close

You are logged in as

Logout

This website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users. This helps us to provide you with a good user experience and also allows us to improve our website. More information

Close
Facebook Old Cols College

Rector's Comment

Friday 1 March 2024

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Kia ora koutou katoa.

Today, our campus is a sea of blue and white for both staff and students as we celebrate a non-uniform day across the Preparatory and Secondary Schools. This event supports So They Can, an Australasian charity dedicated to improving access to education for children in poverty in Tanzania and Kenya. Co-founder Cassandra Treadwell, who lives in Wānaka, has dedicated years of tireless fundraising for this cause.

In engaging students in philanthropic initiatives, we create a culture of giving and support for those in a less fortunate position than ourselves. Not only is this an important part of our mission at St Andrew’s College but we believe it is a critical part of our students’ character development. This year, our Community Service Leaders are co-ordinating a big effort across the College to support So They Can and your support of them would be truly appreciated.

Te Waka
A highlight for this week was the early morning Te Waka ‘The Calling’ ceremony at 6.00am on Thursday at Kairaki Beach in Kaiapoi for our Year 10 rangatahi. Now in its eleventh year at StAC, Te Waka is an important part of our character education programme. While I am sure many students didn’t appreciate the requirement to be at school by 5.30am, the collective experience of watching the sunrise with inspiring words, reflection and ritual was a moment I believe they will always remember. Thank you to the Teacher in Charge of Te Waka, Kate Taylor for her inspirational organisation and to Te Waka teachers for their early morning support and commitment to the programme throughout the year.

South Island Tournaments
It was great to support our tennis and volleyball teams competing in South Island Secondary Schools tournaments last weekend. The Girls’ Senior A tennis team placed first and the Boys’ Senior A team second, which was a wonderful effort. Congratulations also to the Senior A Girls’ volleyball team who had a strong tournament placing second in the South Island after losing the final to St Margaret’s College. Our rowing squad are competing at the South Islands in Twizel this weekend. Summer Tournament is now only two weeks away and St Andrew’s will have strong representation across a number of sports.

Road Safety and Courtesy
On Wednesday you will have received an email from our People and Business Manager, Justine Scott regarding parking and driving around St Andrew’s College, especially at busy pick up and drop off times. I also ask that all student drivers and parents exercise consideration for safety and courtesy to our neighbours and residents at all times. As a College we allocate significant resource to ensuring the safety of our students and neighbours, including staff duty around the drop off zone on Normans Road, Prefect assistance, Road Patrol, plus traffic alert signs. We ask that all drivers of vehicles in the vicinity of our school exercise personal responsibility in order to keep everyone safe.

Jonathan Bierwirth Hockey Success
Principal of Preparatory School, Jonathan Bierwirth is away this week as ‘Goalie’ of the Canterbury Hockey team competing at the New Zealand Masters Tournament in Wellington. The Canterbury team has won all games played so far, finished top of their pool, and they play for the gold medal on Saturday – best wishes to the team!

Ngā mihi nui



Christine Leighton
Rector

CLT 2023

A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

Late last year, the Board formed a subcommittee of Felicity Odlin, Nick Letham and Stephanie Bain to manage the selection and appointment process for our next Rector. It is our pleasure to bring you an update on where we are in the process.

We are excited to be working with Graham Ewing from EQI Global for the recruitment of this role. Graham has a longstanding reputation for delivering high quality senior appointments in a range of organisations including education. Graham managed the appointment of Christine 17 years ago, as well as several other senior positions at St Andrew’s since then.

Over the past six weeks Graham has met with the Board and held focus groups with various members of our school community. This has been extremely beneficial to help shape the search strategy.

An advertisement for the role, together with a candidate information pack and welcome video went live on Wednesday this week across a number of platforms. Applications for the role close on Thursday 11 April 2024. The Board will run a thorough and robust selection, interview and assessment process from that date.

In the candidate information pack, we emphasise that the College is in a good place, that a new Rector will be leading a thriving school, and the appointment will provide an opportunity to build on the College’s strong foundations of tradition and values, alongside innovation and excellence in education.

This is a humbling experience for us to showcase the College and we are looking forward with interest to the response.

Felicity, Nick and Stephanie

Around the College

BALANCE IS BETTER BLOG

This year at Athletic Sports Day, we proudly honoured students whose actions embody the Balance is Better sports philosophy. Inspired by our school’s sporting symbol – the Thistle – students were presented with Thistle Good Sorts prizes to celebrate their character, sportsmanship, and representing the collegial spirit of our school community.

