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Our second Preparatory School Sunday chapel service this year will be held on Sunday 15 June at 4.00pm in the Centennial Chapel. The service is for all Year 1–8 students. The earlier time reflects daylight hours to ensure that our students can be dropped and collected safely. Parents/caregivers are warmly invited to attend. The arrival time is 3.45pm and class teachers will be there to meet the children and to do the compulsory attendance check.
Please note, there will be no teachers at the meeting point until 3.45pm, so do not 'drop and go' earlier than this.
Year 1–3 children will meet in the Junior Department and Years 4–8 will meet at the flagpole in front of Strowan House. The expected finish time of the service is 4.40pm. Please arrive a little earlier (from 4.30pm) to ensure you are there to collect your child at the conclusion of the service.
Junior Choir (Years 3–5)
The students in the Junior choir need to arrive ready for a warm-up and run-through of their performance piece at 3.30pm in the Centennial Chapel.
Cantare Choir (Years 6–8)
The students in the Cantare choir need to arrive at 3.45pm in the Centennial Chapel.
Please note that students are required to wear their school uniform with blazer.
The interviews next term will be in-person and spread over four days. Please note, all Year 4–8 children are required to attend the interviews.
Please enter and leave the Junior Department via the gate behind the Pre-school.
Entry to the Years 4–8 building is via the front door, and exit via one of the two maglock doors either beside Year 5 (at the end of the building) or beside Year 4 (in the middle of the building).
Please contact Reception if you experience any difficulty making a booking. Bookings will close 4.00pm Friday 18 July. If there is no suitable time available for you, please contact your child’s class teacher directly (via email) and another day and time will be arranged.
Site link: www.schoolinterviews.co.nz
School code: 9vm6s
At this interview, your child’s mid-year report and results will be discussed. Please note, Mr Alex Kelley (Year 7) and Mrs Vicki Pettit (Year 8) are available to talk about their respective Mathematics classes.
Please note, Mrs Anna Wylie and Mrs Heather Orman’s classes are not included in this interview round. They have a different interview timetable. You will be contacted directly by the class teacher with the interview details.
We have several children with approval to bring their mobile phones to school due to complicated travel arrangements, mostly involving buses. These phones are stored at Preparatory School Reception during the school day. If your child has approval to bring a phone and you need to make contact during school hours, either email the relevant class teacher, or phone Reception on (03) 940 2037 to pass on a message. Please do not ring your child’s phone as it is stored in Reception for the day.
Regards
Jonathan Bierwirth
Principal of Preparatory School
Deputy for Rector
On Tuesday, 16 Year 7–8 students attended the Redzone Recovery Minecraft Education Build Challenge at the Riccarton Community Centre. The Redzone Recovery Minecraft Education Build Challenge was a fantastic event that brought creativity and innovation to the forefront. Students explored environmental recovery initiatives and shared their visions for the untouched red zones. Teams engaged in a 40-minute building session, split into two 20-minute halves. The challenge was a perfect blend of fun and learning, fostering collaboration among participants. The event was part of the 2025 Ōtautahi Reimagine Learning Days and was run by Wilj Dekkers. It left a lasting impact on our city's future. Each school received a resource pack that provided rich context for the challenge, helping students prepare in the weeks leading up to the event. Overall, the Redzone Recovery Minecraft Education Build Challenge was a memorable experience that highlighted the importance of environmental recovery and showcased the students' creativity and teamwork.
The ISSA Basketball Tournament at MainPower Stadium provided an exciting and competitive afternoon, with students showcasing their skills, determination and teamwork as they vied for a chance to represent our zone at the Canterbury Indoor Tournament. The girls' competitions were particularly intense, with several closely contested matches. Meanwhile, the Year 7–8 Boys and Year 5–6 Boys’ teams delivered dominant performances, securing their victories with a clear margin over second place. The Year 7–8 Girls had to put in significant effort to earn their first-place finish, demonstrating resilience throughout the tournament. The Year 5–6 Girls faced an unusual outcome, finishing in a tie for first place, but ultimately being placed third due to a countback on point differential. Overall, the tournament was a great success, highlighting excellent sportsmanship, strong values, and impressive basketball skills from all participants. It was a fantastic day of competition, and we look forward to seeing how our zone representatives perform in the upcoming Canterbury Indoor Tournament.
