No images? Click here Newsletter - 3 June 2022Message from the Executive Principal
Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 你好, 안녕하세요 The front lawn has been washed by more than rain this week. On Tuesday morning, the Principal Brass Quintet from the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra performed for our students, adding more interesting background colour to my meetings than we usually enjoy; and on Wednesday it was the turn of a string quartet, mixing classical pieces with a little light Disney. I love hearing live music, and I’ve been so pleased to see our musical programmes grow this year through the enthusiasm and hard work of Hadley Ronayne, Ashleigh Pope and Hae Jean Byun. They’ve just fixed the dates for our first couple of musical student performances of the year as well. The first one is going to be on June 27th, so look our for more information in the weeks to come. Well done to our Year 11 to 13 students this week. The Mid Year Examinations always involve a few reminders about routines, and a little settling down, and this year has been no different. But we have all been impressed by how seriously they have been taken, and the initial signs are very promising. Students will receive their results very quickly, and College reports go out before the end of term, so please get in touch with teachers if you have any questions. The Mid Year Examinations are a way of gauging progress and deciding what needs to happen next to support students’ progress, and making sure we have these interventions in place is a big part of the next few weeks. Away from exams, I’ve had a great time wandering in and out of classes this week, whether its excited Year 7 students in the Science lab testing chemicals (and discovering that using a pestle and mortar to grind tablets into powder isn’t easy!), or other Year 7 students competing to name countries on a map, or Year 1 students enthusiastically developing their Maths skills in lessons full of “hands-on” resources… The work going on around school has been focused and sharp, as you’d expect midway through Term 2, and I think the fact that we have nearly all our teachers back in school this week (we currently have no Covid staff absences) has also had an impact. Next week, our Year 5 students head out to Carey Park for their much-anticipated winter camp. Year 1 students are heading out to Stardome on Friday (you can almost taste the excitement!) and Year 6 students are visiting the Estuary Arts Centre of Thursday after working on their sculptures in school. It’s a great activity. On the camp: I wrote to Year 5 parents yesterday to run through the Covid precautions we’ve taken. I’m aware that there are some concerns about these events, especially as some schools have seen some outbreaks at camps, but our precautions should help us remain as safe as possible. We’ve run a few overnight camps and events over the past few months, and a combination of sensible masking, the use of RATs, and our ever-careful community has meant that we have stayed safe. It’s so important for our children enjoy a full, holistic education now, and I want to ensure that nobody misses out, so we will continue to employ measures that enable everyone to feel secure. 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 Monday 6th June
Thursday 9th June
Friday 10th June
Message from the Principal of PrimaryKia ora, Another fantastic week of learning in the Primary and lots of talk about being an eco-warrior, especially in the New to 2 syndicate. Year 2 held an assembly for us on Tuesday where they shared their learning about the environment and how we can best look after our planet. As teachers we have a great responsibility to ensure that our students begin to think about ways to protect their environment. Later this year, we are looking forward to a visit from the Tread Lightly van which is an educational resource designed to teach children how to recycle, protect waterways and take care of the earth. Presenting at Assembly gives students an opportunity to read aloud to an audience and we were very impressed with how well the Year 2 presenters could sound out sophisticated words and the confidence they showed to speak in front of a large audience. Well done Year 2! Year 5 are looking forward to their camp next week in Henderson. Carey Park is a fantastic facility year-round and will give students the opportunity to try new activities, have adventures and most importantly, make memories. Spending time with classmates will help to forge new friendships and bonds that will strengthen relationships in the classroom and lead to better learning outcomes. A visit from the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra this week over two days was a wonderful experience for Primary orchestra members. Our orchestra and choir participation has grown hugely this term due to the programmes being run by Ashleigh Pope and Cherrie Leefe. Our marimbas have been ordered and we are looking forward to the festival later this year and to the special music concerts planned by the music teachers. Details will be sent to parents soon, there is so much talent in the Primary and it will be fantastic to be able to showcase it again. Matariki planning is underway across the school with a special assembly in College and a star themed day in the Primary. Matariki is the Māori name for a cluster of stars that welcomes the start of the Māori New Year. Signified by the Matariki cluster of stars reappearing in the night sky, this is a time to reflect on the past and celebrate the present. In the Primary we will learn about the stories behind Matariki, sing songs, learn vocabulary, and create star themed art. It is a special celebration with a public holiday given for the first time this year. Have a lovely long weekend. Noho ora mai, Sian Tidy Kiwi ClassP5 were awarded the ‘Tidy Kiwi’ class award this week at assembly. This class has made a huge effort to put their morning tea and lunch litter back in their lunch boxes or in the bin provided. We are very proud of your efforts P5, you