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Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou katoa.
The end of a busy week concluded with our Girls’ and Boys’ Assemblies, both of which were marked with a real sense of community and belonging. We began this initiative five years ago, whereby we believe that within our co-ed environment, there is a place for girls and boys to receive messages and learnings pertinent to their gender. What better way to do this than invite guest speakers, including recent Old Collegians to share their experiences. This morning, the Head Prefects and Head of Well-being decided to invite Juliette Newman and Meg Longley (OC 2019) and Hugh Montgomery (OC 2020) and Harrison Jones-Park (OC 2018) to share some of their experiences of life beyond school. The girls’ theme was “It’s okay to not be okay” and the boys’ theme was “Overcoming challenge”. All speakers were authentic, sharing personal experiences relevant to our young people with incredible self-reflection, humility and candour. Thank you, to our student leaders who organised such a great experience for all our rangatahi from Years 8–13.
Our music groups impressed this week with the Classical Concert held in the Centennial Chapel on Tuesday evening. Around 40 students from the Preparatory and Secondary Schools played in various orchestras and chamber groups to an appreciative audience. Seven of the groups will be competing in the NZCT Chamber Music Regionals on Tuesday 13 June – a great representation for St Andrew’s College.
This week our senior choirs, Stacchorus and VOX16, have been ‘on tour’ to Oamaru, Dunedin and Waihi School. Their tour concludes with a performance in the Centennial Chapel this evening at 5.15pm – all welcome.
Thank you to our Pasifika student leaders who promoted Samoan Language Week at the College this week, which focused on Samoan language and identity. We are grateful to our students and families who help us to appreciate their culture, values, and language.
Last evening three Year 13 students, Lachlan Odlin, Annika MacDonald and Jedd Bright competed in the finals of the UC hosted Boost Economics Competition. This national competition is designed to promote economic growth in Waitaha Canterbury. Congratulations to the team who came fourth. Also, congratulations to Year 13 students Thomas MacLean and Finlay Fairweather-Logie who were also in the finals.
Congratulations to all teams involved in Rugby Club Day last Saturday, and the Rugby Parent Committee for providing hospitality on the day. It was a great day to showcase the St Andrew’s spirit, and the senior students made the day special for a number of younger students by being ambassadors at their games.
Congratulations also to the students who competed in Rockquest last Saturday night and to the three groups who made it to the regional finals. Thank you to all parents, students, and staff involved with the Ceilidh last Saturday evening. This was a successful fundraiser for the Pipe Band trip to Scotland in August, plus good fun at the same time!
This weekend provides a good rest for our sports teams with no competition round. Best wishes to all for an enjoyable Kings’ Birthday weekend.
Fa’afetai
Christine Leighton
Rector
This week we celebrated Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa - Samoa Language Week, with the following activities taking place in the Secondary School.
Head Prefect Lily Champion-Smith made Word of the Day videos with Laai Tausa, Cylas Tauti, (both Year 13) Jairo Senio (Year 9) and Hannah Papali'i Taimalelagi Malietoa (Year 10), teaching people common Samoan words that could be used in everyday life.
Talofa lava! This week the Pre-school children also celebrated Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa – Samoan Language Week. They enjoyed practising using some Samoan greetings; learnt a traditional Samoan song Little Birdy on a Tree; made a popular Samoan dish of pani popo (coconut buns); and collaborated on a visual artwork using the patterns of Samoan siapo cloth. Learning about Samoan culture and language helps the children develop their understanding of themselves as Pacific and global citizens and widens their knowledge about the world.
Our Year 8–13 girls were treated to an inspiring assembly this morning, our first girls’ assembly of the year. Old Collegians Juliette Newman and Meg Longley (both OC 2019) spoke about their transition beyond Secondary School and the importance of support networks and friendships. They showed courage in their vulnerability by discussing their challenges. Both speakers reminded our young women that it is easy to think others have it together, but in reality, life is more complex, and everyone struggles. Their key message was it is okay to not be okay.
