You are logged in as
Logout
You are logged in as
Logout
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou.
Prefects’ Assembly
The annual Prefects’ Assembly was a great way to finish Term 2 in the Secondary School, with the theme of ‘Survivor Games’ keeping the audience well entertained. The Sports, Cultural and Academic tribes battled it out in a variety of challenges with the Sports Tribe announced as the final champions. I suspect Enzo, the dog, was a crowd favourite!
The assembly was punctuated by the singing, dancing, and the thoughtful Morning Comment from prefect Benjamin Ashman (Year 13). Ben spoke on nurturing a positive attitude with references to personal setbacks and challenges. A most worthwhile message for anyone.
The Senior College and Middle School DPR Awards were presented to Michael Vaivai (Year 13) and Ewan Mander (Year 11). Other awards were four Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Gold Awards to Isobel Bhatia, Iona Lawson, Megan Simpson, and Sienna Spark (all Year 13) and the recognition of the Year 9 Future Problem Solving team with their third place in the world. A variety of colour awards and New Zealand representative badges were also presented.
Congratulations to the prefect team on an entertaining, energetic, and inclusive assembly, and to the Media Technical team who ensured it all ran smoothly.
Rector’s Address > Assembly Awards > Morning Comment > Prefects’ Assembly Flickr >
Piano Recital
On Tuesday, I was delighted to attend a recital by Samuel Jeon (OC 2021) at The Great Hall as part of the lunchtime concert series. Samuel, currently studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, delighted the audience with his astonishing talent on piano. Samuel has recently won a scholarship to attend the International Summer Piano Academy Disentis in Switzerland, which includes participation in the Summer Music Festival in Blonay, Switzerland.
Music and Performance at StAC
The music and performance programme at St Andrew’s College gives so many students opportunities to develop their skills and passions for music. This term, an incredible 394 students from Years 7–13 have performed in music concerts, festivals, competitions, productions (Legally Blonde), St Mary’s Choir and Chamber concert, Classical concert, The Big Sing, Rockquest, Chamber Music competition, JazzQuest, Year 10 music class concert, Term 2 performance evening and The Aurora Stone Preparatory School production. Thank you to music teaches and tutors for the rich and varied cultural programme offered to our students.
OCA Wellington Event
On Wednesday evening, I hosted around 40 Old Collegians at the OCA event in Wellington. Lindsay Watt aged 90 (OC 1952), Lachie Johns (OC 2023) and Izzy Logie (OC 2021) were amongst the attendees. Thank you to Duncan Cotterill law partner Jonathan Scragg (OC 1996) for hosting this event, and Alumni Co-ordinator Lisa Clark and OCA President Sam Crosbie for their organisation and support.
Farewell to Staff
Three Secondary School teachers are leaving St Andrew’s at the end of this term to work overseas. Netball Strategic Director and Social Studies and Commerce teacher, Jo Andrew will start a position as Head of Boarding at Kambala School, Sydney. Mathematics teacher Conrad Wing and his wife Linda Garden (ESOL and English teacher) are moving to Japan for teaching positions at Nagoya International School. We wish them well and thank them for their valuable contributions to St Andrew’s College.
Good Luck
Over the term break, several Secondary School teachers are attending subject conference or are supporting sports teams at various events. Conferences include English, Mathematics, Languages, Physical Education and Health.
Secondary School student sports tournaments:
Good luck also to the Preparatory School netball teams and girls’ hockey team travelling to Queensland, Australia during the holidays, to play a number of schools.
Ngā mihi o te wā hararei pai ki a koutou katoa,
me te mihi nui ki a koutou mō ō koutou
tautoko i tēnei wā whakamutunga.
Best wishes to all for a good term break and thank you for your support over this last term.
Ngā mihi nui
Christine Leighton
Rector
It was great to see the Preparatory School production back on the calendar last week, after a hiatus since 2017. The original script and score, written by our talented Year 8 students and Year 13 music students, brought The Aurora Stone to life. Over 200 students from Years 7–8 took the stage, each playing a unique role. A big round of applause to the dedicated students, the Year 7–8 class teachers, and the production team. Director Ginnie Thorner and Musical Director Duncan Ferguson, along with all backstage and technical assistants (including many parents), made this production truly magical. It was wonderful to witness a second group shine on stage in the Gough Family Theatre.
