News and events for the week ending 7th June 2019 Friday 7th June 2019 Opening words from the Executive PrincipalKia ora tatou, good afternoon, 你好, 안녕하세요 The monsoon weather has driven many of us indoors this week. It was so dark at lunchtime on Wednesday that I thought it was November in Nottingham. But the children continue to shine brightly, and I’m delighted to be able to tell you that a large, enthusiastic group of our Year 5 students took part in the annual Showquest competition on Friday and came second! It’s a huge competition, and our students were up against large primary and intermediate schools (with older students) from across the city, so to come second was a great achievement. Many thanks and huge credit to Jemma Goeldner and Zoe Bottari, two of our Year 13 students, who trained and prepared the students, and to Mrs Kelly Clark, who managed the process and made sure everyone was where they needed to be. Sticking with the performing arts: next week sees our annual College production take place. I’m really looking forward to seeing our talented young people take on Shakespeare, and what I’ve seen so far is very impressive and very entertaining: I’m expecting to laugh and cry. This year the production is for Year 7-10 students, it’s a huge cast, and will be great fun. Tickets are on sale here, and I hope to see you there. And – just a little tease – Mrs Cannan has just booked theatre space for next year already, has chosen the musical we’re going to do, and is already planning… Many of our senior College students have received their exam results this week. Congratulations to all those students who have done well. This is, though, often a difficult experience, and we try to manage the process carefully at school. In the mid-year exams, students will not usually be working at the standard they reach by the end of the year. They are only half way through the course and, even though we make sure that we are assessing them only on what they have already covered, they still have not had enough time to develop all the skills they are going to need. The most important thing students need to do after the exams is reflect on what skills they need to work on, and what content they need to learn. If you have a student at home who is disappointed with their results, please work with them positively to plan a route forwards. And, of course, please contact us if you’d like to talk things through: our teachers are always very happy to hear from you. I wanted to use today’s newsletter to offer some thanks to our wonderful parents. We had two very busy and very enjoyable open days this week, and we were supported by a number of parents on both days. They did a fantastic job talking to new parents and explaining about our school, and I’m very grateful to them all. Thank you! And thank you too to the parents involved in Pinehurst Parent Connection. This group is a parent group who are working with the school to support the school’s activities, and to continue to build a strong sense of community. They have begun to have casual coffee catch-ups on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons, and are about to get stuck into the butterfly garden as well. There’s more detail later in the newsletter, so please read on, and I’d encourage anyone who’s interested to make contact with Sylvia Lum at school. Finally, an apology: we haven’t managed to translate my message this week. June Wang, who translates for us every week, is on holiday. Normal service will be resumed in two weeks’ time. Have a lovely weekend. Ngā mihi, Alex Reed Alex Reed WEEK 7 Monday 10 June
Tuesday 11 June
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Thursday 13 June
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Saturday 15 June
WEEK 8 Tuesday 18 June
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Thursday 20 June
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Saturday 22 June
Kia Ora, A shorter week this week but still action packed in the Primary. Walking around on Open Day our classes were very focused on their learning and eager to tell prospective parents all about it. All students begin their lessons with a WALHT, (we are learning how to) which is a focus and direction for the specific concept to be learned in that session. They should be clear on what they need to learn and why they are learning it. Following on from this, students and teacher discuss what evidence they will need to demonstrate that they have learned the concept. We call this WASWW (we are successful when we) and it is how students know they have been successful in their learning. From this their teacher can also gauge what each student needs to work on. As we went around it was wonderful to listen to students who could talk on the spot so confidently about their learning. This is a skill that is taught from a very young age and was very clearly demonstrated in a Year 1 class this week. They were discovering adjectives to describe a seal pup and were engaged in several activities designed to extend their sentence construction by adding a variety of adjectives which would make their writing interesting. They were incredibly focused for the