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Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou katoa.
In our first full school week for 2023 it is good to feel routines have now been established and summer sports are well underway.
This morning was the second of our large assemblies – celebration of NCEA and Scholarship results. This week I have received updated NCEA achievement results with the latest ‘passes’ for each level:
A truly outstanding result for 2023.
Recognised for academic achievement in the assembly were:
Also recognised for Scholarship success were 34 students from Years 11, 12, and 13 (2023), who achieved 64 Scholarships between them.
Academic Assembly Awards >
Two interesting and relevant speeches were delivered to the audience with the Centennial Chapel filled to capacity with our Year 12– 3 students and many of our 2023 leavers, plus a large number of whānau.
The first address was delivered by Lachlan Odlin, Deputy Head Prefect and DUX of 2023. Lachie encouraged deliberate and focussed learning for all, along with goal setting and the ability to manage your successes and failures. Lachie’s success in achieving eight Scholarships (including Physics and History at the Outstanding Level), plus his acceptance into St Andrew’s University in Scotland (according to The Guardian the top ranked university in the UK), gave him a strong platform from which to offer advice!
Guest Speaker (Lachlan Odlin Deputy Head Prefect 2023) Address >
The second address was delivered by the 2024 Academic Captains – James Hart, Isobel Forsey and Joe Mundy. They delivered a message which focussed on the importance of asking questions, and not being afraid to be passionate about academic learning.
Academic Captains Morning Comment >
As a musical item, Miu Kim (Year 12) gave an outstanding performance on flute – The First Movement of Saverio Mercadante’s Flute Concerto in E Minor.
At the start of the assembly there were three outstanding sporting achievements to recognise:
It was a very special assembly indeed!
Rector’s Academic Assembly Address >
Academic Awards Assembly Flickr >
In other happenings this week;
2023 Year 13 Leavers’ Gift
It is a StAC tradition that the Year 13 Leavers each year initiate and organise a gift to the College as a legacy gift showing gratitude for their time here. This morning, we held a small ceremony with a number of Leavers from 2023 to unveil and bless the magnificent carved Pou which is proudly standing in the Senior College Foyer. Alex McLeod, based in Ōtautahi, is a Māori carver with 20 years’ experience. He was commissioned by the leavers to carve this Pou which honours the diversity and inclusiveness of their year group. The Mihi (greeting), Whakamarama (explanation), Whakawātea (blessing) and Hīmene (hymn) was led by Matua Wiremu.
The following Whakataukī inspired the design:
“Ko te Manu e Kai ana I te Miro,
Nōna te Ngahere.
Ko te Manu e Kai ana I te
Mātauranga, Nōna te Ao.”The bird who feasts upon the miro berry owns the forest.
The bird who feasts upon knowledge, owns the world.
Thank you to the rangatahi of 2023. I am sure our current and future ākonga, kaiako will be inspired by this Taonga.
2023 Leavers’ Gift Unveiling Flickr >
Pou Meaning >
Please feel free to drop into the foyer of the Senior College to see this special piece of our St Andrew’s story.
Finally, I was delighted to have a peek in the Gough Family Theatre yesterday and see the progress being made. It was great to see the tiered seating and feel the capacity of this incredible performance space coming our way soon!
Ngā mihi nui
Christine Leighton
Rector
In 2024, St Andrew’s College is officially introducing the 'Balance is Better' approach across its sporting programmes, spanning from the Preparatory School and throughout the Secondary School. This philosophy prioritises students' well-being and aims to maximize participation while fostering skill development in an enjoyable environment.
In this ‘Balance is Better @StAC’ blog, Director of Sports Strategy John Haggart, shares the key principles behind the new approach to sports at St Andrew’s College. We encourage all parents to have a read.
Read the Blog by clicking here >The Year 13 House Leaders organised the annual Boarders’ Weekend In, which kicked off the House competition for the Dianne Needham Trophy, awarded to the best sports House at the end of the year. The focus this year was on fostering sports house spirit. Activities included 'Capture the Flag' and traditional 'House Entrances' on the first day, followed by ‘Tabloid Sports’ featuring an egg toss, sack races, wheelbarrow races, and tug-of-war. In the afternoon, boarders took personal leave or visited Mega Air. ‘Pot Games’ in the evening challenged the students to plan and perform an acapella song inspired by a judge-set keyword. The Amazing Race on Sunday included stations with various tasks, and a multisport competition featured ‘Mat Racing’, ‘Adapted Relay Races’, and a ‘Gumboot Throw’.
It has been a very full, busy and energetic first few weeks for the boarders but there is a wonderful feeling and energy in the boarding houses which has been led by the enthusiasm of our student leaders.
FLICKR >
The Boarders’ Weekend In culminated with the first Boarders’ Chapel of the year. All boarders wore their Te Taki Tino Ma shirts as a sign of unity and sat in their sports Houses. One of the highlights of the weekend was the wonderful singing in the chapel.
FLICKR >The Leadership Hub Conference run by the charity So They Can was held in the Centennial Chapel on Monday. Fourteen Christ’s College students and 13 St Andrew’s College students from across various leadership teams attended.
