News and events for the week ending 11th April 2019 Thursday 11th April 2019 Opening words from the Executive PrincipalKia ora tatou, good afternoon, 你好, 안녕하세요 It’s the last week of the term, the students are ready for two weeks of holidaying, relaxing and – I hope! – a great deal of reading for pleasure. My Year 12 class have been told that their homework is to read at least two books they haven’t read before, and to post about both of them on Schoolbox. I wouldn’t expect any of our students to be doing too much work at all these holidays, but I do think that reading for pleasure is a wonderful thing. I worry sometimes that we are losing the habit of reading long-form fiction and non-fiction as a society, so please encourage your children to get their noses stuck into a book over the next two weeks. The Year 8 overnight tramp arrives back this afternoon, bringing an action-packed term to an appropriate close. Every student from Year 3 to 10 has had the opportunity to go on a camp or a tramp experience this term, and I’d like to thank the extraordinary dedication of our staff to enable this to happen. We’re always looking for ways of developing our outdoor experiences further, of course, but I think what we do is pretty special. I’d also like to thank the enthusiasm of many of our parents too: a fabulous Primary Parents’ Fun Day yesterday was the latest example of our community coming together. On Sunday, 23 intrepid College students head off to Europe with Mrs Smith, Mrs Cannan and Mr O’Connell. The students are visiting Italy, France, the UK and Belgium, and their itinerary looks amazing: there were some jealous parents at the pre-departure meeting last week. Part of the tour involves attending an ANZAC Day service in Ypres: this was part of the tour we really wanted to happen, and I expect the day to be an experience the students (and the teachers) will never forget. For those College students interested in overseas tours, please keep an eye out next term: we have a Hawaii Geography trip in the planning stages, and are busily looking for a partner school in Spain to complete a Spanish, or perhaps South American experience. Earlier this week, I sent a survey out to parents of students in Years 7 to 13. This was also sent to students in Years 10 to 13 and to all staff. Thank you for your responses: we’re collating them at the moment, but there were around 350 completed surveys when I last checked, and plenty of really useful comments. Just to clarify a couple of things and to explain to the parents of Primary children who didn’t receive a survey: we are consulting about targeted study programmes in the July and October holidays, which would supplement what students do in school, and which would be entirely optional. These would be charged for, but only enough to cover the costs of paying the teachers, so we would keep the costs as low as possible. We are also consulting about potential changes to our study leave arrangements for Years 11 to 13 in Term 4. We are thinking of running a study timetable for the first four to five weeks of term instead of sending students on study leave. This would not be chargeable, of course, as it’s in term time, and parents would have the option of signing their children out of the study timetable if they wished. I’ll be looking at the survey in detail next week, but a first look showed that students, parents and staff each have an extremely wide variety of strong opinions. I expected this, and am already finding the consultation process very useful, as it is already shaping some of our thinking. If you haven’t managed to complete the survey, or wish to comment at all, please feel free to write to me. I haven’t, by the way, included lots of detail: this is deliberate, as we will shape the detail after looking at everyone’s responses. I will write with more detail and a firm plan in the first few weeks of next term. I’ll finish where I started: holidays! I’ve had a wonderful term, and have spent it feeling proud to be part of our community, and immensely proud of our young people. The standard of work I have seen being completed in classrooms – from Big Write stories in Year 1 to challenging experiments in Year 4 to Spanish and Chinese lessons in Junior College to algebraic problems that I couldn’t even begin to understand at any level! – is exceptional. I spend a great deal of my time wandering through classrooms, and it is invariably the best part of my day, as I watch teachers and students with wonderful relationships build great learning. And now, over the next two weeks, it’s time to take a breath and enjoy some family time. Have a lovely break. Tuesday 30th April
Thursday 2nd May
Friday 3rd May
WEEK 2 Monday 6th May
Tuesday 7th May
Wednesday 8th May
Thursday 9th May
Friday 10th May
