Friday 14 August 2020Opening Words from the Executive PrincipalKia ora tatou, good afternoon, 你好, 안녕하세요 Well, this wasn’t the week we expected! It’s been a difficult few days for everyone, but I’ve once again felt very proud to be part of such a positive, committed community. I hope your children have been managing the switch back to our online environment, and I hope too that your children are getting all the emotional and social support that they need. And that you are too, of course. Level 3 is not a complete lockdown, and most businesses are continuing to operate, but it’s still a big shock to all of us, and we need to be able to rely on others when times are difficult. Our online programme has kept the same shape as it had back in March, but we have made a few tweaks. All the way through the school now, we are working to a 6 period day, and asking our teachers to be live online for a portion of every lesson. This means that students of all ages have more structure to their day. I know one or two teachers in Primary are still adapting to this, but we’re nearly there. Of course, if parents decide that their younger children need more flexibility and play time, that’s entirely up to you: our job is to support you. In College, we are putting more emphasis on pastoral care. POD times should be happening more often, and we will have some House events taking place if we continue at Level 3. I will write about next week after the Prime Minister’s announcement later today, but we do think it is likely that we will be closed to most students for at least another week. For the small number of students at school, we are running things differently than we did last time we were at Level 3. Because this time we don’t know the extent of the outbreak, we are reminding everyone that it is only the children of essential workers who can be at school, and we are supervising the online programme rather than running separate, physical lessons. When we were at Level 3 before, it was after five weeks of Level 4, and many of our children desperately needed some social contact. We aren’t in that position this time, though we will adapt and change according to the changing circumstances. We will make sure that every decision we take is the right one at that time. The latest information is always on the COVID page on our website, of course. I hope you enjoy this week’s newsletter. I’m already missing the colour and noise of the children, so it was lovely to see so many of them in action here. And although the children aren’t here with us physically, my thoughts are with them and with all of you at home. Keep communicating with us, asking questions and making suggestions. And keep spirits up! It won’t be too long before we’re all back together in school, and we are still all together in our classes, teams, groups and in every other way online. 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 Stacey McIntoshI was fortunate to begin the next stage of my teaching journey in 2018 at Pinehurst School. In my previous teaching role as a lead teacher, I managed a team of 4 teacher’s. However, I had begun to get too comfortable and missed being a ‘full-time’ teacher learning in a collaborative environment alongside students. When I reflect on my time at Pinehurst thus far, I feel a range of positive emotions but the one that has the most impact is how overwhelmingly proud I am to say that I am part of the Pinehurst whānau. Every morning when the students arrive in my classroom I am greeted with a big ‘hello’ and a broad smile. Students are eager to learn, polite and respectful and the support that is given to teachers enhances an already positive learning environment. A part of my teaching philosophy is that students grow as competent and capable learners. When students believe they can and have a positive mindset they build their resilience, this fosters a love of learning. Incorporating Tikanga Māori into the classroom by nurturing students sense of belonging and building reciprocal relationships is also woven into my philosophy. As I walk around the school at various times it is always a pleasure when I see my past students and witness how they are thriving at Pinehurst. As the teacher in charge of Primary School basketball, I am privileged as I am able to build relationships not just with the students that I teach but also students and their whānau across the primary school sector. Kia Ora, Well, 2020 has certainly been the year to test our ability to adapt and change. Much like our career journeys - new opportunities and experiences usually take us on different, and sometimes, unexpected paths. The ability to navigate such choices rarely follows a linear path. Rather, it requires us to be curious, aware and open to possibilities. Our students started Careers Week listening to their teachers conjure up memories of their