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Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou katoa.
I have been thinking this week of the various teams representing St Andrew’s College at the Winter Tournament. The movement of students across the country is significant and for many students representing their school in this way becomes one highlight in their school memories.
Watching the results come through has been exciting and special congratulations go to the following teams for making the finals:
Breaking News – Congratulations to our Girl’s 1st XI Hockey who have just beaten Westlake Girls High School in the semi-final in the Federation Cup (top tier girls’ competition). The game was won in a nail biting 4–2 shootout. This is an outstanding effort from the team and places them in the New Zealand final tomorrow (Saturday), 2.00pm at Ngā Puna Wai against St Cuthbert’s College from Auckland. I am sure any support for our team would be welcomed.
Of course, success at this level doesn’t happen without enormous commitment, not only from the team members but also from the teachers, coaching staff and parent support.
The value of playing sport cannot be underestimated and I commend all team members and staff through the winter season who have contributed to making it a positive experience.
This is my final “Friday Comment” from abroad – this time from Singapore. My final stop has given me the opportunity to visit the United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA). A friend and previous work colleague is the Head of East campus, with 3000 students. The United World College network is a group of schools with a commitment to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.
UWC has 18 schools and colleges across four continents – most (other than UWCSEA in Singapore) are around 300 students in Years 12 and 13 studying the IB curriculum. The campus and facilities in Singapore are certainly impressive on a large scale. However, my visit to the school and discussions with senior staff revealed similar plans and aspirations for the future of young people, committed to making their world more inclusive, sustainable, peaceful and equitable.
Our challenges are shared, largely focused on the management of change in the fast-paced world driven so much by technological innovation. In the end, we are all guiding children and adolescents to develop the knowledge, character and skills which empower them to make the best choices in life. Choices which will positively impact not only themselves but also the communities where they will influence.
50 Caps for the St Andrew’s College 1st XV Rugby Team – Lucas Te Rangi and Cylas Tauti (both Year 13), co-captains of the 2023 St Andrew’s College 1st XV, were awarded a Blue 1st XV cap this week, representing 50 games in the 1st XV. This was presented at the recent independent schools’ tournament in Auckland. This significant achievement has been attained by only a handful of players in the history of the College. Both players are school leaders and role models for our ākonga. Congratulations Lucas and Cylas.
Jazz Club at Fat Eddies – Hereford Street, Saturday 1 September, 2.00pm–4.00pm. I highly recommend the performance of our jazz bands this Saturday afternoon. This is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy our talented musicians in a relaxed setting.
I look forward to reconnecting with all at the College next week.
Ngā mihi nui
Christine Leighton
Rector
Lucas Te Rangi and Cylas Tauti (both Year 13) are co-captains of the 2023 1st XV rugby team. They join a very special club and were recently awarded a Blue 1st XV cap representing 50 games in the 1st XV. This was presented at the recent Independent Schools Tournament in Auckland. These 50 games have been amassed over four years in this top team, which is a very significant achievement and only attained by a handful of players in the rich history of the College.
It was fantastic for both boys to have their families present to celebrate this important milestone with them. Both boys entered the College in Year 9 and have come through the College’s rugby development pathway. Both players have flourished academically, are prefects and leaders, and are senior members of our Māori and Pasifika group. Both boys are humble, respectful and caring citizens of the College who are excellent examples of the athlete model. They have proudly represented the values of the College and have worn the thistle with immense pride. They have left the jersey in a good place and leave a positive legacy for their time in blue and white.
Sam Williams (OC 2014) visited the College yesterday (pictured with College Chaplain, Rev. Paul Morrow) for the weekly chapel service. Sam was Head Sacristan and served in the Chapel in a sacristan role for five years. He shared a piece of writing from when he was Year 8 about what he wanted to be. This reflected a doctor who was rich, drove an expensive car and lived in Fendalton. Sam now resides in Oxford and is training to be an Anglican Priest in the Church of England. Sam talked about finding one’s vocation through the teachings of Jesus, ‘Loving God and Loving your Neighbour’. He gave personal anecdotes of his time at St Andrew’s and reflected on God’s call to each of us, to love God and love others. He gave some practical insights into how one might do this and challenged the students, no matter what their beliefs, to constantly consider what they can do to love others and bring about unity.
Last Friday, a group of 22 Art, Design and Visual Communication (DVC) and Media students travelled to Wellington to visit the Massey University and Victoria University open days. There was a real buzz of excitement wandering around campus and seeing the amazing facilities at both universities. Students then had the opportunity to explore Wellington – visiting the Art Gallery, Te Papa, university halls of residence, thrift shops, and a tour of Weta Workshops with a hands-on sculpture experience. It was fantastic to see so much engagement and excitement towards creativity.