At our annual Boys’ Assembly, we had Hugh Montgomery (OC 2020) and Harrison Jones-Park (OC 2018) speak about the challenges they faced both at school and after school, plus what they have learned from adversity and how it is shaping their lives. Both speakers also spoke about the community they feel they belong to as Old Collegians of St Andrew’s College, together with the importance of respecting others for who they are, not what you want them to be.
On Friday 19 May, the Year 12 Agribusiness students spent the morning at the Rangiora Vet Centre. The purpose of this visit was to look into the ways the business has future-proofed itself for the future including the using new technology, a high level of professional development, and a state-of-the-art veterinary facility. The highlight for most students was seeing the purpose-built equine facility, including a CT scanner.
Last Wednesday, the three Year 11 Agriscience classes visited Orana Park. They learnt how knowledge of animal behaviour, nutrition, reproduction and health management are used to adapt practices to the specific requirements of each animal. This was a great way to apply the learning done in class to real-world situations. Highlights of the trip included feeding the giraffes, observing the gorillas and seeing the lions nuzzling.
The Year 13 Agriscience students have had tuakana teina focus for the week, to teach younger students a new skill by making beeswax wraps. The Year 2–3 students were full of energy and certainly enjoyed their time with the leaders of the College. The beeswax wraps can be used as a reusable wrap for perishable food products and something the junior students can take home. Bee products are one of the things covered in Agriscience, so it was great for senior students to share this knowledge.
Last week the Ballet Academy enjoyed three full days of classes with Specialist Dance Educator, Neve Pierce, from the Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB). Dancers from Years 3–8 experienced new repertoire from the current RNZB production of Romeo and Juliet, including the ballroom scene and the sword fight. The Secondary School dancers learnt new ‘concerto’ style performance pieces, for presentation later in the year. This annual event is a wonderful opportunity to learn from Ballet role models of excellence.
Last Friday, our Senior French students the annual French Film Festival. They watched the movie Simone- le voyage du siècle which chronicles the life of Simone Veil, an extraordinary French woman. Yesterday our junior French students saw Belle et Sébastien. This was a remake of the original movie and proved to be a delightful rendition enjoyed by our students. Although there were subtitles, hearing the language throughout the film had enormous value. Movies are a fantastic way to immerse students in the language.
This week 34 Year 13 Travel and Tourism students travelled to Queenstown and Oamaru on the annual trip. The purpose was to investigate career pathways for students in the industry and this was assisted by a visit to Queenstown Resort College. A presentation on degree courses, tertiary studies and on-the-job training helped a number of students make decisions about their career choices for 2024. The group also took part in traditional tourist activities including bungy jumping, go-karting, and jet boating. All of the adventure activities were enhanced by an investigation into historical tourism through visits to the Chinese village in Arrowtown, St Batham’s and the harbour precinct in Oamaru.
Pipers Samuel Jaspersmith (Year 13) and Sam Foote (Year 10) performed at the Rangi Ruru Girls’ School Founders’ Day Assembly last Friday. St Andrew’s College has provided pipers for this event for more than 10 years.
The St Andrew’s College Pipe Band Ceilidh was held on Saturday night in Gym 1. The main goal for the event was to fundraise towards the Pipe Band trip to Scotland in August to compete at the World Pipe Band Championships. The night was fun filled with dancing, lively music, plus a silent and live. Attending the Ceilidh were many Pipe Band Old Collegians with their partners, and current Pipe Band parents with their guests. The Pipe Band hugely appreciate the efforts of the organising committee and Communications Department for all of their hard work putting this amazing event together.
Last week, five Year 13 students participated in the Senior Ethics Olympiad. The Ethics Olympiad is a global competition that promotes respectful, supportive and rigorous discussion around current ethical issues. While the team did not place, the experience was invaluable. A highlight of the day was applying ethical principles to the case written by Tom Edwards (OC 2022), which placed first in the 2022 Ethical Case Writing Challenge. The team of Yi Xi (Sophia) Zhang, Bidhya Chhetri, Friederica Todhunter, Emily Ung and Luke Wylie was highly commended by the international judges.
Over this past week, our Senior basketball players have been taking in the action of our other competitive teams across the Preparatory and Secondary Schools and presenting Player of the Day certificates. These recipients were student-selected, based on players who best exemplified the College’s values.
