You are logged in as
Logout
You are logged in as
Logout
"We have welcomed new ākonga this week with a mihi whakatau in the Secondary School and we hope all will develop a sense of belonging in the coming weeks. Preparatory School ākonga were welcomed with a waiata from the Kapa Haka."
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou katoa. Ngā mihi o te tau hou.
I hope everyone enjoyed a good holiday break. The last two weeks have been busy around the St Andrew’s College campus, with many staff ensuring that everything is ready for the new school year. A number of projects have readied our campus for the return of ākonga this week.
A special welcome to all new whānau. Our total school roll is at capacity with 1615:
We have welcomed new ākonga this week with a mihi whakatau in the Secondary School and we hope all will develop a sense of belonging in the coming weeks. Preparatory School ākonga were welcomed with a waiata from the Kapa Haka. Eight new kaiako (six Secondary and two in the Counselling team) and five new support staff have joined the College in 2024, and we are delighted with the calibre of these professional, committed people who will contribute to our educational programmes at St Andrew’s.
Thank you to parents of Year 9 students who attended our annual whānau evening and Peer Support BBQ and games evening for students, held on Wednesday.
Over the holiday break, a number of students have enjoyed activities including:
Across the College many staff, including classroom teachers, are committed to assisting your child to settle quickly into appropriate routines. Teachers, tutors, and Deans will play a special role in ensuring each has an adult looking out for them, particularly those who are new to St Andrew’s this year.
Boarder Parent-Student-Tutor Conferences took place on Wednesday and day student Parent-Student-Tutor Conferences in the Secondary School took place on Thursday and Friday. Setting up, or renewing, a relationship with your child’s classroom teacher (Preparatory) or tutor (Secondary) is critical at this time of the year, as they are the people who will oversee your child’s well-being and academic programme throughout the year.
NCEA RESULTS
We are delighted with our NCEA results released this week. This outstanding set of results demonstrate commitment from both kaiako and ākonga to achieving personal excellence. Many ākonga have achieved outstanding success with 218 Excellence endorsements across Levels 1, 2, and 3. There were many Merit and individual subject endorsements, and more detailed statistics will be provided in coming weeks.
|
NCEA Level Results |
Excellence endorsements |
Merit endorsements |
|
97% at Level 1 |
76 at Level 1 |
84 at Level 1 |
|
99.1% at Level 2 |
84 at Level 2 |
78 at Level 2 |
|
96.3% at Level 3 |
58 at Level 3 |
70 at Level 3 |
|
86.7% at UE |
|
|
|
|
218 total at all Levels |
232 total at Levels |
The names of those who achieved an Excellence endorsement are listed further on in this newsletter. Scholarship examination results are expected to be released on Thursday 8 February.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK
New parents to the College will not yet be familiar with our Strategic Framework ‘Framing our Future’. Last year we delivered comprehensively upon the 2023 goals, and 23 new goals have been established for 2024.
Our commitment to continuous improvement has served our College well, with outstanding outcomes across many areas in the last 10 years, including consistently improving academic results.
We look forward to progressing our 2024 goals supported by all staff who are committed to our six strategic priorities: High Performance, Opportunity, Partnership and Social Responsibility, Celebration and Community, Well-being, Place and Space.
Well-being for all remains at the heart of our vision for the next phase of St Andrew’s development in the belief that our collective endeavours will support all to flourish.
SUPPORT OF YOUR CHILD
As your child begins a new school year, you will have contact with new teachers and staff. Sometimes it can be difficult to know who to contact should you have a concern. Usually, the right person will be your child’s classroom teacher in the Preparatory School and tutor or Dean in the Secondary School. Alternatively, it may be the Head of Middle School, Head of Senior College, Head of Secondary School, Principal of Preparatory School, Head of Guidance, or the College Chaplain. Staff can be most easily contacted via email.
To view all staff email address and the key staff page, please click here.
If your concerns cannot be resolved by any of the above, someone from Executive will be available to you.
The 2024 Executive team is:
I look forward to meeting up with you at whānau evenings scheduled over the next few weeks.
