Message from the Executive Principal

Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 下午好, 안녕하세요  

Best wishes, 

Mike Waller 

• You may have noticed that our staff are now wearing lanyards with photo identification and visitors and parents are being issued with lanyards when visiting during the school day. The reason for this is to align the school with international best practices for child protection by ensuring all adults are readily identifiable during the school day. It is important that we are proactive in school safety and we will continue to explore other areas where we believe improvements can be made. 

The colours of the lanyards are: 
Navy blue – school staff 
Light blue – parents visiting outside of pickup and dropoff (you should sign in at reception if coming to school during the day) 
Green – approved visitors who have been vetted in line with school policy 
Red – visitors who have not been fully vetted (often emergency contractors) and will work under the supervision of staff at all times. 

• Prices for the tuckshop have risen moderately, a reflection of increased costs that we have all seen over the last year. We are very aware of the impact on you and our staff are conscious when sourcing ingredients. Our ongoing commitment is to deliver delicious, nutritious food at a reasonable price. 

• Students who are arriving late to school or leaving early must register or sign out at reception. Record keeping is very important so that we know who is on the campus, particularly in the event of an emergency. Even if you have notified the school of lateness or leaving early, your child must go through reception. 

• Consistency of attendance has a long-term impact on student development and absence during term time must be limited. While I am aware that situations arise where students need to be away for an extended time, they should be considered exceptional and only happen on rare occasions. While it is tempting to leave early or return late from holidays, it has a detrimental impact on your child and their peers, please bear this in mind when planning family travel this year. 

Message from the Principal of College

Girls Touch Champions take on the Teachers

Our Champion Girls Touch Team challenged the Teachers to a staff vs students’ game of Touch this lunch time. While both sides played brilliantly, the Teachers came out victorious (although it is fair to say it may be the Teachers feeling it more tomorrow morning!)

Career Counselling in the College

Kia ora. My name is Lila Pulsford and I am the new Career Counsellor here at Pinehurst. I love talking to young people about all things career-related. I look forward to meeting students and enhancing  their awareness of their possible selves. Career counselling sessions offer a gentleness, a kindness and a source of agenda-free support. They contribute to a student’s sense of peace and well-being because they help clarify a direction in life, a direction that takes their values, their hopes and their life commitments into account. Students are welcome to book a session on my calendar: Book time with Lila Pulsford

Physical Education Updates

We’ve had a hot start to the year in PE. Year 10 and 11 students have begun their frisbee unit, learning how to throw for accuracy and distance ready to dive into some games of ultimate frisbee and frisbee golf. Year 9 have been developing their teamwork skills and building relationships before they start a leadership unit where they’ll eventually plan and lead their class in a PE lesson by themselves. Year 7 and 8 are honing their athletic skills in preparation for Athletics Day next Friday.

In Term 1, students should be in their house shirt (or old style navy Pinehurst PE shirt) and school shorts. All students are expected to wear suitable footwear as the surfaces outside can be extremely hot during the day. Students are advised to wear their Pinehurst hats, bring a water bottle and should be wearing sunscreen; we do have some available for students if they forget. We look forward to a fun packed term and will be keeping the newsletter updated with all the learning that goes on.

POD Mentor Training

Our POD mentors for 2024 took part in some in-house training last week Friday. They have been encouraged to provide nurturing relationships with their PODs, along with developing a strong POD culture and mentoring our younger Year 9 students. Each of the POD mentors demonstrated strong leadership skills, working collaboratively, and having lots of fun. Their POD teachers were grateful for the engaging activities each POD Mentor led for their PODs on the first day back at school. The Deans are looking forward to working with these student leaders our POD Mentors this year. 

Year 13 Prefect Training

For the second year running, our student leadership training was held in house this year. The day involved a range of activities, starting at school learning about different leadership styles and our purpose and goals for the year. After some cross cultural communication games, our student prefects were put into groups and set off up to the Albany shopping area to compete in our first amazing race. They had a range of clues to solve, Deans to locate and purchases to make before racing back to Pinehurst for the finish line. The training day proved to be a great way to start the year, set the tone and provide a focus and purpose for the year ahead.