St Andrew’s College recently hosted the Thriving Minds Conference, when 170 students from St Andrew’s and other Canterbury schools were privileged to hear lectures based on epistemology, the science of happiness, and social physics. The students also participated in the House Debate based on love as a commodity product and learned more about the Oxbridge Interview process. The ongoing success of this conference is based on the premise that able students have a special educational need which is now widely recognised; this need is for high-level intellectual input and is highly valued by Gifted and Talented educators. It was wonderful to welcome back former Deputy Principal of Preparatory School, David Farmer as a guest for the day. After the conference, the Religious Studies Scholarship students met with conference presenter Dr Chris O’Neill, a psychologist from Oxford University, to discuss the psychology of religion and spirituality.
Tuesday evening was a wonderful night as our orchestras and chamber music groups shared their work. This was a great opportunity for our seven chamber groups to do a public performance before the NZCT Chamber Music Competition in a couple of weeks. Thanks to Conductor, Mark Hodgkinson, and Music Teacher, Ros Emeleus for all their work with the Preparatory and Secondary Schools classical ensembles. A video of the concert was recorded and can be viewed at the link below.
Yesterday the College hosted a Coach Connection breakfast. A selection of rugby and other code coaches attended a session for professional development and to share new innovative ideas. Guest Speakers, Ritchie Mo’unga and Willie Heinz from the Crusaders Super Rugby Franchise shared their experiences around the topic of “What makes a great sports environment.” This was followed by a Q&A session and sharing of ideas around best practices. It was a fantastic morning of connection and sharing of ideas.
Sea-am Thompson (Year 12) was one of the first 20 people who were chosen to have a guided tour of the damaged Christchurch Cathedral on Tuesday. Previously only engineers, architects and workmen were allowed onsite. Sea-am has been a member of the Cathedral choir since he was eight years old and is currently a choral and organ scholar, singing at six services a week.
On Saturday, St Andrew’s College Rugby Club Committee hosted a very successful Rugby Club Day. All College teams from the Preparatory and Secondary Schools played on campus in a great festive atmosphere, with a BBQ and refreshments provided, and the event was supported by Pipers Lucas Paterson (Year 12) and Cooper Gallagher (Year 11). A fantastic day was had by all. The highlight was the mass haka as the 1st XV entered the pitch escorted by Preparatory School players. Thank you to all parents, family and supporters who attended.
RESULTS >FOOTBALL
The Girls 1st XI, who are currently first in their competition, wanted to keep their winning streak and retain the shield on their match this week against a strong Papanui High School team. The match started with much intensity, and it was in the 12th minute when Addison Pilkington (Year 12) opened the score with a finish inside the 18-yard box. Kyra Lazor (Year 13) added three goals to her account whilst Kinda Khanafer (Year 13) scored her first-ever goal wearing the St Andrew’s jersey to close the game and the 6–1 win. The girls remain top of the league and are looking forward to next week’s game.
After a hard-fought loss against St Bede’s College last week, the Boys’ 1st XI went into this week’s game against Christ’s College with more confidence to compete against a top side. The team was in good spirits before the game and looked to have a good understanding of what they were trying to achieve. With Christ’s College having much of the ball, St Andrew’s looked to defend well but a counterattack from two chances saw them leading at the break. Looking to progress further into the game, St Andrew’s took more advantages which didn’t pay off and saw another heavy defeat 0–6.
HOCKEY
The Girls 1st XI had a bye this week.
The Boys 1st XI continued their winning start to the season with a comfortable 4–0 win over Shirley Boys’ High School. Momentum from week one was carried forward, with the team beginning to play with really nice link-up play. While still a new-look group, the team are starting to connect well and this was obvious out on the turf, with learnings from training becoming more evident within games, which is pleasing to see.
NETBALL
The Senior A Premier 2 game against Hearts Saint Peters B was an important game to secure the team’s place in the next round of the competition. St Andrew’s team played with determination, increasing the gap each quarter to ensure a 56–43 win. In the mid-court, Sienna Stowers-Smith (Year 13) worked hard to get the ball down the court so that the shooters could score the goals.
