Friday 4 September 2020Opening Words from the Executive PrincipalKia ora tatou, good afternoon, 你好, 안녕하세요 I spent a happy half hour wandering around school yesterday afternoon. Two Year 7 homerooms were planning the videos they’re going to send to our partner schools in Jinan, Shandong Province, and Imae, just south of Seoul. They’re both planning videos showing life at school before and during Covid restrictions. Imae recently sent us a video about school life there at the moment, and we’re keen to keep building our relationships with schools overseas. In another classroom, around twenty diligent Year 9 students were preparing for their Checkpoint Mocks; and the rest of the year group, as well as most of the Year 10 students, were on the lower back field playing games, laughing and having fun, under the bright afternoon sun. On the upper back field, the whole of the Year 3 and Year 4 syndicate were also enjoying themselves, practicing a range of ball skills, and quietly being assessed by Mr Taylor and their teachers. It was an impressive sight! A few minutes later, I saw several Year 12 students emerge from their Mocks, some having already finished for the week, others with one paper left to complete. They seemed to be reasonably happy, and we’ve all been impressed by the seamless way they’ve managed the return to school. The exams have gone very smoothly indeed, even with the unfamiliar elements our young people have been dealing with in this unusual year. That’s true of the whole school, actually: there was some settling down nerves on Monday, but within a couple of days, the usual rhythms of the school were pretty much in place, and we’d found the right, Pinehurst approach to life at Level 2. By the time you read this newsletter, we may have more idea about how life will look next week. I’ll write separately to explain any changes we may be making in school next week. But these last few days, even with masks, bubbles and extra hygiene, has reminded me yet again why I love working in our school. Our children have been an absolute joy; our staff have adapted brilliantly to yet another new ingredient in their working lives; and our wonderful community has supported us by sending your children to school and having confidence in our arrangements. We have had over 90% attendance, and I’m hoping that, as we continue to see the August cluster contained, even more of the students will be back next week. Have a lovely weekend and see you on Monday! Ka kite anō au i a koutou Alex Reed 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, This certainly has been a week that we will all remember for some time. I’d like to congratulate all the students on the way with which they returned to Pinehurst and got on with making the most of their school experience. It has been fantastic to see all the students back at school, making noise and running around. As you can imagine there has been much discussion about masks and I’d like to thank the students for the way in which they have co-operated throughout the week. For senior students this has been a week of mock examinations. I am sure that this time last week the very last thing these Year 11, 12 and 13 students would have wanted to be doing was preparing for a week of examinations. Mock examinations do play an important role. They enable students to practice, to show and test what they understand and to identify areas that need strengthening. It is not until the feedback from mock examinations has been received that students can progress to the final stage of their academic year, getting ready for the external examinations. I have been very impressed with the way the students have got on with the challenge of completing this week of internal examinations. Throughout next week students will have their marked papers returned to them and feedback given by their teachers. Students will receive an examination raw score, a final grading percentage and the final grade. It is the grading percentage that generates the final grade and it is important that each student fully understands what this grade represents. This grading percentage and final grade is a more accurate indicator of a student’s achievement level than the examination raw score. By this time next week your child will know their final grade in all their subjects. Senior students will now have three more weeks during which they will be reviewing examinations, applying final touches to coursework, finishing courses and continuing to prepare for next terms final examinations. Year 11, 12 and 13 students deserve to enjoy a relaxing weekend along with their families who have been supporting them during this busy period. On Monday evening at 6.30pm we will be hosting our A Level Options Presentation. This online presentation replaces the meeting that was cancelled on 17th August. The talk is aimed at current Year 11 and 12 students and parents. Helping students select their AS and A2 subjects for 2021. We will present the option choices and explain how A Level grades enable students to enter University. On Tuesday we will ensure that all information is available online to anyone unable to be present Monday evening. Year 11 and 12 students will receive login details enabling them to select their subjects. The deadline for students to complete their selections will be the end of this term. I wish everyone an enjoyable and restful weekend. Nga Mihi, Chris Wiggin, Deputy Principal of College. Online Information Evening – Cambridge Advanced LevelWe would like to invite all current Year 11 and 12 students and their parents/caregivers to attend an online Information Evening regarding the Cambridge Advanced Level options. Unfortunately, we are unable to host this information evening at the school due to the current government restrictions.
