The Cathedral Grammar School

🚒 Community Helpers in Action | Junior School, Real-World Learning

Today, our Junior School students welcomed firefighters from Fire and Emergency New Zealand as part of their Community Helpers in Action inquiry, exploring the important roles people play in keeping our communities safe, healthy and connected.

At The Cathedral Grammar School, we value real-world learning opportunities. Meeting firefighters and learning directly from their experiences helps bring classroom learning to life while building students' understanding of the many ways people contribute to the wellbeing of others.

Through the Firewise education programme, students learned important fire safety messages, including how to identify hazards, respond safely in an emergency, and the vital role firefighters play in protecting people and property.

A sincere thank you to Fire and Emergency New Zealand for sharing their time, expertise and important safety messages with our students.

🤝 Year 8 Student Leadership | Learning Through Service

Recently, our Year 8 Heads of Service, Anna and Miller, together with our Committee Members, visited the Christchurch City Mission's Pou Manaaki Self-Serve Food Bank to learn more about the important role it plays in supporting members of our community and to better understand how they could help.

During the visit, students met with City Mission staff, toured the food bank, and gained an understanding of how the self-serve model works, enabling individuals and families to choose the food they need while managing a points-based budget.

As student leaders, it is important not only to identify ways to serve others, but also to understand the needs that exist within our community. This visit provided valuable insight into the challenges some people face and the practical ways we can make a difference.

Reflecting on the experience, Anna shared:

"We can make a difference by donating food to the City Mission and telling people about it so that they can help as well."

Our students left inspired, informed and eager to take action. As a result of their visit, they are now organising a school-wide food drive to support the work of the Christchurch City Mission.

A sincere thank you to the Christchurch City Mission team for welcoming our students and sharing their time, knowledge and expertise.

❤️🖤 Red and Black Day | Learning from Our Community

We are incredibly fortunate to be part of a school community filled with parents and whānau who are willing to share their expertise, experiences and passions with our students. These real-world learning opportunities help bring learning to life and inspire curiosity about the many ways people contribute to their communities.

Last Friday, as our students celebrated Red and Black Day ahead of the Crusaders semi-final, our Pre-School and Junior School students enjoyed a very special visit from one of our parent community members.

Mason's dad, Jack, who works as a paramedic, generously gave his time to share what it means to help people in emergencies and the important role paramedics play in our community.

Students were fascinated as they explored the ambulance, learned about the specialised equipment carried on board and asked plenty of thoughtful questions about Jack's work. The visit brought our Community Helpers learning to life, helping students understand how paramedics care for others and respond when people need help most.

Thank you to Jack for spending time with our youngest learners and giving them an insight into the important work of a paramedic.

🎭 Alumni | Grammar Girls Shine on the National Stage

We are incredibly proud to celebrate the achievements of former Cathedral Grammar students Matilda Abbott, Jess Erasmus, Qiaoyu Guan and Rose Martin.

The four students recently played key roles in helping St Margaret's College win the Outstanding Movement/Dance Award for The Winter's Tale at the SGCNZ National Shakespeare Festival. A special congratulations also goes to Jess Erasmus, who was named Best Performer at the regional festival.

Their success doesn't stop there. Matilda, Jess and Rose also held lead roles in the recent production of Les Misérables with Christ's College, with Jess playing Fantine and Matilda and Rose sharing the role of Cosette.

As a school, we take great pride in seeing our former students continue to embrace opportunities in the performing arts and achieve success at such a high level. Their accomplishments are a testament to their talent, commitment and willingness to step onto the stage and give things a go.

At Cathedral Grammar, students are encouraged from an early age to participate in choirs, music ensembles, drama productions, speech and performance opportunities, developing the confidence and creativity that support them throughout their educational journey.

Congratulations, Matilda, Jess, Qiaoyu and Rose. We are incredibly proud of all you have achieved and look forward to following your continued success.

🎨 Inspired by Paul Cézanne | Year 3 Specialist Art Class

At The Cathedral Grammar School, specialist Art encourages students to think critically, observe carefully, and develop an appreciation for the techniques, ideas, and creative processes that have shaped artistic expression across generations.

Our Year 3 students have been exploring the work of Paul Cézanne and his iconic landscape, Montagne Sainte-Victoire, as part of their specialist Art programme.

Using hard-edged tools rather than traditional paintbrushes, the children experimented with mark-making techniques, layering colour and shape to create texture, depth, and movement. Through this process, they developed their observation skills, explored new ways of thinking, and discovered how artists communicate ideas through visual expression.

Experiences such as these encourage creativity, curiosity, and confidence while helping students develop the skills to think critically, take risks, and express themselves in new ways.

🎸🎻🎤 Specialist Music | One Programme, Many Pathways

At The Cathedral Grammar School, specialist Music provides students with opportunities to explore a diverse range of musical genres, performance experiences, and pathways, helping them develop as confident and versatile musicians.

As our bands prepare for BandQuest at A Rolling Stone, it is a reminder of the breadth of opportunities available within our music programme. Many of the students performing in our rock bands are also members of our School Choirs, Cathedral Choristers, Orchestra, and String Ensemble, moving seamlessly between choral, classical, and contemporary genres.

Guided by Band Coach Ewen Glasgow, students benefit from high-level coaching and mentorship while developing the confidence and skills to perform in a live music environment.

We are grateful for the expertise and mentorship Ewen brings to our music programme. Drawing on his experience as a professional musician, he provides students with authentic industry insight and experience, complementing the many musical pathways available to our students.


Pieces Of Molly

🩷 Pink Ribbon Breakfast | Year 7 Girls Leadership In Action

This morning, our Year 7 girls welcomed family members to a special Pink Ribbon Breakfast in support of breast cancer research and awareness.

From planning the event and preparing breakfast to organising raffles and providing live background music for their guests, the girls took ownership of every aspect of the morning. It was wonderful to see families coming together to enjoy breakfast while supporting such a worthwhile cause.

The event was a fantastic example of student leadership in action, with the girls demonstrating initiative, teamwork, service and care for others — values that sit at the heart of our MITRE Leadership Programme.

A special thank you to Year 7 Homeroom Teacher, Tracey Jones, for supporting, encouraging and empowering the girls throughout the planning and delivery of this initiative.

Well done to our Year 7 girls for creating such a meaningful and memorable morning.

We're pleased to report that no smoke alarms were activated, no pancakes were burnt, and very little breakfast was left behind!