Message from the Executive Principal

Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 下午好, 안녕하세요 

As we feel the drive to the end of the term, I have made a point when talking to students to remind them to pause and enjoy the moment. Too often we wish time away and it is important to stop and find the joy, knowing that it is the journey rather than an end point where we find our greatest happiness.

If you go down in the woods today… you’ll find a great teddy bears’ picnic! Our primary students enjoyed bringing their very special friends into school for lunch today and our Year 6 students did so well planning a range of activities from a teddy bears’ disco to a soft toy hospital. The smiles on all of the faces highlighted what a special day we had and I enjoyed being introduced to all of the animals throughout lunchtime.

Tuesday saw our NE-Year 2 students take to the stage to showcase their talent in two sold-out shows. The preparation and effort (as well as practice at home) were evident as the students were thrilled to perform, with all of the acts focused on a theme of ocean sustainability. My thanks go out to all of the staff involved, getting more than 150 students on stage is an impressive effort!

On Wednesday, we had a wonderful Valedictory dinner to celebrate our Year 13 graduating class. It is a very special occasion as it represents the last time that group of students will be together before they move on to the next stage of their lives. It was made all the more special to have Sherida Penman-Walters (Founding Principal) in attendance for a special presentation to those who have spent their entire school journey at Pinehurst. There were a few tears throughout the night as stories were shared and memories made that will last a lifetime.

This morning we had a police officer on-site during drop-off, checking for the use of seatbelts and child restraints. While the visit was unexpected, I am certainly supportive of the work the police do in looking to protect the safety of our community. While I anticipate further visits in the near future, we should not have to wait to be told what to do when it comes to the safety of our children, it is something we need to be proactive about.

As you are aware, our hamper drive this year is to support aged care facilities in our local area. The reason we chose this is because many of the residents in these homes receive very few visitors and often see no one on Christmas Day. Our goal is to make these people feel some joy on Christmas, knowing that they are not alone. I ask that you please give generously so that we are able to share the Christmas spirit.

To our families that have celebrated Diwali over the last week, I hope you have enjoyed the festivities and I wish light and love to you and your family.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Best wishes,

Mike Waller

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Dates for your Diary

Monday 20 November

Road Patrol Rainbows End Trip
Year 12, Great Barrier Camp

Tuesday 21 November

Year 3 - Police Visit (P9)
Year 1-6 Primary Sports Prizegiving
Year 7-8 Sports Prizegiving
Year 2-3 Transition Meeting
Year 4-5 Transition Meeting
Year 12 Great Barrier Camp

Wednesday 22 November

Years 7-8 Middle School Ethics
Year 6 Waterwise (P21)
Open Day – Primary
Year 3 Police Visit (P10)
Year 3 Police Visit (P11)
Year 12 Great Barrier Camp

Thursday 23 November

Parent Helper Christmas Hamper Wrapping
Open Day – College
Year 12 Great Barrier Camp
Year 6 Waterwise – Saver Day

Friday 24 November

Coffee Connect
New Entrant Parent Induction
Primary PREP Market Day
Years 5-6 Social
Year 12 Great Barrier Camp
New Entrant Orientation (First Visit)

SEE MORE DATES

Message from the Principal of Primary

Kia ora,

As I write, P19 are currently enjoying a day on the water at Murrays Bay in their second session of the year, participating in the Waterwise programme. After many cancellations due to the weather, it is finally good to be able to get them out learning to sail an Optimist. There is kayaking and beach activities too and the chance to learn in a totally different environment. Our students are so lucky to have so many opportunities to learn outdoors.

This week it was finally time to see our New to 2 students perform their showcase with the theme of protecting our planet and especially the oceans. There was a colourful collection of sea creatures, air guitar players, superheroes, and mini humans in jandals. They sang, danced, played instruments, and showed us how to protect the planet in so many ways. In total I watched the show three times including the dress rehearsal, and it really was different every time. Confidence built over the day, and some were really having their own show by the final performance. The moves were fantastic, and everyone had a great time. The finale came from P2 with a song from Moana by Rachel Platten and it was a showstopper! The pure joy on everyone’s faces was magical as was the enthusiasm. Well done to all our New to 2 students, they were amazing, and the memories made were priceless. Well done too our staff who rehearsed and rehearsed the songs and the moves, not the easiest thing with 5 and 6 year olds.

