You are logged in as
Logout
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou.
I know many within our St Andrew’s College community will have been delighted to wake up to the success of Old Collegian Olvia Brett (OC 2019) as a member of the New Zealand gold medal K4500 team. Olivia’s dedication, commitment, and resilience, along with that of team members Dame Lisa Carrington, Tara Vaughan, and Alicia Hoskin is inspirational and we are delighted to celebrate her success – Whakamihi nui ki a koutou!
Senior College Formal
The Senior College Formal, a much anticipated event for our Year 12 and 13 students was a great success last weekend. Over 550 students gathered in the Te Pae Convention Centre, a venue fitting of such an occasion. The students took great pride in their presentation, and many were barely recognisable! There was a fantastic turnout of Year 12 and 13 tutors who have established a supportive relationship with their students, along with senior staff Dayna Stirling and Riley Gains, our Year 12 and 13 Deans. Congratulations to members of the Senior College Council and staff who organised such a positive evening.
Presbyterian Schools’ Conference
Thursday and Friday this week Rev. Paul Morrow and I met together with Board members, senior staff, and chaplains for the 11th Presbyterian Schools’ Conference across New Zealand. The conference theme, “Our Story,” challenged schools to present our mission and vision in the context of the beliefs of the Presbyterian Church upon which we were founded. We were limited to a 200 second ‘Pecha Kucha’ presentation. A challenge indeed! Here is a link to this brief presentation for those who are interested: stac.nz/2024PresbyterianConference
Hosted by Saint Kentigern Boys’ School and St Cuthbert’s College in Auckland, a very comprehensive programme kept the 60 delegates engaged for two days. The focus on story challenged each school to continue to tell their own foundation and ever-changing story within the context of their Presbyterian roots. We also heard about the place of story within school architecture, using strategy to shape the future, and the face of the future with AI.
The network of Presbyterian Schools across New Zealand is strong and supportive, and we share similar values and vision for our young people. I clearly recall the wonderful support which was given to our school in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake in 2011 from our fellow Presbyterian Schools.
Southern Jam Festival
A group of 22 students are currently performing in Blenheim as part of the annual Southern Jam School Jazz Band Festival. This is great experience for our students to perform in front of a variety of audiences in public venues. StAC continues to produce many talented jazz players and it is always a treat to hear them perform.
Follow up to Emergency Drill Testing of Communications
As part of the emergency drill on Wednesday, we tested our emergency communications systems. All parents/caregivers were sent an email and text message. If you did not receive these, please check your Junk/Spam folder, and make sure you mark St Andrew's College emails as 'Safe'. Remember, you can view and update your contact details, emergency contacts, and student medical and injury information at any time, via the Community Portal in StACNet (you will be prompted to login).
Best wishes to all.
Kia pai tō nā whakatā
Christine Leighton
Rector
Olivia Brett (OC 2019, second from right) won a gold medal last night in the K4 500 in Paris with Dame Lisa Carrington, Tara Vaughan, and Alicia Hoskin. We are all so proud of you Olivia!
Last Saturday night 560 excited students and a large number of staff arrived in their finery at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre for the 2024 Senior College Formal. The theme this year, chosen by the Senior College Council, was ‘Meet me at midnight,’ and the venue was decorated with a huge wall of programmed lights, multiple disco balls, and a huge clock face painted by Heads of Art Lily Hart and Oscar Reid. This was the second year that the Formal has been held at Te Pae, and feedback from students was highly complementary of the food, drink, DJ, five-star amenities, and location of this beautiful new building.
Once again, we acknowledge the Senior College Council for work in organising the event, as well as Preparatory School Receptionist Kelsey Williams, and Senior College Administrator Jocelyn Simmons, who coordinated a huge amount of behind-the-scenes planning. The team worked extremely hard liaising with suppliers and overseeing ticket sales to students from both St Andrew’s College and also other schools, and their help was invaluable. The Formal was a very successful event and one of the highlights of our Senior College year so far.
Flickr >The Year 10 cohort are once again contributing to both the College’s whole-school sustainability goal, and global sustainability goals via participating in the repotting of native trees and shrubs. Each Monday morning before Castle Hill camp departure, the students congregate at the College’s native nursery in support of three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities; SDG 13 – Climate Action; and SDG 15 – Life on Land. As a result, the students earn valuable service hours for their Duke of Edinburgh Award, and gain ‘hands-on’ appreciation of the life cycle of a native tree. These native trees and shrubs will be planted in the Red Zone from May 2025 to September 2025, providing further opportunity for student involvement.
Students contributed to another spectacularly successful planting day last Sunday. Starting the day working in a -4-degree frost, students from a range of schools supported by families representing almost every Christchurch suburb, planted 4500 native shrubs and trees, from the mighty tōtara to native grasses. As most are aware, most of what is now called Christchurch city was once a bountiful wetland forest. Returning the Red Zone to forested bird habitats while contributing to New Zealand’s carbon mitigation presents a rewarding project. Sunday marked the third planting day of the year and St Andrew’s fifth year of involvement as an Eco Action partner school.
