News and events for the week ending 18 October 2019 Friday 18 October 2019 Opening words from the Executive PrincipalKia ora tatou, good afternoon, 你好, 안녕하세요 Welcome back to an Auckland spring at Pinehurst. The pink blossom is brightening up the centre of the school, just about holding on against the wild winds, cold blasts and bursts of torrential rain that have greeted us on our return. No, the weather hasn’t exactly warmed our cockles, but the smiles on the faces of the students – even those who have been taking exams – has made us all feel better, and it has been lovely to see everyone back in school. It was also lovely to hear that our Primary Chess team came second in New Zealand in the national competitions at the start of the holidays, a fantastic performance after winning the title last year, establishing us as one of the very top chess schools in the country. Well done to our chess superstars! Good luck this term to those students taking part in summer sports, especially the 7 teams who have entered for the Kidzplay Netball Spring League: I’m delighted to see this sport continue to grow and flourish in the Primary school. I’ve been very impressed by the way our students have been approaching their exams this week. This is the biggest single assessment week that we have in school, with Year 6 and Year 9 Checkpoint exams being taken at the same time as IGCSEs, AS and A Levels. Our senior students have been really focused, asking the right questions, attending tutorials and developing their confidence as well as their skills; our Year 6 and Year 9 students have been a little nervous, but have responded brilliantly. It’s worth us all remembering that, while every test is important enough to prepare for and take seriously, the Year 6 and 9 Checkpoint tests are mainly about exam practice for the students, as well as a very useful measure for the school, helping us reflect and develop our programmes. A couple of pieces of property news for you: the Library is still just about on schedule, and will be open for students by the middle of November. Next year, we will be opening the Library for extended hours to enable College students to study before and after school, and it will be open to parents as well – just a few details to iron out there. Below the Library, we have installed a sprung floor, which will offer us all kinds of opportunities for dance and similar activities. The student toilets on the ground floor in College 1 have been completely renovated over the holidays as well; and we will be renovating the Primary girls’ toilets over the Christmas holidays. We will also be doing some pretty dramatic upgrading of our Junior Primary playground over the Christmas holidays, so there should be plenty to see in the new year! This term is an important one for teachers in many ways: quite apart from the teaching, exam preparation and assessment, they are also looking forward to next year and developing their plans and strategies. One of our themes next year will be sustainability: the accelerating global warming crisis is something that we care deeply about, and we have found that our students are becoming increasingly aware of the need for us all to take action to support the world in which we live. Pinehurst has long had sustainability as one of its strategic pillars, but you will find that awareness of environmental issues is more prominent both in our curriculum, and in students’ co-curricular activities over the coming years. As a school, we already do a few things – our subsidy of the school buses is part of our sustainability strategy, for example – but we will also be looking at other ways we can demonstrate to the younger generations that our generation understands the part it has to play. Have a lovely weekend. TERM 4 WEEK 2 Monday 21 October
Tuesday 22 October
Wednesday 23 October
Thursday 24 October
Friday 25 October
WEEK 3 Monday 28 October
Tuesday 29 October
Wednesday 30 October
Thursday 31 October
如需阅读校长的中文留言和重要事件日期,请点击此处 Catherine Jones-Hill - Assistant Principal of Primary Having begun her teaching career in New Zealand, including teaching the Gifted and Talented Science programme at Sunnynook Primary in Auckland, Catherine taught in England before returning home to join the pioneering group of teachers and parents who created Pinehurst in 1991. As foundation teacher, Ms Jones-Hill has had the opportunity to see Pinehurst develop from the original 3 classes into the world class, full Year 1-13 co-educational school that it is today. Catherine has extensive experience working with the Cambridge Curriculum (CIE) including introducing the Cambridge Science Curriculum to Years 4 - 6 and the English and Maths Curriculum to Year 3. An experienced teacher at all levels of Primary from New Entrants through to Year 6, Catherine has taught and been involved with a number of specialist areas including Primary Science specialist, Special Needs Department (Junior College) Head of Junior Primary, Assistant Principal of Primary, PE and Music teacher Year 1 and 2. Devoted to children's participation in team sports and physical fitness, she is passionate about netball and has coached netball, basketball and hockey teams including mentoring at ‘Kidzplay’ netball on a Saturday. Catherine has helped Year 1 netball teams with the development of their skills and fitness in addition to mentoring beginner netball umpires through running training courses and providing on court support. Kia Ora, We greeted a number of new families to the Primary on Monday with a fantastic powhiri and welcomed back experienced Pinehurst teacher, Mrs Jo Benson, to