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The morning sun strike is particularly bad travelling towards Papanui Road. Please be very careful. Do not attempt to turn right onto Normans Road leaving the drop-off zone when the Kea crossing is operating. Not only is it dangerous, it also annoys the drivers behind you.
This StACTalk is specifically aimed at Pre-school and Preparatory School parents. If you have concerns or worries about the impact of smartphones, technology and social media, then you should attend this much anticipated evening. We’ll explore the impact of technology and social media on young people, referencing The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, and the recent government announcement on social media age restrictions. Hear from Head of Guidance, Tom Matthews and a panel of experts, with time for Q&A and discussion.
For more information and to register for this free event, see the notices further in the newsletter.
The MacGibbon children relished the opportunity to wear a little or lot of yellow today.
Enjoy the long weekend ahead. School will be closed on Monday for the King’s Birthday public holiday.
Regards
Jonathan Bierwirth
Principal of Preparatory School
Deputy for Rector
Class 4T wrote to comedian and author, David Walliams, following their Novel Study using the hilarious fictional story, Gangsta Granny. They went to a lot of trouble to locate his address, and after trying a fifth time with a different address, a wonderful response was received by the man himself. Each child received their own small handwritten message and a signed copy of a David Walliams' photograph as well as a handwritten message to the class:
“Dear all in Year 4 at St Andrew’s. Thank you so much for all your lovely letters. I am so pleased you enjoyed Gangsta Granny so much! Keep reading, it’s good for you! David W.”
The students learned a great lesson in perservernace, in the words of Winston Churchill, “Never give in, never, never, never….”
On Tuesday afternoon, the Year 6 cohort headed to Ninja Valley at Bush Inn. Everyone enjoyed an active ‘kung-fu’ warm up, followed by some team-building activities. Highlights for the students included the wall jumping challenges, as well as the high ropes courses and climbing whilst blindfolded! There was some great teamwork, collaboration, and of fun had by all.
The Preparatory School chamber group, Cucumbers, won the 2025 Adjudicators' Award at this year's District round of the NZCT Schools' Chamber Music Contest. Caleb Waines (Year 7), Matthew Zhang and Chenxiao (Leo) Yang (both Year 8) gave an assured performance of Shostakovich's Five Pieces for Two Violins and Piano on Tuesday, and received their certificates following the District Final on Wednesday evening.
St Andrew’s College Preparatory School had some great success in the Finals of the Canterbury Challenge last Sunday in Vex Robotics. In the VEX IQ division, Team 4 88397L "The Terminators" (Jack Blyde, William Keir, George Nicholls and Carter Robinson (all Year 7)) won the IQ competition.
Kelicia Rui En Purcell (Year 8), in addition to Leona Smart (Year 7) mentioned in last week’s newsletter, competed at the South Island Artistic Swimming Championships 2025 in Rolleston. Kelicia won the Mixed Duet competition and Leona won the 12 years and Under Solo category and the Duet competition.
Twenty Preparatory School Ballet dancers took part in the Ballet Academy Annual Performance Awards – learning, mastering and performing a new dance before an external examiner (and audience) in just four weeks. The examiner was very pleased with the quality seen on the stage, and the gorgeous costumes. The dancers also had the opportunity to watch demonstration pieces from our Senior Ballet students – inspiring the next generation!
Flickr >
Mac Simpson (Year 7) performed at the Illuminate 2025 Centre Stage Rolleston Arts Competition on Saturday. He competed with 100 other talented young singers and received a first place (own selection), first equal (novice), and second place in musical theatre.
Carter Summerfield (Year 8) and Ming Macarthy (Year 6) have both been named in the U14 Canterbury Ice Hockey Representative Training Squad for 2025.
We will be running a Sport Holiday Programme for Year 1–8 students during the first week of the Term 2 holidays (Monday 30 June – Friday 4 July).
The sessions will be run by a variety of staff. The sports included are invasion games, frisbee golf, basketball, cooperative games, futsal, pickleball, and more. Lunch will be provided and must be pre-ordered.
Please complete the online permission form below, and complete the lunch order form, by Friday 27 June at 3.00pm.
COMPLETE THE ONLINE PERMISSION FORM HERE >
A Year 7 Parent/Caregiver Gathering will be held on Wednesday 25 June, 6.00pm–8.00pm at Hotel Montreal, 363 Montreal Street.
Platters will be provided by Thomas and Jo Patterson (owners of Hotel Montreal and current Year 7 parents.)
Drinks and other food available for purchase at the bar.
This is a great opportunity to meet other parents in your child's year.
Please register for this event by Monday 16 June.
Starting from this week, the College Shop – Thistles, will be closed all day on Wednesdays, and this will run through until Week 8 of Term 3. Usual hours will resume in Week 8 of Term 3 (from Monday 1 September).
Normal hours will continue through the winter terms for all other weekdays.
If you need to make a booking for a new student uniform on a Wednesday, please make an online booking to request this.
Read more about the College Shop – Thistles >To support the running of the StAC Ag Show this year, which will take place on Thursday 21 August, we encourage you to pre-order for a delicious Sausage Sizzle Fundraiser.