Mr Reed, Mr Wiggin, and Mrs Griffiths will present information regarding:
Year 8 ArtDuring their online learning Year 8 drew animals and pet portraits, see some of their work below. Year 9 CommerceOur Year 9 Commerce students have been working ‘Like A Boss’ to create and design a business for good. Students are creating a product or service that can help meet one of the UN Sustainable goals. Students have worked together to think about how to design their product or service and make their prototype in preparation for their trading week in Term 4. Students have been learning about the 21C skills and are using this through the course to create their product or service. It’s been such an exciting entrepreneurial few weeks! Keep an eye out for our future entrepreneurs and the creations through the term. National Finals via ZoomDouglas Lindsay, Gabriella Beecroft, Michael Matti and Tim Xie made it through to the national finals of the University of Auckland Management Consulting Club’s (UofA MCC) Schools Case Competition last week. They worked tirelessly through Level 3 to prepare a written strategy for iconic Kiwi juice company, Charlie’s. They showed perseverance to overcome the ‘learning at home’ barrier, using Microsoft Teams to collaborate. The final presentation to judges took place using Zoom, and students had to ensure safe physical distancing was enforced so that they could present without their masks. Their strategy was well researched, their presentation was professional and the judges commented that they had shown some excellent insight. The results will be announced tonight via Zoom. Best of luck team! Kia Ora, I can’t believe the week has gone so quickly, we settled into life back in the classroom very easily and after the initial excitement of seeing friends and classmates again, continued with our learning programmes. I am very proud of our students and staff during the last few weeks at home. We took a unique approach for Primary aged children, choosing to run live lessons each day and be available to work with students to support them as they completed their assignments. We tried to make the experience as much like the classroom as possible so that we could continue our programme whether at home or school. We could not have done that so successfully without parents and families sitting with small children or making sure that older ones turned up to meetings on time. Classrooms have been busy, our youngest students have been learning about floating and sinking, speech competitions are being completed in Years 4-6, fractions seem to be the theme in many year groups across the Primary and Year 3 are going to earn their little grower badges and will be growing and eating their own vegetables. Rehearsals for Lion King are back in full swing and it is clear that many of our actors have taken the opportunity during Lockdown to brush up on their lines. What an amazing way to end the year despite the upheavals we have had. We will try to hold as many events as possible before the end of the year depending on alert levels and keeping ourselves as safe as possible. We are trying to make alternative arrangements for planned events such as Book Week, socials and Grandparents afternoon and will let you know once we have confirmed dates. You will be able to book a conference time with your child’s teacher from Tuesday next week. Conference nights are Tuesday 15 and Thursday 17 September and we are looking forward to discussing your child’s progress with you. Have a lovely weekend. Nga Mihi, Sian Coxon, Principal of Primary New to Year 2!The excitement of returning to school is evident in the New to 2 classes. The students have made the most of the weather and taking opportunities to take the learning outside the classroom in our spectacular surroundings. Our newest students in P23 were excited to be gardeners, while learning about seeds and plants. They also took the opportunity to practice number formation using a variety of materials forming numerals in the air! P1 and P2 have been exploring the concept of floating and sinking. It was a fabulous opportunity to test theories on what objects float and which sink and to explore different materials. Using chunky chalk the students showed off their letter formation skills to the junior school and decorated the concrete. The other students were impressed by their super writing. P4 and P5 are exploring objects that are magnetic. The students were wondering why magnets only pick up some objects and how objects become magnetic. The students were testing their predictions as scientists. Year 2 students were learning about a famous artist, Andy Goldsworthy. The artist creates art pieces using nature. P6, P7 and P8 took the opportunity to work in the sunshine and created their own pieces of nature art. The students also discussed the ways there was already art within nature. New to 2 are all so excited to be learning back in a wonderful environment with their favourite people. Middle Syndicate Citizens of the World!Year 3 and 4 students are artists, creators, innovators, designers, mathematicians, and authors. Above all, we are citizens of the world! How do we know this? Everything we do has a purpose. We are learning how to communicate our ideas through a variety of forms, and to understand the context of what we are learning about and how it fits into our own lives, and the connections we can make with our prior experiences. Year 4 are learning how to show an understanding of a variety of texts by summarising and sharing ideas about important details and themes. In order to become great mathematicians, the year 4 students have been having such fun estimating, measuring and calculating while learning about area and perimeter.
