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Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou.
Today St Andrew’s College has been hosting the ISSA Tournament, Christchurch Independent Schools Winter Tournament. It was difficult to imagine a colder day but the students playing Years 5-8 hockey, netball and football did not seem to mind. Last weekend we were treated to much milder temperatures and Saturday was a perfect day for our annual Rugby Club Day. It was great to see all grades playing home games. Thank you to the Rugby Committee for organising the warm hospitality to the large numbers enjoying the occasion. The 1st XV game against Shirley Boys’ High School provided an interesting game for spectators, with the 15–15 draw generally agreed as a fair result.
Sunday evening was the annual StAC Attack, featuring our pipe bands and highland dancers, for a most impressive and entertaining concert. The sell-out audience in the James Hay Theatre enjoyed an insight into the journey of learning the pipes and drums, from the youngest learners on the chanter or drum pad, to the talented students playing at the highest levels of competition.
For me, the evening was especially memorable with the surprise performance of Christine Leighton’s Farewell composed by Pipe Band Director, Richard Hawke. My sincere gratitude to Richard and the Pipe Band for bestowing upon me such an honour.
Christine Leighton’s Farewell composed by Richard Hawke >
This weekend is the much-anticipated event for Senior College students, the StAC Senior College Formal, being held at Te Pae. Thank you to the Senior College Council who have worked hard to create a memorable evening.
Me ngā mihi pai
Christine Leighton
Rector
The Christchurch Town Hall – James Hay Theatre was a magnificent setting for a sell-out of our annual Pipe Band showcase last Sunday, StAC Attack 2024. There were 140 pipers, drummers and dancers involved in the production with highlights of Pokarekare Ana, Last of the Mohicans, Scotland the Brave, and many more. The real surprise in store for the evening was a presentation to Rector Christine Leighton, from Pipe Band Director Richard Hawke, of a tune composed by him in her honour in her final year as Rector, Christine Leighton’s Farewell. The tune was performed wonderfully by the Pipe Band students in the tune’s first ever public performance. The Pipe Band has received a great deal of positive feedback from patrons including Old Collegians in attendance at the show.
Flickr >The annual Night Market was held last night and was attended by whānau, friends and potential customers of Business Studies students. Twenty teams participated from three different schools, including Cashmere High School and St Margaret’s College. There was a fantastic array of products and services from student companies all trying to be sustainable and innovative. Thank you to Lloyd Mander, Andrea Drayton, and Phil Temple for judging the competition, as teams vied for seed funding to grow their ventures.
Flickr >
Year 13 Business Studies classes had a fantastic day last Thursday in Kaikoura, learning about how and why Whale Watch was formed in 1987 as a remedy to large scale unemployment. The students heard how four prominent Ngāti Kurī whānau mortgaged their properties to enable the company to form. Whale Watch is centred on values like Whānaungatanga and Kaitiakitanga. The group then went out whale watching, where they saw three male sperm whales, seals, Hectors dolphins and albatross.
On Wednesday, Year 11 Athlete Sports Performance students were privileged to hear from Dr Warrick Wood around how mental skills fits in their development as an athlete. Dr Wood is a Massey University lecturer who works with High Performance Sport New Zealand and athletes across a range of sports.
On Tuesday, the Year 9 French class had the opportunity to go to a French rock concert with French-Canadian singer Étienne, who writes songs for students learning French. The concert was held at Lincoln High School and students from three different schools, were able to sing along as Étienne rocked the verbs, days of the week, and reasons to learn French. It was a very energetic hour and a lot of fun.
Since the beginning of Term 3, tamariki in Pre-school Kaitiaki groups have been inquiring into scientific concepts. One of the ideas they have been exploring is the internal skeleton that exists within humans and other creatures. The children were invited to visit the Secondary School Science Department, where they got to see some real skeletons. They were introduced some new things to think about, including that the skeleton of humans and chimpanzees share lots of similarities; that bones have marrow inside them; and that there are foods people can eat that will make our bones strong. The tamariki also got to try on some lab coats and safety glasses, just like real scientists. Thank you to Science teacher Kelly Marsh-Smallman, Laboratory Manager Jasmine Harrison, and Science Technician Elizabeth Ashton, for providing this opportunity to further strengthen and develop the children’s understandings and working theories about skeletons. Being able to see and touch the skeletons has been invaluable in helping tamariki start to build a sense of themselves as scientific learners, able to make "sense of their worlds by generating and refining working theories" (Ministry of Education, 1997).
RUGBY
Rugby Club Day was held last Saturday and was a fantastic occasion. The weather was superb, the pitches were in great condition, and all St Andrew’s College rugby teams played with fantastic team spirt and courage. Our hard-working Rugby Committee ensured that outstanding hospitality was shown towards all opposition teams, guests, and supporters. Player of the Day awards were given out to all junior teams and team captains spoke at the after match from the various age group sides.