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, As we conclude term one we can look back at a very busy and productive term. In the classroom our students are striving to achieve to their potential and we hope that you received positive messages regarding their progress at conferences last week. We have had field trips out for nearly every year level as teachers continue to build on learning experiences outside of the classroom. We have completed our Swimming Sports and Athletics Day and look forward to Cross Country in the first week of next term. In Year 7 and Year 8 we have had multiple zones days already, and this week we have gone through the process of entering all of our winter sports codes with College Sport. We look forward to all of the work that students will do in training in preparation for the various competitions that they are involved in. Currently our Year 8 students are completing their two-day hike around Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands. This has been a great term for our camps, with students at every year level having had the opportunity to attend either a camp or an overnight hike. We have been graced with fantastic weather and our students have had the opportunity to grow as individuals and further foster their appreciation of our natural environment. This Sunday 25 students and 3 teachers will embark on our European Cultural Trip. The students have been working hard for the past year to help fundraise for the trip. They have an amazing itinerary ahead of them with a visit to Passchendaele on ANZAC Day is sure to be a highlight. For ANZAC Day our Prefects normally attend the Coatesville and Albany Services where they do a reading and lay a wreath on behalf of the school. Unfortunately, both services have been cancelled this year and so our Prefect group will be attending the Browns Bay Service and laying a wreath there. We hope that our students enjoy a well-earned rest over the next two weeks. We wish those traveling a safe journey and all of our community a happy Easter. Ngā mihi, Chris Wiggin and Kieran Verryt Principals of College Silver DoE Tramp – Pouakai Circuit 2019Due to high demand Mr Rossin, Mrs Koopen, Miss Murray and Miss Pirini took 40 students to complete the Pouakai Crossing in Egmont National Park. After an early start on the Friday, spirits were high and groups started their journey at approximately 1.30pm on the 1st day. It was a challenging tramp up to the Holly Hut nestled 1000m up the slopes of Taranaki. The hut probably had its busiest night ever and it was safe to say everyone had a cosy night! The group were up early, cleaned the hut and then headed over the crossing. We had a stunning day with excellent views of New Plymouth and the summit of Taranaki. We ended up back at North Egmont Visitor Centre, from there the group bused it to the campsite in New Plymouth. Many of the students had a swim and relaxed. Finally after a better night sleep than the first, we headed up Paritutu Rocks. The students were rewarded with more excellent views after 2 hard days of tramping in a bush and alpine environment. A big thanks to Mrs Koopen, Miss Pirini, Mr Rossin and Miss Murray for giving up their time on the weekend. Year 8 Leadership CampOn Wednesday morning Year 8 students caught a ferry to Rangitoto Island and climbed to the top of the lookout for lunch before hiking across Rangitoto Island and over Motutapu Island to Home Bay. Upon arrival there, students pitched their tents, cooked dinner from their ration packs before some night activities and bedtime. This was a challenge for everyone - for some it was physical and others it was more emotional and personal. It was evident though, that everyone needed to dig deep into their reserves of resilience and determination to compete the long hikes over the two days. A big thanks to the staff and parents who assisted during these two days. Quiz NightOn Saturday evening, the Pinehurst Interact Club and East Coast Bays Rotary Group joined together to hold a “Quiz Night” to raise funds for charity. It was a fun filled, humorous and successful night with games, silent auctions and tally was well over $2600 raised for charity. The funds collected will go towards supporting orphaned girls in Tanzania and aiding East Coast Bays Rotary Club to bring an orphan from Cambodia to New Zealand for her education. We are very thankful to everyone who showed up to support us especially the Pinehurst Interact Club who collected many items for the silent auctions and for helping out on the night with setting up tables and other necessary items. It was really heart-warming to see so many Pinehurst students and their parents lending their support and dressing up to make this a really fun event. We hope to continue this tradition next year. Year 10 Sport EducationThis term, Year 10 have been learning about sport education. They not only learned more about the game of basketball but the roles in sport. Students were given the opportunity to coach, manage, referee and be the captain of a their team. They then planned lessons where they taught Year 4 students how to play basketball, running drills and practicing all of the skills they learnt over the term. Year 10 did an excellent job and should be very proud of themselves for creating such an exciting experience for the Year 4 students. Tennis at PinehurstIt’s been an amazing term of tennis at Pinehurst School. We started the term with a large number of enthusiastic individuals. As the term went on, students improved basic skills of tennis, such as the forehand, backhand, serving and much more. We also had both a girls and boys team in the local school’s tennis championships. Both teams put in some impressive performances, against much older opposition, with the boys team winning their grade. Once again, it’s been a