whole lesson, could define adjectives, connectives and the correct punctuation to use and then put everything together to form fantastic sentences describing the seal. They referred to the success criteria frequently to check if their writing had all of the elements necessary to demonstrate learning. By teaching this way we are shaping our students to be independent learners from the time they start school. They take responsibility for their learning and see it as important to their lives. Children are no longer receptacles for the wisdom of the significant adults in their lives, they learn to question, analyse, inquire and form their own hypotheses and work in partnership with their parents and teachers to develop their education. As teachers we find this so exciting and it is what drives us. Almost all of the conversations I have had with staff this week have been around how excited the particular staff member is about the progress their class is making or a breakthrough that a particular student has had after a period of struggle to understand. Classroom teaching is intense but so rewarding and we are very lucky to work with such great children and families. Only three weeks to go, reports will be out at the end of next week and you will be able to book conferences online from Tuesday 11 June. Ngā mihi Sian Coxon, Principal of Primary Art in P21We have been studying Jo May in Year 6 this term, using perspective to recreate beautiful kiwi landscapes. Jo May uses acrylic on canvas, oil on board and water colours to make Kiwiana art based around native birds and local beaches and icons. The pictures are always bright to suit the cheerful, colourful, sunny, and often awestruck way that she sees New Zealand. Do you think we are doing a good job of recreating images of this amazing country? Writing from the ESOL ClassPrimary SpanishThe students in Junior Primary have been busy working on their self-introduction scripts and recordings where they have included some key information about themselves such as name, age and where they live. They remembered about the silent ‘H’s in ‘Hola’ and ‘Hasta la vista’ and even used accents and Spanish punctuation correctly – as in ¡Adiós! They sound so fluent and their pronunciation is also excellent. We are sure you would agree once you have a listen to them! ¡Bien hecho! We have just started learning about the Spanish Colour vocabulary and recently went on a Colour hunt. Rojo, azul & morado were some of the most popular colours amongst the children! Kapa hakaKia ora! This term Pinehurst School has formed a kapa haka group. It is open to all Year 4 - 13 students. Kapa haka is providing students with a platform for expression, giving them opportunities to experience success and confidence. We (as a ropu) are encouraging opportunities for leadership through a tuakana:teina approach; tuakana (older/more experienced):teina (younger/less experienced). All New Zealand students can benefit from being part of kapa haka as it exposes them to Māori values (e.g. whanaungatanga, ako, tuakana:teina) and affirms our unique identity as New Zealanders. We love being part of a team and are gaining strength from being in this ropu. We are so fortunate to have tutors, Darlene and James, facilitate this group and encouraging our students to take on leadership roles. We also have Mrs Jones-Hill, Ms Rodrigues, Ms Mann and Ms Thomson participating and being ‘teina’ (less experienced), learning from some of the students. We encourage new members to come along on a Friday lunchtime, held in the after school care building behind the primary school. We look forward to performing at the next pōwhiri. Primary PEPE this term has been a mixture of basketball skills working on key elements such as teamwork, ball handling and technique. Alongside basketball all classes have been focusing on gymnastics and gaining confidence on a range of different apparatus’, looking at making different shapes, performing a range of rolls and perfecting their dismounts. During these sports the students have been focusing on safety and the different risks involved. Through identifying risks they then have prevented any injuries occurring when performing in a range of different activities. Life Education with Year 3 & 4As many of you may have noticed the Life Education caravan is once again back at Pinehurst School. The Year 3 and Year 4 classes have their first sessions next week. The Year 3 focus is around friendship. The students will be discussing what a good friend is, and how to develop the qualities to enable strong and positive relationships with others. They will also be looking at the importance of kindness, and how they can show kindness to others. Another question they will be asked to consider is what effects their actions can have on others. Year 4 are looking at sugar in foods and the role of sugar in our daily diet. They will be looking at processed and packet foods labeling. As always one of the highlights of the visits to the Life Education caravan will be when Harold the giraffe pops out to speak with the students. I Spy in the PrimaryI Spy …. lots of writing going on in the Junior Primary this week! I