About

MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Christchurch Girls' High School is to provide young women with a stimulating and supportive environment in which they are encouraged to develop to their full potential and where they prepare to take their place in the community as resourceful, well-balanced, positively-contributing citizens.

OUR VISION
Christchurch Girls’ High School is a learning and teaching community focussed on personal excellence.

OUR VALUES

• High academic achievement
• Fulfilment of academic potential
• Effective staff and student leadership
• Respect for self, others, the environment and the heritage of the school
• Development of the whole person
• A community based on trust, tolerance, and citizenship.

OUR GOALS

• Students will be assisted to strive for their creative and intellectual potential
• Christchurch Girls’ High School students will be prepared so that they are well-placed to live and work in New Zealand and the world at large
• A sense of school community and respect for it will be developed among students, staff , parents and associated groups of the school.

OUR SPECIAL ENVIRONMENT

Founded in 1877, Christchurch Girls’ High School is the second oldest girls’ school in New Zealand. The school has a proud heritage with strong traditions and a fi ne reputation for excellence in all areas. Among our Principals are Helen Connon, the first woman to graduate with Honours in the British Empire, and Mary Victoria Gibson who was among those who signed the petition which resulted in the
enfranchisement of women in 1893. We place strong value on the ceremonies and traditions of the past. They are what have helped shape us.
The school’s current location in tree-lined Matai Street is arguably the most beautiful of the three sites it has occupied. The first, in the historic Canterbury University site on Rolleston Avenue, was soon abandoned with the rapid growth of the school. The second site overlooking Cranmer Square was where further growth and development took place until 1986, when the move to the present unique buildings took place. The park-like setting is further enhanced by the proximity of Mona Vale gardens, of Hagley Park and by the Avon River which flows through the grounds. Award-winning landscaping accentuates the natural beauty of the setting.
Our school community is widespread geographically but united in its support for the school and its students. The addition of the school hostel, Acland House, adds a welcome dimension to our school and the one hundred boarders add a vibrancy of their own. Parents of both day girls and boarders are enthusiastic in their participation in and support of school activities. The Old Girls’ branches throughout New Zealand maintain close contact with the school and each year reunions of year groups are held where memories are relived and contacts renewed.
Our current student environment is busy, noisy and active! Students participate in a wide variety of pursuits, individually, in teams, and in Houses. Interschool activities such as sport, music, drama and debating take place on a regular basis, as do trips to parts of New Zealand and to countries overseas. The diverse nature of our school population is a real feature of the school, and in particular we welcome international students from many parts of the world. We are a global village of our own!