"Although every leaver is unique with different skills and interests, they have all been shaped by their St Andrew’s College experience and the programmes we as a school choose to invest in. "

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Kia ora koutou katoa.

As we farewelled our Year 13 students last week, I could not help but reflect on how much change there is in young people over their five years in secondary school. Although every leaver is unique with different skills and interests, they have all been shaped by their St Andrew’s College experience and the programmes we as a school choose to invest in.

It is not easy to identify what it is that creates the well-rounded, accomplished student, but below are my top ten:

• Personal best in academic achievement guided by professional staff;
• Co-curricular experiences – sports and culture;
• Pastoral Care – tutors, Deans, Guidance team: Positive relationships with staff – teachers, coaches, and tutors;
• Year 10 Te Waka programme – time to talk with honesty and openness;
• Chapel – encouraging messages, discussion, and community service;
• Well-being programme – student voice/diversity and inclusivity/character development;
• Variety of student leadership experiences;
• Breadth of subject choice – catering for strengths and preferences;
• Celebration – individual and collective.

Of course, for most, the five years of secondary school do not pass without some hiccups along the way. Teenagers will experience disappointments, failures, times of self-doubt, and relationship difficulties. But as many students have shared over the last few years, these are the things that make them stronger, more resilient, and courageous as they take on new challenges.

Nothing is more satisfying than receiving the list of university graduates each year, or following the career choices and progressions of ‘young’ Old Collegians on LinkedIn. The five years beyond school are also a time of incredible growth and development, and it is great to know that we as teachers and staff at St Andrew’s have had some part in launching our leavers into these years equipped with the skills, knowledge, competencies, and character attributes which enable them to continue to be at their best.

Ngā mihi maioha

Christine Leighton
Rector

I have been so impressed with the way our Year 13 students have finished the school year. They have set such a positive tone for the other year groups. Both the Leavers’ Chapel and Leavers’ Assembly were an opportunity for our Year 13 students to reflect on and be grateful for the time they have spent at St Andrew’s College.

I have received a significant amount of positive feedback on the tutor, parent and student academic conferences held at the end of last term. However, families have indicated they would also like to have the option of being able to conduct these conferences online, something we will endeavour to do in 2024.

I would urge you to support your child to keep working hard, get help from their teachers when they need it, and use old examination papers, found on the NCEA website, and revision booklets to fine tune their preparation. Please be aware that there are several designated quiet study areas where your child can study if you would prefer them to come to school rather than stay at home; the Senior College for all Year 12 and 13 students and the Commerce classroom for Year 11 students.

Unfortunately, there are a number of staff leaving us at the end of the year. We say goodbye to Mrs Liga David (Guidance Counsellor) who will be on maternity leave for 2024, we wish her all the best as she welcomes a new member into her family. Mrs Bronwyn Radcliffe (French and Thompson House Manager) is taking leave for 2024, we look forward to her return in 2025. We say goodbye to number of teachers who were on fixed term positions; Miss Jen Meagher (English), Mrs Anne McNamara (Mathematics) and Mr Tim Shanahan (Health and PE). We are enormously grateful for the way they fitted in so well and did such a good job.

It is with genuine sadness that we say goodbye to Mrs Valerie Eves. On her arrival in 2019 it became apparent very quickly that she was a high-quality educator and gifted teacher. We are enormously grateful for the work she conducted around curriculum design, resource development, and her leadership of the Social Sciences Department. We wish her all the best for her new role at St Margaret’s College as the IB Diploma Co-ordinator.

We are also saying goodbye to Mr Pete Westrupp. Mr Westrupp has had an enormous impact on the College and the wider community. On his arrival in 2019 he designed and set up the highly popular Tikanga and Te Reo Māori Language courses, took over the Māori and Pasifika Group, which now takes part in the regional Polyfest, and prepared students for the Ngā Manu Kōrero Speech Competitions where St Andrew’s students have enjoyed notable success. Outside the classroom Mr Westrupp has been a boarding tutor, coached rugby and touch, overseen countless hangi, and guided us with our Mihi Whakatau. He has been a great source of knowledge in all things Mātauranga and Te Ao Māori, providing the College with the support and guidance needed to build our cultural capacity. We wish Mr Westrupp all the best for the next chapter of his life at the Te Kura Correspondence School, where he will lead a team of teachers who will guide the South Island Māori and Pasifika students with their educational journey.

