Term Two Week 9

This week we celebrate Schools’ Pride Week Aotearoa, an annual event that acknowledges and uplifts our rainbow students, staff and whānau across the motu. The kaupapa, “Celebrating Pride in Every School,” aligns beautifully with who we are at Hastings Girls’, a community that embraces difference, values diversity, and ensures every student feels a strong sense of belonging. Our intention is simple and unwavering: every girl should feel included, supported and valued for who she is and where she comes from. Ngā mihi nui to the staff and students who have helped bring this week’s events to life, including the Friday mufti day.

Last weekend I attended the Hawke’s Bay Volunteer Awards, an inspiring evening recognising the many people who give their time to strengthen our region. We were incredibly proud to see our own Khushi Bijalwan selected as a finalist in the Youth Excellence category. Khushi’s leadership, determination, and passion for serving both our school and wider community are exceptional. We are thrilled to share that she was named the overall winner of the Youth Volunteer Award. What an outstanding achievement. It was also heartening to see so many young people nominated in this category, true role models for their peers. We look forward to seeing what Khushi takes on next as she continues to support causes that matter.

Congratulations to all students who travelled to Palmerston North for our annual sports exchange with Manukura. Our senior netball, basketball and rugby teams represented HGHS with pride and determination. The games were tough, but you gave your all, and that is always what matters most. Be the best that you can be.

On Friday, Hiria Tangaere took the stage at Ngā Manu Kōrero in Napier, competing in the Māori Prepared Speech section. Speaking first is never easy, but I know Hiria represented Hastings Girls’ High School with confidence and grace.

We are nearing the end of countless hours of rehearsals for both Showquest and Kapa Haka. These performances simply wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of our staff and whānau, those who support behind the scenes, provide transport, offer guidance, and cheer our girls on. Our students are deeply grateful, and on their behalf I want to acknowledge your mahi. You are all amazing. On Monday 22 June, our Showquest team takes the stage. I wish you all the very best, I cannot wait to see your performance. And with just one week until our Manu Huia Rōpū heads to Nationals, excitement is building. Your performance is outstanding, and I know you will shine brightly as you represent our kura, your whānau, hapū, iwi and tūpuna. We are all behind you. You are stars.

Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) has been incredibly vibrant this term, highlighting what makes the Hastings Girls’ High School experience so unique. We firmly believe that learning comes alive when our students step out into the world, challenge themselves, and connect with the wider community. EOTC isn’t a break from learning; it is an extension of it. By combining academic goals with real-world challenges, these experiences help create confident, capable, and connected young women.

Bridging the Classroom and the Real World – leaving the school gates provides an authentic,
hands-on context to what students are learning for their NCEA credits. Stepping outside of comfort zones is where true personal growth happens. Trying activities in unfamiliar environments forces students to face challenges head-on, building grit and a growth mindset.

Strengthening Connections – the social dynamic completely transforms when we take learning outside the classroom. EOTC allows students to interact with peers they might not normally sit next to, fostering a stronger sense of community. It also accelerates the unique bond between students and staff. When a student sees their teacher encouraging them in a difficult activity right beside them, it builds a massive amount of mutual trust. This trust flows directly back into the school, making the classroom a more supportive space for everyone.

Here is a glimpse at the recent adventures over the past few weeks:
Growth at Outward Bound: Jo Opoc & Kyah Johns spent time away at the legendary
Outward Bound camp in Anakiwa, developing invaluable leadership and resilience skills.
Outdoor Cooking: Our Year 9 Outdoors elective and 9 Outdoors hub took their skills to the
beautiful Blowhard Scenic Reserve, where they successfully completed their Camp Cooker
Activities.
Sports & Cultural Exchanges: We have travelled for a rugby sports exchange to Fielding.
The annual Manukura Sports Exchange took place for our Senior A Netball, Premier
Basketball and 1st XV Rugby. We also shared our vibrant Samoan cultural group with Mahora
School and also had students performing for our Gracelands community.
Leadership in Action: Our Level 3 Physical Education class traveled to Rotorua, immersing
themselves in adventure-based activities designed to explore and implement their leadership
assessments.
Community Connection: The 10 Learning Village and JEL classes put their creativity to
work by writing and illustrating their own books, which they then took to share with the
students at Frimley Primary School.
Hit the Trails: Our Year 10 Outdoors Hub has been making the most of our local landscape,
heading up Te Mata Peak to log some serious training hours on the tracks.