work as the second teacher in P1. This term is relatively short but we have a lot of learning to pack in before the end of the year. We were all very proud of our Year 6 students this week and how they have risen to the challenge of the Cambridge Primary Checkpoint tests. They were very well prepared, a little nervous to begin with but soon settled in to the rhythm of the tests and tried their very best. We look forward to seeing their results later in the year. As teachers we regularly reflect on the progress that our students are making and collect evidence and data so that we can make sure the strategies we are using are the right ones. Last term we felt that our Maths Whizz data could have been better and set out to use a variety of strategies to engage students with the programme at a greater level. Having seen the latest data we are really pleased to announce that there has been a huge improvement in the number of students making three to four progressions a week and receiving a green tick. Thank you for all of the support you have given to the programme at home. Regular engagement with Maths Whizz greatly contributes to a child’s understanding and confidence in Maths in the class programme. Just a reminder that for the next week only, Primary students can wear either winter or summer uniform. From the beginning of Week 3 everyone will need to be in summer uniform. Have a great weekend and enjoy the rugby! Ngā Mihi, Sian Coxon, Principal of Primary Junior Primary Formal Music Concert (Years 1-3)Our annual Junior Primary Music Concert will be take place on Tuesday the 12 November 2019 at 3.30 pm in the Arena. This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our musically talented students from Years 1-3. This event will also feature the Petite Elite choir. To ensure that our concert runs to a maximum of one hour, we will be holding auditions for this event on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, on the 29th, 30th and 31st of October at lunchtimes in JC8 . Please make sure that your son/daughter has their music and instrument at school on these days. If you would like to nominate your child to perform at this concert, please click on this link by Friday 26 October to register them for an audition. Please include all the required elements. Silver at the National Chess Championships!The Pinehurst Primary Chess Team which is made up of Kendrick Zhang, Nicholas Xu, Jerry Yang, Anderson Chen and Eric Sun competed against 25 primary schools in Palmerston North these holidays. After two days of chess battles our team came second overall. A fantastic effort by everyone involved. Year 3 & 4 Movie NightAbominable I liked the movie, Abominable because it was funny. Some funny parts were when Jin had giant blueberries squashed against his underpants and he said “I have blueberries in places they should never be!”. When a basketball hit Everest’s chest and bounced onto Peng’s face I laughed as it was really funny. The time when Peng high fived some Yaks bottoms to make them charge was also hilarious because he said “good game, good game”, every time he high fived the Yak’s bottoms. - Michael Gibbons (Year 3) Abominable is a very interesting movie about a hardworking girl who becomes friends with a unusual - Jenny Deng & Millie Wang (Year 4) MOTAT VisitThe senior Year 1 classes went on a learning trip to MOTAT. We were lucky with the weather which made our day that much more memorable. The children were able to explore, investigate and apply the knowledge learnt during the term during the different activities. Our classes went on a tour exploring simple mechanisms, such as the pulley, wheel and axle as well as the lever and discussed the forces used to get them to work. The educator session and the tram ride at MOTAT were some of the highlights of the trip! During the educator session, the children were again engaged in a variety of investigations, making connections to practical everyday use of the mechanisms around us. Fairy Tales in P2In P2 this term we are very excited about our Big Write Missions. The Year 1 children are doing a ‘Wolf’s Tale’ and the New Entrants, ‘Lost in the Garden.’ Both can be linked quite nicely under ‘Fairy Tales.’ In Week 1 we have explored “Little Red Riding Hood’ and had a lot of fun creating the setting of the story. To be successful we needed to include a path, the woods, flowers, and Grandma’s cottage. Max was very proud of his cottage design for Grandma as he included a swimming pool! In Maths we are learning about 3D shapes, so it was also fun to create a 3D Little Red Riding Hood. ‘It is a cone shape’ said Kenneth. ‘Now we can do a show’ said Claire. We are looking forward to creating more characters so we can perform shows to each other. Check out our photos of Grandma’s cottage and our cone shaped Little Red Riding Hoods! Music and MagnetsThis term in Music, P11 is learning all about composition and performance. On Wednesday we had such a fun time as we got to work in a small groups to create our own songs using claps or stomps as our beat. My group created a song about Domestic Animals as we are all so interested about them! Our beat goes 1,2,3,4 three times using our feet and then goes 1,2 three times using claps. - Freya Busby On Wednesday, P11 began learning about magnets in class. We learnt that magnets are a sort of metal that come from deep in the ground and it sticks to items that are made out of Iron. We did an experiment where we used a magnet and tested how many paper clips could stick to a magnet. My group had 24 paper clips stick to a tiny whiteboard magnet. My