Unfortunately, we are also saying goodbye to Mrs Fariya Naseem. Mrs Naseem joined us in 2015 as a Physics and Science teacher who could also teach Chemistry. She proved herself to be a special teacher, enormously knowledgeable and caring, and willing to go the extra distance to ensure every student had the opportunity to reach their potential. Outside the classroom, she also made a significant contribution; she has been a basketball and volleyball manager, set up the Girls in Science programme, helped create the highly successful Science programme for the Accelerated Learning classes, presented at national physics conferences, and completed her master’s degree. We wish her all the best for the next chapter of her life as a registered mindset coach and delivering her podcast Pep Talks with Fariya on Plains FM. On behalf of the College, a sincere thank you, we will miss you.

We are also saying ‘au revoir’ to Madam Angela Marshall. Mrs Marshall joined St Andrew’s College in 2015 as a part-time French teacher. It soon became evident that she was a very talented and passionate teacher of French. Mrs Marshall has also made a significant contribution beyond the classroom. She co-led a trip to France in 2018 and one to Akaroa in 2021. She has been involved in the annual Year 10 French immersion days, the annual NCEA language experience day at the University of Canterbury, and many class trips to see French films. Mrs Marshall’s next chapter will involve spending quality time with her family and travelling around the globe.

Mrs Simcock came to St Andrew’s from Shirley Boys’ High School in 1992 to take up a part-time Japanese teaching position. She quickly gained a reputation for being a passionate and skilled teacher which meant the part-time position quickly became full-time in 1996, and in 2003 she was asked to lead the Languages Department. In 2002 and 2005 her two sons, Chris and Michael, joined her at St Andrew’s College, something she really cherishes. Mrs Simcock has made learning Japanese come alive; the delightful displays in her classroom of all things Japanese, nine school trips to Japan, creating a sister school relationship with Fukuoka High School, the Kurashiki exchange, teacher exchanges, promotional trips, and of course her passionate and engaging teaching of Japanese language and culture. Outside the classroom she has contributed through managing social basketball, junior touch, and tennis teams. Mrs Simcock is hoping to work with and support new migrants to New Zealand, enjoy a bit of travel, and play grandma to her grandchildren.

The high school years of our Year 12 and 13 leavers have seen them face some big challenges: the mosque attacks and three years of COVID-19 being the most obvious challenges. Despite this, their teachers ensured the students were provided with the extra care and support, both academic and pastoral, when it was really needed. Their professionalism and dedication have ensured the students are in a good place going into their final NCEA exams and life beyond school. On behalf of the students, I would like to thank the staff for their hard work and dedication, and the respective contributions they have made to the students and the wider community.

I would also like to thank the parents and caregivers for your ongoing support of the College.

Kia kaha, Kia māia, Kia manawanui
Be strong, be brave, be steadfast

Evert van Florentein
Head of Secondary School

For your interest I am submitting a brief of my message to the Leavers of 2023.

British Diplomat and Writer of Ten Survival Skills for a World in Flux, Tom Fletcher, believes finding one’s voice will be the superpower of the 21st century. He quotes author, poet, and former Iraqi refugee Ahmed Badr – “We need to encourage the ability to turn personal stories into transformative tools that thoughtfully activate and amplify the voices of those living within marginalised communities.”

I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with the Apple TV series Ted Lasso. An American college football coach employed, as a joke, to manage the English Premier football club, AFC Richmond.

Despite his lack of knowledge for English football Ted had a voice that enabled others to find theirs. He empowered others to believe in what others thought impossible. He created a culture that valued the individual’s difference and what it contributed to the team.

I have previously mentioned eulogy values vs CV values. One being how you want others to remember you and one being based on what you want to accomplish. Like Ted Lasso, if your voice is connected to your eulogy values you will reach people you thought were unreachable and connect with extraordinary allies you would never otherwise have discovered, people who will run through walls for you. You might also find yourself achieving solutions to some of the top causes of societal problems as perceived by teenagers such as climate change, mental health, social inequality, AI use, and political division.

Jesus was a master at finding his voice and using it to enable others to find their own.

The story of Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman at the well outside of Sychar is a story where Jesus uses his voice of reason and compassion to help a marginalised person find their voice in a most transformative way. We read that after this interaction the Samaritan woman had newfound influence.  Being accepted by Jesus for who she is, this woman found her voice, and this enabled an authenticity to flourish. People saw that there was something genuine and life changing to listen to.

The Samaritan woman experienced the power of social integration, of not being judged but rather interacted with and accepted by someone genuinely interested in her as a human being of value. I think Ted Lasso does a similar thing to those he interacts with, even those that mock him to begin with.

I have recently read and reread The Good Life – Lessons from the World’s Longest scientific study of happiness. Its findings give an insight into what increases a person’s chances of living long and content.

