No images? Click here 5 November 2021Pinehurst School NewsletterOpening Words from the Executive Principal...Kia ora tatou, good afternoon, 你好, 안녕하세요 Happy Diwali!! There are some fabulous pictures to celebrate in the newsletter please scroll down. It’s Guy Fawkes tonight: it has always seemed a slightly odd anachronism that we have fireworks in New Zealand to celebrate the failure of a group of conspirators to blow up the UK Parliament in 1605, but I hope you enjoy the weeks of fireworks going off at random times. We have had some whistles and bangs around my home since Wednesday, so I’m locking the cat in the house over the weekend! Congratulations to the Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 students who have been taking their exams in rather unusual circumstances this week, and thank you to the parents who have supported us by keeping an eye on the students and helping keep cameras on. We realise, of course, that there are technical issues and other complications doing it this way, but we’ve been true to our principles, trying to keep everything as structured and consistent as possible for our young people. The teachers I’ve spoken to are generally very happy with what they’re seeing from the students, and we feel that they’re pretty close to where we would expect them to be at the end of the year. Well done, too, to the senior students, who are now less than two weeks away from completing their Cambridge exams. Fingers crossed and touch wood, but they’ve progressed very smoothly, and we haven’t even had an unusual number of special consideration requests to make. I’m going to talk briefly now about “reopening” and what this means for Pinehurst. We’ve been continuing to plan, and we’re now at the point where we have a number of reopening options that we are ready to put into place with just a couple of days’ notice. There are two variables that mean we need to have multiple options: we don’t know what rules the Government is going to put in place, and we don’t know how many parents will choose to keep their children at home when we reopen. Our way of managing this is to wait until the Government tell us what they’re going to require, and then to tell parents immediately what this means for the school and immediately survey you about your intentions. Because we have our planning ready, we can do this in 24 hours, and then confirm the arrangements. There’s no point surveying parents right now because none of us know the exact circumstances of our reopening, nor the conditions of the outbreak in 10 days time. We know, for example that, for many Primary parents, the decision whether to send your child to school will be a finely-balanced one, and so you need the detail in order to make that call. What we have decided is that we will be able to offer both in-person and online learning for all year groups when we reopen. The exact nature of the learning will depend on the rules – the size of bubbles decided on by the Government, for example – and the number of students we have in school. We have also decided that it is likely that, in order to make this happen, we are going to need to change some of the teaching groups, and to move around some of the teachers too. There will be bubbles, the full range of health and safety measures in place, and strict conditions around access to the school site as well. But the learning, both online and at school, will continue to be high quality learning. We are expecting an announcement from the Government early next week, so expect us to write to you in detail at that point. In the meantime, please do complete the student vaccination survey at Pinehurst.nz/covidstudent. Around 75% of parents have completed this, but we need everyone to do it, as it is now a legal requirement – that is already in force – for us to have the register up and running. The information is kept separately to other student data that we hold, and only four of us have access to it. So far, well over 95% of the students (aged 12+) for whom we have information have had one or both doses. I’ll finish with another thank you. This one is to the Primary teachers and parents who have been having their Parent-teacher conferences this week. Another new experience for all of us, but I understand that the conversations have gone well, and I’m really grateful to everyone for your continued support of each other. Kia kaha, and enjoy the weekend Alex Reed 如需阅读校长的中文留言和重要事件日期,请点击此处 Dates for your DiaryPlease be aware there is a slight change to the term dates for next year. These have been updated on our website. Our September holidays are now at the same time as they are in State schools. Kia ora, This week seems to have gone quickly, possibly because we have been busy making plans for possible returns to school or what that might look like under various scenarios and the percentage of online and in school programmes we need. As I work from home I miss the day to day interaction with students, a quick smile, hello or invitation to play from one of the juniors. Meetings are scheduled and therefore more contrived, which has me longing for a return whenever that becomes possible. Classes seem to go through phases of motivation and lessons can be loud and interactive or like my Year 6 class this week, almost silent, even when I tried to tell funny stories and get them talking. All of us have been so impressed with our students though, they are willing to learn, which we can’t take for granted. They have kept going for three months now and whilst some of the afternoon numbers in attendance have lessened, the