Flickr >Year 10 students took part in three activities last week, as part of their community service hours towards the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award. The students did some great mahi, planting over 2500 native trees and scrubs on a corner section of Alantis Street in the Red Zone in the third year of St Andrew’s College being involved. The planting is part of project across several schools led by the Eco Action Trust, which aims to bring native birds such as the tui back to Christchurch. Students gained invaluable First Aid experience in child minding and managing themselves in the outdoors, thanks to the course run by the team at Red Cross and their knowledgeable instructors. This will be helpful while on camp next term and if any students decide to gain employment in babysitting. All Year 10 students also attended an interactive half-day session at the Antarctic Centre, where they learnt about what life is like in Antarctica and how a variety of organisms, including penguins and huskies, have adapted to survive there. Students also learnt about which clothing provides good insulation and they enjoyed a 4D movie. The trip was great preparation for the upcoming Castle Hill winter camps in Term 3.
Year 10 Media student, Archie Clark, produced a one-minute video of the Antarctic Centre visit, which you can watch by clicking here. Archie, along with Harry Ferguson (Year 10) also worked with the Media Department’s Technical Operations Supervisor, Paul Sparkes, to produce a video of the students planting trees, which you can watch by clicking here.
Flickr >
As part of a school-wide annual House competition, Cans for Humanity was introduced as a community service component through English teacher Donna Jones. House Leaders rallied support through running raffles, talking to tutor groups, teachers, and messaging through Teams. The event culminated in a sculpture competition in the Quad using the collected cans. The winning sculpture was an undersea design by Thompson House. A House chant, a castle, and the Eiffel Tower also featured. This massive effort saw 1230 cans collected across the Preparatory and Secondary Schools. The eventual winner was MacGibbon House with 389, Thompson second with 352, Rutherford with 293, and Erwin House fourth with 195 cans collected. A huge thanks to the Houses for their generosity. The Christchurch City Mission will receive all the cans donated and will be an outstanding contribution to Christchurch families in need.
Flickr >St Andrew’s College has had a relationship with the University of Otago’s Neuroscience Department since 2015, the result of annual participation in the South Island Brain Bee competition. St Andrew’s is also an active member of the university’s Neuroscience Mentoring Programme, established in 2021 to support secondary school students aiming for professional careers in Neuroscience and Psychology, and our Science Club hosts the Neuroscience Mentoring Programme.
The Neuroscience Expo spanned two days this week and provided stimulating learning opportunities for Preparatory and Secondary School students. The students learned about aspects of the nervous system from structure to function, development to degeneration, in health and in disease, and benefitted from some of the technology that supports both neuroscience and psychology research at Otago University.
This term, the Year 9 tutor groups participated in a ‘Paint a portrait of the Dean’ competition, which required each tutor group to present a portrait of any style and medium of the Year 9 Dean, James Jenkinson. There were a great range of art styles, from expressionism to photorealism, across the 18 pieces presented. Judges, Year 10 Dean Liz Gormack, and Head of Accelerated Learning Brett Clark had the difficult task of deciding which pieces scored the highest in the four categories of: technicality, beauty, originality and meaning.
This was the culmination of the second in a range of tutor competitions being run at Year 9 this year, with the Sport Challenge and Charity Challenge still to come. The points from these competitions go toward the Top Tutor trophy to be awarded at the end of the year.
Flickr >
In Week 8 the International Club ran an activity to coincide with Matariki. As this is also celebrated in China (as Mao) and Japan (as Subaru) students were encouraged to come along and create a star. Some students chose to create a felt star and others made paper stars. As a finale to Term 2, the International Club organised food trucks to come into school yesterday. Roma (Mexican food), Empire Chicken, and the Black Forest Waffle Hut provided tasty food for large numbers of students.
Today, Year 9 student Sophie Schouten presented her impact project on cryptocurrency to a receptive Year 7 class.
On Tuesday evening, the Preparatory School presented a concert of music items in the Centennial Chapel. The concert featured the Junior Choir (Years 3–5), Cantare Choir (Years 6–8), Preparatory School Orchestra, chamber group trio, and solo items by the Year 8 music scholars Ethan Waines and Tony Chen. The evening showed a range of talent from children performing in large groups to very experienced musicians playing in small instrumental ensembles. This was a great performance opportunity for the children and the first opportunity for parents to hear the Junior Choir, the chamber group, and instrumental soloists. The performers supported each other with enthusiastic applause and the concert was very well received by a supportive audience of parents and families.
