Message from the Executive Principal
Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 你好, 안녕하세요 Ngā mihi o Matariki, te tau hou Māori! An early newsletter this week as we celebrate Matariki with a public holiday for the very first time. It’s a special day for New Zealand, I think, and especially good to celebrate in the depths of winter. It’s only been a few weeks since the Queen’s Birthday weekend, but it seems a season ago, the jagged edge of southern winds this week adding a bite to our mornings. Even my perpetually haughty cat has been driven inside, demanding cuddles and a warm lap. A favour to me, of course and not at all because he wants heat. I should be
grateful to him, he wishes me to understand. It's Auckland, though, so expect to work through the rest of the seasons in the next few days. As if to emphasise this, some of our best golfers (a summer sport, I used to think, though anyone who has experienced “summer” weather on a Scottish links course will be laughing hollowly at that description) have this week been taking part in the annual Auckland Stroke Play Championships. Huge congratulations to Yeonsoo Son, who won the Girls’ tournament, the third year in a row that a Pinehurst student has won the title, following Nicole Choi’s two wins in 2020 and 2021. Towa Usui came third in the Boys’ tournament, and in the girls’ “Nett” competition, which takes handicaps into account, Milly Ma came first, with Grace Kim second. Towa is in Year 13,
Yeonsoo is in Year 12, Nicole is in Year 11, Milly in in Year 10, and Grace is in Year 9. There are a host of other great golfers in the school too, and I can’t wait to see how our reputation continues to develop over the coming years. I’m so proud of all of them. As I am of so many of our young people. School has this week been a busy delight. On Monday, Primary teachers created Matariki activities for our smaller children to enjoy, and one of my week’s highlights was seeing excited Year 1 students show me their Matariki stars. One P5 girl, on Tuesday morning, wanted to show me the way the early morning light came in through the window, through the translucent stars the children had created, casting a rainbow against a wall inside. A lovely moment. Thank you to the Primary
parents who have attended the Parent Teacher conferences this week: as I write, around half of you have still to see your children’s teachers, but we’re delighted that nearly everyone has booked an appointment this time, and I hope you found the meetings useful. I know our teachers enjoy the conferences and find them really useful in supporting their relationships with the children. The College reports should be with parents on Tuesday next week. We’re also delighted to welcome Melanie Puckett, our new Year 1-8 Sports Co-ordinator, to Pinehurst School. Today is Mel’s third day at the school, having joined us from a similar position for a school in Christchurch. She was the outstanding candidate when we interviewed, and we know she will do a fabulous job for us. So if you have any questions regarding sports in Year 1
to 8, please just drop her a line at Melanie.puckett@pinehurst.school.nz. Have a lovely long weekend and see you on Monday! 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 June 27th - Performance Showcase (Selected Students)
Tuesday June 28th - Year 6 Super Cluster Football (Selected Students)
Wednesday June 29th Thursday June 30th - Year 7-8 NH Zone Day Waterpolo (selected students)
Friday July 1st - New Entrants Orientation
- TERM 2 ENDS
Message from the Principal of PrimaryKia ora, The winter solstice and shortest day of the year was also one of the coldest so far and everyone seemed to be moving just a little bit more quickly into school in the morning. My cat seems to be glued to a space in the dining room where the warm air from the heating ruffles her fur and although it is cold, I am grateful not to have to scrape the ice from the inside of my car like I did as a student in England. Happy days! The cold didn't stop our Year 6 team winning their netball tournament on Wednesday though, we
knew they were in with a chance, and they didn't disappoint. We took two teams of Year 5 and 6 girls and whilst our first team brought home the trophy, our second team only just missed winning the grade on number of goals scored. Their last game was won in extra time. The girls not only brought their amazing skills but also fantastic sportsmanship and teamwork. On Tuesday we had our first full Primary assembly in a very long time. It was wonderful to see all of our Primary students together in the Arena, excited to attend the Matariki assembly. The kapa haka group has grown over the last year and their performance skills show how much confidence they have gained as a group. There were songs to sing, stories about the seven stars of Matariki and P11 created a wonderful drama to illustrate the Matariki story. Our students made an
