Kōwhai News Term 1 Week 2

Kia ora e te whānau,

Welcome to our 2026 blog! We have had a fantastic start to the year in the Kōwhai hub. Everyone is settling in well and becoming familiar with new routines in our new learning space. This year, each child has their own cubby for bags, and after a few early teething problems, we are all remembering where our spots are!

Over the first few weeks, we are focusing on getting to know one another within our homegroups and establishing our daily routines. This time is important for helping the children build a strong sense of security and belonging in their learning environment.

Girls Smash Cricket

Yesterday, all of the girls in the Kōwhai team had the opportunity to take part in a cricket session to encourage them to give the sport a go. They practised their bowling and batting skills through a range of fun games and activities, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

If your child is interested in joining a cricket club, they were given a leaflet with further information. The closest club is based in Beckenham, making it a very convenient option.





Top Team

This is a friendly reminder about our Top Team event next week. Weather permitting, it will be held on Wednesday 18th February in the afternoon at the park and will feature a variety of fun team-building activities.

As some water activities are planned, please ensure your child brings a change of clothes (including shoes) and a towel in their bag to use afterwards.

A big thank you to the parent helpers who have kindly offered their support — we truly couldn’t run events like this without you!

Construction

During Discovery time, many of our children love getting creative and building all sorts of things using cardboard boxes. At the moment, our supply is running low, so we would greatly appreciate any donations of small to medium cardboard boxes or containers.

Thank you for your support!

Water Play

Last week, we managed to squeeze in 2 sessions of water play with the weather not being altogether reliable! The children had lots of fun using their water blasters and sliding on the water slides with washing up liquid added for extra speed!







Discovery

Over the first couple of weeks, we have enjoyed plenty of Discovery time, giving our tamariki the opportunity to explore a wide range of activities while getting to know one another. Outdoor options have included giant checkers, four square, hula hooping, and chalk art. Indoors, children have been busy with marble runs and magnets, construction and Lego building, card making, and Zendoodle art. It has been wonderful to see everyone exploring the choices available and giving new things a go!










Hats

Thank you for ensuring your children bring their hats to school, we really appreciate your support. As you know, staying sun smart is important. Any children who forget their hat will need to remain under the hall verandah during break times, with duty teachers supporting and reminding students as needed.

Cyber Safety

Staying Safe Online


As our tamariki spend more time online, it’s important parents and whānau help them stay safe. Now is a great time to talk to them about how we use the internet and digital technology.


Netsafe has created an Online Safety Parent Toolkit so parents, families and whānau have all the information they need to talk about online safety.


If you or anyone in your whānau needs support, you can contact Netsafe.


We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Posted in Kowhai.