pleasure coaching a group of committed and enthusiastic tennis players this term, who have shown a willingness to learn. We’ve had some fun along the way, played numerous games, and made some great connections with other tennis players. We finished the term with the tennis prize-giving on Wednesday after school, where we highlighted the many successes. Tennis will start back up in Term 4, with the aim of entering more teams into the local school’s competition. All students are welcome to join, whether you’re only starting out, or if you’re an experienced player. If you have any questions or would like more info, please contact: taylor.quirk@pinehurst.school.nz Kia Ora, Looking back on this first term we have packed so much into our first eleven weeks of the year! New classmates and teachers can always be a time of uncertainty for young children but very quickly we all settled into new routines and friendships blossomed. Our core programmes of Cambridge Maths, English and Science were established from day one and this year we extended our Spanish programme to include Year 1 and Year 2 so that we now offer two languages all the way through the school. Education outside of the classroom (EOTC) has been a priority in the beautiful summer months and so much was learned through the challenges of camps, swimming programmes, sports, interhouse swimming, Shore to Shore, Wheels Week and Tabloid Sports. Whilst next term we will inevitably spend more time indoors we will continue to challenge ourselves physically as well as academically. Our Year 5 and 6 students will end their first week of Term 2 competing in interhouse cross country at Rosedale Park and later in the term our Y1-2 and Y3-4 syndicates will also have their own competitions. Our students have been challenging themselves mathematically in the classroom and at home through Maths Whizz and we are all looking forward to receiving the data early next term which tells us which students have managed an average of four progressions a week. Consistent use of the programme does support the work done in class through additional consolidation of knowledge and skills. The top students with the most consistent progress will be awarded Maths Whizz medals at the end of the year, so keep it up Primary! We have been able to offer more after school programmes this year and will continue to run Art4Kids, Mandarin classes, Performance Net and we are adding additional Bricks4Kids classes as they have proved so popular. We have loved the new After School Care Room and there will be a concrete path installed to get us through the winter months. Speaking of which, a reminder that all students are in full winter uniform from the first day of term which is Tuesday 30 April. Students will need to purchase a Pinehurst jacket or a plain navy rain jacket if they wish to wear a coat and they can wear the Pinehurst tracksuit with either round neck or hoodie for P.E., Sport and after school sport but not to wear to and from school please. We pride ourselves on our uniform and need to ensure that it is worn correctly. Today we say goodbye to Mrs Nikki Brown who teaches along with Pippa Fleming in P2. We will all miss her in the classroom and in the staffroom, she has been with us for seven years in a variety of teaching roles in the Junior Primary and there are many students at Pinehurst who have been lucky enough to have her teach them. We wish her well in her new ventures. Replacing Nikki is Susan Boniface, an experienced early years teacher who is very much looking forward to joining the team and working with P2 students and families. If you are taking a break with your children we wish you well and look forward to seeing you again in Term 2. Ngā mihi Sian Coxon, Principal of Primary Podium Finishes for Pinehurst!Last week, our Primary swimming team (17 students) attended the North Shore Primary Swimming Championships (26 schools) and our Mid Bays Swimming event (4 schools). For the first time EVER the team WON the Mid Bays swimming event (after a number of years finishing in 2nd place) – an outstanding result for this young team. More photos and full results from the Mid Bays Swimming event on our Facebook Sports Page HERE. Primary Parent Fun Day!What a fantastic afternoon, the sun was shining and after having lunch with their parents the kids enjoyed a range of activities, even some of the mums and dads got involved! It was an amazing turnout, and as it was the first event of this kind, it was a bit of a learning curve - next year there will be more sausages! Thank you to all parents and staff who made this day so much fun for our primary students. Taste Testing in P6This term in Year 1 we have been learning about our senses. For the past few weeks we have been exploring our senses through real life experiences as well as sharing the knowledge and skills learnt orally and applying what we have learnt in our books and recording sheets. This week the children enthusiastically explored the sense of taste through a variety of activities. We have learnt that our tongue has lots of taste buds and our taste buds differs. In the photo you can see the children tasting some lemon! P5 Paper Plane Play!Last Sunday Fantasia Chen, the Social Coordinator for P5 held a class event on the Primary Netball Courts - a paper plane play