attentive audience and enjoyed the opportunity to meet as a Primary school. Sheldon and Jennifer from Year 2 and 3 were perfect at leading the assembly and their pronunciation was impressive. Matariki Monday was a day for art, technology, and creativity as well as a fair amount of maths when making stars and writing about the stories connected to Matariki. In the Rainbow Reading room, there were even stars that twinkled on the ceiling as part of the star walk around the Primary in the afternoon. Angles were being measured to follow instructions and create origami stars on a large scale as well as weaving, kowhaiwhai patterns and art based around the night sky. In every class we went to students were immersed in star themed activities and hard at work developing a greater understanding of the upcoming celebration of
Matariki. It was good to see so many parents attending conferences this week and working together with us to support the best educational outcomes for our students. The feeling around school and in feedback from teachers was very positive and we feel very privileged to work in such a supportive community. Today we welcomed our newest members of the Primary for their first visit, our Term 3 new entrants and their teacher Leah Taylor who joins us originally from the U.K. and more recently from Stanley Bay school in Devonport. They had a wonderful morning and we are looking forward to seeing them again next week. Also joining us this week is our new Sports Administrator for Years 1-8, Melanie Puckett. Melanie takes over from Kelly Lindsay and we are really excited to have her as part of the team as she organises all of our Primary sports
and registrations. Enjoy the public holiday and I hope you have a chance to relax with the family over the long weekend. Noho ora mai, Sian
Matariki is a special occasion in the New Zealand calendar which marks the start of the Māori New Year. Signified by the Matariki cluster of stars reappearing in our night sky, this is a time to reflect on the past year, celebrate the present, and plan for the year ahead. On Monday the Primary celebrated Matariki with a range of different activities, ranging from sharing traditional Maori myths and legends, to maths challenges, visual art and science. These activities provided the opportunity to discover and celebrate the New Maori Lunar Year and to develop a greater understanding of our natural world.
We started the day with a ‘Wonder Wall’ where the class were asked to record what they knew about Matariki. As the day progressed our knowledge and understanding of the significance of Matariki developed. In P19 the students were challenged to ask a question about Matariki and then choose one of these questions off the wonder wall to research and provide the answer for.
An important part of Matariki is our ‘Whakapapa.’ Whakapapa means genealogy in Te Reo, Maori. It is a core principle of Maori culture as it shows one’s identity and whanau (family) relationships. In English, Whakakpapa translates to ‘place in layers’ or ‘create a foundation.’ It is our personal history that allows us to create links with one another by understanding who and where we came from.
At the end of the busy day, we all went for a walk around the school, visiting each classroom along the way, to admire their Matariki creations.
Matariki Kite Flying with P2!
Additional Language LearningThis week in Additional Language Learning, we have been looking at the theme of Matariki. We made nine pointed stars and discussed what Matariki means to us. We also linked the Matariki celebration to other celebrations from our own cultures. Some of the post beginner groups have been looking at the subject-verb agreement and writing sentences about each other. Some groups have been doing the present continuous tense and using this correctly. While other groups have been looking at the past perfect tense and using this to describe different events. Then one of the ALL groups have been differentiating between the two tenses and completing some fantastic
writing that shows the difference in use.
P4 Bean Seeds & Matariki Monday
In science we have been talking about living and non-living things. We’ve also been discussing the life cycle of a plant and what plants need to survive. As a follow up to our discussion, we decided to grow our own beans seeds. We wrote our names on a baggie and put our seed inside with a wet paper towel. Mrs. McCulloch hung them on the window so we can watch them every day. We are waiting to see if there is any germination happening. It should take about 1-2 weeks before we see any types of roots pop out of the seed shell! We will be observing everyday to see if our seed has changed.
This week we had Matariki day in primary. Storm went home and told her Mum it was the best day at school ever! We had the most wonderful Matariki activities to do for the day. We started with a sun catcher to hang in the window, followed by a paper lantern to take home and hang up for the holiday on Friday. All the children brought in pictures of their family, and we got to see everyone’s Mum, Dad, brothers, sisters and more. It was interesting to see everyone‘s family and what they like to do together on the weekends and holidays. Matariki is a time to celebrate together with everyone you love and P4 did just that with all of our fun activities on Monday.
