No images? Click here 20 August 2021Pinehurst School NewsletterOpening Words from the Executive Principal...Kia ora tatou, good afternoon, 你好, 안녕하세요 My view this morning is of a fence, the sun and my sofa. There are no children in the background, and the main thing I can hear is my dishwasher. Over the past few days, I’ve been reintroduced to the children of our staff, who keep popping up during meetings to make us smile, and I’ve been reminded – as if I needed it – of all of the strengths of our community. Thank you to everyone – parents, students, staff and wider whanau of both students and staff – who has pulled together so well. I feel like I’ve been writing all week, so I’ll keep it short and sweet today. Our online programme is running pretty much as it has done each time we have been in lockdown, and our priority has been to support families and students through having a clear, familiar structure and methods to match, following our usual timetable as closely as possible. This time around, we know that our senior students, approaching Mocks and their Cambridge exams, will be a little nervous, but we are planning to simply delay the Mocks, and we already have quite an extensive Holiday Study Programme planned. The teachers are very adept at adapting plans and shifting emphases, so I know that our young people will be well-prepared. The younger students have been a delight, as usual (though I’m sure there are some parents who wouldn’t use that word every minute of the day right now…), and we’re providing a programme that we hope gets an effective balance between screen time and a little fun: literacy, numeracy and time for play too! With our younger students especially, but with all of our children, please keep in mind our essential principle: we’re supporting our families with a full programme, but parents are the ones best placed to manage the balance between hard work and down time. Just talk to us, reach out, and let us know how to support you. At the time of writing, we are holding off on major decisions about events. We will write directly about all of these decisions when we make them. And, finally: enjoy the newsletter! Everything seems a little strange right now, as we adapt to our changed circumstances and remember the ways we managed before, watching a little nervously as the outbreak establishes its pattern. But I’m expecting to talk next week about all the great things that are happening in our online school, and – with a following wind – about the arrangements we’re making for our return to school. Ka kite anō au i a koutou. Have a lovely weekend, try to get out (safely, at a distance from others) in the sun, and take the time to be together as families without the pressure of work for at least a day or two. 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, Well done to all our College students. They successfully transitioned quickly to online learning and as we reach the end of the week they can feel proud of the way they adjusted. We wanted to ensure students continued to learn and maintained their regular class routines. I believe that this has been achieved. Many thanks to parents for your co-operation and help with this. We know that some senior students (Year 11, 12 and 13) will be anxious about upcoming mock examinations and then October/November external Cambridge examinations. We have rescheduled our mock examinations to Week 7. Though, obviously this depends on when we can return to school. We will continue to adjust our planning as information updates on when and at what level we can return to school. We will keep parents and students informed so that there are no late surprises. Teachers will have planned their senior courses to be completed shortly after mock examinations. This then leaves the final few weeks of Term 3 to review topics, consolidate and link all aspects of the course and work through past papers. Your child’s teachers will now be adjusting their planning and you can be confident that we’ll be able to successfully complete the IGCSE and A Level courses. Thank you to the parents who attended our recent IGCSE and A level options evenings. I hope you went away with a clearer understanding of these. The key message for Year 9 students selecting their IGCSE subjects is to maintain a broad based curriculum. The academic programme for A level students changes significantly. Focusing on 4 or 5 subjects in order to study each subject in depth. All Year 9, 11 and 12 students have now received their login details enabling to select their subjects online. A reminder that the deadline for students to complete their subject selections is Thursday September 23rd. Over the weekend I would encourage all students to spend time away from their screens, do something different, where possible get outside and do some exercise. Nga Mihi, Chris Wiggin, Deputy Principal of College Year 7 and 8 Speech Finals
The winners of the Year 7 and 8 Speech Finals were decided on Monday in College 4. Ten students from each year group, competed to convince a panel of three judges that they were worthy of placing in the top 3. There were a wide variety of topics chosen, some extremely entertaining and some more informative and serious; all of them however focused on capturing the audience's attention. The 2021 winners are: Year 8:
Year 7:
