Message from the Executive Principal
Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 下午好, 안녕하세요 This week, I spent a happy Wednesday lunchtime wandering around the school grounds. Children were playing handball and basketball on the courts in the centre of the school; the Library was bustling; Junior Primary children were keen to tell me about being pirates; older Primary children were running around, playing sports, drawing, reading, climbing… all the things you expect to see. In College, our Harp Group were making some beautiful sounds in the music room; below Junior College, Year 7 and 8 students were playing outdoor inter-house table tennis; in the College 4 Study Area, our Citizenship Council were running a lovely Pink Ribbon Breakfast,
raising money for research into breast cancer; and on the Turf, we were hosting a Year 5/6 Netball Super-Cluster event, our children competing against those from seven other schools. There were, of course, lots of other happy young people wandering around, eating, chatting, running, playing football and basketball, and just relaxing. I think it’s good to get a flavour of the range of activities taking place at school right now. Our senior students are heading rapidly into exam season, and we’re very pleased with the hardworking approach most are taking (though I do need to emphasise that the work students are doing at school is very much active revision, and they do need to be coming in every day); at the same time, though, there’s a whirl of activities they can take part in, and this is essential for their sense
of wellbeing. Thank you to the parents who came along to our “Pirates!” Year 0-2 performances this week. They were very entertaining indeed, and I loved seeing our smallest children performing their hearts out for their parents. Thank you as well to the parents who accompanied the Year 4 Camp. This is always a big moment, the first overnight camp we do, and I know there have been some anxious parents. They’re not yet back home as I write this, but everything has gone well so far, and I know that every one of the children will have had a wonderful, and very memorable, time. We have a couple of awards ceremonies next week: on Thursday, we have our Year 9-13 Sports Prizegiving, and I look forward to seeing some of you there. And tomorrow morning, we have the Kidzplay Awards
Ceremonies (there are two of them!): many Pinehurst teams will be on the podium for this event. We also have one of the year’s very special, very Pinehurst, events: the Year 4-6 Speech Finals. As ever (I think!), Mrs Jones-Hill and I will be judging, so here’s hoping that our decisions aren’t too controversial… Finally, a reminder that the last week of term is a four-day week, as Monday 26th September is Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day. So have a lovely weekend and see you on Tuesday! Ngā mihi Alex 如需阅读校长的中文留言和重要事件日期,请点击此处
Tuesday 27 September - Years 4-6 Speech Competition
- Year 10 Drama Students - Whale Rider Performance Trip
Wednesday 28 September - College House Waiata (Years 9-13)
- Primary (Year 5-6) Swimming Sports Day
- College Market Day - For
Good
Thursday 29 September Friday 30 September - New Entrant Orientation
- Primary Orchestra, APO Visit
As the year has progressed, so has the construction of the Pinehurst Theatre and College 5. The walls are finally up, and the site is beginning to take real shape, looking less like a construction site and more like the theatre we have only been able to imagine through artist impressions. The state-of-the-art facility is still on track for completion in March 2023 and we can’t wait for the Theatre to offer regular musical and theatrical performances, whilst giving our students a unique opportunity to gain valuable skills – both on and off the stage. The site tours will take parents into the heart of the construction (yes - time for hard hats and hi-vis!), to see in real time how things are progressing; take a sneak
peek into the future of Pinehurst and of course learn about the ways in which you can support us We currently have the following tour dates and times available (spaces are limited):
Friday, 28th October at 4:00pm
Friday, 11th November at 2:30pm
Friday, 2nd December at 4:00pm
If you would like to attend, please RSVP to carmen.stella@pinehurst.school.nz for more information.
