News and events for the week ending 13th September 2019 Friday 13th September 2019 Opening words from the Executive PrincipalKia ora tatou, good afternoon, 你好, 안녕하세요 中秋节快乐! We have had a lively contingent of enthusiastic students in Tauranga this week: 64 keen Year 7 and 8 students have been competing in this year’s AIMS tournament. This has become one of the largest school sports tournaments in the world, and is a fantastic experience for every student who attends it. This year, we have competed in Badminton, Basketball, Cross Country, Gymnastics, Hip Hop, Hockey Boys & Hockey Girls, Mountain Biking, Multisport, Netball, Swimming, Table Tennis & Tennis. I understand everyone has been a great ambassador for the school, which makes me very proud, and that all of the teams and individuals have performed brilliantly. Well done! Special congratulations to swimmers Jasmine Lyles, who has won a silver medal (2nd in NZ) in the 100 metres breaststroke, and a bronze (3rd in NZ) in the 200 metres breaststroke, and to Jack Potier, who came fourth in New Zealand in the 200 metres freestlye swimming event. I should mention the netballers too, who won 6 games on the trot, making the A Grade for the first time in our history and even beating Northcross Intermediate along the way. Back in school, it feels as if we have been surfing the weather all week, hopping across the green spaces between sudden, fierce downpours. The thunderstorm just before 3pm on Monday was a highlight, as my Year 12 class suddenly became 10 years old all over again, excited and nervous at the same time. The weather hasn’t, though, stopped us making good progress with the Library: we’re still on course for a late October completion, and I spent an excited half an hour wandering around the site earlier this week: it’s taking shape nicely, and I can’t wait for it to be completed. We’ve also taken the decision to install a sprung floor downstairs in the new space between the Arena and the Gym, which will enable us to offer our students some additional opportunities next year. I saw some very excited Primary students holding rockets of assorted shapes and sizes after school earlier this week: they had been enjoying STEAM Day, learning about engineering, and making connections between Science, Maths, Technology and the creative process. It was the first time we had done something quite like this, and it seems to have worked well. I also had the chance to wander into a number of Primary classrooms when they were doing a whole school ‘Cold Write’: the writing I saw was a reminder of the exceptional literacy standards our younger students are reaching. I had a few laughs too: there are some very vivid imaginations out there! The highlight of my week, though, was enjoying the latest of Mrs Naumovska’s wonderful Informal Music Concerts on Tuesday. I think Brayden Zhao, Year 3, was the youngest student performing, showing real promise on the piano while Anderson slowly slipped into a quiet doze; a number of students showcased their talents on the guitar – electric and classical; we had drums and violin too; and Shuan Liu amazed everyone again with two wildly contrasting pieces, one of which, by 20th century composer Samuel Barber, left me speechless. Shuan’s talent is extraordinary, as is her passion. Thank you to all of the students who took part: I left school on Tuesday with a huge smile on my face. Year 11, 12 and 13 students will receive their reports in a couple of weeks: we’re currently writing them, adding grades, and offering advice to support students over the coming weeks as they prepare for their exams. Please take advantage of the tutorials that we’re offering, and please also approach any teachers of subjects where you have concerns. We want parents to contact us to ask questions because we think that the more information you have the better it is for your sons and daughters. At the same time, please also help us to maintain a balanced approach: you will know your children, and know when to gently push, and when to pull back and offer reassurance. If you are worried that your child is feeling the pressure a bit too much, please reach out to his or her POD teacher or to the Dean. Please also make sure that there is time for socialising, trips to the cinema, family meals out at local restaurants… My Year 12 daughter works hard (and at very unusual hours!), but I can see that she sometimes needs to put the books away and have time to do other things. That’s where I can help (I’m not much use with Year 12 Biology!). Thank you to all the Primary parents who reponded to our surevy about the holiday programme. At the bottom of this newsletter you will see the schedule for the upcoming holidays. We havent made any major changes for these holidays, but bookings can now be made through enrolmy.com. This is the same system we use for After School Care. A couple of quick things: I've spoken with Theresa, who runs the holiday programme and I am confident that the snacks we offer children - a mid morning toastie, fruit, biscuits - are appropriate. We are looking to introduce field trips, but this is unlikely to happen in the upcoming holidays. Have a lovely weekend. Here’s hoping the rain stops for a while. WEEK 9 Tuesday 17 September
