A sense of belonging at St Andrew’s

The start of the year is a busy and energetic time for boarders at St Andrew’s College, when they are warmly welcomed back to campus with a range of fun events and activities, designed to help build a strong sense of belonging and community. Lots of new connections were made at the Year 9 Boarders’ Orientation Weekend, and an action-packed Boarders’ Weekend In, organised by the Year 13 boarding leaders. All students new to boarding received a special card from Director of Boarding, Matt Parr, which encouraged them to take pride in their identity as a boarder.

“We have a strong boarding community at St Andrew’s and want boarders to feel really proud to be part of it,” Matt says. Attached to the card was the distinctive boarders’ badge, with the whakataukī, te taki tino ma, which translated means, ‘Your best to lead the rest’.

Matt says this philosophy underpins the way of life in the College’s two boarding houses for boys, and one for girls.

“Our boarders are encouraged to strive to reach or extend their personal potential. We also expect them to lead the way in being good people, demonstrating respect, inclusiveness, empathy, and consideration for others.”

Matt says the boarding houses at St Andrew’s College are far more than just a place to stay. “We have great pastoral care and well-being systems in place and constantly add value in a range of ways. Last year we introduced some new initiatives to support boarders to achieve their best academically. All our management staff in boarding, and many of our tutors, are educators first, so we understand the journey the students are on, and what they need at home to support their learning journey.”

A Learning Support programme was introduced for junior students needing extra assistance, and independent tutoring was an option for students requiring personalised assistance in certain subject areas. Boarders’ progress during the nightly Prep Programme, when they engage in home study, is also monitored.

“We provide systems and a support structure to reinforce what boarders are learning in the classroom and encourage them to develop good self-management skills and routines, so they can maximise the opportunities for home learning in the boarding house.”

With an exciting range of co-curricular activities to take part in, delicious food prepared by St Andrew’s on-site catering team, modern comfortable boarding houses to reside in, and access to extensive facilities on the College campus, boarders usually settle quickly into to their new environment, and share some amazing opportunities as part of the boarding community at St Andrew’s College, says Matt.