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Message from the Executive Principal
Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 下午好, 안녕하세요
Dear Parents/Guardians,
A short week has made the return to school a little more gentle for some, though with camp for some students and exams for others, there are certainly many students who have had to jump into the term with both feet.
I was very proud to see Pinehurst students taking an active role in ANZAC services on Tuesday morning. ANZAC Day is a significant part of our New Zealand heritage and to see young people embrace its meaning gives great hope to the ideals of peace, comradery, and embracing our differences to be able to move forward together. I hope that you and your family were able to find a chance to pause and reflect on what the ANZAC spirit means to us today.
On Thursday, I was able to visit our Year 4 students as they attended their first overnight school camp. While there were plenty of tired faces from the inevitable lack of sleep on the first night, there was also a great deal of excitement for the day that lay ahead. I was particularly impressed by the way students talked about overcoming obstacles in order to complete the activities. Many were a little worried about the water slide but with the encouragement of their peers and internal determination, they were able to enjoy the slide from top to bottom.
While a little unusual at this time of year, some of our senior students have been sitting Cambridge external examinations this week. These exams are high stakes for the students that are sitting them, and I know they have prepared well for the challenge. I wish them all the best as they continue next week, and we look forward to celebrating their success when the results are available.
On Monday we welcomed a number of new staff to Pinehurst and I know they enjoyed the start of their time with us. The new staff are:
Courtney van Raalte – College – English
David Shaw – College – English
Kate Cousins – College – Spanish
Laura Curwood – College – Social Sciences
Debbie Lay – Primary – New entrants (maternity contract)
Melissa Lathwood – Administration – Reception
Samuel Cunningham – Administration – Audio Visual Technician
After a break of almost three weeks, it can be difficult for some students to settle back into the rhythm of school life and find the right balance between work and relaxation. If your child needs some extra help in organising their time, please reach out to their teacher or tutor and they will be happy to share some ideas with you.
I hope you all enjoy the weekend ahead.
Regards,
Mike Waller
如需阅读校长的中文留言和重要事件日期，请点击
Monday 1 May
- College Readers Week
- Powhiri - Term 2 New Families
- New Family Meet & Greet
Tuesday 2 May
- College Readers Week
- Year 7, NH Football Zone Day (selected students)
- Years 4-6, North Shore Swimming Championships (selected students)
Wednesday 3 May
- College Readers Week
- Year 8, NH Football Boys Zone Day (selected students)
- Years 12-13, Road Safety Education Program
Thursday 4 May
- College Readers Week
- DofE Silver Qualifier - (Year 12)
- Theatre Grand Opening
Friday 5 May
- College Readers Week
DofE Silver Qualifier - (Year 12)
Message from the Principal of Primary
Kia ora,
Winter uniforms are on, and we all look very smart in the Primary school this week. There were plenty of smiling faces before school on Wednesday although that might have been more from parents than the children. Our students are so good at transitioning back to school after a break and love the routines, seeing their friends and teachers and being engaged in their learning. There are a huge range of topics being studied across the school this term such as rocks, electricity, energy use, sculpture, musical rhythms of the world, digital photography, teamwork in sports and the significance of the dragon boat. Along with Year 4 and Year 3 camps, Book Week, STEM day, Life Education and Grandparents Day, the term promises to be exciting and of course educational. We can’t wait!
By all accounts Year 4 have had a wonderful time at Peter Snell Camp in Whangaparoa. This was their first overnight camp and a chance to spend time together over three days. The first night was predictably not a great night of sleep but they all settle down by the second night. Mr. Waller joined them for breakfast on Thursday morning and tried his hand at archery, one of the many activities on offer. Camps are so wonderful for developing the skills of resilience, perseverance, and collaboration in young children. The memories will last them a lifetime and get better with age. We are looking forward to welcoming Year 4 back this afternoon after they return from the movies, their post camp activity.
We were joined by several new students and families this week into New Entrants, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 5. Some of those students have been on our waiting lists for a long time and we are thrilled to be able to welcome everyone to our school. On Monday we officially greet new students, teachers, and families at a pōwhiri which will be followed by a meeting for new parents.
Now that our new theatre is built, we will run assemblies for Years 3-6 in the theatre and Years 1-2 in the Arena every week. Each assembly will be run by a different class and parents will be invited to attend by the class teacher on Seesaw. We are very excited to be able to run weekly assemblies again for all students, they are an important time for sharing and being together.
Kia pai tō rā whakata, have a good weekend.
