Message from the Executive Principal

Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 下午好, 안녕하세요 

Wet days may have bookended the week, but they in no way lessened what has been a great week, with students engaged in a range of excellent activities across the campus.

While our Year 2 students didn’t quite get to walk with penguins, they certainly practiced their penguin walk with a great day at Kelly Tarlton’s on Thursday. They were able to bring their learning to life through seeing life underwater and thinking about what it is like for animals in the wild. The students developed lots of great questions to explore in the classroom and I am looking forward to finding out what it really is that penguins do for fun.

A sunny day on Wednesday dried the grounds out perfectly for our younger Primary students to enjoy their Sports Day. There was some great competition across all of the events and excellent individual performances. Most importantly, there were lots of big smiles as all of the students enjoyed the chance to be outside, compete with their friends, and develop new skills. These large-scale events are a highlight of the year and we look forward to more chances to come together over the coming weeks.

Our Junior College students have had a busy week of exams and by the time you read this, I am sure there will be some relief that the week has finished for them. While there is a temptation to see these assessments as an end-of-year necessity, they are very much viewed by staff as a chance to evaluate progress and carefully plan for the next steps in the journey. It is important that students have the mindset of seeing assessments as a chance to learn, evaluate the progress toward their goals, and consider how they can improve by focusing on the importance of taking every moment as an opportunity to learn.

We are now close to concluding teaching staff recruitment for 2024, with the interviews now completed for all of the vacant positions. In the coming weeks, you may see adverts for non-teacher positions, including Academic Learning Assistants, new roles that we have created for next year. These roles will directly support teachers in Primary classrooms with the aim of providing an even greater impact during lessons. The Assistants will be available to support the learning of all students and I see them as a significant development in our pursuit of creating outstanding teaching and learning.

Over the course of the year, children, like all of us, go through natural ups and downs, most of which they can manage on their own. Sometimes, they need a little extra support in how to navigate through these situations. If your child needs any extra help, or if you need ideas for what you can do, please get in touch and we will make sure the right support is available.

I hope you all enjoy a great weekend.

Best wishes,

Mike Waller

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Dates for your Diary

Monday 6 November

Year 5 Watercare Sampling
APO Visit: Primary Orchestra

Tuesday 7 November

Year 5-6 Touch Rugby Super Cluster (selected students)
Year 2 Road Crossing Safety Lesson (Class P6 and P7)

Wednesday 8 November

Year 5-6 Athletics Sports Day
Year 3-4 Gymnastics North Harbour Zone Day (selected students)
Year 2 Road Crossing Safety Lessons (Class P8)

Thursday 9 November

Year 5-6 Gymnastics NH Zone Day (selected students)

Friday 10 November

College Art Exhibition
North Harbour Athletics Zone Day (selected students)
Year 10 Geography Trip

SEE MORE DATES

Message from the Principal of Primary

Kia ora,

Another soggy end to the week and I think most of us have had quite enough of the rain, coming from a pretty wet part of England myself even I am getting weary of the water although I probably will complain when it gets too hot too! The weather hasn’t stopped us this week in the Primary though and the best day weather wise was the one we needed the most for our 0-4 athletics events on Wednesdays. We loved having the opportunity to compete and to share special times with our families. As always, the events ran smoothly and every student got the chance to run, jump, throw and have awesome fun together. Athletics forms a big part of our Term 4 sport programmes, and it is wonderful to watch how each child develops their skills over their Primary years. Next week Year 5 and 6 will go to Millenium Stadium for their athletics day and run on professional grade tracks with top performers given the chance to compete at super cluster level. Thanks to our Sports Assistants Melanie and Heidi for two wonderful events and to our Year 5 and 6 leaders who helped on the day.

This week has been quite musical in the Primary with a concert in the theatre on Tuesday afternoon and a visit to Kiwi Kapers in the city for thirty of our Year 5 and Year 6 students. The range of performances struck me in terms of the breadth of talent on display at the music concert. Alongside that the confidence of some very young children to get up on a stage and sing, strum or play so many different instruments. From an extremely impressive quintet of clarinets to guitar solos, singers, a performance on a guzheng, piano, violin, solos and duets, the event was inspiring and beautiful. We have so many talented musicians at Pinehurst, aren’t we lucky!

