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Dear Parents and Caregivers
Kia ora koutou.
This week has had a focus of student well-being, for students to celebrate the importance of looking after their mental, emotional, and physical health, while also celebrating our inclusive and supportive school culture. This year, the students on the Well-being Committee have organised events that brought to life each element of our College’s PERMA-V framework. This framework consists of six key elements developed by positive psychologist, Martin Seligman, to enhance well-being, resilience and happiness. The week’s activities included a panel discussion on Thursday lunchtime hosted by our Guidance team, which focused on managing stress and maintaining balance – always valuable conversations to have. Friday culminated Well-being Week with a wonderful student-led Well-being Assembly, including the awarding of our Mahia te Aroha Character Awards, a hilarious Deans’ challenge, and an outstanding well-being address by Mia Montgomery (Year 13). Then at lunchtime today there was a fun Jump Jam in the Quad to help boost our mood and energy.
Tragically, the ‘Run It Straight’ fatality in Palmerston North this week is important to note, especially in a well-being focused week. The dangers and risks of this activity which is promoted and glorified on social media is very alarming. It is highly disturbing this has even been promoted by some as a ‘mental health’ initiative. As a College, we strongly support healthy and positive lifestyle choices and challenges and will not tolerate such stupid and harmful activities. This activity is banned at St Andrew’s College.
On Wednesday we held the Junior Festival of the Spoken Word, involving six amazing Year 9 and 10 students delivering hugely entertaining and well-crafted performances. Spoken Word is a free-form style of speaking, written with a performance to a live audience in mind, and based on the persuasive public speaking tradition. All six speakers delivered outstanding performances. Our Senior Festival of the Spoken Word event will be on Tuesday 10 June starting at 5.00pm in the Green Library and Innovation Centre, with the Year 9–10 winners performing again, alongside Senior students.
In terms of public speaking, congratulations to Head Prefect, Kate Simcock, for being selected for the Canterbury debating team at the recent national tournament, where they were the top ranked South Island team.
This week, nine St Andrew’s chamber music groups performed in the annual NZCT School Chamber Music Contest held in The Piano. This was such a great experience for our ensembles who all performed exceptionally well and received great applause from the audiences. Thank you to Music teacher and conductor, Mark Hodgkinson, for his co-ordination and direction (tutoring) of five of our groups, and thanks also to our other College tutors for their support and mentoring of these talented young musicians.
Last weekend, at this year’s Rock Quest, nine bands from St Andrew’s competed, with our Head of Music, Duncan Ferguson, believing the overall quality of our school bands was higher than usual. Congratulations to three of our bands, Whiplash, Lies and Lullabies, and Mendacity, who have been selected to compete in the Regional Finals on Saturday 7 June.
Our Careers Counsellor, Richard Webster, has done some great work this year in organising a new initiative in providing a range of careers information evenings aimed primarily for our Senior students and their parents/caregivers. Last week we had the first of these presentations focused on career pathways in STEM and Engineering, with over 200 people attending. Then, this Tuesday evening, we hosted a Business and Law session, with around 250 attending to hear a range of speakers, including recent students/graduates and a speaker from the University of Canterbury. Next term we are looking at an evening session on the Health Sector.
Finally, a reminder to all Pre-school and Preparatory School parents for our upcoming StACTalk on Tuesday 3 June, 6.30pm in the Gough Family Theatre, on how we can further better protect our young people in the digital age. This will look to start conversations with our parents on understanding the issues and positive actions we could look to put in place.
Click here to Register for StACTalk >
Ngā mihi mahana
Mark Wilson
Rector
This morning, the student Well-being Committee hosted the annual Well-being Assembly. Mia Montgomery (Year 13) delivered a heartfelt and thought-provoking speech, reflecting on how life often takes unexpected turns and doesn’t always unfold as we hope. She encouraged her peers to resist the urge to compare themselves to others, and instead, to treat themselves with the same kindness and compassion they would offer a friend. A highlight of the assembly was the presentation of the prestigious Mahia te Aroha Character Awards. These honour students who consistently demonstrate values such as kindness, compassion, and inclusivity in their everyday actions, celebrating those who consistently live out our school’s core value of inclusivity. The student body wholeheartedly embraced the celebration, showing just how much these awards, and the values of kindness and inclusivity they represent, mean to our school community.
