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Last week the Preparatory School was bustling with excitement as students and staff celebrated Book Week. In addition to a packed programme led by the Preparatory School Library team, the whole school enthusiastically embraced the festivities, with classroom and specialist teachers creating lessons and activities to match the 'Book an Adventure' theme, celebrating stories of excitement and jeopardy.
The Library hosted two visiting authors, Karah Sutton and Sarina Dickson. Karah’s unique approach to her creativity captivated our older students, whilst Sarina’s visit with our younger students provided them with some fantastic ideas about how to become amazing story writers.
Other key events included the hard-fought inter-class Book Quiz, with 8T crowned as supreme winners; a delightful story walk courtesy of the School Librarian Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (SLANZA); lots of competitions, and of course plenty of story sharing.
The main event, as always, was our spectacular Book Week Parade. Led by pipers Benjamin Carline and Luke Russell (both Year 7), Preparatory School staff and students paraded across the campus dressed as our favourite book characters. A spectacular sight. Thank you to all of those who came to cheer us on our way. Our Pre-school students also joined the fun by dressing up in character.
Sincere thanks to Library Manager, Tracey Hull, and her support crew for making the week special and so much fun.
The registration form for our annual Grandparents' Day will close at 12.00pm on Thursday 16 October. 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.
The closing date for receipt of information has now passed. The children will meet their 2026 class teacher before the end of the school year.
Speech and Drama lessons are a wonderful way for children to develop confidence, strengthen communication skills, and enjoy working with language. The programme also supports oral literacy in a fun and encouraging setting. Enrolments for Term 1, 2026 are now open. We especially encourage current students to re-enrol, as ongoing participation allows them to build on their progress, deepen their confidence, and continue developing important communication skills. To secure a place, please complete the online form via StACnet.
The number of families signing up to our Hold the Line 'Til Year 9 Parent Pledge continues to increase. There are now 12 classes with active pledges: 7C is the new class active this week. Ten pledges per class are needed to activate the pledge. You can sign the pledge online by clicking here.
This term, we hosted three well-attended StACTalk Café mornings, giving parents a valuable opportunity to continue the conversation around technology and smartphone use. One great suggestion that emerged was to create a Facebook group where parents can share ideas, ask questions, and support one another on this topic. We’re pleased to let you know that this group is now live and can be accessed by clicking here.
Another helpful idea was to offer a drop-in session for parents who would like support with setting up parental controls on their child’s device. We’re currently organising this for Term 4, so please keep an eye on upcoming emails for more details.
Finally, if you're interested in staying informed about how other countries are approaching social media use among young people, click here to read an article offering a thoughtful perspective on recent developments in Australia.
Regards
Jonathan Bierwirth
Principal of Preparatory School
Deputy for Rector
Preparatory School classes have been celebrating the 50th year of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) this week with daily challenges that require working together to solve puzzles and quizzes. Some classes have written pukapuka to share with their buddy class, waiata and haka have been heard echoing through the corridors, and displays of Māori language books in the Preparatory School Library have been explored by the students. Students from the Secondary School visited with books they created to share with their younger buddies, demonstrating tuakana/teina. Tomrrow, the whole school will join together in song for Mahuru Moment – singing the waiata E Minaka Ana during the End of Term Assembly. The Year 8 Music class embraced Māori Language Week by singing waiata, performing rhythmic routines with rākau, and learning to play the ukulele. The classroom was filled with music, movement, and the spirit of kotahitanga (togetherness) as students explored Māori culture through sound and song.
Watch Year 8 Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi video>The Ōtautahi Tūhono Kapa Haka Festival was held over the weekend at the Christchurch Town Hall, featuring performances by Preparatory School and Secondary School students. Eighty Preparatory School students performed four items in the concert. Tutor, Matua Steve Reid, accompanied the kapa on stage and Alexander Petelo (Year 4), Hunter Donnithorne and Austen Fraser (both Year 8) played the opening call on conch shells to begin the performance. The first was Rākau Whiuwhuia, a waiata for everyone to sing and with sticks for the tama (boys) in the kapa. The boys performed this with precision, without a single stick hitting the floor out of time. The girls performed their poi dance to the waiata Haere Mai, led by Emma Theobald (Year 8) and Harriet Merry (Year 6). They had some intricate moves, changing directions and both swinging and hitting the poi in time to the beat. The tama supported the girls with excellent singing. This was followed by a combined action song, E Minaka Ana, and finished with the St Andrew’s College haka, ably led by Guy Griffin and Jack Ellwood (both Year 8). Emma and Guy remained on stage and joined representatives from other schools to lead the audience in the local haka – Tahu Pōtiki and the waiata Tōku Reo, Tōku Ohooho. We were all so proud of our students and the very high standard of kapa haka they showed.
Flickr>
On Tuesday night, the Preparatory School’s two newly formed rock bands took to the stage at A Rolling Stone as part of St Andrew’s College Rock Night, involving 11 St Andrew’s College bands in total. The students from ‘Blue Navy’ and ‘Cobalt Cats’ had worked enthusiastically with their rock coach, Sarena Close, and they didn’t disappoint. Blue Navy performed Little talks by Of Monsters of Men, and Cobalt Cats, the classic track by Queen, Somebody to Love. Their performances were flawless and they got the evening off to a great start. We can’t wait for the next performance!!
Flickr>ChlöeAnn Botha (Year 7) has qualified and been selected to represent Canterbury at the XP New Zealand Gymnastics Championships.
The flag football team put on an outstanding performance at the NFL Flag Canterbury Regional tournament, finishing as runners-up after a hard-fought final against Waihi School. This squad has shown incredible commitment and resilience, training tirelessly, learning a completely new game, and stepping onto the field with brand-new teammates. On top of that, they carried the weight of high expectations, following in the footsteps of last year’s national champions. Despite the challenges, the team was valiant in their efforts. Their ability to work together, adapt quickly, and keep morale high was a credit to their character, resulting in a well-deserved second-place finish and, more importantly, a place at the national tournament in October.
Flickr>A number of students participated in the Canterbury-Westland Schools Science and Technology Fair. Aoife Forsyth and Lana Rogers (both Year 8) received first place from the Canterbury Botanical Society for their investigation into native plants. Carter Summerfield (Year 8) received the Canterbury Royal Society Years 7–8 prize for experimental excellence, third place from the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry for excellence in chemistry and rigour in the research undertaken for the science fair project, and overall Best Year 8 Science Fair Project.
Poems written by Claire Zhao, Alfred Lash (both Year 7), and Emma Zhang (Year 8), have been selected for publication as part of the Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day Given Words competition. Students had to include the following five words in their poems: justice, endure, pair, lightfast, and hold.
McKenzie Williams (Year 1) danced in her first ever dance competition, performing a jazz duo to Wings with her friend Ruby (also age 5). The girls outperformed older participants to take home second place, and McKenzie was very excited to take home a silver medal.
Along with two Secondary School students, Jessica Whitehead and Sophie Jacobs (both Year 7) are involved in a youth production of The Sound of Music, which they will perform in during the last weekend of the school holidays.
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 Available: 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.
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>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.
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>
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)
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>
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).
