Message from the Executive Principal

Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 下午好, 안녕하세요  

Best wishes, 

Mike Waller 

Message from the Principal of College

Toi o te wiki

Toi o te wiki this week goes to Year 10 student, Simon. 

Our Year 10 students have been studying the weird and wonderful art work created by artists in the Dada movement, including artist Hannah Hoch.

This Dada inspired work was created by Simon by first collaging found imagery together. He then photographed his collage, made it black and white, inverted the image and printed it onto acetate. This 'negative' was then placed over light sensitive fabric coated in a cyanotype mixture and exposed in the sun. 

Check out our Pinehurst School Visual Arts Instagram page for more work including the processes students undertake to create: https://www.instagram.com/pinehurstschool_visual_arts/

Year 7 Camp Raglan 2024

It is the final day of Year 7 Camp, and the sun is rising over the bay. The colours of the sky are orange, fuchsia, blue, and gold. There are clouds sitting in the skyline, like foam on a bathtub and there is a slight breeze rippling through the grass. It is a perfect morning. The perfect end to a perfect week.

Nearly 100 Year 7 students, 6 dedicated teachers, and 6 helpful parents travelled down to Raglan last week for a fun-filled outdoor adventure camp they will never forget. If sleeping in bunk dorms wasn’t exciting enough, the activities included rock climbing, caving, surfing, canyoning and access to the campground’s waterslide. Not to mention regular activities organised by the teachers, a playground, 2 trampolines, and amazing food!

Students were put into 3 activity groups to try out the different activities on a rotation. Tuesday involved rock climbing and caving for 2 of the groups, with canyoning and bush survival for the 3^rd group, then on Wednesday this was switched. On Thursday every group did surfing, along with rotational activities around the camp, such as water sliding, a flying fox swing, low ropes, archery, air rifles, and basketball games.

When speaking to the students, it is clear that surfing was the favourite activity by far, with rock climbing and canyoning close seconds:

• Lexi Lan - “I liked surfing because I liked the ocean water…”
• Yu Ying Xu - “I liked rock climbing because I was able to conquer my fear of heights and it was really fun.”
• Yiru Chen - “(Surfing) makes me feel free and alive.”
• Ethan Han – “(Canyoning) made me come out of my comfort zone and challenged me.”
• Peter Wang – “You get to spend lots of time in the water, try to stand up, and go very fast when surfing a wave.”
• Oscar Jin – “I enjoyed canyoning because I liked being in the cold water and doing something that seemed risky!”

In the evenings, every student participated in activities organised by the teachers. On the first night, Mrs Gallagher and Mr Fickling ran a quiz, on the second night Ms Jackson ran a tower building competition, on the third night Ms Cousins and Mrs Edson gave everyone drama skits, and on the final night these were performed and judged my Mrs Edson, with Ms Cousins as MC. Many prizes were awarded. The aim of the game with each activity was teamwork and cooperation.

Year 7 Camp is one of the cornerstones of the Year 7 calendar and is remembered for years to come. This year will be no exception.

IG Drama Performance Assessment

On Tuesday the Year 11 IG Drama class had their first assessment in front of a live audience in the theatre performing scenes from Bertolt Brecht's play Mother Courage and Her Children. This was an amazing evening where the students were able to demonstrate the skills they've gained in lighting and performing and to get a feel for what performing on a stage can be like. The class did a fantastic job and should be very proud of their hard work.

Physical Education

Year 8 students have been able to experience a range of striking and fielding games this term.

In each of these games, students need to analyse different roles within the game. It has been great to see the students’ applying tactics and learning the application of terms in some of these games to their advantage, for example “all bases are loaded”.

A2 Classical Studies

In A2 Classical Studies we have been learning about the architecture of Roman emperors Claudius, Nero, Domitian, and Trajan, and how they used buildings – both new and renovated – to establish their power and boost their popularity. Students were tasked with the challenge of creating one of the structures we’ve learned about out of Lego and Miss McRae had to see if she could guess what they’d made. Here you can see the creations which include the Colosseum, the Colossal golden statue that Nero had made of himself, the Arch of Titus, and the Port at Ostia. 

College Badminton success

Jack (Y12) wins the Waikato Under 19 Men’s Open Championship

62 players entered the weekend competition, and Jack won the Singles title.