The 1st XV team retained the Fox Memorial Trophy versus Shirley Boys’ High School. The fixture proved to be an exciting high-paced game, which saw the lead change hands several times. Both teams displayed exciting periods on attack and defence. It was a very evenly matched contest and both teams had the opportunity to win with time up but missed critical penalties. The 32–32 draw was a fair result in what was a great display of schoolboy rugby.
The Girls’ 1st XV rugby team played 10-aside in Term 2 and made outstanding progress developing the foundations of a flourishing girls’ rugby programme at St Andrew’s College. This term they will break new ground by entering a 15-aside team in the Miles Toyota Cup competition, having played with a combined team with Rangiora High School in 2023. Nine teams from across Canterbury will come together in the Wednesday afternoon competition held at Burnside Park.
FOOTBALL
In a thrilling top-of-the-table clash, the Girls’ 1st XI secured a hard-fought 3–2 victory over Avonside Girls’ High School, earning their place in the semi-final against the lowest-ranked team. Amber de Wit (Year 12) netted two crucial goals, followed by Holly Lyon (Year 11) with her decisive goal sealing the win.
In a closely contested non-decisive match, the Boys’ 1st XI fell to Hillmorton High School, with a narrow 0–1 loss. Despite their best efforts, the team was unable to break through Hillmorton's defence.
HOCKEY
The Boys’ 1st XI fought a tough battle against a strong Christ’s College team last Friday evening. St Andrew’s opened the scoring but were unable to hold on to the lead a very evenly matched game, with Christ’s College winning 3–1. The boys displayed excellent teamwork and played with determination right to the final whistle.
The Girls’ 1st XI game last Friday against St Margaret’s College was a shield match, adding more excitement for both teams. St Margaret’s went up 1–0 at half-time. St Andrew’s came into their own in the third quarter, with Annabelle Barker (Year 11) securing a brilliant field goal to level the scores 1–1. St Margaret’s responded with another goal, to lead 2–1. In the final quarter, both teams had their chances to score but St Margaret’s looked more clinical and were the better side on the day.
BASKETBALL
On Tuesday evening, the Senior Girls’ and Boys’ teams hosted a home double-header in Gym 2. The girls played first, up against the #2-ranked team, Kaiapoi High School. Both teams were without a key contributor, and neither team could get into an early rhythm. Niamh Chamberlain (Year 13) eventually helped steady the ‘proverbial ship’ and led the group to a 25-point win, keeping the unbeaten start to the season.
The boys played the second game of the evening against a tough Shirley Boys’ High School team; needing to win by at least 20 points to secure a playoff position. A superb third quarter saw St Andrew’s build a narrow lead to double figures. Logan Righton (Year 12) and Roma Tuimaunei (Year 11) combined to pull down an incredible 44 rebounds, with the team winning by a 26-point margin.
Gemma Thomas (Year 11) competed in two main National karate competitions in the first weekend of the holidays.
Gemma has one more regional competition this coming weekend before heading away to Japan to represent New Zealand and her dojo.
In addition to the results in the New Zealand Poetry Society international competition announced last week, the following students have now been selected by the editor for publication. These students' poems will join those of the prize-winners in the 2024 New Zealand Poetry Society Anthology.
Miu Kim (Year 12) has had her essay entitled How music has significantly changed the course of history shortlisted in the History Category of the John Locke Institute 2024 Global Essay Prize.
Two teams entered the University of Canterbury competition last Sunday. Head of Debating, James Hart (Year 13), paired with Isobel Forsey (Year 13) to win all four of their round-robin matches to qualify for the semi-finals. Unfortunately, they narrowly lost this debate to a highly capable Burnside High School team, going down in a 1–2 split by the judges. Our second team of Cameron Aldridge (Year 12) and Hanxi (Cicy) Chen (Year 10) had a strong win in their third debate but missed out on the semi-finals. James and Cameron were awarded two of the four Highly Commended Speaker awards presented at the prizegiving.
In his recent singing examination, Edward Pitts (Year 13) achieved Grade 8 – Singing with Distinction.
Edward, along with Emily Watt (Year 11), competed in the 2024 Christchurch Junior Vocal Competitions.
Further to the results reported last week, the full results for the Christchurch Speech and Drama Competition over the holidays can be viewed by clicking the link below.
Last weekend, the Class of 1974–1978 gathered at the College for their 50 Years On Reunion, with over 40 old friends and classmates coming together for a memorable celebration. Walking through familiar hallways and classrooms on their tour of the College campus brought back a flood of memories, and the group was impressed with the fabulous new facilities. The Cocktail Party was a highlight, filled with laughter and stories from the past five decades. We were thrilled to also welcome back past Head of Co-curricular John Irving, past teacher Rex Livingstone, and past Head of Agriculture Mike Woodlock. Saturday evening’s dinner was a fantastic celebration. Thank you to Tom Norris for expertly emceeing the evening and making the reunion a resounding success.
flickr >Sisters, Charlotte (OC 2018) and Lauren Whittaker (OC 2023) have both been selected in the New Zealand Tall Ferns squad. From this squad, a team will be selected to attend the World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Mexico.
