News and events for the week ending 24th August 2018 Friday 24th August 2018 Opening words from the Executive PrincipalGood afternoon, Kia ora tatou, 你好 We had a very sporting Wednesday this week. Our First XI Boys’ hockey team played superbly to beat Northcote College 2-0 to win the League 1A competition – a fantastic achievement, and one that the boys, their coach Taylor Stephenson, and Ms Anderson should be very proud of – and, at the other end of the age range, a Netball Fun Day for our youngest students run by Mrs Huffadine and Mrs Jones-Hill, supported by a group of wonderful Year 7 and 8 girls. It went brilliantly, and I’m hoping to see many of the children who enjoyed the fun day signing up for Spring League teams. Junior College has felt quiet this week with the Year 8 students up a cold mountain in the middle of the island, but the rest of the school has been as busy as ever. The Year 11, 12 and 13 mock exams began yesterday, and run for the whole of next week: students seem to be very focused at school, and I hope they’re concentrating at home as well. If you have a child taking mock exams, please check that they’re revising: they do matter, because the whole experience prepares students for the external exams which begin in a few weeks time. Good preparation now makes a huge difference in October. On Monday, we ran an information evening for Year 11 students heading into AS and A Levels. It was very well-attended, as the IGCSE evening had been the week before, and we hope it was useful. A note on this: it’s very much the beginning of the process. The deadline for option choices is October 16th, and Mr Wiggin is very happy to talk through choices and structures with any students or parents who have choices. One advantage of our size is that we can provide individual attention, so please talk to us if you have questions or need advice. We are very happy to help. If you don’t know who to ask: Mr Wiggin is your first port of call! On property, we remain on schedule to break ground for the new Library during the October holidays, so we have some exciting new building happening over the next year. The Library will move to a temporary home in College later this term, and we will try to keep things as normal as possible while the building work is completed. I have a little request of you. We don’t allow parents to use the back entrance on Rosedale Road because we don’t have resource consent for it. So please don’t use that entrance. I haven’t talked about parking for some time, in part because, although it’s busy, it’s pretty orderly and generally manageable, but it is still an issue we are thinking about, and I am hoping to announce some significant changes to bus pricing in 2019 next week. This may help ease the congestion a little more. One final thing; please remember to drive slowly through our carpark. Children don’t always behave the way we expect them to behave and we always need to be alert and to drive slowly. In the interests of brevity, I’m going to stop there. A sudden squall is battering the young palm trees outside my window and it’s time to head outside with my umbrella and greet the students arriving at school. There will, I am sure be a queue for Seussical tickets (200 sold on the first day!), so if you haven’t got your tickets already: better hurry! Have a lovely weekend. Ka kite ano 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 Alex Reed WEEK 6: Tuesday 28th August
Wednesday 29th August
Thursday 30th August
Friday 31st August
WEEK 7: Monday 3rd September
Wednesday 5th September
Thursday 6th September
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 get closer to spring we are enjoying wrapping up a very successful winter sports season. The 1st XI Boys Hockey team played a fantastic final on Wednesday night. In front of a boisterous crowd of parents, students and teachers the boys won the North Harbour 1A competition with a 2 – 0 win over Northcote College. A fantastic achievement for the team and a great reward for the Year 13 boys in the team who have given so much over many years. Netball, football, lacrosse and basketball are all finishing their seasons and we have seen a few tears as our Year 13 students finish up their Pinehurst sporting careers. Thank you to all of the parents who attended the A level information evening on Monday night. We hope that it was a valuable evening and that you are now well placed to support your son or daughter in selecting their academic programme for next year. If you require any further advice or support then please do not hesitate to contact our Careers Counsellor, Kaye Griffiths. Students in Year 11–13 have their mock examinations over the next week. Coursework deadlines are also fast approaching. We are very aware that many of our students are feeling the pressure of academic expectations at this time. As a staff we are working hard to support students, and teachers will be getting alongside students and helping them with schedules and study plans. If you have any concerns, please get in contact with teachers. Many teachers are running tutorials during lunch breaks and after school. Your children will be aware of these and they are a great chance for students to get some good work done. On the flip side to the academic pressure for senior students, our Year 8 have had a brilliant week away at camp. The winter camp is an absolute highlight for many students and they have had a great time rafting and skiing in the Tongariro National Park. No doubt students and teachers will return exhausted and full of stories this afternoon. Ngā mihi, Chris Wiggin and Kieran Verryt Principals of College