Kia ora koutou; It’s been a real privilege to be out and about supporting our tournament teams down in Hamilton and Rotorua this week.

There’s been rain, hail and the occasional glimmer of sunshine, alongside wins, losses and the odd draw. What really impressed me was the level of commitment on display, from our coaches and managers, the parents who have helped and supported, and, of course, our talented students. Across all of our teams, our students represented GBHS with commitment, resilience and sportsmanship. I am so proud of them.

I need to give a special shout-out to the GBHS 1st XI Girls’ Football team, who won 4-2 in the final against Macleans College today. They have had an absolutely phenomenal season, winning the 1A Grade competition, earning promotion to the Premier Grade and, today, capping off a remarkable year by winning the NZSS Girls’ Grant Jarvis Tournament. A fantastic achievement from a very talented and committed group of students.

There are two teams whose achievements last weekend deserve a special mention - both firsts for GBHS. Our U60kg rugby team won their grade in a nail-biting final against Macleans College, capping off a fantastic season. I’m looking forward to seeing what this group can achieve as they move up next year. Huge congratulations also to our GBHS Boys’ Epee team, who took home gold at the NZFSSC. This was a phenomenal achievement for our fencing programme and coach Mary Black, founder of Tuatahi Fencing.

Our Level 3 Drama students also presented their performance of ‘Rosie’ this week, which was fantastic. It was great to see the confidence, creativity and hard work that went into bringing the production to life. It was another great reminder of the breadth of talent we have across the school.

It’s now time to focus and dig deep for the final three weeks of term. For some students, the literacy and numeracy CAAs take place next week, while all senior students have their derived grade exams in Weeks 9 and 10.

It’s important that students give these exams their best shot. Not only are they valuable preparation for the external exams in Term 4, but if a student is unable to sit an external exam, these exams may provide the evidence needed for a derived grade. Turning up to every exam and trying your best is the key.

Have a great weekend.

Fiona Barker
PRINCIPAL