New Zealand’s top senior Mathematics students.

The competition provides a pathway for selection to the Mathematics Olympiad training camp. Ruby’s result is a fantastic achievement and recognises her enjoyment of mathematics and dedication to her learning in this subject.

Sargeson Prize

Catherine Warman travelled to the University of Waikato on 3 October to receive a Highly Commended award in the 2026 Sargeson Prize for her short story, Golden Nuggets of Guilt. The Sargeson Prize is one of New Zealand’s leading short story competitions, celebrating original fiction by both emerging and established writers. Catherine’s recognition places her work among this year’s standout entries.

Her children’s book, Primrose the Badger, is due to be published in the United Kingdom on 12 November and is available through Olympia Publishers. Congratulations to Catherine on these achievements and on continuing to develop her work as a writer.

Celebrating Excellence at the 2026 Sports Awards Dinner

Our annual Sports Awards Dinner celebrated the achievements of more than 150 students across 40 sporting codes. We were delighted to welcome Commonwealth Games gold medallist Zoe Hobbs as our keynote speaker.

Congratulations to all our award recipients, particularly our 2026 special award winners, and thank you to our coaches, managers, volunteers, staff, whānau and supporters for the vital role you play in Epsom Sport. We also extend our sincere thanks to our sponsors, Matassa Property Services and Lois Dalley Charitable Trust, for their ongoing support.

For more Sport news, click here.

Elections Week: Understanding Democracy

On Monday 19 October, Year 13 students took part in an informative session with representatives from the Electoral Commission, learning about New Zealand’s General Election process, how voting works and the importance of informed participation in democracy. The session was followed by a practice election in the School library, where students compared political party policies from around the world, presented through fictional characters.

Taking on the role of voters, students considered different policies, weighed competing priorities and made decisions based on the issues most relevant to their fictional voters. The activity provided practical insight into the steps involved in casting a vote and reinforced the importance of looking beyond campaign messages to understand policy. We thank the Electoral Commission for helping prepare our students to participate as informed citizens in New Zealand’s democratic future.

Lunchtime Concert

Our Spring Balcony Concert brought sunshine and music to lunchtime on Friday 23 October, which was a fitting way to round off the week before Labour Weekend. The Epsom Ukulele Orchestra opened the concert, followed by soloists Cadence Campbell (Year 10) and Leonor Kerr (Year 13). Our newest rock band, featuring Year 9 students from tutor class 9ORK, impressed with their take on Sam Fender and Olivia Dean’s “Rein Me In”, while Year 12 rock band Migraine closed the afternoon with a set of original songs.

Thank you to all our performers and to the students and staff who came along to enjoy the music. We also extend our thanks to contemporary music leaders Deziree Kharat (Year 13) and Caitlyn Sivaganesan (Year 13) for emceeing the concert and supporting the performers.

Dance Success on the Gold Coast

Year 13 student Kathryn Grundy travelled to the Gold Coast to compete at the 2026 UPGRADE Championships with her dance crews Yung ID, Masque and Imprint. Masque and Yung ID won their respective divisions. Kathryn also performed in Identity Dance Company’s BUZZY show, presented in collaboration with Upgrade Dance Experience.

Year 11 students Brooklyn Wong and Felicity Carter also travelled to the Gold Coast, performing with I2D. Congratulations to all three students on pursuing their passion for dance and representing their talents on the international stage.

Success in Chinese Calligraphy

Congratulations to Monica Li (Year 12), Yulin Deng (Year 12) and Claire Zhang (Year 13), who received Merit Awards in the 17th New Zealand Chinese Calligraphy Competition 2026. The students demonstrated their artistic talents by writing ancient Chinese poems and idioms using both hard-pen and soft-brush calligraphy techniques.

Their work showcased impressive writing skills, creativity and an appreciation of traditional Chinese culture. This achievement recognises their dedication to developing their calligraphy and celebrating the richness of the Chinese language and its cultural heritage.

Exploring Neuroscience

Year 11 student Yehara Epa was one of 20 students from across the North Island selected for the 2026 Neurological Foundation Brain Bee Internships at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research.

The internship gave students insight into neuroscience research, including visits to specialist research facilities and an introduction to cell reprogramming. Read more about the programme in the Neurological Foundation’s article.

Choral Exchange

On 21 September, EGGS welcomed two visiting choirs, Gloriana from Mount Albert Grammar School and Blackwatch Singers from St Cuthbert’s College, for an afternoon of music and connection with our senior choir, Luminoso. The programme included joint warm-ups led by the choir directors, workshops on two pieces performed together and a concert featuring all three choirs.

The exchange was a wonderful opportunity for students to share their love of singing, collaborate with fellow musicians and build connections beyond their own schools. We look forward to more opportunities to come together through music.