Welcome to the Week 8 Kōwhai blog.

Matariki 

Mānawatia a Matariki! Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades, which rises in mid-winter and marks the beginning of the Māori New Year. It is a time of remembrance, celebration, and renewal. Over the last two weeks, children have been learning about the different stars that make up the cluster. The nine stars of Matariki are Waitī, Waitā, Waipuna-ā-Rangi, Tupuānuku, Tupuārangi, Ururangi, Pōhutukawa, Hiwa-i-te-Rangi and Matariki. In te ao Māori, each star has a special job to do to look after our wellbeing and environment. Please see this slideshow for more information. 

On Tuesday evening, we held a Matariki evening at school. It was wonderful to see so many parents coming to see the kapa haka group perform and share in our Matariki activities. The Kōwhai students did a fantastic job performing, and we were very impressed by their effort. 

Reports and Learning Conferences 

Last week, we celebrated the Kōwhai students' progress and success during learning conferences. Thank you to everyone who came to a conference. It was great to have the opportunity to reflect on the first two terms of 2025 and discuss the amazing learning students have been doing. 

PB4L 

This term, the Kōwhai students have been engaging in Positive Behaviour For Learning lessons (PB4L) on Tuesday mornings. The objective of these sessions has been to support students to develop social/emotional skills and develop strategies to manage challenges and improve their wellbeing. Over the term, there have been several topics that we have covered. These have included: 

• The Zones of Regulation 

• Understanding our emotions in relation to cross country

• Appreciating our differences 

• How to be a good friend

For information about Wellbeing at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto please follow this link.

Instructional Writing 

Over the past few weeks, Kōwhai students have been learning how to write an instructional text. An instruction text is a type of non-fiction text that provides step-by-step instructions on how to complete a task. The text may include organisational devices. As part of the writing process, students have been learning how to follow a set of sequenced instructions and then write about their experiences. For some classes, this has involved doing some baking and creating!

For more information about instructional texts, have a look at this slideshow.

Ferrymead 

The Kōwhai Ferrymead Trip is coming up next week, Tuesday 24th June and Wednesday 25th June (Week 9).

A reminder that on the day your child is attending the trip, they need to be at school before 8:45 am. They will also need to bring: 

• A lunch box with enough morning tea and lunch for the day

• A full water bottle 

• A polar fleece or jersey 

• A light waterproof coat if it appears overcast

• Comfortable walking shoes

If you have any questions or concerns, please email your child's homegroup teacher or Georgia (georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz).

Head Lice

Unfortunately, we have had a growing number of cases of headlice reported across the school. Can you please check your child's head for eggs and live lice regularly and treat accordingly if detected. The following link has very helpful information about headlice and how to treat it.

https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/head-lice#main-content

Staying Safe Online: Scams

People in New Zealand are losing millions of dollars to scammers each year – and this is just the figures reported to Netsafe so the actual figure is likely much higher!

It’s important that you and your tamariki know what to look out for to avoid scams. Netsafe have put their best advice together to help you stay safe online and stay away from scams.

Read their scam tips here. 

Lost Property

We hope you have a wonderful Matariki weekend. 

Ngā mihi, 

The Kōwhai team

Welcome to the Week 7 Kōwhai blog. 

Top Team 

Last Friday, Top Team came to Beckenham, and the Kōwhai children had a great time trying lots of different team building activities out on the park. They worked in teams of 6-8, competing against other teams as they rotated around a variety of tasks. They showed amazing co-operative skills and really embraced the school values 'Nau mai te wero - We Love Challenge' and 'Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe - We Get There Together'. It really was wonderful to see, and we are so grateful that the weather turned out so well for us. Have a look at the photos below:

Science 

This term, our inquiry focuses on science, specifically understanding chemical and physical changes. Students have been exploring this concept through hands-on experiments. So far, they have investigated the reaction between Mentos and Coke, and some classes have done a fruity-sweet colour-mixing experiment. Throughout this inquiry process, students will be developing their scientific thinking by forming hypotheses, making observations, recording results, and reflecting on their findings. We look forward to continuing to explore this topic.

A reminder about our upcoming Willowbank trip which is taking place on the 20/09/2025 (Week 9, Friday). This week we have shared the social story with students. If you are interested to know more about this trip or think it would be helpful to discuss this at home with your child, here is the social story. 

Uniform 

Over the past few weeks, we have noticed that some students have been wearing non-uniform clothes and footwear to school. While we understand that this is sometimes for a good reason, it is important that, where possible, students are following the dress code for Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto. If your child is wearing non-uniform clothes to school, please send an email or note to the homegroup teacher. For more information about school uniforms, please visit this link. Thank you for supporting your child to wear the correct uniform.

Te Wiki O Te Reo Māori

Next week Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto will be celebrating Te Wiki o te reo Māori (Māori Language Week).