Registrations are now open for 2024 Instrumental Lessons at Pinehurst School!

Each week, 16 specialist instrumental and voice teachers come onto campus to share their wealth of knowledge, experience and passion and give one on one music lessons to students. Lessons are open to all students in both Primary and College, from beginners to the more experienced. These lessons also provide a robust foundation for students involved in our College Orchestra and Jazz Band. And if you'd like to learn a Brass instrument, we offer a Brass Scholarship programme to help support and develop our Brass players.

Students who have previously taken music lessons at school need to register again for 2024 even if they have let their teacher know they are continuing with lessons. 

Please email Mrs Jaques if you have any questions cynthia.jaques@pinehurst.school.nz.

Register now via our website. Lessons start in Week 2, 5 February 2024.

Registration is now open for our co-curricular music groups for 2024

We offer a wide range of co-curricular music groups that students have the opportunity to take part in, including Choir and Orchestra for both Primary and College students.

Our music groups are run by Pinehurst teaching staff or by instrumental specialists, all with an impressive range of experience and knowledge, who work to ensure our students get the most out of these musical opportunities. Our groups meet at various times, such as lunchtime and after school, during the school term. 

Please go to the Music page on our website for a list of our music groups and to register.

Message from the Principal of Primary

The Specialist Team

The Specialist Team in the Primary look forward to meeting the new classes and have planned exciting units of work to begin the new year. Here is a snapshot of what we will see happening in Science, Music, Physical Education, Mandarin, Spanish, Health, Extension and Enrichment, and STEM.

Year 3 Physical Education with Mr Taylor - Student will be anaylsing six fundamental movement skills across badminton, tennis and hockey to identify their strengths and areas for development. Additionally, students will demonstrate positive communication in shared spaces developing their interpersonal skills.

Year 4 Music with Ms Pope - The begin the term with bucket drumming! They will master the reading of bucket drumming notation, and experiment with diverse timbres achievable when bucket drumming. Additionally, students will refine their skills through the development of sticking techniques.

Year 5 Mandarin with Ms Vien - Students will delve into cultural and linguistic aspects as they explore the mythical creature Nian associated with Chinese New Year. Students will gain an insight into common traditions such as receiving red envelopes, making dumplings, hanging lanterns, spring couplets and embracing the colour red.

Year 6 Science - Year 6 will begin exploring ecosystems by interpreting food webs and the food chains within them. They will be identifying food chains energy sources and how energy is transferred within them.

Year 2 Spanish with Mrs Cadag - Mrs Cadag aims to continue developing enthusiasm and passion for learning a new language and discovering a new culture. They will begin the term learning how to hold an introductory conversation, days of the week and the Spanish alphabet.

Year 3 Health with Mrs Fleming - Year 3 will be thinking like ‘champions. Identifying strengths and weaknesses and using this knowledge to set goals.

Year 2 Lego-Simple Machines with Mrs McKewen - Students will be introduced to simple machines: Gears, Wheels and Axles, Levers and Pulleys. Learners will work as young scientists, designers, and engineers, helping them to investigate and understand the operation of simple machines found in everyday life. Students will develop skills in creative problem-solving, communication of ideas and teamwork. The activities lead learners to make initial use of scientific method through observation, reasoning, prediction, and critical thinking.

Welcome to our New Entrants

Welcome to the new school year, we have been very lucky with some beautiful sunny days. Which has meant lots of fun out in the playground. My name is Mrs Paige Wilson, and I am excited to be beginning the year as the syndicate leader for the New Entrants. Mrs Bree O’Hare is in P1, and Miss Toni O’Connor is in P2. We are looking forward to supporting our new students as we welcome them to their learning journey at Pinehurst School. This week has been a busy and very tiring week for our newest students as they start school. Students have been getting to know each other and are beginning to develop friendships. They have been learning all about their new school routines and are settling in well to their classrooms. 