FLICKR >
On Tuesday, a Secondary School Theatresports team visited with the specialist Preparatory School Drama group, D-Squared. The Senior students introduced some exercises to the class, played games with the younger students, and then demonstrated a couple of the more challenging games. There was a lot of laughter in the room. Thank you to the Heads of Theatresports, Tamaroa Connelly (Year 12), Marco Leighs, Portia Bennie and Jeremy Kent (all Year 13).
Today, the Junior Department in the Preparatory School celebrated the first day of Spring with a Pyjama Day. The students (and teachers!) enjoyed wearing their pyjamas, oodies, onesies, or comfiest clothing to school, and many brought along a favourite stuffed toy to help welcome in Spring. What a stunning day it was in the Junior Department!
FLICKR >Interviews for the Outward Bound and Spirit of Adventure Scholarships have taken place over the last week, with Shaun Cooper (Year 12) and Madison Wallace (Year 11) our 2023 recipients. Shaun heads to Anakiwa in January for a 21-day Outward Bound course and Madison will go on a 10-day sailing on the Spirit of Adventure over New Year.
An Old Collegian is the generous supporter of the scholarships, which are awarded each year. They were impressed with the calibre of all applicants whom they interviewed and look forward to hearing from Shaun and Madison when they return.
Last weekend, Yirui (Elly) Li (Year 13) took part in the 2023 Badminton Canterbury Open. The competition saw the likes of Jack Wang (OC 2020) and Jenny Zhu (OC 2019) competing in various events. Alongside her Canterbury team, Elly competed in the Women’s Doubles as well as the Women’s Singles, winning first place in the Women’s Singles for the fifth year running.
St Andrew’s College netball finished the season with some outstanding results at the CNC Finals Day last weekend.
The Senior B team played Suburbs for third position in the Challenge 2 grade on finals day. After a heartbreaking one-goal loss in the semi-final the week before, the team was determined to finish the season with a win. The team started the game with a very strong first quarter, out-scoring Suburbs 10–4. In the following three quarters, the game became much tighter, and St Andrew’s had to work hard to hold onto the lead and take the win 24–23.
The U17A team competed in the U17 Division 1 final against St Margaret’s College. The team showed great connections through court on both attack and defense. Isabella Cody (Year 11) had a strong game in the shooting circle and was well supported by Caitlin Stowell (Year 11) in the midcourt. The final score was 30–25, a very deserved win.
The Year 9 Silver team competed for the U14 Division 4 title against Christchurch Girls’ High School. The first quarter was a nervous start for both teams and finished at 3–3. Chloe Evans (Year 9) brought her high energy and great attitude to the game, leading by example. The game was well contested by both teams, but Girls’ High ended ahead, 11–16. For most of the players, it was their first time in a final and they enjoyed the excitement and energy of the day.
The Year 10C team played in the final of the U15 Division 4 grade against St Margaret’s College. St Andrew’s started well and were down by just three goals at the end of the first quarter, 7–10. Some increased defensive pressure from the opposition made scoring difficult in the second and third quarters, however, the never-give-up attitude of this team saw them draw the final quarter. The final score was a hard-fought loss 19–28 and a very commendable second place.
The Year 9A team played Cashmere High School for the U14 Division 1 title in a very close game. St Andrew’s had the lead at half time 23–20, however, Cashmere came out strong after the half-time break and pushed until the final whistle. Despite the pressure, the St Andrew’s players, particularly Goal Attack Lucy Cliff (Year 9), kept cool heads and St Andrew’s held on to win 40–39. This win caps off a remarkable season for the team who are now the South Island Year 9 Champions, the Canterbury School Sports Year 9 Champions and the CNC Year 9 Champions, a clean sweep of all three competitions.
FLICKR >
It was another successful weekend of robot carnage with St Andrew’s College fielding six teams across the two Vex Robotics competitions. In the VEX VRC Competition (Secondary School) four teams played the game Over Under, which involved picking up and firing tri-balls across a field and into a goal. Three teams made it into the semi-finals, with one team winning the finals against one of the top Burnside High School teams. The winning team (88397M), Undefined, was made up of Hannah Withers, Alex and Luke Manson (all Year 10), Oliver Cooper (Year 11), and Emily Morgan (Year 12). Winning the last two week’s finals bodes well for the Nationals in February next year.
In the VEX IQ competition, the teams played the game Full Volume. With team (88397E) Cinimiminim spending the day re-building their robot, this left the Year 7 team (88397D) with their robot ‘D-Jeff’ competing in the scrimmage. This team made it to the semi-finals and finished third overall. The team is made up of Jacob Brinch, Alex O Neill, Harry Sibson and Oliver Gibb (all Year 7).
Cohnor Walsh (Year 10) travelled to Blenheim last weekend to compete in the Skoda Southern Tour Cycling Race. Cohnor came in fifth in the ITT (3.4km), fifth in the Criterium (8 laps, 1.2km each), sixth in the hill climb (1.8km), and fourth in the road race (32km). He also gathered enough points to podium in second place for the King of the Mountain.