Wednesday 18 September
Thursday 19 September
Friday 20 September
Saturday 21 September
WEEK 10 Tuesday 24 September
Wednesday 25 September
Thursday 26 September
Friday 27 September
TERM 3 ENDS 如需阅读校长的中文留言和重要事件日期,请点击此处 Kia Ora, Well done to all the students who went to AIMS Games. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to take part, compete and experience a major sporting event. I have no doubt the students will return home with stories and memories that will remain with them for many years to come. Back at school it is a very busy period. Year 9 students are getting ready for preparatory Checkpoint tests. The feedback that they receive from these tests will provide valuable guidance leading into their final tests during the first week of next term. Year 9 students are also reminded that they need to complete their online IGCSE subject choices by 27th September. Year 11, 12 and 13 students will have recently received all their feedback from the mock examinations. These students now know the dates and times of their final examinations and dates of planned tutorials. I’d be encouraging all external examination students to be combining all this information to plan a study schedule for the next six weeks. For some students this can at first appear daunting. If a student is organised and takes the time and trouble to plan, they will be able to achieve an acceptable balance between family time, leisure, sport and study. Year 11 and 12 students are also required to complete their online A Level subject choices by 27th September. Next week we have 50 senior students tramping in the Northern Coromandel bush completing and training for their Silver Duke of Edinburgh expedition. Every year we have more and more students involved in this valuable programme and we will continue to encourage all students to challenge themselves. I wish everyone an enjoyable weekend, let’s hope we finally get some sunshine. Ngā mihi, Chris Wiggin and Kieran Verryt Principals of College Year 11 & 12 BlazersCould all Year 11 and 12 students who would like to have their blazers braided please hand them in to the Uniform Shop straight after Prizegiving on 4th December. Unfortunately we will not be able to accept any blazers that come in after this time. All blazers must be properly named and free from badges as they will all be sent to the dry cleaners before the braiding is done. The cost of the dry cleaning is $16.50 and will be charged to your school account. The fruit we eat does not come from the supermarket...Last Friday the Junior College Council returned to Yendarra School in South Auckland to plant fruit trees. Our students braved the cold and dodged the rain long enough to plant a range of apple, pear and citrus trees. The council last visited Yendarra two years ago when we started the orchard. It was pleasing to see earlier fruit trees had doubled in size. Yendarra run a programme called ‘Garden to Table’ which runs every Thursday. Community volunteers run the programme alongside Yendarra’s Year 6 students who manage and tend to their gardens and fruit trees. The Yendarra students and staff were extremely welcoming, inviting us to take part in their Tongan Language week, complete with a range of staff artifacts in their School Museum. Our students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and saw sustainable living in action. Special thanks to Natalie Raphael for suggesting the idea, Dawn and Suze for helping on the day and a special thanks to the Burnell family and the Avis Leeson Trust for providing and transporting the fruit trees. Algebra - Find the Value of ‘X’The pieces of the puzzle come together as Year 8 students work co-operatively to solve a linear equations jigsaw. As well as consolidating their knowledge, this activity creates opportunity for students to discuss their ideas, explores alternative approaches when seeking solutions and allows students to utilise their knowledge and creativity to make a jigsaw of their own. Getting Their Hands DirtyThe Environmental Council were lucky enough to receive lots of help from the Junior College this week as they got their hands dirty making seed bombs as a part of Bee Aware Month. Once the Enviro Council's plot has been ‘seed bombed’ there will be a new Bee Garden outside the Junior College. Year 9 Mandarin: Making MooncakesWith Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) just around the corner, both Year 9 Chinese First Language and Mandarin Foreign Language students had a hands-on experience making mooncakes. A big thank you to Sharon and Sunny’s mum for spending hours preparing the dough and fillings beforehand, so all the students needed to do was wrap the fillings and bake them. The students had homemade Suzhou style mooncakes for the very first time. 