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Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou katoa.
St Andrew’s College has been celebrating culture and the performing arts this week and I have enjoyed seeing the cultural activities in full swing. I hear the Cultural Assembly showcased some wonderful talent and our Cultural Captains, Marco Leighs and Mia Walker, gave a great message about the importance of having culture in our lives.
The cultural programme at St Andrew’s is second to none and I pay tribute to all staff who provide students with these opportunities to develop their skills, passions and friendships. Over the years, so many performances have impressed, and several Old Collegians have gone on to carve out a career for themselves following their experiences at St Andrew’s.
And talking about culture, in Glasgow the Pipe Band is preparing to take on the best of the best tomorrow at the World Championships. The Scottish schools are certainly seriously competitive, and it is great to be the sole New Zealand band (indeed the only other country) up against four top Scottish school bands in the Juvenile A Grade.
It was a very special day on Tuesday when the Pipe Band played at the Cathedral Ruins at St Andrews. A large crowd was entertained with a bracket of tunes as the sun shone down on the spectacular surroundings. St Andrews has become somewhat of a pilgrimage on the Pipe Band trips to Scotland, and the students learnt about the meaning of our school song, which was written in 1925, eight years after the College began. The song tells of Regulus (or St Rule), a Bishop from Patras in Greece who in 1345 took the Relics (bones of St Andrew) by ship to King Angus, at “Kings Mount by the Grey North Sea”. After being shipwrecked Regulus successfully delivered the bones to the place that has since become St Andrews. St Andrew, of course, became the patron saint of Scotland in 1320. I hope the Pipe Band students enjoyed their history lesson!
There have been some great results coming through this week in sport. The Senior A Netball fought hard in their final against St Margaret’s College, coming a very creditable second in the Christchurch SuperNet competition against a number of very competitive teams. Tonight, the Girls’ 1st XI hockey team plays in the final of the Christchurch competition against Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, a first-ever for St Andrew’s girls in this final. Good luck to the team!
In debating, the StAC White team has won through to the finals of the Canterbury Schools Secondary Debating Competition and will face St Margaret’s College in a couple of weeks.
Best wishes to all from Scotland.
Ngā mihi nui
Christine Leighton
Rector
This week was the highly anticipated Cultural Week, organised by Cultural Captains, Marco Leighs and Mia Walker, celebrating all aspects of culture at St Andrew’s College. Each day highlighted a different activity and included Māori and Pasifika Day, Drama Day, Dance Day, and Art and Music Day. Throughout the week there were hot chocolates, various performances, workshops, and the annual StAC’s Got Talent competition, with students from all areas of the Secondary School joining in the fun. The week ended with the Cultural Assembly this morning. This week was so much fun for everyone involved, and a great event for all students ahead of their Term 4 examinations preparation.
FLICKR >Today our annual Cultural Assemblies took place, led by Cultural Captains, Marco Leighs and Mia Walker. They gave a passionate address in both the Middle School and Senior College assemblies on how beneficial it can be to get involved in cultural activities at St Andrew’s. With the Pipe Band away in Scotland, Staccorro performed during the flag raising, while James McIver and Oliver Woodgate (both Year 12) performed a guitar version of Flower of Scotland during the Processional. This was followed by an outstanding opening item performed by our senior music and drama students, followed by performances from the rock band Afterglow and the Soul Band. A House Art competition occurred during assembly, won by MacGibbon House, and there was a wide range of awards presented including creative writing, Speech and Drama, Service to Production, Jazzquest, Rockquest, Big Sing, Music examinations and Colour Awards. Congratulations to the Cultural Captains, performers and award winners on what has been a big week of cultural celebrations at the College.
FLICKR >
Last Friday’s Course Selection Expo was a successful event and was very well-attended by parents and students, with some excellent conversations taking place. The Course Selection Expo marks the end of the first half of the course selection process. Students now have until Wednesday 23 August to make their selections for their course of study for next year, as well as for their Sports and Cultural Options.
FLICKR >It was a very busy two weeks for the Ballet Academy with all dancers, from Year 1 to our graduating class of Year 13 students, taking their annual Ballet examinations. The Year 1 beginners were delighted to receive a special commemorative gift of a ballerina bunny at the end of their examination. Additionally, last weekend many of our Secondary School dancers took part in the Senior Performance Awards and gained their blazer badges at bronze, silver, or gold level.
Last Monday night the Year 12 and 13 French students gathered to prepare a three-course French meal – entrée of Vichyssoise soup, main of Tartiflette and salad, and a dessert of crème brulée. Under the guidance of our French Assistante, Aurélie and their French teachers, the dishes were competently made. The evening proved to be a huge success with many of our students showing impressive culinary ability. Each dish was highly successful and well received by the students. There is much to be celebrated in creating and sharing food and we enjoyed watching the friendship and camaraderie our students displayed as they planned, prepared and enjoyed this meal together. Bon appétit!
The Preparatory School hosted Medbury School and Waihi School in a rugby exchange on Wednesday, after a postponement earlier in the term due to poor weather. Charlie Gregg (Year 8) piped the 1st XV Preparatory teams onto the pitch, followed by team haka performances. Despite being smaller in size, the Preparatory School 1st XV played with passion and determination and demonstrated great character.