Year 8 Service in the CommunityLast Friday, 10 students from 8AS spent time with the elderly residents at the local Rosedale Retirement Village. After a brief introduction, the students were welcomed into the lounge area where the elderly residents were resting, some in conversation, while others snoozed or watched TV. Our students were introduced to the elderly residents and staff, our service programme discussed and the residents reassured that our country’s future was in good hands. Chang Liu opened the visit by playing her violin, followed by Sophia Garcia-Curtis who played a piece on the piano. The students then proudly shared various items they had taken along with them and spent time getting to know the residents. Our students listened intently, nodding in approval as the residents shared their life stories. A very worthwhile experience for all involved. Each Friday, a group of Year 8 students will continue to visit Rosedale Retirement Village. I am sure the residents there will be looking forward to the next visit. Cultural Food MarketIn Week 3, the Cultural Council hosted the Cultural Food Market Day in the School Gym. Students purchased food from 22 different stalls, using our environmentally themed currency; “Oceans”. Students and teachers sold food from South Africa, England, China, Mexico, France and Korea to name but a few. The gym was decorated with images of cultural dress, food and famous land marks, with flag banners and cultural music to add to the atmosphere. The stall holders paid a $10 fee for their table, which went towards the four house charities. The students counted their earnings last week and were able to work out how much profit they made. Thank you to all who assisted with the setting up of this event and a special thank you to The Cultural Council for their organisation. The Rotary National Science and Technology Forum 2019The very prestigious Rotary National Science and Technology Forum is being held at Auckland University January 12-26. Successful applicants will be expected to reside at the university for two weeks. They will work in the laboratories and field stations of tertiary institutions around Auckland. They will visit organisations such as Landcare Research, ESR Forensics, Fisher & Paykel and other technology companies. Interested Year 12 students should visit Mr O'Connell in C30 to attain additional information an application form, or email (paul.oconnell@pinehurst.school.nz) Applicants will be expected to undertake a formal interview by two members of the Rotary selection committee. Rotary will pay $795 towards the total cost of the Forum and students will be expected to pay the remaining $1000. For those interested in a Science and Technology career this would be highly beneficial and highly recommended. Applications close October 1. College Inter-house sports comes down to the ‘wire’After the best part of 3 terms of competition, the Inter-house College Shield will come down to the final event – ‘Dodgeball’. Before going into the Seniors Dodgeball the standings were as follows; Totara – 655, Kauri – 635, Rimu – 615, Matai – 475. Realistically the top two houses have a chance of lifting the coveted Sports Shield for 2018. On Wednesday the 4 houses competed with an excellent turnout. With the finals to play on Wed 12th September, the result is still in the balance. A crucial match between Totara and Kauri will possibly determine the result before all Houses play off for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Make sure you support your House in the Gymnasium at lunchtime on Wed 12th September. Year 7 ESOL Speech PresentationsEveryone feels nervous when making a speech in front of their classmates, the school, parents, and teachers. To make a speech in English, when it is your second language is even more daunting. A big thanks and congratulations to the Year 7 ESOL class and their teacher Mrs Playfair for overcoming their nerves and presenting confident, informative speeches. It was awakening for the Year 10 class, who were invited to listen. As the first speaker began to speak on the reason why everyone should learn a musical instrument, it was clear the older students were impressed. Topics such as protecting animals, comparing schools in NZ and China, computer games are bad, and other interesting topics were spoken accurately and clearly with a bit of Kiwi slang thrown in. Thanks again Year 7. You can all be proud of your English. Keep up the great work. 7AO Share Their KnowledgeLast week 7AO visited P4 to run mini lessons on friendship. 7AO worked hard to plan activities and teach the New Entrants some valuable lessons on how to solve friendship problems and what makes a good friend. The Year 7 students learnt a few things themselves, finding that the younger students needed clear explanations for new words and lots of warm smiles so they felt comfortable. 