mornings are very well attended. The fun afternoons are varied to try and appeal to all interests. Next week is all singing, all dancing afternoons on Tuesday and Thursday which we are sure will spark the creativity of lots of our children. Thank you to so many parents for your attendance at our online conferences this week. Teachers overwhelmingly talked about how lovely it was to be able to meet and talk to you about your child. We are very grateful for your support in working with us every day. Trying to help children at different year levels and often trying to work yourselves is a huge ask. We are currently writing reports on your child’s progress and will share those with you at the end of the term. When we write we are being mindful that online learning is a different environment so please don’t worry if your child has not attended every lesson. I hope you can spend some time outdoors with your family bubble this weekend, kia kaha, stay safe! Kia pai to rā whakata, have a good weekend. Ngā mihi, Sian Coxon, Principal of Primary
This week in the Primary BubbleLets get Arty with P12Happy Diwali Festival everyone from P17!For Art this term P17 have been looking at pattern art and its symmetry and the cultural influences it has on the patterns. To celebrate the Diwali festival, we designed our own Rangoli pattern. We hope they bring you and your family lots of good luck this year. P18 Online Learning with a Twist!This week P18 commuted all the way to Scotland to learn each day and after a week of working hard, they are ready for a well-earned rest! It has been an absolute pleasure working with the Y6 students this week, seeing lots of familiar faces and meeting some new ones too. In English, we were developing our skills in poetry analysis. The Visitor by Ian Serrailier was the poem of choice and the students in P18 enjoyed creating a comic based on what they had learned. They have begun work on turning the poem into a digital story, using Powtoon so watch this space for the finished products. By Jessica Hu As well as completing all our assignments, we also managed to have some fun too. During our Tuesday afternoon assembly, we participated in a lip-sync battle, although I’m not sure I remember some of the students being quite so shy of the microphone! On Wednesday afternoon, we also got trapped in a Stranger Things virtual escape room - luckily, we have survived to tell the tale. Thanks for a great week P18 – you have all been absolute stars! By Chelsie Liu Primary ArtBy Mikayla Soh P9 By Annie Li P7 By Chloe Situ P9 By Devin Bu P9 By Kasey Zhu P7 By Chantelle Cowie P7 Primary PEThis term has started off well for our Years 1-3 in PE, the enthusiasm and energy from the kids participating in a range of different activities is great to see. Our students are focusing on athletics this term, looking at three main fundamental movement skills, running, jumping, and throwing. With an emphasis on competition our students are competing in a range of challenges that develop their movement skills while encouraging them to work towards their goals and challenge themselves, their family, and classmates. Additional Language LearningThis week in Additional Language Learning, the post beginner year one groups have been looking at their verb choice depending on what their subject is. They then extended their sentences using ‘because’ to explain why their favourite toy is so special. We each brought our favourite toy or favourite thing (person) to our online class and shared them. Ruby Pan – My favourite thing is my little sister because she is so cute. Daniel Potter – My favourite toy is my bear, he is all loving. Artyom Potter – My favourite toys are everything because they are very cool. Jeremy Lu – My favourite toys are my monster trucks because they can drive. Morris Han – My favourite toy is Super Mario Odyssey because I have fun of Mario. Albert Wang – My favourite toy is my shark because he is hard and wiggle his tail and he can jump really high. Splash! Joseph – My favourite toy is my paper snake because I make it with my mum. Primary MandarinFor students learning Mandarin as a foreign language, we have been learning time telling in both Year 5 and Year 6. We have learned to tell time using words like o’clock, half and “quarter” (the one used in time telling; there is another word for “a quarter” when we want to say one-fourth in Mandarin). The Year 5 first language, students made sentences using the given words which they learnt from the passage 《井里一只蛙》, and practiced typing Chinese based on the passage. The Year 6 students made sentences using the given words chosen from the passage 《一颗种子》, and played an online game to unscramble sentences with those words.
Bosco Year 5 Chelsea Year 6 Felisha Year 5 Jessica Year 6 Primary SpanishThe Year 2 students have been learning to talk about fruit and food in Spanish and we have played songs and games to help us learn. They are doing really well learning to identify cognates, (words that sound similar in English) and how to use the four words for ‘the’ correctly in Spanish. To help practice our new vocabulary we have been playing online games like quizlet learn, kahoots, as well as practicing our listening skills with videos in Spanish. The Year 4’s are enjoying learning the words for animals in different settings, en la selva (forest) en la granja (farm) y animales acuáticos (aquatic animals). We had fun playing ‘guess the animal’ as well as reading a story in Spanish called ‘Carnival de los animales’ where all the animals dress up as different animals for a party.
