Message from the Executive Principal

Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 下午好, 안녕하세요  

Best wishes,
Mike Waller

Message from the Principal of Primary

Year 1 Trip to Auckland Zoo

Last week, our Junior Year 1s from P1 and P2 enjoyed an exciting trip to Auckland Zoo, all part of this term's Science topic on the diversity of living things. Students explored the Zoo, greeting a variety of animals and eagerly scanning every enclosure to spot those cleverly camouflaged in their habitats.

A special highlight was a lesson with a zoo educator who introduced us to animal classification—the way scientists group animals based on their unique characteristics. We discovered that birds have feathers, reptiles have scales, and mammals, including humans, have fur/hair!

We also got an up-close look at animal behaviour: we watched otters having lunch, observed rhinos roaming, saw monkeys swinging high in the trees, spotted lionesses basking in the sun, and heard the loud calls of siamangs (perhaps they were hungry too!).

After lunch, we ventured to the South America area, where we had a memorable encounter with the cheeky spider monkeys. With that thrilling experience, we wrapped up our day and headed back to school, taking with us plenty of newfound knowledge and memories.

Writing in P1

In P1 we have embarked on our last Big Writing Adventure for the year! This one is called a Wolf's Tale and is based on the well-known story of Little Red Riding Hood. We have used our knowledge of this fairy tale to practice skills like sequencing, retelling a story and using ambitious adjectives to describe characters and settings. Have a look at some of our descriptions of the Big Bad Wolf!

However, we are starting to wonder if the Big Bad Wolf really is a baddie or if maybe there's been a big misunderstanding! Our next mission is to investigate some facts and help fix the Wolfs bad reputation.

P5 New Entrant Excitement

This term in P5 New Entrants, we have embarked on an exciting Writing Mission, The Mystery Egg! A very strange-looking nest with egg has been found in the park and our job, as writing agents, has been to work out, through cunning detective work and reasoning, what might be inside this very odd object.

Mrs. Aston and some of the students in the class are sure they have heard slight but persistent cracking and tapping sounds from the nest…

Look at some of the students’ fantastic writing!

We hoped to have an Egg and Spoon race (to continue our egg theme!) as part of Athletics Day this week but were equally enthusiastic to join in all the other activities at each station, including hurdles, relay running and a tricky sack race!

Here we are, demonstrating our developing skills of physical fitness, perseverance, teamwork and resilience.

Music Years 1-3

This term, Years 1-3 are exploring a range of musical themes and skills. New entrants are focusing on the "Musical Journeys" theme, using transport and animal movements from Carnival of the Animals to practise starting and stopping in time, adding rhythmic accompaniments, and creating simple melodies with pentatonic scales. Year 1 is celebrating their learning from across the year by revisiting favourite pieces and preparing to perform them as a class.

Year 2 is exploring “Light and Dark” music, responding to its mood while developing their ta, ti-ti, and sh rhythms with stick notation.

Year 3 is building singing and timing skills in "The Hummingbird Sings," drawing connections between sound and movement. Check out the video below of Year 3 singing and dancing to Old Joe Clark! 

P7's PREP has begun...

Over the past week P7 have begun their PREP journey. Last week our two products were chosen to make use of recycled cardboard boxes which Bethan has been collecting for us this year. These will be turned into houses with cress ‘gardens’ and birdfeeders to hang outside from a tree branch. We have yet to decide our company name but have formed two  teams.

Within these we have a manager, chief financial officer and resource managers who will lead, support and work with the rest of the ‘workers’ to produce the products. Together there has been a lot of financial literacy learning to help understand important business vocabulary including income, budget, expenses, fines and interest!

We look forward to the next stages of product development, digital marketing and working out how many Pines to charge on Market Day for our products.

P10 Exploring Forces in Science

In our recent science lessons, we’ve been exploring the concept of What is a force?