2025 Mahia te Aroha Character Award recipients: George Hubbard, Charlotte Currie (both Year 9), Holly Hembry, Thomas Ambury (both Year 10), Hamish Bray, Isabelle Williamson (both Year 11), Ken Minh-Ky Pham, Milla Hooker (both Year 12), Yinan (Vivian) Lu, and Madeline Davidson (both Year 13).
This year’s Deans Challenge saw the Middle School leaders invite the deans to take part in a Kahoot, an online quiz focused on well-being and character strengths. The gym was buzzing with energy as students cheered enthusiastically for their year group dean, which saw Year 10 Dean, James Jenkinson, take the win.
Flickr >
This week there has been a strong focus on student well-being at St Andrew’s, offering students the chance to reflect on the importance of caring for their mental, emotional, and physical health, while also celebrating the inclusive and supportive culture that defines our school.
Under the leadership of Heads of Well-being Olivia Bloom and Gemma Wong (Year 13) and the dedicated Student Well-being Committee, a series of thoughtfully planned events brought the College’s PERMA-V framework to life, an evidence-based model developed by positive psychologist Martin Seligman that outlines the key components contributing to well-being and happiness.
Find out more: stac.nz/PERMA-V
The week’s highlights included a calming origami session to encourage creative flow, a lunchtime panel discussion hosted by our Guidance Team on managing stress and supporting one another, a bake sale with proceeds going to Youthline, and to finish the week on a high note, a lively Jump Jam in the Quad that lifted spirits and reminded us of the power of physical activity.
Flickr >This week, Luke Zhu (OC 2022) delivered an inspiring lunchtime seminar to students planning to study at international universities, offering invaluable insights into academic excellence and global opportunities. Currently in his second year at Harvard University, Luke has secured prestigious funding for research on leveraging machine learning to drive discoveries in pure mathematics. This innovative work aims to bridge the gap between computational techniques and theoretical mathematical problems. In addition to his research achievements, Luke has been accepted as a visiting student for a semester at the University of Oxford.
On Tuesday, another fantastic Careers Information Evening was held in the Gough Family Theatre, providing students and parents with insights into various Business and Law career paths. Around 250 attendees from St Andrew's College, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, St Margaret's College, Christ's College, and Christchurch Girls' High School participated. The evening featured distinguished speakers, including Ollie Hansen (OC 2009) from Forsyth Barr Wealth Management; Criminal Defence Barrister Olivia Jarvis; Rogers & Co Accountant and Partner/Shareholder, Andrew Pryce; Entrepreneur Milly Collins; Asset Management Ltd CEO, Tony Mortensen; and Simon Dorset, University of Canterbury’s Assistant Dean of Law. Hearing about the diverse career opportunities available was inspiring for everyone who attended.
Flickr >Last Sunday, 29 Year 13 Travel and Tourism students spent four days in the Queenstown area from the perspective of a tourist. They gathered information about aspects of tourism, including activities, attractions, accommodation, transportation, and events, as part of their assessment. The students enjoyed a jetboat ride with K Jet on Lake Wakatipu and the Shotover and Kawarau rivers, a visit to Arrowtown and its historic Chinese Village, and a drive to Coronet Peak. Many students visited the Fear Factory – a maze in complete darkness with plenty of frights. Taking a ‘hot lap’ around Highlands Motorsports Park on go karts was another highlight. The group spent a night at Teschemakers Resort, a former convent and boarding school near Oamaru, now an accommodation and event venue, complete with its own church and chocolate factory. A visit to Queenstown Resort College also opened students’ eyes to the many possible career opportunities in tourism and hospitality.
On Thursday, the International Club celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival (Double Fifth Festival) which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar (5 June). Celebrations take place around this time, with this year’s being on 31 May. The club celebrated ahead of time with some zongzi, traditional glutinous rice cakes. They can be filled with sweet or savoury filling, and these were very popular in the Quad at lunchtime.