Year 1-2 Syndicate

Welcome back to another exciting year in the junior primary at Pinehurst School. My name is Grace Osborne and I am the Syndicate Leader for Senior Year 1 and Year 2. Our two Senior Year 1 teachers are Mrs Louise Prance in P23 and Mrs Nuri Lee in P22. The Year 2 team is made up of Mrs Hana Lee in P6, myself in P7 and Mrs Shelly Murray in P8. 
Here’s what each class has been busy doing in their first few days back at school…

Children in P22 have made a fantastic start to their learning journey. During the first week back to school, they dove into exciting activities exploring various subjects from Computer Science to Phonics. Alongside the engaging experiences, they've begun to familiarise themselves with classroom routines and expectations, setting a solid foundation for the rest of the year.

P23 started our new Handwriting programme. They began by watching a video demonstrating the correct pencil grip and posture for both right- and left- handed children.  After that the children joined in with a fun warm-up video which practises their fine and gross motor skills and particularly enjoyed Incy Wincey Spider. Next, they took it in turns to draw the patterns on the big interactive board and in the air. Finally, they moved on to practicing letter formation on whiteboard and in their new Handwriting book.

P6 enjoyed a marble run on their first day of school. It was a great way for the children to start getting to know each other and learn about mechanics and cooperation and how teamwork is needed to be successful.

On the first day in P7 the children shared some of their summer holiday highlights. They then began sketching a self-portrait, complete with their favourite sunglasses. The sunglasses became magic portals, capturing their favourite summer adventures and memories. For the first time in Year 2 they logged back into Seesaw to share their artwork with their family members.

Such lovely happy faces from P8. The children have settled well and are enjoying being the ‘big children’ in the junior playground.

As you can see there are many wonderful learning experiences already starting. As teachers we are all looking forward to this term and the learning that will take place. Please feel free to see any of us before or after school or get in touch on Seesaw if you have any questions. I look forward to meeting you all throughout the term.

Beginning of the Year in Years 3 and 4

The very exciting and busy sounds of learning can be heard in all the rooms in the Middle Syndicate.

In P12 we started our first week eagerly working on creating a positive classroom culture, where everyone is heard and respected.  We talked about our feelings coming back to school, i.e excitement, nervous, making new friends and being a big year4 with extra responsibilities. Working in groups was one of today's highlights/ success where in groups of 5-6 children, our class brainstormed things we must have in our classroom treaty.  

P14 have been working on forming positive relationships by listening to each other, sharing ideas, being patient, encouraging, and showing kindness. One of our team challenges was to build the tallest tower using one A4 piece of paper and 25 paperclips. We could not cut or rip the paper in anyways, but we could fold it, and we had to use all 25 paperclips. After looking at and measuring everyone’s designs, we had a few minutes to adapt and improve our design. We then reflected on ways in which we were successful when working collaboratively and things we might need to work on throughout this term.  

Wow, what an incredible week P10 have enjoyed. We began with getting to know each other better, then swung quickly into our daily program.  The children have really achieved focused learning in all subjects this week. In reading and writing they have become work collectors and deduced the meaning of some unfamiliar words, identified conjunctions, and found other words to use instead of the word ‘said’. We have an exciting year of learning ahead.

In P11 we started our year by being positive kind helpful and spending time getting to know each other. We have created a class korowhai cloak of feathers to show that we support and help everyone in the class. Our helping hands mat will be used to allocate jobs and responsibilities to everyone throughout the term. We have decided to ensure that the word RESPECT is a word that we use all the time.

In P9 this week the students have been engaged with focus sentences as they actively learned about word choice, grammar, and punctuation. We found our focus sentences in the book ‘Roxaboxen’ that we are reading as a class.

We are looing forward to sharing with you all many examples of our learning throughout the term.

The Year 3 and 4 Teachers

Haere Mai from the Year 5 and 6 syndicate!

Welcome back to an exciting new school year! We trust you have enjoyed a lovely summer and are feeling rested and ready for the adventures that lie ahead. As we embark on the journey of 2024, we extend a warm welcome to all Year 5 and 6 families.