Year 2 went to Kelly Tarletons on Thursday to continue their work in Science with the theme of becoming a polar explorer. The children were fascinated with the penguins especially, and the journey into Antarctica; helping them to carry out their investigations when they get back to the classroom. They learned about gentoo penguins and saw a replica of Scott’s hut which was a base for his Antarctic explorations. Apparently, it was a lot of fun and they loved going on the bus too. Year 3 ran this week’s assembly and used song and dance to explain scientific and maths concepts. The solids, liquids and gas song had them popping and swirling around the floor to the delight of the audience. They showed how they have learned to create 3D art with paper to make flowers, Nina played the cello beautifully and did you know that Sidney has a YouTube channel for his stop-go Lego creations, wow! Mateo in Year 6 was invited to sing a piece from the Wizard of Oz, and it was a thoroughly entertaining assembly from P11.

A busy week next week with the APO orchestra coming to mentor selected students, Watercare sampling for Year 5, touch rugby zone day, road crossing safety, athletics, and gymnastics zone days. Enjoy your weekend.

Ngā mihi, Sian

Primary News

Positively attracted to Science!

In P10, we have been learning about forces and magnetism!

First we predicted and investigated the effect of friction on toy cars coming off a ramp and how much grass slowed our cars.

We then investigated what items around the classroom are magnetic and made conclusions as to why they are attracted to a magnet. Angus says "The chair legs, table legs, paperclips, scissors were all magnetic because they have metal in them."

We also discovered that the south pole of the magnet could hold more paperclips than the north and used paperclips and magnets to make characters move on a piece of paper.

We cant wait to learn more about force and motion and how it affects our day to day lives!

Model Making in Science

Year 4

Describe the model of the structure of the Earth which includes a core, a mantle, and a crust.

Children used plasticine to create a model to help visualise something we cannot see in real life, the layers of the different materials that make up the Earth. Our models offer a great way for students to develop and share their ideas. In science we endeavour to make models which enable students to use observational skills to accurately represent these scientific phenomena. The Cambridge Primary Science includes learning objectives about models and representations because they are central to learners’ understanding of science.

Year 5

Investigating the adaptations of plants.

Students are learning the different ways that a cactus is adapted to its environment. They made a mini cactus plant model from a sponge. We discuss the different ways the spines help it adapt.

Protection from predators
Creates shade and cools the cactus
Collects dew/water

When we held the models out in the sunlight we could see the shade lines created.

Year 6

Exploring Buoyancy with Model Making

Our objective was:

To create a physical representation of the concepts of pressure, density, compressibility and buoyancy.
Define pressure, volume, and density and describe the compressibility of air and water.
Describe how a Cartesian Diver works.

Primary Music Concert

The Primary Music Concert on Tuesday afternoon showcased the diverse talent we have here at Pinehurst. From pianos and violins to clarinets, flutes, and traditional instruments like the Gu Zheng, our young performers illuminated the stage with their dedication and passion for music. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the parents, family members, and friends who joined us in support of these budding musicians. We eagerly anticipate sharing more musical journeys with you in the future.

Pinehurst Planet Protectors Update

At the end of Term 3 we discovered that the paper recycling bins weren’t being used correctly, so we have been focusing on this. So far this term we have been researching how to recycle paper correctly and trying to raise awareness on how to use the bins properly. We have made stickers for our paper recycling bins to help students and teachers use the bins correctly and been educating our classmates.

Here are some top tips from the Pinehurst Planet Protectors:

Oliver, Year 4: “You can’t put paper with food on and painted paper can’t go in the paper recycling bin.”

April, Year 4: “It’s ok to recycle drawings, but not with crayons on.”

Lucas, Year 3: “Laminated paper can’t be recycled. Teachers must put their dirty coffee cups in the bin or compost.”

Christy, Year 3: “You can’t put stickers in, but you can put cardboard. It is important to recycle paper, so we save trees.”

Pinehurst are still trying really hard to have trash free lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Yuri, Xin and Chelsea from P15 report that the record for trash free lunches on one day is 19. They say, “Having trash free lunches is important, and not enough children are joining in. We encourage you to stop using single use plastic and promise to save our planet one trash free lunch box at a time!”

P8

Students have been looking at famous artist Picasso who painted portraits.

WALHT - use colour to portray emotions in a portrait.

