You are logged in as
Logout
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou katoa.
Greetings this week from Onewa Domain, North Shore, Auckland. The St Andrew’s College A and B Bands are competing both today and tomorrow, with a special Band dinner for students and parents. At this dinner, the leavers from 2023 are farewelled after their last competition for St Andrew’s. It is great to see them return to support the Pipe Band one more time – most of them are now engaged with tertiary study across New Zealand. Tomorrow, both bands will play at the Street March in Takapuna, which is quite a spectacle, with more competition tomorrow afternoon.
Many other St Andrew’s students are travelling this weekend to various parts of the country to compete in Summer Tournament week. Last weekend, the Senior Girls’ futsal team won their regional competition, which has set them up well for their Secondary School nationals in Wellington next week. The Senior Boys’ futsal team will also compete in this competition. Volleyball came second to Christchurch Girls’ High School in the Canterbury competition and they, along with the boys’ team, compete at nationals next week in Palmerston North. Other teams competing in national tournaments are mixed tennis, basketball, mountain biking, water polo, and rowing. The mixed touch team is playing in the South Island tournament. After a wonderful Fiafia night on Thursday, our St Andrew’s Māori and Pasifika group will compete at the Polyfest in Christchurch this Saturday.
Unfortunately, the special opening event for our new Ngā Toi – Performing Arts Centre and Gough Family Theatre has been postponed, due to instalment challenges of the technical equipment. However, we are confident that the rescheduled official opening we will now celebrate on the opening night of the Senior Production, Legally Blonde, will be a most memorable event.
Two other notable events this week were the impressive performance of our Girls’ 1st XI cricket team in the Gillette Venus Cup tournament, and the evening held for our Year 8 parents about the transition into Year 9 for 2025. Thank you to the large number of parents who attended this event.
Finally for this week I recognise the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch Mosque shooting tragedy. On this day we collectively remember and respect the shuhada (martyrs of the attack), the survivors and the families affected. We also hope for the well-being of the survivors and recall the aroha shown by the people of Ōtautahi and the wider New Zealand community. Our St Andrew’s commitment to our value of inclusivity continues to guide our efforts to ensure all our rangatahi acknowledge and celebrate diversity. At our College we celebrate different beliefs, religions and customs, and actively pursue better knowledge and understanding.
Best wishes to all our students busy with events and competitions this weekend.
Noho tahi tātou i roto i te aroha me te aroha.
May we live in unity, love and compassion.
Ngā mihi maioha
Christine Leighton
Rector
In this blog post, Head of Well-being, Kerry Larby reflects on how success and disappointment are two sides of the same coin. Kerry considers how we can best support our young people to cope with the inevitable disappointments they face at school. She offers evidence-based strategies to help our students cultivate resilience when navigating disappointment and loss.
READ THE BLOG POST >
On Monday, the annual Secondary School House Swimming Sports took place at Jelly Park. With just over 110 swimmers competing, the event went was keenly contested by all the swimmers. In the end, the winning House was Rutherford, followed by MacGibbon in second place.
FLICKR >On Tuesday evening, the College hosted the first Combined Boarders’ Chapel Service for 2024. Now in its eighth year, this is a wonderful opportunity for students from Christ’s College, St Margaret’s College, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, Christchurch Girls’ High School and St Bede’s College to come together. Heads of Boarding, Alex Kinney and Gretal Tavendale, welcomed everybody and shared how the St Andrew’s boarding community has connected through activities such as our Boarders’ Weekend.
The guest speaker was Dr Luke A Barnes, a senior lecturer in Physics at Western Sydney University, with a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Cambridge. He is currently on a nationwide tour talking about “The Improbable Universe.” The service also included musical items from Noah Fanene (Year 12), who sang Great is thy Faithfulness, and the Year 12 Barbershop Quartet sang Yesterday. After the service, the Year 13 boarders from all schools enjoyed socialising over an ice-cream in the Senior College. Thank you to Rev. Paul Morrow and Music teacher Bryan Botting for their contributions to the service.
Congratulations to all those who were involved with the College’s Fiafia Night last night. It was a fantastic celebration of Pasifika culture, and the group did themselves very proud. It was fantastic to see the passion and how far the group has come. Thank you to the community for all your support and we hope to see many of our community tomorrow morning, when the group performs at the Canterbury Polyfest in Hagley Park.
Flickr >Approximately 100 Year 12 biology students attended a Rocky Shore Fieldtrip to Wainui Bay on Monday or Tuesday this week. The students sampled the rocky shore from low tide to high tide to identify the distribution pattern of different species. They also looked at the environmental factors, adaptations and interspecific relationships present on the rocky shore. The data collected is now being used to complete their 2.6 Ecology internal.
On Wednesday, the prefects went to Jellie Park to help Allenvale School with their swimming sports. Some of the prefects jumped in the pool with the students, others timed the races, and everyone provided lots of great encouragement and support. This was an awesome day for all involved, with lots of great memories and connections formed.