Ngā mihi, Sian
Syndicate 0-2
Welcome back to Term 2. I hope that you have all had an enjoyable holiday and have managed to spend some quality time with family and friends. Firstly, I would like to introduce myself to the families of the students in New Entrant classes. While Mrs Cooper is on parental leave, I will be overseeing the syndicate alongside the Senior Year 1 and Year 2 classes. If you ever wish to get in touch, please feel free to do so on Seesaw, via email or find me in P7. I am sure as the term progresses I will get to see and know more of you.
I would like to welcome our brand new students who have now had their first three days at school! Mrs Eyre has started our newest class in P4, and it has been delightful to see our youngest children getting to know each other, beginning to make friends and enjoy the exciting playground together. They are already settling well into the new environment, and it is clear to see their enthusiasm for the learning journey ahead of them.
Welcome also to Debbie Lay who is returning to Pinehurst and will be joining us in the junior primary. She will be working between the New Entrant classes and we are looking forward to her becoming part of our syndicate. In 1HL there are two new students who have joined us this term – Eason and Haoxuan. I am sure your lovely class and teacher will make you feel very welcome. Finally, in 2GO, welcome to Josh who has quickly become a part of our class family this week – we are glad you joined us Josh.
As you will have received the Overviews for Term 2 at the end of last term, I am sure that you will have seen that we have another exciting, busy and productive term of learning and experiences ahead. Of particular interest to note, our three NE classes will be looking forward to their trip to Auckland Zoo as an opportunity to connect their classroom learning to the animals and their habitats. Our Senior Year 1 classes will be planning and exploring an ‘Antarctic Adventure’ in their writing lessons which I am certain will prove to be an exciting experience. In Year 2, students will become geologists as they delve into the world of rocks and their long formation throughout history. In contrast, the Computer Science learning is future focused as students will learn about Robots and how to get them to complete programmed instructions.
As always, all classes will all be continuing to establish and maintain their positive, caring and respectful learning environments as places for students to tackle challenges in their learning, work together as a team and celebrate successes.
- Grace Osborne
Mandarin
In the Year 5 and 6 mixed groups, we learned how to introduce ourselves with basic information such as name, age and our zodiac sign. We also know how to say what animals we like and dislike by using 我喜欢 (wǒxǐhuān) and 我不喜欢 (wǒbùxǐhuāng) as sentence starters. In addition to all that, we continued broadening our understanding of Chinese character by looking at the evolution of the character for rabbit (兔tù).
CFL students have not only been learning practical communication skills in Mandarin Chinese, such as asking for and responding to others’ opinions and telling stories in chronological order, but they have also been learning how to read timetables and schedules, letters, and recipes in Chinese.
Term 1 Thoughts and Reflections from the Middle Syndicate
Walking around the groups of students this morning was a lovely beginning of the term experience. The Year 4s were full of enthusiasm and excitement as they prepared to set off on their first ever overnight camp experience.
The Year 3s all looked so smart and ready for school in their winter uniforms. In each of the Year 3 classes the students were calm, focused, and ready to learn; they told me they had missed their teachers and friends and were happy to be back at school.
As we come together again for the commencement of Term 2 we always reflect on what learning looked like, sounded like and felt like in Term 1. For the first newsletter of the new term I have shared with you some of these reflections from the classes regarding their learning.
P12
P12s Term 1 highlight was making and reflecting: capturing movement inspired by Jackson Pollock. The class were given charcoal and paper and were asked to explore the different marks they can make. The silence and look of amusement while experimenting with charcoal were beyond words. The excitement continues as the students walked outside and joined the P13 to create real art using art paper and charcoal. Students drew a model (child riding his bike around the field) who moves while they are drawing. Everyone can use charcoal and large sheets of sugar paper, to capture the model’s continuous movements. The artwork is displayed with pride in P12’s cloak room.
P14
Learners in P14 do not just receive learning/information only at the time it is given; they absorb information in many ways, often after the fact, through their daily reflection. The most powerful learning often happens when students self-monitor or reflect on their day. I use Talking Sticks to randomly select students, asking them “What went well today?” and then, “What would be even better if?” We often get non-academic responses such as, “Lunch” and “If it lasted longer”.
P9
P9 welcomes Tony and his whānau to our class.
“In Science we learnt about some of the major organs in our body. The heart pumps blood through the body,” said Lucas
“Mr Obtuse, Mrs Right and baby Acute helped us learn about angles in maths,” Jessica says.
“The pressure of the pencil helped with the shading and highlights when we sketched our nose, mouth and eyes during art,” stated Grace.
P10
In P10, we love art, so we enjoyed sketching Rangitoto for our Mihis and observing and sketching our own faces.
We also loved continuing the adventures of the Wild Robot in the sequel 'The Wild robot escapes' and we learned how to be 'Dood detectives' by looking for clues in what we are reading and to make connections.
P11
In P11, we all look rested and refreshed to begin our new term of learning. (Mrs K loves our neat winter uniforms too.)
Leo said that it was fun reading ‘The Wild Robot Escapes’ because It was a book that had exciting words in it like abandoned and mysterious.
Sidney also said it was a fun book to read because of the cool characters and it had exciting places in it, like the futuristic city.
The class shared that they enjoyed the writing mission because it was all about using your imagination to create the strange creatures. Odelia and Chloe shared that Science was fun to learn because we went outside to go on a scavenger hunt looking for things that were living, once alive and never alive.
Mrs K and the Year 3 and 4 Teachers
Fantastic Fives and Super Sixes
Welcome back to our Year 5 and 6 families!
We are absolutely thrilled to have welcomed all the students back for Term 2 2023 in the Year 5 and 6 Syndicate. I would also like to extend a welcome to new families who have joined us recently. There was a buzz of excitement around the Primary campus on Wednesday morning as the students arrived safely back to school after a well-deserved holiday. Don’t they look smart in their new winter uniforms?! Even though the mornings have become a little more crisp and the leaves have started to fall from the trees, Pinehurst is a beautiful place to be in Term 2 and I feel very fortunate to be surrounded by this everyday.
I trust you have all enjoyed a restful and relaxing holiday and have managed to enjoy some cherished family time together. I hope you are also looking forward to getting back into the school routine for the upcoming term. In all our Year 5 and 6 classes, we have spent the last 3 days re-establishing our class systems and reconnecting with each other as one big class family! Our Pinehurst values continue to play an integral role in our classrooms this term and we are excited to continue learning and growing (in our own individual ways) alongside one another. Each student is striving towards their own personal best and we, the teachers, look forward to supporting them in doing so during the term ahead.
I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some personal achievements of some students in our syndicate from over the Term 1 holidays:
Congratulations to Luna Lu (P17) for winning the U12 Girls Championship, at just 9 years of age, at the 2023 Oceania Junior and Youth Chess Championships held in Canberra in April. Well done Luna, this is a fantastic achievement and everyone at Pinehurst is extremely proud of you.
On 16th April, a wild and windy Sunday morning, Lavender Wei, Emily Miao, Chloe Situ (P15) and Bianca (P21) went busking at Browns Bay Town Centre along with their siblings, Bosco and Cathy (Year 7). All students played their instruments beautifully and raised a total of $87. They very generously decided to donate their earnings to the SPCA. What a beautiful act of kindness and how very inspirational to see such young students displaying these lovely qualities. We are so very proud of these students and wish them luck with their future busking endeavours!
Edward Niu (P21) finished in the top 20 out of 300 players in a golf tournament experience representing New Zealand in the 11-12 years old group. This event is an Australia Junior Age Division Golf Championship. The 2023 Cool Clubs AJADGC is held at Royal Pines Resort on the beautiful Gold Coast. The event is to all junior golfers from the age of 4 to 18 years and competed over 3 days in age divisions and at modified distances based on age. It is the Australian Qualifier for 2 world junior events in the USA and the Champion of Champions Tournament in Ireland. It is a Junior Golf Scoreboard and a Global Junior Golf Rankings event. Congratulations to Edward on this incredible achievement!
Well done to Serena Yang (P21) who received a gold and a bronze in the North Shore performing arts piano competition. Congratulations Serena – what amazing talent!
Tuesday 25th April was an important day for New Zealanders. It was ANZAC Day, a day to remember and commemorate those who served and fought in the war. Red poppies are worn on ANZAC Day as a mark of respect to those who died while serving their country and are a symbol of remembrance. Year 6 wrote some acrostic ANZAC Day Poems to commemorate the brave ANZACs. Here are some samples of their work:
Well done to all! We are very privileged to have such a hard-working, diligent and talented bunch of students in Year 5 and 6 and we look forward to hearing about more of their fine achievements over the course of the weeks ahead.
From Book Week and Cross Country, to Grandparents Day and Life Education (and an array of activities in between!), we have a highly-anticipated term ahead to look forward to. Our doors are always open to you, our Pinehurst families, for any questions you may have.
For now, please enjoy more photos below of our first syndicate Sport this term in Year 5 and 6. We look ahead to the coming weeks with bright eyes and open arms!
