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Congratulations to Mrs Mary Leota and our Kapa Haka group on a stunning and high-energy performance at the Tūhono Kapa Haka Festival on Saturday. The transitions were flawless, and poi were in sync. The parents and staff attending were very proud. See the full report and Flickr album further in the newsletter.
During Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, St Andrew’s College Preparatory School learned the waiata Nei Rā Te Kaupapa for our ‘Mahuru Moment’. The waiata speaks of the importance of treasuring and using te reo Māori every day, as we aim to do at St Andrew’s. Inspired by the Black Ferns singing to King Charles, our Year 8 students decided on the spaces around our kura that are most special to them, and each Preparatory School class was filmed singing the waiata in a different place. Our newest five-year-olds and kapa haka leaders begin our film after the playing of the bagpipes and conch shell. Many thanks to Technical Operations Supervisor, Mr Paul Sparkes, and the Secondary School Media students who helped with the recording and editing of the video.
Please click here to play the video.
Our parent/caregiver community recently had the opportunity to participate in the College's ‘AskYourTeam’ survey. Over the past couple of months, we have undergone an in-depth process to reflect on this valuable data and to explore how we can incorporate the feedback into a process of continuous improvement. This has involved analysing key themes from both the quantitative results and the written comments shared.
Over 20% of parents completed the survey, providing feedback on areas such as teaching and learning, well-being, leadership, and school culture. We were pleased to receive affirming feedback for our staff, with most parents acknowledging that St Andrew’s College provides a safe environment where children enjoy their learning. Children’s well-being is recognised as being important to the school and individual help is given through effective teaching.
Several key themes emerged that align with our vision for continuous improvement. These include finding new ways to seek input and strengthen partnerships with our whānau, including looking how we can provide more opportunities for parents to be involved in the life of the school. We will also look for ways to better communicate to parents the many opportunities for students, upcoming events, as well as progress on learning. Reporting to parents will come under the spotlight with the upcoming implementation of a new curriculum. The importance of values in schooling came through as paramount and this will continue to be a focus through our StAC-Up programme. We will continue reinforcing messages around mental health and resilience throughout our curriculum and school culture.
Our students were also invited to share their reflections by completing the ‘AskYourTeam’ survey, with close to 90% of students from Years 4–8 participating. This provides us with valuable longitudinal data about how our children are emotionally and cognitively engaged with school. The results showed an overall improvement compared to previous years, with many items reflecting similar themes to those in the parent survey. A large majority of students feel that St Andrew’s is a safe school that they enjoy being part of, and a high percentage believe their teachers are confident in their ability to succeed. Most students also reported staff will follow up if they report being bullied, which has shown significant improvement from 2023. Students recognise the school’s values and endeavour to follow them. The majority feel supported with their learning and their teachers provide quality feedback.
The insights from this data will guide teams and the school in areas for further growth to continue to nurture a strong culture of feedback between teachers and students.
There was plenty of tasty fun in the Food Technology room today – with pasta made the traditional way. The pasta machines were donated by two Preparatory School families.
Regards
Jonathan Bierwirth
Principal of Preparatory School
Deputy for Rector
Eighty-five students from the Preparatory School Kapa Haka participated in the Tūhono Kapa Haka Festival held last Saturday at the Christchurch Town Hall. They sang Te Aroha, Waitaha E and Rona, finishing with the school haka, performing superbly well. The group’s singing, led by Gwendolyn Zhao and Annabelle Laurenson (both Year 6) was sweet and tuneful, the waiata a-ringa actions were performed precisely, the transitions were flawless, and no poi were dropped in the very intricate poi item! The haka, Hato Ānaru, led by Rico Cantwell (Year 8), was energetic, and the pukana performed at the end were fierce! The St Andrew’s group were complimented on their beautiful singing and their creatively designed costumes that reflect our school history and kaupapa. It was an extra special moment for Charlotte Currie and Saskia Fitzgerald (both Year 8), who have performed in every festival since they were in Year 4. The whole auditorium came together to sing the waiata Haere Mai and then en masse perform the local haka – Tahupotiki. Special thanks to Matua Steve for his calm and patient approach when working with our tamariki, and for giving them the guidance to step out on the big stage and perform so confidently.