大家中秋节快乐! NZSS Girls Hockey Tournament – Aon Kate Trolove CupLast week, the 1st 11 Girls Hockey Team spent the week representing the school in Hamilton, at the Kate Trolove Cup. We were quite a new team with 10 of the 14 girls playing in their first college tournament. We started the tournament off with tough losses against the top two teams, however came back to win our third game against Waiuku 5-0. We won our next game against Massey 3-0, however ended with two hard-fought but close loses, placing us 12th overall. As captain, it was a fun experience to lead such a nice team of girls on and off the field. We adopted our pre-game rituals, involving jump jam and setting our own personal goals for each game. It was awesome to see everyone giving 100% effort and keeping a positive attitude even when the games got quite tough. As a team, we displayed tenacity and resilience to perform at our best regardless of the results of the previous games. Our team was often found at the turfs, supporting our fellow Auckland teams and watching our coach, Ms Anderson, umpire. Aside from the hockey, it was a week full of laughs with initiation for the new girls and team activities, ranging from a trip out to the local pools, to supermarket shopping for our snacks for the week. We enjoyed a large range of baking and hot meals for dinners and lunches that kept us fueled up for the tournament, thanks to our parents, our manager, Rita and our Sport Coordinator, Mrs Augustin. It is safe to say that after eleven years of Pinehurst hockey and over 200 games, I have ended on a massive high. - Aimee Fletcher, Team Captain Barista TrainingFrom time to time, we offer Barista training for students who are keen to gain this skill and use it to find part time work. Wednesday and Thursday this week saw the latest group of Year 12 & 13 students learn this valuable skill, making awesome progress over the two sessions. Kia Ora, We were all looking forward to S.T.E.A.M. themed learning on Wednesday of this week with a variety of activities taking place around the Apollo moon landing, NASA and far flung galaxies. I had conversations about universes, multiverses and the hyperverse as we pondered just how big space actually is as well as the concept of dark matter and a little dive into quantum physics and the nature of reality which I must admit fascinates me. From moon sand in Year 1 to pixel art and NASA logos in Year 6 there was a lot of connected learning taking place. Although our focus is primarily on numeracy, literacy and science we plan to integrate learning with some of the other subjects we teach so as to make connections for our learners. As a staff we got together this week to plan next term’s unit on PrEP or the Primary Enterprise Programme. Children will learn the skills of financial literacy as part of our wider global citizenship programme whilst developing products through the technology design process. At the end of their learning they will sell the products they have made at the PrEP market for our Pinehurst currency called 'pines'. We would usually have Book Week round about now and celebrate our love of reading, but with the Library under construction we have decided to wait until early next year when we can really get involved in a week of literary themed activities. Do please make time to read with and to your children though, it is so important for their brain development, language development and their imaginations. Reading can be informative, inspiring, challenging and relaxing and is the door to other worlds. By reading to your children you can share precious family time and build relationships, when they see you reading they will follow your example and see more value in the act of reading a book. Even if reading is not your favourite pastime, they need never know! Have a great weekend. Ngā Mihi, Sian Coxon, Principal of Primary Primary Mandarin Speech FinalCongratulations to Percy Kuang who was the runner up at the Mandarin Speech Final. Percy competed against thirteen Year 5 and Year 6 students from different schools in the Auckland region and did a brilliant job. Kidzplay Winter Netball SeasonWe have come to the end of the winter netball season for our teams who played in the Kidzplay Saturday league. We have seen our players improve their netball skills, court tactics and develop a deeper understanding of how to play together as a team. We would like to thank all of our enthusiastic sideline spectators who have cheered, clapped and been a positive presence. The last Saturday of the winter season was ‘dress up’ day. Our teams embraced the dress up theme as did the coaches and umpires! Thank you to all those families who have