Year 7 PEIn PE, the Year 7 students have moved into the fitness for fun unit. Here are a few pictures of the students in action experiencing a wide range of fun fitness games and activities, such as monopoly, snakes and ladders, roulette and musical hoops. The students reflect on these games and discuss a variety of ways that challenging themselves in physical activity can influence their lives positively. Year 10 Business StudiesYear 10 Business students have been learning about managing employees in the workplace and of all the topics we are learning it fell on Communication methods. Students were set the task of completing an online escape room working through four tasks to escape. They had issues of the lack of cameras, mics at times but worked together to get through most of the tasks. One team were successful and escaped! Well done to the whole class for being so engaged! AKSS Golf Individual Stroke PlayOur dedicated golfers, Nicole, Yeonsoo, Jaewoo, Towa, competed in the AKSS Golf Individual Stroke Play which consists of two rounds of golf played over two different days and courses. Congratulations to Nicole who placed 1st overall in the girl’s gross and Towa who placed 3rd in the boy’s nett. NH Zone Day Cross CountryOn Wednesday last week, a team of 9 students represented Pinehurst at the NH Zone Day Cross Country event. On a very hilly course at Sanders Reserve, our runners all performed very well, with most finishing in the top half of their field. A special mention to Elsa (Year 7 Girls) who finished 14th in a race of nearly 100 and to Ivy (Year 8 Girls) who finished a very impressive 7th overall, qualifying (as a top ten finisher) for the Auckland Interzone Championships. Ivy will represent the NH Zone and Pinehurst at this event in Muriwai in Week 8. Thank you to Mr Dawson, Georgia and to the parents & families who supported the team on the day. Auckland College Climbing SeriesThis year Auckland Sport Climbing was introduced to secondary schools with a series of three events. Some of our Pinehurst students took up the challenge giving it a go. A special mention goes to Ava, who competed in the Year 9-10 division placing 3rd - Most improved over the series. Congratulations and well done Ava! Mountain Biking is a muddy business...Ben was 5th in the Under 20’s third round of the Auckland Secondary Schools Cross Country mountain biking, in what was essentially a swamp! Kia Ora, I am sitting in my makeshift office at home, being waited on by my husband which is very nice and not the usual service I get at work of course! I am reflecting at how fantastic our students are at moving in and out of their online learning programme especially considering the late notice we all had that we were going into lockdown. Each time they just get better and better at managing their learning in a different environment. I commented that one of my students was looking very smart in his school uniform in our first lesson, he laughed and showed the class he was wearing pyjamas underneath, a light moment of fun before we began the lesson. I must admit to some mild feelings of apprehension before teaching online again even though as a Primary team we held a meeting to refresh our training only the week before. Trying to transfer what we do in a very hands on classroom setting to an online lesson can be challenging but I hope you will agree that our students, staff and families have done an excellent job so far. I am looking forward to some online classroom visits today on Fun Friday and seeing what everyone is up to. I joined in on a Year 6 Maths Kahoot yesterday with the topic of area and perimeter, it was a fierce competition to get as many questions right as possible and a great way to revise the learning from the lesson. Teachers are incorporating brain breaks into their lessons as much as possible, these may just look like fun activities and they are, but they give children a chance to move around and literally give their brain a break. It is a good idea at home to try and build in some physical activities or little games to keep everyone off the couch a bit more, especially if children don’t have a big garden to run around in. As always, please contact your child’s teacher or member of the leadership team if you have any questions or concerns about our online programme. We are here to help, to support and to talk and as always we will get through this together and be stronger in our connections and relationships because of it. Kia kaha, take care everyone. Ngā mihi, Sian Coxon, Principal of Primary Ahoy me hearties!
For our Big Write Adventure this week P5 agents have looked at the message in a bottle that Max and Ant found at the beach. This revealed a message from Seb and a secret treasure map to follow. We have been asked to write our own set of directions to find the hidden treasure, with each sentence beginning with a bossy verb. We practised by hiding gold coins and then giving directions to our talking buddy to find the treasure. Hopefully we will find Seb’s treasure soon. Also, we have been exploring how to be a pirate and used our key competencies of ‘relating to others,’ and ‘participating and contributing’ to build and label our own pirate ships. In Science we are learning about Forces. We have used our knowledge of ‘pushing’ and ‘pulling’ to sort pictures into groups depending on the force applied. In Art we have been using line, pattern, and dye to create an artwork based around winter. We discussed the feelings of winter and how we could produce this visually. Then we had to make our own creative decisions. We hope you get the feeling of winter from our woolly hats!
Term 3 Learning News From P14We have experienced a very exciting start to this term with our preparations for production at the forefront of our daily programmes. The students have all been very focused on learning the dialogue and the songs to present. Alongside this the classroom is currently home to many interesting creations that will form a part of the set and the props that we will be using. Reading Our current focus in reading is to identify the main ideas contained in the text. The class have been developing their understanding of using key words, topic sentences and detail in diagrams and illustrations to summarise what they have read.