Flickr >
Class 4T, led by teacher Emily-Jane Ullrich, recently came up with a collection of 21 new words inspired by Roald Dahl’s novel, The BFG. Excited by the prospect of contributing to the English language, they wrote to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) team, who graciously welcomed their submissions for the next OED edition, emphasising the importance of children’s language creativity.
This morning the Preparatory School and tamariki from the Pre-school met together in the Centennial Chapel for an end-of-term Matariki singing celebration. Stella Berry (Year 4) shared her pepeha and we welcomed Matua Steve Reid to lead our session. A large group of Year 7–8 girls shared their poi waiata – Rona. This group is heading to Australia during the holiday break to play sport in Queensland and have been working hard all term to master the very intricate moves of this waiata. Matua Steve led a range of traditional, modern and action songs and taught some new ones. The Year 3 classes lead a Matariki waiata and also shared a selection of fantastic creations from their Wearable Art studies. The Pre-school shared two delightful waiata about Ngā Atua and Ngā Whetū.
It was a lovely way to end our term, with all our students singing enthusiastically and having a wonderful time together. It was especially pleasing to see so many students volunteering to led waiata and to watch the Years 6–7 boys performing the haka Toia, while the girls sang beautifully. We finished with a rousing rendition of the Matariki Macarena which made for a joyous and energetic display. Mānawatia a Matariki!
Flickr >
FOOTBALL
The 1st XI Girls’ team delivered another good performance in their match against Burnside High School, winning 3–0. The team's positive attitude was noticeable as they dominated play from start to finish, showing their teamwork and scoring early goals. The team also appreciated the return of Rosalie Lunam (Year 9) who has been injured this season.
In a thrilling match, the Boys’ 1st XI showcased resilience and skill, overcoming an early setback to secure an important 3–1 victory. After initially trailing 0–1, the team continued with a positive spirit, led by standout performances from goal scorers Noah Cole (Year 12) and Samuel Cook (Year 11). The comeback was a testament to the team's perseverance and strategic adjustments.
RUGBY
The 1st XV hosted a home game against Marlborough Boys’ College last weekend. The team got off to a flying start with a classic charge down try from hard-working lock Thomas Heffernan (Year 13). The team controlled play well and went into the half-time break leading comfortably 19–7. However, it was to be a game of two halves as Marlborough lifted the tempo of their attack. St Andrew’s battled courageously and made multiple tackles to stop the physical ball carrying forwards in the opposition. A critical penalty try, and subsequent yellow card was then awarded to Marlborough. This lifted their confidence, and it was a very even contest throughout the second half, until a couple of easy entries to the St Andrew’s 22m area saw Marlborough strike in quick succession to score two tries in the last five minutes. Marlborough showed their grit and determination, winning 35–19. There were many positives to take from this game as the team builds towards playing Christ’s College in one of the most anticipated games on the calendar.
HOCKEY
The Girls’ 1st XI hockey team played their regular competition game on Tuesday this week against Lincoln High School. With most players back from injury, the team showed incredible resilience and determination. The girls took some time to build their momentum and find their rhythm but managed to build every quarter to take a 4–0 win. Addison Williams (Year 13) scored two goals, with Annabelle Barker (Year 11) and Rylee McBride (Year 12) each scoring one.
Metua Cranwell (Year 11) has been selected for the New Zealand U18 Māori Rugby Camp for 2024.
Heidi Smith (Year 10) has been awarded first place in poetry in her category of the Never Such Innocence international poetry competition for her poem, The silence of war. Judge Dr Tracey Guiry commended Heidi’s “clever use of form to convey disjointed and ongoing damage of war, creating different aspects as lines are read down or across, reflecting choices amongst chaos.” This is an outstanding achievement in an international competition of this scale and calibre. Jack Foley (Year 9) also received an Honourable Mention in this competition with his poem An active warzone provides a great place to learn poetry.
Ellie Zhou and Matthew Bluck (both Year 11) achieved entry to Round 2 of the South Island Brain Bee representing St Andrew’s College at this annual competition, along with 34 students from South Island schools. This year, for the first time, St Andrew’s hosted this event, usually held at the University of Otago. Brain Bee is an international neuroscience competition for secondary school students in Year 11 to learn about the brain and its functions, learn about the latest discoveries in neuroscience research, dispel misconceptions about neurological and mental illnesses and find out about the exciting career opportunities brain research has to offer. Thank you to Cleo Britten, Annalie Marshall, and Ryder Win (all Year 11) for their support as student hosts.