If you'd like to pre-order ahead of our Ag Show (for Pre-school and Preparatory School students only), please complete the form by 5.00pm on Thursday 12 June. The show cannot run without fundraising such as this. Thank you for your support.
The sausage sizzle will be held during lunchtime on Friday 13 June and arrangements will be made for these to be served to the Pre-school, Junior Department, and Preparatory School students during lunchtime.
Complete the pre-order form >
Are you a parent at St Andrew’s College, concerned about the impact of technology and social media on your child’s well-being? Join our upcoming StACTalk, where we’ll explore and offer valuable insights and practical advice for parents to help their children thrive in both the digital and real worlds. We’ll reference the book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, and discuss the recent announcement from the government regarding banning social media before the age of 16.
Head of Guidance, Tom Matthews, will facilitate the event – drawing on other experienced members of the St Andrew’s College community, who will share their expertise on these critical issues. The evening will feature a panel discussion, providing an opportunity for parents and caregivers to ask questions, give feedback, and consider strategies to promote positive conversations and healthy technology use at home.
StACTalks: Smartphones, Social Media and Well-being Event Information
Date: Tuesday 3 June (Week 6)
Time: 6.30pm–8.00pm
Where: Gough Family Theatre, Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre, St Andrew's College
There are currently spaces available for Speech and Drama at most year levels, particularly in Years 1, 2, 6 and 7. This is a good opportunity for children who may want to try something new.
Register by clicking here >
Join us for an enchanting evening at the Ballet Winter Showcase. Our Secondary School Ballet Academy dancers will perform a captivating collection of their current pieces. This event includes Performance Awards, NCEA dances, and a special premiere of a collaborative new work with Neve Pierce (Royal New Zealand Ballet, Dance Educator). Our Junior and Intermediate Company dancers from the Preparatory School will also showcase their new repertoire.
When: Friday 13 June, 7.00pm–8.00pm
Where: Gough Family Theatre, Ngā Toi – Performing Arts Centre
Tickets: Adults $25.00 | Students and Staff $20.00
Please note, the annual Ballet photo for all dancers Years 1–13 will take place in Week 6, on Friday 6 June, 8.00am–8.35am in Gym 1.
Due to an increased number of requests this year, the Communications Department is pleased to offer an opportunity for sibling portrait photos for children in Years 1–8 at the Preparatory School.
Please note that we are not offering sibling photos for Pre-school and Secondary School students.
Photo Details
• Date: Morning of Tuesday 10 June;
• Photo format: Taken against our normal portrait blue background and presented on an A4 layout (as class and group photos) with their names underneath.
Pricing Options for ordering online in the normal way
• $40.00 – Printed or high-resolution digital copy;
• $55.00 – Printed and high-resolution digital copy;
This will be the only opportunity in 2025 to have sibling portraits taken, so we encourage you to book early if interested.
To secure a spot on Tuesday 10 June, please complete the booking form below by Wednesday 4 June.
Complete the Sibling Photo booking form >
The following 2025 photographs are now available to purchase online:
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.
A reminder that in Terms 2 and 3, the Preparatory School Pastoral Care team run several lunchtime clubs. These are overseen by a teacher with support from our Senior students. There is no registration required for clubs, with the exception of Code Club. More information can be found below.
Monday 12.50pm – Vex Robotics (Mrs Kamo) Years 7–8
This is for current VEX teams in Years 7–8 and will be when Mrs Kamo is on hand to support with builds.
Venue: Green Centre, email AMO@stac.school.nz.
Tuesday 12.50pm – Dance Club (Mrs Fenton)
A hip-hop dance class – run by two Secondary School students and supervised by Mrs Fenton.
Venue: Prep Drama Room, email JFE@stac.school.nz.
Wednesday 12.50pm – Coding Club (Mrs Pettit) Years 5-8
Come and learn how to code with CodingNZ. Parents can sign up at www.codingnz.com/enrol.
Venue: Food Room, email VPE@stac.school.nz.
Wednesday 12.50pm – Minecraft Club (Mrs Feller) Years 4–5
Dive into a Minecraft world and create new and exciting builds.
Venue: Downstairs learning hallway, email MFE@stac.school.nz.
Thursday 12.50pm – Chess Club (Mrs Gilray) Years 4–8
Preparatory School students verse each other in a game of chess.
Venue: Learning Hallway downstairs, email LGI@stac.school.nz.
Thursday 12.50pm – Drawing Club (Mrs Meyers) Years 4–8
A mindful and quiet space and time to work on self-directed drawing projects. Students can bring along props to sketch, or online tutorials to follow on their laptop. Headphones for music are also welcome.
Venue: Art Room, email KMY@stac.school.nz.
Friday 12.50pm – Stitch Club (Mrs Cronan) Years 4–8
A club to grow skills in needle felting – follow a pattern or go free style with an original creation. Students will also have the option to hand stitch their own sock monkeys.
Venue: Spanish/Future Problem Solving room, email ICR@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).
