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Message from the Executive Principal
Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 下午好, 안녕하세요
Spring was certainly in the air this week as we enjoyed warm days and open doors with fresh air breezing through the school. The fine weather also comes with an important reminder that our students need to be sun smart, a habit that may have been lost over the rainy days of winter.
It was lovely to start the week by meeting the parents of our latest intake of New Entrants. The transition to school can be challenging for many children and parents and it was great to be able to share more about who we are and what their child can look forward to over the next 13 years!
The testing theme continued for many students this week, and I have been impressed by the maturity shown in how they approach their work. Learning to sit formal tests is part of the learning journey and our students understand the importance of being able to show their talents in key moments. This important life lesson is being instilled and will serve them well in pressure situations in school and beyond.
Some of you may be aware of recent news in the UK concerning possible long-term changes to the A Level programme. At this stage, there has only been a statement from the Prime Minister containing possible ideas, with no actual policy, timelines, or concrete proposals. As a result, there is no change expected in the near future and I am confident that Cambridge will provide us with any update if needed. The key for you is that we continue to offer a robust curriculum that has high academic standards and is highly regarded both in New Zealand and abroad for its ability to prepare students for future study.
At this stage, some of you will be in the final planning stage for the summer holidays. Please remember it is an expectation that all students are in school until the final lessons of the term, it is important that we maintain our focus and positive attitude until the very end; how we finish this year is how we will start next year.
While we have a short week next week, we will still be packing in plenty of activities. Waterwise will be a highlight for Year 6, alongside trips for other year groups. As we move through the term, many of our students will have opportunities to learn outside the classroom with the College trip to Space Camp at the end of the term sure to be a highlight.
While we still have plenty of time left in the term, some students will soon begin turning their thoughts to next year and what that might mean for friendships. This sort of change can be unsettling in the short-term and young people need help in finding reassurance that everything will work out. If your child needs a little extra support in this area, please reach out to their teacher who will make sure they get the support they need.
I hope you all enjoy the long weekend ahead.
Dates for your Diary
Monday 23 October
- Labour Day
Tuesday 24 October
- Year 4-5 Progression Testing
- Year 6 Waterwise - P20
- Year 2-3 Surf to School Beach Education
- North Harbour Touch Rugby Zone Day (selected students)
Wednesday 25 October
- Year 4-5 Progression Testing
- Year 6 Waterwise - P21
- Open Day - Primary
Thursday 26 October
- Year 4-5 Progression Testing
- Year 6 Waterwise - P19
- Open Day - College
- Year 3 MOTAT Trip
- Junior NASA Space Trip Meeting
Friday 27 October
- Schoolwide Non-Uniform Day
- Year 4-5 Progression Testing
- Year 6 Waterwise - SAVER
Whole school non-school uniform day
Next week, Friday 27 October, we are hosting a non-school uniform day in support of the Saving Hope Foundation. This charity is committed to rescuing, recovering, and rehoming homeless dogs, offering them a chance at a better life. Students are asked to bring along a Gold Coin donation in support of this noble cause. More information about the charity including other ways to support can be found here.
Message from the Principal of Primary
Kia ora,
It was business as usual this week in the Primary with plenty of focussed learning in classrooms. This week and next our Year 4 and 5 students are sitting their Cambridge progression test in Maths, English, and Science. For Year 4 it was the first time to take these tests and they were so excited! That was not the reaction we were expecting to be honest, but we were very glad that they were feeling confident. This kind of testing is only a small part of our assessment and most of it comes from ongoing teacher observation and class work. As students progress through the school towards their IGCSE and A level exams the balance of assessment will shift to be more exam based and so we are teaching our students to be familiar with this kind of timed testing. Above all we are very proud of our students for the way they have approached the tests, and we are looking forward to celebrating their achievements. Once we have finished marking the tests, we analyse the results to look for any patterns we need to be aware of and the implications for our teaching going forward. Not only do the children create their next steps; the teachers do too.