are thinking about your school and your environment. P5 are now on the look out for who will be the next, ‘Tidy Kiwi’ class. P5 - What to do about litter!In P5, for our Global Perspectives we have been learning how to Look After Our World. We were very concerned when we saw photos of clean amazing parks, mountains and beaches and then saw the same areas covered in litter. We were upset to see images of fish, birds and other wildlife and the impact litter has on them. We decided to do our own research around our playground to see how much litter we could find and where most of the litter was located. When we analysed our findings, we discovered that most of the litter was on the deck. Rayna suggested that this was probably because this is where we eat our lunches. We discussed what we could do to help. We decided to make posters with photos on them to educate our friends. We also figured that if our friends could understand the damage that dropping litter does then they would make better choices. As evidence of our learning, P5 were excited this week, to win the first ‘Tidy Kiwi’ award for keeping our deck area litter free! For our Big Write Adventure, we have been helping Alan travel to Antarctica. This week we have been helping him record in his travel journal what he saw from the deck of the huge ship. Stanford saw the jet-black and pure white killer whale peering out of the water. Amber noticed the huge orca with a white patch above his eye cleverly following in the ship’s wake. In Art we created our own cubism art. Elysa thought it was interesting that Picasso’s face paintings were made of shapes. We chose to do a butterfly or tulips to experiment with the technique. First, we drew our main image, and then we used a ruler to extend lines across the picture both vertically and horizontally. We had to make our own creative decisions as to the best place to draw the lines. Next, we had to consider our colour choices. We explored using hot and cold colours. We decided that our artworks would look best if we did not do the same colour in two shapes beside each other. We hope you like our outcomes Primary SportAt Pinehurst we strongly encourage all of our students to be involved in one of the many sports we have on offer, regardless of their ability. We promote positive attitudes in all aspects of sport and with over 150 sports teams across the school we have many different sports to be a part of. An important aspect of being involved in a sport is developing resilience. When our students are playing sport, they learn to lose. Being a good loser requires maturity and practice. Losing teaches children to bounce back from disappointment and coping with unpleasant experiences and it is an important part of becoming resilient. This trait can then be applied to other areas of their life. Sporting experiences help our children to develop confidence in their ability to recover and overcome setbacks. They are provided with an environment that includes new experiences, training demands, development of techniques and skills, and most importantly, becoming aware of who they are as an athlete and team member. Psychological resilience is important in sport as our children utilise and optimise a range of mental qualities to withstand the pressures that they experience. The ability to bounce back from a poor performance or a detrimental mistake is crucial to an athlete's success. As much as we may not like to make a mistake or lose, failure is a part of being involved in sport and teaches us how to be resilient. We are very proud of our Primary Sports teams and all our sideline supporters!! Winter NetballEvery Saturday our youngest netball players take to the court to play a game of six-a-side netball. Luckily for us Year 1 plays their games in the Arena, so we do not need to worry about a spot of rain or wind making us chilly. 2022 has seen Pinehurst enter a record number of Year 1 teams into the league. We have three teams taking part. We are so proud of all our players for going onto the court with enthusiasm and demonstrating their developing passing and catching skills. We have even managed to score quite a few goals. We know that our teams will grow in their knowledge of the game and development of skills from week to week. Our side-line supporters are very encouraging, and we thank them for making it such an enjoyable experience for all. P19’s Clay Tiles and Mixed Media ArtSquishy, soft and moist, P19 had a blast with clay! As part of our Art unit this term, we made a textured clay tile using decorative coils to make a tree. We explored and experimented with various clay techniques such as rolling, stitching, moulding, scoring, and adding textures and patterns. Scoring is an important process to secure the features to the tile and ensure they do not fall off! Using the coils (which are thin rolled-out pieces of clay that resemble noodles), we made a decorative and textured tree on our clay tiles. Once the tiles are dry, we will be ready to paint them. Next week, the Year 6 students are going on a trip to the Estuary Arts Centre in Orewa for more clay fun. We are looking forward to what awaits us there! Inspired by the book ‘Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas’ written by Aaron Blabey and Life Education’s Healthy Eating unit, P19 have created a mixed media art about fruits - delicious and full of vitamins! Mixed media is an artwork in which more than one medium has been used. In this case, we used coloured markers, pastels, colouring pencils and collages to create a four-square piece of art to show the effects and results of each medium. Primary School CouncilIt is wonderful to have our Primary Council fully involved in the running of the Primary School. On any given day you can see our leaders taking part in a range of activities and leadership opportunities. Peer Mediators An enthusiastic group of Year Six students have undergone training as Peer Mediators. Being a Peer Mediator is a very important role as they work alongside the duty teachers during lunchtimes. Our Peer Mediators