St Andrew's College

Learning extends well beyond the classroom at St Andrew's, with ākonga recently applying their skills through hands-on experiences across a range of subjects. 🚀

📸 Year 9 French
Year 9 French took part in a défilé de mode (fashion parade), where they described clothing and appearance in French. Working in pairs, they wrote and delivered short scripts using key vocabulary and sentence structures, building confidence and practising descriptive language in an interactive setting.

🇫🇷 French Immersion Day
Year 11–13 French students attended a language immersion day at the University of Canterbury alongside students from across the region. The programme supported preparation for NCEA through workshops, a French-themed treasure hunt, and cultural activities, while also introducing pathways for continuing French at tertiary level.

🗺️ Year 11 Geography Trip
Year 11 Geography students spent three days on the West Coast where they visited Arthur’s Pass, Punakaiki, Blackball, and Hokitika, and carried out river studies, geographic investigations, and fieldwork to support their Level 1 assessments.

⛰️ Year 13 Travel and Tourism Trip
Year 13 Travel and Tourism students visited Queenstown and Central Otago as part of their study of New Zealand tourism destinations. They explored key attractions, visited Queenstown Resort College to learn about career pathways, and connected classroom learning with the tourism industry in practice.

There's been lots of learning in action across the Preparatory School this term, with ākonga building confidence in reading, inquiry, and writing. 📚

📖 Year 8 Reading
This term, Year 8A explored themes of resilience and personal growth through novels including 'Trash', 'Tomorrow', 'When the War Began', and 'The Power of One'. Through guided reading and discussion, they built their understanding of character development and thematic ideas across texts.

🛡️ Year 7 Inquiry
Year 7 students have been studying ancient warrior societies as part of their Inquiry programme. They researched daily life, training, weapons, and belief systems, developing skills in identifying reliable sources, critical thinking, and communication skills.

✏️ Year 2 Writing
Year 2 students have been exploring writing through a novel study of 'Mr Popper’s Penguins', focusing on dreams and aspirations. They planned and wrote about their own “big dreams”, using simple structure and personal voice, developing confidence in expressing ideas through written language.

🚨 48 hours to go in our Annual Giving appeal!

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has already supported our Scholarship opportunities. Your generosity is helping ensure that access to St Andrew’s is shaped by potential and character, not financial circumstance alone.

There is still time to be part of this collective effort.

Scholarships enable students to engage fully in school life, strengthening belonging, well-being and the life of our whole community.

Together, we can continue opening doors and shaping futures.

Thank you for your support.

🔗 https://stac.nz/AnnualGiving2026

We've had a big few weeks of music at St Andrew’s College, with students performing across a range of events in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas. 🎶

🎻 Chamber Music
Four groups featuring St Andrew’s College students took part in the Schools’ Chamber Music Contest District Final at The Piano, achieving strong results . ‘Super Mature’ won Best Performance of a New Zealand Work, ‘Trio Lumiere’ and ‘Isotopes’ were Highly Commended, 'Isotopes' also won the Woolston Brass Trophy, and ‘Sparks Trio’ won the Christchurch District Final and now moves to the Regional Final. 👏

🎤 The Big Sing
Our choirs represented the College with distinction at the Big Sing Canterbury and West Coast Regional Competition at the Christchurch Town Hall. Ngā Manu Tīoriori (“the melodious birds”) received Best Performance of a New Zealand Work and Outstanding Mixed Voice Choir for the third year in a row. Ngā Oro o te Ngahere (“the sounds of the forest”) brought energy and heart to their performance, and Te Kōkī o Hato Ānaru (“the dawn chorus of St Andrew’s”) made a confident debut at this year's competition. 🌟

🎸 Rockquest
College rock band 'Pretty When It Burns' performed at the Smokefree Rockquest regional final, and they are now being considered for the national finals through the second chance pathway, for which they are writing a new song. 🎵

🥁 Pipe Band
Sam Foote (Year 13) and Maggie McConnochie (Year 12) competed at the Queensland State Championships in Brisbane, Australia as part of the Emmanuel College Highlanders at the University of Queensland Pipe Band in the Grade 2 events, with the band placing first in both the March, Strathspey and Reel, and Medley events. 🥇

🎺 Chenxiao (Leo) Yang has been selected for the semi-final of the Lewis Eady National Junior Piano Competition and also achieved Distinction in Trinity Trumpet Grade 7. ⭐

💙 Student Well-being Week at St Andrew’s College

Last week, the College celebrated Student Well-being Week with a programme of student-led activities, reflecting the pillars of PERMA‑V, our well-being framework.

Student leaders worked together to create opportunities for connection and engagement across the College. Highlights included morning hot chocolates, a non-uniform day, a bake sale in support of YouthHub CHCH, and a lunchtime Kahoot quiz in The Green Library and Innovation Centre. ☕🍪🎉

Prefects focused on the Relationships pillar, hosting visiting prefects from other schools for connection activities and an inter-school netball game. Middle School leaders also organised a tug-of-war and a popular challenge around the College.

