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NEWSLETTER |
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TERM 2, ISSUE 1 |
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Principal’s message
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Recent weeks have been full of many positive performances, achievements and awards for Epsom Girls Grammar School students and staff. In this newsletter we highlight some of these and hope you enjoy this refreshed format. Our intent is to keep our parent community connected with the day-to-day events that happen in our school, in addition to the more formal announcements that come through the Principal’s Bulletin.
We want to take this opportunity though, to signal to our parent community, as we have to our students in assemblies, that we have been reviewing our timetable structure. This is a process that has been ongoing for over a decade as staff and students have grappled with a complicated timetable that was not equitable across learning areas, nor provided all students with equitable opportunities to achieve academic success. Although there are still wrinkles that we are ironing out with our proposed timetable for 2026, the key aspects of our revised timetable are:
Once we have finalised the 2026 timetable, we will communicate this through formal channels with students and parents.
We make no secret of the fact that teaching and learning that enables students to achieve their academic aspirations are the central drivers for decision making at Epsom Girls Grammar School.
Improving standards of engagement and attendance at school are also essential areas of focus. Ministry of Education attendance figures show that Epsom Girls Grammar School had 70% of students regularly attending (attending school on 9 out of 10 days) in Term 1, 2025. This has lifted from 64% in 2024, 49% in 2023, and 40% in 2022 (2020 and 2021 were COVID years). These figures represent a significant lift in students attitudes and engagement in their learning. We congratulate all of our students for their commitment to their learning and acknowledge the huge amount of work and support from parents and our staff – tutor teachers, subject teachers and our pastoral team. Thank you for your support of our students and our school.
We would also like to thank the many parents, alumnae and members of our wider school community who have been in touch in recent weeks. We appreciate the messages you have shared, of support for the improvements that our students and staff have already made, and our continued pursuit of excellence. |
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Rena Misra wins Prime Minister’s Future Scientist Prize |
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| Congratulations to Rena Misra (Year 13), recipient of the 2024 Prime Minister’s Future Scientist Prize. Her award-winning project explored how fungi-augmented plants can remove heavy metals like copper and zinc from Aotearoa’s waterways—a low-cost, sustainable approach to reducing stormwater contamination.
For more info, and to watch a video of Rena’s project, click here. |
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Donatella Paton - Top Scholar 2024 |
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On Tuesday 6 May, Donatella Paton (Year 13, 2024) was honoured at the Top Scholars ceremony held at Parliament, where she received the award for Top Scholar in Design and Visual Communication. This prestigious award recognises Donatella as the top student in New Zealand for Scholarship in this subject - an incredible achievement that reflects her creativity, dedication, and hard work. Congratulations also go to our Design and Visual Communication teachers, whose guidance and support help students reach such outstanding heights, in particular Learning Area Director Mrs Dunsmore, for her expertise and passion for girls’ achievement across technology subjects. |
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Anything Goes – Final shows this weekend |
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If you haven’t experienced the magic yet, now is your last chance as the popular Epsom Girls Grammar School and Auckland Grammar School show finishes on Saturday 17 May. Secure your tickets now! The onstage performances are impressive, and we congratulate the incredible cast, crew, and production team from Epsom Girls Grammar School and Auckland Grammar School for bringing Anything Goes to life with outstanding performances. |
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Upcoming music and drama events |
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Music: On Tuesday, 20 May at 6:30 pm, our rock bands and chamber music groups will present Strings and Amplifiers at the Raye Freedman Arts Centre. The season continues with our annual Choral Showcase on Wednesday, 28 May at 6:30 pm. Our four choirs will celebrate weeks of preparation for the NZCF Big Sing Regional Festival. [Click here for more information.]
Drama: Next week on Wednesday and Thursday, 21 and 22 May, the Year 13 drama cohort will be putting on a production of Chaos by Laura Lomas in the Raye Freedman Arts Center. This play explores the butterfly effect, and the consequences of even the smallest of actions. Tickets are available to purchase on iTICKET. |
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Year 10 Te Reo Māori trip |
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| Our Year 10 Te Reo Māori students recently went on a trip where they embarked on a journey to climb one of Auckland’s youngest mountains, Te Rangi-i-totongia-ai-te-ihu-o-Tamatekapua (Rangitoto) or the day the blood of Tamatekapua's nose was shed. Students hiked to the summit where some pūrākau (stories) were shared about the creation of Rangitoto and the other maunga of Tāmaki Makaurau.
