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The Dio Difference in action
 With thirty special Old Girl guests attending our Chapel Service officiated by Emeritus Archbishop Sir David Moxon, It was an opportunity to laugh, cry, remember, and to praise the memories of this wonderful school. Thank you to all our incredible students and staff involved in this special service. After the annual Founders‘ Day Chapel Service comes an afternoon of Dio Day festivities - organised by our Year 13 students. This year, activities included a sausage sizzle, bouncy castle, Duck Island ice cream, DJ, movies, staff Flashmob and cake auction. The weather, unfortunately, didn’t come to the party but that didn’t dampen the spirits of our students who continued to dance and have fun in the rain. This resulted in some wet uniforms with students instructed to change out of wet clothes if they could or head home early to get changed. A special thank you to our incredible Year 13 team led by Rachel and Zoe who went all out to create a fun afternoon. We think you guys are pretty awesome and so appreciate the aroha you showed today to your schoolmates. Thank you also to Old Girl Ruby Lewin (aspoonfulofruby) who donated one of her incredible cakes to auction off with proceeds going to Anglican Action. Thanks team Dio for making the Dio Difference. |
It's Time To Order Your 2020 Yearbooks
 The 2020 Yearbook will be available in a digital or printed hard-copy format for students in Years 9 - 12. If you wish to receive a Yearbook, please complete the Google form by clicking here (one form per family). All Yearbooks and digital yearbooks will be posted. PLEASE NOTE - Students in Year 13 and leavers who are heading on to tertiary study or employment will receive a complimentary digital copy of the Yearbook and should only complete this form if they wish to receive a printed hard-copy. Hard-copies will be charged at the full price. The cost of the Yearbook is below and will be disbursed to your school account: Digital copy (supplied on a flash drive with extra digital content) - $28.00 Printed hard-copy $55.00 posted to your address; $65.00 international postage) Please complete the form before Monday 16 November 2020. |
Ultimate Raffle Experience 2020
| Attachments:
Ultimate Raffle Experience 2020 rules.pdf
Moving to Level 2 as a Community
 As you know community transmission of COVID 19 has returned to New Zealand, and we are now at Alert Level 2. The shift in alert levels announced by the Prime Minister last night was the last thing any of us wanted to hear, but again we thank our school community for the calm and sensible way you have responded to this news. We are well prepared to operate at Level 2. Below are some reminders about attending school at Alert Level 2. 1. Dio will operate as normal under Alert Level 2 with no restrictions on gatherings or numbers in learning spaces. Any large gatherings, such as assemblies and chapels, will adhere to school hygiene measures and follow physical distancing where possible. 2. Our focus remains on encouraging personal hygiene and school hygiene measures are currently in place. 3. No visitors on site please. Parents and caregivers MUST stay in vehicles when doing drop-offs/pick-ups. 4. Anyone who is unwell MUST stay at home. Anyone who is unwell and is at school will be asked to go home. Please let the school know if you are being tested for Covid-19. 5. Please follow the usual absence process, call 855 2038 (press 1) or email absent@wdsg.school.nz school with your daughter's name and reason for absence. 6. Although facemasks are optional at Level 2, we strongly encourage their use on public transport or in crowded public spaces. As a school community, we need to prepare for the possibility of another school closure and the return of distance learning. Therefore we need to determine the readiness of our students for this situation. In order to do this, please fill in this Google Form. The answers to this form will help us to prepare our students for distance learning. All students need to take home all necessary learning materials each day in case the alert level changes. Any issues regarding IT should be directed to Barnaby James bjames@wdsg.school.nz or by phone 07 855-2038 ext 2780. We strongly encourage everyone to follow the official advice from the Government at https://covid19.govt.nz/ Stay kind and look after one another. Ngā mihi Mary Curran PRINCIPAL -- |
Moving to Alert Level 2
 The Ministry of Health has tonight confirmed New Zealand has recorded four new cases of Covid-19 community transmission.As a precautionary measure, Auckland is entering into Alert Level 3 from midday tomorrow for three days. The rest of the country goes to Alert Level 2.Because of this government announcement, we are still waiting on confirmation of the attendance of some of our visiting kura. Please check our school Facebook page for updates. |
Your Invitation to the He Tai Ohinga Maro Kapa Haka Festival
 This coming Wednesday, 12 August, our school will be hosting the He Tai Ohinga Maro Kapa Haka Festival for the very first time. The Festival has been hosted by a number of Waikato secondary schools over the years and is focused on a celebration of Māori Performing Arts and a platform for schools in the Waikato who are growing and developing their kapa haka programme. In addition, we are also raising funds for our school charity Anglican Action/ Mahi Mihinare. Koha of a gold coin donation is appreciated but not required. There will also be stalls where food can be purchased. We are grateful for the financial support to host this event from Waikato Tainui, Wintec, the University of Waikato and Te Puni Kōkiri - The Ministry of Māori Affairs. Our MCs for the day will be Taha Tangitu-Huata (Māori Liason Officer at the University of Waikato and performer for Tuhourangi Wahiao) and our very own Amokura, Ngarangi Mason. As is tikanga, the day will start at 9.00 am with a pōwhiri in the school gym for our attending kura and manuhiri/waewae tapu. Our Manawahine Council and Kapa haka girls led by Ngarangi and Emma Ngawhika, our Kapa Haka Captain, have been busily preparing for this event and will be grateful for your attendance and support of Te Kaahu Piihopatanga, Māori Performing Arts and our 2020 school charity, Anglican Action. See below for the Performance Schedule. |
| Attachments:
Performance Schedule .pdf
Important DioNews Correction
 Students under the age of 18 (NOT 16 as incorrectly stated) are not allowed to drink alcohol unless their parents are present during the consumption of alcohol. Our apologies for this error. |
Footpath reinstatement work near River Rd entrance
 Our River Rd bus stop is not affected apart from being in the middle of the restricted zone. Downer has requested that Dio parents not drop or pick up students in the bus stop area for the three-week duration. Please use the Martin Street gate, Clarkin Rd pedestrian gate, or drop off/collect on the north side of the Boarding gate 2. This will cause congestion around this area at busy times of the day and we thank you for your patience as this work is undertaken. |
End of Term Message and Correction to House Chapel Service
 Kia ora koutou As this term comes to an end, I want to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all our students, staff, and whaanau for all you have contributed to this community over the course of the past unpredictable few months. Thank you also for the messages of thanks to the staff. They are valued. COVID-19 has brought the importance of supporting happy, healthy and connected learners into even sharper focus. It has impacted on the wellbeing of many of our learners and their families. In response, the Government today announced a further $66 million in new wellbeing funding to support the immediate wellbeing of our learners and educators in the wake of COVID-19. These announcements are part of an integrated package of Budget 2020 wellbeing supports. More announcements will be made soon. Today’s package consists of:
Waikato Diocesan School for Girls is committed to supporting our students as they navigate the final two terms of 2020. It is through the combined efforts of staff, students, boards, and all of you, along with the support of our community at large, that we continue to thrive and succeed. I look forward to working with you in Term 3 as we embrace new opportunities and tackle new challenges. On a final note, please note a correction to the DioNews issue six. The House Service on 26 July is for Blake, Hillary, and Ross (NOT Shackleton, Scott, Wilson as stated). And a reminder to diarise Sunday 6 December for our whole school Chapel/Carol Service. My very best wishes to you and your loved ones for this term break. Ngā mihi Mary Curran PRINCIPAL |
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