We have had a very positive beginning to the new school year. As always seems to happen, the settled summer weather begins when the students return to school! It has been a pleasure this week to see the smiling, happy faces from Year 1 to Year 13.

Students were welcomed back to Junior School on Tuesday by Mrs Hogg, Head of School, and Miss Eason, Junior School Dean and Junior School staff.

This year we have six classes in the Junior School. The average class size across the six classes is 19 but the range of size is 5 to 25. This is because we essentially have one class at each year level (Year 1 to 6) and we are working to balance numbers across the entire school. As students move into the upper Junior School, they have always been combined back into their appropriate Year level for community and social development. We are fortunate to also have additional staffing in the Junior School and this will allow for better learning enhancement in specialist areas such as digital-technologies and release time for curriculum extension. A lot of the extension/specialist work will be completed in the “spare” classroom so that projects and work can be left set up.

It was also a delight to see some of our girls proudly wearing the new optional summer uniform. It was also a secret delight (not that a principal would admit it) to see that most of the boys had managed to work their shirts untucked by mid-morning!

Middle School Students in Years 7-10 were welcomed back by the new Head of Middle School, Mrs Armstrong-Homan, and the Middle School Dean, Mrs Gemmill. We have exciting new developments in preparation for this area of the school.

At Year 7 the class sizes are 23 for both

At Year 8 the class sizes are 23 and 24

At Year 9 the average class size is 19.5. The range of class size is 14 to 28. The largest class is one of the Drama options. The other Year 9 Drama option is 17 in number. Ideally this would be two classes – one of 18, the other 17. The disparity occurs because of the options students elect to take and the ability to make this fit within a rigid timetable and when staff are available.

At Year 10 the average class size is 20.5. The range of class size is 6 to 24.

Mrs Piebenga, the Head of Senior School, and Mrs Sinclair, the Dean of Senior School, started the year with the Year 13 Leadership at Knox College. Year 12 and 11 returned on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

At Year 11 classes range between 10 and 27 in size. The average class size is 19.13

At Year 12 classes range between 8 and 27 in size. The average class size is 18.18

At Year 13 classes range between 7 and 25 in size. The average class size is 15.58.

Ironically some of our larger classes occur when we have more than one class operating. For example, at Year 12 our smallest class is English at 8 and our largest class is English at 27. The imbalance simply occurs because of the other subjects students decide to take.

Our senior students performed extremely well in their NCEA examinations and we are well satisfied with their results. 2020 was an unusual year but our students did very well. Congratulations to staff and students.

We are also very excited about construction starting on the new all-weather turf. The result of an amazing community fundraising effort with substantial contributions from the Parents Association, the Otago Community Trust, the Columba College Sports Council, the Columba College Cattle Scheme and Columba families, this wonderful asset should be completed by the beginning of March. We are now awaiting the manufacture of the actual turf and the black mesh netting needed for the fence. We have been told to expect delivery of these components toward the end of February.

I’m looking forward to a positive, uneventful 2021. A straightforward school year with no pandemic related emergencies would be great.

Kind regards

Pauline Duthie