WASWW:

Look at the photograph
Draw the portrait of the person, remembering to keep looking at the person
Remember to think about the shape of the face, where to put the eyes, ears, nose and mouth
Decide whether the person is happy or sad

Choose the right colour for our portrait to show the person’s emotions.

Some athletics fun from P8 – such excitement!

Kiwi Kapers trip

The Primary Orchestra had an exceptional experience at the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra's 'Kiwi Kapers' concert on Thursday. We were treated to a range of musical performances, from the powerful 'Night on Bald Mountain' to the enchanting compositions of Debussy. Notably, the orchestra also performed 'Danse Macabre,' a piece that was part of our own repertoire earlier in the year. This experience left our students feeling greatly inspired, fueling their enthusiasm to actively engage in our extracurricular program.

The Great Year 3 Motat Adventure in the words of Year 3 students

Lunchbox Treasures

Our next feature of Lunch Box Treasures is from Ethaniel Tu from P4. His Dad Jonathan sent through some photos of lunchbox ideas that keeps Ethaniel interested in eating before playing! Lunchboxes with compartments let you put different types of foods that keep the lunchbox interesting, but with small amounts that will gives the children a bit more variety.

Jon uses 2 different lunchboxes depending on what is being prepared. The blue lunch box has a section that keeps food warm. Ethaniel has crumbed fish cakes as his main protein, cut fruit, whole fruit, yoghurt and a muesli log. The other lunch box is used when it doesn’t need food to be kept warm – kranskys cut into an interesting form, cut fruit, dried fruit, homemade pita crisps, yoghurt and rice crackers. Some good ideas to add variety and encourage eating for little ones who like choice!

From our lunchbox to yours, happy munching! If have any ideas you’d like to share, please email sylvia.lum@pinehurst.school.nz with information and some exciting photos!

Message from the Principal of College

Kia ora e te whānau o Pinehurst School

Year 7-10 end-of-year examinations finish today, and students can be proud of the way they have conducted themselves throughout the week. I have seen many examples of self-discipline building, time management, confidence building, and goal setting which are all part of the examination process. As we move into the next, and most important phase, it is a timely reminder that learning is an ongoing journey. Whilst many of our students will be keen to hear about examination results, end-of-year examinations are an opportunity for learning and growth; any disappointment with examination grades should not overshadow learning. Focusing on what went well and thinking about how to move forward and make improvements next year will help students to strengthen their understanding. Students should ensure that they are taking every opportunity to gain and act on feedback from their teachers over the coming days.

Basketball, badminton, table tennis and touch rugby teams have all had some great results recently. Well done to all our summer sports people and thank you to families and supporters for your commitment to our teams. We still have a few weeks to go with some of our sports and it is lovely to see so many of our students representing Pinehurst School right up until the end of the school year.

The Senior Leadership Team are very close to appointing a new Deputy Principal in the College. As mentioned in my last newsletter piece, the field of applicants was very strong, and we needed two rounds of interviews in order to make the selection. As a part of this process, six of our Year 9 students formed an interview panel led by Ms Jones-Hill. This group of students did a fantastic job and ensured that student issues were addressed. We are hoping to be able to announce the successful candidate next week.

As we head into the second half of Term 4, a reminder that teaching continues right up until the last day of term. There is lots planned in the College now that examinations are finished, and classroom activities and learning over the next few weeks are as important as they have been during the rest of the year. I am looking forward to seeing students back in classes with their teachers next week. In the meantime, I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Ngā mihi nui

Dawn

College News

North Harbour Intermediate School Badminton Zone Day

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, the Pinehurst Year 7 and 8 Boys and Girls teams both reached the ‘Quarter Finals’ in their doubles matches, but ultimately lost to a better team after putting up a strong fight until the end.

The players are part of our Pinehurst Development Squad and will be our future Junior and Senior team members over the coming years. We look forward to their success as they learn that badminton is like playing a game of chess … requiring both skills and tactics to outperform your opponent. Attitude is everything.

Semi Finalists – Ray and Peter

Semi Finalists - Michelle and Jiani

Junior College Debating

Is Technology Making Our Lives Better...or Not?

Our student enjoyed our last debate of the year last Thursday. Both teams presented very strong, convincing points and showed excellent teamwork. Congratulations to Jessica and Millie who narrowly won the debate against Lewis and Daniel.