The end of year celebrations are beginning with the first of three socials at the movies for Year 3 and 4. Everyone was so excited to watch Cats at the Museum and gathered at the cinema on Thursday night to watch a movie together. Popcorn and water bottles in hand they had a whole cinema to themselves to watch a group of cats save the famous artworks of the museum with the help of a rat. It was slightly weird but a lot of fun. There was the opportunity to catch up with some families having dinner at the mall afterwards which was lovely. Next week Year 5 and 6 are having a disco and the week after New to 2 go to Magic Loft. There is a lot happening in the Primary!

Today’s the day the teddy bears have their picnic, we hope! It is Friday morning, and we are watching the rain forecast quite closely to see if the teddies will need to have their picnic in classrooms or we can get out on the fields. There was a huge variety of bears walking into school this morning in every colour imaginable. There will be teddy themed lessons and in Mrs Clark’s room her giant teddy seems to want to take over teaching the class! Whatever next? Today is also an opportunity for our Year 6 students to show the leadership skills they have learned over the year as they support the bears and their owners at the picnic, in the teddy disco and at the teddy hospital for broken bears. It promises to be a very happy event.

Next week we have a number of events for parents and students to attend. On Tuesday evening we will be running transition meetings for parents. These happen when a student moves into a new syndicate, and they help to prepare families for the transition before next year. Our Year 2 parents will meet with Year 3 and 4 syndicate leader Delwyn Kryuff, and Year 4 parents will meet with Year 5 and 6 syndicate leader Keeva Shaw. Year 6 students will go to Rainbow’s End if they have had the responsibility of being on the crossing each week this year as a thankyou for their ongoing service. We have buddy classes with College which is always a highlight, Primary Sport Prizegiving, PrEP market day and the Year 5 and 6 social. There are only three weeks left of the school year but we are determined to pack in as much as possible in terms of learning, leading and celebrating.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Ngā mihi, Sian

Primary News

APO Mentoring

On Monday, the Primary Orchestra concluded its second mentoring session, led by members of the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra. Initially, the musicians split into groups based on their respective instruments. Following this, they reconvened to collectively perform two pieces from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker": "Russian Dance" and "Waltz of the Flowers." Students are feeling readier than ever for the end of year performance.

P4

P4 have had a very busy time preparing for our mini performance about conservation of the ocean and the environment. We prepared a lovely song about the ocean and the creatures that live in it. The children chose their own characters and even choreographed the movements and actions. P4 have loved singing and dancing this year and have performed two ‘Kiwi kids’ songs with actions this year. We performed’ A bad Hair Day’ and ‘Mr Clickety Cane’ for our assemblies.

We have also been working on our products for the PrEp market. The theme this year is upcycling, and we chose to upcycle old CD discs which are no longer in use. We are also making beaded items and reusing coloured lolly sticks used for early counting activities and making bundles of 10s. Its going to be a colour spectacle!

A Peak into P20

In the final term of primary school, following Year 6 Checkpoints tests, it’s a busy time of celebration and transition. It’s a chance to look back on the past six years and reminisce about the changes. It is also a time to prepare for the changes ahead for the next 7 years of college. Students have been allowed to BYOD and buy their lunch at the tuck shop! All part of learning the independence that will need to be successful in Year 7.

Having had our sailing in P20 postponed twice, we are forever hopeful that we might go next week! We remain resilient as we keep ourselves occupied with preparations for the upcoming Primary Market Day, creating our sustainable products to sell for precious pines. We have also been busy learning about scatter graphs as we collect data and learn all about the ‘line of best fit’.

Next week, the Road Patrollers will be off to Rainbows End. We are having a Year 5-6 disco and fingers crossed we finally get our second turn at Watewise.

Click here to view some students poems.

English as an Additional Language

This week in English as an Additional Language, our learners have been looking at ideas around the themes of time and celebrations. One group of learners have been identifying and differentiating between English vowel sounds, then reading and writing these. Another group have been looking at questions and using the correct prepositional phrase at the end of each question. Another group is working on using ‘er’ and ‘est’ to show more and most. Some of the more able groups are looking at the language of time in English and understanding all of those tricky prepositional phrases we use. Other groups have been working on their writing and changing tense to show when the action happened.

P12

‘As the sun shone through the colony of trees, light took over the darkness of night. Insects and animals woke up, and serenade of crickets swarmed through the air. A gentle gust of wind swayed the trees, adding to the image of a forest that was no longer dark or gloomy. Birds chirped in the day light, flying over treetops, bees pollinated flowers, and miniature ants scurried around….In the evening as the sun started sinking, the forest got darker and darker…Darkness consumed everything, wolfing up everything it saw’….

Above is a glimpse of the authentic learning that is happening in P12! We started the week by looking at the setting description of a forest, farm, and Den. We used synonyms and antonyms to create imagery, and a richer experience for the reader, during our Big Writing session.