The person he had to beat to get a chance at the finals, Raphael Chris Deloy, is a 7 times National Men’s Champion, with over 25 titles won during his career, and ranked 4^th in New Zealand. The hard-fought game lasted just over an hour, with Jack wining 21-16, 13-21, 24-22. This was the game that got Jack into the quarter finals, which he comfortably won 21-13, 21-9. His semifinal game was a marathon, lasting 1 hour and 23 minutes, the longest game in the tournament, with Jack winning against Alex Galt 15-21, 21-17, 22-20. He went on to be awarded the winner of the Waikato U19 Men’s Singles Open Championship. Jack also came 3^rd in the Men’s Doubles, after both Jack and his doubles partner both suffered an injury and decided to pull out of the semifinals.

Elsa (Shuyu) Lu (Y10) also competed in the Waikato U19 Open Championship. As a 14-year-old she played much older girls and, although she did not place in Division 1, she did win the Division 2 Women’s Singles event. Elsa’s, and her younger sister Sirui, are both elite badminton players with a bright future ahead of them.

Pinehurst Students - Badminton New Zealand National Ranking (15^th March)

Jack Ji – 7^th in NZ (U19 Men’s Doubles), 9^th in NZ (U19 Mixed Doubles).

Tony Yu – 1^st in NZ (U17 Mixed Doubles), 3^rd in NZ (U17 Boys’ Singles), 6^th in NZ (U17 Boys’ Doubles).

Jack Zeng – 6^th in NZ (U17 Boys’ Mixed Doubles), 7^th in NZ (U17 Boys’ Doubles), 9^th in NZ (U17 Boys’ Singles).

Shuyu (Elsa) Lu – 5^th in NZ (U17 Girls’ Singles), 7^th in NZ (U17 Mixed Doubles).

Sirui Lu – 4^th in NZ (U15 Girls’ Singles), 7^th in NZ (U15 Girls’ Doubles).

Creative Writing Club

The Easter Egg Hunt

By Jeremy Tucker

Once upon a time, in a random place that you might have heard of called Pinehurst school, Jeremy and his friends were just arriving at school. when the last bus came, they were all bored and decided to go for an Easter Egg hunt. It was the last day of school before the easter weekend after all. They decided to split up. Jeremy, Abby, and Olivia looked around the theatre while Elizabeth, Amelia, and Azita searched near the field. Taylan and Hugo covered everywhere else.

After ages of searching, it was bell time. Abby and Jeremy talked in class:

“its so sad that we didn’t find anything.” Sighed Abby. “Maybe we can look again at lunchtime.”

“That sounds like a good idea!” Jeremy replied. “I’m sure were all free.”

And so, they spread the news around the group that they would search again during break.

After 4 periods of English, math, science, and other classes, they set to work. They looked high and low, the JC all the way to college 5. Lunch was nearly over and they thought all hope was lost… until Elizabeth stumbled upon a shiny box on the way to homeroom. “Um, guys- I think I found something!” gently opening the package, they gasped in delight as 8 enormous eggs fell out. Each one was decorated with each friend’s name and favourite colour. They smiled at the sight.

The End!

The Student Council is back and excited to announce the iconic Cultural Market for 2024!

If you are interested in selling a cultural cuisine at the Cultural Market this year, please get in quick as there are limited spots available! 

This event will be held in the gym on Wednesday 26 June, and all profits that your stall makes will be kept to stall holders, apart from the stall holders fee which will be donated to charity.

This year, there will also be a competition to design and name our new currency, replacing our old and trusted Flags, so keep an eye out for that!

More information about the event, including the stallholder and currency competition forms, will be on the Student Council Instagram (@pinehurststudentcouncil)

Volleyball Secondary Schools National Champs

On Sunday 17 March, the Boys' and Girls' 1^st Volleyball teams clambered into the school vans and headed down to Palmerston North for a week to participate in the National Volleyball tournament.  It is the first time Pinehurst have entered the tournament, and everyone was excited and a little apprehensive.  Thanks to Cyndie Augustine, our sports co-ordinator, for making it happen.  The captains of the teams have shared their thoughts below: 

