Author Archives: Amber Donovan

Kahikatea News Week 4 Term 4

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Kia ora e te whānau,

What a wonderfully busy week we've had in Team Kahikatea. We have had several events and have more coming up. Here is the latest news from the Kahikatea team.
Thank you for coming along to support your child/ren during our school athletics day yesterday. We have some photos from the day in our blog this week. 

PTA - Colour Run 

Fri 21 Nov - PTA Colour Run (1:30pm-3:00pm Fundraiser Event)

Information for this will come home with your oldest or only child. 

Team Kauri Raffle 

Team Kauri are excited to announce our Luxury Hamper Raffle Fundraiser! 

Our generous Team Kauri families have donated some amazing treats, beautifully packaged into 7 stunning hampers — each filled with luxury goodies perfect for a picnic, a romantic weekend getaway, or simply indulging yourself during a busy week. 

Grab your raffle tickets from our awesome parent volunteers outside the hall this Friday morning and afternoon!

$3.00 per ticket, 2 tickets for $5 or 5 tickets for $10!!!

The draw for these awesome prizes will take place at the Kauri Quiz Night on 1st November. You do not have to attend this evening to be a winner of the draw, so get in a buy your tickets!!!

Don’t miss your chance to win something special while supporting Team Kauri!

✨ Good luck and thank you for your support! ✨


Tuesday Dance Sessions

Our tamariki are really enjoying our dance session being held in our school hall every Tuesday. This is the music that we've been using to learn our dance. Your child may want to show you the dance they are learning, and you may want to join in!

Music HERE 


Athletics Photos 

The tamariki from the Kahikatea team did so well at athletics on Thursday. What an awesome bunch! We saw a lot of demonstrations of our values 'We Love Challenge' and 'We Get There Together' during our practice sessions AND the actual event, ka mau te wehi - how amazing! Below are some photos.






















Have a safe and happy weekend! Feel free to contact any of the team if you have any questions, queries or clarifications about what's happening at kura. 

Ngā mihi nui,

Team Kahikatea 




























Team Kahikatea Week 4 Term 3

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Kia ora whānau,

Welcome to Week 4! Our teaching and learning programmes are now in full swing, and it's been wonderful to see our new homegroup settling confidently into the breakout space. Next week, Kendall will be welcoming another group of learners from the Koru team. These tamariki have already visited our hub, and their transition is going smoothly as they begin to feel more at home in their new environment.

Supporting Your Child's Independence

We’re thrilled to see so many families encouraging independence by allowing children to come into the hub on their own in the mornings and confidently follow their daily routines. To support this further, at the end of the day,  you may want to establish a designated meeting spot with your child—such as the library steps, hall steps, flagpole, or another agreed-upon location outside the hub. This small step makes a big difference in reducing congestion and ensuring a smooth and safe pickup process. Thank you for your continued support!

Mathematics 

We are now using these fabulous Oxford Maths Student Workbooks. We will be using these once a week to provide students with the opportunity to revisit and practise key mathematical skills and strategies. Our Year 1 students are using book 1, and our Year 2 students are using book 2. 

Maths Week 

Click this link for information on how whānau can access the parent portal and find out more about mathematics in New Zealand schools. 

Next week is Maths Week, and we’ll be sharing a new maths challenge each day! If you’re dropping by, be sure to check out the whiteboard outside the hub and give it a go. Creating positive and engaging experiences with maths is a key focus of the refreshed curriculum, and we’d love for whānau to join in the fun and be part of the learning!

Keeping Ourselves Safe Weeks 5 & 6

This term, as part of our Health Curriculum, teams will be teaching Keeping Ourselves Safe in Years 0-8, supported by our Police Education Officer, Meg.  Click HERE to see more information on our school website. 