Message from the Principal of CollegeKia ora e te whānau o Pinehurst School Recently, our senior students and councils have been busy organising some incredible events. Week 8 ended with an excellent celebration of our diverse cultures as students performed musical pieces, dance and other presentations at our Cultural Evening. The Student Council did a wonderful job of preparing the evening under the guidance of Ms Hawthorn. As usual, the evening was very well supported by our community. Thank you to all those who attended – what a great
end to the week. On Wednesday of this week, our Citizenship Council organised a Pink Ribbon Lunch in support of the Breast Cancer Foundation. Attendees were given a talk from a foundation educator and the fundraiser resulted in the event raising $355. For today, the Prefects have organised a movie night with two showings, one of Minions and one of Top Gun. They have also prepared popcorn and pizza for attendees to enjoy. I am sure this will be a fun event for everyone attending. This week our Year 9 students have completed their mock examinations for Lower Secondary Checkpoint. Whilst the Checkpoint assessments are just that – a marker on the route in a longer course to give students an idea of how they are tracking – these assessments also give our
Year 9 students the opportunity to experience formal external assessment. They will be completing the actual Checkpoint in Term 4. There are many ways to support students through this potentially stressful time. These include guiding them to be ready and on time for school each day, being reminded to get enough sleep and to eat well and being encouraged to take time to get some exercise. Yesterday our Team 1 netball were awarded second place in their league at the Netball North Harbour prizegiving. This team has done so well to gain success in the league they were moved to. Their hard work and drive to succeed is evident. Thank you to all of their supporters throughout the season. As we move into our last week of Term 3 next week, we still have lots to look forward to. On
Wednesday we have our first ever House waiata competition and College Market Day. We also have Sports awards and a final Year 11-13 assembly. It will be a full, busy and vibrant end to the term. This evening I am off to watch our Table Tennis Team C play in the final for their league, which should be exciting. Have a wonderful weekend Ngā mihi nui Dawn
Year 11 Environmental Management
Year 11 students are hard at work preparing for their upcoming IGCSE Examinations. Students across two classes are busy practicing past papers and ensuring they are well versed in all the ways we can sustainably manage the worlds resources. Some of the topics they have studied include- water and its management, energy and the environment, rocks, minerals and their exploitation.
Year 10 General Physical EducationYear 10 General Physical Education students have been taking part in a disability sports unit. The purpose of this unit is to promote inclusive attitudes towards those people who live with disabilities by exploring a range of ways that games can be modified to make physical activity accessible to those individuals. We've been so impressed with the enthusiasm and openness with which our students have approached their learning.
Student Council Cultural Evening 2022The Student Council hosted the Cultural Evening 2022 last Friday evening and what a great event it was! They worked hard to organise the performances and to put together a wonderful event. They had the most amazing performers from Clarinet pieces, Latin Dancing, K-Pop and Aims Hip Hop pieces and even Bollywood performances. The evening highlighted the wonderful talents of our students but also the feeling of coming together to celebrate the different cultures. We also had the opportunity for people to learn Chinese Calligraphy and to purchase the most delicious baked treats from the Mad Hatter Bakery who kindly donated goods to our cause. We
can’t thank you enough to the parents who offered their time, support and products. A special thanks also to every performer, helper, and supporter. The evening would not happen without you, and we are so grateful! The Student Council wanted to raise as much money for UNICEF and celebrate the cultures of the school. They have held two wonderful events to do this with the Cultural Market and Evening that has raised $1896.95 There has been an incredible amount of hard work, resilience but also learning that has taken place but we are very proud if their efforts in the Student Council, especially by the leaders Brie Cooper and Sarah Chung.
Pinehurst Year 9-10 Badminton Win Gold!The Pinehurst Junior Boys Team (Y9-10) won the North Harbour A-grade division last night. After playing eleven other school teams over the past 8 weeks, the Pinehurst Boys team (Tony Yu, Jack Zeng, Robert Le Lievre, Jason Wang, and Rahul Gupta) won the Junior Boys A-Grade Division in the North Harbour Junior Secondary Schools Badminton League. The team finished the competition as undefeated champions after winning every ‘Tie’ consisting of four single and four double games each afternoon during Term 3. The Pinehurst Junior Girls team
(Y9-10) has their last game next week and we wish them all the best for the finals. We are also preparing for the North Island Junior Secondary School Cup being held in Auckland from 22 – 24 November. Pinehurst will send two invitation teams to this event which will provide a new and exciting challenge for the players as they prepare for the New Zealand Secondary School National competition in 2023.