Click here to view some student work.

Our Mathematics lessons have had a focus on problem solving questions. This allows our class to develop their math’s understanding further and explain the reasoning and solutions to different problems. This week we have been focusing on Fractions problem solving. We have learnt to be successful is also to show a detailed working out when answering the questions in easy steps!

Take a closer look at some of the amazing mathematics in P12!

In Global Perspectives preparations continue in P12 for Primary Enterprise, PrEP. This year we are focusing on creating sustainable products while maintaining their success as entrepreneurs. Our class is considering factors like the use of eco-friendly materials, product durability, minimal packaging and waste and the ethical sourcing of materials through fair labour practices. Take a look at a sample of the products being made in P12 from twigs.

Year 3-4 Movie Night

Years 3 and 4 had their annual movie night trip on Thursday 16 November. After watching the short trailer, the children were all very excited to go to see the full movie “Cats in the Museum”. A family animated film about the famous four-legged inhabitants of the St. Petersburg Winter Palace.

The Year 4 students were buzzing with anticipation and so happy to be going to the movies with their friends. The girls busily began to plan which outfits they were going to wear and the boys which friends they wanted to sit with.

“I am really looking forward to the movie night. I can’t wait to be thrilled and fascinated by Cats in the Museum,” Said Hannah.

Aiden said, “I am looking forward to sitting in the cinema with my friends”.

“I am excited for the movies because it is for year 3 and 4 only, no siblings!” Said Millie.

The movie was a success, and the entire evening was enjoyed by everyone.

Athletics

Last week, the Year 5-6 students travelled to AUT Millenium to compete in their respective Athletics Day. The students had been practicing each discipline in PE and this was the final showdown in which they were able to showcase their talents. And did they do that! In total, we had 13 records broken on the day which is incredible. All of the students showed amazing sportsmanship and energy throughout the whole day, even managing to give the Teacher relay team a real run for their money in the Relay event. This concludes our Athletics events and we can now share the final results with you which includes the Top 3 Overall Placings from the Year 3-4 Athletics Day and the Year 5-6 Athletics Day. The top 4 students in each year group/gender group have been selected in the Year 4-6 Super Cluster Athletics team which will represent Pinehurst at the Super Cluster event on Wednesday 29 November at AUT Millennium. We wish all of our athletes the very best of luck for this event!

Year 5 Records Broken:

Year 5 Girls 100M Record 2023: Charlotte (P16)- 15.78s
Year 5 Boys 100M Record 2023: Jason (P17) - 14.71s
Year 5 Boys 200M Record 2023: Jason (P17) - 31.69s
Year 5 Boys Shotput Record 2023: Jason (P17) - 6.8m
Year 5 Boys High Jump Record 2023: Rongde (P16) - 1.12m
Year 5 Boys Long Jump Record 2023: Jason (P17) - 3.5m

Year 6 Records Broken:

Year 6 Girls 200M Record 2023: Anna (P20) - 32.32s
Year 6 Boys 200M Record 2023: John (P21) - 32.10s
Year 6 Boys Discus Record 2023: Edward (P21) - 16.45m
Year 6 Girls Shotput Record 2023: Anna (P20) - 8m
Year 6 Boys Shotput Record 2023: Jasper (P21) - 6.55m
Year 6 Boys High Jump Record 2023: John (P21) - 1.19m
Year 6 Boys Long Jump Record 2023: Ryan (P21) - 3.66m

2023 Athletics Results Year 3-6

Year 5-6 Athletics Day House Points:

1^st Place: Rimu 488 with points
2^nd Place: Kauri with 437 points
3^rd Place: Matai with 322.5 points
4^th Place: Totara with 233.5 points

North Harbour Gymnastics Zone Days

Last Wednesday, our Year 3-4 Gymnastics Competition team competed at the Year 3-4 North Harbour Gymnastics Zone Day and on Thursday, the Year 5-6 Gymnastics competition team competed in the Year 5-6 Gymnastics Zone Day. All teams have been preparing for this competition since the beginning of Term 3. All of the students competed to the best of their ability and the teams gain valuable competition experience. The students recorded some extraordinary results and achieve a top 3 podium finish in most events. Pinehurst was awarded 3^rd place School overall which is an incredible feat.

Please see the full results below from both age groups. We would like to thank Ms Vien and Miss Georgia Thomson for the time and effort they have put into our Gymnastics teams, as well as all for the Coaches and Teachers that have helped the students across the year.