divergent career choices. Looking back, I remember the many voices, all ready to offer career advice. I recall the look of disbelief I returned to my Career Counsellor when she told me to simply follow my passion… sport. There was no such thing as professional sport in 1991, and when you are 17 years of age, you only hear what you want to hear. She was right, but it wasn’t a career playing sport, much to my disappointment at the time, but one of coaching and teaching. A career where I could make a difference, one that would challenge me, and thankfully, one that would last beyond my youth. Choosing a career pathway can be challenging. The thought of which subjects to choose and what tertiary programmes to follow can be a daunting experience. As a school, we endeavour to support our students and families as they navigate these decisions. On Monday evening we had a well-attended IGCSE Options evening for our Year 9 students and their families. Our Year 10 and 11 programme is designed to increase opportunities and set a strong foundation across a wide range of subjects, before students narrow down and specialise their subjects at A level. Parents also listened to our Careers Counsellor, Kaye Griffiths, talk about our Careers programme in College. Our Careers programme is designed to guide and help students as they identify key strength and skill areas and occupational interests and values. Students have been busy building their profiles on Career Central which has created a report that was emailed home this week to Year 11 families, highlighting each student’s subject strengths, skills, occupation and career values. Year 9 students will receive their Career Central report later this term also. On Tuesday, the Year 9 students got to quiz their senior counterparts about IGCSE subjects - what’s involved and what subjects interested them. Our Year 9 students have been encouraged to do some research and ask their teachers for advice, rather than considering what subjects their friends are taking. Option choices for 2021 are due by end of Term 3, 24th September. Please click here to visit our College Course details page on Schoolbox for more information. Like the remainder of Career events, talks and demonstrations this week, we have postponed our upcoming AS and A Level Information evening for Year 11 students and their families next Monday. This has been pushed out a week to Monday 24th August. Have an enjoyable and restful weekend. Nga Mihi, Joe Johansen, Deputy Principal of College. Senior College Table TennisLast Friday our college Table Tennis teams played very well. The results of their second weeks' games listed below. Congratulations also, to our 'players of the day'. Pinehurst Team 1 v WBHS 2 Won 9:2 - Player of the day Tim Xie Pinehurst Team 2 v Rangitoto A1 Won 7:4 - Player of the day Anson Dwung Pinehurst Team 3 v WBHS 6 Lost 4:7 - Player of the day Samson Craig Pinehurst Team 4 v WBHS 16 Lost 5:6 - Player of the day Scott Greenough Pinehurst Team 5 v AJHS Won 9:2 - Player of the day Eric Kim Auckland Secondary School Swimming Individual ChampsLast Sunday eight Pinehurst College students participated in the AKSS Swimming Individual Champs held at West Wave pools. Our students swum well with many achieving their PB (Personal Best) in events. Many thanks to our parents who assisted with official duties on the day. A special mention and congratulations to the following medal winners:
Year 9-13 Inter House SwimmingLast week we were finally able to run our Year 9-13 Inter House Swimming event after being postponed from earlier in the year. Our students enjoyed a relaxed, fun day out. There was some great swimming to watch and some amazing results achieved. A special mention and congratulations to Andrew Qin and Jasmine Lyles, who both broke several junior school records. Thank you, too, to our parents and staff who assisted with official duties. Photos can be viewed on our Facebook Pinehurst School Sport page. College Speeches 2020Last week English students in the college participated in the annual speech competition. This event normally takes place in Term 2 but was delayed due to Lockdown. Term 3 is a busy time for senior students so we appreciate the effort that students made to write and present their speeches. The Year 12 and 13 speech finalists focused on a range of current events which included The struggle for dominance between powerful national interests and, The impact of both Global Warming and Covid-19. The content was provocative and very well researched. The judges agreed that the standard of speeches this year was excellent. In the final event the results were:
In Year 10 the standard was similarly high which bodes very well for the coming years. This year there was a focus on creativity with students arguing for its importance and therefore inclusion in the school curriculum.
