Dear Parents/Guardians,

We have had a great week at school, with plenty of activity across all areas of school life. From outstanding performances in the pool by Year 7 and 8 students, to focused and purposeful learning in the classroom, the strength of our holistic education has been on full display. 

Conscious Kids led our NE–Year 2 students through explorative play on Thursday, and the creativity on show was remarkable. From enormous marble runs to improvised go-karts and bush shelters, the students’ ability to turn ‘junk’ into meaningful activity was impressive. At the other end of the school, the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh trip went very well. While there was no surf, there was still plenty of fun and many great memories made. 

On Tuesday, I was pleased to present our Primary student leaders with their badges in assembly. These roles are important, as they help set the tone for all Primary students, and role modelling is one of the ways a culture of care and support is built. I also reminded students that real leadership is having the courage to make the right decision, and that we all have the capacity to lead when faced with difficult choices. 

Next week will be another busy one with sports events, highlighted by the Year 5 and 6 Swim Sports at AUT and the College event at Northern Arena. Given the quality of our athletes, we can expect some excellent racing. Just as importantly, we look forward to high levels of participation as students collect points towards the House Trophy. 

Preparation for winter sports is already well underway, with plenty of early morning training sessions taking place. As in life, it is the groundwork done early that sets the foundation for long-term success. While we may occasionally be beaten by a more talented team, we must always win the battle of hard work, determination, and resilience. I am confident we will see those qualities on display throughout the year. 

It was lovely to see many of you at Coffee Connect this morning. The opportunity to come together and chat over a hot drink plays an important role in building community, and I encourage you to join us at the next one toward the end of March. I am also looking forward to next Thursday evening, when we host a welcome event for new parents to Pinehurst. These occasions provide a valuable opportunity to connect with others in a similar stage of their journey, and it is always encouraging to see the friendships that grow from our shared commitment to the school. 

Please remember that we are always here to support you as parents. Raising young people is both rewarding and challenging, and we are always happy to share guidance drawn from our professional experience. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. 

Regards,
Mike Waller

🗓️ Dates for your Diary

Monday 2 February

• Primary Respect Week (All week)

Tuesday 3 February

• Hockey 1st XI Girls & Boys Team Trials, 7.15-8.30am

Wednesday 4 February

• AKSS Tennis Champion of Champions Tournament, 9.00am - 3.00pm (Wed-Fri)
• Year 7-8 Immunisations, Round 1 (Dance Studio)
• Year 8-13 Korea Trip Parents Information Evening, 6.00 - 7.30pm (Theatre)

Thursday 5 February

• AKSS Orienteering Sprint Series 3 (Takapuna Grammar)
• Year 9-13 Interhouse Swimming Sports (Northern Arena)
• Year 5-6 Interhouse Swimming (AUT Millenium)
• New Parent Wine and Canapes, 6.00 - 8.00pm (Theatre)

Primary News

Kia ora,

This week we celebrated our Leadership Assembly on Tuesday, where students in Years 3–6 proudly received their badges for councillor roles, House Captains, Peer Mediators, Librarians, Arts Leaders and iLeads. It was a wonderful moment to acknowledge our emerging leaders and the opportunities ahead for them to develop and shine. Our four Head Councillors, Quinn, Chloe Z, Brennan, and Emily, each spoke confidently about their goals for the year and reflected on how older students once inspired them through their strong role modelling.

On Thursday, our Year 0–2 students had a fantastic time on the playing fields when Conscious Kids brought a wide range of loose parts to explore. There was so much creativity, teamwork, and of course, plenty of fun.

Dates for next week:

• Thursday 5 March: Year 5 & 6 Interhouse Swimming, Millennium Centre
• Thursday 5 March: New Parent Wine and Canapés, 6.000pm, Theatre

Ngā mihi nui,
Sian Coxon

🎓 Primary Upcoming Events

🙏 Respect Week in Primary

Next week, our Primary school will join together in a collective focus on Respect, embracing the core principle of Manaakitanga - showing care, kindness, and respect within our school community.

Throughout the term, classes have been participating in weekly Respect Challenges, each designed to strengthen positive interactions and support students in developing respectful habits. During Respect Week, Health lessons across all year levels will explore key aspects of respect, including how we show respect for ourselves and for others in everyday situations. As a shared celebration of our learning, each class will contribute their reflections and commitments to our whole-school Respect Tree, symbolising our united effort to grow a culture of care and mutual respect.

