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The St Andrew’s College Preparatory School teams have had an action-packed and spirited showing at the 2025 AIMS Games in Tauranga, joining 14,000 Year 7–8 students from 430 schools across 27 sporting codes. After a turbulent flight and a lively opening ceremony featuring sporting legends Dame Sophie Pascoe, Dame Lisa Carrington, and Noah Botham, the teams launched into competition with enthusiasm and resilience.
The netballers, Girls’ hockey, and Mixed hockey teams began their tournaments early on day two, while individual athletes competed in cross country, swimming, tennis, and rock climbing. Despite some tough early matchups, the teams showed grit and camaraderie, supporting each other at games and bonding through shared experiences like beach clean-ups, the fiercely contested bake-a-cake challenge, and the annual quiz night.
The netball Prep A team faced strong opponents in Bombay School and Pinehurst School, eventually finding their rhythm with a convincing win over Tarewara High School and Reporoa College. Though they later fell to Northcote School and Onewhero Area School, their determination never wavered.
The Mixed hockey team started with a dominant win but faced setbacks against Mokoia School and Berkley Normal Middle School. However, they bounced back with a strong win over Kaiti School and remain in contention for a top 20 finish – one of the best showings by a St Andrew's Mixed team.
The Girls’ A hockey team impressed from the outset, drawing with John Paul College and defeating St Cuthbert's College. They continued their form with wins over Albany Junior High School and Tauranga Intermediate, and a crucial draw with Woodford House secured their spot in the top eight quarterfinals.
Individual athletes also shone: Kelicia Rui En Purcell (Year 8) took a bronze in the swimming 100m fly with a personal best of 1.83, Kobe Ford (Year 8) placed 15th in cross country under stormy skies, Chloe Chuang (Year 8) has advanced to the final five of the rock climbing, and Elina Wang (Year 8) finished 15th in Girls Singles tennis. Bozan Wang (Year 7) and Diesel Mackie (Year 8) also represented the College proudly.
Beyond the competition, the students embraced the spirit of the Games – always respecting the referee's decision, demonstrating fairplay, working as a team, learning new skills, and enjoying culinary adventures. The bake-a-cake challenge was a highlight, with Deputy Principal Vicki Pettit’s house cleverly crafting a basketball-themed cake to win over the judge. The boys redeemed themselves by winning the quiz championship, restoring house pride.
As the tournament nears its end, the teams reflect on their growth, friendships, and unforgettable experiences. The AIMS Games have proven to be more than just sport – they have been a celebration of character, community, and youthful ambition.
The registration form is open for our annual Grandparents' Day. All visitors need to register to attend. This will ensure that the children are released from class to meet with them. Please register grandparents for this special day by clicking here.
We plan to place the children in their 2026 classes by the start of Term 4. Please note staffing for next year is not yet finalised and there will be some changes. The process is same as last year:
This year, the teachers will again use a computer program to assist with the process. At each year level, the teachers will work together to enter the information (their own plus other sources i.e. parents, learning support, pastoral support, etc.) and the program will generate the class lists. The College's database does not have the facility to compile future classes, so to have an option that doesn't allow double entries or missed names is helpful and quicker.
Regards
Jonathan Bierwirth
Principal of Preparatory School
Deputy for Rector
The Junior Department celebrated the seasonal shift with a Pyjama Day on Wednesday. Students arrived dressed in snuggly pyjamas, oodies, onesies, and their favourite comfy clothes, bringing along cuddly soft toy friends that added to the cosy atmosphere. The day was filled with warmth, laughter, and lots of snuggles as we farewelled winter and welcomed spring.
Flickr>On Monday, 30 students from the Preparatory school competed in the Canterbury Primary Schools (CPSSA) Duathlon at Ruapuna Raceway. This large contingent of athletes shows the enthusiasm towards athletics events from the students in Years 5–8. Each race had between 75 and 150 athletes competing, making this event highly competitive. The event included a 2km run, followed by a 9km bike (6km for Years 5–6) and finishing with a 1km run. This is a tough challenge for the students, and the determination and toughness they showed to represent the College was admirable. Kobe Ford (Year 8) placed 10th in the Year 8 Open grade, and many others placed well in a large and competitive field.