Ngā mihi mahana
Christine Leighton
Rector
It’s unbelievable how quickly the summer break has flown by, I sincerely hope that you and your children have had an opportunity to enjoy some quality time together. My best wishes to current staff, students, and families for the year ahead, and a warm welcome to all of you who are joining the College this year.
Student Leadership Team 2024
Congratulations to all students who have been appointed to a wide range of leadership roles for 2024. Over 200 leadership positions have been filled by Years 11–13 students. Leadership is both an opportunity and responsibility and at our annual Prefects Investiture and Leadership Assembly on Friday 2 February, we will commit to supporting these leaders as they serve, initiate, inspire, and empower for the good of the students at St Andrew’s College. The tradition of ‘Prefectship’ remains strong and the Prefect team for 2024 have big shoes to fill and no shortage of talent and commitment with which to do so.
2024 Prefect and Leadership Team >
NCEA Excellence Endorsement Summary – Congratulations!
The NCEA examination results for 2023 were once again pleasing considering the challenges students have faced in recent years. To have nearly 100 per cent pass rates at all Levels is testament to the hard work and commitment from both the students and the teachers. I was also delighted with the number of Excellence endorsements, despite the significant decline in numbers at a national level. We will be holding our special Academic Assembly on Friday 16 February where we will celebrate the success our students attained in 2023.
NCEA overall achievement results
97% at Level 1
99.1% at Level 2
96.3% at Level 3
86.7% gained UE
Excellence Endorsements
76 at Level 1
84 at Level 2
58 at Level 3
218 total at all Levels
Merit Endorsements
84 at Level 1
78 at Level 2
70 at Level 3
232 total at all Levels
Please click here to view the names of students who achieved an Excellence endorsement.
The start of the school year is now upon us, and this will have prompted students to reflect on what they achieved in 2023; their successes and what they might have done better. Coming back to school is always filled with a mixture of excitement and anxiety, catching up with friends, new teachers and subjects, new sporting and cultural opportunities. Fortunately, we have plenty of support and guidance available as students start the new academic year.
Our commitment to student and staff well-being and resilience continues in 2024. Student wellness is recognised as being a key component of their success both in and out of the classroom. We will continue to hold seminars and presentations for parents that focus on the issues our adolescents currently face, well-being and positive education, and how you as parents can help their children.
The highly regarded Parent-Student-Tutor Conferences will have taken place already. These conferences will have allowed you the opportunity to speak directly with your child’s tutor who has the primary responsibility for their overall pastoral and academic well-being. For the Year 12 and Year 13 conferences, this will be an opportunity for your child to reflect on the feedback they received after the Preliminary examinations and the subsequent action plan they implemented to best prepare for the NCEA examinations held in November. The plan and its implementation were the main discussion point of the academic conference which took place at the end of Term 3 of last year.
The Mihi Whakatau or ‘Welcome Assembly’ will start the formal proceedings for the year. The Mihi is a formal way of respecting people by acknowledging their mana and tapu and requires the current staff and students to formally welcome the manuhiri, all those who are ‘new’ to the College.
We will continue to use the Fortnightly Feedback to keep you updated with how your child is contributing to their learning through their attitude and effort in class. Access to these scores is via the Parent Portal, which also provides assessment and attendance information. Instructions on how to access the Portal will be sent out to you prior to the first set of Fortnightly Feedback in Week 4.
The College said farewell to several teaching staff at the end of 2023, Chami Hutterd (Assistant Head of Secondary School (Innovative Practice and Strategy)), Valeries Eves (Head of Social Sciences), Virginia Simcock (Teacher in Charge of Japanese), Bronwyn Radcliffe (French and Head of Girls’ Boarding), Angela Marshall (French), Pete Westrupp (Teacher in Charge of Te Reo Māori) Jen Meagher (English), Erin Swarbrick (Mathematics), Anne McNamara (Mathematics), Fariya Naseem (Science), Tim Shanahan (Health and PE), and Liga David has gone on maternity leave.
We welcome a number of new teachers to the College for 2024. Once again, I was delighted at the exceptional quality of applicants, we are truly blessed with such a wonderful group of new teachers.