Persuasive Writing In preparation for completion of our speeches we have been learning how to persuade the reader using a variety of techniques in writing. One of our enjoyable writing tasks was to present our own opinion on the true version of the story of the ‘3 Little Pigs and the Wolf’. It was very exciting when the students shared the wonderfully creative twists and turns that they included in their own individual versions.
P17 this week
In P17, we are learning about famous sculptures and the materials used to make them. As part of this Art curriculum, we have been experimenting with clay to create our own monster pinch pot. We used the clay techniques of rolling, squeezing and pinching to manipulate our clay. Firstly, we began by using our thumb to press on to a ball of clay to create a pinch pot. This required a repeated squeezing of the clay between our thumb and fingers. Next, we used the technique of scoring to attach different clay pieces for the added details. Lastly, we carved details with the clay tools for added effect. Once we are back in school, we will aim to paint the pots to make our sculptures come alive. This week in P19The students in P19 have transitioned easily back into online learning. There is a collaborative problem-solving atmosphere and approach. When a student, or teacher, encounters a technical issue others are quick to suggest solutions. If the first option does not work they quickly suggest another. This is great for their problem solving and team work skills. The students are focused and we are remembering how things operate. There is always a positive in every situation. As Michelle in P19 says: " At least we don't have to wake up early again." We want to wish Aaron Chow a Happy Birthday, as it is his birthday today. In Art, we are looking at the rule of thirds, and the students have been finding ways to compile a portfolio page, with photos that demonstrate this principle. Here is Jade Lyles page with her stunning examples: The class are able to work and collaborate in breakout groups. Year 5 RoboticsThe Year 5 Robotics students are currently working on building and programming a Core Set Model from Mindstorms EV3. There is the choice of the Gyro Boy, The Colour Sorter, The Puppy or The Robotic Arm. Now that they have worked through the Robot Training lessons, where they have learnt how to programme and what the motors and sensors can do, they are having fun with a more complex build and are enjoying the chance to explore the advanced programmes. 6KC Learning online..... Jazz Band at KBB CompetitionThe Jazz Band competed at the KBB competition on the 11th, Wednesday night, entering the competitive category for a fifth year in a row. Congratulations to all 17 students who took part in the competition this year, especially our featured soloists for the programme: Scott (piano); Daniel (alto saxophone); Forest (trumpet) and Brianna (solo vocals). The five song repertoire featured an original composition written by Daniel who first joined the Jazz Band in Year 6. His piece The Krabbe was nominated for a NZ original composition award at the KBB competition this year. To hear the Jazz Band in action, click here KBB Honours Programme ConcertLast Friday night, four Pinehurst students – Sarah, Daniel, Petra and Daniel participated in a Jazz Big Band Combo as well as an Orchestra assembled together from students from around Auckland, performing above grade level 6. The repertoire featured an impressive half hour, including Holst’s Jupiter, Ellington’s Take the A Train, Mannings’ John Scon and Fedchock’s La Paguera. For the Take the A Train – both the Orchestra and Jazz Combo combined together. Justin Huang tours with the North Shore Youth OrchestraOrchestra wins Bronze at the KBBCongratulations to all Pinehurst orchestra members who were awarded with a Bronze Award at the KBB Competition. The judges loved the variety of styles exhibited in the repertoire played, including the impressive piano, violin and saxophone solo featured. If your child is at Grade 3 or above and plays an orchestral instrument, please email Ms Naumovska at marija.naumovska@pinehurst.school.nz to obtain a copy of the music.
Congratulations to Justin (Year 7) who toured to Matamata last weekend with the North Shore Youth Orchestra. Justin plays the violin in the Pinehurst Orchestra and enjoyed performing at the Cambridge Town Hall as well as visiting Hobbiton village while on the trip. PhotolifePinehurst School photos are now available to view online. Students should have the access ID details for online ordering. Please complete your order before Sunday 5th September 2021 for free delivery. Free Jump Jam During LockdownGreat news, free JUMP JAM routines are available online during this lockdown period. Keep fit and have some fun – get the whole family involved ! https://www.jumpjam.co.nz/lockdown21/ PS – Mrs Lindsay recommends Kotahitanga !! Play Cricket with East Coast Bays CricketRegistrations for the cricket season are now open. Please register online at eastcoastbayscricket.co.nz The Club is focused on fun, teamwork and performance providing children of all skill levels a chance to learn the game in an enjoyable environment. We cater for all children’s cricket from Year 1 through to Year 8, both girls and boys. The uniform comprises a club shirt, club shorts or trousers, and club cap or wide-brimmed hat, which are available from Players Sports online or at their Onehunga shop. The Club will have clothing available for purchase on muster day. The Club provides all playing equipment required, although you are welcome to use your own.
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