Wednesday’s game was against St Margaret’s College. Last time the Senior A team played them they won by a convincing 29 goals, so the team was serious about proving how far they have improved during this part of the season. Throughout the game, the team demonstrated a ‘never give up’ attitude. While St Margaret’s won the first two quarters, the competition was intense. In the last quarter, the score was even several times, however, the final score was 39-38 to St Margaret’s.
RUGBY
In a tough encounter, the 1st XV played Christchurch Boys’ High School to close off our annual Rugby Club Day. St Andrew’s played very well in the first half, with some excellent defence. The score was 3–5 with half-time looming, then Boys’ High scored which was critical in terms of momentum. St Andrew’s started the second half with more focus and scored straight away, making the score 8–12 and the team were in the hunt. However, fatigue began to set in and a few errors in skill execution and at set piece cost St Andrew’s vital possession. Boys’ High were accurate and relentless, and pulled away with some well-worked tries, eventually winning 29–8.
BASKETBALL
On Tuesday night, our Senior A Girls jumped out to an incredible 43–7 start against Avonside Girls High School and went on to win 104–56. An astounding nine players scored six or more points, led by Lauren Whittaker's (Year 13) 19 points in 19 minutes.
Our Senior A Boys also enjoyed an early lead against close rivals Shirley Boys’ High School, finishing 27–12 up after one quarter. As expected, Boys’ High battled back to cut it to a two-possession game in the second half. Tom Kerry, Torin Ward and Mitchell Corkery (all Year 13) all scored 20 or more points in the 90–80 win.
On Sunday a team of 16 shooters competed in the second round of the Canterbury Secondary Schools' Circuit. As Lincoln High School won the first round, St Andrew’s needed to demonstrate that they were still the team to beat. Skeet was underway at 9.00am with Maggie Hood (Year 13 – 23), Connor Higgs (Year 13– 22) and Logan Gardner (Year 12 – 22) all producing some stellar shooting. Maggie and Connor’s combined total of 45 would usually win the two-person skeet team competition, but unfortunately, Christ’s College scored 47.
In the main discipline of Down-the-Line, Connor Higgs achieved the highest possible score of 20/20 in Single Rise to go into a long shoot-off, finishing second. In Junior Points Score, Kurt Lilly (Year 10) came second with a score of 56/60. In Senior Points Score, Connor Higgs was, again, involved in a long shoot-off for second place, this time against fellow St Andrew’s shooter Maggie Hood who finished third, behind Connor. Harry Pitts (Year 10) continued his excellent form to finish second in Junior Single Barrel. It was a day of impressive performances, all around, and we were pleased to win the Open Teams competition with Maggie Hood being the Highest Overall female shooter on the day.
Last weekend, Luke Wylie (Year 13) competed at the 2023 New Zealand Schools Debating Championships in Wellington as a member of the Canterbury team. Canterbury went 5–2 through the preliminary rounds to qualify for the semi-finals as the second seed. Canterbury won the semi-final against a strong Central North Island team to qualify for the National final in Parliament against an undefeated Wellington team. Affirming the motion "This house believes New Zealand should become a republic” saw a very close and high-quality debate. Unfortunately, the Canterbury team lost and came a very respectable second in New Zealand. Luke Wylie was also selected as a reserve for the New Zealand debating team, placing him as a top-six debater in New Zealand, and Megan Blackwood (OC 2018) was one of the adjudicators of the tournament.
Megan Simpson (Year 12) and Scarlett Gray (Year 11), coached by St Andrew’s College Head Football Coach, Juan Chang, won the Women's South Island Qualifying League last Saturday playing for Coastal Spirit St Albans Shirley Football Club (SASFC). Old Collegian teammates Frankie Morrow (OC 2019) and Britney-lee Nicholson (OC 2017) were also a key part of the team’s success. The team will now play in the South Island Premier League starting, which begins on Saturday 10 June.