DOE Silver Tramp On Thursday the 15th of September, a group of year 11s went south of Auckland to Tongariro National Park for their Duke of Edinburgh tramp. After a gruelling 4-hour drive, the Pinehurst students were thrown right into wetsuits and immediately into the Tongariro River rapids. Groups of 8 were huddled into small rafts and went barrelling downstream into the turbulent waters. Rocks jutted out from the riverbed and steep cliffs loomed over, covered with scars of pumice from the Taupo eruption. The rafts thrashed, tumbled, and turned as the currents became stronger, while the instructors yelled orders to hold, or paddle forward. Despite how much the
students felt they had grown in confidence by being forced into a stressful, dangerous, and very wet situation, this was only the warmup; a prelude to the ultimate Duke of Edinburgh experience. The next day turned out to be more relaxing, but equally as strenuous, as the group’s new task was to complete the 18 km Tama Lakes Track in the heart of the Tongariro National Park. As frigid winds made us shiver, pushing us back to our cabins, we walked among plains of saturated bushes of copper and terracotta, all kissed by clumps of snow. The sighting of snow was something that excited every member of the party. Even though snow was a natural process, it taught us to be grateful and appreciate the little things. Trudging on, we found the Tama Lakes nesting in mountains of volcanic ash. The hike was ruthless and relentless,
but it was the students’ determination and support from peers that pushed them to the end. Throughout the whole journey we had incredible support from our teachers supervising and supporting us till the end and pushing us to step outside our comfort zones and take risks. On the ride back, everyone reflected on their time spent in Tongariro and they returned to Pinehurst as new students who had all managed to grow over those few days. - Dylan Mckay
2022 Year 9-13 College Sport Prize GivingThursday, 29 September Seated by 1.45pm ready for a 2pm start 2pm – 3.15pm followed by afternoon tea for parents and all award winners Sport Gear to be ReturnedSport Gear including, but not limited to, tops, shorts, tracksuits, issued throughout the year is currently being collected in. Please drop off to either the College Sports Office or Sally
at Reception. Please place items in a bag with your name on it.
Message from the Principal of Primary Kia ora, There was a fair amount of reminiscing in my house this week as we watched the funeral of the Queen. Familiar buildings and landmarks, the hymns sung in church and discussions about various British Kings and Queens were a new experience for my son, as was the pageantry and the formality of the occasion. Teaching extension English this week we focused on the period in British history where people were known as Tudors and then Stuarts which was the era when William Shakespeare lived. We learned that they ate some interesting foods like peacocks and swans and when pineapples became popular later in the Stuart times people
didn’t eat them, they put them on display until they rotted. People drank a lot of beer too because there was no way to clean drinking water. Learning about other cultures and their history as well as our own in New Zealand helps us to gain deeper understandings of each other and is interesting as well as being a little bit gross at times. We reflected that we are grateful for refrigeration and flushing toilets in the 21st century. There were pirates ahoy on Tuesday and Thursday in the New to Two syndicate. Following their theme of pirates this term, our youngest students sang and danced their way through sea shanties and songs dressed up in colourful costumes and they were amazing. We were impressed that they were able to keep time when they sang and follow dance moves in a synchronized way. Having the opportunity to
perform in front of an audience helps to build confidence, some of them had lots, and is a perfect opportunity for families to watch their little ones at school. Memories were made and everyone had a lot of fun. Year 4 Camp at Peter Snell in Whangaparoa has gone well and the weather was mostly brilliant we are happy to say. We had to postpone in Term 1 due to covid and so it was wonderful to be able to run the camp in the end. Staying overnight has been a new experience for many of our children, being in a bunk room together added to the excitement and meant a few tired people on the first morning, especially the adults. It is all part of the experience and one everyone will remember fondly. Just being outdoors after a long winter and being able to experience new sports and activities as well as eat together, play together and build