A Week in P10No fun like Matariki fun! “The most fun day ever!” The whole day this Monday we celebrated Matariki. P10 learners’ eyes popped wide open when they saw the timetable in the morning and particularly the “Matariki Tumble”. We integrated Maths, English Language, Global Perspective and Computer Science into our learning. We made origami stars by folding squares symmetrically and assembling spikes using our fraction knowledge. Students used the skills learned in Computer Science and Global Perspective to conduct independent
research.
In Art, we finally reached the climax of our study on Monet…we get to create our own waterlily piece! Using only three or four basic colours, the impressionists created their masterpieces by blending tirelessly and splodging spontaneously. “Wow!” “So beautiful!” “The best painting ever!” Words of admiration for their own work floated around in the room that was filled with peaceful background music.
What’s going on in P15?!As we edge closer to the end of what has been a very exciting term, we have been as busy as ever in P15… On Monday, we had our Matariki Monday in the Primary School! Matariki is the time of year when a bright star cluster appears very close to the constellation known as Taurus the Bull (above his shoulder!). This signals the beginning of the Maori new year. We used a range of craft materials to construct our very own stars of Matariki, which we then displayed in our windows for everyone to enjoy. Matariki is a time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. It is also a time to think about
the things for which we are grateful, like our family and friends. We brought in photographs of our families and created our very own Toku Whakapapa (Family Tree). The class thoroughly enjoyed sharing information about their whanau. In Global Perspectives, we continued to look at resources that are both renewable and non-renewable. Students have been writing reflections using sound expression of opinions with supporting evidence. Their writing includes: Who would be affected if the chosen resource ran out? How would they be affected? It also describes a world without the chosen resource and offers an alternative version of the future. This week, we had a follow-up visit with Jamie from Junk2Go for students to learn more about reducing, reusing, recycling and rethinking. Students did a fabulous job placing objects on the waste hierarchy
and thinking about different purposes for the materials.
MandarinYear 4 MFL students have been learning names for snack foods and we’ve been having fun taking the characters apart and put them back together. We have also been making up some interesting food with the different names and words - like 糖果冰淇淋 (candy ice cream) and 巧克力面包 (chocolate bread). For CFL students, we are learning to read and write the characters for snack food. After reading the story of Hana’s Favourite Birthday Food, we made a shopping list for mum to get the snack food needed for Hana’s birthday party. In Year 5 and 6, we are
practicing our reading and writing skills through sentence arrangement. It is so much fun cutting up sentences and pasting them into the correct order. Linking words, punctuations, and key words have helped us identify the logic within the text. We also need to fill in the blanks with the correct characters to complete the whole text, where we use Pinyin and radicals to help solve the puzzle! For the mixed group, we learned how to say the names of various hobbies and sports. As a continuation from what we learned last term, many of us still remember the sentence starters to say what we like and what we don’t like and applied them when saying what hobbies and sports we like and dislikes. Some of us are being very creative and turned the sentences into a rap!
Term 2 2022 Music Years 4-6Year 4 This term year 4 has been focusing on the power of rhythm. Continuing from last term’s bucket drumming, they have explored note duration and using symbols to represent the length of a note and can notate the rhythm of a song or rhyme. Students have also composed their own rhythms using their knowledge of symbols and music notation. Our other focus has been singing in a round which is a great introduction to musical harmony. Students have sung several songs in unison and as a round and worked hard on holding their part of the melody.
Year 5 It has been a busy term in music for years 5 and 6. Both year levels are preparing for the upcoming production of Madagascar as well as learning songs from the New Zealand Ukulele Trust for an upcoming local jam later in the year. The date of this is to be confirmed. In addition to this, Year 5 have been exploring the elements of pop songs. Students have practiced a variety of rhythms used in this genre, particularly the ‘back beat’ and how to play this on a traditional drum kit. They then used a graphic score to compose their own drum rhythms for their pop song. They are now hard at work on their chord progressions and melody for their pop song.
Year 6 It’s all about world music this term in Year 6. Students have used classroom percussion instruments to recreate rhythms from around the world including Tumbao (Afro-Cuban), Reggae (Jamaican), as well as some western rhythms like Disco and the Back Beat. We have learned about what a ‘hit’ section is and some brave students have even had a go at drum solos on their percussion instruments. Still to go is Bhangra, a groove from North-Western India which is an important part of Punjabi/Sikh culture.