The answer is that it is the pushing or pulling of an object needed to make an object move. We learned that we measure forces using a unit called a Newton, named after the famous scientist Isaac Newton. We also discovered that when measuring the force of gravity of an object the heavier the object the more force is required. Using force meters, P10 students measured the force of various objects and recorded their findings. We also had an engaging discussion on the benefits of using standard units like Newtons compared to non-standard units.

“I measured 34 coloured pencils, and it show 1 Newton” said Mia.

“The mininion was .5 of a Newton”, stated Irene.

“I really enjoyed using the force meters to work out how many Newtons each object was” said Albert.

Information Texts in P16

Our reading focus this week has been about summarising. We have been looking closely at finding the main idea of a text and paraphrasing to show a deeper understanding of what we have read. In order to paraphrase, we use key words that the author of the text has used to build our own sentences that communicate the same information, but in a different way. This week, we read an information text all about Uluru. We learnt that an important part of summarising is being able to put the information into our own words to show a good understanding. So, we highlighted the key words and summarised the important paragraphs. We then spoke about how we could present the information in an engaging and eye-catching way. We came up with the idea of doing a double page spread on Uluru. We used our summaries along with some pictures and different design ideas to create our own information texts! We’re pretty happy with the result

Terrific Term 4 in P17

As we make our way through the final term of the school year here in P17, it's hard to believe how quickly time has flown by! We've already had an amazing four weeks of learning, and we couldn't be more proud of the hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm everyone has shown so far. Whether it's tackling new challenges, deepening our understanding of familiar topics, or helping each other along the way, the progress we've made as a school community is truly inspiring.

Here are some events and days we are most looking forward to in P17:

“I am most looking forward to PrEP because I like making arts and crafts. I get to buy things when we go to Market Day! I also like working with my company group. I am taking on the job of the production manager.” – Chantell

“I am excited for Athletics Day. I would really like to do well in the relay this year because it’s my favourite event.” - Arton

“I am excited for the Teddy Bears’ Picnic because I enjoy eating outside with my friends and our teddies.” - Kaixin

“I am really looking forward to the Ukelele Jam because it’s a fun event that we all get to enjoy together. We get to listen to some great soloists.” - Cecilia

“I am most excited for PrEP and Market Day. It is one of the best days of the whole year because everyone gets to see what the other classes have been making working on for their class business!” - Aiden

Last term, we were working on our perseverance and determination when tasks become difficult. We came up with strategies to assist us if we are finding something challenging or overwhelming. We are carrying on with this focus for Term 4. Here are some photographs of us persevering through a writing task in our recent Big Write mission with positivity and a can-do attitude!

This term promises even more exciting opportunities for growth, collaboration, and discovery, and we’re excited to continue supporting each other as we wrap up this school year on a high note. Keep up the fantastic work, stay focused, and let’s make these last weeks count!

Primary Performance Showcase

On Wednesday this week we celebrated our primary school musicians in Years 1 to 6 with our Term 4 Primary Performance Showcase.

Our concert began with our Year 2 & 3 Choir led by Ms. Du Toit, who delighted us with three songs, including a fun rendition of Lollipop (with sound effects) accompanied by Ms. Pope on the ukulele. Our concert continued with solo performances encompassing singing and performances on the xylophone, piano, violin, flute and clarinet.

We were guided through the concert by four Year 6 students who did a fantastic job as our MCs for the afternoon.

We applaud all our performers for the effort they put into preparing for their performance, along with their talent and their courage in taking to the stage.

Message from the Principal of College

Year 10 Drama Trip

Last Friday the year 10 drama class were invited to attend a matinee performance by Unitec School of Creative Industries. The third year acting students were performing Pip Hall's The 53rd Victim - a true story set during the 2005 London bombings about a New Zealand nurse - as their graduating play for 2024. This was an amazing chance for the year 10 students to see live theatre while also analysing some of the more technical considerations with staging, lighting, and movement. The class were also able to stay after the show for a Q+A with the cast and director, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of theatre.

