Primary (Year 1-6)
Pinehurst Primary has a warm and caring environment giving children the very best start to their school life.
Our academic focus is on the development and consolidation of basic skills in numeracy and literacy that create a solid foundation on which to build. Pinehurst Primary works within two levels – the Junior Primary and Senior Primary to best meet the needs of our students’ development.
New Entrant intakes occur at the beginning of each term and new students attend two orientation visits before they start. When your child starts at Pinehurst they will either move into a brand-new class of no more than 15 students with one experienced teacher or they will join a class of fewer than 25 students with two teachers to ensure they get the individual attention that matters so much. In their second year and third years the teacher student ratio is 1:23. The Senior Primary School has 9 classrooms covering Years 4 to 6, ages 8-11, the ratio is also 1:23.
Specific teaching strategies are integrated with all curriculum areas to support independence in both learning and behaviour and help our students attain their personal goals. We follow the Cambridge curriculum in English, Maths and Science from Year 1.
Our children are taught languages as a specialist subject. Spanish and Mandarin are introduced in Year 1.
Pinehurst Primary has a state-of-the-art computer suite where children are taught IT skills by a specialist teacher. In addition, each classroom has its own computer equipment for use by the students.
We firmly encourage the triangle of parents, teachers and students working in partnership to foster the child’s learning.
Primary Special Programmes
At Pinehurst we recognise that every student has individual needs and we endeavour to meet those needs through our classroom and Special Programmes.
We have many specialist programmes run by qualified teachers. A daily literacy support programme is also offered in the Primary. We provide one to one and group support for students who need help in Maths and English as well as study skills and work habits.
We recognise the needs of our gifted and talented students through a variety of exciting programmes run by specialist teachers. We offer Future Problem Solvers, Autonomous Learner Programmes, Lego Dacta, Literature Study, Young Writer's as well as extension and acceleration in Maths and English. There are opportunities throughout the school for multi-levelling in many areas of the curriculum including Sports.
It has been predicted that citizens of the future will change careers (not just jobs) five or six times in their lifetime. With this is mind we run PrEP where students can learn about resources and economic education through running their own business and trading in their own currency called Pines (1 Pine = NZ$1). We are the lead PrEP school on the North Shore and have provided professional development for teachers from across New Zealand.
We believe students need to be nurtured, encouraged and taught the processes that will help them to develop responsibility for their own learning and behaviour. With this, students develop self-confidence and self-esteem, by understanding their own strengths and needs.