Message from the Principal of College
Kia ora e te whānau o Pinehurst School On Friday, we were granted our wish and the rain stayed away which meant that we could hold the POD Challenge. This was a great afternoon and just what our older students needed after their midyear examinations. There was lots of fun and laughter along with some very healthy competition as POD members got to know each other better, including one POD discovering a master Jenga player. The best dressed POD, TBW, had produced an Alice and Wonderland theme, narrowly beating MCD who had opted for a party theme. The victors of the whole challenge, for the second year running, were KPL under the leadership of Mr Le Lievre. All of our POD groups displayed wonderful teamwork and support of each other. There was an air of excitement around the College on Monday as the cast and crew of Annie were wearing their promotional hoodies to advertise ticket sales of our school production. The show runs from 28 to 30 July so don’t forget to get your tickets soon. We have had some excellent sports results recently. Amongst these Yeonsoo Son, Towa Usui, Millie Ma and Grace Kim all had very successful days at the Golf tournament and our Boys’ Hockey Team beat Westlake Boys 4-2 yesterday evening. I enjoyed watching the hockey, our boys played really well. In honoring Matariki this week, a group met together before dawn on what was a very cold Thursday morning. In celebration of the first public holiday dedicated to Matariki, one student leader from
each of the Houses planted a tree on our grounds. We now have an additional Kauri, Mataī, Tōtara and Rimu tree which will help to remind us of the special nature of our home. An additional part of the celebrations will include our first Matariki assembly this afternoon which incorporates a performance of the song “Pepeha” by our Kapa Haka led by Mrs Thomson. We will then be treated to a talk “Matariki Stars” from our Head of Science, Mr Chris Stafford, and Natalie Raphael will talk to us about the significance to Māori of Matariki in relation to harvest. As the cluster of stars which is Matariki rises just before dawn in the winter months, it is a poignant reminder to us all that we belong together as one nation. As we approach the last week of Term 2, and my first term as College Principal
at Pinehurst, there is still much to look forward to. We have a Performance Showcase on Monday, a zone day and of course the School Ball on Saturday 2 July. Enjoy the Matariki weekend. Matariki hunga, Matariki ahunga nui Matariki for all, Matariki brings us together Ngā mihi nui Dawn
Matariki Dawn Planting Service
In the early hours of a very brisk morning, a group of brave students and staff met together to honor a very special holiday in the New Zealand calendar. In celebration of the first public holiday dedicated to Matariki, one student leader from each of the school houses planted a tree on our grounds. Pinehurst are now proud owners of a new Kauri, Mataī, Tōtara and Rimu tree which will grow and thrive for many years to come. A beautiful morning service. Big thanks to all involved!
POD ChallengesEach POD went head to head last Friday, battling their creativity, design skills, physical agility, teamwork & wit for the annual POD Challenge competition. This event is a key part of our student leadership programme, completely run by our POD Mentor student leaders. The photos say it all… the students had a blast, a welcome, albeit brief, break to academia. The winning POD was KPL with 27 points, for the second year running, followed closely in second place with TMB on 25 points, & in third RTQ on 24 points. Best dressed POD was TBW, led by the Queen of Hearts herself, Mrs West. Well done to all PODs &
a special thank you to all POD Mentors for running another successful college event.
Y9 Global Citizenship:Our Y9 students have been learning about cross cultural communication in Global Citizenship. We live, learn & work in an increasingly global connected world. Building global connections is essential – used to help us nurture an understanding & appreciation of diversity, inclusion & cultural responsiveness. All well & good, but definitely not as easy as it sounds. It’s a challenge to understand how to communicate effectively with individuals who speak another language, or who rely on different means to reach a common goal. Our Y9 Global classes have experienced this through a
simulation game called Barnga. Four tables, four sets of cards, four subtle changes in the rules which each group of students were oblivious to & zero talking or written communication, created the perfect storm for students to experience the trials & tribulations of cross cultural communication. The debrief that followed focused on real-life examples where such encounters could take place & how these situations could be managed to gain a favorable experience
MathexThe Year 7 students in Mrs Bayliss' class and Mrs Perrin/Mr Dawson's class had lots of fun last week having a mock Mathex competition which was enjoyed by all that took part. The selected Year 7 Mathex teams competed at the North Shore competition last Thursday. Team 1 received 80/100 points, Team 2 received 95/100 points (coming in 13th place overall), Team 3 received 100 points (coming in 8th place overall), and Team 4 received 65/100 points. They all had a great time and should be proud of their
efforts. We also had two reserves for the competition who I would like to thank for coming and supporting all of the teams on the day.