registered their daughter/son to play in the Spring League. This league runs from 19th October to the 30th November (excluding 26th October – Labour Weekend). It is a fun, non-competitive league that provides an opportunity to play in a team with friends, or simply give netball a go. If you have not registered your child and wish to do so, please contact Anina Botes our Primary Netball co-ordinator: anina.botes@pinehurst.school.nz. Primary PEOver the past couple of weeks thanks to East Coast Bays Cricket Club all Primary year groups have been learning about the game of cricket. We have focused on the three different parts that make up the game, fielding, bowling and batting. In fielding students have been learning to throw, catch and stop a ball on the ground utilizing various techniques in order to successfully work together in a team to get the batting team out. We have looked at the three main steps that make up bowling that will enable the students to hit the wickets. Within batting students have learnt the correct technique when holding a cricket bat to enable them to strike the ball when it is being bowled to them. I would like to thank East Coast Bays Cricket for all the help they have provided to our students. In Term 4 in PE our main focus will be around athletics, leading up to the schools athletics day. 中秋节 in PrimaryMid-Autumn festival is a Chinese harvest festival celebrated widely in China and other Asian countries. To celebrate the festival; this week, students of all year levels were engaged in a variety of activities. From Year 6 students doing enquiry studies - comparing how the festival is celebrated amongst different Asian cultures to the Junior Primary where students made Mid-Autumn Festival crafts. In Year 5, students used their language knowledge to design their own moon cakes whereas Year 3 used their STEAM knowledge to design their mooncake patterns. Year 4 students learned why the moon is the centre of this celebration. Mosaics in P2In Science, P2 are learning about, ‘What happens when we mix it?’ This introduces the big chemistry idea that some materials can be mixed together. The act of mixing and the changes that occur during the mixing process are the focus of this topic. As we have also been working to add items to our Butterfly Garden to make it more interactive for the children, this learning topic offers a nice link. Initially we learnt how to make successful mosaics by treating the tiles like puzzle pieces and fitting them together with small gaps. Hugh said, ‘The first time it was tricky to fit the pieces together but the second time I was much faster.’ Then we investigated mixing the adhesive to attach the small tile pieces to our two tree stumps to make mushroom seats/tables. Louis observed that, ‘When we mixed the dry powder and water the mixture became thick like toothpaste.’ As well as this, we have painted some flat river stones as food and vehicles for imaginary play in the garden. We have had a lot of fun and hope that, when finished, everyone will enjoy our new creations. Term 3 in the Junior PrimaryAs we near the end of Term 3, we look back and reflect upon lots of amazing work that has taken place throughout the Junior Primary. Our newest class (P1) only began school eight weeks ago and already they have learned so much. In Science they have been investigating the question, ‘What is in an egg?’ Here they are creating a piece of work to show what they have found. Our other New Entrant classes have been on a mission to help ‘Hetty’ in her hat shop. They have been creating different kinds of hats, describing them, labeling them and writing posters. Their work has given them an engaging context to allow the development of important early literacy skills. The Senior Year 1 classes have been creating sculpture masterpieces in Art. Developing their paper sculpting techniques such as fringe, roll, loop, tab, curl and pleat which has given them the skills to create these amazing underwater inspired 3D pictures. And finally, the Year 2 classes have been working hard in Mandarin lessons. Each week they participate in a wide range of activities, sometimes working independently; other times collaborating with a buddy. Playing ‘Mathopoly’ allowed them to practise their hanzi writing, whilst having fun at the same time! Year 3 & 4In Year 3 the students have been working on finding NZ endangered animals, researching five facts about them and then thinking about a plan that could help their chosen animal. Nina’s plan is to save the Māui dolphins and design a new net that the dolphins can get out of. In Science they have been learning how to keep their bodies healthy; knowing what different foods do to us, naming the sections of the food pyramid and clearly explaining the way food impacts our body. Some of the Year 3 students have started Poetry writing and have their own Poetry booklets. The Year 4 students have