Haere Mai
Welcome again to Waikato Diocesan School for Girls. Whatever your initial motivation for sending your daughter to our school, this is the journey we now share.
There are endless reasons why families choose Dio for their daughters’ education. Some are attracted by the opportunities offered in sports and the arts, some because a mother or grandmother is an Old Girl or one parent or both went to boarding school. Invariably, it is because we deliver an excellent academic education, and parents believe that their daughters will be happy and well cared for.
But whatever families’ original motivation and accompanying expectations might be, it is our challenge each year to gather up 150 new entrants from many contributing schools, to bind them together into a harmonious whole and absorb them into our existing school culture while still meeting the needs of every individual and satisfying the varied expectations of each family.
Keep Connected
We encourage you to familiarise yourself with our website and social media over the next few months. This will assist you in getting a feel for the Dio community. Our social media is linked here, so make sure you like and follow us to keep up-to-date with all the great things happening in our school community. Most direct communication from the school is by email, so please check and update all contact information, especially email addresses, when we invite you to access the Parent Portal. Once school has begun, you can also see your daughter’s timetable and reports through the portal.
Financial Information
Dio is an Anglican school with an excellent academic, sporting and extra-curricular performance record, committed to providing a well-rounded education for its young women. We are grateful for the parental support that enables us to provide the level of education we do. Voluntary donations and Attendance Dues are essential to maintain the standard of education offered at Dio and to support the site's ongoing development. As a state-integrated school, the Anglican Church owns our land and buildings, and we are responsible for maintaining and developing the site and its facilities.
Attendance dues are charged quarterly at the commencement of each term. Any donation payments may entitle you to a donation receipt for tax credits as of 31 March each year. All statements will be emailed to you. When you receive your first statement, if the email address is not your preferred account email, please let us know so we may change this for future statements. This first statement will be sent to boarding families in January and daygirls the first week of February. Monthly instalments should be initiated before then. Several payment options are available to you, but our preferred payment method is by direct debit. A direct debit form is available here.
Boarding
For the school's boarders, developing caring attitudes towards each other and the wider community is the foundation of their boarding experience.
Through a school-wide Peer Support Programme and ice-breaker weekend at the start of the year, students quickly find friends, mentors, and 'big sisters' among the older students.
Waikato Diocesan School for Girls is a seven-day boarding school. However, students can go home for weekends if they wish. There is no limit on this bar, one in-weekend at the beginning of the year to build unity.
Boarding families will receive more information about starting at boarding before we break for the summer holidays.
Uniform and Stationery
All your school uniform requirements can be purchased from our Uniform Group Shop online or by visiting the Uniform Group Shop located at 125 Ward Street, Hamilton Central on the specified day during opening hours. The shop hours can be viewed here.
Waikato Diocesan uses OfficeMax MySchool.co.nz online ordering system for stationery requirements. The school gets paid a rebate based on the sales on the website, which supports students' teaching and learning. OfficeMax will list requirements for each year level on their website.
Other emergency stationery items (pens, paper, sellotape, etc.) are available at the school reception.
Buses
Parents and caregivers are responsible for getting their daughters to and from school daily. However, the Ministry of Education acknowledges that some parents and caregivers face distance issues and lack public transport. For this reason, the Ministry offers School Transport Assistance (a school bus place and/or an allowance) to help these parents and caregivers get their daughters to and from school.
Please click here for further information on bus routes and school transport assistance.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with Student Services or the Bus Companies directly (details can be found on the relevant bus route link).
Ordering Lunches & Canteen
The canteen food is made to order, fresh, every day. We also make fresh daily meals in our catering kitchen.
We provide a range of food, with some options having the ability to be made gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegetarian. These are the only alterations made to food.
Please ignore the time stated on the app when ordering - selecting the following tells us the time that your food needs to be ready:
Student - 12.50 pm
Teaching Staff - 12.50 pm
Support Staff - 12.00 pm
Any orders made before 11.00 am will be ready at lunch that same day. Any orders made after 3.00 pm will be available at lunch the following day.