Many thanks,
Keeva Shaw
Year 5-6 Syndicate Leader
Team of the Week – Year 5-6 Basketball
In Term 1 and 2 we have had we have three Year 5-6 Basketball teams competing in the Junior Breakers competition. The teams are coached by Christ Deng, Dan Lindsay, and Tom Beattie who are all very talented basketball players. The teams are very competitive in the Junior Breaker’s competitions and have had some very close games over the Term. It was awesome to get down and watch the teams in action, with all teams showing positive sportsmanship and the ability to work as team. The Pinehurst Allstars have had a good start to the competition, with one win over Oteha Valley and two close games against Pinehill and Torbay. The Blazers have almost gone unbeaten in Term 1, with a win against Murrays Bay & City Impact. The team narrowly lost in a shoot out to Oteha Valley after drawing at fulltime. The Pinehurst Cavaliers have won one game against Murrays Bay and lost one game to Oteha Valley. It is very exciting to have so many talented basketball players in this age group, and we hope they continue to push themselves in Term 2 to finish the Semester on a high.
Youth Chess Championships
Congratulations to Luna for winning the under twelve U12 Girls Champion at just 9 years of age, at the 2023 Oceania Junior and Youth Chess Championships held in Canberra in April.
Badminton Success – Anna Lu
During the holidays, one of our very talented Year 5 students; Anna Lu, participated in the Yonex U13 Badminton Singles Open which was held in Auckland. Anna played exceptionally well in her matches and went on to win the championship. We are so proud of Anna’s achievement, and we can’t wait to see her in action in the future.
Year 5/6 students are you interested in playing basketball this term?
If so, we need you! Games are on a Thursday afternoon at the Breakers gym, and practices are Wednesday before school in the arena.
Please let Ms McIntosh know Stacey.mcintosh@pinehurst.school.nz contact Mel:
Message from the Principal of College
Kia ora e te whānau o Pinehurst School
Whilst students started the school term on Wednesday of this week, Term 2 started for teachers and staff on Monday. Staff members were able to spend some time together thinking about what our school values mean for us and how we can ensure Respect for Self, Respect for Others and Excellence are central to what we do each day at school. For this first staff meeting of the term, we met in the new theatre which is a fantastic space. The whole of College 5 is now in use and students have been exploring the wonderful new building during the week.
Last Tuesday, 25 April, marked the 108th ANZAC day. Pinehurst students supported both the Coatsville and Albany ANZAC services. Our Head Students Yeonsoo Son, Michael Ma, Gryffon Flew and Brooke Peacock represented us on the day and demonstrated all of our school values beautifully. Lest we forget.
Winter sports are now underway and the weekend before the start of term, three of our College netball teams attended a tournament at North Harbour Netball. Waterpolo, table tennis, football, badminton, basketball and hockey teams have also started training and matches. Thank you to all of the whānau who support our students to get to their training sessions and games in order to represent Pinehurst School. I am looking forward to supporting the teams as the season progresses.
The College had some fantastic news during the week when two of our Year 13 students, Ashleigh Bernacchi and Michael Ma were selected to represent New Zealand in International Olympiads; Ashleigh for Biology and Michael for Mathematics. Each of the Olympiad teams has only four students selected from the best students in the whole of New Zealand. Selection for a team is a huge honour, we are extremely proud of Ashleigh and Michael and wish them all the best as they embark on this journey. The hard work they have put in throughout their school life along with the support from their teachers has enabled them to get to this point.
We are looking forward to a very full and exciting term including our school play and school musical productions, cross country, the school ball, Talent Quest, our road safety programme for Years 12 and 13, the grand opening of College 5, zone days and trips. All of these ‘extra’ activities are that things that add so much to the rich life at Pinehurst College and build memories for our students. Additionally, Year 11-13 students are preparing for their mid-year examinations during weeks 5 and 6.
I hope you have a lovely weekend and if you are wearing a Pinehurst sport uniform over the weekend or supporting from a sideline, good luck to you and your team.
Ngā mihi nui
Dawn
2023 Australian Age Group Diving Championships
During the holidays, Zara Roodt represented New Zealand in the 2023 Australian Age Group Diving Championships in Sydney. Zara competed in the 1m Springboard, 3m Springboard and 5m Platform as well as Synchro with her partner Charlotte.
Zara did extremely well at this competition, placing 4th overall in both the 5m Platform and 1m Springboard events. Zara placed 5th overall in the 3m Springboard. Zara then joined forces with her Synchro Partner in which the pair placed 2nd overall in the 3m Synchronised Diving event. This is a massive achievement against competitors from all the Australian States.