Library Matariki The library continues to display it's growing Matariki book selection! Our library volunteers from Year 7 and 8 assisted our primary students to create these lovely little origami stars to fill our jar.
Year 10 Art & Design Year 10 Art & Design students have recently finished their first colour pencil drawings, demonstrating their ability to layer colours and build depth in their drawing by exaggerating realistic colours. Choosing an orange as their subject matter, students photographed their subjects trying from interesting perspectives. As you can see, each drawing captures the form and texture of an orange and its peel in a fantastic way.
Drama, Year 10-13 Drama students have been diligently preparing for their end of term performances, with students in year 10- 13 placing the final touches on their devised scenes. Year 10 students have been creating a piece of theatre about the Jabberwocky, IGCSE about Greed and AS level about the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. In all cases, these students have been thinking about how to utilise Drama Conventions and Techniques to create a visually interesting piece that enraptures the interest of their audience. We've currently been exploring in year 10/11 how to utilise the Theatre lights in C1 to add to their scenes. Students in Year 7 have been discussing the impact of universal language and mime in order to communicate a non-verbal scene to their audience. Students have been utilising Basal Masks as a tool to help them in this. Year 8's have been learning about Physical Theatre and how to incorporate meaningful movement into their devised scenes to help in the storytelling element. They have been exploring Matariki and other cultures New Year's Eve stories as a basis for their scenes.
Our Year 9 cohort have been looking at how to bring a script to life. Looking at newly written Marvel Scripts, as well as a staged adaption of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Students have been developing a sense of character and how to communicate their characters relationship and intent to their audience.
Year 7 Matariki Shapes The Year 7 students have been practicing making 3D shapes while incorporating Matariki, the Maori New Year. They created lanterns from the net of a cube and decorated the sides with cut outs of their choosing. They put an LED light inside to create the lantern and these were displayed at assembly. There were many beautiful creations. Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea
Orienteering NZSS Team SelectionCongratulations to Charlotte Spence who has been selected in the NZ Secondary Schools Representative team to compete in the Southern Cross Challenge at the Australian Schools Championships in September.
Wellington Year 12/13 Commerce Trip Snapshots!
ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE SHOWCASE
Wednesday 3rd August 6pm in the Arena
The Pinehurst Music Department are hosting this performance to showcase the ensembles from Primary and College. These ensembles are the College Orchestra, Junior Orchestra, Choirs, Jazz Band, Harp Ensemble, Woodwind Ensemble, Marimba Group, and the two Chamber Groups Medailles Triumphs and Gassenhauer Trio that competed at the New Zealand Chamber Contest this year. This is a showcase that you do not want to miss, so come along and hear the wonderful music groups at Pinehurst!
College ProductionTickets for Annie are now on sale!! Please follow this link to book your tickets. Centre Stage Theatre, Orewa 27-29 July 7pm Tickets $25 Adult,
$20 Student/Senior Booking via Centrestage Box Office 09 4267282 or www.centrestagetheatre.co.nz or in person 60 Centreway Road, Orewa Credit Card Charges Apply
Destination: New York City!Jiazhou Conroy Hu, one of the chamber coaches for Medailles Triumph and Gassenhauer trio and Performing Arts Manager Hae Jean Byun’s friend, recently got accepted into Mannes School of Music in New York City. He will be starting his Masters of Music in Piano in August this year. Before he departs, Conroy has put together a programme with his friends to present to us all. The programme features cornerstones of piano repertoire, from composers such as Franck and Liszt. All the proceeds of this concert will go towards funding Conroy's studies at Mannes School of Music. If you wish to help,
please consider donating to his givealittle page as well. Eventbrite (also includes the link to the givealittle page): https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/destination-new-york-city-tickets-360526152427 Givealittle page: Help Conroy's Piano studies in New York City! - Givealittle
|