Kia ora whānau,

Winter has certainly ramped up, and with the usual seasonal bugs doing the rounds, we really appreciate your support in helping us keep our hostel community as healthy as possible. If your daughter has been unwell over the weekend, please keep her at home until she is well enough to return. Returning too soon often means you may need to make another trip to collect her.

While we do have a sick bay, it is designed for short periods of rest and for girls who become mildly unwell during the school day. As a boarding hostel, we are simply not equipped to care for large numbers of unwell girls at one time. Keeping girls at home while they recover also helps prevent illness spreading quickly through our boarding community.

Your junior reports will have arrived home, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading through them and seeing the progress the girls are making. There is lots to celebrate, as well as some great opportunities to keep building on their learning.

A reminder to our junior cohort to make the most of prep time — it is there for you to review your learning, complete work and ask for help when you need it. We also have Maths and Science support available on Thursday evenings, so please take advantage of it.

One of the great things about boarding is that you are surrounded by people who can help. We are in the exceptional position of having around 100 older girls living alongside our juniors, with a huge amount of knowledge and experience between them. Don’t be afraid to ask a senior for some help or advice—you may be surprised at how willing they are to share what they know.

Stay warm and well, everyone!

Ngā mihi nui,

Joyce Clark

Sunday Late Dinners

If you require a late/saved dinner on a Sunday night this MUST be booked by 12.00pm on the Sunday by putting your name on the list at the office - preferably before you leave on Friday afternoon. If you have not booked a late/saved dinner you will have toast and spreads made available to you. We hope you can appreciate that our kitchen team need to be able to plan for accurate numbers. It is very difficult for them when suddenly they need to find 15 – 20 extra servings.

Special Dietary Students

Please remember that if you have listed yourself as a special dietary requirement you are expected to honour this and not change your mind as something else appeals, the kitchen staff go to considerable effort to cater for your needs.