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The children and staff have had an incredibly special week of celebrating and sharing the wonder of books.
Sincere thanks to Preparatory School Librarian, Tracey Hull, for the thought and time she has given to this week. It has been actioned-packed and well targeted to capture and inspire the children and staff across the Preparatory School.
Book Parade 'Book an Adventure' – excitement is building for tomorrow’s themed Book Parade, which takes place at 12.00pm.
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 the 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 most recent VEX Robotics scrimmage, held in The Green Library and Innovation Centre on Sunday 31 August, was a hive of activity, as students built and drove their robots – testing out changes and honing their strategies. It is exciting to see the progress that is being made, especially in the St Andrew’s College VEX IQ teams, with all teams improving their game play and one team managing to score an impressive 54 points. This was followed up by Team “The Terminator” (Jack Blyde, William Keir, George Nicholls, Carter Robinson (all Year 7)) working well in the finals with their alliance partner from Hillmorton High School, and coming from behind to take out the win.
Flickr>
In addition to their sporting achievements, the St Andrew’s College Preparatory teams made a meaningful impact off the field at the 2025 AIMS Games. The students embraced the spirit of the event through activities such as beach cleanups and tree planting, which contributed to the College finishing second overall in the prestigious Kaitiaki Trophy – an award recognising schools that give back to the Tauranga community. The netball Prep A team delivered a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Mangawhai Beach, while the Girls’ A hockey team’s strong second-half fightback in the quarterfinal against Diocesan saw them finish a highly commendable eighth overall. These moments, along with the camaraderie and resilience shown throughout the week, made for one of the most memorable AIMS Games campaigns yet.
Flickr>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>Delicious Christmas goodies, locally made with the highest quality ingredients. The perfect gift for Christmas or to treat your own family! All proceeds will go towards the PTA 2025 fundraising drive, supporting the Pipe Band. More information about each of the PTA’s Christmas Goodies, including the ingredients list, can be found at the order link below. The products on offer this year are:
Closing date for orders: Monday 3 November 2025
Cake collection: Orders must be collected from the College Second-hand Uniform Shop (there is no delivery option) between 3.00pm–4.30pm on Tuesday 11 or Thursday 13 or Tuesday 18 or Thursday 20 or Tuesday or Thursday 27 November.
ORDER CHRISTMAS GOODIES>
You are warmly invited to attend our next StACTalk: Tricky Chats with Jo Robertson. We need a strong turnout to make the most of this rare opportunity and we encourage you to priortise attending.
When: Monday 3 November, 6.30pm–8.00pm
Where: Gough Family Theatre
Tea and coffee available from 6.00pm in the Old Collegians Foyer, Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre.
StACTalks is a series of parent evenings where we kōrero about issues our young people are facing. This free session features guest speaker Jo Robertson, sex therapist and international presenter, whose 'Tricky Chats' course supports the Preparatory School's Hold the Line 'til Year 9 technology well-being initiative.
Jo will offer practical strategies and resources for navigating the online world with your child, covering topics such as: screen time, social media, gaming, pornography exposure, grooming and exploitation.
Supervision – This event is just for parents and caregivers, but we understand that childcare can be a challenge. If you need support, we’ll have a staff member and some of our wonderful senior students available in the Preparatory School Library to help out. If you’d like to use this service, please indicate this when registering.
As an internationally renowned speaker, Jo Robertson’s insights are essential for every parent navigating today’s digital landscape. Don’t miss this chance to be informed, empowered, and supported. We’d love to see you there.
REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE>Participation in Code Club will again be offered in Term 4. Students who sign up learn to code using the CodingNZ website. This leads students through structured lessons and activities with online tutors available to support.
Code Club is supervised by Vicki Pettit and run in the Food Tech room on Wednesday lunchtimes.
REGISTER FOR CODE CLUB>
Join us for a captivating screening of Maurice and I, a documentary celebrating the architectural legacy of Maurice Mahoney and Sir Miles Warren. Featuring rare archival footage and their final interview together, the film explores how their partnership transformed Christchurch’s cityscape. The event will feature a Q&A with the filmmakers, Rick Harvie (OC 1989) – Director/Producer, Belmont Productions, and Jane Mahoney – Director/Producer and daughter of Maurice Mahoney. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear from the creators and reflect on Christchurch’s architectural heritage.
Date: Wednesday 12 November
Time: 6.00pm (6.30pm screening)
Location: Gough Family Theatre, St Andrew’s College
Tickets: $20.00 (includes a welcome drink and canapés)
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).
