Term Three Week 10

As we come to the end of Term 3, it is hard to believe how much has been accomplished over the past few weeks. The final week of term has been particularly busy, with benchmark examinations, co-requisite assessments, and the much-anticipated Junior Social rounding off a successful term.

One question I am often asked by families is, “How can we help our daughters be the best they can be?” Examination periods can be stressful for young people, and family support plays an important role. Encouraging students to maintain a study timetable, eat well, and balance their commitments to schoolwork, sport, friendships, and family life can require a great deal of planning, negotiation, and gentle encouragement.

Success is not determined solely by performance in an examination. It is built through consistent preparation and the positive habits students develop throughout the year. Attending classes regularly, seeking advice from teachers, completing coursework, and revising notes all contribute to academic achievement. These skills will become increasingly important as we move into Term 4 and our Year 11 to 13 students begin their external examinations.

This year, we are also holding examinations for Year 9 and 10 students. These assessments provide valuable feedback, helping our students identify their strengths while also highlighting areas for growth and improvement in each subject area.

The Junior Social remains one of the highlights of the Term 3 calendar. This special event recognises and celebrates our amazing junior students who have consistently met our expectations for behaviour and attendance throughout the term. The evening was a tremendous success and was well supported by staff from both HGHS and HBHS. Our Prefect Teams did an outstanding job organising and leading the event, ensuring everyone enjoyed a memorable evening. Thank you to Ms Jensen for co-ordinating this event.

The social was also a wonderful example of HGHS and HBHS coming together to celebrate our students. The last combined social took place nine years ago, making it particularly special to see this valued tradition re-established. We look forward to continuing this partnership in the years ahead.

We are making excellent progress in drafting our new Strategic Plan and are excited to invite our community to be part of this important process. On 15 October, from 5.30pm to 7.00pm, we warmly welcome whānau and community members to join us at the school. This gathering will provide an opportunity for us to share our vision and, most importantly, hear what you would like to see as we move forward.

Consultation is a vital part of our planning process. By listening to the voices of students, whānau, staff, and our wider community, we can work together to create the best possible learning environment for our young people. We encourage you to come along and be part of our journey.

At the end of this term we farewelled Cynthia Fameitau, our Guidance Counsellor, who has taken up a position at Taradale High School and Lucinda Sherratt (Long term relieving). We wish you both all of the best for the rest of 2026.

Term 3 is always a long and busy term and I would like to thank our students, staff, and whānau for their continued hard work and support. I wish everyone a well-deserved holiday break and look forward to welcoming you back refreshed, re-energised, and ready for a successful Term 4.

Ngā mihi nui
Lisa Akers
Principal

Senior Benchmark Exams

Our senior students have spent the last week and a half sitting their benchmark examinations. These assessments play a critical role in the academic year for two main reasons:

Derived Grade Security: Should unforeseen circumstances, illness, or an emergency prevent a student from sitting their final NZQA external examinations at the end of the year, their benchmark result serves as their official derived grade.

Replicating High-Stakes Conditions: To ensure our students feel fully prepared and confident, we replicate official NZQA examination conditions to the letter. Experiencing the quiet environment, timing, and formal expectations now helps eliminate uncertainty when they sit their final papers.

The exams have run smoothly and our students deserve immense credit for the focus and maturity they demonstrated throughout.

NCEA Corequisite Results & Year-Level Qualifications
Results for the recent NCEA Corequisite assessments are scheduled to be released later in Term 4.

Accessing Results: Students can view their outcomes directly through their individual NZQA Learner Login. We encourage all families to check that their child’s login details are active and accessible ahead of time.

Why Corequisites Matter: To achieve any NCEA certificate level (Level 1, 2 or 3) students must pass the foundational Literacy and Numeracy corequisite standards. Without these core credits, a student cannot be awarded their Year-Level NCEA Certificate regardless of how many total subject credits they achieve.

We had a fantastic participation rate across all year groups sitting these standards and we look forward to celebrating their hard work when results arrive next term.

Leadership in Action: Hawke’s Bay Primary Schools Polyfest

Beyond the exam timetable, several of our students represented our school with immense pride at the Hawke’s Bay Primary School Polyfest. These young leaders dedicated time throughout the entire year to tutor, mentor, and choreograph performances for local primary school groups.

Initiatives like this foster invaluable connections across our wider community. Seeing our young women share their time and talents to empower younger students is a proud reflection of our school values in action.

A massive well done to Luccy, Newlife, Vienna, Liel, Dani, Analia, Abby, and Tauranga!

It has been a busy, vibrant, and incredibly settled term across our kura!

School spirit has been running high all term. During Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, House pride was on full display as students battled it out in Kī o Rahi. Our House concerts were another massive highlight with impressive performances across the board and a fantastic display of unity as students crossed House lines to support and collaborate with each other.

Socially, it’s been a time of celebration. Staff and students alike had a lovely evening dressing up and celebrating at the Senior School Ball and we kept the fun going at our Junior Social on Thursday night. Beyond our current students, it was a delight to connect with our wider community—meeting prospective families at our Open Evening and welcoming the wonderful Year 8 students during their Big Day Out. We can’t wait to welcome many of them into our school whānau next year!

Looking ahead to next term, our seniors have under four weeks left before study leave begins. We look forward to seeing them step up as they work through their exams while our Deans give full commitment to our junior classes to finish the year on a high.