The four focus areas in the Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) junior primary programme are:

  • I am unique, He taonga ahau
  • My body is my own, Nōku tōku tinana
  • Unwanted behaviour or touch, Kore e hiahiatia te whanonga me te pā kino
  • Adults who help, Ngā kaiāwhina pakeke

What will children learn? They will learn:

  • to work out when their safety is at risk
  • how to keep safe when they meet and mix with other people
  • who and how to ask for help if they, or someone they know, is being abused
  • to go on asking for help until someone does something to stop the abuse
  • that it is important to make and follow personal, family and school safety rules
There will be homework activities for you to complete with your child/children, and we will send these home at the end of each learning session: 
Focus area 1 – I am unique, He taonga ahau
Focus area 2 – My body is my own, Nōku tōku tinana
Focus area 3 – Unwanted behaviour or touch, Kore e hiahiatia te whanonga me te pā kino
Focus area 4 – Adults who help, Ngā kaiāwhina pakeke
 

Welcome, UC Student Teachers 

We are fortunate to have students from the University of Canterbury, and this term we welcome Robert Carpinter to Amber's Homegroup, who has joined us this week and is here for 7 weeks as part of his final placement. Starting on Monday, we welcome Maddison Frame, who will be working alongside Sarah for 6 weeks.

Winter Ills and Chills 

Thank you for keeping your child at home when they are unwell — we really appreciate your support. As is common during winter, we’re seeing an increase in illnesses such as fevers and tummy bugs. To help prevent the spread and ensure all tamariki are well enough to fully participate in learning, we kindly ask that you keep your child home until they have fully recovered.

Friendly Reminders - Library Days 

  • Tuesday: Amber & Talia's home groups
  • Thursday: Sarah & Kendall's home groups
Library books can only be issued when your child has returned one or both books and has their library folder. Please support your child in returning their folder to school on their designated library day.

Smash Play Cricket Sessions 

Our tamariki had two fantastic sessions with Dan on Wednesday and Thursday last week. Here are some photos of the action...














Have a lovely weekend, from team Kahikatea. 

 Lisa, Amber, Sarah, Talia & Kendall 




















Kahikatea Team News Term 2 Week 2

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 Kia ora e te whānau,

Welcome to Term Two, and a special welcome to our new tamariki and their whanau. It's a pleasure getting to know you all! 

We are looking forward to our visit to Ferrymead Historic Park next week. 

  • Your child will need to wear their school uniform
  •  A warm jersey or jacket
  • A packed lunch, 
  •  A drink bottle
  • No lunch orders, please 
Children don’t need to unpack their school bags when they get to school. 

School Cross Country 

This will be held on Friday, 23 May. Our children will run in their year groups. Teachers will walk their classes onto the big field for a warm,-up and then each year group will line up ready for their run. 
Year 1 will run at 11.20am (approx)
Year 2 will run at 11.30am (approx) 

We have daily practice runs to prepare for this event, including running on the big field and during our daily fitness sessions. Thank you for sending your child to school in appropriate footwear for running. 

Fraction Fun (MATHS) 

For the last two weeks, we have focused on fractions for our maths learning. Next week, we would like our kids to make Fairy Bread as a celebration of the end of this learning focus. If your child has specific dietary requirements (dairy/gluten), please email your child's homegroup teacher to let them know. 

Dear family and whānau,
This week, we learned about fractions as numbers. We explored the meaning of the top and bottom numbers in a fraction. Ask your child about the meaning of the numbers in a fraction like three-quarters or seven-eighths.
We used two types of material to explore fractions, circles, and rods. Challenge your child to divide circles up into equal parts and to draw a number line showing the size of fractions.


Learning Through Play 

Our beautiful tamariki still enjoy our Learning Through Play sessions with our whole hub. This week included the dress-ups and some disco dancing too! 


























Word of the Week: Honesty 


Honesty means that we are truthful in what we say and do. 

When we are honest, people in our lives know that they can trust us. Trust is an important part of positive relationships with our family, friends, and teachers.



Ferrymead Heritage Park - social story 

Here is the social story we have shared with our tamariki in the daily notices. You are welcome to go over it with your child/ren at home too. 