In Spanish class with the Year 6’s, we have been learning words for different professions to be able to say what you want to be when you are older and why. We started by learning the vocabulary for the different professions by playing quizlet live and kahoots. We also played a fun game of guess who. We are now starting to learn different verbs to say what people do in their jobs. Día de los MuertosThis week in Spanish, we have been celebrating el día de los Muertos - the day of the dead. The students enjoyed learning about the origins of this festive holiday which is all about remembering the dead. In Mexico, the belief is that on day of the dead, the souls of the dead get to visit their families. We watched videos learning about the traditions and festivities. The students then had a chance to celebrate with a range of fun activities. Some students made a special type of bread called pan de Muertos, others decorated ‘alebrijes’ - spirit animals, some painted their faces and so much more. Primary ScienceWhat does a potato, cornmeal, baking soda, yeast, sugar & water have to do with Asteroids? Making a mess in Mrs Herbert’s kitchen is the norm these days for our online learning. Trying to include practical activities for children to do at home is essential for our science enquiry. This week we are learning about Mars and its Moons. On research we found that the moons are asteroids and so we are now trying to deepen our understanding on what asteroids are. Bennu is an asteroid. Scientist at NASA, think that this old rock in space can help us learn more about Earth and other planets. A TAG (Touch and go) mission is in progress now and samples collected will be dropped back to Earth (USA) in 2023. The dust samples will be tested, and scientists may even find signs of life. So how does the potato relate, well asteroids are more like the shape of a potato. The mess on the bench is a test for life. A quick reaction indicates a chemical reaction, means no life, a slow reaction indicates life, and the control which had no reaction equals no life. So which glass shows signs of life? Which variable did we change in the experiment? Which variable did we keep the same? What is your conclusion? Think about the tests that scientist will perform on the samples bought back from Bennu or even Mars. Will there be evidence of life? Exploring Mars with Year 5 Year 5 are finding out about space exploration, specifically what missions Nasa is currently undertaking on Mars. Students used a virtual explorer to navigate the terrain in Perseverance the latest Mars Rover. The challenge was then to build a Lego Rover and explain the different parts of the Rover and how it would navigate the surface of Mars and collect data. Is their life on Mars? What evidence can be found to support the theory that there could have been or possible still is? Home Grown Circuits Year 6 children are currently (excuse the pun) studying electricity. We have learnt how to draw circuits using circuit symbols to represent the different components in a circuit. While we are online it is difficult for children to build circuits unless they are lucky enough to have the components. The children have been creative to show both parallel and series circuits using anything they could find. I enjoyed seeing the creativity coming through with their designs and that they could identify the differences between parallel and series circuits. Kia Ora, I would like to start this week by thanking parents for your support in ensuring that our junior examinations have gone well this week. We had a few minor technology issues on Tuesday morning as large numbers of students accessed papers simultaneously, but other than that I have been very happy with how the exams have gone. I have received positive feedback from teachers about how students have conducted themselves. Teachers will now busy themselves with their marking to provide students with feedback next week. They will then set about writing reports for parents, which will be available later this term. Looking forward to next week, we will be making some changes to the online programme for Years 7-9 students for Thursday and Friday. We are in the process of finalising these plans and I will write to parents and students on Monday with the details. We are looking to change things for a few days to keep things fresh and interesting for students. After the focus on examinations this week it is important that we are able to adapt our programmes. Another significant event in the life of the College next week is the beginning of the removal of the Village. Three classrooms have been cleared and will be moved from site next week, with the other classrooms going at the end of the term. The Village has been a fixture throughout the life of the college, and I am sure it will be missed by students and teachers alike. It is very different to all of our other buildings and has its own charm. I was reminiscing earlier in the week, as when I started at Pinehurst my office was located in the Village, this predated the College 3 and 4 buildings. I was discussing this with Mr Wiggin, who has been here even longer than myself, and he remembered working in the Village when College 1 was being built! While it is exciting that College 5 will get underway to complete the building of college classrooms, it will feel a very different place with the Village being gone. You will be able to read below about the continued success of our students in the commerce field. I am proud of what these students have managed to achieve and am grateful to the teachers involved for their support and guidance. You will notice that there isn't a lot from the college students this week. This is because they are all doing exams! We are looking forward to resuming more of our normal activities next week. Nga mihi, Kieran Verryt, Principal of College
Día de los MuertosPinehurst Musical Production 2022 (Year 7-13)Pinehurst College is excited to announce we will be presenting Annie as our musical production next year. Information on how to audition as well as rehearsal and production dates, synopsis and character briefs is currently available on the Schoolbox’s Annie page and we will be emailing out an information pack shortly to all eligible students and parents. Next year’s musical will run from the 29- 31st July, with three 7.00pm shows and one matinee. Cast auditions
will be conducted via online video submissions and the deadline to submit is the 30th of November.