There were some excellent speeches from several individuals in Year 11 but unfortunately insufficient participation to run a final competition due to the busy time of year. Year 7-9 are holding their speech finals over the next two weeks and we look forward to more entertaining and thought-provoking topics. Careers Week 2020Careers Week got off to a great start with lots of chats happening in PODs, homerooms and subject classes regarding career journeys of staff (including interesting part time jobs along the way!) and possibly future pathways leading from individual subjects. Monday night saw the Parents as Career Educators presentation followed by the IGCSE Option Choice evening. Still on subject selection, Year 9 students had the opportunity on Tuesday at lunchtime to have informal chats with senior students to find out the inside information on IGCSE subjects of interest. All who attended left saying it was very useful. Thank you to the senior students who gave up part of their lunchtime to represent their subject. Unfortunately, the move to Level 3 has meant the postponement of events due to take place later in the week – although we are hopeful we may be able to reschedule these at a later date. Kia Ora, A very different ending to the week than the one we planned but our Pinehurst Online programme was up and running very quickly. We are continuing to follow our usual curriculum plans and adapting to an online classroom. Microsoft Teams has a few additional features this time around that are proving to be very useful, no more muting the teacher is possibly the one we are most excited about! It is also great to be able to see more faces and have the hands up feature. It is the end of day 1 online and already it feels so much better than back in March. Some students love learning at home, apparently you get to eat a lot more I have been told, but some students really do like the freedom of space, interacting with their friends and the classroom routines. We will try to make the learning environment as fun and varied as possible without our students missing out on valuable learning. Try to talk to your child regularly about how they are feeling, finding the positives or the ‘gifts’, and that it is okay to feel frustrated when we can’t do the things we normally get to do. On Tuesday our Year 2 students ran the Assembly and it was magical! They have been following a superhero theme and reading the story of Traction Man. Lots of writing, singing, art, reading and drama has followed and we got to see it all. Traction Man, played by Caleb in his superhero suit with built in muscles, had to fight the evil pillows, also known as Luna and Toki. Of course Traction Man saved the day but those evil pillows were pretty scary! Well done Year 2 it was a funny and fabulous assembly. Whilst we wait to see what’s next for Auckland please look after yourselves, let us know if you need any support and be assured that we are well prepared to continue to deliver our classroom programmes. Nga Mihi, Sian Coxon, Principal of Primary New Entrant Buddy IntroductionLast Friday our Year 1 & 2 'Buddies' met their New Entrant Buddy who started in Term 3. P23 welcomed the arrival of 16 new entrant children to the school this term, who have settled in nicely. They spent the afternoon meeting their new ‘big’ buddy who each presented them with a small gift. They spent the next 20 minutes enjoying 'Golden Time' on the playground whilst everyone else was in class! The buddy initiative has been a part of Pinehurst for 2 years and is an integrated programme recognised as part of the Pinehurst culture. It aims to promote positive attributes in our young children and teach them friendship, kinship and mentoring values. Our senior buddies will be looking out for their little buddies on the playground and around school. They are very excited for their next event….The Buddy Pizza Party! Year 1-3 Spanishİ Hola a todos! The Year 1 students have been busy learning about all the colours of the rainbow and how to say and write them in Spanish. A wide variety of colouring and online activities has taken place, allowing them to consolidate the new vocabulary. Our next topic will cover farm and zoo animals which will transition well to animal descriptions! The Year 2 students have been learning how to describe the weather. They can use various expressions to talk about the weather; the changeable Auckland weather has been useful to practise the phrases as we go from sunny – cloudy/windy – rainy – sunny within the space of an hour. Check out the video of the fun Seesaw activity we completed last week - this is Lavender Wei’s work from P6. Our busy Year 3 students have been loving learning about clothes and how to describe what they are wearing. The clothes topic is always a fun one because we can incorporate many fun activities such as paper doll/barbie dress-ups and designing our own school uniform. Ms Coxon and Mr Reed may get asked this term to change our Primary uniform as students come up with fancy dresses and five different options of shoes…! Pirates in P5In P5 this term we have been reading fun pirate stories and linking these to our writing. A class favourite was when we identified ‘pirate speak’ in the text and then practiced speaking and writing like pirates. We then improved the letters we were writing by adding our new learning. Katie Rose’s favourite was ‘Aye aye Captain!’ and Alesha liked ‘Shiver me timbers!’ We have also used teamwork and practiced our key competencies when building and labeling pirate ships. This links nicely with our new Big Write mission, ‘Message in a Bottle’ about 2 micro friends Max and Ant who find themselves having some beach adventures. As agents this week, we have been writing postcards from Max and Ant to their friends about what it is like to be micro sized and the dangers they face. In Art, we have been learning about using line, shape and colour to make creative decisions regarding composition to create an individual piece of artwork. We enjoyed overlapping and layering colours and shapes to produce interesting positive and negative outcomes. We understand that there are lots of things to consider when making creative decisions. A great start to Term 3 in P15The students in P15 have adapted well to their new teacher and launched into their learning with enthusiasm. In Math, they have been learning about how to read and interpret timetables. A group of students, using Auckland transport timetables, planned out journeys using at least 2 different buses or a bus and a ferry. It was great to see students problem solve and learn how to read some complex timetables. They have also been learning about decimals, including the rounding, adding, and subtracting of. In the cross group that comes to P15, students have been solving complex ‘real life’ word problems involving decimals. The students have been great at helping each other and developing their own explanation skills. In Art they have been investigating paintings that provoke responses around sustainability issues. Students are in the process of sketching designs with the purpose of gaining a reaction from the audience around our chosen issue. For Health, students have been discussing what Hauora is and why it is important. Students ranked the strands in order of what they thought was their strongest and what was their weakest part of well-being. They have also started looking at organisations that support the health and well-being of New Zealanders. Speeches! Last Friday P15 presented their persuasive speeches. There were some outstanding performers, some humorous speakers, and some very convincing arguments presented. Engaging topics included; why we should ban fiction books, why we should ban exams, and why we should not have speeches. Best wishes to those who will present in the Year 5-6 Finals! Snails!In P9 we are looking at Life Processes. Some of the students, and parents, have been “Going on a Snail Hunt” to find snails for the classroom. We ended up with about 25 snails, all living in a terrarium in Mrs Chadkirk's house at the moment. We found out some interesting facts about snails. They can live up to 25 years, they are a gastropod, which translates to stomach/foot, they have no backbone, they can't hear anything, they are mainly herbivores and many other facts. Once we are back at school we will be looking at their movement and how they use their front tentacles to sense and smell. Shuan Liu wins 2nd place at the Chamber Music CompetitionCongratulations to Year 13 student Shuan Liu (piano) who, along with Damon Herlihy-O’Brian (cello) from Glendowie College and Lorna Zhang (violin) from Macleans College, formed the Trio Achilles group and won the Helen Young Diamond Award at the Chamber Music Group finals held in Wellington last weekend. They impressed the judges with their interpretative skills and technical prowess of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Trio in C minor, op. 8, no.1. Since 1965 thousands of young Kiwi secondary school students have taken to the stage, from across the country, to compete as part of the annual NZCT Chamber Music Contest. This competition unites students, parents, teachers, mentors and volunteers nationwide, in what is the largest and longest running chamber music event of its kind. The Contest acts as a springboard for New Zealand’s musicians of tomorrow, many of which continue to have successful performing careers - are members of orchestras and chamber ensembles, here and overseas, and embark on successful solo careers. This is a prestigious national event which celebrates excellence. To view the trio’s performance, click here. To see them in action at the competition, click here. I Spy in the School....I Spy in the Primary...Year 2 playing beautiful melodies. I Spy in the College...Year 9 measuring whether a reaction is endothermic or exothermic. School CounsellorDebbie Stanaway is available if any student is feeling stressed or anxious or you are concerned about a family member. Please feel free to contact her - Debbie.Stanaway@pinehurst.school.nz or 021 973 727. Please note the following events may be postponed or cancelled. If you are a new parent to the school and would like to attend the above event, please RSVP HERE. Dad’s Fantail and TurtleA great casual way to meet other Pinehurst Dad’s - have a relaxing drink and a bite to eat! RSVP now and book it into your calendar! Former students graduate from Victoria UniversityCongratulations to our former students below who graduated from Victoria University in Wellington between June 2019 and May 2020. |