Message from the Executive Principal

Kia ora koutou, good afternoon, 下午好, 안녕하세요  

Best wishes, 

Mike Waller 

Message from the Principal of College

Layers of different types of rocks can be seen and there is also a large amount at the bottom of the cliff. This clearly shows erosion that will result in the cliff retreating. At the top is an overhanging structure that we would assume was built on solid land before the cliff retreated.

It is hard to explain what ‘soft’ and ‘rocks’ are, but it is important to understand to explain why erosion,  cliff retreat and collapse occur. Rocks were therefore collected at the bottom of the cliff and brought into class. We went outside where students could feel the rocks and could easily see how ‘soft’ rocks break up in our hands. Students then had a chance of throwing the soft rock against the hard rock to see how it breaks down. It took a while as many throws missed! However, when hit, we could see how these processes occur. Students are advised to visit their local coastal environment so they can apply what is learnt in class to the ‘real’ world. 

Creative Writing Club

The Easter Quest by Bianca Jin

Excitedly, Emily woke up and leaped to her feet. It was finally easter again! Emily and her little sister, Anna, had been waiting for this day for one entire year and it arrived. Their parents had promised them to set up an easter hunt around the house and the garden for them to find all the chocolate eggs and gifts to them from their parents, Emily could not wait. Unaware of the time, Emily got dressed and rushed to her sister’s room to wake her up. “Anna, what are you doing, did you forget that it is easter today? Get up you lazy animal,” shouted Emily in Anna’s ears. “All right, all right. Just stop it will you? I’ll meet you downstairs at the dinner table once I’m ready, then we can start the hunt,” groaned Anna. Emily nodded and headed down for breakfast.

After breakfast, the two sisters sprinted to their parents’ bedroom and knocked eagerly on the door. “What’s wrong girls?” questioned their mother. “Can we do the easter hunt now?” pleaded Emily and Anna together. “Girls, you do realise that it is only six in the morning, right? But since you two came, I’ll let you start the hunt,” signed their mother, opening the dusty door and stepping out. After explaining how to find each gift, Emily and Anna set off to work.

Emily’s first clue was to look behind the feijoa tree. Happily, she skipped towards her backyard’s only feijoa tree and spotted a chocolate easter egg. On the tree was a sticky note that read ‘Follow the easter bunny’. Emily wondered what it meant when suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a flash of white and an adorable bunny carrying a basket hopped out of a lush, green bush. Amazed, Emily followed the easter bunny and found her next gift: a chocolate easter bunny. After a long time of guessing and solving riddles, Emily met with Anna, and they counted up their gifts to realise that they had already found all of them.

Delightedly, Emily couldn’t help but grin as she once again collected more gifts than her sister; she found seven, her sister found five. They went back to find their mother and thanked her for setting up the lovely experience. Emily ate three whole easter eggs without hesitation and savoured the sweet taste of them. Emily and Anna were extremely joyful for all the gifts and had the best time ever spending this once per year event.

Toi o te wiki

Toi o te wiki this week goes to Year 7 students Jeremy and Mateo.

Our Year 7 students have been looking at the natural world in Aotearoa as they practise their skills using tone to create form. To complete their work, both Jeremy and Mateo experimented on photocopies of thier work to trial water colour techniques. Once they had explored the way that watercolour might enhance their work, they committed themselves to applying this to their drawing. 

Well done Mateo and Jeremy you have both worked with intention and purpose as you created these beautiful drawings. 

House BBQ and the First Ever 'Pinehurst Parents' Playoffs'!

Thursday 11 April 3:30-5:00pm 

The inaugural House BBQ on the last day of Term 1 is back, bigger than ever! 

We invite ALL students from the College and Primary, along with their families to join us for good kai and some fun:)

A climbing wall, Zorb football and the GOLIATH bouncy obstacle course will be available on the Top Field (near Rosedale Carpark).

Tickets sales for each of these activities will take place on the day. 

Each activity will be $5.00 each, so make sure you bring some cash! (cash only)

Year 10 Physics

In Year 10 physics we are studying forces.  Hooke’s Law is one of many laws considered this year and Hanray and Ivan are setting up the gear to test this law. They have to ensure that the stand and ruler are truly perpendicular to the bench before they can start testing, which involves extending a special spring with a range of known force magnitudes.

Year 11 Chemistry

Year 11 Chemistry students have been studying Organic Chemistry. As part of the unit, they have been learning about plastics and the problems associated with plastics. World Earth Day is about caring for our planet. The students researched the current situation regarding recycling plastics in New Zealand by looking at the methods implemented in New Zealand, the environmental challenges caused by burning plastics, and plastic accumulation in the oceans and in landfill sites.

Click here to see some of their projects.

AS Live Drama Assessment

On Wednesday evening the AS drama class performed their devised piece to a live audience for assessment. The students used the Alexandre Cabanel painting "The Fallen Angel" as their stimulus, and brainstormed potential themes and emotional beats before settling on their chosen storyline. They not only created the script and characters, but they were also able to design their piece with lighting, sound, and costumes. The final piece was engaging and effective at conveying the students dramatic intention. It was a joy to see them bring their piece to life in front of audience.

• The National Institute of Australia (NIE) is offering UCAT Preparation Sessions. They offer this to students in Years 11-13. More information and registration link here: UCAT NIE: Advanced and Comprehensive
• If a student is currently in Year 13 and interested in applying to direct-entry Medicine in Australia or Dentistry, they need to register for the UCAT. Bookings close on May 17. They can book here: Booking your Test | UCAT ANZ Consortium
• Unifrog University Fair is a free virtual event taking place on Wednesday 24 April 2024, 18:00–20:30 Hong Kong Time. Students will have the opportunity to connect directly with top universities including Imperial College London (UK), University College Cork (Ireland), Johns Hopkins University (USA), American University of Rome (Italy), University of St Andrews (UK), and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Students can register here: Unifrog University Fair: Asia (vfairs.com)

Hi there! We are your deputy Head Prefects, Christian & Gloria!

