Author Archives: Anna McNeill

Kōwhai News Term 2 Week 6

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Kia ora e te whānau! Welcome to the Kōwhai team's Week 6 blog! 

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. 


Ball Games


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



Have a great weekend!






















Kōwhai News Term 4 Week 5

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Kia ora e te whānau, 


Welcome to the Kōwhai team's week 5 blog! 


Transition Plan for 2024

As we near the end of the year, students will no doubt be starting to think about classroom placement for 2024, particularly the Year 4’s who will be moving hubs. To support this transition for our Year 4 students, they will have a couple of opportunities to spend time with the Year 5 students and to meet some of the Year 5/6 teachers. This will involve two Kōwhai teachers taking the Year 4’s to Pōhutukawa for Discovery, while the Year 6’s will come to the Kōwhai hub to spend some tuakana/teina time with Year 3’s. The objective of this is to enable our Year 4 learners to re-establish connections with their Year 5 peers, familiarise themselves with the new hub, and ensure students have a positive transition.  

Inquiry: Ngā manu (birds)

Over the past two weeks, the Kōwhai children have begun learning about birds as part of our inquiry topic. Students have enjoyed learning more about some of New Zealand’s native birds and exploring some of their defining features. There was great conversation around the question, "What makes a bird a bird?", and lots of debate around whether penguins were birds! In the coming weeks, students will have the opportunity to observe birdlife within the Beckenham Te Kura environment and inquire into why these birds are suited to this particular habitat. 

Students have enjoyed looking at the candidates for bird of the century this week and some classes submitted their votes. If you are interested in learning more about this and having your say, follow this link. 

Art

Linking into our inquiry topic: Ngā manu, our art focus for the term is sketching, with a particular focus on the natural world. Students will have opportunities to explore sketching techniques and apply this to different contexts. They will be sketching things in nature, such as plants, birds and insects. We are looking forward to seeing their artistic growth.




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. For more information about school uniforms, please visit this link. Thank you for supporting your child to wear the correct uniform.


Being SunSmart

It has been great to see so many children remembering to wear their hats at school, especially with all these sunny days we have been experiencing. Please continue to make sure that your child has a hat at school every day and that it is clearly named. There is always the option of keeping hats at school, either in tote trays or in an allocated hat tub. We also encourage everyone to have sunscreen on. This can be applied before coming to school and we also have sunscreen at school if anyone needs to top up or they forget to put sunscreen on. Thank you so much for your support with this.


Discovery

Here are some pictures of what students have been up to during Discovery:









Have a lovely weekend, 

Ngā mihi nui


Kōwhai Gymnastics Trip and News Week 1, Term 3

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Kia ora e te whanau, nau mai hoki mai.

We hope that you enjoyed the break. It has been lovely to hear students share stories about their holidays. It sounds like lots of fun was had whether they stayed in Christchurch or travelled elsewhere. It is hard to believe that term 3 is here already! The students have had a great first week and have started settling back into the routine.


Gymnastics Trip - Parent Helpers Needed

As a team, we will be teaching a Health and PE unit about our bodies and how we move these, focusing on gymnastic movements. During weeks 3 and 4, the Kōwhai team will be travelling to the Christchurch School of Gymnastics for a couple of sessions. Working with a professional gymnastics school will help us educate the students in a safe environment with expert help. The dates and times for the trips are as follows:

Thursday August 3rd 2023

  • Charlotte's Homegroup: 9:00-11:30
  • Rowe's Homegroup: 10:30-1:00
  • Nick's Homegroup: 12:30-3:00

Thursday August 10th 2023
  • Charlotte's Homegroup: 9:00-11:30
  • Rowe's Homegroup: 10:30-1:00
  • Nick's Homegroup: 12:30-3:00
Anna M and Anna R's classes will be divided up and spread amongst the 3 groups. We are looking for some keen parent helpers to attend and help out. If you are available and would like to come along and help, please complete this form by Monday, 24th July.


Calendar Art

This term, students will have the opportunity to explore the iconic artistry of Romero Britto and create their very own calendar art, bursting with Britto-inspired brilliance. From his playful use of vibrant hues to his distinctive patterns, Britto's artworks radiate joy and positivity. We are very excited to get creating and can’t wait to see the finished product!

Balloon Racers

This term, our inquiry focus is on technology and revisiting forces and motion. The students will embrace their inner inventors and set their imaginations soaring as they construct their very own balloon racers. Through this hands-on project, they will explore physics, discovering how forces shape the world around us. As students engage in the process of designing and refining their racers, they will build collaboration and reflection skills.

For the balloon racers, we are after some construction materials. If you have any of the following, could you please send them in as soon as possible?:
  • cardboard
  • small boxes for construction (e.g. cereal boxes/boxes smaller than a shoe box)
  • small plastic containers (e.g. recycling)
  • milk bottle tops
Tēnā rawa atu koe – thank you.


Here are some photos of what's been happening this week. 










From the Kōwhai team

Kōwhai News Term 1 Week 9

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Kia ora whānau,

Week 9 over and out! It’s hard to believe we are approaching the end of term 1 already. We want to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the hard work of our year 3 and 4 students. They have all done an excellent job at settling into the new school year, adapting to routines and have made the most of opportunities to learn and build connections within the hub. 

Science

As part of our innovation focus for the year, over the past few weeks, the Kōwhai children have been exploring simple machines and their functions. It has been a great way for them to learn about some of the basic principles of physics and engineering, inquiring into simple machines, such as levers, pulleys, and inclined planes. By understanding how they work, they have begun to develop an appreciation for the everyday technology that surrounds them. The children have particularly enjoyed working with their peers to build a functional ramp and experimenting with different materials. It has been great to see them all so engaged in the scientific process and thinking critically and creatively about their ramp design. 






Ramadan

Ramadan celebrations have officially begun. Ramadan typically falls on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a significant month that holds great importance for Muslims all around the world. It is a time for spiritual reflection, devotion, and self-discipline, where Muslims fast from dawn until dusk and engage in acts of charity, kindness, and worship. We have families who observe Ramadan within our school and wider community and we can support them by asking them about how they observe Ramadan because each family will probably do something a bit different.

Covid Cases 

There have recently been some positive Covid cases within the Kōwhai hub. Being safe from Covid-19 continues to be important to families, students and staff at Beckenham. In order to minimise the risk of contracting Covid or other viruses, we continue to promote regular washing of hands, especially before eating, and we are continuing to ensure the learning spaces are well-ventilated. This week you may have noticed some teachers and students choosing to wear a mask. This is not compulsory and it is up to your whānau to decide whether this is something you would like your child to do. Please continue to keep your child at home if they are presenting with symptoms or if you are concerned that they may be Covid positive. Thank you for your ongoing support with this.

Jerseys

As we approach the cooler months, it is important that your child/children bring a school jersey with them every day. Unless it is raining, students spend their break times outside and will need their jerseys to keep them warm.

School Houses

We have just posted some information on our houses on the school website. Included on the site, are all the words for the chants and a video link below each one if you would like to take a look at them and practise them at home. Here is a link to the site.

Discovery

As usual, the children have been engrossed in various activities during Discovery over the last few weeks. Here are some photos which show you what some of our tamariki have been up to: