Message from the Executive Principal

Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 下午好, 안녕하세요  

Best wishes,

Mike Waller 

Message from the Principal of College

Creative Writing Club

I AM by Ryan Muganda

I am Born from the Strength of Giants, Yet I am Delicate And Frail.
I am a Silent Witness to History, Holding Secrets Older than you can imagine
I am a silent partner in creation, the unseen force in Communication. I am the fragile link in the chain of progress, the humble servant of the mind's
A medium for the artist's hand. I can be a messenger of love, Or a bearer of Sorrowful news.
I am Everywhere and Nowhere, Essential Yet Often Overlooked. I Am The Vessel Of Human Thought.

Trapped by Maddie Soh Year 9

A trapped place, 
It could be a place you have yet to find
It could be the place you, yourself will wind,
Or it could be a place where you’ve seen its face 

A trapped place,
A place some consider the mind
The place that’s usually not kind
A place of despair, with nothing but space. 

4 walls, no escape a big, enclosed space,
A large, cold, space you designed
You don’t want to talk to anyone about where your mind aligned,
A trapped place
Somewhere some escape with grace.
 

Netball

The college netball season concluded the winter term with outstanding achievements. Our college 1 team emerged victorious in a thrilling final against Westlake Girls High School, securing 1^st place and showcasing their exceptional skills and teamwork. The victory was a fitting tribute to our five Year 13 players, who played their final season with unwavering dedication and passion. Their leadership and commitment will be deeply missed, making this win an even more memorable farewell.

Our Year 7/1 team had an amazing season coming 4^th place in Grade 1, out of 90 teams. This is the first time Pinehurst has had a team in grade 1 at Netball North Harbour so this is an incredible achievement.

Our Year 8 teams managed to make placings in their grades. Year 8/1 placed 2^nd and Year 8/2 placing 1^st. Our Year 7/2 team came second overall in their grade.

Our college netball program has experienced tremendous growth and success this season, with teams across all levels achieving remarkable results. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our dedicated coaches, whose expertise and passion have been instrumental in guiding our players to new heights. We also appreciate the unwavering support of our parents.

Year 8 Winter Ski Camp 

Year 8 students embarked on an exciting trip to Queenstown last week for a fantastic week filled with fun activities. Watch the video below to see their adventures!

Victory for Hockey Boys 1st XI

A huge congratulations to the Boys 1^st XI Hockey team who beat Kingsway 1^st XI boys Wednesday night 3-2 in the North Harbour A1 Final. The team are now champions of the Harbour A1 League which is an amazing achievement. The game was very tense with the teams being locked at 2-2 for most of the match. An exceptional goal from Blake Fitz-Gerald late in the final quarter put the Pinehurst team into the lead with 5 minutes to go. The team stuck together, defender really well and were able to hold out the outstanding Kingsway team. This was a thrilling game to watch and all team members showed pure grit, determination and sportsmanship. A huge thank you to the team’s super coach Carol James and super manager, Lila Pulsford. The team will look to continue this success at the Mayhill Cup tournament next week.

AKSS Diving Championships

Last week, we had 3 students compete in the Auckland Secondary Schools Diving Competition which was held at Westwave. Pinehurst placed fourth overall in the Schools Diving competition with a score of 559.50 points, with a team consisting of Noah Atkinson, Zara Roodt, and Zoe Atkinson. Individually, Noah placed 1st in the 14 and under boys event, Zara placed 2nd in the 14 and under girls event, and Zoe placed 4th in the 17 and over girls event. It was an awesome event with lots of fantastic young divers competing! 

NZSS Tournament Week

We would like to wish all of our Pinehurst athletes & teams the very best of luck in their respective New Zealand Secondary School Tournament next week. Our teams/athletes have been training very hard over the Winter season for their pinnacle NZSS tournament and we know that they will all do us very proud.

Please see the teams below that will be competing next week:

• Badminton Senior Boys NZSS Championships - Wellington
• Table Tennis NZSS Cup - Palmerston North
• Golf NZSS Team Finals - New Plymouth
• Climbing NZSS Cup - Mt Maunganui
• Netball Upper North Island Tournament - Waitakere
• Hockey Girls 1st XI Mary Clinton Cup - North Harbour
• Hockey Boys 1st XI Mayhill Cup - Pakuranga

Pinehurst Piano Competition

We are pleased to announce that our inaugural Pinehurst Piano Competition will be held on Tuesday 10 September at 7:00pm, in the Pinehurst School Theatre. The competition is open to all College students from Years 9 to 13 and will be judged by an independent professional musician.

The winner will receive a $100 KBB music voucher, and the runner-up will receive a $50 KBB music voucher. Students will perform a piano piece of their own choice which is no longer than 8 minutes in length.

If you are interested in applying, please complete this form by the end of next Tuesday 3 September. We will confirm your place in the competition after registrations close.