confidence, learn responsible risk taking and collaboration adds up to a memorable experience. All our camps have been booked in for 2023 and beyond and we are looking forward to uninterrupted outdoor programmes next year. Our Year 2 visit to Butterfly Creek has just left as I write as has the Year 5 visit to Waitakere Recycling Centre. Lots of excited children looking forward to a day of learning in a practical sense. We have missed being able to do these visits and whilst it may seem that there is a lot going on at the moment and there are always a number of events in Term 4, we are choosing educational visits that will add to learning. Thanks for your support, we know it can get hectic with children in different year groups. Our Year 6 teachers are currently completing their marking of the
Checkpoint mock testing. We did this to give students the opportunity to revise their learning and hone their skills of test taking before the Cambridge Primary Checkpoint tests in Week 1 of Term 4. There are some impressive results coming through so far and we are proud of the way our students are demonstrating learning in timed conditions. They have worked hard throughout their time in Primary and built solid foundations before they move to College next year. Many of you are taking the opportunity to get away this long weekend, I hope you have a great time, and we will see you on Tuesday. Kia pai tō rā whakatā. Have a great weekend. Sian
Cross Country – Year 0-4Last Wednesday 14th September, we held the Year 0-4 Cross Country which was initially rained off earlier in the year. We were very lucky to have a great day for Cross Country and it was very joyful to see all of the students running around in their Super Hero costumes. All of the students ran incredibly hard, and it looked like they were all having a ball! A huge congratulations to the students that placed in the top 3 for their age group:
Year 0 Girls: 1st – Amaya Wijanarko
2nd – Hannah Jang
3rd – Gabrielle Yu Year 0 Boys: 1st – Yuyang Wu
2nd – Luca Lu
3rd – Jeremy Yang Year 1 Girls: 1st – Jolina Zhang
2nd – Amber Chen
3rd – Elysa Zhu Year 1 Boys: 1st – Daniel Zhang
2nd – Jinyi Xu
3rd – Jeremy Zhou Year 2 Girls: 1st – Emily Zhou
2nd – Chloe Zheng
3rd – Clara Wang
Year 2 Boys: 1st – Leo Chen
2nd – Braeden Tan
3rd – Leslie Yan Year 3 Girls: 1st – Jennifer Yang
2nd – Kasey Zhu
3rd – Nancy Wang Year 3 Boys: 1st – Winston Yang
2nd – Chris Shan
3rd – Adrian Wang Year 4 Girls: 1st – April Wu
2nd – Charlotte Yu
3rd – Xinxin Li Year 4 Boys: 1st – Kimi Zhou
2nd – Devin Bu
3rd – Ben Hawthorn
P7 Queens After hearing the sad news of the Queen passing, P7 decided to show their respect by creating a portrait. The Year 2 classes are exploring and experimenting with printing in Art. Here are some samples of the finished product.
What have P9 been up to? Well, P9 have been fabulous learners…yet again! - We have been identifying perpendicular, parallel, vertical, and horizontal lines, drawn 2-D shapes and described their properties, solving word problems and adding and subtracting 3-digit numbers.
- Our shared class novel, Charlotte’s Web has been engaging and we have been learning to make connections to what we know, what is in the text and to our community and world. This morning we went on a cobweb hunt to find cobwebs that we are glistening in the morning dew. We not only found cobwebs but also a spider’s egg sac, just like Charlottes.
- In writing, we have been extending and deepening our knowledge about main clauses, subordinate conjunctions, and subordinate clauses. To develop our report writing skills, we are examining the features of a non-fiction article.
- We participated in cross country. This enabled us to show perseverance, and a never give up attitude. It was fantastic seeing all the parents back at school.
- Book week was exciting. We meet Buddy and read to him, made a wish list for books we would enjoy reading, dressed up in a book character, we were introduced to Swoop and had a fun quiz every morning.