BASKETBALL
On Tuesday night, three of our basketball teams played in the semi-finals for their respective competitions, with a further two semi-finals played over the weekend. On Friday night, our Year 9 Boys beat Catholic Cathedral College in their Year 9 CSS semi-final. Their final takes place this Friday at 6.00pm at home. On Saturday, our Junior Boys’ Blue team lost to Horomaka in the U15 Grade to finish third in this competition. Our Junior Girls’ Blue travelled to Ashburton for their CSS semi-final, winning convincingly. Their final takes place on Friday at 7.30pm at Cowles Stadium.
Later on Tuesday evening, the Year 13 Senior Girls’ team competed in their final home games in the Whelan and Thomson Trophy semi-finals. The girls beat St Margaret's College by 28 points to advance to their fourth consecutive Whelan Trophy final next week. The Senior boys lost an overtime thriller to Christ's College, to finish third place, achieving their third podium finish in the past four years.
HOCKEY
The 1st XI Girls team played St Margaret’s College on Friday in their first-ever SSP semi-final. It made for a very exciting game with both teams having all players back in action. St Andrew’s was determined and focused from the start, having the majority of the possession and securing an early goal scored by Kaylee McDonald (Year 13) to make it 1–0 at half-time. St Margaret’s fought back in the third quarter with a superb reverse shot on goal, to even the score. The remainder of the game had both teams sharing possession and displaying moments of superb team hockey with neither side able to score. In the penalty shootout, Hannah Hughes (Year 12) the St Andrew’s goalkeeper rose to the challenge and her experience showed as she saved several shootouts. Holly Gilray (Year 13) secured the final goal in the shootout, making it 2–1 and seeing St Andrew’s through to their first SSP final in history!
The 1st XI Boys played Ashburton College on Friday. St Andrew’s started well and pounded the Ashburton goal but struggled to put the ball in the net. At the final whistle, St Andrew’s had scored five goals to easily win the game.
FOOTBALL
Due to a very wet pitch on Wednesday afternoon, the 1st XI Girls’ game against Rangiora High School was deferred until next Monday.
NETBALL
Saturday’s game was the last in the Championship Round against Kereru C, who were fourth on the table and therefore the Senior A team was keen to swap places on the table to secure their place in Premier 2 for next year. It was a battle from the first ball, with the tension not easing up until the final whistle. St Andrew’s won both the first and third quarters, with Kereru winning the other two. However, the final score was 53–51 to St Andrew’s, with semis and finals to follow.
On Sunday, the Senior A team played a ‘friendly’ against Nelson College for Girls, which was a great opportunity for the team to try some different combinations and practice strategies in the lead-up to the finals and upcoming Tournament Week.
NETBALL
On Wednesday evening, the Senior A team played their final of the Super Net competition at the Avonside Girls’ High School Gym against a very good St Margaret’s College team. The girls started well with the first quarter being tight. The second quarter proved the downfall of the St Andrew’s team when St Margaret’s scored five goals in a row. The last two quarters were a tightly contested affair with goals being traded in both quarters. St Andrew’s gave their all to try to close the score, but the game ended with St Margaret’s winning the title. Saturday will see the match repeated in the semi-finals of the Premier 2 competition.
The New Zealand Swimming Short Course Championships were held at the Napier Aquatic Centre in Hawkes Bay last week, with two students competing in the 16-year-old Woman category.
The StAC White team of Luke Wylie, Millie Keith (both Year 13) and James Hart (Year 12) competed against StAC Blue (Harry Anderson, Mia Fraser (both Year 13) and Liam Hackston (Year 12)) in the Canterbury Schools Secondary Debating Competition semi-finals. The moot was "This house prefers a world where the WHO has full control over pandemic policies, as opposed to local governments", with StAC White affirming and StAC Blue negating. StAC White came away with the win, taking them through to the finals against St Margaret’s College in a few weeks.
Last weekend St Andrew’s College made a return to the South Island Secondary Schools Canoe Polo tournament in Oamaru for the first time in 10 years. The Senior Open team had draws against the eventual third and fourth place getters and a close loss to the competition winner, Shirley Boys’ High School, to finish fifth overall. The junior players combined with players from Hillmorton High School, who after a close semi-final loss beat the top seeds to win bronze. The Senior girls combined with other schools to make a composite team, losing 2–3 in the final to Middleton Grange School, to finish as runner-up. Sophie Burnett and Riley Thomson (both Year 11) were selected for the tournament team.
At the Mid-South Regional Secondary Schools Fencing Championships held in Christchurch last weekend, Noah Grossmith and Victor Sherborne (both Year 12) placed seventh and ninth respectively in the Men’s Individual Épée and placed third in the teams' event.
The St Andrew’s VEX Robotics teams had a busy scrimmage day last weekend. In the VEX VRC Competition (Secondary School) St Andrew’s fielded six teams into the VEX Over Under Competition. One of the teams, ‘88397A Team Integral’ (Naomi Dana, Daniel Robertson, Bailey Moir and Kyle Sander (all Year 13)) made it into the finals with a team from Ao Tawhiti against a coalition of Avonside Girls’ High School and Hillmorton High School. The competition was fierce and the Team Integral/Ao Tawhiti team was unfortunately disqualified for pinning the opponent’s robot.