I would also like to extend a very warm welcome to all new families joining us this year. I hope you quickly come to be part of the College ‘family’ and understand that together we will do all that we can to both support the academic learning and overall well-being and development of your child and ensure that they grow into a positive, resilient, and well-informed young adult.
We have very high expectations of our students with regards to their conduct and appearance and we appreciate your assistance in setting and maintaining a high standard. We make our expectations very clear to the students and I thank you in advance for your support. Last week I sent out information of our expectation to both parents and students. We will remind the students of our expectations on their return to school, especially with their appearance, we will contact you immediately if there are any issues.
I wish every student in the Secondary School all the best for the year ahead.
Kind regards
Evert van Florenstein
Head of Secondary School
Deputy for Rector
FEBRUARY
2 Prefects' Investiture and Leadership Assembly, 8.25am
6 Waitangi Day observed – College closed
8 Year 9 Information Evening, 6.00pm
15 Year 11 NCEA Information Evening, 6.00pm
16 Academic Awards Assembly, 8.25am
23 College Athletic Sports Day
25 Middle School Chapel, 7.00pm
MARCH
8 Founders' Day Assembly, 11.15am
11 College Swimming Sports
26 Year 10 Information Evening and Te Waka Departure, 7.00pm
APRIL
7 Senior College Chapel, 7.00pm
Please view the fixtures on the College intranet for more upcoming events. The intranet is updated daily.
Visit the College intranet, StACNet >
Exciting News! The Communications team, with the support of the ICT team, have been hard at work during the holidays, and are delighted to share that a revamped StACNet (school intranet) is now live for our current parents and students.
Explore the new look at stacnet.nz >
Updates include a Quick Links section at the top of StACNet, designed to streamline access to the pages parents visit most frequently.
Beneath the Quick Links, you'll find organised accordions (drop-down folders) with links to pages per topic area.
All existing links from the old site will redirect to the new one. If you encounter any issues or unexpected behavior, please let us know by emailing comms@stac.school.nz. Please note you will be prompted to login using your StAC parent login when accessing StACNet. This is to protect the privacy and security of our school and community.
We're thrilled about the improvements to StACNet, anticipating an enhanced user experience for both parents and students. Should you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to reach out.
Happy New Year and welcome to St Andrew’s College for 2024.
I am a person who thrives on connection and developing positive relationships with others. My theme to the staff and students to begin this year is around ‘Building Compassionate Connected Community’.
In 1 Corinthians 12: 13–26, the Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of the human body to illustrate the importance of community within the Christian context. This passage emphasises the interconnectedness and mutual dependence of believers within the body of Christ.
While we are a Christian school within the Presbyterian denomination, I acknowledge and respect many of you here have varied and different beliefs. But I think we can learn something valuable from this metaphor and the role a compassionate connected community can play within our community.
It probably is not news to you that ‘Positive relationships are essential to human well-being.’ We need one another, and while you and I will connect more naturally with some and not others, our acknowledgement and willingness to see every person as part of the whole will greatly enhance how we feel about ourselves and how we feel about others, particularly those we are indifferent to. And like any healthy relationship, it requires investment. I believe our well-being, more than anything else, will be determined by what we give to others.
I have been inspired by the Netflix series, Live to 100! Secrets of the Blue Zones! The Blue Zones are five areas in the world that have the most concentrated numbers of people who are 100+. Dan Beuttner, fronts the programme and has been investigating these areas for years, looking at what enables people to live such long lives. For me, there are some great lessons that inspire and excite me about the possibilities of creating such a community.
As I reflect on some of the key aspects of the Blue Zone communities, I see a correlation between the Apostle Paul’s body metaphor and building a successful compassionate connected community. The thread that underpins all the different aspects is intentional connection. The truth at the heart of community is our need for each other and our need for all. You cannot operate successfully or create a healthy environment in isolation. The body can’t say to one part of itself, ‘I don’t need you!’
In using the body as a metaphor for compassionate connected community, unity is a key. The reading acknowledges diversity in different giftings comparing them to parts of the body. These don’t make anyone less or more important but rather underline that diversity within community is not a source of division but rather a reflection of the value each brings to community. So, too, our differences culminate to reflect a wealth of experience and wisdom that can contribute to a compassionate connected community.
