Message from the Executive Principal

Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 下午好, 안녕하세요  

Best wishes,
Mike Waller

Message from the Principal of College

Year 8 Maths - Angle Town

Students in Year 8 have been learning to construct geometric shapes using a compass in preparation for their Angle Town project. In this project students are required to construct a town using only mathematical shapes, including: Parallel lines, Perpendicular lines, Polygons, Acute, obtuse and reflex angles 

Last year's students have set the bar high, so we are excited to see what our Year 8 students can do this year!

Relationships and Invasion Games in Health and PE

In Health and General P.E this week we continue to look relationships, along with invasion games.

This week we merged the two by playing a warm-up game of 'rob-the-nest' with a twist. Students in the middle are blindfolded and tasked with protecting their 'nest', while the teams try and take items from the middle one at a time.

Working together, communication, leadership, and a collective sense of problem solving all on show in one activity..!

Harper Lee in Year 11 and Poetry in Year 10 English

The English department would like to acknowledge the Year 11 students who have been working with fervor and reading their novels, “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Students have enjoyed getting to know and empathise with the key characters, learning about racial injustice through reading, answering questions, annotating and discussing the novel.

A few classes had the opportunity to be creative with their learning and the idea of a “flipped classroom” was implemented. Students volunteered to read ahead and then teach a chapter to their class. The activity was enjoyed by all! 

Concurrently, our Year 10 students have been eagerly learning a lot about different poets, poetry styles and have enjoyed the challenge of delving deeply into a text. The students worked on their engagement with the various poetry by answering questions, annotating, discussing and writing practice essays. A few classes made use of group work – whereby sections of a poem were divided for analysis, and feedback to the class was then provided. The change in dynamics was certainly a highlight - see our Year 10s hard at work below!

Toi o te wiki

Toi o te wiki this week goes to AS Art and Design student, Emily.

Emily is exploring 'identity' through her coursework folio this year. Her beginning pieces show the playful side of her nature, from childhood to her present self and communicate the idea that some personality traits evolve and grow as we do. Emily has developed her ideas following her research into artist, Andrew William Cadima.

Amazing work, Emily - we look forward to see how your ideas develop further!

Pinehurst Athletes Shine at Auckland Secondary School Athletics Championship

Over two exciting days in Week 8, Pinehurst students showcased their talent and determination at the Auckland Secondary School Athletics Championship. Competing against some of the best young athletes in the region, our students put in outstanding performances and achieved personal bests.

Harry E sprinted his way to a new personal best in the 100m, demonstrating his speed and dedication to improvement. Sofia B-K took on the high jump and soared to a personal best height, a fantastic achievement in a highly competitive field. Meanwhile, Wen Yao Z displayed incredible endurance and versatility, competing in an impressive four events—the 200m, 400m, 800m, and 3000m.

We are proud of our athletes for their commitment and effort on the track and field. Congratulations to Harry, Sofia, and Wen Yao for representing Pinehurst with excellence!

Paws Leading Us Student Fundraising Event

Last week on 19 March, the Student Council led our annual Paws Leading Us event, which brought together our College community in support for those with Blind Low Vision. Throughout the engaging and heartwarming initiative, we successfully raised an outstanding $1,440.20 for the charity, reflecting the generosity and enthusiasm of our community.  

From plush puppies to socks sold and pin the tail on the dog to draw in the dark, Paws Leading Us was a fun-filled and meaningful event.  

A highlight of the event was the presence of Priya and Olive, two gentle and well-trained guide dogs who captured the attention of eager students who had the opportunity to learn about their training and impact. Their calm and friendly natures emphasized the crucial role guide dogs play in assisting those with visual impairments. 

A huge thank you to the council leaders Chloe and Kenneth, Mrs Hawthorn, and of course, our School Council for their dedication in organising this event!  

Auckland Secondary School Golf Strokeplay Competition

Last week, our talented Pinehurst golfers competed in the Auckland Secondary School Golf Strokeplay competition, an intense two-day event featuring 36 holes of play. Day 1 took place at the challenging Windross Farm Golf Course, while Day 2 tested the players' skills at Clarks Beach Golf Course.

Representing Pinehurst in the Girls competition were Sophie Y, Sarah L, Grace K, and Felisha Z, while Yicheng W, Edward N, and Justin H competed in the Boys competition. Over the two days, players battled tough conditions and strong competition, with their scores from both rounds combined to determine the final rankings for both the Net and Gross competitions.

A standout performance came from Sophie Y, who played exceptionally well across both days, securing an impressive 3rd place in the Girls Gross competition. Her consistency and skill showcased her dedication to the game and highlighted the strength of Pinehurst golf.

Looking ahead, Pinehurst Team 1 has qualified for the Auckland Premier Final, where they will face Auckland Grammar School in Week 11. We wish them the best of luck as they compete for the championship!

Message from the Principal of Primary

Skip Counting in Year 1

Over the past two weeks, P1 has been learning all about skip counting in 2s, 5s, and 10s. We have had many opportunities to practice this important mathematical skill through songs, ordering numbers, and playing skip counting games.

We have also learned to recognise patterns when skip counting, such as how counting in 2s always lands on even numbers and how, when counting in 5s, the ones place alternates between 5 and 0.

In addition to learning how to skip count, we are applying this knowledge to solve early multiplication problems. For example, if I have 6 baskets with 5 apples in each, how many apples do I have? We can solve this by skip counting in 5s six times: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30! That’s a lot of apples!