Last week the Senior Girls Volleyball A team had the privilege to attend the New Zealand Secondary School Volleyball Nationals in Palmerston North. Although it was challenging to play premier teams from across New Zealand, we grew as a team both on and off the court and improved our skillset. Additionally, new friends were made along the way from schools around the country. A highlight from my week was definitely the early morning hairstyle meetings in our room. In particular I would like to thank Mrs Schulte and Mrs Augustin for their encouragement and help throughout the week, we all appreciated it so much! Overall It was a great experience to conclude my final year of Pinehurst School volleyball. Lucy Benison

Last week, the Senior Boy's Volleyball team had the exciting opportunity to go down to Palmerston North to compete in the New Zealand Secondary School volleyball championship. Thanks to sheer grit and determination, and a little bit of luck, the boys managed to win 5 games against some very tough teams from all across the country. The boys had an absolute blast and managed to make some new friends along the way. We'd like to thank the teachers and staff that gave us all their support the entire time (and had the patience to put up with us). 

Auckland Interzone Swimming Championships

Last week, we had 4 Year 7 boys compete in the Auckland Interzone Swimming Championship which was held at Westwave. The students had qualified for this event from the recent North Harbour Swimming Zone Day. These students were not only representing Pinehurst at this event, they were also representing the entire North Harbour region as they competed against the best students from all across Auckland. In all of the events that the students qualified in, they all made their respective finals and they all came away with medals! The highlight of the day was seeing the 4 students work together to achieve a gold medal in the Year 7 Boys 200m Freestyle Relay. Please see all of the results below:

Year 7 Boys 50m Freestyle: 1st Place: Lucas W (7KC)

Year 7 Boys 50m Backstroke: 2nd Place: Lucas W (7KC)

Year 7 Boys 50m Breaststroke: 1st Place: Eddie L (7RJ) and 2nd Place: Tim W (7KC)

Year 7 Boys 200m Freestyle Relay: Pinehurst: Lucas W (7KC), Isaac G (7MG), Tim W (7KC) Eddie L (7RJ)

North Harbour Orienteering Zone Day

This week, we took 6 teams to the North Harbour Orienteering Zone Day which was held at Monte Cecilia Park. 30 students in total completed their respective courses and the top 4 times in each team accumulated to the overall team score. It was awesome to see the students giving their all in their event and it was great to see some students giving it a go for the first time. The following students placed in the top 3 in their course:

Year 7 Boys - B73: 3rd - Hugo A

Year 7 Boys - B74: 3rd - Lucius W

Year 7 Boys - B81: 2nd - Alex G

Year 8 Boys - B83: 3rd - Oscar Z

Year 8 Boys - B85: 3rd - Felix L

Year 7 Girls - G73: 3rd - Amelia C

Year 8 Girls - G75: 2nd - Alice Y

Auckland Inter-Schools Climbing

Xavier W (8NW) has excelled once again on the climbing stage as he recently competed in the Auckland Inter-Schools Climbing competition which was held at Vertical Adventures. Xavier was the only climber to top the climb consecutively, which meant that he took out the top spot of the podium, placing 1st in the Intermediate Grade (Year 8-10). A huge congratulations to Xavier, who is progressing well towards his pinnacle International event during the upcoming holidays.

North Island Secondary Schools Mountain Biking Championships

Xavier W (8NW) has been pretty busy as of late, swapping the climbing shoes for cleats as he participated in the North Island Secondary Schools Mountain Biking Championships. In the cross country competition, Xavier placed 12th overall in the Under 14 Male division. This is an awesome achievement as Xavier was competing against the best cyclists from all over the North Island.

Involve students and families in cooking Chinese home-style dishes

Chinese cuisine culture is an important part in learning Chinese language and culture, it’s a reflection of our food history and is always at the centre of Chinese people’s life. As a teacher, when teach Chinese food and culture, I try to provide hands on opportunities to promote students’ interest in getting to know wider and deeper of our cuisine culture.

This is my Year 8 Chinese as a second language class, after learning the vocabulary around Chinese food, I ask them to choose one of their favourite home-style dishes and write up the recipe. 

After that, their next task is to go home and cook the dish using the recipe as a reference. Also, parents need to record the cooking process, give advice and the whole family will taste the food together.

The next day when students come back to school, they are encouraged to do an oral presentation with the whole class and the others are allowed to ask technical questions about how to cook the food and any challenges they may have faced.

