Huge congratulations to all of the Swimming Sports competitors who represented themselves so admirably this week. Such a fantastic way to show 'We Love Challenge'! Keep an eye out for some photos of the event from our Media Team. Thank you also to the parents and whānau who supported the tamariki at the pool, and in the preparing them for the afternoon. A special mention to those who have qualified for Zones. Nau mai te wero! And so, on we swim into the second half of the term. Please read on for some important information about what we are learning in Pōhutukawa.

Maths and Literacy Groups

Maths and Reading groups have now been established for the past week and we have had the opportunity to see how effective these are for our students. The decision has been made to switch the teaching of Literacy (Reading and Writing) to the home group teacher for 2026. This ensures we have a settled and productive time without any added disruptions moving forward. As of Monday next week, 2nd March, we will put this in place. 

We encourage you to take some time to ask your tamariki to show you what they are now able to access through their learning platforms. These are a great way to keep the learning going at home, too. The treasure is learning, he taonga te ako!

Kapa Haka: Pōhutukawa Team 

Cool Curriculum Classes (CCC Classes)

You may have heard your child talking about our CCC "cool curriculum classes". This is how we start our day; they are a great way to ensure we are teaching all areas of our curriculum. Chris is teachingVisual Art - Drawing and Creating, Rae: will be taking Coding, Nick is working with A.I: Use of Assistive Technology, Chloe will deliver Social Science: History and Kate: Te Reo Māori: Language.

Education Outside The Classroom

A visit from Jamie from Trees for Survival.

All You Need to Know About TikTok

Tiktok is one of the fastest growing social media apps. It’s a platform for creating, sharing and discovering short videos – and many young people love it! From new dance crazes to funny clips to animal videos, Tiktok can inspire creativity and bring joy.

But it’s important that parents and whānau help their tamariki navigate Tiktok safely. Today we’re sharing the Netsafe Tiktok Family Safety Toolkit so you can help guide your whānau to a fun and safe digital experience.

The Pōhutukawa Teaching Team

Chris, Kate, Chloe, Rae and Nick.

Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all

We've now spent a wonderful and productive first couple of weeks in Pōhutukawa establishing routines and building relationships. We've all been impressed with how quickly the Year 5 students have adapted to new ways of doing things, and we love when the Year 6 students show support and aroha to their peers. Arohaina te tangata me te taiao, We Care. Thank you for reading on for some very important updates about what we have been up to in Pōhutukawa, and what is coming up.

"Girls SMASH" Cricket

Swimming Sports Thursday, February 29

Beckenham te Kura o Pūroto Swimming Sports is being held at Wharenui Pool on Thursday 29th of February, (Week 5). 

This is an optional event open to children in Years 5 to 8. Races are held for freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. For each stroke, there will be a 25m and 50m event.  You may enter races in all strokes but may only enter one distance in each stroke. For example, you could enter 25m backstroke and 50m breaststroke but you can not enter 25m and 50m backstroke. Only competitors from the 50m events are eligible to be considered for Zones. You will race against your year group. 

To take part, you must be a confident and competent swimmer for the stroke and distance you have entered. If you are unsure of your ability, please ask a teacher for advice. Parents and/or your swimming coach, (if you have one) are also great people to ask for advice. More information will become available via HERO from our Sports Coordinator Kate McGregor so keep your eyes peeled! 

Workshops

This week we started our beginning of the year 'Workshops/ Papamahi', in which we covered Using Google Classroom, Active Listening, UDL (Universal Design for Learning), and Lunchtime Games and Activities. It would be great to discuss with your tamariki about these workshops, and what they have learned. It was a lot of information, so asking them to share what they remember is a good way to consolidate their learning. These Workshops aim to introduce important aspects of life in Pōhutukawa, which we will continue with next week with Cyber Safety, PB4L, Health and Wellbeing, and Diversity.

Learning at Home and Google Classroom

All of the students have now signed up for the Pōhutukawa 2026 Google Classroom and their Home Group Google Classroom. Students can also access the Pōhutukawa Learning Site via their Google Classroom. The site serves as an online hub of resources should you wish for your tamariki to continue doing some school work at home. We will continue to add material and build the students' knowledge around using Google Classroom and Google Sites in the coming weeks. As always, we encourage you to actively participate in this area of your tamariki's learning. Ask them to show you what is available to them online and what they can see and do. He taonga te ako, the treasure is learning.

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 technologyNetsafe 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.

Have a great weekend everybody, kia pai ngā rā whakatā!

The Pōhutukawa Team