The strongest predictors of you and I living a long and contented life relate to our social life. The second strongest predictor relates to your close relationships. But what might surprise you is the number one predictor of living longer – it is simply social integration. This refers to how many social interactions you have in your day. How many people do you talk to, and not just those close to you who mean a lot to you.

Ted Lasso is a master of social integration. He is constantly chatting and greeting people that he passes by every day. Talking to other human beings, your interest in others, genuine and authentic, gives you a voice to be listened to.

Jesus was also a master storyteller and communicator. The Good Samaritan is one of his most famous parables. Jesus is questioned by the religious leaders and lawyers about eternal life and how one might inherit this life.

Jesus responds with a question, asking, “What is written in the law and how would they interpret it?” A lawyer’s response, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all you mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” To which Jesus said, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But the lawyer, wanting to justify himself, asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbour?” The response is not what he was expecting. The response was about this person of power and privilege helping someone less privileged. It was about helping and interacting with others who have a different worldview, people who you may even struggle to like. It is about rediscovering a way to life that enables creation and all humanity to flourish.

I mentioned to the Leavers that today this might look like…

• Using your science expertise to tackle climate change in dramatic and creative ways, leading the way in terms of thinking and outcomes.
• Starting and running businesses that measure success beyond profit, that pays a living wage to their staff, that builds community like it used to exist.
• Becoming lawyers committed to radically changing the judicial system and imprisonment fell, a system where lives are turned around, and restoration is at the centre of our penal system.
• Using your artistic and literary creativity to challenge the norms of this world.
• Maybe a leaver here today can work to resolve to reduce child poverty by 90 per cent, and like you, in our country being given a taste of the opportunity you have been given.
• Using your voice for the voiceless, the marginalised, the weak.
• Becoming the fresh voice in things that matter; the ‘too tough’ issues, the wicked problems of the status quo.

As Leavers of 2023 you exit a Presbyterian Church School whose foundations are founded upon a faith that God comes to us in the person of Jesus to restore humanity’s relationship with him. I believe the way to give full expression to our humanity is to love God and love others. As the Samaritan woman experienced, it is in this space we can find our voice and use its influence to enable others to find theirs.

As Leavers of 2023 may each one of you be beacons of hope in your interaction with others, those different from you. May you find your voice and maintain an authenticity in sharing your story, a story that transforms your world, little by little, person by person.

Go well and God bless.

Rev. Paul Morrow
College Chaplain

As the year comes to close, I am so grateful for our community at St Andrew’s College after what has been two terms of learning a new role as Head of Middle School. I am thankful for my team of Deans – Dayna Stirling, Lucy Curtis and Liz Gormack. They, and the rest of the Middle School team, have kept the wheels of the Middle School in motion during a period of transition. To the students and families in the Middle School, thank you for all your hard work and support this year and I hope the year finishes well for you all.

At the time of publishing, the Year 9 and 10 students will have just about completed their examinations. Although only in-class tests for most, I hope students have valued the experience of going through the process of preparing for and completing assessments under examination conditions, critical learnings in preparation for future NCEA years. During tutor time, tutors have been going over various study techniques that maximise the effect of their time. Concepts covered include the Pomodoro Technique and effective learning strategies. I hope that students have used this opportunity not only to demonstrate their knowledge and learning, but to develop good habits as they head into their NCEA years.

It was great to get our Year 9 students out to the eastern beaches following their final examination last Thursday where they had a chance to hang out in their tutor groups, decompress a little, and do a little community service by completing a beach clean-up. Everyone had an enjoyable afternoon.

Summer sport is well and truly underway with many students involved in various sports. The Years 9–10 production, The Little Mermaid, has recently completed its shows. Yet again, I was absolutely blown away by the talent that was on show. The various songs and dances were simply a joy to watch. A huge thank you to Ginnie Thorner and Duncan Ferguson for their efforts and commitment to making it happen. And the team of parents and volunteers working hard backstage, a huge thank you to you all.

Last Monday, it was wonderful to sign off our Year 11 students in our annual Convocation Assembly in what is effectively a hand over to the Senior College and its Head, John Ruge. We celebrated the three years this cohort have spent in Middle School with a diverse range of photos and quick reflections by three of the students: Madeline Davidson spoke about Year 9, Amber de Wit spoke about Year 10, and Noah Fanene spoke about Year 11. Reflections included their very first day in Year 9 and the nerves rattling around, through to school camps, Te Waka solos, and the anticipation of what’s to come with NCEA examinations. Year 11 Dean, Dayna Stirling, reflected on how proud she is of her cohort and how wonderful it will be to be part of the Senior College. Some students received the Whakatipu (Growth) Award and Whakapau Kaha (Effort/Endeavour) Award to acknowledge their effort in class, while 30 students were recognised for making the greatest academic gains since the beginning of Year 9 to complete the small ceremony. We will miss this group next year but know that they will embrace the step into their Senior College years.