Mac Stodart (OC 2019) is a member of the Canterbury Rams, who secured back-to-back championships, taking out the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) title on Sunday, with a 102–87 win against Auckland Tuatara. The Rams are coached by St Andrew’s College basketball coaches, Taylor Britt, and Adam Morgan.
Cameron Paul (OC 2022) has earned a contract with the Canterbury Men’s cricket team for the 2024/25 season, having debuted for Canterbury in the Ford Trophy last season. This brings the total number of St Andrew’s Old Collegians on cricket contracts to nine, including Henry Nicholls (OC 2009), Zak Foulkes (OC 2020), Henry Shipley (OC 2014), Rhys Mariu (OC 2019), Leo Carter (OC 2012), Llew Johnson (OC 2017), Andrew Hazeldine (OC 2012), and Logan van Beek (OC 2008).
Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the weekend in sports and cultural activities, including:
Two scholarships have been generously sponsored by an Old Collegian and are available for Year 11–12 students. The objective of these scholarships is to encourage personal discovery through experiential learning and develop leadership potential in young adults. Both scholarships provide 80% funding, with the remaining 20% and travel funded by the recipient.
Spirit of Adventure Scholarship (Year 11) – One scholarship provides support for one Year 11 student to participate in a 10-day sailing on the Spirit of Adventure (choice of dates). Further information on the sailing can be found on the Spirit of Adventure website by clicking here. Please also see further information on the College website by clicking here.
Outward Bound Scholarship (Year 12) – The Outward Bound scholarship provides support for one Year 12 student to experience an Outward Bound Mind, Body, and Soul course from 6–26 January 2025. Further information on this course can be found on the Outward Bound website by clicking here. Please also see further information on the College website by clicking here.
All Year 11 and 12 students will be emailed a link to the online application forms, which open Monday 5 August and close at 3.30pm, Monday 19 August 2024. Please note only students can access and complete these forms. For further information, please contact Assistant Head of Secondary School (Academic), Helaina Coote, on HCE@stac.school.nz.
Join us for the StAC Ag Show on Thursday 26 September. Students at all year levels 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. Some incredible grand prizes are up for grabs including an animal care package from Rangiora Vet Centre for the animal categories, a Willowbank Family pass for the plant and food categories, and a Willowbank Family pass for the art and photography categories.
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!
The Year 12 Agribusiness students will be selling their food and animal products at the show, including deer velvet dog treats, rocky road, and lolly packs. Eftpos will be available, and a pre-order form will be sent out a week before the show.
Entries: Cost: $3.00 per category entered (viewing the entries on the day is free). Entries close 4.00pm Friday 20 September. To enter your child/ren into the StAC Agricultural Show, please complete the relevant entry form/s below:
Complete Pre-school Entry Form here >
Complete Preparatory Entry Form here >
Complete Secondary School Entry Form here >
The St Andrew’s College Adventure Racing team has qualified to compete at the Hillary Challenge Final in Tongariro this October. To help them reach their goal of raising $10,000 to cover event and travel costs, they are offering beautiful Phalaenopsis orchids in ceramic pots for sale. These stunning orchids are available in two sizes, small or large. Orchids will be available for collection later this month.
Price: $45.00 (small) or $115.00 (large).
Collection: you will be sent an email advising of collection dates from the College Shop – Thistles (there is no delivery option).
All current community fundraisers are detailed on the College’s website at stac.nz/CommunityFundraisers.
Purchase orchids online >Please note a new date has now been confirmed for the annual Ballet photo for all dancers Years 1-13.
Friday 20 September, 8.00am-8.35am in Gym 1.
In support of the Boarders’ Assembly on Friday 16 August, the Agriculture Committee will once again hold Gumboot Day to support and raise money for youth mental health charity, ‘I am Hope’. Students and staff can wear (clean) gumboots to school. The gumboots are to be worn with the children’s school uniform. To donate $3.00, please text BOOTS to 469.
Term 3 will see all students who are returning next year making their academic course selections for 2025. A series of events, presentations and, in particular, the publication of the annual online Curriculum information will take place during the first half of this term leading up to the deadline for students’ selections of Wednesday 21 August. Please also note that, along with the academic course selection process, students who are returning in 2025 will be making their co-curricular selections.
On Friday 9 August, from 3.30pm–5.00pm, we will run our annual Course Selection Expo in Gym 1, at which time a number of staff representing the different subject areas will be present to meet informally with students and their parents to talk about the nature of courses next year. This annual event is for students in Years 10–12 and both students and their parents are encouraged to attend; the conversations with staff are invaluable in the decision-making process for students.
Please join us for the annual St Andrew’s College Film Fest on Tuesday 20 August from 6.30pm in the Gough Family Theatre – Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre. 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, with door sales available too. Don’t miss out, grab your tickets now!
PURCHASE TICKETS >
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 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.