Thank you to Angela and Candy who have been wonderful, supportive adjudicators.

Year 9 Physical Education – Striking and Fielding

In Year 9, our students are building upon the foundational striking and fielding skills they acquired in Year 7 and 8. The focus of their efforts has been on honing their strategic and tactical awareness in striking and fielding games. Some classes have been focussing on Softball where others have been learning to play English Rounders. Central to this learning experience has been the concept of decision-making. Students have been actively engaged in discussions surrounding the critical decisions they make when both at bat and in the field. When batting, students have been evaluating how carefully aiming their hits can make the difference between an out and a run scored. Additionally, students have been learning to analyse the position of opposition batters whilst fielding to make effective decisions about where to throw the ball once it's in their possession.

The Lady with 101 Cats by Sylvia Yang

When your skin starts to wrinkle, and your eyes no longer twinkle, that’s the moment you truly know, you’ve grown old. A type of old that would eat up at your soul. To the point you have nothing better to do then sit on your worn-out armchair, sip on a cup of earl grey tea, and feel lonely.

Mrs. Muppet was extraordinarily old; she had many wrinkles and would often sit on her armchair sipping on earl grey tea. Yet, her eyes still twinkled like stars in the nights sky. Not only this, but Mrs. Muppet also wasn’t lonely, she had cats. One hundred and one cats to be exact. At this point, cats were basically her children. In fact, so much so that each cat had its very own bed and tailored clothes with their names embroidered on. But Mrs. Muppet had one dread in life. One regret that would dance at the back of her mind every day. And it was simply so that she was getting too old, she knew her time on earth would soon come to an end and yet she just couldn’t accept the fact, it grew in the back of her mind more and more each day like a brewing potion.

“Let’s go to the moon.”

Mrs. Muppets grandson stared at her, jaw flapping in the wind, as If he just saw an elephant riding a bicycle. Michael invited Ms. Muppet inside the house and sat her down. “Granny, are you feeling alright? Listen, I know that the passing of Salmon was a bit of a shock, but you really need to stop going insane because of it. It was two years ago! The cat was old and lived a happy life, you need to calm down, I really can’t keep having you show up on my doorstep every other day going insane because of it.”

Mrs. Muppet just sat there, finally she spoke, “I won’t live forever, I’m growing old, and I have done nothing exciting with my life. I wish to treasure each minute I’m still here; I don’t want to have my last thoughts to be that I’ve spent my life doing nothing. Michael, please, I want to treasure every moment of the life I’ve been given and live it to the fullest. I wish to have at least one exciting thing I’ve done be something that I can remember forever.”

Michael stared at his granny, as if really taking in what she just said.

“Let’s do it.”

Mrs. Muppet gave a smile while Michael silently debated with himself if he had gone insane.

It took two years to finally have everything set. The first issue would be the rocket, fortunately, a close friend of Michael worked at NASA as a Commanding Pilot and after being granted the permission, was permitted to piolet them to the moon. The biggest problem however was the cats, Mrs. Muppet refused to go without them, as a result, twenty thousand dollars was spent to make each cat a custom space suit. Next, Mrs. Muppet, Michael, and the cats had to go through a one-year training course to prepare for their adventure.

Finally, on the third of January 2025, Mrs. Muppet, Her one hundred and one cats, Michael, and Michael’s friend Elijah prepared for launch.

10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…BLAST OFF!

The words had barely left the radios speaker when a slight rumbling shook the aircraft, and before they knew it, adrenaline, was flowing as the rocket charged them towards the sky. Every, single, cat screeched in horror. The aircraft was filled with the sound of cats meowing as Mrs. Muppet tried her best to comfort them. Meanwhile Michael was having a harder time trying to shake the cats of him as they tried scratching the space suit he was wearing, clinging onto him for dear life.

A few minutes that may as well have been an eternity past when at last Elijah shouted from the pilot’s center, “WE’VE ARRIVED! YOU CAN NOW TAKE OFF THE SAFETY BELTS AND EXPLORE THE AIRCRAFT, WE ARE ONLY PERMITTED TO STAY FOR TWO DAYS, SO MAKE THE MOST OF IT. WE WILL LAND ON THE MOON TOMORROW.”