My students love to take part in this activity and show off their cooking skills; some of their parents emailed me that they found this was a meaningful teaching activity. Their kids learnt how to cook and knew more Chinese cooking culture and more importantly, when they tasted the food together, they shared their ideas, and their relationship became closer.

Here are some recipes and photos of my students:

Congratulations to Ms Chloe Xu for the publication of her outstanding article above on Tui Tuia as well (Click here).

Hi everyone, we are your Citizenship Council leaders for 2024! 

The Citizenship Council organises various events throughout the year aimed at increasing awareness of social issues, in hopes of fostering a stronger connection between Pinehurst School and the wider community.

Currently, we are holding a food drive, which has already garnered considerable support. It ends next week (week 10) on Wednesday, so make sure to get your donations in before then!

Message from the Principal of Primary

Our Journey Through the Captivating Realms of Science

In our journey through the captivating realms of science, we embarked on an exhilarating exploration of the respiratory system. From the intricate network of our lungs to the tiny alveoli responsible for oxygen exchange, we delved deep into the mysteries of breathing.

Our adventure began with an in-depth study of the respiratory organs. With keen eyes and curious minds, we identified the trachea, bronchial tubes, bronchioles, and alveoli. Armed with knowledge, we were ready to take our learning to the next level.

To bring our understanding to life, we ventured outdoors to gather materials for a hands-on project. Leaves, twigs, and flowers collected from the school grounds became the building blocks of our model respiratory system. Guided by diagrams, we meticulously assembled our masterpiece, ensuring each organ found its rightful place.

But our exploration didn't end there. We were eager to unravel the secrets of lung capacity. With enthusiasm bubbling over, we conducted experiments, measuring the volume of air our lungs could hold. Each trial was meticulously documented, with data carefully recorded in tables.

With our data in hand, we embraced the power of visualization. Armed with graph paper and markers, we transformed our numbers into a vibrant bar graph. With each bar representing the average lung capacity of our peers across multiple trials, patterns and insights emerged.

As we gazed upon our creation, a sense of pride and accomplishment washed over us. Through teamwork, experimentation, and creativity, we had unlocked the mysteries of the respiratory system, turning knowledge into understanding.

But our journey doesn't end here, fellow scientists. There are still countless wonders awaiting our exploration, beckoning us to continue our quest for knowledge and discovery.

So let us march forward, fuelled by curiosity and passion, as we continue to unravel the mysteries of the world around us.

Until next time, keep exploring, keep questioning, and keep dreaming.

Yours in science, Jacqui Herbert

In Year 5 Science

In Year 5, our journey through the wonders of science has led us to the captivating realm of gases. With curiosity as our compass and experimentation as our guide, we embarked on a series of hands-on activities to unravel the mysteries of these invisible substances.

Our exploration began with a bang – quite literally – as we discovered the effects of air pressure. Armed with nothing but the power of physics, we witnessed the crushing of soda cans without laying a finger on them. The sheer force of air pressure left us in awe, laying the groundwork for our journey ahead.

Next, we delved into the realm of chemical reactions, concocting a bubbling concoction of vinegar and baking soda to inflate balloons. With each balloon expanding before our eyes, we marvelled at the transformative power of gases born from simple ingredients.

But our exploration didn't stop there. Armed with syringes and a thirst for knowledge, we tested the compressibility of gases, witnessing firsthand their ability to condense under pressure. From inflating flat sports balls to observing the weight gain of containers as they filled with air, we saw evidence of gas having mass, solidifying our understanding of this fundamental property.

Intrigued by the interplay of gases and liquids, we observed the dance of raisins in a glass of soda, noting how carbon dioxide bubbles lifted them to the surface before popping, causing them to sink once more. The dynamic interaction left us mesmerized, showcasing the versatility of gases in different environments.

And who could forget the dramatic finale of extinguishing a candle flame by simply removing the air (oxygen) around it? The sight of the flame flickering and fading served as a powerful reminder of the vital role gases play in our everyday lives.

Throughout these practical lessons, the joy of discovery was palpable. Students revelled in the opportunity to explore, experiment, and see the evidence of gas properties firsthand. From the thrill of witnessing chemical reactions to the satisfaction of uncovering hidden forces, each activity sparked a newfound appreciation for the world of gases.