St Andrew's College hosted an Aviation Information evening on Tuesday, attended by 140 students and parents. Representatives from Airways, the International Aviation Academy of New Zealand, Air New Zealand Engineering, New Zealand Defence Force, Christchurch Helicopters, and Women in Aviation, all gave a brief overview of their respective industry, as well as outlining exciting career paths available to school leavers. The presentation was held in the Gough Family Theatre and was followed by an Expo in the Senior College Common Room, enabling students and parents to speak directly with industry staff, collect information and learn about the application processes.
Last Thursday morning, our Senior Boys’ basketball team travelled to Nelson to participate in the annual Whakatū Invitational Tournament. This tournament brings together some of the best teams from Christchurch, Nelson, and the lower North Island. The boys won two out of four games, getting some great learning from these matchups with teams outside of the Canterbury region.
Catering Manager and sustainability advocate, Russell Gray visited the Sustainability Council today to speak about issues related to best-practice recycling, food waste, the shelf-life of food, and how he and his team have created a sustainable ethos in our kitchen. For many years, Russell has been one of the leading Champions of Sustainable Practice at the College. We are indeed truly fortunate to have Russell in a management role, guiding and supporting others to live a life based on sustainable values and principles. The students very much enjoyed Russell’s enthusiastic and knowledgeable presentation.
This year’s International Assembly this morning highlighted and celebrated the spirit of internationalism and the College’s commitment to Inclusivity. Staff and students, serving as flag bearers, represented 14 different countries, introducing themselves in their native languages. We celebrated the International Club and warmly welcomed our current exchange students from Scotland and Canada. Myers Mbonda (Year 11) from Lakefield College School, Canada, shared insights into the differences between his school and St Andrew’s College. Our French students looked fantastic in their berets. A special thank you to Head of Modern Languages, Fiona Taylor and the panel of international staff and students for their engaging Q&A session about their experiences in New Zealand.
Flickr >RUGBY
The 1st XV finished their regular season with a strong performance against the top of the table leaders and unbeaten Nelson College in beautiful sunny conditions in Nelson last Saturday. St Andrew’s scored first and applied pressure through its strong line speed early in the first half. Nelson wrestled some control of the match by halftime to lead 26–10 at the break. However, the second half was a different story, with the St Andrew’s spirit rattling the usually composed and dominant Nelson side to outscore them 17–19 during this period. The St Andrew’s side competed well in the set piece and breakdown and showed enterprise by shifting the ball to space at every opportunity. Whilst they got to within seven points of Nelson with 15 minutes left, they weren’t quite able to maintain enough momentum to take the win, with a final score of 43–29 to Nelson College.
FOOTBALL
In a highly anticipated football match between St Andrew’s College and Rangiora High School, the first-place Girls’ 1st XI team triumphed 3–1. This win secures the team a spot in the finals for the fifth consecutive year. The final will see them face off against Avonside Girls’ High School, in what promises to be an exciting showdown, as St Andrew’s aims to clinch their fifth consecutive title.
In the semi-final clash, the Boys’ 1st XI football team fell to Burnside High School with a final score of 1–3. This defeat means that boys will now need to compete in a quarterfinal game next week to continue their pursuit of winning the cup.
HOCKEY
The Girls’ 1st XI played against Villa Maria College last Friday in a highly competitive game. With injury causing disruption to the team, the girls stepped up, improving each quarter, and having a standout final quarter. Villa Maria was up 2–0 at halftime with Annabelle Barker (Year 11) scoring a goal early on in the third quarter. Going into the final quarter, the girls were down 2–1 and started to make some great connections as a team. Aine Molony (Year 13) got a deflection to tie the score, followed by a well-deserved team goal finished by Sophia Voice (Year 12) to take the score to 3–2. Within the final minutes, Villa came back strong and managed to score another goal to equalise, the final score being 3–3.
The Boys’ 1st XI had a tightly contested late game in the bitter cold of Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub last Friday evening against Shirley Boys’ High School. Despite holding the majority of possession in the game, and with multiple opportunities to score, St Andrew’s were unfortunately held to a 1–1 draw which was a credit to Shirley Boys’ strong goalkeeper.
BASKETBALL
On Tuesday night, St Andrew’s hosted another home double-header for the Senior basketball teams. The girls played Rangiora High School, who they have faced in the last two Whelan Trophy finals. After a slow start, St Andrew’s pulled away for an 87–47 win, behind strong scoring performances from Niamh Chamberlain (Year 13 – 25) and Ava Jones (Year 11 – 18).
The Senior boys followed with a must-win play-in game against Christchurch Boys’ High School. After falling behind early, the boys busted the game open in the second quarter and cruised to a solid win, behind Carter Rhodes (Year 13 – 25) and Bronson Curtis (Year 12 – 25). This marked the last home game for four Year 13 players, Hugh Kenny, Marcus Isitt, Benjamin Ashman, and Carter Rhodes.
NETBALL
Last Saturday, the Senior netball team played Christchurch Girls’ High School. Following a strong start and playing with energy, the girls’ efforts paid off as they secured a 43–30 victory. This win places them sixth out of eight teams, with two more games left in this round of the Premier 2 competition.