A huge thank you to all the staff and students who make these enriching experiences possible. Our girls return to the classroom with stronger friendships, and a deeper understanding of their own potential.

The School Board is currently developing our next Strategic Plan and would like to hear from students, whānau, staff, alumni, and our wider community. Your feedback will help identify what matters most to our community and ensure our future priorities reflect the aspirations of those we serve.

Complete the survey here: Link to Survey

The survey takes approximately 1-2 minutes to complete and closes on 10 July. Every voice matters.

We are incredibly proud to announce that Hastings Girls’ High School’s very own Year 12 student, Khushi Bijalwan, was named the winner of the Youth Excellence Award.

Khushi was recognised for her tireless dedication and selfless service, balancing her NCEA level studies while giving up countless hours to support both our school and the wider community. Her commitment to helping others is an inspiration to us all, and this award is well-deserved recognition for her hard work.

A huge congratulations also goes out to all the other outstanding youth finalists who were recognised on the night for their incredible contributions to the region:

Amelia Cooper – Karamū High School
Giselle Baudet & Anshika Negi – Taradale High School
Noah Hemmingsen – Lindisfarne College
Olivia Meynell – Napier Girls’ High School
Shayden Fletcher-Snow – Central Hawke’s Bay College
Tamia Ngawhika – Toi Matarua
Te Kaea Greening – Toi Matarua

It is fantastic to see our young people leading the way and making such a positive impact in Hawke’s Bay. Well done, Khushi!

Last Wednesday, our Year 12 and 13 Business Studies students participated in the annual Young Enterprise pitch presentations to a panel of business experts.

Our girls have been working hard this year developing both small businesses and products as part of their learning. The pitch provides a great opportunity to gain experience in promoting and communicating their business vision, product and financial information. Our girls are working on a diverse range of product ideas such as pet food, toys, skincare, bin bombs and tote bags.

During Term 3 each business team will put this learning to the test in two market days both at school and at the Hastings Farmers Market.

We would like to extend a warm congratulations to Lupe and her whānau. While attending Parent-Teacher Interviews, they kindly completed our school survey, providing vital input for our kura’s upcoming strategic plan. Thank you for your contribution and we hope you enjoy the wonderful prize goodies!

We want to give a massive shout-out to three of our incredible students: Fieta Tagiilima Faagutu, Ljblyana Amosa, and Iesha Upoko.

Almost every single day after lunch (and often at interval too!) these three have been stepping up to keep our school beautiful. Entirely on their own initiative, they round up the wheelie bins, clear tables, and walk around collecting rubbish, stray forks, and apple cores. They even empty the bins and replace the liners – all without ever being asked!

Thank you all for displaying our school values so prominently and consistently. You are helpful, friendly, responsible, and an absolute pleasure to interact with every single day. We are so proud of you.

A massive congratulations to Dora and Meya for achieving a perfect 100% attendance record! Your dedication to coming to school every day is fantastic. As a well-deserved reward, they have both won sushi vouchers. Keep up the incredible work, girls!

Ngā Ara – Career Pathways, Gateway and EIT Trades Academy
Hi everyone, we are Maxine and Trudi, we are based in the Student Centre in our fabulous Career space. We oversee the Gateway Programme, EIT Trades Academy and everything Careers.

We have had a very busy start to the year with our Gateway programme. Gateway provides a
fantastic opportunity for students to explore workplace learning and begin career training while still at school.

This term, up to 40 students have attended work placements across a range of industries, including:

 Retail: Pak’nSave, Farmers and Spotlight
 Hospitality: 13th Stag Café, No.5 Café and Larder
 Administration/Reception and Aged Care: Brittany House
 Automotive: Bay Ford
 Building and Construction: Brittin Builders
 Social/Youth Work: Frimley Primary School and WOWbeing
 Early Childhood Education: Nature Kids
 Equine: Birchleigh Polo Club

All students have performed exceptionally well in their placements, with some already securing part-time employment opportunities moving forward.