question is, does the size of the magnet effect how many paper clips it can hold? I am looking forward to more experiments. - Branden Ding Senior Primary AssemblyOn Tuesday, Year 4 hosted the Senior Primary assembly. Once again, several Year 4 students showcased an interesting range of amazing talent. Homin Lee entertained the audience with his piano playing. Earlier both Homin and Jenny Deng played beautifully as everyone entered the Arena for the assembly. Jessica French (a blue belt with one red tip) wowed the audience with some of her Taekwondo routines, displaying power and control. Jade Lyles performed a classical ballet dance with poise and elegance. Runyu Yang amazed and intrigued everyone with her zither playing. For many in the audience this was the first time they had seen and heard this instrument. Rainy also played again, as everyone exited the assembly. Sofia Baumann-Korneeva sang “Try Everything” from Zootopia. This was another wonderful performance. It was great to see the talent and confidence of all these students. Thank you to all the performers and to our excellent presenters, Dylan Morgan, Jerry Diao, Millie Wang and Lucas Yin. I Spy in the PrimaryI Spy...kids having fun during the school holiday programme! I Spy... Year 2 practicing their discus throws! I Spy... New Entrants drawing spaceships! I Spy... a large Tui in the blossoms! I Spy... P7 finding verbs in their reading! Kia Ora, Welcome back to the beginning of a new school term. For many senior students the two week holiday has been a busy time with coursework to complete, practical examinations and written examinations to prepare for. Year 9 students have now completed their three checkpoint assessments in English, Mathematics and Science. I have been really impressed with the way our students have approached these examinations. Though I am sure Year 9 students and their families will be looking forward to a weekend without having to consider exam preparation. These papers are sent around the world for marking and results are published to schools in mid December. As soon as we receive these results, we will send them out to the families of Year 9 students. It has also been a very busy week for some Year 12 students with AS examinations in History, Spanish, Drama, Economics, Mathematics and English Language, along with practical examinations in Chemistry and Physics. For some students it has been a challenging week, whilst at the same time other Year 12 students are yet to begin their examinations. The examination period extends across 6 weeks and every student has a different schedule. We structure our classes, tutorials and study leave to enable every student to be able to achieve their best. The examination schedule for IGCSE examinations is quite different. To date there have been very few IGCSE examinations, though next week these will increase significantly with Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry and History. A Level examination results will be published on 9th January and IGCSE results on 16th January. Students will be able to access their results online. Following College Prizegiving on 4th December Year 11, 12 and 13 students will be given their login and access details. Once a student has completed a subject, I would encourage them to return their textbooks to the school library as soon as possible. Parents can help us with this by reminding your child. The cost of textbooks is significant, and some students may have over $1000 worth of textbooks from the school. Good luck to all students with their external examinations. Ngā mihi, Chris Wiggin and Kieran Verryt Principals of College Biology Olympiad SuccessPinehurst had a record 100% Bronze Award Biology Olympiad success this year. That means all 6 candidates who entered the challenging competition were awarded a place in the tutorial programme. This is a truly praiseworthy achievement, as the competition is very tough - only the top candidates are offered a place in the next round which is Silver. Please congratulate Linda Tang, Yuyi Li, Danielle Bernacchi, David Lu, Suji Lee, and Simona Perevoztchikova. Pink Ribbon Street AppealA large number of Year 7 & 8 students gave up their time last weekend to make a stand against breast cancer for the Pink Ribbon Street Appeal. They volunteered to collect donations from the public outside Briscoes and Rebel Sport in Albany. We encourage a range of service opportunities, both at school, in the wider community and across the globe as part of our Service Award programme. This act of service counts towards their Service Award criteria. On behalf of Pinehurst School, the Pink Ribbon Street Appeal and those who have been affected by breast cancer across NZ, we would like to thank and applaud you for your service. Rimu Car WashIn the final week of Term 3, the Year 12 students from Rimu House organised a Car Wash fundraiser for their house charity, Barnardos. It took place on Tuesday and Wednesday at lunchtime with some cold and blustery weather conditions. The students did a fantastic job and managed to raise over $300. Thank you to all of the students and teachers who assisted on the day, and thank you to the all of the people who supported us with this fundraiser. CASE Space School ExpeditionNext Thursday is the final parent & student information evening from 6 – 7pm in C9 & 10. Please can all students and parents attend. All planning and preparation will be discussed for the upcoming expedition. Powhiri for New FamiliesOn Monday our new families gathered for a pōwhiri (welcome ceremony). First the Kaikaranga called the manuhiri (visitors) welcoming them to our kura (school). Our rangatahi (student) returned the call. Our newly formed kapahaka welcomed our manuhiri with a haka. This was led by Pinehurst student, Daniel Murphy. Mr Reed who was our tangata whenua Kaikōrero (speaker), began with a whaikōrero (speech), followed by a supporting waiata (song) from the kapahaka. Representing the manuhiri and delivering a whaikōrero on behalf of everyone new, was Pinehurst parent, Georgina Tucker. Everyone was extremely impressed with the eloquent speech given in both English and Te Reo Maori, this was then followed by a waiata. Mr Reed then indicated that it was time for the hariru (shaking of hands) and hongi (press noses). When we hongi, the ha (breath of life) is exchanged in a symbolic show of unity. Through the exchange of this greeting, one is no longer considered manuhiri, a visitor, but rather tangata whenua, one of the people of the land. The students attending, ended this process by singing “Tu tira mai nga iwi.” The pōwhiri is viewed as a process of removing the “tapu” and making everyone “noa” (equal). The sharing of food is the final act of this process. The pōwhiri was concluded with light refreshments and friendly conversation. In Music this WeekDaniel attends Auckland University Jazz Academy The Jazz Academy workshop was run over two weekends in September and was open to all senior secondary students interested in Jazz music. It involved intensive ensemble & musicianship training with some of New Zealand's leading Jazz artists from the University of Auckland's School of Music and culminated in a final concert for family and friends. Daniel Cradwick (Year 10) played the alto saxophone and had the opportunity to develop his Jazz improvisation skills. He thoroughly enjoyed the experience, jamming and hanging out with students from schools all over Auckland. He's looking forward to attending it again next year. To see Daniel in action, click here. Itinerants Lessons Term 4 is a great time to start learning or improve on an existing instrumental skill. Our 18 itinerant teachers are on a lighter schedule during this term, due to year 11-13 external exams and have more time slots available as a result. If your child has shown an interest any of the following instruments. Please read through the relevant information and enrol your child via this link. Need more scientific evidence, before you decide? Click here.
Pinehurst Christmas HampersAroha mai aroha atu - Love given love returned It is traditional for Pinehurst to donate Christmas Hampers to those in need. This year we have chosen our sister school, Yendarra, in South Auckland. Pinehurst has established an on-going relationship with Yendarra and know our generosity will be greatly appreciated. Donations of non-perishable food, Xmas treats, gift vouchers, new toiletries, toys and games would be welcomed. Your contributions may be given to your child’s homeroom teacher from Monday, 29 October onward so that we can make beautiful hampers to present at our Christmas Service. Thank you for your generosity. Pinehurst Connection – Parent Engagement SurveyThank you to those who took the time to complete the Parent Engagement Survey sent out near the end of Term 3. We received responses from 345 families – which is a great result in terms of survey response rates! It has provided us with some great insights and has given us a good guide on how to engage you more effectively. If you would like to see the results of this it can be found on our website, under Pinehurst Connection here. Congratulations to Jennifer Lees who won the $30 Westfield Voucher! Sports Team Photos – Year 1-10 (Term 3 & 4 Sports Teams)A friendly remainder that Year 1-10 Sports Team Photos for Term 3 and Term 4 Sports Teams are being held in Week 2, on Monday 21st October 2019 in the Arena. All coaches and managers are very welcome to attend. If you have any queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact kelly.lindsay@pinehurst.school.nz Tennis Coaching in Term 4There will be tennis coaching in Term 4. If you would like further information please feel free to contact Liz Daly on the email below.
Great Golfing by BellaLast weekend in Queenstown Bella Zhong (Year 3) joined in at the New Zealand Open golf tournament. She tried her best, played very well and achieved her best score ever. Day 1 she scored 37 and Day 2 scored 37 as well. She came 5th place in the Girls 8 and under age group. Synchro Swim NationalsSiena Schiltknecht (Year 7) competed at the Synchro Swim NZ Nationals held in Dunedin during the school holidays in the 12U team event and her team won Bronze! Congratulations Siena! Cammando Basketball AcademyRegistrations for Term 4 Cammando Basketball sessions are now open. Junior Academy (Year 1-10) New Recruits (Year 1-3)
Junior Cammandos (Year 4-6)
Rookies (Year 7-10)
Senior Academy (Year 9-13) Hops ‘N’ Handles What: A session focused purely on ball handling development and explosive jumping ability. For those players wanting to break ankles and throw down. Shooting Range What: Shooting range is focused on improving form, footwork, and getting a lot of repetitions in. 40 minutes of shooting drills, 20 minutes of shooting competitions, and 3 on 3 games. Players can track their progress over the term/year with percentage based testing. Jam Session What: What is the best way to improve? Play the game. Jam session is an hour of scrimmages held weekly to increase playing experience. Workout Pro What: These sessions are intense workouts based on the training format of professional players. Recruits Combo: Any 3x Academy Sessions $299 |