Auckland Live Showdown Award Winners

Last night some of the cast and crew attended the Auckland Live Showdown Awards at the Bruce Mason Centre to celebrate and acknowledge the 23 Auckland schools nominated for awards. Kita Weir, year 12 student, took home the win for Best Supporting Actor In a Minor Role (Musical) for her work as a Who in the College production of Seussical. We're so incredibly proud of Kita, and all of the cast and crew, for all their amazing hard work during this years production. Karawhiua for next years awards!

Buddy Classes

The College well and truly came to life yesterday afternoon. It was the College’s turn to host their Primary class buddies and wow, they didn’t disappoint. Finding opportunities for our older students to engage and connect with our younger Primary students plays a key role in the growth and development of our school community. This was evident late last term when our Year 13 leavers walked through the Primary school as part of our inaugural Graduation parade. 

Special thanks to our Year 7 and 8 Homerooms and PODs for hosting another brilliant event. 

Hugo A Shines in Primary and Intermediate Diving Competition

Nicholas X Honored with Harbour Basketball Trident Award

Nicole C - Completes Historic Double with New Zealand Amateur Championship Win

Pinehurst Students in Alice: A Wonderland Musical

Our Pinehurst students Abbigail Li, Kyler Li and Mikel Palliser are in an upcoming premiere season of Alice: A Wonderland Musical.

A magical world of energy and colour awaits audiences when one of New Zealand’s leading creative duos, Alver & Doy, premiere their latest offering, Alice - A Wonderland Musical, at Auckland’s Aotea Centre in November/December 2024.

This vibrant and fun re-telling of Lewis Carroll’s much-loved tale, Alice will bring to life a rich array of adored characters including the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, The Red Queen, Tweedledum & Tweedledee, and the Mock Turtle, in an adventure set to take audiences on a journey with Alice through the looking glass, across the chess board, and into their own imaginations.

With 25 original songs composed by the dynamic creative pair, and a storyline crafted from the words of Carroll but shaped for today, this wondrous escapade presented by the National Youth Theatre is set to light up the stage.

Here’s what our Artistic Director/Writer of ALICE - Jonathan Alver says the audience can expect, “A grumpy Queen, some strawberry tarts, a smiley Cat, a handmade hat, some Tweedle-twins, a broken watch, and a very tardy Rabbit.  Teacups, chessboards, Dodos, turtles, big and small, it’s got them all ....

Performances: at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre

Saturday 30 November, 1:30 pm and 7 pm

Sunday 01 December, 11:30 am and 4 pm

Tickets from Ticketmaster.

Sloan and Elizabeth Conquer the Whaka100

Auckland Philharmonia's Orchestral Summer School

Applications are now open for Auckland Philharmonia's Orchestral Summer School  in January, for all young musicians aged 12–18 looking to improve their musical skills and abilities.

The week-long intensive course in January coaches students through challenging repertoire with a professional conductor and Auckland Philharmonia musicians, before culminating in a finale concert at the Bruce Mason Centre. The week’s structure includes sectionals, tutti rehearsals as well as small group workshops and games!

We’re especially inviting more applications from the following instruments: viola, bassoon, oboe, French horn, trombone, tuba, and double bass!

This course is open to:

• orchestral instrumental students
• aged 12 – 18
• Grade 5 + (or equivalent)

Fee scholarships are available (more info available via the application form).

Apply and find out more via this link: https://aucklandphil.nz/learn-participate/school-programmes/orchestral-summer-school/

Pinehurst Christmas Hampers

It is traditional for Pinehurst to donate Christmas Hampers to those in need. This year we have chosen the charity organisation, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. This organisation supports grandparents who are struggling financially to provide a normal life for their grandchildren, many who have been traumatised, neglected, abused and end up living with them.

We would greatly appreciate donations of non-perishable food, Christmas treats, gift vouchers, new toiletries, toys and games. Your contributions may be given to your child’s homeroom teacher from Tuesday 29 October onwards so that we can make beautiful hampers to present at our Christmas Service.

Your generosity is greatly appreciated.