This week’s assemblies were run by P4 and P14 and they were wonderful. Years 0-2 are in the new theatre for most of this term as they will be rehearsing their mini show to present to families on the 14th of November. Assemblies are an opportunity to share the work that has been going on in classrooms and for children to share some of the skills they have developed outside of school. P14 has some very talented students, and we were mesmerised by performance in dance and music and a very interesting origami demonstration. Opportunities for presenting help to build confidence and this is one of the things that visitors on open days often comment on as we provide as many chances as possible for children to become more confident about their learning and to speak in front of a range of audiences.
This week has been Auckland Recycling Week and we have been continuing our journey to raise awareness of living sustainably. Each day of the week we were encouraged to think of different aspects of protecting the planet and each doing something to contribute to raising awareness of the part we can play in this. On Monday we were encouraged to only purchase what is made to be recycled, reused, or repurposed. On Tuesday to be waste free- I was amazed to learn that disposable nappies take 250 to 500 years to break down completely. On Wednesday to think about reusable items, for example when you get a coffee from a store you could take your own cup. On Thursday we were encouraged to rinse and clean items for recycling, you can leave the lids on clean jars in Auckland. Today we are reflecting on our efforts and making commitments to continue to live sustainably and on the long weekend to have a spring clean and look for items that can be reused, repaired, and recovered. Small changes to our habits can equal big benefits if we do them collectively.
Next week we have spelling assessments, Waterwise for Year 6, and everyone is back in summer uniform.
Have a fantastic long weekend, I am hoping my nerves can stand the All Blacks semi-final!
Ngā mihi, Sian
Primary News
Year 5 Robotics
Last term, the Year 5 robotic students worked hard to successfully complete two challenges. In the first challenge, they had to remove the wheels from their driving base and build legs that would transport their intelligent brick 30 cm. Students designed, trialed, modified and perfected their legs until success was guaranteed. Many designs were on display, and some proved more successful than others.
For the second challenge, students had to successfully transport their driving base around a set course. Along the way, they needed to programme their driving base to drive forward, stop at a pedestrian crossing and wait, turn corners, and finally park in a garage. This task took a great deal of concentration, modification, and collaboration. All the groups were successful, lots of fun was had.
This term, a new group of students have begun the programme and have already displayed success with building their driving base and begun programming it to complete simple tasks in Robot Trainer. They are using various sensors to programme the driving base to move and turn, detect objects, grab objects, and release them, detect colour and follow lines and patterns. Lots of new learning is happening as students begin to understand and navigate code.
Year 1 - 3 Mandarin
Mid-autumn festival (中秋节) one of the three big Chinese festival fell in the school holiday this year, that meant we were able to extend the celebration from the end of Term 3 to the first week of this term. We celebrated the festival with a variety of activities.
New Entrants and Year 1 students were treated to a range of story box performances from our Year 8 students. They retold legendary stories related to the festival with puppets in beautifully decorated boxes. We were fascinated with the stories, and we were extremely impressed with the effort and story created by our 八年级哥哥，姐姐 (Year 8 big buddies).
Year 2 students listened and learned about the Goddess on the moon, we discovered the origin of this story is remarkably similar to the Maori legend about Maui and the sun. Then we retold the story with a comic strip. That was fun trying to find the correct sentence to match each image.
In Year 3 we learned how mooncakes are made traditionally, in a factory and at home. We then looked at the different flavours and designs for mooncakes and produced our own designs reflecting our tastes and the traditional practice for mooncake designs.
P1
Last week in P1 we began our new writing mission, “The Wolf’s Tale”. Students will be learning about the two sides of the tale of Little Red Riding Hood.
This week we have been learning how to write a detailed description of a setting. First, we built the setting using lots of different materials in our classroom, making sure to include trees for the wolf to hide behind, a path for Little Red Riding Hood to walk along and Grandma’s cottage.
Next students wrote about the woodland forest, trying to include lots of adjectives as they gave details about what they might be able to see, hear and feel. Here is some of P1’s amazing writing.