For any absences that impact your order, please email catering@wdsg.school.nz
How can I order?
Online Web Orders
Please follow this link to a web browser where any student, teacher, or support staff can order their lunches. An account can be created, linked with a debit card, and an order placed as required.
Mr Goodfellow App
A student, parent, or staff member can download the Mr Goodfellow App in their app store (compatible with Google Play or Apple). Just search 'Mr Goodfellow' in your app store to download it.
An account can be created, linked with a debit card, and an order placed as required.
What else is available on the app?
There are virtual 'stores' for the following:
School Canteen Lunch orders (store closes 11.00 am for a meal that day)
Daily Fresh Meals (store closes 9.30 am for a meal that day)
Hot & Cold Drinks - made by our Barista and collected from the PMC foyer kitchen. Open from 8.00 am - 1.30 pmish each day
Ice Blocks/Ice Creams - Open at lunchtime, collected from the canteen or PMC foyer kitchen.
Last Minute Noodles - Open during lunchtime for students who have forgotten to order/are hungry and would like a cup of noodles.
Sushi & Donut Fridays - more information to be sent about this in 2024
Year 9 Friendship Camp
The Year 9 outdoor education camp is a four-day residential programme with a major focus on the orientation of our new students. Students are placed in smaller activity groups formed across form classes within the camp. This ensures that the cohort is mixed and has the opportunity to develop relationships throughout the year level. Some fun activities include kayaking, mountain biking, archery, rock climbing, waka ama, orienteering, bushcraft, camp craft and tramping.
Extra-Curricular Sports
Preparing confident, resourceful and resilient young women to lead healthier and active lifestyles.
Our Vision
The school of choice for sports at all levels
At Dio, an extensive sports programme offers 25 sports over summer and winter and caters to all ability levels. All students are encouraged to participate in sports to enhance their fitness, be part of a team, and for the enjoyment that sport brings. At Dio, sport is not compulsory, but we have an incredible 78% participation rate in sports, with most girls participating in at least one sport during the year and many participating in more than one.
Summer Sports
| Winter Sports
| All-Year-Round Sports
|
|---|---|---|
We have excellent facilities including our swimming pool, a gymnasium, netball courts, football and Astro Hockey Turf.
Our Sports Education Centre is the hub of our curricular and co-curricular sports
programmes. This includes a fully equipped fitness centre staffed with qualified coaches, with membership open to
all Dio students and staff. As well as extra-curricular sport we have school-wide athletics, swimming and cross-country events as our main inter house competitions.
Sports Council and Code Captains
Our Head of Sport leads the Sports Council of nine senior students who work with the sports
department to deliver our sports programme. This includes coordinating the inter-house sports programme,
lunchtime sports competitions, sports results for assemblies, fairplay awards and organising the annual Sports
Awards function. We also have a team of 25 code captains who work with the sports department to help coordinate
and lead their codes. Leadership opportunities are given to students to coach teams, captain teams, umpire or
manage teams. Students are open to selection for regional and national representative teams.
Parents Role in Extra-curricular Sports
We have always been supported by a huge volunteer base of parents and friends of the school to help with coaching, managing and umpiring teams. We always welcome new faces and expertise to support our extra-curricular programmes. Please contact the Director of Extra-Curricular, Darlene Karena on darlene.karena@wdsg.school.nz further information if interested.
Rowing
The Rowing Club is the only sport at Dio that operates as an independent club and is run by a committee of parents.
New students interested in rowing should email rowing@wdsg.school.nz for more information on how to join.