As our journey through science continues, let us carry forward the spirit of inquiry and exploration that fuels our discoveries. For in the world of science, there are endless wonders waiting to be uncovered, each one offering a glimpse into the mysteries of the universe.

Until our next adventure, Jacqui Herbert

Healthy Eating

In our Global Perspectives lessons P7 have been exploring healthy lifestyles. A key focus has been on the concept of balanced diets by knowing and understanding the importance of the different food groups.

Through engaging activities and discussions, the children have learned about the role each food group plays in maintaining their health. The children planned and created their own balanced meal after investigating the different food groups that were packed in their lunchbox.

This hands-on experience has allowed them to experiment with different food combinations while ensuring the meal would meet and fulfil their nutritional needs.

Elsa – “I put potatoes on my plate because they give me energy.”
Kingston – “I put an eel on my plate because it is protein.”
Katherine – “I included cucumber and pears because they are healthy.”

Beyond just meals, the students have also been discovering the importance of regular exercise, quality sleep, and good hygiene practices including washing hands thoroughly, so they don’t spread germs!

Whilst learning about how important it is to have a healthy lifestyle for a long life, everyone is still planning on enjoying lots of chocolate treats over Easter!

In P16

In Global Perspectives recently, Year 5 have been focusing on the unit ‘What is the cost of our stuff?’ We have been exploring renewable and non-renewable resources. We have discussed the resources that we share both locally and globally, what raw materials are, and differentiating between things that we need, and things that we want.

Our most recent objective focused on exploring the local and global impact of using a resource that is shared. The children chose a resource and were tasked with finding out the answers to the following questions and presenting them in an eye-catching display.

• Who shares it? Where do they come from (local or foreign consumers)?
• How much of the resource is needed?
• How is it shared?
• Is the resource becoming scarce?

As a class, we reflected on the impact of sharing resources, which countries have resources more readily available, and which resources are in danger of running out soon.

April said “I have learnt how important the different resources are, and if any of them were to run out, it would create chaos in our daily lives. For example, if we ran out of oil, electricity, petrol, plastic production etc would all stop.”

Winston commented “I think that if there are no resources left, it will be harder for us humans to survive. I have learnt about the need to preserve these resources, so that we can share them fairly around the world.”

Super Cluster Tennis Tournament

A few weeks ago, we had a girls and boys Year 5-6 team compete in the Super Cluster Tennis tournament which was held at Campbell's Bay Tennis Club. Two students from each team competed in the singles competition and two students from each team compete together in the doubles competition. This was an awesome tournament and the students competed to the best of their ability. Both of the girls singles player (April L and Chloe S) made it to the quarter finals in the singles competition without losing a game. The girls doubles team (Charlotte Y and Marine Y) won all of their matches and the boys doubles team (Justin F & Lucas L) also won all of their matches, placings both doubles teams in 1^st Place. In the boys singles competition, Arton L (P17) placed 3rd overall and Devin B (P20) placed 4^th after coming up against each other in the 3^rd and 4^th playoff. A huge congratulations to all of the students that competed. The team did so well and we are extremely proud of their efforts. We would like to thank Miss Markley and Miss Thomson for managing the teams on the day, we really appreciate your commitment to the teams.

Annie L (P16) Triumphs at Waihi Performance Arts Ballet Competition

Annie L (P16) excelled at the professional ballet competition held by the Waihi Performance Arts Competitions Society on Sunday 24 March. She secured first place in classical ballet and variation ballet categories, as well as winning the championship competition among 20 competitors. Annie also earned the "Outstanding Performer Under 12 Years Old" award, receiving a total of five trophies and a $200 scholarship. Her dedication to excellence is evident, and she remains committed to further achievements. 

Congratulations Annie!

Auckland Secondary Schools Athletic Champs

Congratulations and well done to Fernanda Tirado who placed 2nd in the Intermediate Girls Hammer Throw at the AKSS Athletic Champs.

Pacific Rim Piano Competiton

Serena- Year 7- I attended the Pacific Rim Piano Competiton (PRM) and received 2 first places and a second place.  I am very honoured to be invited to perform at the Carnegie Hall in New York in November. This is a marvellous oppurtunity because only 30 people have been invited to attend. These pianists have been picked from places all over the globe such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Asia. 

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