At Friday’s Well-being Assembly, ākonga shared how the PERMA-V pillars support their own well-being. A highlight was the presentation of the Mahia te Aroha Character Awards, recognising students who show inclusivity, kindness, and a commitment to uplifting others.

The week wrapped up with Friday lunchtime in the Quad, where food trucks and music brought the students together. A great way to end Well-being Week. 💫

🏡 Homestay opportunity | Expressions of interest

St Andrew’s College is inviting expressions of interest from families who would like to host an international student.

Welcoming a student into your home is a rewarding experience for the whole whānau. Alongside providing a regular source of additional income, it offers the chance to learn about different cultures, share traditions, and form meaningful connections. ✨🌏

Our team will support you throughout the journey, ensuring you feel confident and well prepared as a homestay family. 💙

If you live within a 10-minute drive of St Andrew's College and are interested in finding out more, please get in touch with Director of International Students and Exchanges, Palē Tauti, at [email protected]. 📧

⏳ One week to go to support Annual Giving 2026!

Beyond access, scholarships help students feel a deep sense of belonging, as confident, contributing members of the College community.

Scholarships enable capable and motivated students to be able to participate fully in the academic, creative, sporting and service opportunities that define a St Andrew’s education.

By reducing financial barriers, scholarships support:

✅ Students to reach their full potential as capable, confident learners
✅ Opportunities for growth, participation and achievement
✅ A more inclusive, diverse and connected school community

Every gift, regardless of size, plays a meaningful role in opening doors and strengthening access to opportunity.

Thank you for supporting this year’s annual appeal.

🔗 https://stac.nz/AnnualGiving2026

🎶🏆 A strong weekend of piping and Highland dancing for our students

Our ākonga competed at the King’s Birthday solo piping competitions in Dunedin, an event on the national solo piping calendar. Across multiple grades, they achieved a range of impressive results, including several podium finishes. Whakamihi! 👏

Year 11 student Sarah McCarthy also delivered an exceptional performance at the Highland Dancing Otago Championships in Dunedin during King's Birthday weekend, securing two South Island titles, two Otago Championship titles, and Most Outstanding Performance Under 18. A fantastic achievement! ✨

✨ Preparatory School Production 2026: 'Looped' 🎮🎶
Opening Monday 15 June!

Welcome to Looptown, a world where everything runs on points, progress, and the promise of more. But as the system begins to falter, one voice begins to question it all…

Step into an imaginative adventure filled with unexpected Glitches, encounters a powerful Firewall, and ventures right to the edge of the world itself. What will it take to break the loop?

This vibrant production brings together 220 Year 7–8 students across three days of collaborative theatre. With a story devised by our Preparatory School students, and an original score composed by our Secondary School songwriters, 'Looped' is a true celebration of creativity, teamwork, and student voice. 🎭

Step into the loop… if you dare. 👀

📅 When: Monday 15, Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 June
🕒 Times: 11.00am–12.15pm and 7.00pm–8.15pm each day (six performances)
📍 Where: Gough Family Theatre, Ngā Toi Performing Arts Centre
🎟️ Adults: $35.00 | Students: $17.50

Tickets are selling fast, secure yours today!

https://stac.nz/Looped-tickets

We are very proud of our students who continue to embrace co-curricular opportunities, achieving, creating, and excelling across a wide range of pursuits! 💙

🏅 Girl Guide Award
Year 13 ākonga Isla Kempthorne and Hollie Miller were recognised at our Senior College Assembly last Friday for achieving the Queen’s Guide Award, the highest international award in GirlGuiding New Zealand, reflecting their commitment to service, leadership, and outdoor experiences over a five-year period.

🎤 Speech and Drama
Students achieved excellent results in the recent Speech NZ examinations. Teresa Steiner and Sylvia James (Year 13) gained Pass with Distinction at Associate Diploma level, while RuoLin (Lauren) Li and Logan Scott (Year 12) achieved Honours Plus in Grade 8 modules.

💃 Ballroom Dance
Holly Hembry (Year 11) competed at the New Zealand One Dance Ballroom Championships, recording 15 national titles and reaching the finals of the Adult Open Ballroom and New Vogue events.

⛳ Golf
Tristan Bi (Year 7) won the 2025–2026 Canterbury Golf Under 13 Order of Merit. He will represent the College at the 2026 AIMS Games in September, alongside 14,000 other Year 7–8 students competing in a variety of sporting codes.

✍️ Poetry
Students from Writer’s Club, led by Writer-in-Residence Kerrin P Sharpe, have been sharing their mahi with external platforms. As part of the Poetry Box May challenge, Xinrui (Sophia) Xu, Isabelle Gibbs (Year 4), and Jessica Whitehead (Year 8) had their work selected for publication!