Year 4 Artistic Adventures with Jackson Pollock

Our Year 4 students have been exploring the expressive and energetic world of Jackson Pollock, a famous abstract artist known for his unique "drip painting" technique. Pollock revolutionized modern art by moving away from traditional brushstrokes and instead using movement, rhythm, and spontaneity to create dynamic splashes of colour.

Inspired by his work, P13 experimented with their own version of this technique. Instead of brushes, they used pegs and string dipped in paint to create striking, abstract compositions on black paper. This hands-on approach allowed them to embrace the freedom of movement and explore how colours and patterns interact in exciting, unexpected ways.

The results were fantastic! Each piece is a celebration of creativity, showcasing bold lines, splashes, and drips that capture the energy and spirit of Pollock’s style. We are so proud of our young artists for their enthusiasm and willingness to take creative risks. Look at their incredible art work!

Spanish in Years 4 - 6

Year 4 students have been exploring Spain, learning about its major cities, including Madrid and Barcelona. They enjoyed discussing Real Madrid, one of the world's most famous football clubs! Alongside this, they have been expanding their vocabulary to describe different places in a city, such as museums and parks. Using simple sentences like “En mi ciudad hay un banco y una escuela,” they are gaining confidence in structuring Spanish sentences.

In Year 5, students have been focusing on the topic “All About Me.” They started by revising how to introduce themselves, sharing details like their age and birthday. For example, they can say “Tengo nueve años” (I am 9 years old) and “Mi cumpleaños es el 28 de marzo” (My birthday is on March 28th). There have been plenty of opportunities for conversations, helping students build confidence in speaking Spanish. They have also been learning how to talk about their hobbies, expressing likes and dislikes, such as “Me gusta cantar pero no me gusta bailar” (I like to sing but I don’t like to dance).

This term, our Year 6 students have been introduced to verb conjugation for the first time. They are learning about the three types of Spanish verbs: -AR, -ER, and -IR, with a focus on the -IR verb vivir (to live). Now, they can say “Vivo” (I live) and “Vivimos” (We live). To expand their sentences, students are practicing using key words that connect ideas. For example, they can say “Voy a la escuela para aprender” (I go to school to learn). Students are developing a stronger understanding of Spanish grammar and sentence structure.

Writing in Year 4

In our latest writing class in P14, we've been diving into the world of graphic novels. We've discovered that these creative works include elements like gutters, speech bubbles, ellipses, frames, outlines, and onomatopoeia. Our journey began with brainstorming superheroes and crafting their stories in narrative form. We focused on using dialogue to keep a story moving forward and we learnt about correct punctuation when there is direct speech. Now, we're thrilled to present an amazing story written by one of our talented writers. Stay tuned for a fantastic read!

Unstoppable T13
by Kelvin An

One peaceful morning, T13 was smoothly gliding through the light, blue morning sky. Until he heard a KABOOM! He quickly glided to the bank. His biggest rival Reaper Spider was there! “Stop right there!” T13 shouted.

“Why do I need to listen to you?" Reaper Spider replied as he quickly teleported away.
 
T13 searched everywhere for any clues where Reaper Spider went, he asked many people for clues. “Where could he be?’’ cried T13 as he flew over buildings until, he spotted someone with eight legs. T13 charged at Reaper Spider with full speed, knocking Reaper Spider out of his chair. T13 quickly blasted a dazzling beam into Reaper Spider’s heart knocking him out of his body.

Police cars started coming, the city was saved again!

Primary Mid Bays Swimming Results

Pinehurst's top swimmers took to the water yesterday and didn't disappoint.  All Age Groups were dominant in the pool taking first place overall.  The result below shows how well all our swimmers performed, breaking four records along the way.

Brayden cleans up at NZ Swimming Div II Champs!

Year 9 student Brayden Z attended the NZ Swimming 2025 Division II Champs last weekend. He had 6 swims and gained personal best times in all of them. He also gained top 10 placings for all swims in the 13-year-old boy age group. 

Brayden's successes include:

• Gold medal for 200m backstroke and 400mm freestyle
• Silver medal for 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke, and 
• Bronze medal for 50m Backstroke, and Open 4X100 Freestyle relay. 

Those gained him a qualifying time for an additional four events for the 2025 NZ Age Group Swimming Champs which are held in Hawkes Bay in April. Huge congratulations on your swimming success Brayden, we wish you all the best for April and can't wait to hear how you go!

Jessica selected for the NZ Gymnastics Team

Congratulations to Year 10 student Jessica D on her selection for the New Zealand Gymnastics team! Representing your country on the international stage is an incredible achievement.
Jessica will proudly compete in a series of prestigious events across Australia, Poland, and Romania. Her journey begins at the Gdynia Stars Baltic Cup in Poland from May 16th – 18th, followed by the Deleanu Cup in Romania from May 24th – 25th. She will then compete at the Australian Gymnastics Championships from July 12th – 17th. Jessica will participate in the Junior International competition, alongside her teammates competing at the Senior level. We wish her all the very best as she takes on this remarkable opportunity and represents New Zealand with pride! 

Pinehurst Library: New Book Arrivals for everyone!

Check out these new arrivals in our Pinehurst Library - some great school holidays reads here to explore! Be sure to keep up to date via the Library blog.