Term Three Week 2
Message from the Principal
Kia ora koutou
Welcome to this week's Pānui. We have some exciting property updates and improvements to share with you.
Property Updates
Throughout the year, we have been working hard to enhance our school facilities and create a more welcoming and functional environment for our students.
Turf Area Outside Te Rourou
Earlier in the year, we were delighted to install a permanent turf area outside Te Rourou where our students are served lunch. This area now includes new seating and improved shade sails and shelter, making it a fantastic all-weather space. It has become a great place for students to gather, whether they are eating lunch, participating in lunch activities, or simply catching up with friends.
Heating and Cooling Plan
Over the last few months, we have been working on a site-wide heating and cooling plan for our classrooms. We are pleased to announce that the Art, Technology and Science blocks have now been completed with new air conditioning units in all learning spaces. We aim to have our Social Science spaces completed within the next few weeks.
Performing Arts Department
We are continuing to work alongside the Ministry of Education to finalise plans for a new Performing Arts department. This ambitious project will involve demolishing the current music block and refurbishing three learning spaces in the 20s block with teaching spaces, practice rooms and storage facilities. We hope to commence this project soon.
Hall Update
Next week we will be installing a laser projector in the Hall, marking the final stage of our Hall update. To date, we have installed new lighting, sound, and curtaining, allowing us to host all kinds of events in a top-quality environment.
Grounds Improvement
You may have noticed the ongoing work across our school grounds. This is part of our year-long project to update and refresh some of our more tired-looking areas including our school sign on the corner of our property. The next step in this project is to refresh and update all of our signage which will include the addition of our school name "Ngā Rau Huia o Ākina."
We are excited about these improvements and the positive impact they will have on our school community. Thank you for your continued support.
Ngā mihi
Important Notice for Year 9 and 10 Students
There will be no school on Thursday 8 August for Year 9 and 10 students. This is because we will be hosting our annual Big Day Out for Year 8 students. We hope this is not too much of an inconvenience. Please make necessary arrangements. We encourage students to check with their teachers regarding any homework they should be working on.
Senior Whānau Hui - Parent Teacher Interviews
The final Senior Whānau Hui will be held next Thursday 8 August from 3.30pm-6pm in the School Hall.
Booking instructions were emailed home on Monday and we strongly encourage you to come along and talk to your student's Ākina Coach and teachers to discuss their progress towards their academic goals.
Senior Reports Sent Home Today
Senior reports are being sent home today, Friday, 2 August. These reports summarize students' attendance, effort, and NCEA results, providing a great starting point for discussions about your student's progress towards their academic goals for the year. We encourage you to come along and discuss these reports at the Senior Whānau Hui.
If you did not receive a report for your senior student, please email Rob Orr or@hastingsgirls.com
Special Opportunity for our Aspiring Student Leaders
Westpac is delighted to have Richie McCaw in Hawke's Bay on Thursday 29 August. We would like to invite 10 of our aspiring student leaders to attend this exclusive event.
If you are considering student leadership for 2025 and are interested in attending, please email principal@hastingsgirls.com with the subject line "Richie McCaw."
Richie will be sharing his experiences on leadership, resilience, and coolness under pressure, as well as his off-field endeavours.
Homestay Families Required for International Students
We are looking for some fabulous new homestay families to host both long-term and short-term (weeks or months) international students who attend our school throughout the year.
You will receive a fortnightly board payment during their stay with you. This is a wonderful opportunity for your family to learn about another culture and to showcase our Kiwi lifestyle to girls from places such as Brazil, Germany, Japan and China.
If you are interested, please email international@hastingsgirls.com and we will get in touch with you.
HGHS to Rock the NZCBA Festival 2024
HGHS at the NZCBA Festival 2024 – Join the Fun!
The NZCBA Festival 2024 is happening in Hamilton this August! We’re excited to announce that we’ve teamed up with Lindisfarne to rekindle our historic partnership and create a new band called Concord. This collaboration, which has a proud tradition of attending NZCBA and other festivals many times in the past, will be performing on Saturday, August 3rd at 2:15pm!
Don’t miss out on any of the performances—watch the festival live to see our band in action!
Watch Live: Click here to watch the live stream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iim2194qQRc
For more details and to check out the full schedule, follow the link. https://nzcba.org/festival-2024/
Student Leadership Opportunity: Attend 'Rangatira' Leadership Conference
As part of our plan to further develop student leadership opportunities, we have reserved four spaces to attend 'Rangatira': The New Zealand Student Leadership Conference. This three-day programme will be held during the holidays, 8-10 October 2024, and will include student leaders from across the country.
If you are a current Year 11 or 12 student and are looking to apply for one of our student leader positions for 2025, you are welcome to apply for one of the four available slots. There is no cost to the successful applicants.
How to Apply:
Send your application via email to principal@hastingsgirls.com with the subject line "Rangatira."
Applications close on Friday 10 August.
We encourage all aspiring leaders to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.
Congratulations to Caity MacDonald!
We are thrilled to announce that Caity MacDonald has been selected to fly to San Francisco in November with Nōku Te Ao, funded by Pūhoro - a STEMM programme run through schools.
Caity is one of 11 Year 13 students from the Pūhoro programme chosen from different regions, along with 3 Te Urunga Pae (university students). Additionally, 5 kaihautū will assist with numbers and activities.