are trained in conflict resolution. They work with students who require help to navigate friendship issues or who maybe need help to join in with a game or to find a friend. They wear fluorescent vests so they can be easily spotted. Kapa Haka When our students take on the role of class councilor, they commit to taking part in the Powhiris. The Powhiris are a formal occasion where we welcome new staff, students, and families to our school community. The Kapa Haka plays an integral role in the Powhiris as they sing songs and are part of the welcoming party. On Thursday lunchtimes our wonderful councilors go down to the Dance Studio where they practice learning the songs and actions. Sports Café Each lunchtime our House Captains open up the Sports Café. This is a special storage facility that holds a range of physical education gear. Students from Year 3-6 are able to go down to the Sports Café and choose a piece of equipment they would like to use over the lunch hour. This includes balls, hoops, padder tennis bats, stilts, and many other pieces of play equipment. The House Captains keep track of the borrowers and make sure that everything is returned and put back in its place. Library Monitors Our Year Six library monitors are rostered on a schedule to be library assistants one day per week. They help our wonderful librarians during the lunch hour with our younger students. They are available to read books, help use the catalogues and file books back onto the shelves. Wheels Day Last week we had a whole week of Wheels arriving at school. Our Primary council were integral to the running of this event. Each morning they helped the younger students park their wheels. At morning tea and lunchtime, they helped set up a riding track on the courts and supervised bike riders on the field. Younger students who required help with helmets and a steady hand on the back of a bike had wonderful leaders who were there ready to lend a hand. Tabloid Sports Council MeetingThis week Mrs Jones-Hill, the Arts and Cultural Team and House Captains have met to begin organising the Tabloid Sports event for our youngest students. The councilors are designing a tabloid activity that will appeal to a 5- or 6-year-old. It promises to be a great event with lots of running, jumping, throwing and catching. Message from the Principal of College
Kia ora Pinehurst Whānau In his book, “The Stress Test: How Pressure Can Make You Stronger and Sharper”, Ian Robison discusses how certain types of pressure enable the release of particular hormones which allow different parts of our brain to communicate more effectively. He notes that young people in particular need to experience this benefit in order to build resilience and to learn to identify pressure as a type of excitement. The recent midyear examinations have certainly given our students the opportunity to experience the type of pressure Ian Robinson describes. There has been an air of excitement, sometimes nervous excitement, amongst our senior students which will help them to develop resilience and strength. Over the coming weeks, teachers will be giving examination feedback and explaining how students can improve. Parents, please talk to your children about using these experiences as a learning opportunity on the pathway to gaining their qualification at the end of the year. This examination session was the first time that our Year 11 students experienced study leave. They have done exceptionally well in managing their own time, choosing when to study at home and when to study at school. Study leave gives our students the opportunity to set their own deadlines and to try new ways of learning in collaboration with their peers. As we approach the end of the midyear examination session, our students can be proud of the way in which they have conducted themselves. Interhouse netball last Friday was a reminder that the rules of netball are quite complex. Whilst there was a little bit of frustration from some of our basketballers who were longing to run with the ball, the event was lots of fun and very well attended and supported. Mataī House were the victors for this event but Kauri are in the lead for the year so far. I enjoyed watching the College 2 followed by the College 1 netball teams play on Saturday at Netball North Harbour. Both games were exciting and there was some great netball from our teams. Good luck to all of our winter sports teams who are coming to the end of their grading rounds. Our Girls’ Football Team enjoyed North Harbour Zone Day at Orewa on Tuesday and we have hockey zone days for our year 7 and 8 students during the coming week. This week our College Orchestra and some of our Year 9 Music students were treated to a visit from two ensembles from the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra. This visit was made possible through our affiliation with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra Programme in Schools. The ability to open up our music room meant that we had beautiful music ringing through the school on those days which was wonderful. I hope you have a lovely three day weekend and enjoy spending some time together. Ngā mihi nui Dawn North Shore Schools Careers Expo is next week (Wednesday and Thursday)This is a fantastic opportunity to meet with many tertiary education and employment providers in one place. Mrs Griffiths is taking all Y11&12 students during the day on Thursday 9 June. To get the most out of the event, students should go with an open mind and be willing to engage with multiple providers. Parents and Y13s are encouraged to attend one of the evening sessions. It is open 4:30-8:00pm both evenings. There will also be scheduled talks in the evenings - see schedule below. Year 10 & 11 IGCSE PEIt was great to see some of the year 10 & 11 IGCSE PE students competition in the cross-country last week. They showed excellent determination to try beat some of their peers and were eager to know their finishing times to compare to the assessment criteria. Well done to those who took part. Year 7 Maths - Noughts and CrossesThe