- Today, P18 visited us and became storytellers. P18 shared their amazing writing skills and then P9 students shared their myth. It was excellent to see and hear the collaborative reading/sharing between the older and younger students.
P18 StorytellersP18 have been real life storytellers this week entertaining the students in P9 with their incredible adventure stories. The student's stories were 3 chapters of engaging and action packed excitement. They were telling a story of how a once populated city is now deserted and solving the mystery of where all the humans have disappeared to. The audience were wowed by descriptive character dialogue to add humour and show action, future gazing and flashbacks, ambiguity to create suspense and cliffhangers to leave them wanting to read more.
P15 are the Maths-Whizzards!P15 have been reigning MathsWhizz champions for the last 6 weeks! They have worked extremely hard to retain their title. Last week, every single student got their MathsWhizz green tick. After our 5 week consecutive reign, we were very fortunate to be treated to a picnic pizza party to celebrate our achievement. We have some fierce competition this week but we hope to retain our title. Ms Shaw would like to congratulate the children on their fabulous efforts!
Magnetism in P5In P5 this week we have been exploring, talking about, and describing what happens when magnets touch different materials. We have been using our scientific enquiry skills of making predictions, obtaining evidence, and observing in order to collect evidence to answer questions. For our Big Write adventure Max and Ant have followed the treasure map and were about to enter the underwater cave when a huge shadow appeared overhead. Thanks to their quick thinking they managed to hide the micro-submarine in a rock tunnel. This week we have been asked to write the story of their great escape from the big fish, for Ant and
Max’s friends. In Digital Technology we have been learning to make careful choices when painting a digital picture. We chose appropriate shapes and colours to create a picture in the style of an artist – Wassily Kandinsky. In Maths we have been learning about time and in Phonics practising saying, reading, and writing words with the magic e. We have been connecting our learning and have been surprised to notice words with this pattern everywhere.
Term 3 Junior Primary MandarinIn junior primary we have been learning about numbers in Chinese, counting forward, counting backwards, using them in day to day activities like telling the date or saying when our birthday is. We have also used them in games like bingo, memory games and quick draw. Senior Year 1 had the opportunity to learn about the traditions of eating Mooncakes this week. Year 2 have used a funny story to help us learn the names of different body parts and describe them with adjectives. This week we have been perfecting our handwriting with Chinese characters. Since the Commonwealth Games, Year 3 have been learning
about different sports and we've learned to use radicals to help us decode and read the Chinese characters for different sports.
Year 9 – Market for GoodOn the last week of the term, there will be a market on the 28th of September in Pinehurst Gym. All proceeds will go to KidsCan, helping Kiwi kids affected by poverty. The course these students are following is designed by LAB (Like A Boss), that drives them through the challenges and obstacles of growing a business. Unlike many other businesses, the root of these sustainable enterprises is the UN sustainable development goals, such as Climate Change and Gender Inequality. There is an immense variety of products available, including sustainable
products such as palm oil free lip balms and coffee capsule plants helping the environment, reducing the impact of issues such as water pollution and deforestation the UN goals were broken into. – Percy and Venus
Check out the range of products on this webpage created by Michael Zhao https://hz29153.wixsite.com/marketday
October Holiday CampMy name is Sonny Tuaputa and I am one of the Lead Coaches at Flaxhill Hoops. I have been coaching at Rosmini College for the last 7 years and have been involved with the Auckland Tuatara NZ NBL Team as an Assistant Coach. We are excited to share a set of upcoming Holiday Camps that we are running in partnership with Harbour Basketball during the upcoming October School Holidays. Flaxhill is run by myself & Matt Lacey, who is a NZ Coach of the Year award recipient. The three locations of our camps are Rosmini College, Eventfinda Stadium and Kristin School. We are really looking forward to providing a high-quality camp experience for the Harbour community and would love to extend an invitation to all of your students to attend these camps. Each camp will consist of skills, small sided games, National Style of Play concepts and 5v5 games for application of teachings.
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