Spy...some great rugby/touch games out on the field! Kia Ora, This week has been a vital week for our senior students. Teachers have marked examinations and have been providing feedback to students around areas where they have excelled and areas that need greater attention and focus. While students will have mixed views on how they have performed, it is important that they pay close attention to the feedback given to help them further their progress. Please check with your son or daughter to see where their areas for improvement are, and congratulate them on their successes. Teachers are now writing reports that will be sent out at the end of term, and we will begin next term with parent conferences to discuss next steps in learning. Next week we will host the first of our transition evenings. The focus for the evening will be on the step from Year 8 into Year 9. During the evening students and parents will have the opportunity to take a tour of the school with one of our senior students. There will be a range of classes taking place so that you are able to get a feel for what happens in lessons. At the conclusion of the tour there will be a short presentation with information around the pastoral and curriculum changes involved in the transition from Year 8 to Year 9. Transition is a key focus throughout the year and we want to support students as they move from one year group to the next so that both students and parents have a clear understanding of the changes and what to expect. In Week 8 of this term we will host the transition evening for Year 6 students moving into Year 7. This evening will follow a similar format to that of the Year 8 to Year 9 transition. Next term we will also host evenings for students transitioning from Year 9 to Year 10, and for students transitioning from Year 11 to Year 12. Each year of school provides its own unique set of challenges for students and parents. It is important to us as a school that we manage these transitions well. If you have any queries, concerns, or feedback, please do not hesitate to contact us. A quick congratulations to our Showquest team who performed so well at the Spark Arena yesterday. This is the first time that we have entered this competition and the students finished a very commendable 2nd. Well done to all of the students that performed and also the senior students and staff who made the event possible. Ngā mihi, Chris Wiggin and Kieran Verryt Principals of College Year 9 Chinese First LanguageIn Year 9 Chinese First Language class, we learnt the famous poem <Nostalgia> 《乡愁》by Yu Guang Zhong 余光中. Afterwards, students wrote their own poems. Year 9 History ProjectsYear 9 students were assigned 3D projects on “The importance of fire on early human development”. We were swamped with many clever designs, filled with an abundance of colours and well researched information. There are numerous individual students who should be mentioned for their outstanding effort but the list of their names would be too long. The 3D design, was from their own imagination and research. It was extremely satisfying to see so many students thinking outside the square. The grand designs ranged from hunting scenes, inhabited caves, cut out wooden fires, roasting pigs, dioramas, animal hide fire protectors, to the use of real charcoal and wood to symbolise life in prehistoric times. It was very impressive how many model fires actually lit up with the aid of “battery power”. The history staff were certainly impressed with the great designs and the positive attitude towards making history projects come to life.
Hockey 1st XIWe awaited the comeback with eager anticipation and the Pinehurst team did not disappoint. Pinehurst put Westlake well and truly on the back foot and controlled the game with relative ease. As the darkness drew in around the cobalt blue pitch the team showed how hard they could work and how well they could communicate. Harry scored two goals and Toby added a third. These achievements were built on the stoic efforts of the whole team, and Darius who made some lightening saves in goal. At halftime the plan was to consolidate the lead and use the remaining time to hone their skills, but the opposition had other strategies. Pinehurst were caught napping and two goals soon sped past them and then a third was added. At three apiece the tone of the game changed. The opponents were now playing to win, and Pinehurst were playing ‘not to lose’. Once again, the mental approach was dented and the cardiovascular systems used to bolster the ebbing morale of the team. By the end of the second half the looming Auckland skies had wept on the ruddy fiery faces of our team who are now all too aware of how they need to control the game on multiple levels, in order to succeed. In Music this WeekHarp Ensemble Pictured here are four of our six fabulous Pinehurst harpists, with their matching Dusty Strings Ravenna harps. Kitty, Bella, Seina and Crystal, plus Coco and Vivian (not pictured) are working on two ensemble pieces to perform at the informal concert on Tuesday 25th June, in C2 from 4pm. Pinehurst Flute Quartet competing at the Chamber Music Competition Our senior College