On Sunday, 20 skiers and snowboarders from the Preparatory School participated in the Annual Primary and Intermediate Schools Ski Race hosted at Mount Cheeseman. This event involved 32 schools from the Canterbury region, with St Andrew’s eager to retain the championship title secured in 2022.
The Year 1–6 skiers were once again the fastest primary school team. Among them, the five top-performing racers who contributed to the acquisition of the Primary Cup were: Isabelle Greer, Rhys Seath (both Year 6), Alessandria Greer, Archer Bryant (both Year 4), and Francesca Greer (Year 3).
Similarly, the St Andrew’s Intermediate team upheld their reputation as the fastest Years 7–8 team. The five top-performing racers in this group, who secured the Intermediate Cup, were: Theo Smith, Ryder Townshend, Harry Hitchon, Katie Morris (all Year 8), and Edward Park (Year 7).
Last weekend, at the 2023 Swim Timaru Open Meet, Yunze Li (Year 6) won five medals in the 10 Years and Under age group – Gold: 200m freestyle, Silver: 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly, Bronze: 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke.
This week, six Year 5–8 students represented the Preparatory School at the Canterbury Individual Interschool Chess Competitions 2023. The boys enjoyed many wins and Samuel Rijpma (Year 5) was awarded first place in the Year 5 category.
Lucia Croft, Savannah Caulfield, Holly Rossiter (all Year 12) and Penelope Taulafo (Year 13) have been selected for the Canterbury U18 Girls’ Black and Red Squads for 2023.
The New Zealand women's K4 crew – featuring Dame Lisa Carrington, Alicia Hoskin, Olivia Brett (OC 2019) and Tara Vaughan – has made history at the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Germany with a golden performance in their 500m final. Olivia’s crew are the first K4 crew from New Zealand, male or female, to win a world title. This result qualifies the team for next year’s Olympics.
Jaxon Lane (OC 2021) was part of the Melbourne Mustangs team who won the Goodall Cup in the Australian Ice Hockey League last weekend.
Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the weekend in sports and cultural activities.
From next week, between Wednesday 6 – Friday 15 September the Prelim examinations for Year 11–13 students will take place. These examinations are a formal, ‘dry run’ for the November NCEA and Scholarship examinations and, along with providing an important practice opportunity for students in each of their examination subjects and the associated feedback from teachers, the results will provide the all-important derived grades in each subject for those November examinations.
Students today received their confirmed examination timetable by email and have been receiving ongoing information from the Head of Teaching and Learning, David Bevin, about the Prelims (especially for the process regarding absence from an examination). This year several students will be doing at least one examination online and are expected to be ‘device-ready’ for the relevant examination/s; forgetting one’s laptop for an online examination will be a real problem! For the duration of the Prelims, no classes for Year 11–13 students will run, with all classes recommencing on Monday 18 September. If a student wishes to study at school, Year 11 students may study in PB08 (Mrs Bigford-Fleming’s classroom) and Year 12–13 students may study downstairs in the Senior College. Whenever a student is at school, for an examination or study, they must be in normal school uniform. Boarders will do supervised study in two Arts Block classrooms for the duration of the examinations.
We are delighted to share this version of Hans Christian Andersen's most well-known classic story of Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’. Come and join King Triton's daughter, Ariel, along with her colourful friends from under the sea as she meets Prince Eric from the world above. Our incredible cast, crew and creative team will be joined by our fantastic live 18-piece orchestra. Immerse yourself in the magic of this beautiful love story for all ages. Book your tickets today and be part of a truly magical experience!
Where: St Andrew's College, Gym 1
When: Wednesday 25 October – Saturday 28 October, 7.00pm–9.30pm (all shows)
Tickets: Adults $35.00 | Students $17.50 (student ID may be requested on entry)
If you want a fun and relaxed afternoon out this weekend, our annual Jazz Club at Fat Eddies is this Saturday starting at 2.00pm. We have four jazz groups performing, and it would be great to see you there.
The Music Department’s upcoming Vocal Concert is a celebration of the incredible musical talent within our College community. It is free to attend this showcase, which will involve Secondary School and Preparatory School choirs, boys’ Barbershops, and a range of fantastic solo items. We look forward to sharing this memorable musical experience with you. See you on Wednesday 20 September, 7.00pm, in the Centennial Chapel.
This year, Grandparents' Day will be held on Friday 20 October. This special occasion will commence with entertainment in the Centennial Chapel at 10.45am. Following this, everyone will leave the Centennial Chapel and meet up with the Preparatory and Secondary School students waiting outside. There will be a photographer available to capture this special day for those who would like this option. Please note, there is no morning tea this year. The number of people attending Grandparents’ Day has risen beyond what can be safely accommodated.
Visitors on Grandparents’ Day need to register to attend. This will ensure that the children are released from class to meet with them. Please use the link below to register for this special day.
GRANDPARENTS' DAY REGISTRATION >
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 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.
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
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 >
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).
For a full list of upcoming school events, please refer to the fixtures page on StACNet.