Read the blog post and details of award recipients >
Sports Blog

SECONDARY SCHOOL ATHLETICS DAY RESULTS

Due to a number of reporting errors, the final results are in for Secondary School Athletic Sports Day.

Final results >

MSChapel SLJ 0115

MIDDLE SCHOOL CHAPEL

Last Sunday’s Middle School Chapel Service was well attended by students, parents and whānau. The theme of the service was ‘Giving Out’ and Rev. Paul Morrow’s poignant message reminded our students about the importance of giving our time, support and love to others. The Stacchorus group sang a wonderful rendition of Ave Maria, superbly accompanied by violinist, Andy Li (Year 9) and led by Music teacher Bryan Botting. Stacchorus also sang a lovely arrangement of And I Love Her. An offering was received for the charity So They Can and $420 was donated.

FLICKR >

TE WAKA

At 5.30am on Thursday morning, the Year 10 student body assembled at St Andrew’s College in the dark, ready to participate in ‘The Calling’. The Calling is a ceremony in which the students are ‘called’ by their teachers on their journey towards adulthood. At Kairaki Beach, greetings and messages of welcome were given, along with the challenge that it’s time to move on, to accept more responsibility and mark the beginning of this next important journey. The Calling also involves acknowledgement of the end of childhood and a show of gratitude to those people who influenced the students through their childhood. An important part of the ceremony involves the students writing a childhood behaviour that they wish to ‘let go’ on a shell or rock. The students were respectful and reflective as they threw these into the ocean. Childhood behaviours were left behind and new challenges and responsibilities are all that lie ahead. It was a fantastic morning with the sunrise peeping through the low cloud. The students appreciated the significance of the ceremony and will be an experience they will share with others as a treasured memory.

FLICKR >
TeWakaCalling 125

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS

Over 45 students took part in a half-day Creative Writing workshop in the Green Library and Innovation Centre, run by our Writer in Residence, Kerrin Davidson and Head of English, Rebecca Ball. These student writers read award-winning exemplar work for inspiration and then worked through a range of writing exercises to produce their own original prose and poetry. All attendees will receive feedback on their writing and advice on how to enter it into upcoming competitions and publication opportunities.

Any student interested in creative writing is encouraged to join the Writing for Publication group, who meet every Wednesday lunchtime in AB402.

YEAR 12 GEOGRAPHY TRIP

Year 12 Geography students enjoyed a three-day excursion into the Aoraki Mount Cook National Park earlier this week. They learnt about the physical geography of the region, and how the environment has changed over time. Highlights included the views from the summit of the Red Tarn walk, where the students could see the processes in operation within such a dynamic environment. Additional highlights included viewing the Hooker Glacial Lake and its icebergs, a lecture from a Department of Conservation Ranger on the significance of Aoraki National Park, along with a delicious meal at the Hermitage Hotel. While on the trip, the students collected the data for their Geographic Research which focuses on the interacting elements of relief, soil, climate and vegetation within the Red Tarns environment.

YEAR 11 PHYSICAL EDUCATION TRIP

The 11PHED Level 1 NCEA students went on an offsite adventure to the High Ropes Course at the Groynes. This involved a variety of adventure-based learning activities in the morning – testing student’s creativity, cooperation and problem-solving, followed by horizontal and vertical ropes in the afternoon. All students challenged themselves outside of their comfort zone and worked effectively as a collective to enhance and promote kotahitanga (togetherness). The EOTC day provided a lot of fun and positive team building of class culture, alongside collecting key evidence to contribute towards their NCEA achievement standard.

ThemeDayT1 MG 9364

SO THEY CAN THEME DAY

The non-uniform Day at St Andrew’s College today was in conjunction with the start of the 1 Human Race that fundraises for So They Can. This is a charity in East Africa that seeks to support girls into education so that they do not have to be forced into arranged marriages as children. St Andrew’s College is hoping to raise over $18,000 through the month of March for this cause.

At lunch time today, Houses competed on stationary bikes to see who could get the furthest in the lunch period. Erwin won, followed by Thompson, McGibbon and Rutherford. Another fundraiser saw the Head of Middle School, Matt Parr, auction his allocated space in the carpark for the next three weeks. Teachers Beka Roest and Ashley James won, with a bid of $250, following a lot of interest.

Thank you to everyone who supported So They Can with their donations today.

