A sense of belonging at St Andrew’s

The boarding houses were abuzz in the first week of February when boarders were warmly welcomed back to St Andrew’s, ready to start another exciting year.

Heading away from home for the first time can be a daunting experience for boarders. However, the College does everything it can to ensure a smooth transition, with a range of initiatives and activities helping them to build a strong sense of belonging and community.

Alongside their welcome cookie and chocolates, for the first time this year, all students new to boarding received a special card from Director of Boarding, Matt Parr, which encouraged them to take pride in their new identity as a boarder and reflect on the long history of boarding at the College. “Boarding has been a special part of the fabric of St Andrew’s since it was founded in 1917. Now it is the turn of our new boarders to leave their mark.”

Attached to the card was the distinctive boarders’ badge, with the slogan te taki tino ma, which translated means, ‘To lead the rest and be your best’. Matt says this philosophy underpins the way of life in the boarding houses. “We encourage boarders to strive to reach or extend their personal potential, whether that be in the classroom, in cultural pursuits, or on the sports field. The badge was introduced last year and identifies boarders as being part of a special community.”

On their first day at St Andrew’s, the Year 9 boarders and their families enjoyed a shared lunch and heard from management and leaders in the boarding community.

The Year 9 Boarders’ Orientation Weekend was another great opportunity for the youngest members of the boarding community to get to know each other, while fun events like the Boarders’ Weekend also fostered lots of new connections. “These events also give our Year 13 boarders the opportunity to shine as kaiāwhina, or leaders in boarding,” says Matt.

With the year now in full swing, Matt says boarders are well settled into their ‘home away from home’. “Our students are on a unique shared journey and enjoy some incredible opportunities as a boarder here at St Andrew’s College.”

Year 9 Boarders’

With the first Year 9 Boarders’ Orientation Weekend in 2022 proving such a success, the initiative has become a permanent addition to the start-of-the year activities for the boarding community.

During the weekend, the students enjoyed 10-pin bowling, a visit to Adrenaline Forest, a fish and chip lunch, and a surfing lesson in Sumner, followed by a swim at Jellie Park in the evening. The next day, the students experienced an overnight stay at the Castle Hill Lodge and enjoyed a jet boat ride at Alpine Jet Thrills in Springfield. The Castle Hill Outdoor Education staff ran an orienteering activity, and boarding staff ran some Adventure Based Learning (ABL) games designed to plant seeds for the boarding journey. The final morning was spent rock climbing and abseiling before the students headed ‘home’ to the boarding houses.