On the last weekend of the school holidays, Zara also competed at the Auckland Diving Championships in which she placed 1st in the 1m Springboard, 5m Platform & the Synchro event. Zara also took away a 2nd placing in the 3m Springboard. A huge congratulations to Zara for her recent achievements which are a result of her hard work that she has put in leading up to these events. We are so proud of Zara, for not only representing New Zealand, but also representing Pinehurst with Pride & Excellence.
Debate at Pinehurst is Growing
Goldie Moritz, Reena Wen, and Gloria Kim (Y12) took part in the Auckland Regionals Debate Championship which is a two-day competition where over 40 teams from all divisions and districts come together. After an intense weekend (which included a victory against Kristin!), they came out of the competition as semi-finalists and ranked within the top 4 teams in Auckland.
Alongside Pinehurst’s five other debating teams scattered across all five divisions, they compete in the Premier Advanced grade fortnightly. Best of luck to all debaters for their season!
Futsal Zone Day
During Week 10 of Term 1, Pinehurst was represented at three North Harbour Futsal Zone Days. On the Monday, the Year 7 Boys participated in the Year 7 Boys competition at Netball North Harbour. The Boys Year 7 Team placed 16th in the tournament. They had a tough pool and faced some talented competition but overall learnt some fantastic Futsal skills and had a great day. Felix Lu was one of the top performers on the day, helping his team on attack and defence. On Tuesday, the Year 7-8 Girls team combined to participate in the Year 8 Girls competition and placed 9thoverall. They had a very tough round robin facing two of the powerhouse schools in Orewa College and Northcross Intermediate. The Girls went on the win their semi-final 2-1 against Wentworth College and their final 2-0 against Whangaparoa. Zara Roodt was a standout at the tournament, scoring 6 goals across the whole tournament. The Year 8 Boys team participated in the Year 8 Zone Day on the Wednesday, with the team having a few tough games upfront in their pool round. Kyle Nam was a very handy player for the Year 8 Boys team and contributed to a few of their goals throughout the tournament. A huge thank you to Jack Vaughan who coached all three teams and has done a great job with the Futsal programme throughout Term 1.
Swimming New Zealand National Age Group
During the first week of the recent school holidays, the Swimming New Zealand National Age Group swimming championships were held at the Hawkes Bay Regional Aquatic Centre.
As you may know, there are a number of active and highly achieving swimmers currently at Pinehurst who compete for a number of local clubs.
From the Phoenix Aquatics club, the following swimmers competed with distinction across the 5 dayts of competition:
Arissa Liu: 3 x Gold medals – 50m, 100m, 200m Backstroke, Silver medal 50m Butterfly
Jasmine Lyles: 4 x silver medals – Girls 15 years 50m, 100m, 200m Breaststroke and 200m I.M.
Osbert Gu: 2 x silver medals 50m, 100m Freestyle, bronze medal 200 I.M.
Yeenok Zhang: bronze medal 200m Backstroke
Creative Writing Club
Elvies Hu Poetry
Baseball
Summer has begun,
active voices of players,
baseball is here now.
Baseball #2
Bats hitting,
Balls flyinging,
people shouting,
my dedication for baseball.
International Cheer Union - Maddie Smith
Maddi Smith has just travelled to Florida to compete for New Zealand All girl as well as her club team Legacy Legendz (Co-Ed). The first competition ICU ( International Cheer Union) Maddie and her team, New Zealand All Girl, won silver. The second competition was worlds, which is all the top club teams around the world. Maddi and her team won bronze which is an amazing achievement. I have attached photos and an article from the edge.
North Island Secondary Schools Cross Country Mountain Bike Champs
During the school holidays Year 7 student Xavier Wasek-Webb, challenged himself by entering into the NISS Cross Country Mountain Bike Champs held in Rotorua. He competed in the U13 Boys Cross Country division and finished in the middle of the pack. Well done Xavier on competing in your first national event!
Pinehurst Student Badminton Success
Pinehurst student Shuyu (Elsa) Lu, attended the 2023 Junior Circuit 2 U15 Silver Tournament held in Melbourne, Australia, during the school holidays. She had a very successful tournament after receiving the triple crown placing 1st Girl’s Singles, 1st Girl’s Doubles, 1st Mixed Doubles. Well done Elsa!
Under 18 North Harbour Hockey Representative
Congratulations to Pinehurst student Brooke Peacock, who has recently qualified as an U18 Premier 2 Women’s North Harbour Hockey Representative.
Buy a pie for lunch through Kindo and help raise money for the school ball. Your pie will be delivered as a warm lunch order on Friday 5th of May
Be More CHILL!
The show opens this Saturday night and there are only 6 shows. Featuring past and present Pinehurst students, it's a mind-blasting Sci-Fi comedy musical. Suitable for audiences 12 and over.