Mrs. Muppet had never experienced such a thing before. As she looked outside the windows of the spacecraft, she felt an overwhelming sensation. A slice of joy, as if she finally experienced something that she would remember for a lifetime. She felt that all those years of doing nothing no longer mattered, she had lived her life to the fullest and had experienced a great thing that would never be forgotten.

Space was a whole new boundless and infinite world. Stars sprinkled the sky like sprinkles on a cupcake and in the distance, she could just make out what she thought may be the planet, Venus.

The cats eventually got used to space and even brought themselves to enjoy the comfort of floating and pouncing at nothing. Even Michael was enchanted at the sight that space had to offer.

The amenities weren’t that pleasant giving their conditions, but nobody really minded, tomorrow, they would land on the moon.

The first step was a complete sensation. The moons rough and rocky surface felt almost like there was zero gravity, yet nothing floated. The cats scrambled out the door like a herd of wild horses and pranced around, while some preferred to stay in the space craft.

Mrs. Muppet walked along the surface, hopping now and then just to enjoy the fun of the lack of gravity. Michael hopped alongside her, despite being a full-grown man, he was still as much as a child as he was before, his eyes had still had a familiar twinkle and his scruffy brown hair that often remained the same Mrs. Muppet of a Mop also remained the same.

Mrs. Muppet stared at the whole new world of stars and planets surrounding her as Trout purred in her arms and Tuna pounced at Michael for probably the fifth time that day.

The Pinehurst Art Department are delighted to invite our parents, caregivers and students to the upcoming College Art Exhibition.

The exhibition will proudly showcase the remarkable and diverse talents of our college students, and will feature a wide array of artwork, including paintings, drawings, photography, and digital art.

Date: Friday 10 November (the exhibition will remain in the Theatre foyer until the 17 November)
Time: 4:00PM – 6:00PM
Venue: Pinehurst Theatre

Light refreshments will be served, and the event will also provide an excellent opportunity to socialize with other parents and members of our school community.

We hope you can join us in celebrating the creativity, hard work and dedication our students have put into their artistic endeavors over the course of the year.

This is a free event, however, it would be much appreciated if you could please register your attendance here for catering purposes.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Community News and Events

Bonnie Yu, Kumeu Arts Awards Finalist

Each November Kumeu Arts honours the exceptional talents of New Zealand artists through the Kumeu Arts Awards. We are very proud of Year 7 Bonnie Yu who has had her work selected as a finalist in the Youth category. This beautiful painting of a tiger titled 'Endangered' is one of Bonnie's works that will be exhibited in the Kumeu Gallery from 4 - 30 November.

Well done Bonnie, this is an outstanding achievement!

Serena Earns Coveted Spot in NZ School of Dance's National Scholars Programme

Serena Y achieved a remarkable feat by successfully auditioning for a spot in the prestigious National Scholars Programme at the New Zealand School of Dance for 2024. This talented dancer travelled to Wellington at the end of Term 3 for her audition and will now have the privilege of multiple trips to the school to receive professional training from some of New Zealand's top dance instructors.

Congratulations to Serena on this outstanding accomplishment!

Pinehurst Christmas Hampers

Many thanks to those of you who have already contributed donations for our Xmas Hampers. It is tradition for Pinehurst to present these at our Pinehurst Christmas Service on the last day of the school year, Thursday 7 December. Contributions of edible Christmas treats, vouchers for local supermarkets or shopping centres as well as new Christmas gifts suitable for the elderly residents of aged care facilities, would be greatly appreciated.

Please bring in donations to your child’s homeroom or to the Admin Area.

If you have access to good quality cardboard boxes which you can donate or could be available to make the hampers, please contact Nicole Webb directly (nicole.webb@pinehurst.school.nz).

Thank you again for your support. Your contributions will brighten the lives of many on Christmas Day.

Notices and Events

Brain Play is thrilled to offer an incredible lineup of after-school activities designed to ignite the curiosity and creativity of Kiwi kids aged 5 to 13. Join us all over Auckland fo rMinecraft adventures and STEM programmes! Our engaging classes cater to various interests, fostering a love for science and technology. With free trials online and in-person available, there's something for everyone. We also have lots of free events all over Auckland, think 3D design, STEM, robotics and more. Book your child's spot today at https://www.brainplay.co.nz and unlock their limitless potential!

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