In the VEX IQ Competition (Preparatory School) St Andrew’s fielded three teams into the Full Volume Competition. Of the three teams, two teams spent the day rebuilding their robots. One of the robot builds was based on an alligator and walked across the field, which was very impressive to watch. The top-placed St Andrew’s Year 7 ‘Team 88397D’ (Jacob Brinch, Alex O’Neill, Harry Sibson and Oliver Gibb) with their robot ‘D-Jeff’ missed out on the finals by 1.5 points.
Last weekend, our Senior A Girls’ basketball team travelled to Tāmaki Makaurau to play a trio of top Auckland teams. A late withdrawal from Rangitoto College led to the girls playing against the replacement D-League team, Auckland Dream.
Georgia Gregg (Year 6) won runner-up U12 Most Points Overall at the Ashburton Highland Dancing Competition held last weekend.
The following rugby players have been selected for representative teams:
Karina Ahn (OC 2021) earned a bronze medal at the ICN Bodybuilding Competition in Hawkes Bay at the weekend.
Scarlett Kirby (OC 2022) competed as part of the 2023 New Zealand U21 Squad in the 2023 IKF U21 Asia-Oceania Korfball Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The team took home sixth place and is looking forward to continuing their journey to the U21 World Championships in 2024.
Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the weekend in sports and cultural activities.
Effective from 12.01am Tuesday 15 August, the seven-day mandatory isolation period for positive COVID-19 cases, has been removed. The Ministry guidance is to stay at home for five days if you test positive for COVID-19, but this is not a requirement. However, 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.
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).
Our next free StACTalks event will focus on the issue of teenage vaping, as well as touch on the impacts of alcohol. This presentation will equip parents to help, teach, and support teens to navigate vaping and alcohol. Ultimately, we want to give our students the skills and the confidence to continue to successfully navigate these issues when we are no longer around. We will hear from members of the St Andrew’s College community who have experience in these issues, as well as expert Leigh Hogg, from the charity organisation, Tūturu, who will speak about the current risks and what research suggests our best approaches are to mitigate these.
The evening will conclude with a panel discussion where parents and caregivers will have the opportunity to ask questions, give feedback and consider strategies they can adopt at home to promote positive open conversations around vaping, drugs and alcohol.
Date: Tuesday 5 September
Time: 6.30pm–8.00pm
Location: Senior College Common Room
The Independent Schools Encore Choral Festival is taking place on Wednesday 13 September, at the Christ’s College Assembly Hall, 7.00–8.00pm. Hundreds of Year 7–11 students from St Andrew’s College, Christ’s College, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, St Margaret’s College, The Cathedral Grammar School, and Medbury School will perform in this special festival concert. All are welcome to come along to support these talented Music students. Entry is by koha donation, which will go towards the Christchurch City Mission.
Please join us for the annual St Andrew’s College Film Fest on Friday 15 September from 7.00pm in the Senior College Common Room.
This is a fun, family-friendly event where we celebrate our talented St Andrew’s filmmakers, so please support by coming along to celebrate with them. Prizes will include Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematographer, Best Actor/Actress, and many more, including some cool spot prizes.
Tickets are $5.00 (no door sales).
BUY TICKETS ONLINE >The St Andrew’s College annual Dance Revue is back! Containing an eclectic range of dance styles including Jazz, Hip Hop, Ballet, Musical Theatre and Contemporary, this fast-paced evening of dance will have something for all to enjoy. Performances will come from St Andrew’s College Ballet Academy, StAC Dance, soloists, groups, and guest artists. Come celebrate dance!
When: Saturday 16 September, 7.00pm–8.30pm and Sunday 17 September, 2.00pm–3.30pm
Where: St Andrew's College Gym 1
Tickets: $15.00
The Pipe Band art show is back! Showcasing the work of talented professional artists, the art sale offers you the chance to own remarkable local art while supporting our Pipe Bands. With many wonderful artists from all over New Zealand contributing artwork, this is a fabulous opportunity to snap up a unique piece for your home or office.
Your purchase will directly contribute to our Pipe Band 2023 World Championships and 2024 National Championships fund. You will also have the chance to win $500 towards a piece of your choice with our Art Show raffle – entry forms will be available in the Centennial Chapel throughout the Art Show.
Join us for the StAC Agricultural Show on Wednesday 20 September. Students can enter a number of fun events, such as baking, art, flower arrangements, and Lego creations, with placings from first to third place receiving a ribbon, and all first-place winners will also receive a prize.
There is something for everyone at this A&P Show-inspired event. Come along to Gym 1 to experience all the art, baking and other pet entries as well as the petting zoo – get set for a day of Agricultural fun!
Entries: Cost: $3.00 per category entered (viewing the entries on the day is free). Entries close Friday 15 September 2023. To enter your child/ren into the StAC Agricultural Show, please click to complete the relevant entry form/s below:
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.
