Dear Parents and caregivers,
We welcomed students back to Term 2 with ANZAC Day assemblies this week, acknowledging those of our alumnae who served overseas with the Armed Forces during WWII. The challenge was put to our students: to take time to consider the values of those who have gone before (of selfless service in the pursuit of peace), to take time to learn from their discoveries, and to practice small acts of service each day.
This term, we look forward to our academic focus continuing and also the many other events that bring our community together. Of particular note are our inaugural Mother, Daughter (and Grandmother) Breakfast next week where we are delighted to welcome alumna Jodi O’Donnell, CEO of TVNZ, to present. Also, the annual AGS/EGGS Production, ‘Anything Goes’, which we had a sneak preview of at assemblies this week too. This looks to be a highlight of the Performing Arts calendar this year, so we encourage early purchase of tickets to avoid disappointment.
Learning and Curriculum focus at Epsom Girls Grammar School
Epsom Girls Grammar School was founded with the express purpose of taking girls’ education seriously. In 1917, during an age when some societal expectations of girls’ academic ability and aspiration acted as a barrier for many young women, Epsom Girls Grammar School quickly established itself as an educational institution that provided girls genuine choice in academic pathways and excellent teaching of academic curricula.
Epsom Girls Grammar School maintains a focus on improving student outcomes. We continue to advance opportunities for girls to achieve academic success, discover their passion, and their people. Our curriculum and timetable are currently being refined (for implementation in 2026) to deliver these opportunities, and details will be provided to students and parents later in Term 2. We do want to share with you, however, the key considerations that guide the groups leading this work:
- Face-to-face teaching time is maximised within the school day;
- Foundational knowledge is guaranteed for all students and then built upon in a deliberate and sequential manner;
- Opportunities for students to choose their desired pathway through the school, to achieve their aspirations, should be maximised (minimising compulsory subjects at all year levels);
- Consistency of morning routines to continue to improve habits of attendance and punctuality;
A robust local curriculum is created that prepares students well for choosing either NCEA and NZ Scholarship, or a Cambridge qualification pathway.
Cambridge Qualification – Information Evening
To help families learn about and understand the new option available as a Qualification Pathway (offered from 2026), there is an information evening on Thursday 29 May, at 5pm in the Marjory Adams Hall.
This event will inform our community about the Cambridge qualification and the pilot in 2026 for Year 11 students. The main target audience is current Year 10 students and their families, who have an interest in finding out more about the Cambridge pathway. This evening may also be of particular interest to the families of current Year 9 students who will have the option of a Cambridge pathway in 2027.
If you wish to attend this event, you need to register via this link. Please also take the opportunity in the link to ask any questions you would like answered on the evening.
Attendance updates
The Ministry of Education defines regular attendance is 90%, so to meet this criteria a student can only be absent for up to five days per term. We appreciate parents’ support for their children to attend regularly, as many of our students meet this criteria with ease and we know that this contributes positively to their achievement outcomes.
If your daughter is not well, we ask that they do stay at home until they are well enough to attend school. This applies even if a student has an assessment. If a student is unwell for three or more days, then we require a medical certificate to be provided for the school records. The medical certificate ensures that any assessment missed is able to be sat at a later date.
To better enable parents to support their daughter’s regular attendance and punctuality, in addition to morning text messages being sent if a student is absent without prior notification, we will:
- Send an afternoon text if a student attended morning lessons but is absent from afternoon lessons (without prior notification) and,
- Send an email summary of your child’s attendance each Friday.
We hope these initiatives provide useful tools for parents to reiterate positive messaging around attendance and punctuality, and also to get in touch with Deans early if needed.
A reminder also, that the school is not able to approve student leave during term time for holidays. We do see patterns at the end of the term and the start of a new term where students are missing classes due to extended holidays. The school cannot mark these absences as justified as per the Ministry of Education requirements as these absences are specified as an unjustified absence from the school.
Upcoming events
- 7 May – Mother / Daughter Breakfast
- 9 May – Year 13 Ball
- 10–17 May – AGS/EGGS Production ‘Anything Goes’
- 30 May – Teachers Only Day
- 2 June – King’s Birthday
- 17 June – Parent / Teacher interviews
- 20 June – Matariki
- 26 June – Parent / Teacher interviews
- 29 July – Founders Assembly
Pick-up and drop-off of students
Please only use nearby streets (Albury Ave, Sharpe Rd, or Owens Rd) to arrange dropping off or picking up your daughter from school, if transporting her by car. When dropping off or picking up students, please ensure that the road rules are followed and other travellers are not endangered by drivers’ (or students’) actions.
Tuck shop ordering online
Epsom Girls Grammar School has a new Tuck Shop provider which allows for ordering and paying for items online. The link to do this is here. We have run out of some more popular items in the last couple of days and so to ensure your daughter gets her preference, pre-ordering online is advised.
Parent Portal
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 or the School Code of Conduct, please contact my Principal’s Assistant, Catherine Readhead on 09 9706 707.
Sincerely,
Brenda McNaughton
Principal
Epsom Girls Grammar School
Event details
Mother and Daughter Breakfast (& Grandmother)
Celebrating the women who inspire us with guest speaker Jodi O’Donnell (CEO of TVNZ).
Join us next Wednesday 7 May, from 7.15 to 9.30am. This event is the perfect opportunity to share a delicious breakfast, hear from our guest speaker, Jodi O’Donnell, and strengthen bonds.
Tickets are available now through the school’s online shop—$50 per ticket or $100 per pair. Secure your spot today!
2025 School Production
The 2025 Major School Production (in conjunction with Auckland Grammar School) is Anything Goes.
All aboard the S. S. American for this cheeky and charming musical wrapped up in one of Cole Porter’s most magical scores. Etiquette and convention head out the portholes as two unlikely pairs set off on the course to true love! Music, dance and a whole lot of laughs: Anything Goes is delightful, delicious and de-lovely!
The show will open on Saturday 10 May and closing night is Saturday 17 May, with two matinee performances on Monday 12 and Saturday 17 May.
Tickets start from $25 per person – click here for more details and to purchase your tickets.