FLICKR >

Student Success

TENNIS

Last weekend, tennis players from across the South Island converged at Wilding Park for the South Island Secondary Schools Tennis Championships. Our Girls’ team comprised of Lily McHarg, Ruby McPhail (both Year 12), Lila Waghorn (Year 11), Marija Filipovic (Year 10), with the debut of Billie Feaver-Banks (Year 9). It was a superb display of tennis by the Senior Girls’ squad in their matches, with Billie showing superb skills as a doubles specialist. All of the girls were determined to do the College proud, and they did, beating Rangi Ruru Girls’ School 6–0 and the Ashburton College team 5–1 to be crowned South Island Champions. The boys were also well represented by Ricky Kotepong (Year 12), Alvin Na, Jack Wheeler (both Year 10), Josh Silcock (Year 13) and another debut by a Year 9 student, George Kotepong. The level of tennis played was fantastic and saw the boys beat Otago Boys’ High School and Christ’s College (A2) to get through to the final on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, sickness affected the team but in spite of this the finals saw a superb display of tennis. The boys were defeated by a talented Christ’s College A1 team, finishing the tournament as runners up in the South Island.

FLICKR >
SISS Tennis untitled 85

VOLLEYBALL

The Mainland South Island Secondary Schools Volleyball Championships were held last weekend, with three St Andrew’s College’s teams competing against the best schools from around the South Island. During pool play, the Senior A Girls’ team finished with five wins. In the semi-final they played Christchurch Girls’ High School A, and after a very tight contest the team won to progress to the final against St Margaret’s College. In the final the team lost 1–3, to finish second overall.

The Senior A Boys’ team also had a successful tournament, finishing second overall in Division 2. The boys started the tournament with four wins and a loss during pool play, and on the final day the boys beat Middleton Grange School 3–0 with Bronson Curtis (Year 12) and Jett Timbrell (Year 11) having outstanding performances. In the final, the team lost to Shirley Boys’ High School in a highly entertaining contest.

The Senior B Girls’ team also competed in Division 2, which included multiple Senior A teams, qualifying for the semi-finals, where they lost to Villa Maria College A.

OLYMPIAD CAMP

Hannah Withers and Ellie Zhou (both Year 11) participated in the New Zealand Olympiad in Informatics (NZOI) summer camp in Christchurch in January as part of the Informatics Olympiad. The Olympiad in Informatics is a competitive programming contest wherein students write computer programs which solve problems within certain time and memory constraints.

FUTSAL

Scarlett Gray, Amber de Wit (both Year 12), Megan Simpson (Year 13) and Holly Lyon (Year 11) have all been named in the Canterbury Senior Women’s Futsal Squad to play in the Ford Football Superleague.

SUPA POLO

Wilde Brabazon-Fleming (Year 9) represented St Andrew’s at the recent South Island SUPA Polo Tournament last Sunday in the B Grade team, along with some polo players from Christ’s College. Wilde also assisted with recruiting new riders at the ‘Give it a Go’ polo morning at Waireka Polo Farm before the tournament.

Swimming Catherine

SWIMMING

Two St Andrew’s College students competed in the 2024 Canterbury West Coast Junior Championships at the Selwyn Aquatic Centre in Rolleston over the weekend. Catherine Shao (Year 9) won a total of 12 medals from 10 individual events (five gold and seven silver). Samuel Hu (Year 9) won two bronze medals and a silver medal.

SURFING

‘Oceans’ is New Zealand Junior Surf Lifesaving’s premier carnival, held at Mount Maunganui each year. Eva Willcox (Year 8) competed against 109 female U13 swimmers. Although she had no podium results, Eva achieved a personal best in the surf swim event getting into the semi-final (top 34), and the quarter-final in the board event.

Surfing Eva
Music Ethan

MUSIC

Ethan Waines (Year 8) sat his ABRSM Violin Grade 8 examination and Trinity Horn Grade 5 examinaton last year, passing both with High Distinction.

New Zealand Representative

FOOTBALL

In addition to Holly Lyon (Year 11) whose selection was reported in last week’s newsletter, Scarlett Gray (Year 12) has also been named in the U16 Secondary Schools New Zealand football team.

Football Scarlett

Staff Success

Marisa Book

BOOK LAUNCH

On Tuesday evening, St Andrew’s College hosted the launch of Receptionist Marisa Cappetta’s most recent poetry collection, Tender Insurrections, in the Strowan House staffroom. Guests were treated to introductory speeches from publisher David Gregory of Sudden Valley Press and acclaimed New Zealand poet and author James Norcliffe, before hearing Marisa read select pieces from her new collection. Tender Insurrections, which has been praised by James Norcliffe for its “sharp-edged, multi-faceted surrealism; intricate assemblage; and enough astonishing imagery to make your head spin,” can be purchased from suddenvalleypress.com, or contact Marisa directly at MCA@stac.school.nz or artymorris@yahoo.com.

