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Kia ora koutou.
2021 is here and it has been a very busy start to the year for the school. The international student number at St Andrew’s College is 15. We had four students return back to their home countries, all for different personal reasons, but related to COVID-19 and we say farewell to our Year 13 students for the next part of their journey onto varying tertiary institutions.
We welcome our new international leaders and students who are all excited about the prospect of a new beginning in different roles and year groups. The school is looking forward to a ‘new normal’ as we continue to deliver the vast variety of programmes on offer, while maintaining a strong standard of hygiene, social distancing and following the guidelines of the Government as the country goes in and out of different Alert Levels.
We are grateful for the ability to be able to go about our daily business with limited restrictions and being able to socially interact person to person. It is not overlooked that our international students have not had in person contact with family and friends, for some over 18 months
COVID-19 Update
The current COVID-19 situation is in Alert Level 4 for Auckland and Alert Level 2 for the rest of New Zealand:
A new update is the legal requirements to wear a face mask on public transport and domestic flights.
The College continues to practice good hand hygiene and physical distancing for example no hugging and keeping numbers in confined spaces low. Please find two links to what St Andrew’s College are doing to help support and secure our students are safe:
ALERT LEVEL 2 MANAGEMENT PLAN – PLAY IT SAFE > GOVERNMENT ALERT SYSTEM OVERVIEW >
Regards
Palē Tauti
Director of International Students and Exchanges
Over the summer holidays, we held two catch up days on Monday 21 December 2020 and Tuesday 12 January 2021. This was an opportunity for new and returning students to meet and interact, but also a good time to check in with each other and see how everyone is doing over a period where all students would be with families in their home countries.
We welcome two new international leaders and returning International Leader Jaime Howell back for 2021.
Jaime Howell: My name is Jaime Howell and I am returning to this role of an international leader in 2021. One of my hobbies is the harp, so this year I want to push myself and improve enough that I can play more confidently in performances. For our international students, I’m really looking forward to spending more time with them and learning what they are or aren’t enjoying about school in New Zealand.
Alvin Chen: My name is Alvin Chen and it's a privilege for me to be the new International Leader for St Andrew’s College in 2021. I'm looking forward to working alongside all team members and spending time with all international students whom I will get to know more about this year. I came to New Zealand in August 2014 and have studied at St Andrew’s since then. I like watching anime which has encouraged me to take Japanese as a subject at school. My goal this year is to learn how to play the piano because I would love to learn one instrument, not to performance but just to entertain.
Michael McCaskey: My name is Michael McCaskey. I am 17 and in Year 12 at St Andrew’s College. This is my first year as one of the International Leaders for 2021, I am looking forward to working with everyone and for what this year has in store. I play hockey for the school and do athletics, and my hobbies are airsoft, playing the guitar and learning new things. I love learning about new cultures and what life is like around the globe, which gives me a new understanding on how the world works and all the incredible cultures that fill it. Our family has been hosting home-stays for five years, and it has been an amazing experience learning about and living with students from different parts of the world. I am excited for what lays ahead this year regarding being an International Leader, and hope that 2021 is a year that international students at St Andrew’s College will enjoy and cherish.
With borders closed and no new students coming into the country, we are very fortunate to welcome the following students who have chosen St Andrew’s College as a school to help them pursue their educational goal.
Welcome to Yifang ‘Jacky’ Jiang (Year 9), Yuze ‘Austin’ Zhao (Year 9), Ruzhe ‘Timmy’ Li (Year 12), Soichiro Saito (Year 12) and Mirai Oka (Year 13).
We look forward to supporting your journey here at St Andrew’s College and assisting you to obtain your personal goals.
Earlier this term we acknowledged and celebrated many student successes which came as a result of resilience, persistence and commitment.
Over 280 students gained awards for either NCEA Level 1, 2 or 3 Excellence endorsements, NZQA Scholarship awards, or ICAS English High Distinction awards. There were so many impressive awards, with a number of our students achieving amongst the very best in New Zealand.
Our international students were amongst these high achievers:
Another Secondary School Athletic Sports Day to remember! There was a wonderful, carnival-type atmosphere at the College last Friday as students competed in a variety of track and field events, showed fantastic House spirit in an array of colourful costumes and took part in novelty events such as the tug of war and three-legged race. Well done to all involved and congratulations to everyone who competed – there were some outstanding results and a number of records broken!
We are excited to offer our international students a great five day trip to Hanmer Springs, located an hour and 30 minutes north of Christchurch for the first week of the April school holidays. Students will participate in the following activities:
Hiking, Tree Climbing, Mountain Biking, Orienteering, Master Chef Challenge, Thermal Hot Pools, Jet Boating and much more.
While enjoying the company of students from St Margaret’s College, who have joined us in this great trip.
Don't forget to follow us on social media.
Instagram: standrewscollege_international
Facebook: St Andrew’s College – International
