Take advantage of this incredible opportunity to attend our symposium on 6 September, where you’ll learn from international experts in girls’ education.

We’ve got superb speakers and break-out sessions. Learn more and secure your spot here.

Don’t miss out on tickets for our delicious Father-Daughter breakfast, a special opportunity to create lasting memories with your daughter.

Whether you’re Dad, Grandpa, Uncle, or another loved relative, you’re welcome to share in this heartwarming morning together. Get your tickets here.

From 5-9 August, WGHS celebrated Peace Week. Ten student leaders, together with the teacher-in-charge, Ms Sarah Woodward, organised a week of events to commemorate the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Nearly 200 students participated in events such as a daily challenge, paper crane folding, a quiz, making peace bracelets, painting peace rocks, learning about peace icons, and designing a peace-inspired outfit made only from newspaper and tape.

Students who attended two or more events earned a Peace Week badge for their blazer.

We were excited to welcome senior students from Rosmini College again this year – it has become an annual tradition to have their support at our events.

On Friday, 16 August, some of the student leaders attended a Peace Symposium organised by the Peace Foundation. We listened to panellists such as Cam Calkoen – Inspirational Speaker, Vira Paky from Save the Children, Caeden Tipler from Make it 16, and Soumya Puri from Soka Gakkai International.  We also worked collaboratively with students from other schools to design our own peace icon and presented what we did during Peace Week at WGHS.

It was an amazing day, and we got A LOT of ideas for next year!

Thank you to everyone who participated in Peace Week 2024.

On Thursday, 22 August, the Kaitiaki team trekked to Smith’s Bush with ranger Anna from the Auckland Council. We aimed to introduce more plants to the diversity of Smith’s Bush by planting some native trees and adding to the population of trees in the park.

We planted about 40 trees, including manuka, pūriri and other common trees. The benefits of planting trees include habitats for native bird and bug species, shade for animals and humans, increased oxygen emissions, and the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which we all know is a significant threat to our planet. The Kaitiaki team would love to challenge you all to plant even just one tree or insect-pollinated plant sometime soon!

We also placed rat traps to prevent pests from eating the seeds of trees that grow in the bush and to ensure that the forest stays thriving. These traps are made by putting bait (peanut butter, usually the most expensive kind!) inside a T-Rex trap and leaving it in the bush.

The visit to Smith’s Bush lasted for around two very fulfilling hours and the club members left with a feeling of satisfaction. Westlake Kaitiaki wants to thank the Auckland Council for sending Anna to help us plant the trees and provide us with shovels, gloves, and young plants.

Written by Polina Bogaeva, a Kaitiaki Club Member.

During Week 5 of Term 3, the Amnesty International Leaders at Westlake Girls held the annual Freedom Challenge for 2024. The Freedom Challenge is a chance for students to apply their vision for social justice by standing collectively as one to advocate for a specific issue. This special week aimed to educate students on world problems such as the Ukraine – Russia war and to inspire the next generation of world leaders and activists.

During the week, there were four activities, one for every lunchtime from Tuesday to Friday. On Tuesday, a slideshow presentation was displayed in each year-level Amnesty classroom, where students were educated on the injustice of the Russia – Ukraine war. A Kahoot was played after this, where the lucky top three won a small prize.

On Wednesday, there was a fun poster-making competition to promote knowledge on this subject, and the winner was announced a week later. All of the posters made were colourful and informative. Keep an eye out for them in the upstairs A-block corridor!

During lunchtime on Thursday, we were lucky enough to have Margaret Taylor, a long-serving activist from Amnesty, speak about her experience working for a humanitarian organisation and how she has been able to make a positive impact. She was such an inspirational speaker, and we were so grateful to have her speak to us!

Finally, on Friday, we held a fun scavenger hunt where participants hunted in A block to find the answers to social justice questions.

Freedom Challenge week was a smashing success. A huge thank you to all of the Amnesty Leaders and the hard-working Ms Wilson, who did an amazing job organising this event.

Remember to keep an eye out for the next Freedom Challenge in 2025 and to keep fighting for social justice!

By Laura Mackenzie.

On Friday, 23 August, we held the 2024 annual Westlake Girls clothes swap!

The event allows students to donate clothes they no longer wear and refresh their wardrobes with new-to-them items. This year, we were lucky enough to be sponsored by a local thrift store brand, &Again! The swap took place in the Events Centre, where two rows of tables, which were ‘aisles’, made up our shop. We were really impressed by how many people got involved and donated this year!

The day was a huge success – the Event Centre was packed with students of all year levels looking through piles of donated clothes to find a new favourite. We were so lucky to have some great volunteers helping from the Enviro Committee as well. They were instrumental in the success of the event.

In the end, we raised over $70, which was a great achievement – with every item priced at $1. Many other clothes were purchased with tokens that were gained in return for donations – it meant we gave a new life to many more than 70 different items!

Upcycling does not end here! We are excited that the remaining clothes will go to the fabric tech department for students to upcycle. The remainder will be donated locally.

Written by the 2024 Enviro Prefects.

We love hearing from our community and it is a buzz to share happy news stories about staff and students outside of school. If you have a story that you’d like us to include in our newsletter, get in touch with Marketing & Communications Officer, Bridget Ellis-Pegler.

Please note: NO ADVERTISING. 

If you are interested in discussing the possibility of a meaningful, long-term partnership between your organisation and Westlake Girls’, see  the ‘Our Partners’ Page on the website, or email our Community Relationship Manager, Dean Flyger for more information.