Young Enterprise Scheme regional awardsThe Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) regional awards were given to Cara Jewellery. This was a company ran by Sneha Balia as CEO and included Michelle Ge, Sarah Xiang, Soyo Park and Chloey Lam. They have won the award for ‘Excellence in Customer Service’ that recognises a business that has achieved success by providing excellent and sustained customer service. With the group having to face lockdowns and restrictions they still managed to maintain their business and look for opportunities to provide a wonderful service to their customers. Cara Jewelry began its journey through 5 girls being passionate about designing hand-made arts and crafts and the love of jewelry. They launched their hand-made pearl and bead necklaces consisting of two successful selling designs which was the Stop Asian Hate Necklace and Earth Necklace. Sneha Balia also achieved an individual award that recognises outstanding individuals and their contribution to YES (only 3 selected from each region) which is a really great award for her to be acknowledged for. This is an amazing achievement and one we are very proud of for the team.
AUT Shadow a Leader dayRecently Commerce student, Charlotte Toumadj (who also happens to be head girl) attended the AUT Shadow a Leader day. This programmer matches a high-school student and a university student with a local business leader. Students then spend a day gaining insight into how theory applies to real business organizations. Watch the video of her experience here. If you are interested in getting involved, either as a Year 13 student or by hosting a student in your workplace, email Hillary Mann Hillary.mann@pinehurst.school.nz.
This week's Maths problemSolution to last week's problemP1's Penguin Party..... Kirin's Poetry writing.... Abhi helping his parents with the Diwali Festival making Murukku...... Sibling PhotosIf you put a Sibling Photo order through to Photolife during lockdown, this is ready for you to collect from reception. Please remember to come in with your mask and sign when you enter. If you are unable to collect this, please email kirsty.robertson@pinehurst.school.nz to arrange for these to be posted to you. Our Office Hours are 8.30am – 4.00pm Monday-Friday and we will be open until 9th December.
Sports Cups & TrophiesWere you presented a Year 5-8 Sports Trophy or Cup in 2020? Is it still at home with you? Mrs Lindsay is busy organising this year’s Sports Awards, and needs to send all our Trophies & Cups away to be engraved for our 2021 award winners soon. So, if you still have your trophy or cup, would you kindly return this/these to Pinehurst Reception, no later than Friday 12th November. Thank you! WANTED – Action Photos Year 1-8 Afterschool SportWe would love some more ACTION shots of our students playing sport for Pinehurst in 2021! If you have any photos of our Year 1-8 Pinehurst teams in action – e.g. Badminton, Basketball, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Orienteering, Table Tennis, Tennis, Snow Sports, Splashpolo, Waterpolo etc, please send 1-2 photos (of each sport if you have more than 1) to kelly.lindsay@pinehurst.school.nz Thank you ! Our 150th library book parcel went out today!
To sign up for a book parcel please follow the link here. Thank you so much for the great feedback on the parcels. We have loved hearing from you! Please note that any Library books that were borrowed last term can be returned to school at the reception building. Senior student’s textbooks also need returning after exams. Students doing exams can drop these off in the drama room. Parents driving by can drop any off at reception. Touch North Harbour Trials Update 2021TNH Junior Academy and Youth, Opens and Masters Trials Day on Sunday 7th November 2021 is now cancelled. We will be moving to a virtual team allocation process for juniors and training squad selection process for youth, opens, and masters. We would like to encourage all players to register online to be selected for teams and training squads. Please fill in the NEW registration form here Registrations will close on Sunday 7th November at 12noon. |