Dio Sports Website & Registrations
For all information about Extra-Curricular sport at Waikato Dio, simply go to the sports page on our school website. Sport registration can differ between codes as a result of the number of students involved, competitive (and social) opportunities available, and trial process where required. Registration of student interest in participating in a sport will take place via communication to students. Once students are confirmed in teams or squads registration is completed online with the payment of associated fees through Enrolmy. https://enrolmy.com/waikato-diocesan
For any further questions regarding any of the Sports on offer at Dio please get in touch with our Extra-Curricular Department; Darlene Karena, Anna White, Jacqui Sutton, Georgina Hewitt-McGrail, Katie Blunsdon sports@wdsg.school.nz
We are keen to hear from you about what sports your daughter is interested in for 2025. Click on this link to fill in our form. Please note that this is not a registration form, just an information gathering form.
Extra-Curricular Arts and Culture
Dio has a significant number of extra-curricular arts activities in which our students can be involved.
Current activities are:
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
Key School Wide Events
House Singing Competition
This is the main inter-house arts event and a highlight of Term 2.
Compulsory Activity: All students participate with their allocated House.
The Process: Building up over the second half of Term 2, the competition culminates in a spectacular evening concert towards the end of the term.
Performance: Each House performs one worship song and one song from a different genre each year. These performances are chosen, arranged, and taught by the student House Leaders and their team.
Arts Performance opportunities
Don't miss these amazing opportunities to see our students shine!
Events: NCEA Music Performance Evenings, Dance Showcase, High Achievers' Concert, Drama Class Productions, and the Arts Showcase are all wonderful nights out featuring both curriculum and co-curricular talent.
Singing Groups
We offer a range of choirs to suit every interest and commitment level:
Espresso Barbershop Chorus:
Sings fun, four-part a cappella harmony.
Focuses on choreography, tags, and having a lot of fun!
Building up to a nationals performance again (they came 2nd in 2025!)
No Audition Required: Welcomes any singer.
Cantiamo Chapel Choir:
The all-comers choir for anyone with a love of singing.
Primary Focus: Serving the special Chapel services (House Services, special services, annual choral eucharist at St Peters Cathedral)
Performance: They also participate annually at The Big Sing in Tauranga
No Audition Required: Join for enjoyment and service to the school.
Bel Suono Choir:
Focuses on high-level singing and competitions.
Prerequisite: Membership in the Chapel Choir (Cantiamo Choir) is required.
Entry: Entry is by audition (held in November 2025).
Start of 2026: The year begins with an intensive, pre-Term 1 camp
Te Kaahu Piihopatanga (Kapa Haka)
Our Kapa Haka group, Te Kaahu Piihopatanga, plays a central role in upholding school culture.
They perform at many school events, including poowhiri, whakatau, Chapel services, Matariki celebrations, and more.
The year begins with a noho/live-in camp before Term 1 starts. Incoming Kapa Haka students are encouraged to join this noho. Details will be sent out at the end of Term 4.
Get Involved: Registration and Information
Finding Information
Extra-Curricular Guide: The comprehensive guide for all Arts and Culture co-curricular activities will be available on the main website: www.waikatodiocesan.school.nz. Look under the Arts and Culture section.
2026 Updates: This guide will be fully updated with relevant 2026 dates and details in December.
Registration
During the first few days of school, students will receive an email with a link to a google form for Arts Registration, giving them the opportunity to sign up for their chosen arts and cultural groups.
Optional Performance Lessons
Structure: Private performance lessons (e.g., instrumental, vocal) are optional and are scheduled during school hours up to 3:30 pm. Each lesson is 30 minutes long.
Student Responsibility: Students must take responsibility for catching up on any class work they miss and should give their tutor plenty of notice if they cannot attend a lesson due to an assessment.
Fees: Fees are charged each term at the current private market rates.
Itinerant Music Scheme: A limited number of lessons are covered by the itinerant music scheme and are offered at no cost to the student. These spaces are limited, and NCEA students are given preference.
Sign-Ups: Sign-up forms will be available in mid-Term 4, 2025, and again at the start of 2026 see form here
Extra-Curricular Fees
Some fees are charged for participation in co-curricular activities. These may cover competition entry fees, costume costs, or transportation for trips.