The conference gave some great insights into how perspective influences our decisions and how we see others. Students learned about what So They Can do and the life-changing opportunities it provides for girls in East Africa. The students were also coached as to how to deliver a message for impact and influence, and these skills were then put into practice. The afternoon session focussed on strategy for raising money through the So They Can fundraising challenge, ‘One Human Race.’
It costs $600 to educate one girl for a year and our students have set the target of raising funds to support 30 girls, totalling $18,000 which is outside of the Board’s contribution. The fundraising will see each tutor group raising $300. The students came away feeling very empowered and enthusiastic to make a difference.
Thirty Year 12 Tourism students travelled to Akaroa this week to investigate how the tourism industry operates in a small destination. Activities included data collection, a two-hour cruise on the Black Cat and reviewing local restaurants/Cafes.
Year 13 composition students are creating the music for a production the Year 7–8 students have written.
This is an exciting creative and collaborative project where students are working with Head of Music Duncan Ferguson, composition tutor Alice Tanner, and Director Ginnie Thorner.
This week the Pre-school children have been exploring ideas about the celebration of the Lunar New Year. To bring good luck for the year ahead, they tried many of the traditional customs associated with the Lunar New Year, including making lanterns, decorating the Pre-school classroom in red, dragon dancing, and making sticky rice balls. The group’s learning focus on the Lunar New Year has been rich in opportunities for engaging in learning experiences and teaching practices that support the development of strong relationships between children, teachers and families, and that celebrate the diversity of our learning community.
FLICKR >Last weekend, 72 VEX Robotics teams converged on Lynfield College in Auckland for the VEX. The competition was split over two days, in which each team joined alliances to play in 10 scrimmages. After the first day the places were 6th – 88397M; Totally Undefined (Oliver Cooper (Year 12), Hannah Withers, Alex Manson, Luke Manson (all Year 11), Emily Morgan (Year 13)); 11th – 88397C: Jonathan (Matthew Bluck, Lee Patterson, William MacIntyre (all Year 11)); 15th – 88397V: Serious (Aki Hansen, Edison Pang (both Year 12), Alexander Harbrow (Year 11)); 25th – 99387B: The Mischievous (Flynn Blackler, William Couper, Owen Menzies, Victor Sherborne (all Year 13)).
In the second day’s competition, three of the St Andrew’s teams make the quarterfinals (top 16) – 88397M: Totally Undefined; 88397C: Jonathan; and 99387B: The Mischievous. Team Serious placed 25th. The Mischievous qualified for the semi-finals and unfortunately lost in a very close game 74–83.
FLICKR >
The full St Andrew’s College rowing squad raced at the Christchurch Schools’ Head of the River last Saturday at Kerr’s Reach. With a lot of racing abandoned this season, this regatta was pivotal. There were a number of strong results throughout the one-day event, starting with the novice/return rower 50/50 boats. Both the Boys’ and Girls’ crews had strong wins and the senior rowers had some tight racing. The Girls’ U18 quad had a close race with Cashmere High School, neck and neck until some river racing antics disrupted the race with blades hitting between the two boats 500m out, which led to an eventual second place. Both Boys’ U18 4s had strong performances, winning their races, as well as the Boys’ U18 quad. The Boys’ U18 8+ had another close race with Christchurch Boys’ High School and lost out by half a boat length. The senior squad now sets its sights on the final selection camp this weekend in Twizel.
FLICKR >On Monday and Tuesday, a number of Year 11–13 students competed in the Canterbury Secondary Schools Tennis Championships at Wilding Park. In the Girls’ Singles tournament, Lily McHarg (Year 12) finished third and Ruby McPhail (Year 12) sixth. In Doubles, the pair reached their final playing some great tennis and lost out to Avonside in a hard-fought super tiebreak final. In the Year 11 Girls’ Singles tournament, Lila Waghorn (Year 11) played her way through to the final and was convincing in her title-gaining match.
In the Boys’ Singles tournament, Oliver Jackways (Year 11) was runner-up in the Consolation round. In Doubles, he was entered into the Year 12–13 competition with Felix Parkinson (Year 13). The pairing played some good tennis, winning the Consolation tournament. Felix placed 11th in the Open Years 12–13 grade. Ricky Kotepong (Year 12) and Josh Silcock (Year 13) played some great tennis and qualified for the final, where they were defeated by Christ’s College. In Singles, Ricky finished third in the Open Years 12–draw, and Josh finished ninth.
On Saturday, Georgia Gregg (Year 7) competed in Timaru and won the South Canterbury Championship Irish Jig U12.
Last weekend, the 1st XI hosted Christchurch Boys’ High School. Batting first, St Andrew’s College only managed a score of 136 with Jackson Hodgkinson (Year 13) 33. Boys’ High batted with real intent and amassed a score of 371 off 50 overs. Tom Turner (Year 13) 4/114 was our best bowler. Batting in the second innings St Andrew’s struggled against a demanding pace attack and were dismissed for a disappointing 106. Spencer Hair (Year 11) 31 and Toby Smith (Year 13) 39 were the only batsmen to offer any resistance.
Lucas Jemmett (Year 9) made a very well-complied 70 against St Thomas of Canterbury College.