7AO loved being the 'big kids', showing excellent teamwork and caring. Miss Old was very proud of them! Rugby 7’s Finals DayLast week our Rugby 7’s team played in the Final Tournament series event for 2018. The team had 2 close losses and a (default) win against Rosmini, Kristin and Murrays Bay, and once again played some awesome rugby! Thank you to Graeme Wallace for helping out as Coach on the day, and to Tammy, Graeme and Chris for assisting with supervision and transport! IGCSE DevisingThis year our Year 11 Drama class have created their own original performances. They worked from the stimulus of Nostalgia as shown in the play ‘The End of the Golden Weather’ by Bruce Mason. Each group was able to interpret the idea into entirely unique performances. From the end of relationships and the art of losing, to seeing different perspectives, to hearing the words of those who went before us to the different experiences of growing up through different cultural lenses. All of them performed in front of an audience of their peers and families last Friday night. It was a successful evening filled with raw emotions and heartfelt intentions. We were lucky enough to include Riya Odedra’s exchange partner Ashti Hari and she was a central part of her group’s efforts. Thank you Ashti for being such a generous member of our team. They will be performing their Monologues from ‘The End of the Golden Weather’ on Thursday the 6th September in the Drama room at 7pm. You are all welcome to come and see what these fabulous performers are capable of. Secondary Boys Grade 1A Winners!The 1st XI boys Hockey team have had a phenomenal season this year, winning their final last night to finish on the top of the table for grade 1A. A huge congratulations to the boys who have worked hard all season to achieve this, every early morning practice and late night game in the cold and rain paid off. Thank you to coach Taylor who has worked incredibly hard this year; motivating, encouraging and teaching the boys new skills and tactics each week. The team was also captained by Mitchell Donnell who was always up to the task of motivating and encouraging his team every minute of every game. Well done boys, you have had an excellent season, best of luck for the upcoming tournament! Girls HockeyOur girls Hockey teams have finished up their seasons well with two games vs Rangitoto last night. Our 1st XI girls finished 5th on the table in grade 1A. The girls played an excellent season, having some great wins against top teams and some narrow losses too. Captained by Meg Gibbs and Aimee Fletcher, the girls represented our school with pride, always upholding our Pinehurst values on and off the pitch. The 2nd XI girls had a great season, putting away some good goals and winning a game or two too. They worked hard to learn new skills during training and games and even some of the rules of hockey. The girls were always positive and it was great to see them persevere each week getting stronger as a team. Thank you to coaches Kate Hollamby and Alyssa Earnshaw for the work they put in throughout the season. Kia Ora, After watching today’s Senior Primary speech final I wondered if sometimes we underestimate the abilities of our youngest members of the school. Public speaking, as I am sure you are aware is on most people’s least favourite thing to do list. Yet it is a skill that so many adults need to master in their jobs to deliver presentations, speak to employees and colleagues and even in the interviews necessary to win a position. The youngest of our finalists today is 7 and the oldest is 11 years of age. Quite frankly the standard was phenomenal! Speech topics were varied and interesting, some serious, some funny and each competitor ticked all the boxes in terms of content, volume, pace, clarity, rapport and audience appeal. Out of 18 finalists, 6 per year group, the judges had the unenviable task of choosing one Year 4 winner, one from Year 5, an overall winner and an overall runner up. After much deliberation the judges, Mr Reed and Mrs Jones Hill, decided the winners. In Year 4 Kyle Goodwin told us why we should all eat candy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In Year 5 Finn Pendergast told us why Pinehurst should build treehouses and in Year 6, runner up Abby Wendleborn convinced us that she never wants to be a grown up because we really are not making the best job of things! Our overall winner, Holly Stanford did an outstanding job of persuading the audience that children should be allowed to vote for the sake of the planet. It was a wonderful event and we would like to thank all the competitors for the efforts they made to write and deliver such excellent speeches and their teachers for the skill they demonstrated in teaching speech writing so competently. Ngā mihi, Sian Coxon, Principal of Primary Touch Rugby (Primary) – Term 4We have limited places still available in our Year 1/2 and Year 3/4 Touch Rugby teams for boys or girls in Term 4. Please see the website here (Co-Curricular / Sport / Touch Rugby) for further information and please register online. NB - Our Year 5/6 team is currently full, and we are now operating a waiting list – if we do have enough interest, we would like to consider entering a second team in this age group – please register (waitlist) if you would like to be considered for a possible second team! Netball Fun DayYear 1 to 3 classes were invited to take part in a Netball fun day. We were very lucky to have netball representatives from Year 6 and 7 come help us run our challenging, but fun netball skills and drills circuit. Balls were being thrown through hoops and into colourful buckets. Individuals raced to collect the most small balls to place in their hoop. Dexterity and co-ordination was needed to run through the stepping ladders. Our students got the opportunity to work as part of a team in a fun, physical and enjoyable fashion. We look forward to meeting our Primary Parents at the ‘Netball Information Session’ on Tuesday, 28th August at 2:15pm, in the staffroom. Our Netball Spring league begins in Term 4! Come along to our information session and find out how your child can take part in a team sport. Displays of Colour in P21In P21 we have been creating paper prints using brilliant colours characteristic of Andy Warhol’s signature style. Using his series Endangered Animals as inspiration. We have been