Billing: Costs are most often charged to the student's school account
Transparency: You will always be notified of these costs prior to them being charged.
Support and Leadership
Student Arts Council and Arts Captains: Led by the Head of Arts (Arts Prefect), this dynamic student group helps organise and promote all things Arts. Their activities include the annual Arts Report, fun Arts Activity Days showcasing various art forms, and celebrating student achievement through the Arts Awards.
Operations Coordinators: These staff members support our curriculum arts teachers by arranging a wide range of enriching activities, field trips, and co-curricular opportunities throughout the year.
Celebrate External Success
We love to celebrate the achievements of our students outside of school!
If your child is involved in a community theatre production, achieves amazing results in a dance/music exam or competition, or makes a representative team/group, please let us know! A photo is always welcome. You can email the details directly to: arts@wdsg.school.nz
Have an Idea?
If you are interested in an arts activity that you don't see listed, please let us know! We are always open to exploring new opportunities for our students. You never know—it might be something we can make happen!
Please let us know via the Google Form
Parents' Association (formally School Association)
The Waikato Diocesan Parents' Association is a team of dedicated parents who make the 'Dio Difference' through supporting school events and running fundraisers. Some of the events the School Association has organised over the years include Dio Ladies Night, Dio Quiz Night, DioArtX, Dio Day Out – Gardens and Art and Dio Golf Day.
The Association also runs the Dio Stock Scheme, which involves our rural families donating calves or grazing for calves for funds.
Dio Bears is another scheme where the Association makes and sells the gorgeous Dio Bears (dressed in junior or senior uniforms) to our graduating classes and special visitors to Dio.
All this hard work sees the Association raise funds, which are donated back to the school for the direct benefit of our students.
The Dio School Association is a very friendly group open to any Dio parent/caregiver to join. We warmly welcome all newcomers and their ideas. Please check the school calendar for meeting dates and times.
Special Character at Dio
Veritate, Simplicitate, Fidelitate –
By Truthfulness, By Straightforwardness, By Loyalty
Our special character as an Anglican girls’ boarding school, underpins and informs everything that we do. Our Christian values are the clay from which the character of our students will be moulded and it is also the canvas upon which our waahine will paint their destiny. While literacy, numeracy, critical thinking and problem-solving are important in preparing students for their future careers, it is their social, emotional and spiritual development that will prepare them for a happy life to be lived well.
Dio students are fortunate to belong to a faith based school where our educational framework is underpinned by central Christian concepts of hope and forgiveness in a world too often marred by conflict, suffering and selfishness. These lessons of hope and forgiveness are not restricted to the Chapel but also play out in the classroom, on the sports field and the stage, in restorative conferences, selfless acts of community service and in our celebration of diversity.
Academic excellence, success in arts and sports, the home away from home boarding experience – all these different reasons that parents select our school for their daughters - are inextricably linked to our special character because our faith shapes our practice and informs our appreciation of each unique individual and our desire for her to achieve to her fullest potential.
Kaupapa Maaori at Dio
Kaupapa Maaori at Dio is whaanau-based and whaanau-focused. Inclusive of Te Reo Maaori me ona tiikanga and kapa haka, students gain a sense of pride and belonging under the leadership of our Amokura (Maaori Student Leader) and her Mana Waahine Council.
Our school year starts with the whole school poowhiri led by our kapa haka group to welcome new staff and students. This is followed by the annual Cuppa at the Kura evening for new and existing whaanau to meet and greet.
At the beginning of term two, all Year 11 students attend camp at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawaahia, home to one of our most famous Old Girls, the late Maaori Queen and the longest-serving leader of the Kiingitanga, Te Arikinui, Dame Te Atairangikaahu. This spiritual camp aims to help students understand more about Kaupapa Maaori, which is underpinned by Tainuitanga, and experienced in the heart of the Kiingitanga.
In term three, we celebrate Maaori Language Week, and our annual Whaanau Dinner showcases students' achievements and successes of the year in the concept of whanaungatanga.