The woodland has crunching leaves and birds tweeting in the trees. There was a path leading to Grandma’s cottage. – Evan
Red Riding Hood was going to her grandma’s little cottage. Red Riding Hood can feel the wind. She can feel the breeze and she can see the cute hedgehogs playing together. – Antonia
The woodland has some trees. The trees are beautiful. If you listen you can hear the birds cheep cheeping in the trees. – Ellie
You can hear the birds in the trees singing and chirping. The path is made of little grey rocks and stones. – Ella
The wind blows softly on your skin. The birds are tweeting through the air. The leaves are blowing in the sky. - Austin
P1 have also had a lot of fun exploring Grandma’s cottage in our role play area in the classroom, they have been cooking food, serving and eating it, as well as ironing clothes for Grandma. We are looking forward to continuing our mission and finding out more about Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.
Global Perspectives in P16
We have just started our new Year 5 Global Perspectives unit called ‘Will a robot do your job?’ About 24% of current jobs in the New Zealand are at high risk of computerisation by the 2030's. By the end of this Challenge, learners will develop their collaboration and communication skills by working in groups to plan and record a radio broadcast or podcast about the future role of robots in the workplace. They will find out what kind of work robots can do, and some of the advantages and disadvantages of using robots. We have been discussing what jobs we want to do when we grow up and whether or not they could eventually be replaced by a robot.
Do you think a robot will take over your job?
Serena: Firstly, I guess they can do all the math, but I want to be a designer, so I think that humans would be better at the creating/designing process. So no, I don’t think a robot will take my dream job.
April: I want to be a vet. I don’t think a robot will take my dream job because if I needed to perform an operation on an animal, a robot wouldn’t be as reliable as a human.
Lucas L: I want to be a video game designer when I’m older. I think there is a very low possibility that a robot will take my job because I like gaming and I think that I would design a better game for a child than a robot could.
Sitong: I want to be a teacher. I don’t think a robot will take my job because robots can’t do all of the things that teachers can do and they don’t know all of the answers.
Use the following website to see whether a robot could take your dream job! https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-34066941
Lunchbox Treasures
A Primary WeChat class conversation one evening spiked an idea that seems to be a nightmare for so many parents – school lunches! We don’t need a description to know what happens when we think of what to make our children for lunch each day. Our shoulders drop, we take a big sigh and some days we feel defeated. Lunch orders are the easy option, but for some parents, even that is a headache, as some children find nothing appealing in the vast array of choices. But don’t despair, there are some parents who manage this well and have a few ‘star’ ideas up their sleeves that they are willing to share. So, this week we are sharing a favourite of Gavin Huang from P4. His mum Cindy has sent through this healthy option that Gavin loves.
Crumbed Chicken Sandwich
So simple that no words are required!
If you’re looking for the ‘reusable sandwich paper’ shown, this can be purchased from various online retailers. This particular on is multipurpose, oilproof, easy to cut and best of all environmentally friendly as it’s made from eco-friendly materials.
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
College students have made the most of the blue skies and warm weather this week having some fun outside during morning teas and lunchtimes. It is lovely to see Pinehurst students spending time together and enjoying each other's company in our beautiful school grounds. With the prediction of more sunny weather to come, it is important that students remember sun safety throughout the term; hats and sunscreen are a must when students are outside during the school day.
Year 9 students have been very busy this week. Today was the last of their three Checkpoint assessments and so I am sure that they will be looking forward to having some time to relax this weekend. Once they had settled into the rhythm of examinations, year 9 coped well with the week and they have now had a proper taste of what Cambridge examinations look and feel like in the College. Some of our Year 9 students also participated in The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessment on Wednesday. TIMSS assesses mathematics and science knowledge of year 9 students in various countries around the world. It allows participating nations to monitor students’ educational achievements and how their achievement changes over time, giving authorities information about the effectiveness of their systems. Thank you to all of those students who took part in TIMSS.
During Term 4 we spend time considering transitions of our students. When students move into a new year group, there will be differences in their school day, and we work hard to ensure they are ready for any changes ahead. Year 6s moving into Year 7, Year 8s moving into Year 9 and Year 9s moving into Year 10 need support and guidance in the run up to the change. Year 6 and Year 8 students will experience the biggest changes and we have a transition day planned for them later in the term. Yesterday we held an academic mentoring session for Year 9 students focusing on how they can manage their transition into Year 10 and their first IGCSE year. There is inevitably some nervousness about subject choices, changing teachers and experiencing different make-up of classes. The POD structure lends itself to the support of Year 9 through this period since they have advice from their older peers to draw on and this was evident in our academic mentoring sessions yesterday.