See all results by clicking here.
Flickr>
The Rotary Junior Speech Contest held its preliminary rounds at Heaton Intermediate, with 75 students from across Christchurch schools taking part. The Preparatory School students demonstrated thorough preparation and spoke with confidence and inspiration, covering a wide range of engaging and informative topics. Georgia Blyde and Violet Winterbourn were named as finalists in Year 5, with Jessica Whitehead a finalist in the Year 7 category. The final will be held this evening (Thursday).
On Tuesday 9 September during the school day, Year 6–8 students will attend a presentation by Tim Atkins, a senior engineer at NASA. Tim will be speaking about his experiences working for NASA.
Theme: Book An Adventure
Excitement is starting to build for our annual Book Week during Week 9 of this term. We have five days of activities and fun planned around the theme of Book an Adventure, including visits from two fabulous New Zealand authors, Sarina Dickson and Karah Sutton.
The highlight of the week will be our annual Book Parade. This will take place on Friday 12 September starting at 12.00pm. All students are invited to dress up as their favourite adventurous book characters for the day and join in the fun.
The Preparatory School kapa haka will be performing in the Ōtautahi Tūhono Kapa Haka Festival on Saturday 13 September in the Christchurch Town Hall. The children will be performing at 9.00am in the first of four Festival concerts being held throughout the day involving different age groups.
Parents/caregivers are encouraged to book tickets for the 9.00am Ngahau – All ages (non-competitive) concert at the below link.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical is a lively stage adaptation of Jeff Kinney's popular book series, bringing Greg Heffley's middle school mischief to life on stage. The musical explores Greg's attempts to navigate the social landscape of middle school, his quest for popularity, and the complexities of his friendship with Rowley, all while battling the dreaded "Cheese Touch." Featuring our talented Year 9 and 10 performers, this show is full of fantastic song and dance, heartfelt moments, and fun for the whole family.
When: Tuesday 21 – Friday 24 October 2025 (four performances), all 7.00pm–9.30pm
Where: Gough Family Theatre – Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre
Tickets: Adults $35.00 | Students $17.50 (student ID may be requested on entry)
Buy Tickets Online>As the winter season winds down, we’re now preparing for the summer sports season beginning in Term 4. Please note that all sports will commence at the beginning of the term. If your child wishes to continue with the same sport from Term 1 into Term 4, no action is required. Should you have any questions, please reach out to Head of Preparatory School Sport, Dave Ermerins, at DER@stac.school.nz.
Please indicate by Friday 5 September if your child either: will not be continuing with the sport they selected in Term 1, or, would like to take up a new sport or add an additional sport. Please email the respective Sport Co-ordinator, and copy in DER@stac.school.nz with the details. While we’ll do our best to accommodate changes, we cannot guarantee placement in an alternative sport. The Sport co-ordinators and their email addresses are listed below for your reference.
SPORT CO-ORDINATOR CONTACT DETAILS
We will be running a Sport Holiday Programme for Year 1–8 students in the third week of the October holidays (Monday 6 – Friday 10 October). 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.
The sessions will run between 9.00am–1.30pm each day. Students can be dropped off from 8.30am; we will meet in the Preparatory School Library. An additional service is available for your child to be supervised from 1.30pm until 3.30pm.
COSTS: Payment will be disbursed to your College account. The cost of the programme for the week will be:
MEALS: Lunch will be included. Students have the option of a six-inch or foot-long Subway sandwich for lunch. Gluten-free wraps are also available. Students will have Subway on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They will have pizza on Tuesday and Thursday. There will be an additional $15.00 charged for a foot-long sandwich for the three days. Students will need to bring morning tea and a water bottle.
Click here to download the Subway order form. Please complete three entries (one order for each day). Please return the order form to the Preparatory School office and complete the online permission form below by Friday 19 September, 3.00pm.
COMPLETE THE ONLINE PERMISSION FORM HERE>
If you have any questions, please email Alex Kelley at AKE@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).