been learning about different parts of the human body. They constructed a movable model of an arm to show bones, muscles, and joints working together. They are learning how to identify the bones by looking at them and to recognise and know the names of the muscles. The arms even have a working joint! The Fun & Learning Never Stops in P12!What an exciting day STEAM Day was in the Primary. P12 learnt all about space, astronauts, moon phases, designed space shuttles, started flexi tangles and made our names into aliens. Whew! We watched Earth from the space station and heard how astronauts clean their teeth, eat, use wet cloths and of course the one thing they all wanted to know was how they used a toilet when there is no gravity. I’m sure if you ask, they will delight in telling you. Today we also learnt about celebrating Mid-Autumn in the Chinese culture. The lovely Mrs Vien cut up moon cakes for us to share and we designed our own moon cakes pattern. For Maths we learnt a song all about parallel, perpendicular and intersecting lines. We are finding these lines in 2 dimensional shapes. We have been writing plays which are set in the days of castles and knights and princesses. This can be a difficult task for a Year 3 student to write their own plays, plan scenes and keep to a story. They did very well and some of theses are now on display in our room so feel free to come and have a read. Wearable Arts in the Senior PrimaryWe have been working hard all term collaborating, researching, designing and creating our outfits using recycled materials. As we get closer to the show, we are beginning to think about the wonderful stories behind our ideas and piece together our performance. If you are interested in seeing what we have done, it is taking place on Tuesday 24th September in the Arena. Year 5 will be showing their work at 11.30am and Year 6 will follow, with their show beginning at 2.00pm. We would love to see you there to celebrate all of our students hard work! I Spy in the PrimaryI Spy...All year levels engaged in STEAM Day activities! International Parent LunchThursday was a beautiful day for our international parents to enjoy a stroll around the amazing Sculptureum in Matakana. Lunch then followed at Black Cottage Cafe in Coatesville where a few spot prizes were won amongst the delicious meals and great company. Thank you to our lovely parents who attended and to Judy, Patrick and Sylvia for organising the event. In Music this WeekThird Informal Music Concert Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Third Informal Music Concert, held on Tuesday. The hour long concert showcased students at various stages of development in their performance skills on their chosen instruments. It was a pleasure to observe the advancement and progress in our regular informal music concert participants over the last few terms and all the credit goes to their courage, practice and love of music. Thank you to all the parents and teachers who came along to support the students. Our next informal concert will be held on Tuesday the 26th of November from 4pm in C2. Pinehurst Itinerant Saxophone Teacher Performs with Hugh Jackman On of our Itinerant Music teachers, Steve Sheriff, performed with Hugh Jackman last weekend, as part of his big band, in the Hugh Jackman Show. Steve’s exceptional saxophone playing skills were singled out by Hugh Jackman when he challenged him to an improvisation duel with one of his dancers. Steve is one of our most seasoned and accomplished music itinerants, specialising in teaching and performing all types of saxophones. He has been playing and teaching for over 30 years and is still enjoying performing regularly with his six piece group. His teaching focuses on saxophone technique but also the lineage and traditions of the instrument. His talents have seen him collaborate with other well-known musicians such as Kenny Rogers, Natalie Cole, and Shirley Bassey to name a few. Click here to see and hear some of Steve’s recent work. If you would like Steve to teach your child the mastery of the saxophone click here to enrol. Congratulations to Shuan Liu Shuan Liu (Year 12) recently competed in the annual IRMT Margaret Doone Memorial Piano competition. Shuan won the IRMT Piano Sonata Scholarship and IRMT Schubert Piano Scholarship category. This year is the fifth year Shuan has entered the competition. She is currently completing her AS Music course and hopes to study Piano performance overseas but is also a talented violoncello player. Pinehurst Rotary Interact Food DriveA food drive is being organised to collect canned food and other non-perishable food for Women’s Refuge. This is a good opportunity to help families in serious need and to help take a stand against domestic violence. Please give any spare food items to your son/daughter to bring to their POD class. The food will be collected and delivered by the end of Term 3. |