News

Setting our Students Up for Success

Maggie Hames, Student Services Director and Careers Advisor sets our girls up for success.   And … she’s incredibly successful at it!

“We punch above our weight,” explains Mrs Hames, who’s part of the school’s Senior Leadership Team, has responsibility for the implementation of the Tutor Programme and oversees the school’s Health Services. “Our girls do incredibly well. We’re particularly proud of the number of scholarships we get for our students. And they’re not just academic scholarships.

Our June Newsletter

Here is our latest Newsletter packed full of school news. 

Our updated Uniform price list for 2019 is also available under important information.  The uniform will be introduced gradually over the next couple of years, starting with our Year 9 students in 2019.  

Top Awards for AGGS 'Old Girls'

Congratulations to two of our ex-students.  Charmian O'Connor, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry was made a Dame in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to Education and Chemistry. 

Dame Charmian O'Connor learnt Maths and English from her mother in a small cottage as her mother juggled the duties of a provincial housewife: making butter and spinning wool. But from such humble beginnings, greatness came.

She would go on to start school two years ahead of her peers and start University aged 16, one of only 10 women in a class of hundreds.

Her mother's investment of time and energy would see O'Connor become the first girl from Auckland Girls Grammar school to study science at university and she would go on to an academic career as an assistant Vice Chancellor and Professor Emeritus at the University of Auckland. 

Jennifer Flay, was awarded a KEA Award at a gala dinner on 21 June. The award recognises 'Kiwi High Flyers'.  Jennifer is the general director of the FIAC one of the most prestigious and infludntial art fairs worldwide; each year the event attracts more than 240 exhibitors and result in millions of dollars in sale.  Jennifer was awarded the French Legion of Honour (France's highest award) in 2015.  

Breaking the Glass Ceiling - DP Gavin Morgan

Gavin Morgan the first male DP at AGGS talks about our school.  Do have a listen. 

PUHORO STEM PROGRAMME

Providing young Māori secondary school students the chance to experience and pursue careers in science.

Participating in the program, Auckland Grammar Girls School student Heeni Blakey (Tuwharetoa) says, “There aren't many Māori kids in science and there are less girls, and I think this has opened a pathway for me to get into science.

Students from 11 Auckland schools met at Massey's Auckland campus in Albany for an interactive field trip which explores hands on science linked to their NCEA study.

This is a new experience, I haven't learnt these things at school so it's good to come here to the institute,” says Blakey.

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Fifteen Months on Principal Ashmore Speaks

It’s been a whirlwind 15 months or so for Ngaire Ashmore.

Since her appointment as Auckland Girls’ Grammar School, Principal Ashmore’s been hard at work with transformation the name of the game.

“The first thing I wanted to do when I came to Auckland Girls’ was to look at how we could raise academic achievement, I think Auckland Girls is a school which should be right up there on the academic stage so that’s been a real focus.”

Ashmore empowered her staff to encourage students to be all they could be. And it’s working.

At the start of 2018 Ashmore and her team received the news that AGGS’ NCEA Level 1 pass rates had gone from 78 to 90 percent, Level 2 from 84 to 94 percent and Level 3 from 68 all the way up to 80 percent.   An impressive start to Ashmore’s tenure as principal.

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In Keeping With Tradition

On 8 March, Liz Thomson, Ninth Principal of Auckland Girls' Grammar School from 1997 to 2016, returned to school to present her portrait, which now hangs with those of our previous eight Principals, dating back to 1910 when the portrait of our first female Principal, Anne Watt Whitelaw, was hung in our school's Study Hall.