Flickr >
Georgia Gregg (Year 8) competed at the Oxford Highland Dance Competition last weekend, winning the Irish Hornpipe U14 trophy, the Highland Reel U14 cup, and the U16 Fling trophy. She also won all of her dance categories. Eleanor Nortje (Year 3) won the U8 Jig and U10 Jig; came 3rd in Sailors and U8 Sword, and came in fourth place for U14 Sword, U8 Fling, and U10 Sword; as well as 5th place in the U14 Local Fling.
Highland Dance students recently sat the New Zealand Academy of Highland and National Dancing Examinations, with great results achieved:
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 tomorrow, 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 >
From next Monday 16 June, the College will be commencing work on the Religious Education (RE) block in the Secondary School campus. This is the building adjacent to Strowan House and the front field. This work will involve renovation and strengthening, along with classroom expansions, and will take approximately 6–7 months to complete.
A range of controls will be place directly outside the RE block to keep students and staff safe from the activity occurring within. It is important to note, the Papanui Road entrance will be used as the main road into the construction site. We will monitor vehicle movements onsite to ensure safety is adhered to.
On Papanui Road there will also be a full traffic management system set up, to manage the influx of vehicles entering the campus. Please be mindful of the additional congestion this may cause.
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
Get ready to jump into June! We are excited to announce that our school will be participating in Jumping June, starting next week. This fun-filled event, organised by the Heart Foundation, encourages students to stay active through skipping, while raising awareness and funds for heart health. Participation is optional, and, to make it even easier to participate, jump ropes will be available at lunchtimes, encouraging students to move and be active. Students will take home a brochure with further information, and we will share more with the students during Preparatory School Assembly on Monday.
How to Register:
1. Watch the Jumping June Student Sign Up Tutorial video on YouTube by clicking here.
2. Complete the registration as a parent/guardian and create your child’s profile by clicking here (select St Andrew’s College as your child’s school).
If you have any questions, please email info@jumpingjune.co.nz or call 0800 377 170.
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.
We’re encouraging students to take part in the World Vision Challenge this month. This initiative asks them to disconnect from a chosen aspect of their daily lives for 20 hours (Preparatory School). This could be social media, gaming, the internet, or even electricity. All funds raised will support communities in the Solomon Islands, where access to food is becoming increasingly difficult.
This is a great opportunity for young people to reflect on their daily habits, bond with friends and family, and contribute to an important cause. We would love your support in encouraging them to take part.
Students can sign up on World Vision's website with St Andrew’s College Preparatory School by clicking here.
After signing up, students can collect an information booklet from Preparatory School Chaplain, Mrs Jillian Fenton.
The first planting of the year is Sunday 15 June, 3 Chimera Cres and 25 Atlantis St, Red Zone near QEII. Please join us, Eco Action, and help our students and their communities plant 5000 native trees and plants they have grown. It is a great atmosphere with heaps of fellow student and parent enthusiasts. Please bring some drinking water, gloves, solid footwear, and your favourite spade if you have one. There will be 400 spades on site, so everyone can help. The more the merrier. Help our community help itself by developing this community asset that will last for generations to come. The grown forest will provide habitat and food for native birds and lizards as well as sequester carbon to help with global climate change. It is also quite fun to plant a few plants. Hope to see you there.
This is the first of four plantings that will see 20,000 locally sourced, student grown, native plants and trees in the ground at 3 Chimera and 25 Atlantis St. The 28 organisations/schools who have grown plants currently are St Michael’s Church School, Rawhiti School, Shirley Boys’ High School, Avonside Girls’ High School, St Andrew's College, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, Christchurch South Karamata Intermediate School, He Tīwai Mātauranga Heaton Normal Intermediate School, Christchurch Girls’ High School, Christchurch Boys’ High School, Tuia Burnside Primary School, St Margaret's College, The Cathedral Grammar School, Te Kura Mareko Casebrook Intermediate, St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Christ's College, Medbury School, Riccarton High School, St Peters School Beckenham, Student Volunteer Army – The University of Canterbury, Charles Upham Retirement Village, Richmond Community Garden, St Martins School, Ouruhia Model School, The River Christian Church and Kevin Hickman Retirement Village have also joined us.
Eco Action Nursery Trust Social Media >
Eco Action Nursery Trust Website >
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.
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.
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).
