Friday 5th June 2020Opening Words from the Executive PrincipalKia ora tatou, good afternoon, 你好, 안녕하세요 Our senior students are taking exams; our younger students are enjoying their work and relishing the freedom the high winds seem to bring them; we have sports and music in every corner; after-school classes are pretty much all up and running; and the car park is very busy. As we settle into our usual rhythms, as you would expect, we are also seeing some anxieties about schoolwork and friendships emerge in some students and parents. In many respects, of course, this has been an unusual year, but in others things are unchanged, and please don’t let anything get in the way of getting in touch with us, talking to us, and engaging with teachers in your usual ways. We want and expect to have contact with our parents at the moment, and we know we’re making up for lost time in some respects. We have been doing some forward planning this week. I’m delighted that we have managed to re-schedule The Addams Family, our College Production, for September 24th to 26th, the last week of Term 3. We are also in the process of booking in a time for the Year 5 and 6 Production in Term 4 – more details on that to follow. The energetic school sports community have been actively planning the resumption of inter-school competition: we are expecting a schedule that is nearly as full as usual in Term 3 in both Primary and College. At the same time, we have re-booked the School Ball (the social event of the year, of course, though I’m told that any references to “nice frocks” makes me sound even older than I am) for early September, and the Year 13 Dinner is coming up in the next week or so. We have also been rescheduling parent events this week: the Ladies’ Lunch (no, I don’t attend this one) will be taking place next term, as will the Quiz Night, back by popular demand. Earlier this week, we also went through the full list of events we have planned for next year’s 30th Anniversary celebration: cocktail parties and black tie dinners jostling for attention with child-friendly events on the school grounds. We’ll have more about next year in Term 4. Over the next couple of weeks, we have our first parent evenings since the Lockdown: on June 11th, we have the Year 6 to 7 Transition Evening, and on June 15th, we have the Year 8 to 9 Transition Evening. Parent Conferences in the Primary School are on the 16th and 18th June, and the Annual General Meeting is on June 17th. I am also going to be running a Parent Consultation at 7.00 pm on June 16th and 8.45 am on June 17th. This consultation is going to be a little different to ones I have run in the past: I will be talking far less and listening the whole time to your views on what we have learned from this year and what we might change as a result of what we have learned. We will focus on online learning, on sustainability, on the school environment, and on the wider curriculum: in other words, on how we might develop our work on students’ emotional and social identities, and what work we can do to develop their critical thinking and their understanding of themselves as active, engaged citizens in a diverse, plural democracy. Big subjects that I’d like to hear from parents about. Please look out for the invitation! Enjoy this week’s newsletter and have a lovely weekend. Alex Reed 如需阅读校长的中文留言和重要事件日期,请点击此处 Kia Ora, It has been wonderful to see our after school programmes up and running again this week. Ballerinas run past my office each night on the way to the dance studio. Bricks 4 Kids has students exploring LEGO creations and robotics, Chinese classes for all levels of learners and I spent some time with a young group of artists painting beautiful peacocks onto canvas in an art class. Before and after school care has been well attended and it feels more like the Primary to have so much going on outside of the classroom. One of the benefits of teaching the Cambridge curriculum particularly in English and Maths is the structure it provides. Children are specifically taught the skills needed to achieve their best in the basics. We aim to provide strong foundations and build on them from year to year. This has been very noticeable in the writing I have seen across the school this week. Junior children can use sophisticated vocabulary and punctuation to produce writing beyond expectations for their age group. Year 2 students are starting to use paragraphs and develop complex sentences. I saw some excellent use of adverbial openers in Years 3 and 4 and Year 5 were learning how to identify informal language. Alongside the curriculum and the skills of our teachers, our resources really support learning and help to ensure higher levels of achievement. The Big Write programme we use at all ages of the Primary lets us develop writing skills in a really structured and successful way. Teachers have been sharing their class cold writes which are really a pre-test to show what a child is capable of, with their big writes when children have worked on the skills that were the next steps and the difference in so many cases is incredible. Well done Primary, you are fantastic writers! Today we farewell Anna Speir as she begins her maternity leave, in less than a month she will be a mum for the first time and we wish her and her partner Nick all the very best for their journey into parenthood. Anna’s Year 5 class will be taught by Karen Spicer and we have loved having her in school this week to transition the change of teacher. Karen is extremely experienced, has held a number of leadership positions and a role at Auckland University and we are very fortunate to have her join us at Pinehurst. Uniform has been fantastic as has attendance and students being in class on time ready to begin the day gives them a great start. Thanks parents for all of your support with this, it really is appreciated. Enjoy your weekend. Nga Mihi, Sian Coxon, Principal of Primary Primary Choir start up next weekThe Petite Elite Choir (Year 2 and 3) will be starting up again with their rehearsals on Thursday lunchtimes in JC8 (after their lunch as been consumed) under the