The body metaphor also stresses the interdependence of its parts. Just as each part of the body has a unique function that contributes to the overall health and functionality of the whole, so too does everyone’s contribution here at St Andrew’s College contribute to who we are.
And this is why Paul cautions against pride and a sense of superiority based on one’s spiritual gifts. All gifts are given by the same Spirit, it says, and no one gift is more important than another. This reinforces the idea that humility and a recognition of our dependence upon one another are essential for a healthy community. Within the body metaphor every member is vital for the functioning of the whole.
I love that the passage highlights the idea that when one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers, emphasising the importance of compassion and mutual care within community. I love that even when you leave St Andrew’s College there is always a community here for you, in reunion, celebration, and grief.
How can we create compassionate connected community? The reading encourages us to embrace our unique roles, appreciate the contributions of others, and work together harmoniously for the common good. Our collective unity, interdependence, mutual care, humility, and faith will provide a strong foundation for fostering a healthy and vibrant community.
St Andrew’s has great community, but we cannot take it for granted. I believe we must be intentional in creating community. I love the findings of the Harvard Longitudinal Study about predictors that contribute to long, contented, and happy living, particularly the number one predictor, because it is accessible to everyone of us, no matter what our life experiences or past communities have been or have not been. The number one predictor of you and I living a long and happy life is social integration. Your willingness so say hello to anyone. But for this well-being, health predictor to take hold in our life it does require something of us. I quote Nepoleon Hill, ‘Happiness may be found only by helping others find it.’ If this is the case, individually we will need to give something of ourselves; our time, an openness to be inconvenienced, we will need to find courage and a slowdown mentality when needed. But the benefits and compassionate connected community developed are too good not to try. I hope you can join with us on our journey towards a thriving compassionate connected community.
God bless.
Rev. Paul Morrow
College Chaplain
Kia ora koutou.
A very sincere and warm welcome to the 2024 year. Welcome back to those of you who were here last year, I hope you all had a restful festive season and are ready for the new school year. There are a significant number of you who are new to the College, so a very warm welcome to you all. I am looking forward to meeting and seeing many of you over the coming year.
I am very excited to be working alongside a wonderful team this year to ensure that your child has the best possible start to the 2024 school year. Please see below a list of the Middle School team and their contact details should you wish to make contact.
As parents, we ask that you support the College to ensure that your child’s time here will be positive and successful. Assist them to be at school for every lesson and that they are there on time. Please ensure that they attend the College dressed correctly and tidily, and that they have everything necessary for learning. Please click here to refer to the Middle School Handbook for specific guidelines.
If you know any reason why your child may be absent from school for three or more days, please write to me to seek permission by using the online form (which can also be found on the College intranet, StACNet), or for urgent issues if it is on the same day, please ring the Middle School office before school. Click here to complete the Special Leave Form. Absence from class is one significant factor which leads to underachievement. We ask that parents do not take their students out of school for holiday breaks other than the regulation ones.
When dropping off your child, or collecting them from school, please do not drive into the carpark in front of the Senior College and wait, as this causes traffic congestion. Please collect from the designated drop-off zone on Normans Road. Once again, I wish you all a warm welcome back as part of the St Andrew’s family and I look forward to seeing you all throughout the course of the year.
I wish you all well for the upcoming 2024 school year.
Matt Parr
Head of Middle School
Communication is the key to maintaining a strong partnership between home and school, and ensuring students are given the opportunity to meet their potential in all respects. We always value your input and support and thank you for ensuring messages at school and home are consistent regarding attendance, promptness, completion of assignments, and respecting others. I welcome all comments and suggestions for improvement and urge you to read the important information contained in each issue of On Strowan.
It is also very important that you inform us of any changes to your contact details, so that we may update our database. If your details are changing, please contact the Records Office on records@stac.school.nz.
This handbook contains important information about College policies and procedures, and we ask that parents and students make themselves familiar with it. Please keep the handbook as a handy reference during the year. I ask parents to read the handbook and as actively as possible support students, especially around attendance, uniform, personal appearance, and respectful behaviour.
Lockers will be issued by tutors during Orientation Week. Every new student to the Secondary School will receive a locker, as well as returning students who opted to have one. Students are to bring their own locks.