Māori Language Week, Te Wiki o te Reo  Māori, is a time for all New Zealanders to celebrate and encourage the use of te reo Māori in the classroom, home, workplace, community and beyond. 

With over 900,000 Māori living in New Zealand and thousands more living in nearby islands and countries, te reo Māori is highly important and valued. Māori Language Week is celebrated through speaking, song, dance, cultural displays and community events. The overarching theme for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks is sustainability. 

When was Māori Language Week created?

Māori Language Week commemorates the presentation of the Māori Language Petition to parliament on 14th September 1972. Te Wiki o te Reo Māori has taken place every year since 1975. It is an opportunity to celebrate, promote and help revitalise the language across Aotearoa.

What is Te Reo Māori?

Te reo Māori is the second most widely spoken language in New Zealand. It was recognised as an official language in 1987.

Like any language, te reo Māori has a lot of interesting characteristics that make it stand out. Unlike the English Alphabet, which has 26 letters, the Māori alphabet has 15 letters or distinct sounds.

• Five vowels: a, e, i, o, u
• Eight consonants: h, k, m, n, p, r, t, w
• Two digraphs (two letters that combine to represent one sound): wh, ng

Māori Language Week gives all Kiwis an opportunity to learn some basic Māori words and phrases. It gives students who speak Māori the opportunity to further celebrate and share their knowledge in the classroom. There are also community events that take place across New Zealand to celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

For more information about how you and your whānau (family) can support Te Wiki o te reo Māori, please visit this website.

Reference - https://www.twinkl.co.nz/event/maori-language-week-2024

Contact Details

Staying Safe Online: Scams

People in New Zealand are losing millions of dollars to scammers each year – and this is just the figures reported to Netsafe so the actual figure is likely much higher!

It’s important that you and your tamariki know what to look out for to avoid scams. Netsafe have put their best advice together to help you stay safe online and stay away from scams.

Read their scam tips here. 

Learning Conferences 

A reminder that learning conferences are taking place next week. Conferences will start at 1.45pm on both days. To support the availability of staff for these conferences, we ask for children to please be collected from school on both days at 1.30pm. Supervision will be available until 3pm for a small group of children. More information about this will come out to you via Hero next week. These conferences will be an important opportunity to connect with your child's teacher and learn more about your child's learning progress and achievement. Your child attends the learning conference with you.

Please book a learning conference for each of your children by clicking on this link and enter the code usvg6 and follow the instructions. 

We recommend not booking time slots back-to-back, in case meetings run over the allocated time.

If you need any assistance to book a conference, please contact Jacky in the office on 03 337 1404 or office@beckenham.school.nz

Pepeha

For Inquiry this term, we are exploring our Tūrangawaewae (standing place) through pepeha. 

A pepeha is a way to introduce yourself and it is an important aspect of Māori culture. It tells a story of the places and people we are connected to. In a pepeha, you explain where you come from and often make connections with a mountain, river, canoe and family. It also includes things that make us who we are such as our history, culture, and whakapapa. Creating a pepeha as part of a class activity, is also a fantastic way to allow Kōwhai students to understand this aspect of Māori culture, while introducing themselves to their classmates.

The template students will be using for their pepeha will vary depending on whether they are Māori or non-Māori. Please contact your child's homeroom teacher if you have any questions about this. 

Our students have recently started learning exciting new ball games, including Over and Under, Tunnel Ball, Captain Ball, and Leader Ball. These activities are not only fun but also help build teamwork and coordination skills. Towards the end of the term, they will have the opportunity to showcase their skills in a friendly tournament with all the Kōwhai classes. We can't wait to see their sportsmanship in action!

Recorder

This term, the Kōwhai team have started recorder lessons on a Tuesday afternoon. So far 4 out of 5 classes have had 2 lessons. The students have been making fantastic progress! They've been learning to read music and have successfully mastered playing the notes A and B. It's wonderful to see their enthusiasm and dedication as they develop their musical skills. 

Farewell to Charlotte 

Next week, we will be farewelling the wonderful Charlotte Verity who is moving on to another kura (school). During her time at Beckenham Te Kura, Charlotte has made a positive difference to not only the children she has taught but to all the staff who have been fortunate to work alongside her. We will be sad to see her go and wish Charlotte all the very best with this new adventure.

Online Safety: Gaming 

Eighty percent of tamariki in New Zealand aged 8-17 have played games online. Games can have many benefits: entertainment, social opportunities, coordination development, problem-solving and multitasking skills. But, most of all, gaming is popular because it’s fun. 

Games, however, can be tough for parents and whānau to navigate. How much gaming is too much? How do I make sure my tamariki aren’t seeing inappropriate content or chatting in-game with strangers?

Today we’re sharing Netsafe’s Online Gaming Whānau Toolkit so you have all the resources you need to keep your kids safe. 

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/rPN_ev1RSDQ