students: Kelly Zeng, Alena Androsova, Shawn Yang and Petra Damianovich are competing the Chamber Music Competition today at the Raye Freedman Centre at Epsom Girls. The group has been meeting regularly and under the skilful guidance of our Flute Itinerant teacher, Christine Mori, have prepared three pieces for flute by Eugene Bozza, a French composer and violins who still remains to be one of the most prolific composers of chamber music for wind instruments. Click here to see little teaser of their dress rehearsal. Pinehurst Parent ConnectionAs some of you may have heard, we recently set up a Pinehurst Parent Connection Committee - made up of a group of volunteer parents that span across Primary and College. Their roles will be to help bring Pinehurst Parents together to create a community of friendship and fellowship. Every Pinehurst Parent will automatically be part of Parent Connection and are welcome to contribute any ideas, feedback or resources to help our parent initiatives. Over the coming months you will be seeing Parent Connection have more presence in various activities to enhance a social, supportive and interactive school culture. Our Committee members have put in many hours of their personal time to help bring this together, so we hope to see you support them through these exciting times. In addition to the school activities they have been helping with, they will also be organising other parent activities outside of working hours so that all our working Mums and Dads can also have an opportunity to be part of our social events. We look forward to seeing more and more parents getting together to help build the Pinehurst Community. ‘Our children – Our culture – Our community’ Parent Connection Casual Coffee Catch-Ups Do you want to meet more parents? Do you feel that you want to connect with the school but don’t know how? Or do you just sometimes want a reason to have another coffee? Come meet and chat to other parents across the school about anything you want! Build the connections and network with other parents. FlatWhite Café Coffee Catch-Ups:
We look forward to meeting some new parents and connecting you with more parents! “Sometimes it is hard to communicate with people, but after all that’s said and done language is not just about ethnicity and culture – animals communicate with humans without any speaking and yet there is mutual understanding.” – Geoff Hampton (Veterinarian) Primary Butterfly Garden Revamp Parent Connection will be meeting on Thursday 13th June at 2pm to start working on the Butterfly Garden revamp. The beautiful butterfly garden in the Primary playground has been looking a little tired and needing a bit of TLC. So, Parent Connection have come up with a plan to not only beautify the garden again but also create a project to help bring together parents, grandparents and families. Parents will be working with Angela Smith and a group of her College Enviro students to get the project underway. The green-finger expertise will be coming from Jill Harrison, who has in the past has had a big role in developing the Butterfly garden. Dates and times: Thursday 13th June @ 2pm and every Thursday during term time. If you would like to help with this project, but can’t spare the time, there are other ways you can contribute to making the Butterfly Garden a magical space for our children. We need garden equipment, plants, soil, outdoor art…so many things to make it special. Any help is always appreciated. If you have any inquiries, please contact Avril Williams: parentconnection@pinehurst.school.nz. Waterpolo Representative TournamentIn late April, Year 7 students Mercedez Frost & Isabelle Rogers took part in the U12 Waterpolo Tournament at Baywave Pools in Tauranga, representing North Harbour. Amara GreenAmara and her pony Pou have just finished their first season of show jumping. This was Pou’s first season show jumping. He was a very late starter, starting his jumping career at 10 years old, and this was Amara’s first season of show jumping after transitioning from showhunter. They came 2nd in the Pony Futurity for Waitemata for the 2019 year and 3rd for top pony with 3 or less wins for 2019. Olivia DyetAfter graduating from Pinehurst in 2004 Olivia went to Auckland University of Technology to do a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business, studying Psychology and Management. A couple of years later she graduated from Massey University with a Post Graduate Diploma in Business and Administration, Human Resource Management. Olivia has been working for The Warehouse Group for the last 5 years, starting as a People Support Advisor for Noel Leeming, then became the Employment Relation Business Partner and is now Head of People Experience for 12,000 team members. In the future she hopes to keep contributing usefully to companies who need advice and making a meaningful difference for people. Olivia says working hard but enjoying what she does at the same time is very rewarding. She says being at Pinehurst gave her confidence, and the small class sizes really helped, also being given that individual attention was valuable in that her strengths were recognised and fostered. |