Flickr >On Sunday, the Preparatory School celebrated an Advent service led by Rev. Paul Morrow and Religious Education teacher, Mrs Bridget Roth. Alongside traditional Christmas carols, attendees enjoyed performances by the Cantare and Junior Choirs. The students showed their generosity by bringing toys to donate to the city mission. It was wonderful to share this Advent service with the entire Preparatory School community.
Flickr >
The Year 8 Independent Schools’ Dance was held last Thursday, 21 November, at the Showgate at Riccarton Park. Over 400 students gathered from 10 different schools for a wonderful end of year experience. The DJ had music pumping from the minute the doors opened until the last song of the night, the forever popular Sweet Caroline. Students were served a range of delicious snacks, the photobooth was extremely popular, and a lack of mobile phones at the event ensured children actually spoke to each other. Desperate searches for pens to exchange phone numbers exponentially increased as the night wore on. Geonet registered several small tremors when certain songs were played as 400 twelve- and thirteen-year-olds bounced their way across the dance floor! When the night was over, and the house lights came on a collective groan fluttered through the crowd as they realised the dance had come to a close.
Flickr >This week, students in Years 7–8 have been helping with transplanting seedlings and weeding native plants in preparation for the Eco Action Canterbury planting in 2025. Students and families are invited to help plant out the seedlings on four community planting days each year. Some of the plants are flaxes and grasses, as well as tiny trees that will grow into soaring giants in the years to come. Many of the grasses have been grown from seed and nurtured in our own plant nursery in the Preparatory School.
On Monday and Tuesday, the Preparatory School 1st XI took part in a two-day Christchurch Junior Cricket Association (CJCA) cricket festival at Hagley Park. The team played four games of 20/20 cricket over the two days, playing some outstanding cricket at times. They scored over 700 runs from 80 overs of batting! They won three of the games played, losing one by a couple or runs in a cracking game of cricket against a country team. The team were so absorbed in the game, they turned down the opportunity to meet Ben Stokes so they could continue to practice their game skills. Thank you to all involved.
Joshua Stewart (Year 8) and Hayden Brown (Year 8) have been selected to play cricket for the CJCA representative team in the Year 8 Blenheim festival in January 2025.
Thomas Hopping (Year 7) has been selected to play cricket for the CJCA representative team at the Year 7 festival in Ashburton in 2025. Congratulations boys!
Flickr >On Wednesday 27 November, 21 Preparatory School students competed at the Canterbury Primary Athletics event held at Ngā Puna Wai. To qualify for the Canterbury Athletics event is a huge accomplishment in itself, so congratulations to all our student athletes.
The students showed great spirit and represented the College with respect. All students participated in their events to the best of their ability and the St Andrew's College community is immensely proud of their efforts. We look forward to celebrating these competitors and their successes in the upcoming assemblies.
See the full list of results by clicking here.
Please see the following results from our Years 4–8 Athletic Sports Day. Congratulations to all of our Year Group Champions, who will be acknowledged at our end-of-year assembly. Congratulations to our new record holders, a great accomplishment achieved by these student athletes.
Three students competed at the South Island Invitational Tennis Championships earlier in the week. All players invited are considered to be the best for their age in their respective provinces.
Sabine Waghorn (Year 8) was Runner Up, Kaia Hartstonge (Year 8) came sixth, and Elina Wang (Year 7) finished eighth overall. Sabine and Kaia were also semi-finalists in the Girls' doubles.