With examinations complete, students can fall into the trap where they feel like it is time to wind down in the classroom. However, I have just informed teachers that for our Year 9 students in particular, there is now a four-week window of uninterrupted classroom time where they can plan and deliver meaningful content. For us, it is business as usual in the classroom. The same classroom focus applies for Year 10, except they will have a few more interruptions with the Te Waka programme wrapping up and overnight adventures as part of the Duke of Edinburgh programme coming up for them all.

Over the last few weeks, I have run whānau hui in tutor groups for incoming Year 9 students. Students and their families have had the opportunity to hear about what next year will look like, as well as meet some key staff at the College including their Dean, James Jenkinson. For those involved, I hope that it has been informative as well as an opportunity to meet other families coming into the Secondary School.

Matt Parr
Head of Middle School

Tēnā koutou katoa

Over the last week we have held a number of events for our 2023 leavers, including the Prefect BBQ, Leavers’ Chapel, the 13 Years On function, and Leavers’ Assembly. There will be a function for our Year 12 leavers next week, and the Leavers’ Dinner for Year 13 students on Thursday 30 November. I’m sure the write-ups and photos in other publications will give you the flavour of these very successful occasions, where we honoured our graduating students. It was a pleasure to see the way these young men and women have finished their time at school and to reflect on the wonderful legacy they are leaving behind. We have often talked about their role as senior students in holding the culture of the school to pass on to the next group of Year 13 students. This year’s leavers are passing on a strong and vibrant culture in the Senior College for the next generation to pick up and nurture.

At the Leavers’ Assembly I acknowledged the work that Year 13 Dean, Ms Donna Jones, and her team of tutors have done with our leavers. Their pastoral care and academic oversight have been a key part of each student’s growth and development, and we are so grateful for their dedication and expertise. We will honour Donna and her team again at the Leavers’ Dinner later this month.

At the same time as we farewell our leavers, we are also preparing for next year, and in particular a new initiative for Year 12 students. Over this year Head of Well-being, Kerry Larby and I have experimented with a six-week course in strengths-based leadership. The aim has been to help students understand that they have the potential to be people of influence at school, in the community and globally, and to prompt them to answer the question “What do I have to give?”. This course has now been absorbed into a new programme for all Year 12 students which we have initially called ‘Life Education’ (until we agree on a permanent name!). This new programme will run once a week all year for every student in Year 12 and will comprise one term on each of three courses: financial literacy, strengths-based leadership, and career pathway planning and skills. We have gathered a fantastic team of staff to deliver the programme, and I am excited to see how it develops and the feedback we get from students and parents. Year 13 students will continue to enjoy our Monday Electives programme, which will offer a wide variety of choices. Our Careers Advisor, Richard Webster, oversees Electives and does an amazing job of finding interesting and diverse offerings for students.

If you have a child leaving school this year, thank you for all your support during their time here. A school is never any more or less than the sum of its parts, and you have been an integral part of what we do. Thank you for the taxi services, the lunches, for engaging and connecting with teaching and administration staff, and for partnering with us to be a part of the education of these young people. I hope you will feel, as we do, that this has been a more than worthwhile journey.

If you have a child returning to school next year, I look forward to another exciting and challenging year as we work to prepare young people who have a strong sense of self-efficacy combined with a deep sense of connection with others.

Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

Ngā mihi mahana.

Warm greetings to you all.

John Ruge
Head of Senior College

In the first few weeks of Term 4 we have had a return to summer sport action for many students. Term 4 is a short term of sport for most, and the seniors especially, so there is a real determination from staff to ensure that the students get the most out of the term. It is helpful for outdoor sport if the weather plays its part also!

Across our sports and cultural options, the students continue to learn, develop, and gain enriching experiences. There is a strong staff enthusiasm for helping students receive the multitude of physical, mental, social, and emotional benefits that involvement in enriching co-curricular activities provide for young people. There is a collective desire to keep winning in perspective and offer the best development opportunities. There is a perception sometimes that the winning is driving our programme, when it is actually the process of working towards ‘becoming the best we can be’.

From our perspective it is not necessarily about what sport students play, but ensuring they are involved so that they can benefit from enriching opportunities, improved well-being, and important life lessons.

Mark Lane
Director of Sport and Co‑curricular Activities