Operational Information

Hours

We are open from 8.00am–4.30pm and offer morning or full-day places, with flexible drop-off and pick up times. We accept children aged from two years, and offer 20 hours of Early Childhood Education (ECE) funding.

Late Pick Up Fees

St Andrew’s College Pre-school is licensed for children between the hours of 8.00am–4.30pm only. Children not collected by the closing time will be charged a late fee of $25.00 per 15 minutes to cover additional staffing costs.

Term Dates

Enrolment is inclusive of state school term breaks and public holidays. The Pre-school will operate during state school term breaks and attendance during these breaks is optional. Please note these dates do not align with the St Andrew's College term dates.

Click here to see term dates

Public Holidays

The St Andrew’s College Pre-school is closed for five weeks over the Christmas holiday break (no fees charged). For the rest of the year, the Pre-school is closed on all public holidays (fees payable).

Please click here to view our Pre-school Fees webpage.

You will find a sign-in table located in the Pre-school foyer, where you will sign your child in and out each day. This is a requirement of the Ministry of Education and is important for your child’s safety.

Children must be brought to the Pre-school by a responsible adult known to our staff. Only authorised adults can collect your child, as indicated on your enrolment form. If you wish to change or add an additional authorised adult, please advise the Head of Pre-school.

If you are aware of any upcoming absence, please let us know as soon as possible.

Phone: +64 3 940 2020
Moblie: +64 21 729 636
Email: preschool@stac.school.nz

When to use which contact channel

To report an absence, day-to-day messages and anything requiring an immediate response: Mobile in the first instance, Phone in the second instance, Email in the third instance.

While we try to be as responsive as possible, we are not always able to check email communications immediately. However, we do encourage the use of email communications where your communication is not urgent/does not require an immediate response.

We offer a Holiday Programme during the school holidays from 8.00am–4.00pm, with normal fees applied. Parents and caregivers will be emailed a link to register their child for the Holiday Programme once it becomes available to book. Please note places are limited.

We also value the importance of family time, so if you wish to remove your child from Pre-school during the school holidays, Pre-school fees will not be charged.

• St Andrew’s College sun hat;
• sunscreen (if your child’s skin requires a specific product);
• lunchbox (rubbish free);
• drink bottle;
• full change of named clothing (including socks);
• nappies (if required);
• one cuddly/small comfort toy.

Food and Rubbish Free Lunchboxes

We ask you to provide nourishing, nutrient rich food for your child, packed in a rubbish free lunchbox. This means NO individually wrapped items or disposable packaging (such as gladwrap, chip packets, muesli bar wrappers, yoghurt pouches etc.). Lunchboxes with individual compartments usually work well, along with reusable containers.

We also recommend you follow the recommendations set by the Ministry of Health to avoid choking risks for young tamariki in their report on choking hazards (click here to view).

Please also bring refillable drink bottles rather than single use juice boxes. Rubbish free lunchboxes are generally cheaper to prepare, provide more variety, and often include healthier and more nutritious food choices. Please let us know if you have any great rubbish free food ideas, and we can share these with each other. Rubbish free lunchboxes help to teach the children about waste minimisation, resource sustainability, and our impact on the environment.

Please talk to our teachers if you would like some advice on which rubbish free lunchbox ideas.

Lunch Orders

Cafeteria lunch orders must be made online via myKindo. To register and login, visit: stac.nz/CafeOnline

Lunches can be ordered anytime up to 9.00am on the lunch day. For further details on using the online ordering system, please refer to the quick reference guide: stac.nz/Cafe_Quick_Guide

Pre-school School children are unable to go directly to the Cafeteria to make purchases. Orders are delivered to the Preparatory School just prior to lunchtime. Morning tea is not available from the Cafeteria and must be provided by parents.

Children can only bring water to school. No sweets, ice creams or drinks with sugar are permitted.

Please clearly name all clothing, shoes, bags and cuddy and/or one small comfort toy. We ask that your child does not bring other toys from home to Pre-school.

Your child will need two wet bags (to avoid inconvenience to you), and one St Andrew’s College Pre-school navy blue bucket hat. The hats will be kept at Pre-school with your child’s name clearly visible. Please purchase these items for your child from the College Shop – Thistles.

Car parking is available in the drop-off zone and on Normans Road.

We also offer Parking Display Cards for our Pre-school parents/caregivers. We encourage use of these to ensure you are not penalised by parking wardens for parking in Pre-school Parking areas. Please contact us on preschool@stac.school.nz if you wish to request a Parking Display Card.

We ask that you give four weeks’ notice if you intend to withdraw your child from the Pre-school.

The St Andrew’s College Pre-school Operations Manual is available at all times in the Parent Library. Policies and procedures are continually being reviewed and updated. Your comments and suggestions are valued.

The St Andrew’s College Stewart Junior Centre and Pre-school building opened in February 2018. Children enjoy the freedom to interact with the environment in any way they choose, and love to find lots of different ways to use the equipment and resources.

With high ceilings and a natural flow to the outdoors, the Pre-school building has a beautiful sense of light, space, and energy. Inside, the large open plan has been divided into separate rooms for different curriculum areas, such as building and construction, a family area (complete with a play kitchen and dining room), a snug with tiered seating for reading and quiet activities, and a dedicated Art Studio, in which art activities can be enjoyed by the children at any time. There is also a transition room, where older children can have their own space or do extension activities, and a sleep area, with individual beds and bedding for children who require a sleep during the daytime.

In the Pre-school’s bespoke outdoor playground, colourful ‘eggs’ with tunnels, ropes, bridges, slides, and steps provide the children with lots of opportunity for fun and physical challenges. Our award-winning outdoor area also includes a sandpit with golden sand, a mud/sand kitchen, and lots of space for the Pre-school teachers to set up outdoor activities and quiet zones.