From The Rector
Welcome back to St Andrew's College for 2012. Term 1 is
always a very busy one on the school calendar and 2012 will
be no exception, with a number of important school events. An exciting celebratory event will be the Official Opening
of the New Preparatory School by His Excellency Lieutenant
General The Right Honourable Sir Jerry Mateparae,
Governor-General of New Zealand, on Thursday 23 February. I am sure all students will be returning to school with a
sense of anticipation for all the opportunities that lie
ahead.
Student Scholarships Outstanding
St Andrew's students have gained an impressive 25
Scholarship awards, including seven Outstanding awards. The
hard work and commitment to achieving academic excellence
has paid off for students and staff with these wonderful
results. The Scholarships (including seven Outstanding) were
achieved in the following subject areas:
4 in Statistics
3 in Calculus, Physics, Chemistry and English
2 in Biology, Design and Classical Studies
1 each in Art History, Technology and Geography
Melanie Lipinski gained three Scholarships, Benji Wright
gained two Scholarships and one Outstanding, Kate Boyer
gained three Scholarships and one Outstanding, and
Michael Simcock also gained three Scholarships.
Let us show you around...
Let us show you around - book a school tour
Our tours are personalised to suit your needs and give you
every opportunity to see our students in action in the
classroom. A guided tour gives you the opportunity to talk
at length and in depth about the College programmes. The
tour is also a chance to view our facilities including the
new Preparatory School, Spiro Science and Mathematics Centre
and Sports Pavilion. Contact Registrar Julie Watson
jwa@stac. school. nz[mailto:jwa@stac. school. nz] or 03 940 2016
to book an appointment or request an information pack.
Student Successes of the Week
Every week we hear about a number of students achieving
success across a number of areas whether it be on the sports
field, the stage or in the classroom. Below are some of our
latest student stories for the week ending 17 February.
NCEA Success for Students
*NCEA Results
*This time of year always brings enthusiastic analysis of
our College NCEA results and, with our focus on excellence,
it is very heartening to report that at Levels 1, 2 and 3
the numbers of students gaining Excellence endorsements have
once again exceeded our targets. Excellence endorsements are
not easy to attain so congratulations to all students who
did so. Preliminary results indicate that at St Andrew’s 24
students achieved Excellence endorsements at Level 3, 32 at
Level 2 and 46 at Level 1. This is a significant increase on
previous years and well above national percentages.
7 ICAS Medals for Highest Scores in NZ
St Andrew’s College students recently won seven of the
coveted ICAS medals for highest academic marks in the
country. St Andrew’s College Rector, Christine Leighton
says, “It is most unusual for a school to gain more than
one medal and so it was a proud moment for St Andrew’s to
gain more medals than any other school in New Zealand. ”
Educational Assessment Australia (EAA) has been conducting
the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools
(ICAS) for 30 years and now attracts more than 2 million
student entries annually.
Student Comment
Tilly Hampton and Angus Hawke, Student Comment, Leavers'
Assembly Tuesday 8 November
As we sat here nine months ago in early February we were
excited for the year ahead. Rugby world cup, our last year
at StAC, the up-coming sports season and of course another
upcoming pipe band season. However, these excitements were
hugely disrupted as you can all remember. We did not know
what was going to happen next.
Regulus Magazine
The Rector's magazine, Regulus, is an important part of the
College’s communication with our whole-school community. It is one of the key ways that we inform both our internal
and extended community about the profile of the College,
including students’ achievements, key developments at the
College such as new buildings, coverage of school events,
reunions and profiles on Old Collegians. Articles on
teaching and learning and the latest education trends also
feature every issue. The magazine is organised into four sections:
Leadership and Governance
Teaching and Learning
Resources and Environment
Values and Culture
The magazine is published in May, September and
November each year.
Rector's Address
Rector's Address - Prefects' Induction Assembly, Friday 3
February 2012
E nga iwi e nga karanga tanga, te iti me te rahi, tena
koutou, tena tatou katoa. Welcome to this most significant
and special assembly – the Investiture of the College
Prefects for 2012. A special welcome to our guests this morning: grandparents,
parents, family members and friends of our 26 Year 13
students who we celebrate and honour in their leadership
role. Welcome back to Angus and Tilly, our Head Students
from last year and I know there are a number of other Old
Collegians here to offer support to our prefects for 2012.
Building Update, November 2011
The events of 22 February have had a significant impact on
the College in many ways, not least on the buildings and
grounds. Immediately following the earthquake, the grounds
were covered with liquefaction, which also bubbled up from
underneath the floor of the theatrette, around asphalted
areas and across the extensive fields. Thanks to the quick work of Mike Johnston (Custodian) and
John Anderson (Head of Middle School), a St Andrew’s
student volunteer army came to the College soon after and
cleared the fields of most of the debris.
Students help families in need
Well done to students of 7H who recently raised $979 from a
quilt raffle. This donation was made to Christchurch
women’s refuge who were very happy to receive the
support.
The students choose the Christchurch’s Women’s Refuge
because they thought that some women and children might have
lost their homes this year due to the earthquakes. The whole
class worked together to sell raffle tickets and said that
it was well supported because people knew it was for a good
cause. The quilt was donated by Mrs Margaret O’Connor.
Medal for Outstanding Contribution
Congratulations to HOD Agriculture Mr Michael Woodlock who
recently received a medal at the A & P Show for
“Outstanding Contribution to the Shearing Section of the
Canterbury A & P Show”. The trophy he received dates
back to 1884 - although what it has been awarded for has
changed over the years. The award was named after Keith Fincham (StAC Old
Collegian, 1950); Michael actually taught Keith’s son
David at St Andrew’s and the award was presented to
Michael by Keith’s daughters.
Michael has been involved with the show for about 25
years.
Students raise funds for theatre they love
St Andrew’s College students along with Rangi Ruru
Girls’ School recently showcased their performing arts
talent in a fundraiser evening for the Repertory Theatre. Students raised $1602. 93 for the theatre, which was severely
damaged in the September and February earthquakes and has
since been demolished.
Dianne Jones, Chair of Repertory said, “Having fought and
lost our home, Repertory members were just so touched when
we heard that the students wanted to raise money for the
theatre they loved. ” Both St Andrew’s and Rangi Ruru
students have performed at the Repertory Theatre.
Medal Winning Build for StAC Prep School
St Andrew’s new Preparatory School building recently
earned building company Mainzeal Construction a medal in the
regional finals of the Registered Master Builder’s 2011
Commercial Projects awards. Mainzeal received a Silver medal
in the Hays Recruiting Experts Worldwide Education Project
category. It was the highest medal awarded in this class. Graeme Earl, Construction Manager, Mainzeal Property and
Construction said the company was honoured to have received
the Silver award. “It is a reflection of the dedication
and commitment our project team has invested into what is a
great educational facility in what has been an exceptionally
unpredictable period in all our lives.