skillful guidance of Ms Du Toit. The Senior Primary Choir (Year 4-6) will be meeting to rehearse in P23 on Thursdays with Ms Spicer. Pinehurst is very lucky to have her vocal and instrumental skills contribute towards the musical program and we welcome her on board. If your child has not yet registered to be part of the primary choirs, please complete the enrolment form at the bottom of this page. Lots of fun learning in P2!Up, up and away.... We travelled all the way to Africa to explore the Savannah and the animals that live there. It was so much fun! Whilst on safari, we described what we could see and hear. We have learnt so much about animals by comparing and contrasting their features. Our writing focus this week was to describe a character from 'The Ugly Five' by Julia Donaldson. Last week we made a prediction on what we thought would happen in the book and so we were all very excited to read it and find out what actually happened. Lots of us were correct with our predictions. We created a class story map to practise our sentences using actions. This really helped us when we completed our Big 'WOW' Write on Thursday. Deep down in the sea you could find our new Global Perspective focus this week. We have been investigating our world and what we need to do to look after it, with an emphasis on litter and recycling. We have looked closely at 'The plastic whale' and have begun to create a class art piece using recycled materials. We have also learnt how to separate our recyclables so that we can continue to use this skill at home and out and about in the community. Writing for a purpose in P11!What’s the purpose? Why do we write? Year 3 students have had lots of discussion about this in P11 and have been learning about the features of different text types to help us understand and choose the right one to use. As part of our Big Writing we wrote formal invitations, clear directions, and ‘posh’ letters for a giant’s 200th birthday. Wait...a giant’s birthday? When will that be useful? We decided we might not need to write a letter to a giant, but it was a really fun way to learn the features of different types of writing. Once we learned how to write a successful letter, we planned in groups, then came up with some spectacular letters of apology in reply to a complaint letter about Goldilocks’ behaviour at the giant’s birthday. Then the perfect opportunity came up to put our learning into practice - Letters to Mr Reed! A lot of sharing and reflecting has taken place this term, as we set our new learning goals and talk about how we faced up to any challenges over the last 2 months. We decided Mr. Reed might be interested to hear some students’ thoughts and feedback, and we also wanted to say thank you. See below for Serena's thank you letter and Hannah Chen’s fabulous picture of Mr Reed in her letter: Can we Share Planet Earth?Why are some animals endangered and what can we do about it? This is our main focus question for Global Perspectives in P11 this term. We have been investigating the human impact on some animal species and one of our responses was to educate people about what is happening and tell them what they can do to help. We researched our own information and created posters telling people to pay attention and think about what they are doing! And finally P11 students have been learning about Mosaic Art. We learned about a technique called mosaic and created our own mosaic artwork, thinking about shape and space. Year 4 Science Eat Like a BirdAll animals need to eat to survive, and all animals have features that help them collect the food they need. Our 'Eat like a bird' activity allowed Year 4 students to explore how the shape of a bird’s beak influences the bird’s food gathering ability. Students used their “beaks” to play a game in which they collected “food”. It was feeding time! Students counted food items collected and recorded data on a table. After the fun we analysed our results and determined which beak was most appropriate for collecting the different food types. Life Education Caravan visits P12What an energizing Tuesday morning in P12 with the Life Education Caravan visiting our classroom. Buzzing with excitement, the class couldn’t wait to meet their good friend Harold and his helper Charlie. We had a thorough discussion about our thoughts and feelings and where they come from, where our class were also challenged by open-ended questions. PE in the PrimaryThis term in PE we have been focusing on gymnastics, learning a range of shapes, rolls, turns and jumps on different apparatus to develop confidence through different movement skills. Through the use of the balance beam, vault, springboard, floor and bar, students can challenge themselves and their bodies to create routines that demonstrate their ability in gymnastics. As well as gymnastics, we are now moving on to basketball and netball to develop skills in dribbling, passing, catching and shooting as well as how to express a positive attitude in sport and how that can assist in the success of your team. Lastly, I would like to thank all those children and families that took part in our online PE programme, the videos and feedback were amazing. I Spy in the PrimaryI Spy...Year 4 inspecting bird beaks and what they eat ! I Spy...a variety of reading & writing activities in P6! I Spy... a variety of reading & writing activities in P5! Kia Ora, The shortened week has passed so quickly that I have been caught out writing this a bit late on a Friday morning. This week our Year 11-13 students have completed their midyear tests and as always, I have been very impressed by their diligence, attitude and their behaviour. I hope that all their hard work is reflected in the feedback that they receive next week. Next week we are returning to our full normal timetable. Students will be back in their POD groups and homerooms and enjoy moving to different areas of the school for their lessons. I am also confident that teachers will enjoy being in their regular classrooms rather than having to move as much as they have done. With the return to PODs we will be reinforcing our uniform