year 7 students were using noughts and crosses to investigate algebraic expressions and patterns. They played to see how many different winning lines were available for a standard 3 x 3 grid. They then looked at a pattern formed by the number of winning lines for a 4 x 4 and 5 x 5 grid to help them predict the number of winning lines for any square grid. Year 10 GeographyThe Year 10 Geographers have just moved on to a new topic with a focus on Earthquakes and Volcanoes. This week they were challenged to make a structure out of spaghetti and marshmallows that would survive an earthquake. With no prior learning or understanding of earthquake proof design they set about building some ‘interesting’ structures. Amazingly almost all survived their shaking from our shake table. However, the practicality of the designs was dubious. We will revisit this challenge at the end of the topic to see if they can design some more impressive structures using their learning on earthquake proof design. Year 7 Social Science - Sustainable CitiesYear 7 Social Science students are learning about sustainable cities. This week they researched some of the attributes that cities need and looked at some examples of sustainable practices from around the world. Soon they will have a go at designing and creating their own sustainable cities in class. Junior College DebatingThank you to Samuel, Wen Yao, Peter, Daniel, Isaac and Tiger who entertained us with a well-prepared debate. The motion was, "This House Would Ban Single Sex Schools." Words from Reena, our adjudicator. "Both teams had really strong arguments, with affirming expanding on the issue of sexism in single sex schools, and negating expanding on academic achievement. Ultimately, the negating team was victorious after this strong debate from both sides. It was great to see the results of all the coaching and preparation for the debate club, and a big congratulations to both teams for participating! Girls FootballThe Girls' 1st XI continued their winning ways this week, beating Orewa 7-1. Up 4-0 at half time Pinehurst had the game under control, with Hannah was confidently controlling the centre of the field and the defence of Tilly, Frankie and Zofia were solidly holding off attacks. Early in the second half, Orewa got a goal back and drew confidence from a fast break. Jessie was awesome between the posts for the rest of the game and managed to stop the ball finding the net. Goals were scored by Sophie (2), Hannah (2), Charlotte (2) and Lucy. Next week we are at home again for a 4pm kick off against Glenfield and look forward to seeing supporters on the sideline. Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra Visit PinehurstPinehurst is very pleased to be part of the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra’s Programme in schools (APOPS) and Tuesday and Wednesday this week, members of this Orchestra performed for selected students including those involved in the Primary and College Orchestras and the school’s chamber groups. On Tuesday the APO Brass Quintet, consisting of two trumpets, a french horn, trombone and tuba skillfully performed a wide range of pieces to their audience. Each player spoke about the history of their instrument as well as providing context for each piece that they played. Their repertoire included music from Baroque to modern and their beautiful medley of pieces from West Side Story was one of the highlights. Pinehurst was very pleased that students in the Brass Scholarship Programme and our Brass teacher Mr Day were able to see these amazing brass players in action. On Wednesday an APO String Quartet were the next group to perform at Pinehurst. String Quartets consist of two violinists, a violist and a cellist and their repertoire was extremely vast and included Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Debussy’s Claire de Lune and ending with a range of Disney pieces especially arranged for their group. The Primary Orchestra students were most excited to hear ‘In The Hall of the Mountain King’ which is one of the pieces they have been working on this year and which they are preparing for their upcoming concert. We look forward to our continued collaboration with the Auckland Philharmonic orchestra which will include their Kiwi Capers Concert in October College ProductionAnnie continues to progress through rehearsals, preparing to hit Centerstage, Orewa for a 27th to the 29th July show season. Catch a look at some photos from our latest dance and orchestra rehearsals. Tickets for Annie will be available from Monday 20 June. Primary lunchtime... Year 5-6 Gymnastics.. Pinehurst 30th Birthday Dinner – is Finally Here!It’s finally here! The Pinehurst 30th Birthday dinner is only a week away and we are finalizing the last few details. Everyone who has RSVP’d to this and is expecting to go will have all received emails with further details. If you haven’t received your email, please contact Sylvia on sylvia.lum@pinehurst.school.nz If you are interested in going, there are still tickets available: We will be celebrating this special occasion at: · Park Hyatt, 99 Halsey St, Auckland City · Friday 10th June 2022 from 7.00pm until 10.00pm · Dress code: formal/cocktail attire · Tickets are $125 as this adult only event · A return coach is available for those who don’t want to drive. This departs Pinehurst at 6.15pm ($5 per ticket) The Formal dinner includes a luxury 3-course plated meal served with a drink on arrival and special live entertainment. Your ticket automatically enters you into the draw to win some great prizes on the night from the Pinehurst Anniversary raffle, which includes: - One night stay at the Hilton Auckland in a Deluxe Harbour View room - $1000 Loaded Gift Voucher - $100 8-Wired Brewing Barrelworks gift voucher - Matakana Estate Luxury Wine Gift Pack - An Ironclad Legacy Pan worth $240 - Pineurst VIP Carpark Space for a term (8 chances available, personalised name sign for your space) - Pinehurst Theatre seat engraved plaque Contact sylvia.lum@pinehurst.school.nz for any queries about this event. |