Kia ora Parents and Caregivers,
Thursday was a spectacular day of sporting success for Westlake, with our 1st XI hockey team winning the North Harbour 2021 Secondary Schools Final against Rangitoto College 6-0. We also won the 2021 Auckland Secondary Schools (ASS) Snowboarding Championships, with one student (Harriet Gowing) also named ASS Giant Slalom Snowboarding Champion.
These stunning wins are on the back of several other outstanding achievements by our athletes, including Tara Vaughan who was named in the U-18 NZ Kayak Team after winning three gold and three silver medals at the recent NZCT New Zealand Canoe Sprint Championships and Oceania Championships. Year 9 student Mary Malkova was named 2021 National Junior Secondary Schools Champion in Rhythmic Gymnastics after coming first in the NZSS Junior International Division, while her team mate Shalinee Bajwa also won gold at the same competition.
There’s been a lot to celebrate in other areas, with our highly anticipated Korean Night, Samoan Language Week festivities, Sydney Brandolino’s creative writing success, and our premier debaters winning against Carmel College.
It’s these success stories that help build a connection with our school, when students head out into the world at the completion of their studies. We want to ensure that every Westlake Alumni has the opportunity to provide their daughters with the same opportunities they received. Yesterday we sent you an email concerning the Ministry of Education’s review of rules around out-of-zone enrolments into schools. They are currently consulting around the priority given to out-of-zone applicants, and as I said in my email, what could change is the priority given to out-of-zone daughters of WGHS Alumni.
We’d love you to support us and our growing Alumni community by filling out the survey and selecting Option One, Status Quo – which gives the children of our out-of-zone Alumni high priority. There is more detail under “Important Things to Note” including links to the consultation document and survey.
Finally, we are very much looking forward to our Westlake Choral Concert this coming Tuesday, and our “Building Her Future: Women in Trades” evening on 22 June. If you haven’t registered for this unique event, you can find a registration link under “Important Things to Note” in this newsletter.