Neve Aitken (Year 11) performed in the Christchurch Tap Dancing Teachers Association (CTDTA) competitions, receiving two first places for her Jazz and Contemporary Duos, third for her Jazz Solo, and a special choreography award for her Contemporary Duo.
As part of the Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands' Association National Youth Band, five members of the Pipe Band (Lucas Paterson, Harrison Justice (both Year 13), Tayla Eagle (Year 12), Sam Foote, Daniel Liu (both Year 11)) and Pipe Band tutor, Tiffany Gilchrist, are currently in Canada to attend the Penticton Highland Games in Vancouver and will also gain valuable experience at the Piping Hot Summer Drummer School at Silver Star Mountain Resort.
The Ōtautahi Solo Drumming Championship was hosted in the Spiro Mathematics and Science Centre and run by the Canterbury Drummers Club. Many of our Pipe Band drummers competed in various snare drum and tenor drum events. The Oceania Solo Drumming Championships were held in the evening in The Gough Family Theatre with performances being watched on livestream around the world.
On Monday night, our Year 7–8 A water polo team secured a victory in the final against Middleton Grange School. The match was keenly contested, and the team displayed exceptional teamwork and resilience throughout the game.
Kelicia Rui En Purcell (Year 7) recently competed in the Otago Short Course Championships in Dunedin, racing in 11 events over two sessions in the Girls’ 11 years category. She finished with 10 podium placings and four personal bests.
Over the past two terms, Year 7–10 students have been joining Secondary School teacher Rebecca Richardson each Tuesday lunchtime to complete Science Badge activities. Students have been working on a variety of badges so far this year, ranging from Marine Biology to Food Technology and Epidemiology. The purpose of Science Badges is to get students interested in and working on a series of science activities. Students choose a badge (there are over 30 available) and are provided with an activity sheet for that badge and need to complete 20 points. When completed, students receive a certificate and a badge to wear on their blazer, which is presented in assembly.
Special awards are presented to students when they complete the required number of badges. Louis Hyland (Year 8) recently completed his fifteenth Science Badge and was awarded with his Gold Star Badge. A badge, certificate and congratulatory letter were presented to Louis at the End-of-Term Preparatory School Assembly, and he also has his photo on the Science Award Trust Honours Board.
Georgia Gregg (Year 7) competed at the Hokitika Matariki Highland Dance Competition on Saturday and won Most Points U12, Most Points U14, and Overall Most Points of the competition.
On Wednesday, Rector Christine Leighton, OCA President Sam Crosbie (OC 2009), and Alumni Co-ordinator Lisa Clark attended the 2024 Wellington Cocktail Function. It was wonderful to have 35 Old Collegians join us at the offices of Duncan Cotterill, kindly hosted again by Jonathan Scragg (OC 1996). The gathering was a blend of generations, from Lindsay Watt (OC 1952), a nonagenarian who embarked on his college journey 72 years ago in 1948, to recent 2022 graduate, Lachlan Johns. This event served as an excellent platform for networking and reconnecting with our alumni community, particularly those who may not always be able to attend our Canterbury-based events. Richard Halliday (OC 1974) gifted the museum his 1974 blazer and a fascinating book about the Otaki Scholarship, a programme that St Andrew’s has proudly participated in since its inception in 1937. Euan Galloway (OC 1964) returned a special book to Christine that once belonged to his late father and former Rector, Ian Galloway. The book, which had an inscription requesting its return to the Rector’s office, is now safely back where it was originally gifted to the College by its author in 1934.
Flickr >Marcus D'Acre (OC 2022) has been selected for the Hong Kong Under 20s side to compete for the World Rugby U20 trophy in Edinburgh, Scotland from 2–17 July.
Scarlett Kirby (OC 2022) is about to represent New Zealand at the International Korfball Federation’s World Korfball Championship in Turkey from July 6–13. All games will be livestreamed on YouTube at youtube.com/@ikfchannel.
Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the term break in sports and cultural activities, including:
During term time: the College Shop, Thistles, is open from 7.45am–9.45am and 12.00pm–4.30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and from 7.45am–9.45am and 12.00pm–3.30pm on Wednesday.