expectations, particularly with our boys who have been looking a little scruffy recently. Our full extracurricular programme will be up and running as our sports teams count down to their first matches of the season, which are scheduled to take place over the coming weeks. Next week we host our first transition meeting of the year as we welcome our Year 6 parents into the college on Thursday evening. Many of our Year 7 and Year 8 students have volunteered to be in school for the evening enjoying an extra lesson in a variety of subjects or leading a tour. The following Monday we will host Year 8 parents with our more senior students in classes and our Prefects leading our tours. This is a great opportunity for the college to showcase the outstanding young people that we have at our school and a chance for families to learn more about our college. Next term we will do a variety of events and activities with students of all year groups as we support them with preparing for the next step in their education journey. If you have any questions about how an aspect of the college runs or how your child makes progress through the school please do get in contact. Nga Mihi, Kieran Verryt Winter SportsSport registrations are now open for Term 3 – Year 9-13 Table Tennis and Year 9-10 Badminton. Register here. There are still places available for Weightlifting, Hockey, Football and Girls Lacrosse should your child wish to join a team. Further information is available here and register here. AS History class recreate ‘Tragic Prelude’ by John Steuart Curry, 1940Let’s read the Financial TimesIn AS Economics class we are reviewing content and practising our application skills. We made the most of our subscription to the Financial Times and students independently chose articles to read and respond to. Here are a couple of responses demonstrating how valuable it is to be able to apply economic theory to the news stories that we read in every-day life. Pinehurst school students are all eligible to use the schools subscription to the Financial Times for FREE. Please contact Mrs Mann if you would like to take advantage of this - Hillary.mann@pinehurst.school.nz Title: “Any Covid-19 vaccine must be treated as a global public good” Relevant economic concepts: Private goods vs Public goods and supply and demand. After reading, my opinion is: That they should be prioritised for people in need and a public good supplied by the government so people have easy and free access. - Brydee Dickins, Year 12 Title: "Can $5bn revitalise England's bus services?" Relevant economic concepts: Private and excludable goods, demand and supply. After reading, my opinion is: I think England should focus more on the London bus routes as there are more people and it's important to have less traffic where as in more rural areas there won't be as high as a demand. - Sam Hayward, Year 12 Year 10 ChemistryStudents have been working on a topic called bonding. They have been looking at different types of substances. They did some practical work to determine whether the compounds were simple covalent, giant covalent, ionic or metallic based on the properties of conductivity, solubility and melting points. Students were able to use the Bunsen burners to determine if the substance had a high or low melting point, the electrical equipment for conductivity and water for solubility. Once the experiments have been completed on all five substances they will be able to determine what type of structure they are based on their results. Year 10 Design TechnologyThe Year 10 Design Technology students have recently completed a quick design exercise in which they have designed a decorative plaque with a New Zealand theme. The ideas have ranged from L&P bottles, Hobbiton, Mountain landscapes, flowers, ferns, plants and birds to traditional Maori tattoos and artefacts. Their designs were all executed on copper sheet using embossing, chasing and repoussé techniques. The final image was then fitted into a Rimu frame which they assembled, oiled and finally drilled with a stand added at the back. These metalworking processes have been incorporated into theory lessons in which the students have been finding out about metal forming processes and the properties of some metals. Some of these are on show in reception and well worth a look! Year 8 ScienceYear 8 Science students are doing heart dissection to explore the inside structure of a heart. They are doing the dissection like professional doctors would. They have discovered there are actually four chambers in the heart. Orchestra and Jazz Band gear up for KBBFrom next week both the Orchestra and Jazz Band will resume their rehearsals on Thursday lunchtime in C2 and Monday after-school from 3.30-5pm in C2, respectively. The KBB competition has been reformatted this year from its usual live competition medium to an online YouTube video submission. Each group will prepare up to 10min repertoire (about 3-4 pieces) and submit it to the competition by the 21st of August. Parent Consultation Meetings with AlexAlex will be holding parent consultation meetings in his office on the following dates:
Discussion topics will include online learning, sustainability, the school environment, and the wider curriculum: how we might develop our work on students’ emotional and social identities, and what work we can do to develop their critical thinking and their understanding of themselves as active, engaged citizens in a diverse, plural democracy. Please RSVP judy.wallace@pinehurst.school.nz by 11 June. Pform.nzWe are back and delighted to be offering our wonderful classes again right at your school on Monday afternoons. You'll find our fabulous tutors in the Arena at 3.30pm training the young primary students in our popular DANCE | SING | ACT class. Then at 4.30pm we welcome in the 7-9 year-olds for a DRAMA class and finally our older students train in DRAMA from 5.30pm. Your children will LOVE our classes - a precious time to connect in a positive and safe environment and to celebrate performing arts and all the benefits it brings. Contact us on info@pform.nz to book in the final 4 classes of Term 2. |