If you have any questions, please see or email Mr Ronayne hadley.ronayne@pinehurst.school.nz.

• Short Courses on Adventure Tourism Industry and Flight Attending: 1) Adventure Short Course $285+gst | 10 & 11 September | Venue: Auckland City Campus – Level 4, 9 City Road. This course is all about safety and ensuring you have excellent communications skills when discussing a briefing with your customers. Students learn about the exciting Adventure Tourism industry and participate in a full bridge climb & bungy with Auckland Bridge Climb & Bungy (AJ Hackett). 2) Flight Attending Short Course - $145+gst | 16 & 17 September | Venue: Auckland City Campus – Level 4, 9 City Road. Students will learn the role and reality of being a Cabin Crew member. Role play activities will simulate what it feels like to deliver a Safety Demonstration, In-Flight Service & manage passengers with specific needs.  Their classroom is in our Airport training Centre which has an aircraft cabin. They use real on-board equipment and walk away knowing what they need to apply for this popular aviation role. If you are interested in either of the short courses, please email lila.pulsford@pinehurst.school.nz
• Aircraft Maintenance Engineers install, maintain and repair aircraft structures, airframes and engines, and aircraft radio, avionic (electronic) and mechanical systems. Interested? Placement testing for aircraft maintenance courses are now open at www.airnzlearning.co.nz
• University of Auckland is at Pinehurst on Thursday 12 September in theatre at lunchtime to assist students with course planning
• More career events listed on Pinehurst Career Education website: Careers - Organization home (sharepoint.com)

Message from the Principal of Primary

In P5

We P5 students have had a great start to school settling into New Entrant class routines. We are becoming more familiar with all that is new to us during our daily learning, and we are enjoying making new friends!

Design Technology took us on an exciting adventure with Pirate Paddy … He was faced with the challenge of having a leaky lunchbox! Hungry seagulls, curious mermaids and treacherous storms were also a threat to the pirate’s lunch getting delivered safely! Luckily for Pirate Paddy, P5 have come up with a solution to this problem by taking up the task of designing a new lunch box!

Here are some of our design plans!....

Aside from our Maths, Phonics and Hetty’s Hat Shop Writing, we have also been learning about how to take care of ourselves during our Health unit! We have been focusing on how important sleep and regular exercise is, in helping us to stay energised and alert. We also have a better understanding of healthy food choices and how that looks on our plates!

What a difference this makes when we stretch our bodies for gymnastics during our PE sessions with Mr Taylor!!

In Global Perspectives we have been learning about seasonal weather patterns. Our dot paintings show one little leaf at different times of the year...

So with all this new energy and a love of learning, we would like you all to know we are enjoying our first term at Pinehurst. We look forward to sharing more of our adventures alongside our new friendships with you all, as we progress throughout the year!

We are P5 Learning Legends!! 

Move It! Exploring the laws of motion – The Physical World

During this interactive show, our Year 3 & 4 students learnt what Newton's three laws of motion are all about. They watched some fun demonstrations which applied the three laws of motion to fly Space Chick Steve across the school Arena! The show got our students thinking about how and why things move. Cleverly, Alan & Emily the educators introduced the concept of fair testing while exploring forces.  Students were reminded of some basic forces in our everyday lives gravity and friction and were given the opportunity to learn about the differences between mass & weight.

Only a 45-minute show which was packed with fun experiments, student participation and lots of science concepts and language.

Lego Day

Excited Lego engineers and mathematicians arrived at school on Friday ready to construct, create and develop their critical thinking skills. An exciting day was planned to develop three-dimensional thinking, problem-solving, creativity and of course, to have a lot of fun.

Our lovely Katrina Lauchlan and the Year 6 councillors put together a Lego themed photo booth for all the Primary classes to enjoy.

Years 5 and 6 were given the challenge of constructing a Lego maze and then writing the code to enable a Lego character to escape. Meanwhile, in Years 3 and 4 they could choose to build a Lego zipline that could travel a character across the classroom. Our junior engineers in Years 1-2 were very busy building Lego bridges that could hold the weight of their drink bottles.

Mr Taylor set a Lego challenge for Year 3 and 4 sport. The competitive teams lined up ready to construct an ‘Olympic Stadium’ and the results were gold medal worthy. These stadiums contained swimming pools, gymnastic arenas and track and field areas.

In Year 3 and 4 I spied ‘Stop – Go’ animation using Lego characters and scenes that they had created. There was a lot of problem-solving taking place in order for hands not to appear on screen. Year 2 students constructed a chosen scene (horse stables, castle, sports event), writing scene descriptions to match as well as providing the narrative for their characters.

Lego day was a huge success.

Final Countdown to Our Primary Production: Finding Nemo Jr.!