Year 3-4 North Harbour Gymnastics Zone Day Top 3 Placings:

GIRLS

Annie (P13): 3rd All Round, 1st Floor, 2nd Beam
Queenie (P14): 2nd Vault
Hannah (P14): 3rd U-Bars, 2nd Floor
Elaine (P9): 2nd Vault
Yuna (P9): 1st Floor

2nd Place Girls Overall Team: Annie (P13), Hannah (P14), Katherine (P13), Rina (P13)

BOYS

Braeden (P10): 1^st Vault, 3^rd All Round
Hadleigh (P13): 2^nd Pommel
Leo (P11): 1^ST Pommel

2^ND Place Boys Overall Team: Braeden, Hadleigh, Leo, Oscar (P13)

Year 5-6 North Harbour Gymnastics Zone Day Top 3 Placings:

GIRLS

Cynthia (P16): 2^nd All Round, 3^rd Beam
April (P17): 3^rd All Round
Serena (P21): 3^rd Beam
Sabine (P19): 1^st Vault, 3rd H-Bar, 3^rd Beam
Maxine (P16), Isabella (P20), Lavender (P15): 1^st Vault
Lara (P17): 3^rd U-Bars

1^st Place Girls Team: April, Lara, Lavender, Lexi (P16)

2^nd Place Girls Team: Eugenie (P19), Mia (P20), Sabine, Serena.

BOYS

Ryann (P20): 1st H-Bar, 2nd Floor

Message from the Principal of College

Tēnā koutou katoa

Week 5 ended with a real treat; the Art Department hosted an exhibition of our students' fantastic artwork on Friday evening in the Library, Theatre and foyer. Being able to spend time taking in the beautiful works of art whilst enjoying canapes and chatting to parents was a great way to step into the weekend. If you were unable to make the exhibition, the work is still displayed, and you are welcome to view it at pick up or drop off times. Well done to all of our students who had their work displayed.

This week, we have had a very full week of activities in the College including an exceptional Valedictory Dinner at Markovina Estate on Wednesday evening. As well as recognising each of our graduating students, we presented House trees to Aashutosh Nand (Kauri), Joshua Moore (Tōtara), Daniel Wyllie (Mataī) and Sophia Garcia-Curtis (Mataī). In line with tradition, Pinehurst School presents trees to those students who started their learning journey at Pinehurst and continued through to Year 13. In many ways, this symbolic act is a celebration of all of those students who finish their schooling journey at Pinehurst School. Our founding principal, Mrs Sherida Penman-Walters presented the trees. The evening continued with lots of laughs, shared memories and a lovely address from our Head Prefects, Michael Ma and Yeonsoo Son. Whilst we are sad in some ways to see our Year 13 students leave us, we know it is right, we know they are ready, and we know they will make us proud.

We have had a week of trips, camps, activities and excitement for many of our students. On Tuesday, a group of Year 10 Commerce students visited the Tip Top ice-cream factory. This trip is always very popular since, along with aiding their studies of Commerce, students are treated to an ice-cream to round off their visit.

Yesterday morning, ninety-five Year 10 students and their teachers left school bright and early to head off for their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze practice adventurous journey. They will be tramping and camping on Motutapu Island until Friday. Even earlier on Thursday morning, thirty-eight Year 8 students and their teachers headed to the Pinnacles to experience Pinehurst’s Students versus Wild camp. These experiences help students to develop resilience and independence in a safe environment and also to connect with their peers outside of the classroom. We are looking forward to hearing stories of their adventures when they all return later this afternoon.

Year 9 students have also had the opportunity to experience learning outside of the school environment this week. Over Thursday and Friday, Year 9 visited Chelsea Sugar Factory for one day and Howick Historical Village on the other day. These trips are in support of their learning in Social Sciences and Commerce.

On Monday of this week teachers began a series of network meetings at which they are able to connect with teachers from other Cambridge schools to share ideas and collaborate on teaching methods in their subject areas. We are very fortunate at Pinehurst to have so many outstanding teachers who have the expertise to facilitate these meetings. We look forward to welcoming more teachers into the school next week to continue network meetings.

I hope you have a lovely weekend and for those returning from camps, enjoy your home comforts.

Ngā mihi nui

Dawn

College News

Year 8 Mathematics

This Year 8 class has been learning about the use of Pythagorean Theorem to find missing sides of a right angled triangle. Their skills were put to the test in a Pythagoras escape room. They had to visit different stations to answer questions and get clues to escape the witches cauldron. If they didn't answer the questions correctly, they had to go back to figure out why. Once they entered everything correctly online they received the code to escape. Well done to the escapees!

Year 9 Science

Here are some tie-dyed T-shirts from a Year 9 Science class end of year project.