Over 30 Year 12–13 students attended an informative presentation run by staff from the University of Otago during Thursday lunchtime. Students were also encouraged to attend the Otago Open Day in Dunedin on Sunday 26 – Monday 27 May.
Last Sunday, the Preparatory School held its first Sunday service of the year in the Centennial Chapel. The service was led by Preparatory School Chaplain, Jillian Fenton, with Religious Education teacher Ben Hughes delivering some key messages around learning from our mistakes, which was well received by the community. The Cantare choir, led by Music teacher Ros Emeleus, gave a beautiful rendition of Kyrie. Year 8 Sacristans, Louis Hyland-Cook, Alex Heiler and Zoe Stronach shared the call to worship and readings for the service.
Flickr >
This week at Pre-school has been Healthy Heart Week! Throughout the week the children have learnt about the different things they can do to keep their hearts healthy, including eating yummy healthy kai and enjoying lots of physical activity. On Monday morning, the week was kick started with a Dance Fitness session lead by Miss Parker, one of the Ballet Academy teachers. The children have kept their heart rates up through the week with lots more dancing, obstacle courses, and ball games; they’ve made their own yummy smoothies and juices; and borrowed lots of exciting resources from Pre-school whānau, including heart models, books and stethoscopes.
Healthy Heart Week finished today with a red theme dress up day for Little Heart Day. Little Heart Day is Heart Kids New Zealand's annual fundraising campaign where they aim to raise as much money as possible to ensure that they can continue to provide vital support services to tamariki impacted by heart issues, and their whānau, free of charge.
FLICKR >The Senior A Girls’ volleyball team finished second at Canterbury Senior Secondary School Volleyball Championships last weekend. In the semi-final, the team beat St Margaret’s College 3–0 after a dominant serve receive performance. The final was a close battle with skill execution being the difference in the end.
The Senior B Girls’ also had a great tournament finishing eighth in Division 1, with highlights being wins over Riccarton High School A, and Villa Maria College A.
The Senior A Boys’ finished seventh in Division 1 and had two great wins over Hillmorton A and St Thomas of Canterbury College A, plus two very close losses against Shirley Boys’ High School and Te Whānau Tahi.
flickr >
Our Futsal Senior Girls won the Mainland Football Futsal Regional Tournament 2024 and the Canterbury Championship this week. The Regional Tournament final was against Papanui High School, with St Andrew’s winning on penalties after a 2–2 draw. The team won the Canterbury Championship after beating Christchurch Girls’ High School 5–4.
The 1st XI Girls’ team performed incredibly well at the Gillette Venus Tournament this week, with their best result in recent history. Over the three-day tournament the girls played six T-20s, winning five. During pool play, top performances came from Daisy Thake (Year 11) with two half centuries, with excellent support from Gabrielle Jones (Year 13), Hannah Radford (Year 10), and Georgie Opie (Year 13) with the bat, and Aine Molony (Year 13) and Yinan (Vivian) Lu (Year 12) with the ball. On the second day of competition, the team qualified for the quarterfinals, however, were unable to restrict Rangi Ruru Girls’ School in their run chase. The final day of play saw the team playing off for fifth to eighth, and with two solid performances against Lincoln High School and the Forward Foundation they thoroughly deserved their final ranking of fifth in Canterbury. It was an excellent three days of cricket for the Girls’ cricket team, and for many of the Year 13 players it was the culmination of five years of dedicated work.
The 1st XI Boys' team had a great win on Saturday against Christchurch Boys’ High School 2nd XI. Boys’ High batted extremely well in the second innings on a very good batting track and they eventually declared at 281/7 with Otis Wheeler (Year 11) taking three wickets. Setting a target of 222 off 37 overs, the boys got away to a great start with Jackson Hodgkinson (Year 13) and Spencer Hair (Year 11) scoring at a run a ball. With 17 overs left, the boys required seven runs an over, which they achieved with an over to spare. Spencer Hair brought up a very good 100 n.o. and was backed up well by cameos from William Carrodus (Year 13) 37 and Jack O’Rourke (Year 12) 30 n.o.
In other games, highlights were Hugo Peers (Year 9) who bowled exceptionally well taking 5/21 against Christ’s College. Harrison Horsley (Year 10) made a very solid 65 against Christ’s College.
Taylor Quaid (Year 10) competed in the New Zealand Horse of the Year Show in Hastings, coming home with two titles, as well as fifth and sixth places in Pony of the Year on two different ponies. She also won The Arab of the Year and Paced and Mannered Arab of the Year.
The results from the recent ISSA Swimming Sports Day are now available, with St Andrew’s College winning the Years 5–6 Mixed Medley and Years 7–8 Mixed Medley, as well as a number of first, second and third placings in finals.
Podium results >
Benjamin Yu and Cong (Zilong) Chen (both Year 8) sat the first round Singapore Maths Challenge last September and received gold medals. This qualified them for the Singapore Maths Global Final this month, where they both received gold medals in the final. This means they have both qualified for the Singapore International Math Olympiad Challenge, a four-day-competition being held in July in Singapore.