During term breaks: the College Shop is open on Monday of the first week of holidays from 11.30am–3.30pm, and Friday of the last week of holidays from 11.30am–3.30pm.
Christmas break (December/January) hours will be confirmed later in the year.
Join us for an enchanting evening at the Ballet Winter Showcase. Our Secondary School Ballet Academy dancers will perform a captivating collection of classical, jazz, lyrical, national, and contemporary works. The event includes Performance Awards, NCEA Dance work, and a special premiere of a new Royal New Zealand Ballet performance piece, choreographed for Secondary School dancers by RNZB Dance Educator, Neve Pierce. Junior and Intermediate Company dancers from the Preparatory School will also showcase their new repertoire.
When: Sunday 11 August, 5.00pm–6.00pm
Where: Gough Family Theatre – Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre
Tickets: General Admission $20.00 (open seating)
The Pipe Band is incredibly grateful to have received a generous donation of delicious honey from Secondary School teacher Courtney Williamson’s family. Now you can try it for yourself – and support the Pipe Band at the same time! These 500g jars come with specially designed St Andrew’s College Pipe Band labels. Every house needs a jar of honey in their pantry, and these will make the perfect little gift or hamper addition. Funds raised will help the Pipe Band get to next year’s Nationals in Invercargill and buy new equipment that is always needed for such a large band.
Orders: Order by clicking here, or order in person from the College Shop – Thistles.
Collection: Please pick up your order from the College Shop – Thistles.
Year 8–12 parents are being offered the opportunity to attend the six-week Emotion Coaching course, Tuning into Teens (TINT). The programme will be led by Julie Forman (Counsellor/Mediator) from Āwhina Mai and St Andrew’s College Psychologist, Kate Scott.
You will learn how to manage your own and your adolescent’s emotions in ways that help you to remain close and keep communicating. By learning these skills, you are less likely to have as much conflict within your family and your teen is more likely to talk to you about the challenging issues they face. These are factors that have been found to reduce the risk of mental health and substance abuse problems.
When: Six-week programme on Mondays, 9.00am–11.00am, starting on Monday 29 July
Where: St Andrew’s College – Thompson Boarding House common room
Booking: Email Kate Scott at KSO@stac.school.nz, 14 places available
Cost: $200 for the six-week course and $250 for a couple.
In the event of excess numbers, places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. If you have any questions, please email Kate Scott at KSO@stac.school.nz.
Year 12–13 parents and caregivers are warmly invited to an engaging evening presentation. 'Supporting Your Child's School-to-Life Journey' is a free, comprehensive event that will equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to confidently guide your child through the crucial transition from school to the next stage of their life. Key topics we will cover include school-to-life transition: NCEA vs tertiary education; scholarships, halls of residence, and tertiary applications; funding tertiary study; addressing student anxiety; pathway options beyond St Andrew's College.
When: Tuesday 30 July, 6.00pm–7.00pm
Where: Gough Family Theatre, Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre
Registrations close at 3.00pm, Monday 29 July.
An aviation industry information evening is being hosted at St Andrew’s College on Tuesday 6 August, 7.00pm–9.00pm, for interested students and their parents from St Andrew's College, St Margaret's College, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, and Christ's College. Industry Engagement Lead, Allan Moulai, will open the evening with a brief welcome and the evening will be supported by Airways New Zealand (employer of Air Traffic Controllers and others), International Aviation Academy of New Zealand, Christchurch Helicopters, Air New Zealand Learning Institute, New Zealand Air Force, Association of Women in Aviation, and Christchurch Engine Centre.
Experience the thrilling sounds of StAC Attack 2024! A St Andrew’s College Pipe Band event at the prestigious Christchurch Town Hall – James Hay Theatre, this highly anticipated showcase guarantees an unforgettable evening of traditional Scottish entertainment.
Immerse yourself in the rich harmonics of the bagpipes, the infectious beat of the drums, and the flair of the Highland dancers as they take the stage. With talented St Andrew's College students from Years 4–13 displaying their skills, StAC Attack promises to be an action-packed performance.
Be a part of the magic at StAC Attack 2024!
When: Sunday 28 July 2024
Time: 5.00pm – 7.00pm
Venue: Christchurch Town Hall, James Hay Theatre
Tickets: Adults $49.00, students/children $29.00 (student ID may be requested).
The online sales for the following 2024 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
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.