The school year has kicked off with an abundance of positive energy, and it is truly heartwarming to witness our students returning with smiles on their faces, eager to reconnect with friends and teachers.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce our team of fantastic teachers this year:

• P15: Mrs Dee Rodrigues
• P16: Ms Emily Markley
• P17: Ms Keeva Shaw (Syndicate Leader)
• P19: Mrs Sophie Berry
• P20: Ms Kelly Clark
• P21: Mrs Jo Heighton

For our Year 6 students, this marks the beginning of their final year in primary school—a year filled with growth, memories, and special moments. It's a bittersweet journey as they grow up into their unique selves and take on the role of leaders within the school community.

The Year 6s are gearing up for an unforgettable experience as they prepare to set off on an adventurous camp next week. This promises to be an exciting and bonding time for the students, creating memories that will last a lifetime. We can't wait to hear their stories upon their return!

For our Year 5s, this marks the beginning of a new chapter as they join the Year 5-6 Syndicate. The energy and enthusiasm they bring to the classroom is contagious, and we are eager to watch them grow and flourish throughout the year. It's a time of making new friends, exploring subjects in new ways, and embracing the challenges and triumphs that come with advancing through the school ranks.

As you know, at Pinehurst, we believe that the partnership between home and school is crucial for the success and well-being of our students. We want to extend an invitation to all parents to collaborate with us throughout the year. Our doors are always open, and we encourage you to be an active part of your child's education journey. We truly consider ourselves a team, working together to support and nurture every student.

Whether you have a question, an idea, or just want to say hello, feel free to reach out to us. Your involvement and support make a significant difference in creating a positive and enriching educational experience for all our students.

Here's to a fantastic year filled with growth, friendship, and memorable experiences. We look forward to partnering with you and making this school year a remarkable one for our Year 5 and 6 students.

Nga mihi, Keeva Shaw (Year 5-6 Syndicate Leader)

2024 North Island Colgate Games

Elizabeth de Winnaar's outstanding performance in discus earned her a remarkable achievement - securing the 10th position among 11-year-old girls in the North Island. This competition marked Elizabeth's debut in club athletics, making her accomplishment even more impressive. Unlike specializing in a specific sport, Elizabeth embraced her versatility by participating in every available sport at Pinehurst Primary, except for table tennis and snow sports.

Well done Elizabeth!

Back to school survival guide

Beginning a new school year, especially if it is for the first time, is exciting but it does come with some anxiety too. To make sure everyone is as confident and prepared as they can be, here are some practical ideas for guiding kids back to school from our friends at Parenting Place - Parenting Place | Back to school survival guide

He is a part of the Auckland Youth Orchestra and the principal clarinet of the North Shore Youth Wind Band. He has won 1st place in several competitions such as the 2020 New Zealand Talented Young Artist Competition, Charleston International Contemporary Competition in 2022, International Clara Schumann Competition 2023/2024, best soloist with a band, gold in solo performance and gold in chamber music performance in the 2023 New Zealand Concert Band Competition and the overall winner soloist in the Matamata Band Festival 2023. The chamber group Glinka Trio which he is part of went into the regional final round in NZCT New Zealand Chamber Contest.

Reynold has also played with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in their Big Play In Program, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in their young talented artist showcase concert and also participated in the New Zealand Secondary School Symphony Orchestra as a principal clarinet.

As well as being involved in many other festivals such as KBB Honors Band / Orchestra 2022 2023 and a young artist in residence for the 2023 Akaroa Music Festival. He used to receive scholarship from the Pettman Junior Academy based in Auckland and Christchurch

Reynold has been invited to have lessons with masters around the world such as David Thomas, Yehuda Gilhad, Andrew Marinner, Richard Hopsford, Annelien Van Wauwe and many others. He has also been invited to participate in many summer festivals such as the Chathems school of music festival and many others.

Apart from clarinet, Reynold also studies piano (Grade 8) , conducting (learning from Vincent Hardaker) and composing (Used to learn from Mathew Fuerst).

Well done Reynold!

If you have any news or submissions you’d like considered for our newsletter, please contact news@pinehurst.school.nz