Last weekend, 20 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.
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This week, dancers from the Secondary School Ballet Academy immersed themselves in two focused days in the Gough Family Theatre, refining their specially choreographed works. This year's performance is the result of a collaborative choreography project led by Ballet Academy Artistic Director, Dr Carolyn Cairns, and Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) Dance Educator, Neve Pierce. The Academy is excited to present the premiere of this original piece at the upcoming Winter Showcase on Friday 13 June, 7.00pm in the Gough Family Theatre. See more information and purchase tickets below in the notices.
fLICKR >Class 4T recently wrote to comedian and author, David Walliams, following their Novel Study using the hilarious fictional story, Gangsta Granny. After trying a fifth time different addresses, 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 learnt a great lesson in perseverance, in the words of Winston Churchill, “Never give in, never, never, never….”
On Tuesday afternoon, the Year 6 cohort visited 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.
RUGBY
Last Saturday, the 1st XV rugby squad and staff travelled to Blenheim to play top-of-the-table team, Marlborough Boys’ College. Marlborough scored two quick converted tries in the first 15 minutes of the match. After holding the ball for some consistent phases, St Andrew’s capitalised off some strong side-to-side attack, with Jock Sidey (Year 12) scoring in the corner. After battling hard, the team was down 5–14 at the break, with Marlborough then scoring consecutively to extend their lead. Some strong ball running from Isaac Matulewicz (Year 13) led to Jairo Senio (Year 11) diving over the line to score a fine try, which was converted by Fynn Harris (Year 13). The final score was 36–12 to Marlborough.
BASKETBALL
On Tuesday, St Andrew’s hosted the first home double-header of the basketball season. The Senior Girls’ team enjoyed a convincing 97–40 victory against Cashmere High School despite being down a number of players. Nonetheless, the team pushed their lead to double figures in the opening quarter, with Ava Jones (Year 12) scoring 30 points. The second game of the evening saw the Senior Boys’ play against St Bede's College, finishing with a 64–83 loss.
FOOTBALL
The 1st XI Boys’ team put in a dominant performance against Rangiora High School this week, controlling possession and creating numerous chances throughout the match. Despite their efforts and clear control of the game, the team was unfortunate to fall short, losing 0–1.
The players in the 1st XI Girls’ team showed great determination and teamwork in their 1–1 draw with Rangi Ruru Girls’ School. It was a hard-fought match, and the team’s resilience earned them a well-deserved point. Rosa Redfern (Year 9) claimed St Andrew’s lone goal in the last few minutes of the game. A strong performance with plenty to build on moving forward.
HOCKEY
Friday night saw a commanding performance as the Boys’ 1st XI triumphed 8–1 over Shirley Boys’ High School. Hugo Lewis (Year 11) led the charge with a hat-trick, while Connor Sharp (Year 13) added two more goals. St Andrew’s controlled the game from start to finish, creating countless scoring opportunities and hitting the post multiple times. The defence held strong, allowing just one goal and keeping the pressure on-throughout to achieve a well-earned victory.
The 1st XI Girls’ hockey team faced Christchurch Girls' High in a closely contested match. After a strong start from both sides, Girls' High managed to break the deadlock early in the second quarter. St Andrew’s hit back quickly with an outstanding team goal, with Sophia Voice (Year 13) finishing brilliantly from a perfectly placed pass by Jane Breede (Year 12). In the final minutes, Girls' High found the net once more to take the win 2–1. A tough result, but a strong performance from the team with plenty to be proud of.
NETBALL
The Senior A netball team had a strong performance on Saturday against CFC A. The game started evenly, with both teams matching each other goal for goal in the first quarter. However, in the second quarter, St Andrew’s pulled ahead, creating a one-goal lead the girls advanced further each quarter, ultimately securing a 53–41 victory. This win places the team third on the Premier 2 table with just two games remaining in this round. In the SuperNet game, the team delivered a good performance against Rangiora High School. They started confidently, applying the strategies they had practiced earlier in the week, culminating in a 43–18 victory.