This is a friendly reminder that the Middle School remains a mobile-free environment between 8.25am and 3.20pm. This includes both during lessons and at break times.
For further information, please visit: stac.nz/StACUnplugged
UNIFORM AND GROOMING
At St Andrew’s, we ask that students respect our standard of uniform and wear it with pride. It is a part of our identity as a College community that we maintain a smart level of dress and grooming. We want our students to be proud to be a part of our family and we would like their uniform to reflect this. Please refer to the Middle School Handbook for uniform guidelines. A couple of areas that I really would like to focus are with regards to the following:
If students have not met these requirements, they will have two school days to rectify the matter and a letter will also be sent home to parents.
Kia ora koutou e te whānau. Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou. Warm greetings to all of you, our Senior College whānau.
A special welcome to our new students and their families who have joined us in Years 12 and 13. It can be daunting to make the move to a new school, but I’m confident that you will find the Senior College at St Andrew’s College a very welcoming place, and we look forward to getting to know you over the next days and weeks.
The Senior College is once again very full this year, with over 450 students, and I’m excited about what lies ahead, particularly as we work to bring our vision to life. Our whole school vision statement at St Andrew’s is ‘Together, building better people, for life’, and in the Senior College we recognise that the final one or two years of school are crucial for both ‘building better people’ and for doing this ‘together’. Our focus is on developing each student’s independence, their ability to manage themselves and be ready for whatever comes in the next phase in their lives, but to recognise that we are doing this within a community. We want our young people to graduate from here as independent but socially responsible young adults, with the skills to flourish in an ever-changing world.
This is a challenging mission, but we are blessed with a hugely capable staff team, and a vibrant and talented student leadership group. There is a real sense of focus and energy as we move into the new year, and I hope to be able to introduce you to a few of the key people involved in our mission as the year unfolds.
Our Deans are a key part of the work we are doing. Dayna Stirling (Year 12) and Riley Gain (Year 13) are working with a highly capable team of tutors at each level to deliver pastoral care and academic oversight of our students. They have translated our mission statement into a theme for their year level, reflecting what they see in their own group of students.
At Year 12 the theme is ‘Step Up’ – encouraging students to recognise that their move to Senior College is a transition to taking more control, being responsible, getting ready for leadership, and proactively adding to the culture of our community.
In Year 13 the theme is ‘Look forward; Give back’ – alluding to this crucial year of making big decisions about the next step beyond school, but acknowledging that they have received a lot during their time at StAC, and encouraging them to leave a legacy at the end of 2024 which will shape what our College looks like once they are gone.
Dayna and Riley are highly effective leaders and pastoral care experts, and I will report on their work as the year progresses.
It was great to see our Prefect team working together at their planning day last Friday, where they also discussed how to bring a theme of ‘community’ to life this year, and I am looking forward to seeing how our senior students find ways to build on our culture of looking after each other.
By the time you receive this newsletter you should have received a link to the Senior College Handbook, along with other generic information about the start of the year. Please do take the time to have a look through all of this information. Our senior students are given increasing levels of freedom and personal accountability, but these need to be exercised within the context of our wider community here. The handbook sets out both the privileges and responsibilities that are relevant to Year 12 and 13 students and it is important that both students and parents/caregivers know what those are.
I am very keen for our students to start the year looking proud of their uniform and appearance. There are some very simple guidelines further on in this Senior College section – please make sure you and your child know about these requirements and that all students arrive at school looking the best that they can be.
I hope to see many of you at our Senior College information evening later this term. It will be a privilege to be able to journey with you all over the course of this year.
John Ruge
Head of Senior College
Head of Senior College – Mr John Ruge – JRU@stac.school.nz
Year 13 Dean – Mr Riley Gain – RGA@stac.school.nz
Year 12 Dean – Ms Dayna Stirling – DST@stac.school.nz
Senior College Office Manager – Mrs Jocelyn Simmons – seniorcollege@stac.school.nz
Careers and Tertiary Advisor – Mr Richard Webster – RWB@stac.school.nz
Vocational Education & Training/GATE – Ms Ellen Hampson – EHA@stac.school.nz
Head of Guidance – Mr Tom Matthews – TMA@stac.school.nz
Senior Learning Support –Mrs Shelley Broad – SBA@stac.school.nz
Director of International Students and Exchanges – Mr Palē Tauti – PTU@stac.school.nz
The College expects all students to wear their uniform with pride. They must wear a blazer to and from school, and their uniforms should be neat and tidy with clean shoes.
