Message from the Executive Principal

Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 下午好, 안녕하세요  

Best wishes,

Mike Waller 

Message from the Principal of Primary

STEM

Term 2 STEM has been Lego-Tastic! Our big idea has been Human Impact: The positive and negative. The senior students have been focused on what we can do to move away from our linear ‘take, make, waste’ economy towards a circular economy, where we put strong emphasis on prolonging the life of ‘things’ through repair, recycling and reusing what we own. This covers everything! From food and water to electronics and furniture! We have learned we need to be careful with our belongings and donate or dispose of them responsibly once they are no longer needed.

The students have worked in small groups to create their own systems that demonstrate how an item will be repurposed from start to finish. This could be a processing plant for repairing and recycling electronics goods, to building ideas that will encourage nature regeneration in densely populated areas such as cities.

Chess Success at the 2024 Auckland girls Championships

Congratulations to Jasmin J of P10 for winning the Under 8 Girls Champion at the 2024 Auckland girls Championships.

We are all very proud of Jasmine.

Mrs K, Syndicate Leader of Year 3 and 4.

Colours of the World

P9 have been diving into the world of art, exploring and experimenting with a variety of sources from different times and cultures. Recently, we studied the works of Monet, getting inspired by his beautiful impressionist paintings. We recreated Monet's Japanese Bridge and then chose a well-known New Zealand landscape to create our own masterpieces. We also learned about Aboriginal dot painting and discovered traditional techniques and symbols.

"Monet’s art was impressionism. I liked using pastel and water colours to create Monet’s bridge." - Christine

"I liked the dot art and learning about how Aboriginal art tells a story." - Calla

"For the New Zealand landscape, I liked using dabbing and white to create clouds, lighter colours, and reflections." - Evelyn

"I liked using different techniques like dabbing and little strokes to create impressionist art." - Lucas and Stanford

Phonics in P4

This Term P4 have been working hard to learn phonics. Students have learnt lots of new sounds, and have been putting this into practice everyday. Each day we practice using Fred Talk to help break words into their individual sounds, and we use our Fred Fingers to help keep track. We write words using the sounds that we have been learning, listening carefully for the first, second and final sound in a word. Students also practice decoding words by reading each sound in the word before blending them altogether. We have been using phonics lots to help students learn to read and write

Getting Creative in Year 5!

Over the last few weeks in Year 5, we have been extremely busy in our art lessons creating these impressive masks! Our unit explores the art of different groups of people around the world. We have been investigating how the art of different cultural groups has spread globally and influenced artists, sculptors, and craftspeople in other countries. We started by asking ourselves some important questions such as:

What is art?
What is its purpose?
Why is it appreciated by different cultures around the world?

We learnt that there are various different purposes to art, and these have varied over the years. Some ideas include to record knowledge about the world and for aesthetic pleasure and decoration.

We then did some research into how local ideas have spread globally, both in the past and today, and how they influence contemporary designs and styles of art. In our mask activity, there was an emphasis on the cultural sharing of aesthetics and purpose, through exploring how styles of headwear (masks of Africa, South America and Asia) are similar in other parts of the world and other periods. We had the opportunity to use textiles to create a mask that references the influence of another culture.

Here are our finished masks! We think they’re pretty creative and hope you do too!

P16

P22 Growing Cress in Eggshells

This week, our P22 students had an exciting and fun-filled time learning about plant growth through a hands-on activity. We created "Egg Heads" by sowing cress seeds into eggshells, drawing faces on them, and eagerly anticipating the "hair" growth. The process was filled with joy and laughter as we carefully cut off the top of an egg, emptied and cleaned the shell. Then, the students drew funny and creative faces on the eggshells. They stuffed a bit of damp cotton wool or kitchen paper towel inside each shell and sprinkled some seeds on top. Finally, we placed the Egg Heads by the window where it is warm and light, checking daily to see if the seeds needed watering.

In the coming days, the students will take responsibility for watering their Egg Heads, learning the importance of moderation to avoid overwatering. Every few days, they will observe and measure their plants' growth using cube-shaped bricks, which will help them create visual bar graphs showing the stem and root lengths.

These activities will be recorded in their plant journals, allowing the young scientists to track the progress of their cress and gain a deeper understanding of what plants need to thrive. We can't wait to see the "hair" grow, cut the cress, and use it to make tasty sandwiches!

