It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the Kauri hub, with tamariki engaged in a wide range of end-of-term learning and exciting EOTC opportunities. From classroom projects and assessments to experiences beyond the school gates, students have been making the most of every moment, showing focus, teamwork, and enthusiasm as the term draws to a close.

Upcoming Dates for Term 4:

• Week 1: 

• Throughout the week: Class Speech Competitions

• Tuesday: Peer Mediator Training

• Wednesday: Year 5-8 Relationships & Sexuality Education: Parent Information Evening

• Friday: Celebration Assembly

• Week 2: 

• Throughout the week: Walk or Wheel to School week

• Wednesday: Year 7-8 Speech Finals

• Thursday: Year 8 Photos

Kauri & Pohutukawa Choir
The Kauri and Pohutukawa Choir had their Area Rehearsal for their upcoming performance on Friday 7 November. Tickets are now available through the following link, which also includes any additional information you may need: https://musicfestival.school.nz/

A huge ngā mihi to Megan for all of her mahi in preparing the choir and helping them sound beautiful. If you have any questions about choir, please reach out to Megan directly at megan.harris@beckenham.school.nz.

Kauri Ski Day
We had a fantastic day up the mountain for our Ski Day, and for many students it was a clear highlight of the term. The weather was kind, the snow was great, and the enthusiasm from our tamariki was infectious. It was awesome to see so many stepping beyond their comfort zones — from learning how to ski for the first time to challenging themselves on the bigger slopes. The determination, resilience, and teamwork on display were outstanding. Ski Day is one of those experiences our students will remember for a long time, and it was wonderful to see them embracing the challenge with such energy and pride.

A huge thank you from Team Kauri to Nicky, whose organisation and planning made the whole day possible, and to the many parents who came along to support. From helping with gear to cheering on the slopes, your contribution made a massive difference. 

Pō Whakangahau - Te Whānau Mahi Tahi Performance
He pō whakahirahira tēnei, kī tonu i te hari me te whakamanawa o ngā tamariki! This was a special evening, full of joy and the courage of our tamariki! Our Kapa Haka group, Te Whānau Mahi Tahi, recently performed at Pō Whakangahau at Cashmere High School. The performance showcased the amount of mahi and aroha that had gone into their preparations, as the tamariki represented Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto with pride and mana. Tamariki – your kaiako could not be prouder of you, and we hope you are so proud of yourselves too.

NFL Tournament
We had three Kauri students, Misha, Nick, and Clarel, as part of the NFL Flag Tournament team that represented Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto at the Canterbury U12 Tournament on Monday of Week 10. It was a fantastic day with great weather, exciting competition, and awesome exposure to a new game; and a big thank you to Chris from Pohutukawa who stepped up to take the team. Our students gave it their all on the field and came away with plenty of new skills, experiences, and memories.

Koru Games
Week 10 saw the long-awaited Koru Games take place. We had a record number of 93 students from the Kauri Team participating across seven different sports. This was an incredible feat, supported by three staff and nineteen parent helpers across the three days. For many of our tamariki, this was their first exposure to a competitive environment and, in some cases, an entirely new sport. The sportsmanship, behaviour, and hard work displayed throughout the event made us incredibly proud of our Kauri learners. 

We want to give a special shout out to our Ultimate Frisbee team who finished as the Bronze Medallists! What an incredible result. A very well done to Ben W, Max, Oscar R, Samson, Dylan, Robbie, Alfie & KJ. Karawhiua!

To all of our parent helpers, we are extremely grateful for you giving up your time — whether it was for one day or all three. Our students could not have these experiences without you, and we are so lucky to have had nineteen incredible volunteers who helped make this event a massive success and a truly memorable experience for our team.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini - My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective.

Beckenham’s Got Talent
And to finally end what has been a busy two weeks and term, we celebrated with Beckenham’s Got Talent! Kauri was represented by Ben Stoney – The Piano Whiz, Hanna O’Sullivan – The Irish Dancing Queen, and A.L.A.R.M. – The Next Generation of Musical Brilliance. These three acts were a brilliant display of talent from the Kauri Team and truly blew us all away! It was wonderful to enjoy all the acts from across the school and cheer them on as they demonstrated our value of We Love Challenge.

Thanks for an incredible team and we are looking forward to getting back into it for our final 2025 term after the break. Have a safe and enjoyable school holiday with your tamariki!

Nga mihi nui,
Hugo, Kate, Sarah, Chloe, Nicky & Megan

Upcoming Events

Week 5

• Wednesday 13th August

• Cheese Roll fundraiser

• Friday 15th August

• Year 5-8 Duathlon

Week 6

• Tuesday 19th August

• Cantamath display drop off

• Wednesday 20th August

• Cantamath display open to public and Interschool competition

• Wednesday 20th August & Friday 22nd August

• Beckenham in school Touch competition 

Week 7  

• Wednesday 27th August

• Year 7 Girls self-defence

• Thursday 28th August - Team Kauri trip

• Quake City, Art Gallery & City Hīkoi

• Friday 29th August

• Beckenham in school Four square tournament

• Te Whanau Mahi Tahi Wānanga

Week 8

• Tuesday 2nd September 

• Year 8 Cashmere testing day

• Wednesday 3rd September 

• Team Kauri Ski trip

Week 9

• Thursday 11th September 

• Team Kauri Ōpawaho Hīkoi - TBC

• Pō Whakangahau - Te Whānau Mahi Tahi Performance 4:30-6:30pm

Week 10

• Monday 15th September 

• Staff vs Students basketball

• Tuesday 16th - Thursday 18th September 

• Koru Games

Calendar Art

Over the first few weeks students have been creating their Calendar Art using digital skills and applications. Students were to create a piece that was unusual and included an element of themselves in the art. As I am sure you are aware, Calendar Art is a great fundraising opportunity for our school and a great way for you to display your child’s art in a number of ways. We look forward to seeing what it looks like later in the term.