This was the start of their research into Ngā Maunga Tapu o Tāmaki Makaurau or the Sacred Mountains of Auckland. It was a wonderful experience for all students and gave them an opportunity to engage with the Māori view on how mountains were made and learn about native flora and fauna. |
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Hydroponics project |
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We are excited to share the success of our Hydroponics Project which is an initiative that provides students with hands-on experience in sustainable, controlled vegetable cultivation, protecting plants from the effects of extreme weather. This project is a self-sustaining young enterprise initiative, supported by Auckland Council’s Sustainable Schools, Bunnings Mt Roskill, Chive Farm Ltd, and Rotary Newmarket, who generously funded the restoration of our horticultural education area. Sustainable Schools has also provided four worm bins, which will be managed by Epsom House and the Food Technology department. The funds generated from worm tea and castings will further support the project. Thank you to all our partners and volunteers who have helped bring this initiative to life. |
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Brain Bee Neuroscience competition |
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Brain Bee is an exciting competition designed for Year 11 students to delve deeper into the anatomy, functions and processes of the human brain. On Wednesday 26 March, 30 of our students sat the Round 1 test and we are extremely proud to share that 23 students succeeded and will be progressing to Round 2. These students will now explore more complex brain functions and processes as they prepare to sit the next test in June. They will have the opportunity to visit the Medical School at the University of Auckland. They’ll explore various neuroscience pathways, visit the anatomy museum, learn from current PhD students, and watch the top 10 students compete live in the final round, where one of them will be named the North Island Brain Bee Champion. |
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Youth for Seas leadership programme |
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Congratulations to Anushka Dissanayake (Year 13) and Rena Misra (Year 13), who have been accepted into the Youth for Seas Leadership Programme, which began on Sunday 4 May and will run for six months. The purpose of the programme is to build leadership amongst young people, to understand and learn how to protect our coastlines and oceans. Their journey started with a training day featuring leadership development activities, inspiring keynote speakers, and project planning. Throughout the programme, they will complete a workbook to track their progress. This is a fantastic opportunity for Anushka and Rena to develop their leadership skills while making a positive impact on our oceans. |
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Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand Conference |
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Charlotte Warman (Year 13) attended the RASNZ conference in Whakatane, 9-11 May, after gaining a ‘Students With A Passion for Astronomy’ scholarship. Charlotte was one of only nine other students from around New Zealand who had the opportunity to attend lectures from international scientists which covered a vast range of topics; from dark skies to pulsars. Students also visited the local observatory and presented their own talks at the conference. It was a wonderful experience for Charlotte to extend her interest and engagement with New Zealand’s astronomical community.
If you are a passionate Earth and Space student and would like to attend next year’s conference, which will be held in Blenheim, you can apply by clicking here. |
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SGCNZ Victoria University of Wellington Shakespeare Festival |
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Epsom Girls Grammar School had the privilege of hosting the SGCNZ Victoria University of Wellington Regional Shakespeare Festival at the Raye Freedman Arts Centre on 3 and 7 April. Eight schools competed with a variety of 5- and 15-minute scenes that were both student and teacher directed. There were 43 groups who performed over the two days and only 2 groups from Central Auckland were selected to attend the national finals.
Epsom Girls Grammar students performed incredibly well, bringing home a variety of awards including a student directed scene from Othello, which won first runner up for the 5-minute scenes and will be going to Wellington to compete in nationals. Congratulations Meg Fleetwood and Kuini Campbell-Behar for being selected for this prestigious festival of drama. [Click here to read more.] |
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Tri-Nations trip: Japan, Spain, and France |
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In April, five teachers and 39 language students travelled to Japan, Spain, and France. In Japan, they visited Tokyo’s temples, learned sushi-making, and explored Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial. Spain included sightseeing in Madrid, a homestay in Valencia, and a visit to Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia. In France, students toured Paris, saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, and stayed with host families in Chauny. They attended classes at a local high school and visited key historical sites. The trip offered practical language practice and cultural insights. [Click here to read more.] |
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EGGS Water Polo competes at New Zealand secondary schools’ nationals |
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Over the holidays, the EGGS Premier water polo team competed in Tauranga in the Division One Nationals. They played eight competitive games, securing five wins and only three losses, finishing in 5th place overall. It was an impressive performance by the team and showed their ability to compete at the top of their field. Congratulations to Ella O'Brien (Year 13) who was named in the tournament team. Our younger Senior A team also competed at Division Two Nationals in Hamilton, playing some solid waterpolo and showing huge player development. Well done to all of the players that competed in these tournaments. |
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French - Pétanque tournament |
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At the Auckland Pétanque Association’s annual interschool competition, EGGS students Snow Li (Year 12) and Riley Yan (Year 9) performed exceptionally well. They won all their group matches and secured a place in the final, finishing as runners-up in a tightly contested match against Waitākere College. Congratulations to Snow and Riley for their impressive achievement and for representing our school with skill and determination. |
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Karate success |
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Congratulations to Lydia Colman-Smith (Year 11) who participated in the Counties Shotokan Karate tournament on 5 April. Lydia achieved impressive results in a competitive field across multiple events:
Well done to Lydia on these fantastic achievements. |
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Sculpture art experience day |
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Our Year 9 Art option students recently visited Michael Lett art gallery, spending time with his recent work, Te Ao Hau, 3 East Street. They gained new knowledge and insight into artistic practice by completing written research tasks at the gallery. In the afternoon, our Year 13 sculpture students joined the Year 9s as practicing artist John Radford guided the rōpū through new sculpture processes with paper and clay. Students were deeply engaged with these creative processes. The trip proved both educational and inspiring, leaving a lasting impression on our young artists. |
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Volunteer opportunity – support our students |
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Our Learning Centre-Whare Akoranga is looking to build a team of dedicated volunteers to support junior and senior students who receive Special Assessment Conditions (SAC). We are seeking individuals who are calm, reliable, and either native English speakers or highly proficient in spoken and written English. Volunteers will be trained to act as readers, writers/typists, or supervisors for students during assessments. Once trained, volunteers can let the Centre know their availability and we will be in touch the week prior to any assessments where support is needed. We deeply appreciate those who are able to give their time, whether occasionally or more regularly, to help our students thrive. If you can volunteer, or would like more information, please contact Natasha Muschamp at nmuschamp@eggs.school.nz |
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Founders Assembly |
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| In our recent Principal’s Bulletin, we incorrectly listed the date of the Founders Assembly as 20 May. Please note that the correct date is 29 July. We will provide further details as the event approaches. Thank you for your understanding. | |
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The Parent Portal aims to provide you with information about your daughter and an ability to make payments online. Access to all the functions within the Portal is available to all parents and caregivers. Snapshots of what is available on the Parent Portal are here. Instructions for accessing the Parent Portal for new students are here.
Should you have any questions regarding this newsletter, please contact my PA, Catherine Readhead, on 09 9706 707.
Sincerely, Brenda McNaughton Principal |
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