Our mission is to make our school just a little more lively and inclusive space to step into every day. We have hosted the first-ever Clubs Fair, to open doors to more than 40 clubs offered at Pinehurst, publishing the Clubs Guide along with it to better support everyone’s decision-making about their extracurricular pathway in 2024. We’ve been privileged to support the vast array of events the Prefects team has charged into the year with, and excited for many more to come!

Message from the Principal of Primary

Art in P19

Year 6 have been asking themselves, “If there is art in science?”. They have been focusing on developing key skills that both artists and scientists share, like careful observation, precise measurement, hands-on experimentation, and effective collaboration.

To practise this, they have been making realistic and accurate observational studies of natural objects, so far, they have created charcoal shell drawings and oil pastels of fruit. They have learnt new, as well as built upon existing techniques, for example cross hatching, scumbling and blending.

P19’s reflections:

Chelsea reports, “We’ve been observing the objects we are drawing really closely.”

Emily says, “Looking at fruit from different perspectives has been interesting and we have learnt about shading.”

Lavender comments, “We had to add value to our drawings and use different techniques to make sure our drawings look realistic.”

Aubrey says, “Using colours on black paper make them look dirty!”

Spanish

¡Felices Pascuas! from Year 4

Our Year 4 Spanish classes have been exploring the unique cultures of different Spanish-speaking countries. Students are actively participating in basic conversations to increase their confidence. A key focus has been vocabulary building and our classes have especially enjoyed learning words related to Easter, deepening their understanding of cultural traditions.

Hola from Year 5!

In Year 5, students have been brushing up on Spanish family member names and broadening their vocabulary to include extended relatives. They have enjoyed being able to introduce family members through concise phrases, while paying close attention to using masculine and feminine pronouns correctly. For example, students can confidently form phrases like "Esta es mi tía" (This is my aunt) and "Este es mi tío" (This is my uncle).

Year 6 sharing Mi Casa

This term, our Year 6 students have been busy labeling different parts of the house, like la cocina (the kitchen) and la sala (the living room). They have been learning words for various rooms and items found at home, such as la cama (the bed) and la mesa (the table). Through fun activities such as drawing and identifying objects in their homes, students have enjoyed sharing their houses with classmates and discussing what is inside.

Unraveling the Mystery of Seed Growth: P9’s Scientific Journey.

In our recent exploration into the world of seed growth, we embarked on an exciting journey to understand what factors influence the growth of seeds. Splitting into groups, we conducted experiments under different conditions: some seeds received no water or sunlight, some had water but no sunlight, some had sunlight but no water, and others had the ideal combination of both water and sunlight.

Our findings were fascinating! Seeds that received both sunlight and water showed the most robust growth, thriving in their optimal environment. However, we also observed something intriguing: plants deprived of sunlight appeared white, while those exposed to sunlight displayed a vibrant green coloration.

Through our observations, we uncovered that the difference in coloration highlights the importance of sunlight for plant growth and health. We understand that sunlight is crucial for a process called photosynthesis. This process is where plants use sunlight to make their food, aiding them in growth and maintaining health. Without sunlight, this vital process cannot occur, leading to the pale appearance of the plants.

One of our key conclusions was the importance of conducting fair tests in experiments. We learned that a fair test ensures accurate results. Even when the conditions were right for growth, we noticed differences in growth due to the amount of water one pot was given. This highlights the significance of controlling variables in experiments to obtain reliable data.

New Entrant and Year 1 Music

This term in our New Entrant and Year 1 music program, we have focused on the foundational elements of music - beat, rhythm, and pitch. With an emphasis on practical learning, we have incorporated the use of basic percussion instruments into our lessons. This hands-on approach has allowed the students to “feel” the beat and rhythm through instruments and movement.

Simultaneously, our attention has also been directed towards the development of pitch recognition and understanding. To achieve this, we use solfa singing, a method that assigns specific syllables to different pitches, enhancing their melodic understanding. Through engaging in solfa singing, we are developing a solid foundation in pitch and melody, critical components in musical development.

Together, these methods have provided a comprehensive, engaging, and fun approach to learning music. Our students have not only learned key musical concepts but also honed their coordination, auditory perception, and creativity. As we continue to explore the fascinating world of music, we remain committed to providing our students with a well-rounded, engaging, and enriching musical experience.

Reading in P11

This term we have been reading ‘The Wild Robot Escapes’ together as our Big Read programme.

The vocabulary and ideas that the author has included creates very rich images in our minds as readers.

We have been reading chapters independently and have created visualisations of the pictures the words create.

This helps us to understand more fully what the author is describing to us, and helps us to understand the plot.

Science is alive in P11

This term in P11 we have been exploring how to create the best conditions in which to grow grass.

We have had 4 different scenarios that we have set up and are collating our data to confirm our predictions about what we think will happen.

Our conclusions have been very interesting and quite different to what our initial predictions were. We decided that grass was really very tough and strong as it tried to grow even with no water or sunlight.

Child Care available for Teacher only day -  Friday 12 April

If you wish to schedule child care for the upcoming teacher-only day on Friday, 12 April, please use the following link to book your child's spot - Click here to book.

To make a booking, choose Term 1. In the final week of the term, locate four boxes under Friday. Select one of these options:

1. Standard day (8:00 am - 3:30 pm)
2. Long day add-on (3:30 pm - 5:00 pm)

If you need any further assistance please contact Youthtown at:

Phone: 0800 004 566
Email: info@youthtown.org.nz

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