Appearance is also important. The following specific requirements are important as we start the new year:
Boys’ hair:
Boys’ hair must be off the face, ie: no lower than eyebrow level and not touching the collar of their shirt. Hair must be of a uniform length, ie: no mullets, dreadlocks, mohawks, or insignia. In all areas, including back and sides, hair must be no shorter than a number 2 cut.
Girls’ hair:
Girls’ hair must be tied up at all times if it is longer than shoulder-length.
Jewellery:
Students may not wear any jewellery on wrists, hands, or ankles. This includes rings, bracelets, and chains. Only watches may be worn on the wrist. Girls are only allowed to wear one single stud or sleeper in their ear lobe.
Make-up:
Make-up is not allowed at the College. If students are wearing any they will be asked to remove it.
If students have not met any of the College’s uniform or appearance requirements, they will have a short period of time to rectify the matter, and a letter will also be sent home to their parents.
The College has a process for applying to bring a vehicle to school. It is outlined in the Senior College Handbook.
We are aware that not all of our students want a locker. If your son or daughter would like lockable storage for the year then they need to advise the office (either by email or in person) as soon as possible. Students who have a locker will need to provide their own padlock. The office will have bolt cutters available for emergencies!
We are all looking forward to another vibrant year at St Andrew’s College in sport and co-curricular activities. The College is committed to offering a wide range of activities with the opportunities for students to go on and extend their skills and confidence in their chosen options.
The Middle School Athletics Prelims are on Thursday 1 – Friday 2 of February for Years 9–11 students. Middle School students must bring their sports/PE gear for athletics prelims where they will attempt to qualify for the 100m, 200m, shot put, discus, long jump, javelin, and high jump events on Athletics Day. Entries for the 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, and triple jump take place in tutor time. Students are to meet out on the front field in front of the sports pavilion at 1.00pm and await further instruction. Participation and involvement is emphasised at the preliminary competition and students will earn standard House points for their events based on their performance even if they do not qualify for the final in the event. Students are to have sun block applied ready this day due to the lack of shade on the front field, and bringing a sun hat is also recommended as we will be out on the field for up to three hours. Some sunscreen will be available.
Athletics Day is a fun-filled House event and all Middle School students compete in graded 100m races. Students are encouraged to strive to achieve personal goals, beat their prelim marks and get involved on the day. Senior College students enter events within tutor group and prelims will be held for sprint events for seniors the following week. Students in Year 12 who qualify for the intermediate grade and wish to compete in sprint finals must also run a time during that lunchtime.
Athletics Day is on Friday 23 February on the front field starting at 9.00am.
Students have signed up for their chosen activities at the end of last year. These choices are on the database. Teachers in charge of activities will now use this information to plan for the forthcoming year. It is an expectation that all students up to Year 11 are involved in a co-curricular activity throughout the year and Year 12 students must do at least one sport or activity during the year.
Students will see a summary of selections in tutor time in the first week. To choose or change a sport from the start of term students must indicate this to their tutor teacher. Staff will be having meetings and trials with all students who have signed up for sports and activities in the first couple of weeks, so it is important that students attend scheduled meetings and trials to avoid disappointment. The daily notices that can be found online on the intranet are a good check as to what is planned along with the sports noticeboard next to the main Gymnasium and the Music noticeboard in the Music Suite.
All staff have high expectations in terms of students attending their co-curricular options and being where they need to be on time. Students will get so much out of being fully involved in the programme and as staff we take great pleasure in seeing students flourish in their chosen areas.
Congratulations to the following students on their respective successes over the holiday period.
National Track and Field was held in Christchurch for the 50th Anniversary of the weekend and back where the event started. Weather for the weekend was mainly fine but windy, however, heavy rain came in Sunday morning to affect events then. St Andrew’s athletes performed well winning four medals (one gold, two silver and one bronze).