using silver and gold ink to help enhance the poignant moment suggestive of the animal’s fate and the movement towards the audience. To extend ourselves we will be using print making to design a series of images. They will be displayed on the windows of our classroom so please feel free to come along to see our work, we think it is both fun and effective, we hope that you agree! Science with P7's Pirates!P7 have been learning about forces in Science. We began by learning that there are different kinds of movement, then we sorted animals into the different ways they move. We understand that forces help us to move objects and are now beginning to identify when we are using pushes and pulls. To help us to understand forces, we used our topic on Pirates to help us to recognise whether an object moves by pushing or pulling it. The first task was to get their ship across from one side of the water to the other without using their hands. Some found this hard at first and were unsure how to move the ship without the use of their hands - there were even suggestions of using their heads! However, after some discussions the group decided to blow into the sail and discovered that wind was a force that could push the ship. The second task was to hoist their sail to the top of the rope. Having made their sail and simple pulley, the children began to experiment moving the sail. The group soon discovered that a pulling force was needed. There were many discussions and team work to help us to all understand that some objects move with a pushing force, some a pulling force and some move with both. Great work pirates! Junior Primary in OverdriveOne can feel the energy in the air when visiting the area occupied by the youngest segment of our Pinehurst community. We are working on the upcoming production with unwavering determination, practising our acts daily and singing the songs in our bathtubs at home. The seemingly limitless drive for fun is ever present in these parts of the school and the unsuspecting visitor might understandably be surprised by finding a complete construction crew hard at work in the sandpit at 8:00 am in the drizzling rain, complete with a foreman, who commands his labourers with precise instructions about the shape and height of the retaining wall across the site. The monkey bars and high bars on the playground are in use non stop and there is usually a waiting list of considerable length for the ones who show up late. Our focus is primarily on gymnastics this term and we are making visible progress in the fundamental acrobatic movements which is a source of joy for all parties involved. We are excited about the recently launched gymnastic after school programme for our Year 1 and Year 2 students, where our school is able to provide further coaching for the up-and-coming gymnasts who still have energy to burn after a full day at school. Not to neglect our acquired ball skills though, we had a great 'Netball fun day' this week, where members of our highly successful Junior College netball team ran a series of activities for our future netball players.
Seussical UpdateThis week has been extremely busy again – we’ve had lunchtime rehearsals each day with some mornings and afternoons thrown in too! On Monday, our wonderful parent volunteers moved from the Costume Department to the Props team, where they spent the afternoon making clovers! Thank you again for all your help, it is much appreciated – as you can see the back room of P6 now looks like a fancy-dress shop! Our posters are now displayed around the school and tickets went on sale on Wednesday of this week. Thank you to Nikki Brown for all her effort in designing these and to Jill Harrison for her printing expertise! It is rumoured that the queue for tickets was out the door… Please click on the video below to see a sneak preview of our NE/Y1 Fish during a rehearsal. Year 4 Dance SportsThis term the Year 4 students are taking part in Dance Sports as a part of their physical education. We are lucky to have Harry and Marie from the Ucan2 Dance Studio to help teach us the moves. They have developed age appropriate teaching methods and dances based on the natural progression of the body's movements, posture and mechanics. This term the students are having fun learning Ballroom and Latin dances such as the Foxtrot, Cha Cha Cha, Samba, and Jive. “My favourite dance is the Cha Cha Cha, I love the foot work, but I also like learning all the new dances. My partner is Nicholas and we make a great pair because we both dance well! The best thing about dance sport is the music, it makes you want to move!” Grace Van der Eijk P14 “At the beginning I was nervous, I did not want to do it! I didn’t like the idea of dancing with a girl. The day came around and I found it fun because there are lots of different moves. I even joined the school dance sport team!” Robert Brant P14 “I like learning all the different dance moves, the teachers help us by teaching us the dance steps slowly then we put it all together and move really fast! I wasn’t looking forward to dancing with a girl, but it’s not really that bad!” Caleb Taylor P14 Hibiscus Coast Netball Tournament 2018A group of Year 5 girls came together to represent Pinehurst, in the Year 5 section of the Hibiscus Coast Primary Netball Tournament. This was a 6-Aside Netball Tournament, each team consisting of 2 Attack players, 2 Defence players and 2 Centre players. There were two sections in this grade each consisting of 6 teams. The winning team from each group advanced through to the finals. Our team played 5 games, every game was a tough game with a high level of