Book Character Dress-up Day 

Kia ora whānau,
As part of our readathon, we are excited to have a book character dress-up day on Friday, May 16th.
Students are invited to come dressed as a book character or, if they prefer, in their usual school uniform. It is not a casual clothes day.













Kahikatea Team News

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Term 1 Week 5 

Nga mihi kia  koutou, 

Our little Kahikatea team is settling in nicely and we have maths and literacy programs underway. We have welcomed one of the Kowhai homegroups into the atrium space so you and your child need to use our East-side entry doors in the mornings. Bags can continue to be placed in either the green or blue cubbies.  

Professional Development Days 

Sarah and Amber are attending a two-day Literacy PD on Monday and Tuesday next week. 

Michelle Bradley will be relieving for Amber. 

Ellie Galletly will be relieving for Sarah. 


Walk and Wheel Week 

Next week our annual walk and wheel week is happening! Check out the Daily themes and Walk or Wheel website. 

Literacy 

Each child has their own literacy folder and if their teacher gives them a decodable book to read it must be placed inside their folder and then put into their school bag. If you can't see it please come into the hub and look in one of the three blue literacy boxes in the pathway. 

Please return the literacy folder each Friday. Thank you! If you have any questions, please ask your child's literacy teacher. 

Naming Items 

Thank you for clearly naming all your child's personal belongings, these include uniform items (hats, jerseys, shirts, school bag), and their drink bottle and lunchbox. 

Maths

Dear family and whānau, at school this week we are completing a maths unit on native frogs in ponds. This unit is all about how numbers are made up of other, smaller numbers, an essential concept underlying addition and subtraction. The unit helps develop two ideas: 

  • there are a finite number of number pairs for a given number (for example 5 can be thought of as 0 and 5, 1 and 4, 2 and 3 and no other pairs can be found) 
  •  numbers are uniquely paired (if 2 is one of the parts of 5, the other part must be 3). 

Children need to investigate these relationships many times. Once children believe that 2 and 3 is always 5 they see a real reason to remember it. 

At home this week please help your child to solve the inside and outside the house problem below. Encourage them to record the numbers and draw pictures to show people inside and outside. Toys could be used to show these number relationships. Discuss these in your home language also if you wish to. 

______________people live in my house. 

If there are 2 people inside my house then___________people are outside. 

If there are___________inside my house then__________people are outside. 

If there are____________inside my house then__________people are outside. 

If there are______inside my house then______________people are outside. 



Check out some very cool mathematicians!






























Kahikatea Change Health Unit 

We are learning about the concept of change and our focus this term is on the physical and emotional changes in ourselves. We would love for each child to please have a colour photo of them as babies sent to school for some learning we will be doing next week. You are welcome to email a copy to your child's teacher if that is easier for you.



Library Days 

Talia and Amber go to the library on Tuesday afternoon 

Sarah goes to the library on Thursday afternoon.





Thank you for your ongoing support and helpful feedback, we are really enjoying getting to know you and your children! 
If you have any queries or wondering, please email your child's homegroup teacher or pop in to speak to one of us. 

amber.donovan@beckenham.school.nz
talia.garrick@beckenham.school.nz
sarah.junghenn@beckenham.school.nz


Have a lovely weekend everyone! 
Team Kahikatea 





Thank You!

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 Kia ora whanau, 

Our heartfelt THANKS to all of you and your beautiful tamariki for helping to make a magic year here in Team Kahikatea. We appreciate all your support, help and aroha, and we couldn't have done it without you. 

Have a lovely Christmas and holiday time, and stay safe and well; we look forward to seeing many of you again in the new year. 


For those of you who couldn't make it to our Global Groove End-of-Year Performance, here are some photos of your super kids...












































Class Placements 2025

Teachers will give out the class placement letters before the children meet their new teacher and home group friends. These letters will be put into your child's school bags. 

If your child was not here on the last day to receive their letter Jacky can arrange to email those letters to be emailed on WEDNESDAY. 


Have a safe and happy holiday everyone! 

Amber, Quynh, Ella, Sarah, Megan and Lisa 💜