Jonah Cropp (Year 13) was the standout performer defending his walks title. His event was on during the rain so conditions weren’t good to try and go after the event record which he had just fallen short of the year before.
Sophie Lampe (Year 9) had a part to play in both silver medals winning individual silver in the Year 9 Girls 3km road race and was a member of the Junior Mixed 4×400 relay team along with Ollie Jackways, Kupa Rule and Abi Scott-Douglas (all Year 10).Miah Taylor (Year 12) finished third in the Senior Girls’ pole vault with a height of 2.90m to win her first national schools’ medal.
Full results will be published in this week's Rector's Comment.
Cricket had two teams competing in two different tournaments in January. One team went to a tournament in Queenstown that was played at the Event Centre, Jack’s Point, and Millbrook. Twelve teams took part in this event and the StAC team showed they could compete in each of the matches they played. The festival was a great chance for the players to get some early practice before their season starts in February.
The other team went to Melbourne where they competed in the Quad Tournament with Scots College from Wellington, Geelong College from Melbourne, and Scotch College from Adelaide. The team played some good cricket and while they only won one game they were beaten twice on the last ball of the match. The notable performance from the week was from Will Carrodus who scored 63 not out in the first match.
These tournaments were of great value leading into the new season and will provide the coaches with key information as they look to select the first and second XI for the 2024 year.
The St Andrew’s College Rowing Squad has had a successful start to, what looks to be, another exciting season. This year the squad has 74 students, 47 of these being Year 11–13 students and the other 27 being Year 10 students. Over the summer holidays the squad has been in Twizel for a number of camps and regattas. We had a mixed bag with the weather, with a lot of racing being completed over 1000m, while other days being completely abandoned. However, the weather improved for our camps and we had some great water to train on which helped rowers find more speed in the boat.
Our first camp of the summer was from the 7 – 14 December. This was an opportunity to have our full squad in Twizel together for the first three3 days. This only happens three times a year due to the size of our current squad being so large. It was great for our novice rowers to have their first taste of a regatta in Twizel as the Otago Rowing Championships were held on the 9 and 10 of December. Our senior rowers, in particular our Captain of Rowing, Sam Gamble, along with other Year 13 students and coaches showed their leadership by showing our novice rowers the ropes. The squad competed in number of races in the wind affected days of racing with our crews gaining three firsts, three seconds, and three thirds in the heats that were completed. A highlight of the event was having two new boats named at a ceremony on the bank of the lake on the Saturday evening. Our new boys’ eight, named Gus Williams, and our new girls’ double, named Liz Inglis, have great significance for our programme and the rowers are proud to be rowing in these boats.
Our second camp (January 12 – 19) started by coinciding with the Canterbury Rowing Championships held on Lake Ruataniwha from the 14 – 15 January. This was an opportunity for our return rowers to shake some rust off before a tough week ahead at training camp. Prior to arriving in Twizel, the squad participated in a 2km erg test to measure progress after the Christmas break, as well as some squads completing seat racing (trials) on Kerrs Reach. Director of Rowing, Guy Williams, commented on how well the rowers had kept up their fitness, mentioning it was one of the better efforts by a team returning from the break in his 20 years in the sport! This put us in good shape for the regatta, however, the regatta was interrupted by wind, which was a tough blow for the rowers. In saying this, all three of our Girls’ U16 coxed quads made it through to the A final, with two of these crews winning their heats respectively.
Lastly, our novice squad have spent time in Twizel without the company of our return rowers between 22 – 26 January, with our return rowers joining them on 26 to compete in the South Island Rowing Championships. This is one of our championship regattas and is an exciting way to finish the holidays. The novice rowers were pushed hard during their time at camp. In saying this, the camp has an emphasis on team building and building culture within our novice programme.
The regatta was yet again affected by the wind, positively, we got a full day of racing in on some nice water on the Sunday. Going off times from heats we had three crews win South Island Championships, one silver, and three bronze medals.
As we set our sights towards the South Island Secondary Schools’ Rowing Championships (29 February – 3 March) and the Aon Maadi Cup (18 – 23 March) the squad has a month of training which will put them in a good place to succeed in these regattas.