competition. Our team played extremely well, winning 3 games and narrowly losing the other 2. Unfortunately this meant we were unable to move through to the final playoffs. The girls can be very proud of their effort for representing Pinehurst to such a high standard. They displayed great sportsmanship skills along with a competitive spirt. This was a valuable opportunity for the Year 5’s to attend the Tournament and will put them in a great position for next year. Congratulations to Ruby, Charlie, Charliee, Madi, Elsa, Sienna and Rena and thank you to all the parents who came and supported us on the day. Our Pinehurst Year 6 Netball team also attended the annual Hibiscus Coast Primary Tournament. The team were in a pool of 6 - and won four games and drew 1 during pool play. It was very exciting as a goal count was required to see who would go into the finals. Pinehurst were 1 goal up on the other team, which meant they were in the final! The girls played some very good netball throughout the day and showed true Pinehurst spirit and sportsmanship. They were very excited about making the final, and came runners up. Awesome work and congratulations girls! A huge thank you to our Junior College umpires Charlotte & Paige who did a fabulous job, and to the parents who came along and supported us on the day! For additional photos of both Year 5 and Year 6 teams (thank you Winnie!), please see the Pinehurst Sports Facebook CLICK HERE I Spy in the PrimaryI Spy....shape hunting with our College buddy.the Year Two lunchtime writing club with Ruby! I Spy...fun phonics in P4! I Spy....speeches being timed! I Spy....worm farms being made in P1 with our big buddies. I Spy...shadow scientists in P9! Middle Schools’ Art Exhibition – In2ArtIt’s time again for Pinehurst’s participation in the North Shore ‘Middle Schools’ Art Exhibition – In2Art. It’s an experience to visit this Gallery (all the details are on the flyer), and see how talented this age group of students are. The exhibition from the participating schools, is on display for 3 weeks starting from this Saturday 25th August. Be aware that the opening hours are 10am – 4pm Monday to Friday, with reduced hours on the weekend – 10am – 2pm. Below are some of our Year 7 and Year 8 student's artwork. MusicMeet Steve Sharriff – our saxophone itinerant teacher Steve is one of our most seasoned and accomplished music itinerants, specialising in teaching and performing all types of saxophones. He has been playing and teaching for over 30 years and is still enjoying performing regularly with his six piece group. Steve’s group is an all collaborative band featuring original compositions. His teaching focuses on saxophone technique but also the lineage and traditions of the instrument. His talents have seen him collaborate with well-known musicians such as Kenny Rogers, Natalie Cole, Shirley Bassey and Randy Crawford to name a few. Click here to see and hear some of Steve’s recent work but if you enjoy attending gigs, you are invited to see him live in action at the Jazz and Blues Club, located at the Pt Chev RSA, October the 30th from 7.30pm. If you would like Steve to teach your child the mastery of the saxophone click here to enrol. Yu Zhang’s Music tour in China Congratulations to Yu Zhang Wu (Yr7) who recently returned from a tour in China where she performed two piano concertos with APO Youth Ensemble as a Piano soloist. The Mozart Piano Concerto K414 in A major and Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor were brought to life with her exceptional performing skills. She was also the piano accompanist for the performance of “From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs”, an New Zealand piece written by Gareth Farr and “Ode to Red Flag”, a Chinese piece, along with a joint orchestra of 500 musicians from different countries. This tour was an invaluable experience for Yu Zhang who got to spend some quality time with very talented musicians along the way. Click here to see her perform the Grieg Piano Concerto. Aden Meets AdamsOn Thursday 16th August Aden went to the Steven Adams basketball camp in Takanini. They were learning how to shoot properly, passing and dribbling the ball. The students also played a series of half court games. The best part of the day for Aden was when some of the students were shooting and Steven Adams just reached up and blocked the ball. Aden got to high five Steven Adams. All the students at the camp were given a Steven Adams basketball to keep and a t-shirt with his number 12 on it. Aden said the camp was a lot of fun. Yendarra Primary School Charity CollectionThe Interact Rotary club would like to thank all Pinehurst families who have generously donated to this worthwhile charity collection. The collection of clothes, toys etc is now closed but if any student has forgotten to bring in their items of clothing, they can still do so up to the end of the week. Please drop at reception or deliver to C30. The primary children of Yendarra are very thankful for these kind donations. Parent Breakfast Meetings - Term 3
Venue: Caffe E Cuccina, 265 Albany Hwy Please RSVP: judy.wallace@pinehurst.school.nz Riley HurbunsYear 5 student Riley Hurbuns, was select to represent Auckland Swimming Association in the 2018 Caro Cup held in Te Awamutu. This junior event puts Auckland swimming representatives against Waikato swimming representatives in relays covering freestyle, back, breast, fly and IM. The 10 and Under Team finished third in Freestyle and second in all other events. This contributed to Auckland Swimming retaining the Caro Cup for another season. (pictured Daniel, Jin-hu, Alex and Riley) |