Year 3 are communicating their ideas through art, using a range of media, including digital. P10 was inspired by a quote, ‘Spring – a lovely reminder how beautiful change can truly be’. This generated discussion about the seasons and the changes that we see at the start of each season, and the changes we have been through in our own lives this year. They created blossom art in response to this. P11 explored the artist Matisse’s use of colour and line, to create their own interpretation of his famous ‘Goldfish’, as well as squiggle line art. Global Perspectives is where we learn more about the world around us and how we are part of a wider community and have a role to play as citizens of the world. Year 3 students became engineers and architects after learning about how climate affects the types of shelter people build in different parts of the world, and the changing needs of our communities due to our changing climate. They designed and built models of houses for different climates, showing ways they could stay cool or warm. Year 5 and 6 SyndicateOur Year 5 and 6 students were very engaged during their on-line learning. They demonstrated and developed time management skills and we saw some very creative study spaces being established in various rooms in the house. We even had family cats and dogs joining us! Teachers all commented on the high levels of active participation during lessons. As a result, the students have developed their ability to communicate and collaborate, whilst learning the etiquette of a virtual classroom. We are extremely proud of our Senior Primary students. Global Perspectives, in Year 5 has seen the beginning of a discussion on ‘packaging’. They have been asked to consider the following:
This topic of study will eventually lead into the effects of packaging on the environment, in particular, the ocean. Here are some examples of packaging our Year 5 students found in their homes. Art, in Year 5 is closely linked to Sustainability and is intended to provoke thought about an issue. During online learning Art classes, Year 5 focused on the sketching skills of shading and drawing using perspective. Now that they are back at school, they will transfer these skills into their final designs which they will then paint. Mrs Jones-Hill’s Year 5 Mathematicians have been delving into the world of Fractions, Decimals and Percentages. They set up an imaginary Pinehurst Pizza business and used this as a basis for working out the cost of making a pizza and the profit they would make when sold. To gain an understanding of the relationship between a fraction, decimal and percentage we asked ourselves the following: Would you rather? Global Perspectives, in Year 6 has seen a focus on ……. ’If I was a World Leader’. The questions researched and investigated were as follows:
This led onto research and deeper consideration of Article 28 – our right to education. Year 6 have just completed a report on the problems of school attendance worldwide and what measures are being put in place to address this issue. They read through the Malala story and the creation of the Malala Fund, which advocates a girl’s right to an education. In Year 6 Art, a photography portfolio is the challenge. Each week they are introduced to a new photographic skill and must produce a page of photos that meet the success criteria for that lesson. The students also provide a written reflection on their favourite photo and why they chose it. They have covered the following skills:
Luckily, they have been able to continue with this topic during online classes with photos from around the home and neighbourhood. Mrs Jones-Hill's Year 6 mathematicians have been delving into the wonderful world of angles and lines. We challenged ourselves to find the degrees of missing angles using the knowledge that all angles within a triangle equal 180 degrees. To get students out of their seats they were given a series of instructions using clockwise, anticlockwise and different degrees (90, 180, 360) with the challenge being to end up in the same direction they started. Lots of fun and laughter was had by all, but mostly by Mrs Jones-Hill watching the antics on screen. The Addams FamilyThe Addams Family production is back underway after being on hiatus during Level 3. The cast arrived early this week ready to do socially distanced dancing and singing. It was a good opportunity to work on the musical numbers, as well as the placing of these numbers throughout the show. There has also been hard work behind the scenes to ensure the production will be memorable - including lights, set, make-up and costume. Tickets will be available next week, make sure to look out for the link to this in the Newsletter! Co-curricular Music Groups at PinehurstWith the support of the Board, Pinehurst students have the opportunity to join a co-curricular group, for free and receive expert guidance, from itinerant mentors or Pinehurst staff. In the process, the students are not just developing their music performing skills but also social skills while working alongside students of similar musical ability but not necessarily same year level. It has been a pleasure watching the students progress and navigate the sometimes tricky waters of group musical performances, many of which you will be able to see in action during our, Formal and Informal Music Concerts, Prizegiving Ceremonies and the end-of-year Christmas Concert. Students who are also completing an IGCSE, AS or A level course can use their involvement towards their performance portfolio assessment. To find out more about what co-curricular music groups are on offer at Pinehurst, visit this page. At the bottom of it, you can also complete an enrolment form for your child. Please note: These photos were taken during Level 1. I Spy in the School....I Spy in the Primary...making mechanical hands in Year 4! I Spy in the College... Year 7 Social Science students! I Spy in the Primary...Year 5 making music! I Spy in the Primary...Maths in Year 2! I Spy in the Primary...Year 3 sequencing sentences! Second-hand Wetsuits WantedDo you have any old wetsuits that you no longer need? Then Murray’s Bays Schools Waterwise programme that Pinehurst are a member of, would really appreciate your donations. Please bring them to Reception for Kelly Clarke. Play Cricket with East Coast Bays Cricket ClubRegistrations for the cricket season are now open. Please register online at eastcoastbayscricket.co.nz The uniform comprises of a club polo shirt, club shorts or trousers, and club cap or wide-brimmed hat, which are available from Players Sports online or at their Newmarket shop. The Club provides all playing equipment required, although you are welcome to use your own. Please contact the Club for more information at ecbayscricket@gmail.com |