Kia ora e te whānau,
I hope the holiday break has been a good one in your household!
It’s great to be back at school after my sabbatical during Term 2. I really valued the time I spent visiting schools in Finland, talking with school leaders, teachers, and students, hearing new ideas, and seeing education in action in a different context. The time away gave me a chance to reflect on what I learned and to think about GBHS - our strengths, challenges and future direction. I'm incredibly grateful to the Board of Trustees, our fantastic Senior Leadership Team, and especially Chris Woodward, who stepped into the Acting Principal role while I was away. Their support made this opportunity possible for me and my family.
Construction of our new Science block began on the first Saturday of the holidays. Despite the patches of bad weather, there’s already been great progress on the initial earthworks. With the building work now underway, the back gate on Stottholm Road is closed for pedestrian access. The nearest entrance for students is now the gate at the top of Stottholm Road (Godley Road end) or the entrance off Firle Place. As always, building work brings its challenges - but it will absolutely be worth it in the long run.
There’s been a real buzz in the auditorium this week as the cast and crew prepare for our school production, The Labours of Olympus. It’s been wonderful to see the actors, musicians, dancers, and staging crew all working so hard and having a great time while doing it. The set and costumes look phenomenal. A huge thank you to the tireless staff, led by Teresa Callaghan, who have poured so much time and care into supporting our students. Don’t forget to book your tickets!
Term 3 is always busy, and we kick off in week one with our Open Evening. School will finish at the earlier time of 12.30pm on Wednesday 16 July.
Key calendar events
- Week 1 - Open Evening: Wednesday 16 July (school finishes at 12.30pm); Winter Sport Team Photos: Friday 18 July
- Week 2 - The Labours of Olympus runs from Wednesday 23 July through to Saturday 26 July
- Week 3 - Course selection for 2025 gets underway on Monday 28 July; and our Term 3 PST Conferences are on Tuesday 29 July and Wednesday 30 July (early closing 1pm both PST days)
- Week 5 - Teacher Only Day - Friday 15 August
Uniform
Demonstrating respect for our school by wearing the correct uniform is important. Our uniform has a wide range of items to choose from so all students should be able to find a suitable combination and we have plenty of uniform for students to borrow if they need to. School jackets become an essential part of our uniform during the winter months. Please make sure that uniform jackets are named so that if they are lost, we can quickly find the owner.
Please remember;
- Socks should be plain black and any undershirts should be white.
- Backless slides are not appropriate footwear for school.
- Sports hoodies are not part of the school uniform.
- Please look on our website to find a full description of our uniform guidelines.
- Uniform can be purchased online through our provider, https://www.argyleonline.co.nz, or from their retail shop (Shop 4, 91 Central Park Drive, Henderson).
Phones
A reminder of our school guidelines;
If a student chooses to bring a phone to school it must be switched off and in their bag when the bell rings for the start of period 1 until students leave the classroom at the end of period 5. If phones are brought to school, they must be kept in a student’s own school bag. It is important to note that if students do make the decision to bring a cellphone to the school grounds, they do so at their own risk. The school is not responsible for any loss or damage caused to any cell phone. If phone accessories (including buds, airpods and headphones) are brought to school, they must also remain in bags throughout the school day. Cell phones should not be connected to smartwatches.
Any student with an exemption will be issued a pass through Deputy Principal Sandy Begg, this will be recorded on KAMAR and the student will have a physical pass.
A note for parents: If you need to get a message to your child urgently during class time, please contact Student Services (817-8173 ext 205).
We’re looking forward to a fantastic Term 3.
Ngā mihi nui, Fiona Barker
PRINCIPAL
GBHS Board Elections
GREEN BAY HIGH SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS 2025 - NOMINATIONS OPENING SOON The nomination process for our School Board elections will be opening on 18 July 2025. We have five spaces for parent representatives on the Green Bay High School Board. We have appointed Schooled Election Pilot as the Returning Officer for the election, they will be handling the election process and you will see communications directly from them. Everyone who is eligible to vote in the election will receive a nomination pack…
11th July 2025 at 7:35am