Bekamaths & Cantamaths

In preparation for Cantamaths 2025, Team Kauri students participated in a problem solving event we call Bekamaths. This event involved the students solving problems in small groups. As a home learning task students have also been encouraged to participate in a home learning challenge to create posters or projects to do with Maths. Students have been bringing them in this week and they will be available to view in the Kauri breakout space before and after school in Week 5. A number of these projects will be chosen by Teachers to represent Beckenham at the Cantamaths competition later this term.

Passions Term 3

This term teachers are offering some tried and tested and some new Passions for students to discover:

• Felt-making

• Buddies (students working in the Koru & Kahikatea)

• Mad Lab (STEAM activities)

• Debating

• Drawing workshop

Some students have requested some more outdoor options as were offered in Term 1 & 2, however, it was felt that the weather might be an issue this term so indoor options were offered instead and that more outdoor opportunities will be made available in Term 4.

Ski Trip

In Week 8, the Team will be heading out to the Ski fields for the day. This is an annual event for Team Kauri. One we would like to continue for the foreseeable future. We appreciate the support families are showing for this event by coming as parent helpers and by supporting school fundraising which has been helping reduce the cost of these events for families.

Maths Week Next Week!

To celebrate Maths week we will have a daily joke and maths problem on a whiteboard, outside our hub, for you and your child to solve! You are also welcome to come into the hub before and after school to walk through our Cantamath projects in the breakout space in Kauri Hub.

Mathematics & Statistics: Understanding your child's learning

The Ministry of Education Parent Portal is a collection of guidance and resources for parents, families and carers. Here, you will find information about the learning your child is doing at school within their year level, and how you can support them in their learning. Feel free to have a look and explore what you can do at home to support Maths learning, while keeping it fun!

Staying Safe Online: Snapchat and Privacy

Snapchat is a popular messaging app that lets users exchange pictures and videos (snaps) that are meant to disappear after they’re viewed. Many young people love Snapchat but it’s important that they understand how to protect their privacy on the app.

Check out Netsafe’s Privacy on Snapchat page for some helpful information on Snapchat’s features. You can also find out more information about privacy, security and safety on Snapchat’s help centre.

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Ngā mihi nui,

Team Kauri Teachers

The last two weeks in Kauri have been jam-packed with lots of different activities. We have been busy working away on our calendar art, starting a new round of passions, maths, literacy and exploring opportunities outside of the classroom; as well as enjoying our new learning spaces.

Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday 29 July - School Beckamath Event

Friday 8 August - Celebration Assembly 

PTA School Disco: Year 7 & 8: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Sport in Kauri

Week two saw the return of weekly winter sport and it was great to have all our teams out competing yesterday in the sunshine. We want to thank all of our volunteers that show up every week to ensure our tamariki are able to get out every Thursday and experience the nature of competitive sport.

We have two upcoming sports events that we are still seeking parent support for:

Canterbury Volleyball - Wednesday 6 August – Year 7/8 team at Hillview Christian School. We are seeking at least one volunteer to take the team on the day.

Koru Games - Tuesday 16 September - Thursday 18 September - Various year 7/8 teams competing across Lincoln University, Rolleston Netball Centre and Foster Park. We are still seeking volunteers for the following teams and days:

• Boys Dodgeball: Tuesday 16 September

• Football: Tuesday 16 September and Wednesday 17 September

• Ki-o-rahi: Tuesday 16 September

Please reach out if you’re able to support: kate.mcgregor@beckenham.school.nz 

South Zones Basketball Tournament

On Monday 21 July, we had a group of tāma compete in the South Zones Basketball Tournament hosted by Hillview Christian School. While the results didn’t go our way, the boys had a great day competing against and playing alongside other local schools.

Ski Day

We are excited to be able to take all of our Year 7 & 8s up to Mt Hutt on Wednesday September 3rd for our annual ski day. Nicky has sent out the requests for parent help and student information. If you have any questions, it is best to reach out to Nicky: nicky.dunlop@beckenham.school.nz 

Passions in Kauri

The start of term three meant the start of a new Passions rotation. This term, we are excited to be offering: Felting, Engineering Experiments, Debating, Drawing and buddies in the junior school. It is always great to see the students trying new things and getting to collaborate with different groups of students. Last week, our engineering students created marble rollercoasters.

Education Outside The Classroom - Sites of Significance Trip

On Thursday the 28th of August, we are excited to be taking our entire Kauri Team into Christchurch City to explore the city’s sites of significance. This links into our te reo and tikanga Māori unit where the students are exploring our cultural narrative and connecting with the local whenua. For this trip to go ahead, we are seeking parent support. A survey went home on Hero earlier this week but if you are available to help, even for part of the day, please reach out to your child’s homeroom teacher.