With the curtain set to rise next week, excitement is building as our Year 5 and 6 students make final preparations for Finding Nemo Jr. The progress made over the past weeks has been nothing short of remarkable, with our young performers showing incredible dedication and growth in their roles. The school has been buzzing with energy as students refine their singing, acting, and dancing, bringing this underwater adventure to life.

It's been truly inspiring to witness the hard work and teamwork that each child has contributed. Whether it’s mastering a challenging dance routine, delivering lines with confidence, or perfecting harmonies, every student is playing a crucial role in what promises to be an unforgettable production. The attention to detail doesn’t stop there—our students have also been deeply involved in bringing the world of Finding Nemo Jr. to life through vibrant sets, creative props, and carefully chosen costumes and makeup. They are fully embodying their characters, transforming into the beloved sea creatures and characters from the story.

As we enter this final stretch, we couldn’t be prouder of the progress our students have made. The dedication and enthusiasm they’ve shown will surely shine through when the curtains open on September 3rd, followed by a second performance on September 5th. Tickets are available now, so don’t miss your chance to see what is shaping up to be a spectacular show!

Learners in P19 Clear Goldilocks' Name!

P19 students have just completed a creative writing mission with an exciting twist: clearing Goldilocks’ name. At the start of the mission, they discovered that Goldilocks had been wrongly accused of breaking into the Three Bears' house. Determined to prove her innocence, students set out to rewrite the story.

The mission began with a news report, announcing Goldilocks' innocence. Then, each student reimagined the classic tale, offering their own version of what truly happened that day in the Bears' home. Throughout the process, students practised using structural devices like end tags and informal vocabulary to improve their writing.

After lots of hard work, the reimagined fairy tales have been published and are ready to be performed; we look forward to seeing these creative works come to life!

P11 Learning News

It has been a very busy 2 weeks in P11 as it has been all over the school. We presented assembly to Year 0-4 in the arena, and we all had an experience of speaking and presenting something. P11 decided that it really helped their confidence.

Lego day last week was so much fun especially the building challenge Mr Taylor set for us during Sport. We had to build the setting for a specified sport. Lastly, while reading Charlotte’s Web we have been exploring and researching about spiders, pigs, and other farm animals. Today we were sharing our information about spiders from a nonfiction text in a labelled diagram. As we progress through Charlotte’s Web it is getting more and more curious.

Mrs K and P11.

Awesome artwork in P16!

Our current art unit in Year 5 focuses on the human form. Artists throughout the ages and around the world have been fascinated by the human form. They continue to represent the human form in different styles and media, including drawings, paintings, photographs, video and sculpture. This unit explores the diversity and interest of the human form in its varying shapes and colours. Our first job was to understand proportions in the human form. We measured the lengths of different parts of our bodies and compared them with each other. We then looked at how we could draw a human body shape in proportion.

We discussed some of the following questions:

• Are each of the shoulders larger or smaller than the width of the face?
• Do the arms reach below the waist?
• Are the legs longer than the arms?
• Are the feet longer than the hands?
• How much longer is the whole torso than the head?

We took some photos of each other and tried to replicate the pictures of ourselves, with a focus of ensuring all our body parts were in proportion.

After, we reflected on our work and had some discussions around what went well, and what we would do differently next time.

How do you think we did?

New Zealand National Short Course Championships

Jade and Jasmine competed in the prestigious National Short Course Swimming Championships, where they both demonstrated exceptional skills and determination. Here are their results: 

Jasmine: Gold (NZ Champion) 50m, 100m, 200m Breaststroke
Silver 200m Individual Medley
Women's Open finals: 50m, 100, 200m Breaststroke and 200 IM

Jade: Gold (NZ Champion) 50m, 100m, 200m Backstroke; 50m, 100m Freestyle; 100m Individual Medley
Silver 200m Freestyle
Bronze 50m Butterfly        

AGP Ballet Finals

Annie has just completed 6 days at the AGP ballet finals in Bangkok. This competition selected 44 finalists from over 600 participants across the regional semi-finals held in Sydney, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, Mainland China, and Osaka. Annie was fortunate to be one of those selected. Even more exciting, Annie advanced through the top 10 and finally secured third place in the finals and obtained the scholarship.

Kiwi Indoor Tennis Championships

Ryann W in 7AC has just returned from the Kiwi Indoor Tennis Championships in Christchurch, which is a national level competition only for the top 16 boys in U12 in NZ.  Ryann finished 2^nd overall in the doubles tournament with his partner and impressed in the Singles. Congratulations Ryann!

World Junior Open Water Championships

Next week, Jack P will be representing New Zealand in the World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships in Italy. We would like to wish him all the best for his events which are taking place on Thursday 5 September and Saturday 7 September. This is a pinnacle event for Jack and he will be proudly wearing the New Zealand fern. We are so proud of the hard work that Jack has put into this event and we know that Jack will excel on the International Stage.