group! It was a cloudy morning with a gentle breeze – perfect for a good take-off. Children and parents got involved with their paper plane making. Fantasia supplied all the materials and instructions, and the class just got involved and had fun! There were designs, tests, rebuilds and more testing before the big competition. William Wei won a prize for the farthest flight and Jason Zhong won the longest time flying. Well done with your aerodynamic designs! Even the parents got to line up and show off their paper plane design. It was a great day for all to do something a little different and get together as a class to meet each other. Another great social activity to support ‘Our children, our culture, our community’! P7 NewsYear 2 students in P7 have been learning about living things in their environment. We learnt that animals like to live in an environment that provide food, water and shelter. The conditions in an environment affect which animals are found there. We created a habitat diorama. We chose the environment and then had to research which animals that are most suited to that type of environment. We looked at how to care for the environment as well. We learnt about how to reuse, reduce and recycle. It is important as our actions can harm the environment and the living things. Year 6 EnglishThis week in P21, in our writing we have been using a range of figurative language to create a vivid image for our readers. We hope you enjoy some of our work and feel like you can see the image we are creating. Primary MusicThe year has started with a hiss and a roar in Music. We spent time establishing routines, talking about the care and use of instruments and have generally focused on the themes of beat and rhythm. All classes have composed simple melodies and the Year 5 & 6 students have been working on writing lyrics for reggae and funk rhythms. This has been been quite a challenge for some students especially when added percussion instruments. We have all learnt how important it is to count as we play! The younger students have begun playing the chime bars, focussing on the notes B, A, and G with the older students reading melodies that are more complex and playing them on the glockenspiels. It is so satisfying to see most of our students reading music or beginning to, from such a young age. Both our choirs are up and running and yesterday, we heard The Petite Elite perform their “Lollipop Song” at the Junior Primary assembly. We look forward to other performances this year from both these groups. I Spy in the PrimaryI Spy...big bubbles with Science in a Van! I Spy...the Easter Bunny! I Spy....the Kapa Haka group meeting with their tutors - Darlene and James! I Spy...Family Fun Day! In Music this WeekThe First Informal Concert Thank you to all students who participated in this event. The concert programme consisted of a variety of instrumental and vocal numbers from students who are developing their performance skills to students who have reached impressive levels. Amongst the performers was an item by the Pinehurst Flute Quartet (Alena Androsova, Kelly Zeng, Petra Damianovich and Shawn Yang) who have recently entered the Chamber Music Group Competition and will be competing on Friday the 7th of June from 12-2pm with other local schools. The next Informal Music Concert will be held on the 25th of June, Tuesday in C4 from 4pm and will also last an hour. Registration forms will be available closer to the time. String Group The Friday lunchtime string group has been steadily growing in numbers under the guidance of Ms Rout and is always open to violin, viola and violoncello students. They meet on Friday lunchtimes in JC8 but younger students can finish their lunches first before attending the rehearsals. Farewell to Mrs Hungerford The Music Department is saying goodbye to Mrs Hungerford this week. After many years of teaching and guiding some of our most senior students through some technically elaborate pieces, Val has decided to retire this term. We are grateful for her tough love approach and will miss her can-do attitude. Easter Raffle Winners!Congratulations to Andy Goodwin who won the Easter hamper and Sophia Baumann who won the Easter bunny (if she can prise it off her class mates!) Uniform ShopSchool Holiday Opening Hours
School Holiday Tennis Coaching
If you would like your child to take part in the tennis coaching in week 1, please send an email to Ms Daly to confirm a place. Dancing up a Storm!Nadia Gyde in Year 7 attended the Kiwi Classic International Dance Competition on Sunday at the Cordis Hotel, dancing Latin, Ballroom and New Vogue. She won two firsts, six seconds and two thirds dancing 14 times and placing top three in 11 of those events. Congratulations Nadia! Winning at SwimmingCongratulations to Year 7 student Eleanor Saunders, who competed at her first Level 3 swim meet over the weekend. She won 4 of her 5 events. Well done Eleanor! Aria RhodesSenior College student Aria Rhodes recently competed in the Australia Athletics Nationals at the Sydney Olympic Stadium. She placed 9th in the Under 20s Pole Vault and 3rd in the Under 18s Pole Vault. Aria has been chosen to pole vault with international jumpers at The Huawei P30 Vertical Pursuit Event which is a free, family-friendly event, on Saturday, 13 April 2019, 1pm-3pm. |