Kavanah Lene (Year 13) has been selected to attend the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Camp, hosted by FIBA and the NBA. The 2023 BWB Asia Camp assembles 80 of the top high-school prospects from across Asia and the Middle East. Selection is based on basketball skills and leadership abilities. Kavanah is travelling to this elite basketball camp at the New York University campus in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
The cross country team had a big week with the Southern Schools event on Sunday and Canterbury Schools on Thursday. Individually the girls led the way with Sophie Lampe (Year 9) winning both events, Abigail Scott-Douglas (Year 10) finishing third in Southern Schools and Amber de Wit (Year 11) picking up third in the senior girls at Canterbury Schools. The Year 10 boys continue to put together a great sequence of results with Kupa Rule, Samuel Cook and Hendrick Todhunter finishing second at Southern Schools. Canterbury Schools saw a fourth, fifth and eighth for the Year 10 boys Samuel Cook, Oliver Jackways and Kupa Rule. These results should see the Year 10 boys pick up a team result and potentially with three podium finishers so could the Senior Girls.
CANTERBURY SCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY RESULTS >Our pipe band drummers, assisted by our pipers, competed in the first indoor competition of the season on Sunday 21 May. The competition was run by the newly formed Canterbury Drummers Club, with Georgia Eagle (Year 13) achieving two firsts and a second place in the A Grade Snare Drum competition.
RESULTS >
The Highland Piping Society of Canterbury held the first indoor solo piping competition on Sunday in the Science Block at St Andrew’s College. The numbers of competitors were fantastic across the grades, and it was amazing to see some young St Andrew’s pipers competing for the first time.
RESULTS >
Nine St Andrew’s College bands performed last Saturday at the Rockquest Canterbury heats. All bands involved were well prepared and gave wonderful performances. The three bands The Afterglows, The E.C.H.O. and Adrenaline, have all qualified for the Regional Finals taking place on Saturday 10 June at the Ngaio Marsh Theatre.
On Monday 29 May, 44 Preparatory School students competed in the Independent Zones Cross Country. Four students placed in the top 3 for their age group and have qualified for the Canterbury Zones:
Willim Fowler, Oliver Julius, Eva Crawford (all Year 8), Riley Pringle, Sabine Waghorn, Isla Marshall (all Year 7) and Kobe Ford (Year 6) also qualified as the top 6 runners in their age group and will also represent our zone at the Canterbury Primary Cross Country in June.
FULL EVENT RESULTS >The Christchurch representative netball teams have been named and the following students are playing in tournaments over the King’s Birthday weekend.
Mia Montgomery (Year 11) has been selected for the U17 Canterbury volleyball team and will captain the side this weekend.
Ophelia Powell (Year 12) was named as a non-travelling reserve to the Basketball New Zealand U16 Women's National team.
Morgan Lee (Year 13) and Molly-Belle Morrow (Year 12) have been selected for the wider squad for the New Zealand Junior Women’s Volleyball team. Both students have also been selected in the U19 Canterbury volleyball team to play in Napier this Kings’ birthday weekend.
The latest edition of Landfall, New Zealand’s foremost and longest-running arts and literary journal, has contributions included of fiction and poetry from English teacher, Rebecca Ball, and Writer in Residence, Kerrin Davidson.
Tineke Hinton (OC 2023) has been named in the New Zealand Women’s Beach Volleyball team, competing in the Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games.
More than 50 Old Collegians gathered for their 50 Years On Reunion on Friday 26 – Saturday 27 May. The event began with a Cocktail Party on Friday evening, where memories of their time at the College resurfaced during a campus tour. Stuart Boon and Henry Aubrey, former Head Boys in 1976 and 1977 respectively, welcomed the Old Collegians, paying tribute to those who have passed away. The presence of Alvin Andrew, John and Jill Irving, and Rex Livingstone, who were teachers to many of the attendees, added to the evening's nostalgic atmosphere. The reunion continued on Saturday with a formal dinner attended by 70 guests. Rick Wilson (OC 1977) served as the emcee, Peter Sim (OC 1977) delivered the Toast, and Year 13 students Marco Leighs and Georgia Eagle performed a lively Address to a Haggis. Attendees from all over Australasia made the reunion a truly memorable event.