TRAP SHOOTING
Last Sunday, the trap shooting team competed in the second round of the Canterbury Secondary Schools Trap Shooting Programme, held at Canterbury Clay Target Gun Club. St Andrew’s again entered 10 shooters, competing against around 70 other Secondary School shooters across three ‘Down the Line’ (DTL) disciplines, plus Skeet. Skeet proved difficult on the day for all shooters, with lower-than-normal scores. Kurt Lilly (Year 12) 21/25 placed fifth, with Kurt along with Ethan Higgs (Year 13) placing fourth in pairs, the best results for St Andrew’s. In DTL, the team built on the solid start from the first round, with Marcus Ferguson (Year 12) and Jonathan Rogers (Year 13) shooting possibles 20/20 in Single Rise, along with Ethan Higgs (Year 13), Marcus Ferguson and Harry Pitts (both Year 12) all shooting possibles, 10/10 in Single Barrel. In the shoot offs Jonathan Rogers (Year 13) placed second in Single Rise, and Ethan Higgs (Year 13) third in single Barrel. Ethan also scored 82/90 points across the three DTL disciplines to place fourth in High Overall. Strong high overall performances for Harry Pitts 80/90, Marcus Ferguson, Kurt Lilly (all Year 12), and Jonathan Rogers (Year 13) all finishing 79/90 are also worth noting. The team now prepares for round three in three weeks’ time.
Last Sunday, over 100 VEX robotics students from eight schools gathered at Tūranga to compete in the finals of the annual Canterbury Challenge. In the VEX IQ division (Preparatory School), Team 4 88397L "The Terminators" (Jack Blyde, William Keir, George Nicholls and Carter Robinson (all Year 7)) finished in first place.
In the VEX V5 division (Secondary School), three teams made it to the Drivers’ skills playoffs. Team 88397I "The Inexperienced" (Benjamin Yu, Samuel Li, Ethan Kerr (all Year 9)) made it to the quarterfinals. Two senior teams, 88397H "Andrew J Miller Fan Club" (Ken Minh-Ky Pham, Angus Davidson, Mack Hooper, Daisy Huang (all Year 12)) and 88397D "Syntax Error" (Hannah Withers, George Bisland, Alex and Luke Manson) paired up, fighting hard in the semi-finals against a strong Burnside team, and were unlucky not to progress further. The winning team of the Skills section was 88397D "Syntax Error" (Hannah Withers, George Bissland, Alex and Luke Manson (all Year 12)).
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The 2025 Canterbury District round of the NZCT Schools' Chamber Music Contest was held this week at The Piano. Nine of the ensembles taking part included students from St Andrew's College, and one of these groups, The Spark Trio, with Ethan Waines (Year 9) as their pianist, was recalled to the District final on Wednesday evening. It will be several weeks before it is announced whether they have won a place in the Southern Regional Final. Two of our groups won awards this year – the Preparatory School chamber group, Cucumbers, which includes 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, winning the 2025 Adjudicators' Award. Terenced Dynamics, with Baizhen (Tony) Chen (Year 9) on violin, Xinyi (Alicia) Chen (Year 11) on the oboe, and Hao Bo (Terence) Yang (Year 10) on piano, won the New Zealand Double Reed Society Award for their playing of a J.S. Bach concerto.
At the Canterbury Esports competition last weekend, Thomas Lindstrom (Year 12) Brodie Edgeworth (Year 10) and Maximilian Nuthall (Year 10) joined forces with two students from Rangiora High School and Burnside High School, to take on a senior student team from Riccarton High School in a 5v5 game of Valorant. Despite a loss, the team played well, and Maximilian achieved a one-round win over his opposition. This is the first competition played by the team at Canterbury level this year.
George Reynolds (Year 10) competed in the Secondary Schools Individual Squash Championships last weekend. Winning the first game on Saturday sent him to the semi-final early Sunday. This was a close five-set match with George prevailing. In the final he was against a much higher-ranked opponent, and, after a tough semi-final, couldn't repeat the effort. Having gone in as the third-ranked player, finishing second is a fantastic achievement and the highest result St Andrew's has had for a few years.