Message from the Principal of College

North Shore Regional Chess Qualifier

On Tuesday 18 June, 2 Pinehurst Intermediate teams competed in the North Shore Regional Chess Qualifier. They played 6 games across the day. There were 38 teams each consisting of 4 players.

Pinehurst students did very well. Team A came away with 2nd place and Team B came 7th. They have done amazingly well and will receive their medals at an upcoming assembly. Team A have been invited to play in the National Competition later in the year.

Design and Technology

Term 2 is the busiest term for Design and Technology. AS and A Level students are very busy making their projects, as well as Year 11. I am very pleased to see that lots of students making the most of their lunchtimes (after having food, of course) and spending it to continue their making in the workshops. Some students even stay after school to work on their projects. Currently, there is a lot of measuring, sawing, filing and sanding happening, it is quite a “buzz” in the air in the workshop. Some students are partway through assembling their project, where other students are exploring the use of the laser cutter to help them succeed and create items of high accuracy.

Gold Duke of Edinburgh Practice Journey

Last week’s Gold Duke of Edinburgh Practice Journey saw eleven Year 12 and 13 students head out to Whirinkai Forest Park for four days hiking through spectacular native New Zealand bush. Despite the glorious sunshine, cold feet and wet socks were a prominent feature of the trip with the first two days featuring more than 60 river crossings. Wednesday morning brought icy tents and very cold fingers but a leisurely morning tea break at Mangamate hut allowed everyone to warm up and dry off in the sun. The trip concluded with a successful off track navigational exercise to find the peak of a hill through some dense bush. Having completed the Practice Journey, the students can look forward to completing their Qualifier in Term 4.

Auckland Secondary Schools Gymnastics Competition

Last week, Jessica D participated in the Auckland Secondary Schools Gymnastics Competition which was held at Bruce Pulman Arena in Takanini. Jessica competed in the Rhythmic Gymnastics competition and performed exceptionally well. Jessica placed 3^rd overall in the Junior International division. We are very proud of Jessica and she should be very happy with her performance at the AKSS Competition.

Auckland Secondary Schools Orienteering Individual Championships

On Tuesday, we had 10 students that competed in the Auckland Secondary Schools Orienteering Individual Championships which was held at Woodhill Forest. This was the final orienteering competition of the Term and would see the best Orienteering athletes come together to challenge each other through a very tough course. There were two divisions at this event, with each age group able to compete in either the standard course or compete in the championship course which was a more challenging course. It was a great day for all students and a really good experience for our students to challenge themselves on a harder course. A huge congratulations to the following students that placed in the top 10 in their respective event:

A huge thank you to Mrs Rea for supporting the team at this event and to our wonderful Parents for their support on the day.

Year 7 Science Students Meteors Experiment

This week Year 7 students have shown their scientific curiosity and successfully completed an experiment that replicates the formation of craters. Using materials like corn flour, sand, and marbles, these young scientists have delved into the world of impact craters. The experiment allowed students to drop various objects into a pan filled with layered substances to observe the creation of craters. The different sizes and drop heights of the balls represented meteorites of varying masses and speeds, providing a great educational experience on the forces that shape our universe. This hands-on activity not only brought space science to life but also encouraged critical thinking and hypothesis testing among the students. 

Olympic Weight Lifting in AS PE

This week our AS PE class started a training block of Olympic Weightlifting at nearby gym - Base Strength and Conditioning. Students will develop their skills before being assessed in their technical ability in a competition setting in September. The first session included some familiarisation with the barbell as well as learning the power position and how to perform a snatch

Year 11 Volleyball Tournament

This term students in Year 11 have been developing and refining their volleyball skills. This started with them choosing a difficulty level to ensure that they were challenged and working in small groups to practise their digs, sets, spikes and serves. Each student had a different starting level and all of them made some great progress throughout the development phase. After a few weeks, the skills were developed into modified games to allow all students the chance to apply the skills in games which had different difficulty levels.

All the learning and application culminated in a tournament where everyone was mixed into different teams with full volleyball rules. Over a few lessons they took part in a round robin with finals played at the end. Well done to every team that took part and especially well done to the winning teams.

Arts and Culture Fest

Hello everyone, we are Arts Council leaders.

We just had a successful night on the 14 June holding our Arts and Cultural Fest in our school theatre. We had many fantastic performances, including K-pop dances, singing, and musical performances. 

Thank you so much to all the performers who put in effort and time to showcase their talent. We hope to see everyone back next year!! 

Please look out for photos from the festival and future Arts Council Events!!!