🏊‍♀️ Years 5 & 6 Interhouse Swimming

Who: Year 5–6 students
When: Thursday 5 March
Where: AUT Millennium

Our Year 5–6 students are making a splash next week as they head off to compete in the annual Interhouse Swimming Competition — a fantastic day of house spirit, teamwork and friendly rivalry in the pool. Students will travel by bus, departing school at 8.45am, and will return by 2.45pm. We’re looking forward to a high-energy day in the water and plenty of house pride on display!

What to bring:
• House cap (compulsory - available from the Uniform Shop)
• Togs & Towel
• PE shorts and shirt
• Goggles (if required)
• Water bottle + Food for the day (no food can be purchased onsite)

📝 IXL Supporting Year 7 English

Our Year 7 to 9 students are all signed up to IXL – an online learning platform that assists students with writing, reading and grammar skills. Students are assigned activities to do for homework that align with what they are studying in class.  They are able to practise at lower levels if they are finding some skills difficult to grasp, or may extend themselves if they find it too easy.  Our Year 7 students have been doing work on the different parts of speech.  They have been practising exercises on nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives. They will be tested on these in Week 6 on Wednesday and it will count towards their term grade. 

College News

Tēnā koutou katoa,

Our Year 7 and 8 Swimming Sports was a fantastic occasion filled with enthusiasm, determination, and an impressive display of House spirit. It was wonderful to see students cheering one another on and giving their very best on the day. The excitement continues next Thursday when interested students from Years 9 to 13 take to the water to compete for valuable House points. We look forward to another spirited and competitive day at the Northern Arena in Silverdale.

Winter sports team preparations are now well underway for most sports, with many teams already busy training. It is encouraging to see such strong commitment from our students as they build skills ahead of the season.

Rehearsals have also begun for our College musical, Anastasia. It has been wonderful to hear the sound of passionate singing drifting from the music room, and the cast and crew are already working hard to bring this production to life. We eagerly anticipate the performances at the end of Term 2.

A reminder that next Thursday, 5 March, we will be hosting our New Parent Wine and Canapés evening in the Theatre foyer from 6.00pm.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Ngā mihi nui,
Dawn Sullivan

🎓 College Upcoming Events

🏥 UCAT Registrations Opening Soon...

If your teen is interested in a Bachelor of Arts, you may wonder about future employment options. Recent research suggests that as routine tasks become more automated, the value of skills that AI cannot replace rises. These include critical thinking, interpretation, ethical judgement and contextual analysis (Bouchrika, 2026). As AI increasingly draws on vast cultural datasets, organisations will need people who understand culture, history, symbolism and the human meaning behind the data (Legatt, 2025). Specific job titles available to BA graduates: Policy Analyst | Data Conversion Specialist | Content Strategist | UX Researcher | Cultural Analyst | Ethics & Compliance Advisor | + many more

There are several upcoming events and registration links, including UCAT, GirlBoss Edge and the University of Auckland overview presentation all happening next week. Details and registration links are available on the Pinehurst Career Education website.

Community News

⛑️ Changes to School-Based Immunisations from 2026

From 2026, our school will follow Health New Zealand’s nationally consistent immunisation delivery model. This means Year 7 students will be offered both the Tdap (Boostrix) and HPV vaccines together at school. 2026 will be a transition year.

• Year 7 students will be offered Diphtheria, Tetanus and Whooping Cough (Boostrix) and HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccinations.
• Year 8 students will be offered the HPV vaccination.

From 2027 onwards, Year 7 students will receive both vaccines, and any Year 8 students who missed out in Year 7 will have another opportunity to receive them.

Students will be bringing home immunisation information and consent forms. Please return the signed consent forms to school by Wednesday next week. Participation remains optional, and parents and caregivers decide whether their child receives immunisations at school or at their General Practitioner. We do require that all parents complete the forms.

Immunisation dates for our school:

• Year 7: 04/03/2026 and 12/08/2026
• Year 8 (HPV only): 04/03/2026 and 12/08/2026

This model reduces disruption to learning, decreases follow-up for school staff, and provides more opportunities for students to catch up if they miss a scheduled vaccination day.