The green colour was obtained from alkaline cabbage juice.
The purple colour was from acidified cabbage juice.
The red colour was from mixed berry juice – blackberries, blueberries and raspberries.

The students tested various plant pigments on fabric samples before choosing their final colours.

Here are the steps taken to prepare the T-shirts for dyeing. Then droppers were used to colour various sections of the shirt.

Chloe Zhang

Tamara Kowanjko

Niamh Mills

Year 9 Howick Village

Year 9 took a journey back in time to experience what life was like in the 1800s in New Zealand.

The courthouse simulation taught the students about how different life was, particularly for women and how far we've come in such a short amount of time.

The schoolhouse gave the students an appreciation for their devices, even the simple exercise of writing was much more difficult back then, especially for out left handed people!

The trolleys showed them the joys of building something yourself and how to entertain yourself without a device.

We would like to thank the knowledgeable staff at Howick Village for an incredible journey back in time.

Year 8 Science

Year 8 students are engaging in a science project focused on global warming. Researching solutions and presenting their findings not only helps them understand the subject better but also develops crucial skills like scientific literacy and communication. This kind of hands-on learning experience can truly inspire and empower students to become more informed and proactive about global issues like climate change.

Year 10 Physics Trip to Stardome

The Year 10 physics students had a wonderful opportunity to visit the Stardome observatory and Planetarium last week. They learned about the amazing processes that create atoms in the stars, and how these atoms form the building blocks of everything in the universe. They also discovered the fascinating phenomena of nebulae, which are clouds of gas and dust where new stars are born. The students explored the museum and tested their knowledge in a fun quiz. They also enjoyed a spectacular tour of the night sky using the planetarium, where they saw constellations, planets and other celestial objects. The trip was a great way to prepare the students for their space science topic in Year 11, and to inspire them to learn more about the wonders of astronomy.

North Harbour Athletics Zone Day

From the Year 7-13 Athletics Day which was held in Term 1, 11 students qualified to represent Pinehurst at the North Harbour Athletics Zone Day which was held at AUT Millennium on Friday. Each student competed against the top athletes from all across North Harbour in their respective discipline/s. It was an awesome day and the students gained valuable experience from competing at the top level. A huge congratulations to Aaron (8PL) who placed 3^rd in the Year 8 Boys 200m and 400m events.

North Harbour Golf Zone Day

On Monday, 6 students from Year 7-10 competed in the North Harbour Golf Zone Day which was held at Warkworth Golf Club. Students played 18 holes in either Division 1 or Division 2 depending on their handicap. Out of the 6 students, 3 students achieved a podium finish in the Stableford competition. Renee (9MYB) placed 1^st overall in the Girls Stableford competition and was the winner of the overall Stableford competition, taking the best score of the day in both the Girls and Boys competitions. Ivy (7KC) placed 3^rd overall in the Girls Stableford Division 1 competition and Daniel (8NW) placed 2^nd overall in the Boys Stableford Division 2 competition. It was an awesome day out and we would just like to say a massive thank you to all of the Parents who helped out or supported on the day, we couldn’t do it without you.

Community News and Events

Dance Competition

Some exciting news to share about Annie P13's outstanding performance at the dance competition that took place last weekend.

Throughout the three-day event, starting from Friday and ending on Sunday, Annie achieved remarkable success. She not only secured first place in the lyrical, ballet, and musical categories but also received first-place sashes in both championship events.

In addition to these impressive achievements, Annie was honored with the prestigious titles of "First Overall" and "Dancer of the Day."

Harp Competitions

Chantelle a Year 4 Primary student has had incredible success participating in a number of harp competitions over the past few months. The harp is one of the oldest instruments in the world. Chantelle has just been playing the harp for a little over a year and practices every day at home.

Here are some of the outstanding results she has achieved recently:

Awards Manchester International Music Competition 2023 Season 2 1. Junior (Age 8-10) Platinum Prize 2.
Excellent Musician Award Royale Music Competition 2023 Season 2 1. Junior A (Age 8-9) Diamond Prize 2.
Dazzling Virtuoso Special Award 2023 European Summer Music Competition 1. Junior (Age 7-9) Platinum Prize 2. Achieved the highest score to represent New Zealand London Young Musician 2023-24 Season 2 Young Talent (Age 8 and under)
Gold Prize Global Genius Music Competition 2023 Autumn Season 1. Junior (Age 7-8) Gold Prize 2. Expressive Musical Genius International BTHVN Wien Music Competition Finalist and 3rd place in Harp.

Notices and Events

If you have any news or submissions you’d like considered for our newsletter, please contact news@pinehurst.school.nz