Twins Britney-Lee and Ryan Nicholson (OC 2017), along with Jasmine Donald (OC 2020), have been selected for the 2023 Ngā Whanapoikiri Māori o Aotearoa Tane and Wahine football squad. The senior men (Manawa) and women (Mauri) teams are returning to international competition after a three-year hiatus and play Australian Indigenous Football Council Roos and Koalas in a three-test series in Queensland.
Charlie Murray (OC 2019), who plays for the Lincoln University Rams rugby team, has been selected for the New Zealand Universities tour of Japan. The team played Japan U20 on Saturday and had a close, but high-scoring, 46–52 loss at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Stadium.
Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the weekend in sports and cultural activities including:
Please continue to report to the College any COVID-19 related student absence using the same process as for non-COVID-19 related absences.
Parent Guidelines >
Ākonga Absence and Ill-health
A polite reminder that any ākonga who are unwell should not attend school. For any absence, whether ill-health or otherwise, the College’s preferred platform for reporting this is via our online form below.
Recording a Student Absence >
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).
Experience the thrilling sounds of StAC Attack 2023! A St Andrew’s College Pipe Band event at the prestigious Christchurch Town Hall – James Hay Theatre, this highly anticipated showcase guarantees an unforgettable evening of traditional Scottish entertainment and an opportunity to see our A Band in action before they travel to Scotland to compete at the World Pipe Band Championships in August. Immerse yourself in the rich harmonics of the bagpipes, the infectious beat of the drums, and the flair of the Highland dancers as they take the stage. With talented St Andrew's College students from Years 4–13 showcasing their skills, StAC Attack promises to be an action-packed performance.
With special guests New Zealand Champion Pipe Band – Canterbury Caledonian Society.
When: Sunday 30 July, 5.00pm–7.00pm
Where: In the Christchurch Town Hall – James Hay Theatre
Tickets: Adults $49 | Children $29
Two St Andrew’s College groups will be playing alongside other groups from Burnside High School at the 'Rising Stars' Lunchtime Chamber Music concert in the Great Hall on Tuesday.
Attendees will be treated to various combinations of musical instruments including strings, woodwind, piano, French horn and trumpets, with works from composers such as Brahms, Gaubert, Piazzolla, and more.
When: Tuesday 6 June, 1.10pm
Where: Great Hall in the Arts Centre
Admission: Adult $15.00 | Students $5.00
The annual basketball match of Old Collegians versus our Year 13 leavers will be held in Gym 2 at 6.00pm on Tuesday 6 June. We welcome you to come and support all our players.
We invite you to follow the official St Andrew’s College social media accounts through the links below:
Instagram: @standrewscollegenz
Facebook: St Andrew's College
By following our accounts, you will have access to photos and the occasional video showcasing the events, latest news and activities taking place around the College involving our students and staff.
Join us for a fun and entertaining evening with coaching legends Andy Ellis, Stephen Fleming, Marianne Delaney-Hoshek and Shane Bond, who will provide insight into their experiences and what it takes to be a high-performing athlete, both on and off the field. This event will end with a Q+A session open to all guests who attend. Raffles and auctions will be held throughout the evening. The proceeds from this fundraiser will support St Andrew’s College rugby and cricket.
Date: Friday 23 June, 6.30pm
Venue: St Andrew’s College Gym 1
Tickets: $75.00
During this technology-focused presentation, St Andrew’s College staff and members of the College wider community will discuss the topic of technology and adolescent well-being. They will present their ideas about the positive and negative impacts of technology use and will reflect on the approach St Andrew’s has adopted in response to research about technology, pornography, teaching and learning and social media.
The evening will conclude with a panel discussion where parents will have the opportunity to ask questions, provide feedback, and consider strategies they can adopt at home to promote positive technological use and prioritise well-being.
Date: Tuesday 20 June
Time: 6.30pm–8.00pm
Location: Centennial Chapel
The online sales for the following 2023 photographs are now available:
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.
ORDER PHOTOGRAPHS ONLINE >
The Community Business Directory is on our website under Alumni & Community and represents over 100 parent businesses. Please take a look at how many businesses you can support locally.
The St Andrew's College Community Business Directory >
If you would still like to register your business, complete the following form.
Community Business Directory Registration >
For a full list of upcoming school events, please refer to the fixtures page on StACNet.
