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Principal's Bulletin |
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Dear Parents and Caregivers,
We are over halfway through a busy first term of 2025. It is exciting to see the level of involvement many of our students have in the range of school related events and activities that have taken place in recent weeks. All summer sports have begun practices and competitions, and we have a number of sports teams involved in the upcoming Summer Tournament week. We look forward to supporting them and following their progress. Our two Athletics Days were very successful. We were impressed with the high level of participation and the way students demonstrated community through supporting events on the Finals Day. A highlight for all students was the Tutor Group Parade. Judges greatly enjoyed the creativity, choreography of dances, and the teamwork shown by these classes. It was brilliant to see staff participate readily and enthusiastically. Credit must be given to the Sports Department and the student Sports Committee for their leadership of this day. Swimming Sports was also a successful event with a large turnout of girls competing in a variety of races. A special mention to Emily Rope (11HAW) who broke the intermediate 50m breaststroke school record with a new time of 34.78 seconds.
One of the school’s Strategic Goals this year is that Epsom Girls Grammar School will be a place of excellence. Assemblies this term have focused on our high expectations and how students can best meet their academic goals. The messages include practical advice, such as the importance of having strong attendance to see academic success, as well as the personal qualities needed such as resilience and persistence. Our expectation is that all students try to be the best they can be. We acknowledge and appreciate the continuing support of our whole school community in working with us to support good attendance and work habits.
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Student – Led Conferences (March 20 and March 21)We are looking forward to meeting our families next week at our Student–Led Conferences on 20-21 March. Bookings for these are well underway. We expect all students to attend, and in full school uniform for their appointment. If you have yet to make a booking here is the link. As well as attending their Conference, students will be working on independent learning while at home for these two days. |
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Student Exchange - Global Meeting, JapanTwo students have recently returned from a ‘Global Meeting’ in Nagoya, Japan. Isla Wong (11YOO) and Olivia Kuo (11EVA) were the only New Zealand students who attended this event and they worked with students from Canada, India and Thailand developing public speaking skills. As well as attending school and engaging with their homestay, our students presented twice to their host school and the participants from other countries. This was an amazing experience for these students to be immersed in a cultural and new language environment. |
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PolyfestPolyfest is being held from 2-5 April. Our many cultural groups have been practising and perfecting their routines for a number of weeks. It is great to see the large number of students participating and striving for excellence in these groups. It was announced last week that our Kapa Haka group is in Division One for their competition. This is the first time in twenty years that Epsom Girls Grammar School has competed at this level. Congratulations to all involved in the development and excellent achievements of this group. Their PolyFest performance is 8am on Saturday 5 April. If you are interested in attend Polyfest, you can purchase tickets from iTICKET. Old Girls Association Morning Tea at Eden GardensThe Old Girls Association invites all past students and staff to attend the Annual Morning Tea to be held at Eden Gardens on Wednesday 9 April 2025 at 10 am. For more details and to register follow this link. School Donation ReminderThank you to those parents who have paid the School donation already through the Parent Portal. Donations can continue to be made through this portal. We appreciate the support we receive annually from our families as these donations are key to help the school provide the quality education we strive to provide for your daughters. This financial support is crucial as we are at the lowest possible level of funding from the Government, but want to continue to offer rich learning opportunities. To make it as easy as possible for you to donate, the School offers different payment options to suit - whether as a lump sum (via the Parent Portal) or monthly amounts. While lump sum payments are best for the School, you can set up an automatic payment of $109.50 each month from February to November. To get support or if you have any queries regarding payment of the contribution please contact the Finance Office at receivables@eggs.school.nz. We would like to remind parents that any donation made to the School is tax deductible. Thank you again for your ongoing support. Speakers for Year 11 Careers talksOn Thursday 12 June the Careers Department will be holding its annual Careers Day for our Year 11 students. On this day we will have a variety of speakers from a range of career pathways and our students will have the opportunity to hear from them and ask questions. To be able to provide a range of speakers, we would appreciate support from our community. Do you have a career that you would like to talk about? Is your career ‘different’? Have you forged your own path? If so, and you would be willing to share your career story with approximately 30 students on the morning of 12 June, please send an email to Janette Ryan jryan@eggs.school.nz. This is a significant day for our Year 11 students and we appreciate your support. |
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Phones away for the day – reminderOur school expectations around mobile phones align with the Ministry direction that ‘phones are away for the day’. At Epsom Girls Grammar School, that means mobile phones should be turned off and in students’ bags for the duration of the school day (8:35am - 3:15pm each day, except Wednesday 9:20am - 3:15pm). If phones are seen out during the school day, they will be confiscated and will need to be collected afterschool on Wednesday or Friday, from the Student Reception. If a student’s phone is confiscated on Wednesday, this is available on Friday. If students are repeatedly not following this Government direction, this is defiance of our School’s Code of Conduct. We appreciate family support with this Ministry policy. |
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Homestay Host FamiliesThe Epsom Girls Grammar School International Department is looking for families who can provide a caring and supportive home environment for an international student. If English is your first language, you have a spare room and live within close distance to school, we look forward to hearing from you. Hosting an international student is an enriching experience and a wonderful opportunity to share your family life, Kiwi culture, and hospitality, to experience other cultures and learn more about the world. In 2024, NZ$380 per week is paid to cover full board and in 2025 will increase to NZ$400 per week. Please call Jo Bostock on 970-6757 for further information or email jbostock@eggs.school.nz. |
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Upcoming events
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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 email, please contact my PA, Catherine Readhead, on 09 9706 707.
Sincerely, Brenda McNaughton Principal Epsom Girls Grammar School |
Mar 14, 2025
Principal's Bulletin - March 2025
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