The Year 9 girls led the way at the Canterbury Cross Country Championships, winning the Year 9 Girls’ team event by a huge 50 points over St Margaret’s College. Tayla Ford (Year 9) finished second, with Tabitha Ferreira fifth, Penny Scarlett sixth, and Kate Jones 15th. The other top 10 result went to Ashton Harris in the Year 9 Boys’ event, who finished tenth.
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Last Friday and Saturday, nine College bands competed in the Smokefree Rockquest Canterbury Heats. All bands performed exceptionally well. Three have been selected to compete in the Regional Finals on Saturday 7 June: Whiplash; Lies and Lullabies; and Mendacity. The students now have a week and a half to write another song and perform a set of two songs.
A record 13 stories from St Andrew’s students have been longlisted in this year’s National Flash Fiction Day International Writing Competition: Hudson Blyde, Kangwoo Moon (both Year 9), Samuel Hu, Thomas Ambury (both Year 10), Hanxi (Cicy) Chen, Chloe McFedries (both Year 11), Annalie Marshall (Year 12), Penny Dai, Cooper Harris, and Cooper Gallagher (all Year 13). Shortlists to be announced soon.
The English Department’s Junior Festival of the Spoken Word competition was held this week, with the following results:
Charlotte, Thomas, and speakers from the Senior College will perform their items at the Senior Festival of the Spoken Word this coming Tuesday, 10 June, in the Green Library and Innovation Centre from 5.00pm.
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Rylee McBride (Year 13) competed at the 2025 Apollo Projects New Zealand Open Swimming Championships at the Sir Owen Glenn Aquatic Centre, Auckland. She came away with a national title and Gold medal in the 50m backstroke, and new Canterbury record, as well as Silver in the 100m backstroke.
Mac Simpson (Year 7) performed at the Illuminate 2025 Centre Stage Rolleston Arts Competition last 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.
George Hubbard (Year 9) has been selected for the Canterbury U15 Indoor Cricket team that will compete at nationals in July.
Carter Summerfield (Year 8) and Ming Macarthy (Year 6) have both been named in the U14 Canterbury Ice Hockey Representative Training Squad for 2025.
Last weekend, the College warmly welcomed back over 40 Old Collegians and their partners from the Class of 1975–1979 for a memorable 50 Years On reunion. The celebrations included a nostalgic campus tour, a lively cocktail evening, and a traditional Saturday night dinner featuring the Address to a Haggis and heartfelt toasts. Highlights included visits from former staff, reflections from both the OCA President and Rector, Mark Wilson, and a strong sense of camaraderie that has endured through the decades. It was a great celebration of lasting friendships and shared history.
Flickr >Good luck to all students who are representing the College over the weekend in sports and cultural activities.
Our actions and our words make a difference. June is International Pride Month and next week’s Schools’ Pride Week Aotearoa (Monday 2 – Friday 6 June) is a week to celebrate diversity, uphold our College value of inclusivity, and support our LGBTQIA+ students, staff, and whānau. This is important, as people who identify as LGBTQIA+ continue to be disproportionately over-represented in bullying statistics. Alongside other well-being initiatives we celebrate as a College, this is a time to ensure we actively build a sense of safety and belonging for all in our community. Friday 6 June will be an opportunity to celebrate diversity and our commitment to inclusion. Students have been asked to wear bright coloured accessories with their school uniform to show their support. Students can check out the ‘Out on the Shelves’ display and enter a colouring competition throughout the week in the Green Library and Innovation Centre, where rainbow pins and stickers will also be available for a gold coin donation. Friday’s Quad activities will take on a special flavour as students boogie to a playlist of LGBTQIA+ artists.
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.
More information on College SHop – Thistles >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.
The following 2025 school 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).
The Community Business Directory is on our website and represents over 100 parent businesses. Please take a look at how many businesses you can support locally.
The St Andrew's College Community Business Directory >
If you would still like to register your business, complete the following form.
Community Business Directory Registration >