In the Wednesday game against Villa A, the girls worked together as a team, starting strong and maintaining determination throughout the match. With a final score of 44–22 in St Andrew’s favour, this win means that the team has secured a spot in the semi-final next Wednesday.
TRAP SHOOTING
Last Sunday, the trap shooting team had their fourth school shoot, which was held at the Ellesmere Clay Target Club in near perfect shooting conditions. In the single barrel, Harry Pitts (Year 11) shot very well in the shoot-out to win the competition, with Lucie Hood (Year 12) coming third.
Hayden Lam (Year 13) has been named as one of 63 finalist songs from a total of 95 talented songwriters from across Aotearoa in the 2024 Lion Foundation Play It Strange competition with his song Make Up Your Mind. He now has $750 to have his track professionally produced.
A small group of students represented the College in Round 2 of the New Zealand Physics and Mathematics Competition (NZPMC) South Island Finals, held at the end of July at the University of Canterbury.
Carter Rhodes (Year 13), Bronson Curtis (Year 12) and coach Taylor Britt have been selected to represent the College as part of a select team taking on the visiting University of Colorado - Colorado Springs on Sunday.
Last Friday, St Andrew’s College hosted the annual ISSA Winter Tournament. Each school in the independent zone enters their ‘A’ football, hockey, and netball teams, with a Year 5/6 grade and a Year 7/8 grade. In the Year 7/8 tournaments, St Andrew’s were unbeaten, and all three teams now progress to the CPSSA Tournament on Thursday 5 September. In the Year 5/6 grade, the hockey and netball teams finished third overall, and the Year 5/6 football team won the tournament for the first time, edging St Mark’s School on goal difference. It was a wonderful festival of sport, and games were playing in a good spirit. It was great to see so many of the Independent School community at St Andrew’s College cheering the teams on.
Flickr >On Wednesday, both the boys (Open) and girls (Girls) competed at the CPSSA Basketball Tournament in Rangiora. Both teams were unbeaten in pool play, before progressing through to the semi-finals after solid victories in the quarter finals. In the semi-finals, the girls were beaten in golden point in a bruising, but enthralling game against Kaiapoi North School to finish third overall. The boys also played Kaiapoi North in the semi-final, losing 15–17 in another exciting game, also finishing third overall. Both Kaiapoi North School teams went on to become Canterbury champions.
Flickr >
Gemma Thomas (Year 11) competed in the Canterbury Cup Karate Competition on Sunday, winning Gold in the Female Kata Open, and Gold in the Female Kata 14–17 Years Premier.
Roma Tuimaunei (Year 11) has been named in the New Zealand U15 Men's National Team for FIBA Qualifying in November.
The following Old Collegians have earned places in the forthcoming provincial rugby season:
Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the weekend in sports and cultural activities, including:
The first round of interviews will take place on Monday 19 August, starting at 3.45pm, finishing at 8.00pm. These will take place online. The second session will be held Wednesday 28 August and is in person. These will start at 1.45pm and finish at 6.00pm.
Please note that school will finish for the Secondary School students at 1.00pm on Wednesday 28 August to accommodate the interviews. Students will be able to stay on site until the normal school finishing time.
Interview information will be circulated via email to parents/caregivers.
When: Tuesday 27 August, 6.30pm–8.00pm
Where: Gough Family Theatre
At this time of year at St Andrew’s College, we see an increase in stress levels of students as they head into examinations and finalise their internal assessments. Stressed students can behave in even more peculiar ways than normal; increasing procrastination and avoidance, mood levels fluctuate even more, relationship issues arise, and more…! As a response, we wanted to spend an evening together with Year 7–13 parents, sharing the best tools and tips to encourage supportive positive communications with our teens, so we can better influence and guide them through these times. Hear from the College’s Psychologist, Kate Scott, and Julie Forman, leader of the extremely popular ‘Tuning into Teens’ parent group run here at the College, and other guidance staff, who have been working with teens for 100 years collectively, about their best hacks for listening to and communicating with adolescents.
Q&A: We would also like the content of the evening to be guided by you, so please send us any specific questions around this topic with your ticket registration, and we will address them throughout the evening.
Registrations >"Break a leg" to Eden Taylor (Year 10) who is in her first professional show at the Court Theatre. She will play young Alison in Fun Home which opens this Friday night and runs until Saturday 14 September. For more information and tickets, please see click here.
The St Andrew’s College annual Dance Revue is back! Containing an eclectic range of dance styles including Jazz, Hip Hop, Ballet, Musical Theatre and Contemporary, this fast-paced evening of dance will have something for all to enjoy. Performances will come from St Andrew’s College Ballet Academy, StAC Dance, soloists, and groups. Come celebrate dance!
When: Friday 13 September, 7.00pm–8.30pm | Saturday 14 September, 7.00pm–8.30pm (two shows)
Where: Gough Family Theatre – Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre
Tickets: $15.00
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)
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.
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.
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 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 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 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.