The Senior Mixed touch team prevailed over 40 other teams to be crowned champions at the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ National Touch Championships in Rotorua. StAC was unbeaten in pool play, scraping through a tough final round robin match, and ended up being the only team not to lose a match in the whole championship – an amazing feat.
StAC last won the title in 2012, when first-five All Black, Richie Mo’unga, was a Year 13 student and a star of the team.
Team captains, Year 12 student Macklan Robertson and Year 13 student Sienna Stowers-Smit, were recognised as MVPs for the tournament.
Twenty-two students and four staff embarked on a six-day volleyball trip to Whakatāne and surrounding places. This was a great chance to play some tough volleyball as well get some unique experiences in a place many students had never been to before. We were fortunate to have the Senior A coaches, Maia Westrupp and Kalani Ruri, Whakatāne locals, show us around this beautiful place.
The students played games against Otumoetai College, Western Heights, Whakatane, Trident High School, and Tauranga Girls’ College. The level of volleyball was very high and a great chance to hone their skills in preparation for the season ahead.
They teams then travelled to Auckland where they played matches against Orewa A and Rangitoto College.
Off the court, the students had a vast range of experiences, including:
Overall, it was a wonderful experience both on and off the court, and will no doubt set our Senior A and B Girls’ teams up well for the season ahead.
The Pipe Band are looking forward to all activities in Term 1. Our first outing for the year will be at Riccarton Bush on Saturday 2 March for the Provincial Championships for the A and B Bands, with Riccarton Bush on Sunday 3 March for a contest involving members of the A, B and C Bands.
The A and B Bands will travel to Auckland to compete at the National Pipe Band Championships held at the Onewa Domain, North Shore on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 March.
The Pipe Band welcome new members starting school this term.
Welcome back to the start of another exciting year for the Performing Arts at St Andrew’s College. Many students have already been involved in Music, Dance and Drama over the holidays.
Itinerant Music lessons will begin in Week 2 and 3 of this term. Music Department Handbooks, with online sign up, are available online. On Wednesday, students in Years 4–9 attended a music demonstration by the tutors to pique interest in learning an instrument. Students continuing with tutors will need to ensure they have contacted their teacher and filled in a form for the year. Please note there are some age restrictions for some instruments.
There are over 25 Music groups that students can join at St Andrew’s, including choral, instrumental, jazz, and rock groups. All information about signing up and auditions (if required) will be in the notices and via class tutors. We welcome all new musicians to the department and look forward to working with you. A timetable of all groups will be in the Music Department.
The senior students are starting rehearsals for Legally Blonde. This is a high energy musical and will be performed in our brand new theatre. The cast will begin rehearsals next week. The cast will be heading away for a camp at Hanmer Springs at the start of March. Tickets will be on sale later this term.
Those new students wishing to be part of productions are encouraged to join the choir, D-cubed and StAC dance as a way to prepare for these groups.
The members of the two choirs will be heading away at mid-February for a one-night camp. This camp is one of the highlights of the year and is a really fun time of rehearsal, performance, hanging out, and swimming. Any new musicians to St Andrew’s College should come and see Head of Music, Duncan Ferguson, about this as soon as possible please.
This is a lunchtime drama group for students wanting to upskill in drama and theatre. This is a fun group for Year 9–10 students only and is led by our senior theatre students.
All welcome.
Students can take part in extra-curricular dance classes in jazz, musical theatre and hip hop. Students work towards the annual Dance Revue. Information about these classes will be available in Weeks 2 and 3.
This is an exciting option for students who wish to learn the art of improvisation. Students later form teams and are able to compete at the Secondary Schools’ Competition.
For further information please contact Liz Gormack at LGO@stac.school.nz.
For further information about co-curricular groups, itinerant lesson options, sign-up forms, and tutors please contact one of the following:
Term 1
1–2 February: Choir voice placement workshops and VOX16 auditions
16–17 February: Orchestra Camp and Choir Camp
23 February: Jazz Masterclass
Please view the fixtures on the College intranet for more upcoming events.
Visit the College intranet, StACNet >