We also have 26 students attending the EIT Trades Academy programme. This programme began in Term 1 and will continue through to Term 3. It provides students with a valuable opportunity to explore a trade of interest while studying at the EIT campus each week. Mid year reports have recently been emailed home, and once again, all students are achieving excellent results.

We are incredibly proud of how our students have adapted to their new environments. They have embraced each opportunity with enthusiasm, demonstrated a positive attitude, and shown a genuine eagerness to learn and develop new skills within their chosen pathways. They should all be very proud of their achievements.

We are currently undertaking our Year 12 and 13 career interviews. These informal
conversations give every student the opportunity to discuss their plans for life beyond school and explore how we can support their career planning.

Throughout the year, we welcome universities and guest speakers who share valuable information about study and career opportunities. Next term, all Year 12 students will have the opportunity to tour EIT, Hawke’s Bay’s local Polytechnic, and learn about the courses and degrees available locally. We will also be hosting a Health Expo for science students interested in health-related career pathways.

In August, we hope to take a group of students to Wellington to attend the Victoria University of Wellington and Massey University Open Day.

This is a particularly busy time of year in Ngā Ara, as our Year 13 students begin making important decisions about their future and start applying for courses, universities, and scholarships. Students are welcome to email us to arrange an appointment if they need support with applications or assistance gathering the necessary documentation: .

A small group of Year 12 students had the opportunity to participate in the Girls with Hi-Vis Day, hosted by Connexis and Unison.

This was a fun and interactive day that allowed students to explore a variety of roles within the infrastructure industry.

It was a fantastic opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience and hear from inspirational women working in the industry.

Throughout the day, students discovered what a career in the infrastructure sector can offer by taking part in activities such as driving a digger, climbing power poles, working at height in an Elevated Work Platform (EWP), learning about electrical circuits, and much more.

A big thank you to Connexis and Unison for organising this fantastic Girls with Hi-Vis Day!

On Wednesday, our teams travelled to Manukura for our annual sports exchange, competing in Rugby, Netball, and Basketball. It was a challenging day of competition, giving our players a great opportunity to test themselves against one of the top sporting schools in the country.

Manukura showed their class on the day, coming away with victories in all three matches. While the scorelines didn’t go our way, our girls dug in deep, gave it everything they had, and put up a spirited fight from the first whistle to the last. Facing that level of competition is tough, but it gave our athletes a firsthand look at what it takes to compete at the top and plenty of motivation to keep working hard on our own game.

Beyond the final scores, the exchange was a brilliant celebration of sport, whakawhanaungatanga, and the great relationship between our two kura. A huge thank you to Manukura for their warm hospitality and for hosting such a well-run day. Our students represented the school with excellent sportsmanship, and we are looking forward to hosting them on our home courts and fields next year!”

MONDAY 22 JUNE
PREM BASKETBALL | LUNCH | SCHOOL GYM
SENIOR A NETBALL | 3-5PM | SCHOOL GYM
RUGBY | 3-4:30PM | SCHOOL FIELD

TUESDAY 23 JUNE
BADMINTON JUNIORS | LUNCH | SCHOOL GYM
1ST XI FOOTBALL | 3-4:30PM | SCHOOL FIELD
JUNIOR A & B NETBALL | 3PM | SCHOOL GYM
JUNIOR RED NETBALL | LUNCH | SCHOOL TURF

WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE
JUNIOR BLUE NETBALL | LUNCH | SCHOOL GYM
SENIOR B NETBALL | 3-5PM | SCHOOL GYM
1ST XI HOCKEY | 3-4:30PM | SCHOOL TURF
RUGBY | 3-4:30PM | SCHOOL FIELD

THURSDAY 25 JUNE
BADMINTON SENIORS | LUNCH | SCHOOL GYM
JUNIOR RED NETBALL | LUNCH | SCHOOL TURF

FRIDAY 26 JUNE
SENIOR B NETBALL | 3-5PM | SPORTS PARK
JUNIOR RED NETBALL | 3-4:30PM | SCHOOL TURF
SENIOR RED NETBALL | LUNCH | SCHOOL GYM
SENIOR BLUE NETBALL | 3-4:30PM | SCHOOL GYM