Kelicia Rui En Purcell (Year 7) competed in 14 events at the 54th Singapore National Age Groups Swimming Championships, achieving 12 personal bests and met the ‘Meet Time Standard’ in all events.
Last Friday, we welcomed back 40 Old Collegians from the Class of 1964–1968 and their partners to a truly memorable Founders’ Day and 60 Years On reunion. The weekend commenced with the Founders’ Day Assembly, during which Gerald Wilson, the 1968 cricket captain, presented this year’s 1st XI cricket caps and Francis Twiss (OC 1968) presented medals to our rowers. Francis was part of the inaugural St Andrew’s boat that competed in the Maadi Cup in 1968. The afternoon was filled with vibrant energy as Old Collegians enjoyed watching the Highland Games and the Pipe Band display.
The Friday night Cocktail party saw 60 guests return for a well overdue catch-up, sharing countless stories. Saturday night marked the formal dinner, complete with the traditional Address to a Haggis. Grateful thanks to Alistair Craw, Richard McLachlan, and John Masson (all OC 1968), who assisted Matthew Lee (Year 13) in delivering a dramatic and entertaining address. Peter Smith (OC 1968) skillfully emceed the event, with Michael Sidey (OC 1968) offering a heartfelt Toast to Absent Friends, and Francis Twiss leading the Grace. Lyal French-Wright, Head Boy of 1968, delivered a memorable Toast to the College to which Rector Christine Leighton replied on behalf of the school.
Flickr >Marianne Gilchrist (née Dutkiewicz, OC 2008) recently swam the length of Lake Taupō, which is a staggering 40.2 kilometres and also the largest lake in the Southern Hemisphere. She did this in 14 hours and 35 minutes on a beautiful, clear day. This feat has been achieved by less than 100 people and was first done in 1955 by Margaret Sweeney. An incredible test of endurance, determination, and resilience. Marianne is pictured with her husband, Peter Gilchrist (OC 2006).
Moses Armstong-Ravula (OC 2022) has just been named in the Moana Pasifika U20 squad.
Isiah Armstrong-Ravula (OC 2021) has become a fan favourite in his rookie year with the Fijian Drua Super Rugby team and was named Fan Player of the Match in last week’s victory over the Crusaders.
Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the weekend in sports and cultural activities, including:
Over the past few weeks, we’ve continued to receive feedback from our local residents about driving and parking behaviour in the vicinity of our school. To ensure the safety and well-being of everyone, we request your cooperation in adhering to the following:
Yellow Lines: Do not park on yellow lines. These markings are essential for maintaining clear sightlines and access for all.
Kea Crossing: When arriving at the College between 8.00am–8.30am, please use the designated Kea crossing on Normans Road. This ensures safe passage for pedestrians.
Exiting the Drop-off Zone: Remember to always turn left onto Normans Road when leaving the drop-off area. This helps manage traffic flow effectively.
Respecting Neighbours: Avoid parking across neighbouring residents’ driveways. Let’s be considerate of our community.
Watch for Cyclists and Pedestrians: Before opening your vehicle doors, check for cyclists and other road users. Safety first!
Pre-School Parking: If you’re a Pre-school parent with a visible permit, feel free to use the allocated Pre-school parks in the drop-off/pick-up zone. No one else should use these parks.
Thank you for your cooperation.
We are excited to confirm that the 2024 St Andrew’s College Black & Bling Ball is raising money to support the hockey and netball communities. The highly successful Black & Bling Ball is a biennial fixture on the St Andrew’s social calendar and incorporates a delicious sit-down dinner, a fully licensed bar, live and silent auctions, and live music.
The Ball will be held on Saturday 25 May in Gym 1. Please save the date and keep a look out for details on ticket sales, which will be sent out via email w/c 25 March 2024.
The first of this year's well-being information sessions, StACTalks, will focus on nutrition and fueling growing students to flourish. Join us to learn more about the science and importance of nutrition for teenage development and performance across all areas of school life, general health and well-being. Presenter Conrad Goodhew is an expert in his field, with a broad nutrition knowledge with links between high performance sport and general nutrition. He has his own private practice and has worked within the community, as well as with professional teams such as the Black Ferns and the Crusaders rugby team. He has also supported athletes in the Coast to Coast, and the Auckland, Queenstown and Hawke's Bay marathons, and Motatapu events. Important tips and information will be provided to help promote a flourishing student/athlete. This StACTalk is designed for both students and parents who are interested in understanding the science of nutrition and its link to performance, well-being and general function both mentally and physically.
Date: Monday 25 March
Time: 6.00pm–7.00pm
Location: Centennial Chapel
Dates and times for the Parent-Teacher Interviews (Years 9–13) this term are as follows:
Please note that school will finish for the students at 12.35pm (i.e, we will not be running Period 5). There will be supervision available for students should you wish your child to be supervised until school would normally finish.
Boarder Interviews: There will be no boarder interviews at the end of this term. This means that classes will finish at 3.20pm on Friday 12 April.
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.
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.