Planning and preparation is underway for a series of events during Term 4. The Valedictory Dinner, and academic and sports prizegivings are important events in the school calendar. We also have the Year 12 camp during week 7, a Year 7 and 8 formal and Duke of Edinburgh expeditions towards the end of the term. Additionally, summer sports are underway with teams in tennis, girls’ touch rugby and volleyball all having started their season and competing weekly. I am looking forward to supporting our teams as the term progresses.
I hope you have a wonderful long weekend with your families.
Ngā mihi nui
Dawn
College News
Year 7 Traditional Chinese Shadow Puppet Show
Chinese shadow puppetry passes on information such as cultural history, social beliefs, oral traditions, and local customs. It spreads knowledge, promotes cultural values and entertains the community.
Last Wednesday and Friday, Year 7 Mandarin students had their first-hand experience of this traditional folk-art dating back to the Western Han Dynasty. Chinese First Language students designed and made the puppets. The puppeteers created the illusion of moving images on a translucent cloth screen which was illuminated from behind. From the shadow puppet show, Mandarin Foreign Language students learned the legends and stories from ancient China relating to the Mid-Autumn Festival. They were fascinated and amazed by the delicate puppets and puppetry skills of the fellow classmates.
We had two successful sessions of performance, and we hope one day we can perform on a bigger stage for more audience to enjoy.
Poem by Cher Yang, Year 7
Rainy Day
Pitta Patta,
Rain on the window.
Drip Drop,
Rain in the lake.
Plip plop,
Rain to a puddle.
Close my eyes then…
Lie back on the warm sand,
Feel the warming sunshine.
Stand up on your surfboard,
Feel the mild breeze.
Reach for the sun,
Go on,
It’s waiting for you at the horizon.
The picture fades and I return to my window staring at the dull day.
Preparation is the Key to Success!
Year 7 and 8 students prepare for upcoming End of Year Mathematics Examinations. Developing good study skills is great for personal growth and for future endeavours.
Zion and Peter presenting their class revision tutorial on Significant Figures.
Study buddies, Bonnie and Lucy apply themselves working through the revision booklet.
College Art Exhibition
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
Table Tennis- Australian National Championships 2023
In a remarkable display of talent and skill, Hannah L emerged as a standout athlete at the 2023 NZ Open Championships, clinching the top spot in six categories.
- Open Women's Singles
- U21 Women's Singles
- U19 Women's Singles
- U19 Girl's Teams
- A Grade Teams
- Open Mixed Doubles
She also received prestigious awards from the Auckland Table Tennis Association, including the Commute ATTA Elite Player Scholarship for the 2023 season, Auckland Player of the Year, and Auckland Junior Player of the Year (Girl).
Congratulations Hannah.
Coffee Connect
It’s nearly the end of the month which means it’s time for another Coffee Connect. Join us at this informal and relaxed gathering where you can enjoy a delicious barista coffee on us while connecting with other parents / caregivers and Pinehurst staff.
Date: Friday 27 October
Time: 8:15am – 9:15am
We look forward to seeing you there! Have a great long weekend!
Notices and Events
Volleyball for tamariki and rangatahi
Auckland Central Volleyball Club is a well established local volleyball club, serving our community for many years. We host many events throughout the year for ages 8 and up, and will be offering beach volleyball through the summer, leading to Volleyball NZ's Inter-Provincial Championships for ages U17 and U19. We’d cordially like to extend the invitation to join our programmes. This is a great way to get your pupils to develop a healthy relationship with their bodies, while being outdoors and having fun!
Some of our upcoming events:
- Indoor training for kids and teens on Sunday afternoons, click for info & tickets
- Indoor training for teens on Tuesday nights, click for info & tickets
- Indoor training for teens on Sunday nights, click for info & tickets
If you have any news or submissions you’d like considered for our newsletter, please contact news@pinehurst.school.nz