To our seniors preparing for exams: the Deans are here to support you every step of the way. If you’re feeling the pressure or getting the wobbles during this busy season, please drop in to see us for extra guidance and support!

It has been a really progressive and fun year as part of our Student Council! As School Community Captain, I have loved working alongside our committee to help create a positive, welcoming and inclusive school environment. A big part of our focus this year has been creating opportunities for students to get involved, have their voices heard and, most importantly, enjoy being part of our school community.

So far this year, we have helped organise and run a range of activities, including our St Patrick’s Day activities, Pink Shirt Day, Pink Ribbon Lunch and House Quiz. Each event has been a little different but they have all been great opportunities to bring students together and build school spirit. Last night we celebrated our Combined Junior Social with Hastings Boys’ High School, our committee put a lot of work into behind the scenes. We were really excited to see it all come together and it was a night for our juniors to remember! We also have House Debate coming up so there’s still plenty happening before the end of the year.

One thing I have really enjoyed about Student Council is seeing how an idea can start as a simple conversation and eventually turn into something the whole school can enjoy. It has also taught me a lot about teamwork, communication, organisation and listening to different ideas. Working with such a great committee has made the year even more enjoyable and I am really proud of what we have been able to achieve together.

Outside of Student Council, I have also had lots of opportunities to grow as a leader through SADD, World Vision, debating, volunteering, Robotics, Showquest, Fiafia and different National leadership events and workshops. All of these experiences have given me new skills and perspectives that I can bring back into my leadership at school.

As we head towards the end of the year, I am looking forward to finishing our current projects and continuing to build on the work we have started. We are hoping to create some legacy projects, such as the Pink Ribbon Lunch and Junior Social that can continue to grow and be carried on by our future Student Councils. It’s been such a busy year, but I am excited for everything we still have ahead!

Congratulations to Year 12 students Jaz and Paige who have both been awarded the prestigious Poutama Scholarship to attend Hands-On at Otago this coming January!

Hands-On at Otago is an incredible residential summer camp held every January at the University of Otago giving students a firsthand taste of campus living, academic research, and tertiary life.

Jaz will be exploring her passion for Political Science which she plans to study when she heads off to university after finishing school. Paige will be diving into Law and Politics setting the foundation for her future tertiary studies in these fields.

We are so proud of your achievement girls! Have an amazing week in Dunedin soaking up knowledge, gaining new insights, and getting a head start on your university journeys.”

Our Hastings Girls’ High School junior debaters have been out in force for Term 3 tackling one of the most relevant topics of our digital age: “This house believes social media should have a minimum age of 18.”

Last week, our Year 9 “Girlypops” team – Elaina, KC, and Camelle travelled to Lindisfarne. Debating in favour of the motion in front of a captive audience of boys, the team put up an impressive effort. While the Lindisfarne boys delivered a compelling case that ultimately won over the judges, our girls represented Hastings Girls’ High with pride, grit, and great poise.

On Wednesday, another of our junior teams headed to Woodford House to argue the negating side of the very same moot. Key clashes centered around government over-reach, parental responsibilities, and the role of big tech in managing online risks.

Dristi, Seerat, and Amrit argued powerfully that with the increasing digitisation of learning and media, not all social media is harmful when used responsibly. In an absolute nail-biter decided by just 4 points, our girls clinched the win! Following their Term 2 victory over Iona, this promising group continues their fantastic winning streak.

A massive congratulations to both teams – Elaina, KC, Camelle, Dristi, Seerat, and Amrit for representing HGHS so splendidly across the region!

Last weekend, our Hastings Girls’ High School dance team travelled to Palmerston North to compete at the DanceNZmade Nationals. Our students represented the school with immense pride, performing exceptionally well, developing new skills, and making lasting connections with dancers from across the country.

A huge highlight of the trip was receiving the national “Togetherness” Award which celebrates outstanding teamwork, positive culture, and connection. This recognition is particularly meaningful as it marks the final national competition for several of our senior students.

Congratulations to the team on a fantastic national campaign and for representing Hastings Girls’ High School so brilliantly!

This year, Ignite Youth offered a Community Driver Mentor Programme, providing fully funded driving lessons to our students, as well as supporting them when they were ready to sit their restricted licence.

Des, our Driving Mentor from Ignite Drive, was amazing with our students. His patience, encouragement and willingness to share his knowledge made such a positive difference to their learning and confidence.

We are incredibly proud to celebrate 8 students who successfully gained their restricted licence – congratulations to those students!

A huge thank you to Des and Ignite Youth for offering this wonderful service to our students at Hastings Girls’ High School. We truly appreciate the time, patience and support you have given our students this year. Your contribution has helped give them greater independence and confidence as they take this important step towards their future.

Thank you, Des, and Ignite Youth!

All the best to all the girls travelling to Auckland this weekend to compete at the New Zealand Rugby League Youth Nationals!

We’re looking forward to seeing how you all go and know you will represent yourselves, your families, and your region with pride.

Go well girls! We’ll be cheering you on from home!

Manawatu U18s
Teiyah Fomai
Valentyne Manutulila
Maddy Seumanutafa

Hawke’s Bay U16s
Aaliyah Heenan
Brooke Lemalu
Peyton Grey
Kayla Rota
Mel Savaii
Keela North
Bella Lange-Waerea

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