WELCOME FROM THE CHAIRMANA very warm Whitby Collegiate welcome to all our returning students and staff and a special welcome to the large number of new students and the new staff who join us in 2021. 2021 begins with a feeling of optimism and promise after a unique and challenging year in 2020. That said, I am proud of our student, staff and parent community for our collective achievements over the last 18 months which give Whitby Collegiate a very positive and promising outlook for the 2021 academic year. 2021 has arrived with Whitby Collegiate achieving some of the best academic results in the country. This has culminated in an unprecedented 100% provisional success at the Year 13 level with an equally impressive number of financial scholarships being awarded to our Year 13 graduates. Provisional results for Excellence for Year 13, NCEA Level 3, is also outstanding with close to 80% of Year 13 students gaining Excellence and Merit endorsements which puts Whitby Collegiate in the top echelon of schools in the nation. Our congratulations to the many students receiving scholarships at universities across the country. A special mention of our Dux, Luc Hackner, who received multiple scholarships to the value of $35,000. Year 12 and Year 11 provisional NCEA results follow a similar pattern with exceptional pass rates and Excellence and Merit endorsements in the highest percentiles. This reflects the commitment and focus that Whitby Collegiate has on the scholastic success of students, which we know is a significant signpost to employability, life choices, and prosperity. Other significant developments in 2021 will see the largest roll growth the school has seen as Whitby Collegiate and any previous iterations at the Whitby site. This has resulted in a significant increase at the key entry year levels for new students, Years 7 and 9, with them doubling in size. There is also a notable increase in new students entering the senior school. Whitby Collegiate will reach close to the resource consent allowable and we are in the process of increasing the roll cap for the future. With growth comes opportunity. The building programme has seen the development of the Pavilion Block which will provide the additional classrooms to house the new intake of students for 2021 and is on track for completion in March, although we have had weather issues hampering some progress. We hope to commence construction of the Atrium Block in earnest with completion before the end of the academic year in 2021. We welcome the new additions to our staff who join our very able returning staff, who reflect our strategic goals of relevance, future-focused, excellence, resilience, and respect as a faith-based school. We are a community-centered school with a global outlook. I look forward to meeting everyone in person during Term 1 and working together to ensure your sons and daughters work to achieve their goals and aspirations and that at the end of the year we can say the TEAM prospered where ‘Together Everyone Achieved More’. Regards, John Fiso ONZM
Chairman, Proprietor’s Board
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