Aine Molony (Year 13) was selected to play cricket for the Canterbury U19 Women’s team for a tournament being held in Lincoln. After the last tournament, a select group of female national cricketers were selected, Aine being one, to take part in the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) female New Zealand U19 cricket camp over this last weekend.
Henry Nicholls (OC 2009) and Leo Carter (OC 2012) put on an absolute show in the Ford Trophy against the Central Stags this week, making for the highest third-wicket partnership for Canterbury ending with 209.
Henry got his eighth List A Century (7th for Canterbury) ending with an astonishing 138 (123). Leo also came out and smacked his second List A Century going for 107 (103). Zak Foulkes (OC 2020) took three wickets in their victory over the Stags.
Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the weekend in sports and cultural activities, including:
A reminder to parents parking in the streets around the College at drop-off and pick-up times, please do not park on yellow lines, especially when close to intersections. When parked cars are blocking the line of sight it makes it difficult for other drivers to turn safely onto the roads, causing them to have to move further into the road to see. This could be dangerous not only for drivers but also for pedestrians and cyclists.
We have also received reports that residents in Normans Road have been blocked from entering or leaving their homes by cars parked across their driveway and would like to remind parents/caregivers not to park across driveways and to be courteous to College neighbours.
Due to some issues arising, we would like to remind you that the three 5-minute parks allocated in the drop-off zone are for Pre-school parents/caregivers only. These parks need to be kept clear for Pre-school families to use, so we ask all parents to please take note of the signage and not park in these designated parks.
Meet our teachers who make the difference at our upcoming Open Days. Please help spread the word for interested families to register online.
Secondary School Open Day: Wednesday 6 March, 9.00am–12.00pm
Last Tour Commences: 10.30am
Rector's Address: 11.00am
Boarding House Open Day: 12.00pm
Preparatory School and Pre-school Open Day: Thursday 8 March, 11.00am–12.30pm
Principal of Preparatory School Address: 11.45am
We are currently accepting enrolments for the Year 9 intake in 2025. Kindly note that the deadline for applications from siblings of current and past students, children of alumni and children of our current staff is Monday 18 March. The deadline for boarding applications is Friday 22 March.
To register your interest in a place at St Andrew’s College for students new to the College, complete our online application form by clicking here >
For further information please don’t hesitate to contact our Registrar, Lynn Smith, enrol@stac.school.nz.
Our Course Outlines, summarising the learning and assessment for each subject, are available on StACNet. Students will also have received an electronic or hard copy of each Outline, and we encourage you to read them and discuss them. Of additional importance in the Years 11–13 Outlines is the NCEA assessment programme information.
View Course Outlines by clicking here >
If you wish to sign-up your child for one of the below co-curricular activities, please visit the link below.
PREPARATORY SCHOOL SIGN UP FORMS >
For further information about co-curricular groups, itinerant lesson options, and tutors, please contact one of the following:
SPEECH AND DRAMA TUITION SIGNUP >
PIPE BAND AND HIGHLAND DANCE SIGNUP >
The official StAC App is a great way to stay up-to-date with the latest news and information from the College, including events, sports draws, cancellations and postponements. It enables you to receive alert notifications, as well as access the Community Portal, student timetables, term fixtures, contacts, resources, and report an absence all in one location. The App will also be one of the main communication platforms used in the unlikely event of an emergency. In these situations, alerts sent via the App are the quickest to go out and are very well received by parents/caregivers.
For all the information to download and use the StAC App, please visit our digital platforms information page on StACNet, where you can also view an instructional video, or download the PDF guide.
Further information >
This is a fun, casual tournament in which we welcome any guests and friends you might like to bring along. Prizes will be awarded throughout the various skill levels, so come along and enjoy what will be a day of fun and catching up with fellow Old Collegians and supporters of the College. Winners of the tournament will be offered complimentary entry to the Strowan Rose Bowl Tournament. Please click the link below to register your team.
Register >This is a reminder that the new College Cafeteria operates using a cashless electronic payment system. Cash payments will no longer be accepted, as we have gone fully electronic. This means students will need to have an EFTPOS or Debit card in order to purchase from the College Cafeteria. We thank you for your support and understanding of this initiative.
The Cafeteria is open at morning intervals and at lunchtime for all Secondary School students to purchase food and drink. Fair prices are charged, and profits are utilised to provide amenities for the College, making this an important service within the College.
What if my child doesn’t have an EFTPOS/Debit card?
For students who don’t have an EFTPOS or Debit card, we suggest parents/caregivers consider signing up for one if their child wants to make use of the Cafeteria. An alternative option to a traditional bank card, such as a Visa Prezzy card, may be preferred, which can be pre-loaded and topped up as required. The Prezzy Card can be loaded from $25 to $1000 (plus fees). Please note credit card payment surcharge fees apply if you choose to use this method. Read more about how the Prezzy card works by clicking here.
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 https://www.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 behaviour, please let us know by emailing comms@stac.school.nz. Please note you will be prompted to log in using your StAC parent login when accessing StACNet. This is to protect the privacy and security of our school and community.
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).
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.
