Dear Parents and Caregivers

Welcome to 2021 everybody. It was wonderful to see the students back this week, to hear the chatter and the laughter and see the excited faces, ready for another year.

I especially enjoyed welcoming our new students and parents at the mihi whakatau, and also ensuring those students in the older cohorts who were also starting their learning with us, felt comfortable in their new surroundings.

A busy calendar of assemblies, Prefects' commissioning, sports and hikoi, Year 13 Retreat, and Boarder leaders' training and dinner, along with getting settled into classes for the year, has meant that the week has flown by and we are looking ahead to what next week has in store.

Before closing the door completely on 2020 though, I did want to acknowledge our excellent NCEA results.

97% pass rate at Level 1 NCEA, 99% pass rate at Level 2 NCEA and 97% at Level 3 with 97% for UE - staff and students can be justifiably proud of the commitment, grit, talent and hard work that those results reflect. Scholarship results out yesterday indicate our students achieved a total of 10 Scholarships in Painting (4), Technology (2), Photography (2), Physics (1) and Statistics (1). Fabulous results and a real credit to the students and staff.

NZQA Scholarship Details:

Georgia Broadley - Painting

Lily Hornal - Statistics and Technology

Madeleine Bilkey - Painting

Riley Miller - Painting

Anna Engelbrecht - Painting

Anna Harcus - Photography

Ella Dixon - Technology

Holly Bisset - Physics

Li Yage - Photography

We will be able to give a more detailed break down of these results next week, but our initial response is one of joy and pride. Despite disruptions, lock down and adjusting to new ways of teaching and learning, our staff and students have shown that being flexible, adaptable and resilient, can really make anything happen. I am so proud of them all.

How exciting then to look forward to a new year with its endless opportunities

Nga mihi

Jackie Barron