North Shore Mathex Competition

Four Year 7 and four Year 8 teams departed school this morning to compete in the North Shore Mathex competition. The bus was full of happy faces of excited mathematicians. Our teams represented our Pinehurst school values well and should be very proud.

Year 7 results: Pinehurst in first place! Team members were Bianca, Leo, Eddie, and Ethan.

Year 8 results: Pinehurst in second place! Team members were Oscar, Jimmy, Bosco, and Isabella.

Well done to everyone involved! More results will be published soon.

Cultural Market Day Raffle

• 4 jump tickets 
• $200 worth of goods from The Warehouse 
• $200 from Underground Surf and Skate Shop 
• Coffee gift bags from Altura that include 2 bags of coffee, a cup, a coffee brewer
• Goods from the Mad Hatter Bakery
• $25 Paint the Earth session
• 2 Seussical Tickets 

Tickets will be available at reception for parents to purchase. Students are welcome to purchase tickets either at reception, while buying stamps, or on the day of the Cultural Market. Tickets will be 1 for $3, 2 for $5 - payments will be cash only! 

Remember that the Cultural Market will be held across the gym and dance studio at lunchtime on Wednesday 26 June, and our currency for the day. Stamps will be available for you to buy during Monday lunch on the 24, and Tuesday morning tea and lunch on the 25. One stamp = one dollar: there will be no monetary transactions on the day and trading will be done with stamps only. Friendly reminder that the market day is only for our students. 

Mark your calendars and get ready to embark on a culinary journey around the world - we look forward to seeing you all there!

Seussical

This week Seussical moved into the theatre gearing up for show week in just under two weeks! This week was a little different from our usual rehearsal schedule. We were busy light plotting and experimenting with projections to make our show as visually exciting as its source material. Light plotting is a long and tiring process, but the cast showed so much patience and grace that it made the whole thing go much smoother. To see this amazing mahi in person, click below to buy your tickets before the show kicks off in week 10!

Kia ora Parents,

• If your Year 13 student is planning on applying to accommodation for an NZ university, please consider booking an accommodation tour – there are so many different accommodation options at each university, so it is great to be there in person to get a sense of how they look and feel. Contact the universities directly to arrange this. All students applying for accommodation at an NZ university also need to complete a CCRF: ccrf.ac.nz/Account/Login.cshtml

• If Australia is their destination of choice, remember to apply for accommodation as well as applying for the university course. It is good to apply for both at the same time because if you wait until you have a guaranteed offer of a place at the university you may end up with nowhere to live. Big universities have high competition for accommodation whereas smaller universities have guaranteed accommodation.

• There are constantly superb career events on offer – please encourage your young person to attend a many as possible – ultimately, the more options they explore, the more effective their career decisions will be. Upcoming events are always listed on the Pinehurst Career Education website: Careers - Organization home (sharepoint.com)

Kauri House Captains

Hey everyone! We’re Alex and Jasmine, your Kauri House Captains, and we’re beyond excited to lead such an awesome group! We've been bursting with pride seeing all the dedication, enthusiasm, and hard work from our house members this year. Watching everyone come together and give their all in every activity and competition has been inspiring.

Braeden Wins Bronze at 2024 WTNZ Taekwondo Open Championships

Braeden (Year 4) has been training exceptionally hard and was awarded a bronze medal at the 2024 WTNZ Taekwondo Open Championships, for sparring in his weight category.

P13 are extremely proud of the dedication and commitment that Braeden demonstrated for this achievement. Well done Braeden!

Badminton – 2024 Waikato U15 Open & Hutt Valley U15 Open

Anna L has been very busy as of late with badminton competitions as she recently attended the 2024 Waikato U15 Open which was held in Hamilton and the Hutt Valley U15 Open which was held in Wellington.

Anna was competing against the best players from around the Auckland, Waikato and Wellington region.

Auckland Schools Youth Mental Health Seminar Day

Date: Saturday 22 of June from 9:00am - 11:00am at Kristin School.

A student-led organisation - the Auckland Schools Kōwhai Project - is hosting the Auckland Schools Youth Mental Health Seminar Day!

This is a fantastic opportunity to listen to a wide range of professionals and experts in the mental health sector speak about some of the latest issues concerning our country. Furthermore, we have students from Auckland’s biggest schools (including Westlake, Rangitoto, ACG and Pinehurst) all attending.

P.S – Auckland Schools Kōwhai Project runs Pinehurst’s very own Kōwhai Mental Health Club every Tuesday lunch in 511 😊

We hope to see you all there!!