From the Desk of Justine Mahon

The floods at the beginning of the year were yet another reminder of the unpredictability of mother nature, and took us by surprise with their intensity, and the devastation they caused, not just in Auckland, but in other regions around the country.

Several of our staff were impacted personally by the floods, some with significant damage to their homes. I was reminded about the importance of a strong community as we came together to both support those who were unable to return to their homes immediately, and to organise temporary classrooms to ensure our College could reopen for the academic year, with only a minor delay.

I would like to especially thank our property staff who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, to repair and refurbish the impacted areas. The team behind the reconstruction worked incredibly hard, often outside of school hours, so disruption to the students was minimised. It was well worth the wait, our Junior School has a beautiful new reception area, and many completely renovated classrooms. Several areas of our Senior School were also impacted, and most classrooms and work areas will now be back up and running by the end of the term. I was so impressed with the resilience and positivity of both our staff and students, during yet another challenge to normality!

Last month we were delighted to announce the important change we are making to our Year 11 programme. The introduction of our own bespoke Year 11 St Cuthbert’s Diploma programme to replace the radically modified NZQA changes, to the Level 1 curriculum for 2024, will deliver a world class, conceptually coherent curriculum for our students, ensuring they are well prepared to be successful during their final secondary school years, and for future study. This new qualification is comprehensive as it also includes mandatory attendance, co- curricular and service components.

As we move beyond the pandemic, there is a real sense of momentum at the College, and our new Junior School playground will be ready later in the year – the girls and our staff are really looking forward to seeing this project come to life. Thanks are due once again, to the generosity of our Parents and Friends’ Association for supporting the College, with this exciting new development.

Teaching for the Future is another of the core principles, in delivering our vision, “Making Girls Amazing”. With the generous support of our Parents and Friends Association, and a significant investment from the College, we announced earlier this year that we are scaling up our current digital offering, so more students across the College can access a wider range of digital tools. We have, therefore, created dedicated digital innovation labs, with different innovation zones to encourage greater collaboration, connectivity, and experimentation. This initiative has involved creating a series of dedicated labs in the Senior School technology area, transforming current classrooms and breakout spaces, and investing in more tools and equipment on a large scale. The possibilities are endless when we contemplate where we can go as a College, with our curriculum in this key area.

At the Annual Principal’s Party held in Term One, Trust Board Chair, Leigh Melville, officially launched the new annual giving programme, “Gifting Amazing.” Over $60,000 was raised on the night and we are delighted to report that the $250,000 target has now been reached, enabling us to fund five key initiatives that will enhance students’ learning and lives. 10% of all monetary gifts raised through the Gifting Amazing Annual Fund, will be donated to our charity partner for 2023 – Communities Feeding Communities. This charity provides food security to those in need, with a longterm focus, including learning how to grow food. Thank you to our community for coming together to support this great initiative – it is truly appreciated and will make such a difference.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome parent and Old Girl, Harriet Booth, to her new role as Chair of our Parents and Friends’ Association. Already this year, our wonderful committee has held a number of successful events. After nearly three years of disruption, it has been so special to connect with College families in person. Our Junior School Picnic was a wonderful evening spent reconnecting with friends and enjoying a sausage sizzle, candy floss, face painting, hair braiding and lots of other treats. We’ve also held a special Dads’ dinner, and have some lovely events planned for our Mums to connect as well!

Thank you also to our Asian Friendship Group, led by Nancy Zhang, and our Old Girls’ Association , President Kirsten Mackenzie, for everything they do for the College. Our connected community is part of our special offering for our students and our parents, and we are deeply appreciative of the hard work and dedication to the College from our volunteers.

On a personal note, you will be aware that I have made the decision to retire as Principal of St Cuthbert’s College, in February 2024. I am excited about the future, and am looking forward to exploring new opportunities in education after nearly five decades full time, in teaching and leadership roles across the tertiary, secondary and primary sectors. I will also enjoy spending more time with my wonderful husband Gregory. However, as an Old Girl, and mother of an Old Girl, I will always be connected to this special community, and I will continue to support the College in any way I can, going forward.

Take care, and I look forward to catching up with as many of you as possible in the months ahead.

With warmest regards.

Ms Justine Mahon — Principal

When I reflect on this past six months, I can’t quite believe what a roller coaster it has been. I never could have imagined that coming out of (hopefully the worst of the pandemic), we would be struck by such a massive weather event, which was then followed by a cyclone.

The College suffered significant damage to many areas with the impact of these events, and I was just so impressed by the resilience of our staff, parents and students. Many of our staff and families were impacted personally, and, in some cases, had significant damage to their homes. I was struck, once again, by our strong sense of community and dedication to our students, with everyone pulling together to get the College ready for our campus to open. Our staff really didn’t miss a beat, with several classes and support staff departments relocated into temporary locations while repairs, and in some cases, completely new fit outs, were carried out.

I joined our Principal, Justine Mahon, for the first day of Term 1, to welcome everyone back to the campus, and to especially welcome our new students and their families with the annual morning tea in the Atrium. It was lovely to see the beautiful new cafeteria, and dedicated coffee cart, and to experience the sense of vibrancy and

Message from our Trust Board Chair,