During the trip, they will visit major landmarks in San Francisco, such as the Golden Gate Bridge. The students, all focused on pursuing health careers that will benefit Māori, will use this experience to achieve their goals.
Congratulations Caity! We are incredibly proud of your achievement.
https://www.hastingsgirls.com/enrolment/
Enrol for 2025 now
Exciting Opportunity: Tokyo Experience School in December 2024!
Education New Zealand (ENZ) is thrilled to share an incredible opportunity from our partners at the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education. We are inviting one teacher and seven students to participate in the Tokyo Experience School this December.
What Students Need to Know:
Trip Dates: Arrive in Tokyo on 6 December and leave on 14 December 2024.
Age Requirement: Students must be between 14-18 years old.
Accommodation: Students will stay with homestay families, except for the first and last day.
Homestay Arrangement: One student per homestay family.
Funding: Students’ trip is self-funded.
If you are interested in this unique opportunity, please submit your expression of interest by 9 August. Email Jen Fugle at international@hastingsgirls.com with the subject line "Tokyo Experience." We will collect the names of interested students and if we receive enough interest, we will apply as a school.
For more information, please visit: Tokyo Experience School Details
This is a fantastic chance to immerse yourself in Japanese culture and education. Don’t miss out on this exciting experience!
Uniform Survey from Hamilton Girls’ High School Social Studies Students
Kia ora Hastings Girls' High School
We are a group of Year 13s who attend Hamilton Girls' High School and we are looking to improve the issue of uniform prices among girls' high schools across New Zealand. Through this we hope to introduce a more generalised and affordable uniform for students. Although there are community guidelines encouraging the reduction of uniform prices they are not actively enforced which is an issue, especially as the cost of living negatively impacts families across New Zealand. We aim to see these guidelines followed and possibly improved as schools in other countries have done. We want to know if any of your students believe uniforms are an issue across girls' schools in New Zealand.
We have attached a form and would appreciate it if a range of students could fill it out and give us their honest opinion. We want to gather enough information and student voice to show that this is an issue that has student interest. We aim to take our findings and present them to Erica Stanford, the Minister of Education of New Zealand. The resource below discusses these guidelines and point 31, under the title “New Zealand Guidelines and Regulation of School Uniforms'', discusses the limited guidelines New Zealand has regarding uniform prices involving the community.
Thank you for your time and we hope to see your responses on our survey.
Ngā mihi
Katelyn Moke, Tammy Holmes, Annelize Stols, Grace Craig"
Sports Update
Congratulations to Finn Martin!
We are thrilled to announce that our Sports Coordinator, Finn Martin, has recently graduated from AUT with a Bachelor's of Sport and Recreation, majoring in Management! This is a fantastic achievement, Finn, and we are excited about your journey here at Hastings Girls' High School. Your expertise and passion for sports will undoubtedly inspire and benefit our students. Well done, Finn!
Junior Netball Teams Shine at Hawke's Bay College Day Tournament
The icy wet weather wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits of our Junior Netball teams—Huia, Kahu, and Korimako—who competed in Thursday’s Hawke's Bay College Day Netball Tournament.
Our Junior Huia team finished third. Facing off against the first-placed Flaxmere College mixed team was an exciting opportunity for the girls to step up and measure themselves against a polished and athletic Pā Harakeke squad. Gisborne Girls' High School showed finesse, finishing second and we look forward to a rematch later in the year at our annual Junior Gisborne exchange.
Junior Kahu and Junior Korimako faced each other in their ‘bronze medal match,’ where Kahu took the honours. As spectators, it looked like they were having too much fun to be playing competitive Netball!
A huge thank you to Flaxmere College, Karamū High School, Gisborne Girls' High School and Te Ara Hou for braving the elements. And, of course, a special acknowledgment to Hawke's Bay Netball and General Manager, Denise Aiolupotea, for all her mahi. We wish you the best on your last day at HB Netball and look forward to watching your Rugby career continue to flourish.
Pahlyss Hokianga: Youngest Tall Fern Named for 2026 Squad
Former Hastings Girls' superstar baller Pahlyss Hokianga is the youngest ever Tall Fern and has recently been named in the 2026 Tall Ferns squad. She will be competing in the Pre-qualifying tournament for the World Champs in Mexico.
Ka mau te wehi - Pahlyss, you are an inspiration ⭐
University Course Planning Dates here at HGHS
Mon 12 Aug Waikato Uni 11.15am
Tue 13 Aug Canterbury Uni 9.45am
Wed 21 Aug Otago Uni 1.45pm
Wed 28 Aug EIT 1.45pm
Mon 16 Sept Victoria Uni 1.45pm
Tue 24 Sept Massey Uni 11.20am
Massey University Open Day
Massey University Open Day is Wednesday 7 August
Link to register for Massey University Open Day
School Calendar
Please keep an eye on the school calendar to ensure that students are arriving at school prepared for the day's activities. You can find the calendar in the drop down menu of our website or click on the link below
School Calendar Link
PwC Scholarships
Are you a final Year 13 student who'd like to do tertiary study but need some help getting there? Would some financial support, a PwC mentor and the opportunity to apply for a paid summer internship at PwC be what you need to launch your career? Then this opportunity could be for you.
Week 3 Lunch Menu