This year the St Andrew’s College Ballet Academy proudly presents The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker is a timeless holiday classic and one of the most beloved ballets around the world, enchanting audiences with its magical storytelling and unforgettable music. Set on Christmas Eve, the story begins at a festive holiday party where young Clara receives a special gift—a nutcracker doll. That night, as the clock strikes midnight, Clara is swept into an enchanting adventure where the Nutcracker comes to life, leading her on a journey through a battle with the Rat King and into the dazzling Land of Sweets. With its blend of joy, wonder, and fantasy, The Nutcracker captures the magic of the holiday season, making it a cherished tradition for audiences young and old. We hope you enjoy the beauty, grace, and excitement of this ballet, which continues to inspire and delight with its timeless charm.
When: Friday 29 – Saturday 30 November 2024 (four performances)
Times: 2.00pm–3.30pm and 6.30pm–8.10pm (Friday), 1.30pm–3.10pm and 4.00pm–5.40pm (Saturday)
Where: Gough Family Theatre – Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre
Tickets: Adult $35.00 | Student $20.00 (student ID may be requested on entry)
‘Project Infinity’ assembles clothing parcels for pre-school and school children in need, and sometimes their family members also. This Christmas we are working with Kidsfirst Bromley Kindergarten, Bromley Primary School, and Opawa Primary School to provide school bags, pre-loved clothing, new socks and undies, and a few treats for families who are struggling.
If you would like to contribute to these parcels, we would love clean, pre-loved clothing for girls and boys (ages 2–18). Any clothing donations will be gratefully accepted. Clothes can be left at the Preparatory School reception area. The last day for collection will be Friday 6 December. Thanks so much for your help!
The Christmas Eve Chapel Service will take place on Tuesday 24 December at 6.00pm in the Centennial Chapel. Everyone is welcome to this family-friendly service.
We will be running a Sport Holiday Programme for Year 1–8 students in January 2025.
Dates: Monday 20 – Friday 24 January 2025 (final week of the holidays).
Programme: the sessions will be run by a variety of staff. The sports included are invasion games, frisbee golf, basketball, backyard cricket, futsal, pickleball, and more.
To register, and for more information, please click here.
We have two programmes running this summer. One at the start of the holidays and one towards the end, shortly before the children are all due back at school. This two-day programme provides an opportunity for students to boost their creativity and problem-solving skills via Minecraft Education.
Working in small groups, students will take on the task of constructing remarkable structures, overcoming building challenges, and utilising specialised design software to modify and perfect their creations.
Each programme will have a unique set of challenges ensuring that the engagement level remains high for children participating in both programmes.
Programme One: Monday 9 – Tuesday 10 December 2024
Programme Two: Thursday 16 – Friday 17 January 2025
Time: 9.00am to 3.00pm (drop off from 8.30am)
Location: The Green Library and Innovation Centre, St Andrew's College (in the Secondary School Quad)
Activities:
What to bring:
Cost: $150 inclusive of GST for each programme (parents/caregivers will be sent an invoice).
REGISTRATION: Register for the Years 5–8 Minecraft Holiday programme by completing the registration form before Monday 9 December at 5.00pm. Please register by clicking here.
The programmes will be run by Nathan Campbell with support from Wilj Dekkers. Nathan has experience running Minecraft education programmes for the Christchurch Libraries and Wilj Dekkers is an experienced educator who has worked in a contract capacity for Microsoft Mojang, the developers of Minecraft Education.
Should you have any questions, please email wilj@wdekkers.nz.
All 2024 photographs are now available to purchase online:
Details of how to order the photographs can be found on our website using the button below and you will need to log into StACNet using your St Andrew's College login.
If you have any questions relating to this service, please email photography@stac.school.nz.
For any illness, students should stay home if unwell. Any student should also feel free to wear a mask if they wish to do so while at school.
For any absence, whether ill-health (including COVID-19) or otherwise, the College’s preferred platform for reporting this is via our online form which can be found at the button below:
If you are not able to report your child's absence using the online form, please report their absence via the relevant email address below. If you cannot get through to us via the form or email, please call our attendance line on +64 3 940 2031 (term time only).