Old Collegians

ROWING

Old Collegian rowers participated in the New Zealand National Rowing Championships at Lake Karapiro. The Men's Double Scull was won by Robbie Manson (OC 2007) and his doubles partner, Jordan Parry, qualifying them for the Paris Olympics in July. The School of Origin Men’s 4 was won by Ben Taylor, Thomas Russel, Flynn Dijkstra and Zack Rumble (all OC 2017), who also rowed together in the winning Maadi Cup 8 in 2017. The Boss Rooster (Men's Premiere 4) was won by Ben Taylor, Thomas Russel, Zack Rumble, and Oli Welch.

Ben has qualified for the Men’s Reserve Pair to race at the three World Cups leading up to the Paris Olympics in July. Zack has been selected into the Elite Men’s quadruple sculls to compete at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland and if placed in the top two, he will qualify for the Olympics.

The New Zealand Elite squad includes four St Andrew’s Old Collegians – Robbie, Ben, Thomas and Zack, and the College is currently the most represented school in the Rowing New Zealand squad.

POLITICS

Feleti Teo (OC 1982) has been elected by the new parliament of Tuvalu as the country’s Prime Minister. Feleti, who was Dux in his final year at the College, has had an illustrious career in a number of Pacific-wide organisations since he graduated with an LLB degree from the University of Canterbury. Feleti follows in the footsteps of another Old Collegian, Sir Toalipi Lauti (OC 1951), who was the first Prime Minister of independent Tuvalu in 1978.

Old Col Feleti

Good Luck

Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the weekend in sports and cultural activities, including:

  • Hanmer Springs Music Camp;
  • Pipe Band Canterbury Championships;
  • South Island Secondary Schools Rowing and Maadi Camp;
  • South Island Secondary Schools Tri and Duathlon Championships;
  • VEX Robotics nationals;
  • John McGlashan College and Columba College Sports Exchange.

Notices and Upcoming Events

SAFETY ISSUES RELATING TO DRIVING IN THE VICINITY OF THE COLLEGE

Unfortunately, in the past couple of weeks we have received complaints from local residents regarding driving and parking behaviour in the streets surrounding the College. We would like to ask everyone to be courteous and obey the road rules at all times. This is critical to ensure the safety and well-being of students, staff, other road users, and local homeowners.

Congestion has increased significantly at pick-up and drop-off times. Please take care as you approach the College and navigate parking, ensuring the road rules are obeyed at all times.

In addition, please:

-  use the Kea crossing on Normans Road, 8.00am–8.30am each morning and 20 minutes at the end of the school day;

-  only turn left onto Normans Road when exiting the drop-off zone;

-  do not park across neighbouring residents' driveways;

-  do not park on yellow lines, which can lead to obstruction of line of sight and access;

-  check for cyclists, as well as other road and footpath users before opening your vehicles doors;

-  unless you are a Pre-school parent (with a visible permit) do not use the allocated Pre-school parks in the drop-off/pick-up zone.

Open Days Kerry

2024 OPEN DAYS

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 7 March, 11.00am–12.30pm
Principal of Preparatory School Address: 11.45am

Register online >

ENROLMENTS | YEAR 9 2025

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.

COURSE OUTLINES

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 >

POLYFEST FIAFIA NIGHT

Kia Ora e te iwi. Over the past two months, our Māori and Pasifika group have been working hard at putting together their performance for the annual Christchurch Polyfest showcase for the third year running. As a part of this process, there will be a Fiafia Night on Thursday 14 March, 6.00pm–8.00pm in Gym 1. Entry is free for all those who would like to support, provide feedback, or just enjoy the groups’ performance. Following tradition, the Fiafia night will include the full performance, open mic opportunity for the audience, and a shared kai at the end of the night. The group would love your support and hope to see you there! Ngā mihi, from the student Māori and Pasifika Group.

Fiafia Night

ABSENCES

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:

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).

Community Directory 1

COMMUNITY BUSINESS DIRECTORY

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 >

KEY DATES

  • Wednesday 6 March – Secondary School Open Day, 9.00am;
  • Thursday 7 March – Preparatory School and Pre-school Open Day, 11.00am;
  • Friday 8 March – Founders’ Day and Highland Games;
  • Monday 11 March – Secondary School Swimming Sports;
  • Monday 18 March – Sunday 24 March – Summer Tournament Week;
  • Friday 29 March – Tuesday 2 April – Easter;
  • Friday 12 April – End of term.

For a full list of upcoming school events, please refer to the fixtures page on StACNet.