Kia ora e te whānau,

Wow, we can't believe how quickly Term 1 is going! Our tamariki have settled in beautifully to the Kōwhai routines, and have been showing our school kete values throughout the day.

Maths and Literacy Groups

Our maths and literacy groups have been established, and our tamariki are now settling into these routines and are building momentum in their learning.  

For literacy, if your child is still on the Structured Literacy programme, they will be taking one book home every week to practise reading at home. Once your child has completed the Structured Literacy programme, home learning will consist of reading a chapter book or non-fiction book of their own choice each night. Some students may bring home a journal story or article that they have read in class. All students will be visiting the library each week. The days for each group are as follows:

• Tuesday: Jordan and Gayle's literacy groups
• Wednesday: Georgia and Anna's literacy groups

Scooter Skills

Next week, on Thursday 19th March, we will be having our Scooter Skills sessions. This is run by a representative from the Christchurch City Council, and will involve a 45-minute session with groups of 20 tamariki at a time. 

Thank you to all the families who are willing to lend a scooter for the day. We are extremely appreciative! 

A reminder for all whānau that tamariki will need to bring their own helmet on Thursday. Please make sure this is named. What an exciting event!

Kapa Haka Performance

Today our whole hub performed at our celebration assembly. Our tamariki did a fantastic job, and showed our school kete value 'We Love Challenge' by being brave and getting up the front of the whole school to pull off a magnificent performance. Ka pai tō mahi, tamariki!

Recorder Lessons Opportunity

On Thursday morning, Celia, from the Christchurch School of Music, came out to demonstrate the recorder to our Year 3s and 4s. They are offering small in-school group lessons for $97.50 a term starting in Term 2. If your child has expressed an interest please go ahead and enrol using this link: csm.org.nz/enrol-online. Someone will be in touch with you to organise lessons. They will take place on a Wednesday morning, and the children will be in small groups of 4 for a 20-minute lesson.
 
It is important for the children to have a good quality recorder so, if you don’t have a good one at home already, please purchase a Yamaha descant from Music Works at 569 Colombo St. They are currently on special at $14.95.
 
This is a great opportunity to get your child started on their musical journey and the recorder leads nicely into the band programme offered at Years 5-8.

Nut Free Zone

A reminder to all that our hub is completely nut free. This includes any spreads in sandwiches that contain nut products (nutella, peanut butter), any muesli bars containing nuts, slices or biscuits with nuts in them, and any other products that might make their way into lunch boxes that have traces of nuts within them. If you are unsure, please read the back of packets to double check the ingredients. Thank you for your support with this. 

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. 

But games 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

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

Ngā mihi nui,

The Kōwhai team

anna.reid@beckenham.school.nz

georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz

gayle.mcnaughton@beckenham.school.nz

jordan.pollock@beckenham.school.nz

Kia ora e te whānau,

Wow, it is so hard to believe we are at the end of the year and this is our final blog post for 2025! What an incredible and busy year it has been with lots of achievements, positive moments and exciting adventures. 

Highlights of 2025

Term 1 was an awesome introduction to our 2025 year. We started our year with water play, getting to know everyone, activities, an awesome Top Team event, exciting science experiments, house games, a special visit from Police Officer Jo, and the wonderful Kōwhai Service Club began. 

Term 2 was a shorter term, filled with lots of fun events. We began our special Pizza Fridays, went to a performance from Strike percussion group, had a Book Character Day, participated in the school cross country, created Miro sculptures, began our technology inquiry unit, followed recipes and instructions during our procedural writing topic, performed at our school Matariki evening, and went on an amazing trip to Ferrymead. 

Term 3 started with a hiss and a roar. We welcomed Jordan into the Kōwhai team, celebrated Maths Week, began learning about Keeping Ourselves Safe (a unit taught in collaboration with Constable Meg from the New Zealand Police), there was a whole school four square tournament, gymnastics sessions at the School of Gymnastics, and we finished the term with Beckenham's Got Talent.

Term 4 has been another busy and fun term. We began the term with a new event, the Scooter-athlon, started hip-hop dance and ukulele sessions, competed in our whole school athletics, took part in our whole school colour run, worked really hard in production groups, leading to a stellar performance, and finished off the term with the school chicks spending time in our hub. 

As you can see, it has been an action-packed year full of wonderful memories being made and some awesome adventures being had. 

Production

On Thursday 4th December, our Kōwhai tamariki shone on stage as they showcased their talents in our Kōwhai Jukebox Journey. It was wonderful to see all their hard work come together in such a vibrant performance, and it was extra special to be able to share this moment with our school community and whānau. We had a special "Production Screening" on Thursday this week to show the tamariki their magical performance! We just want to say thank you to all the whānau for your support, and a massive congratulations to our tamariki for showing 'We Love Challenge' for being brave and giving the performance a go!

End-of-Year Admin

 Kia ora e te whānau, 

Welcome back to a busy term 3! It has been so wonderful seeing our lovely tamariki (children) back at school with an eagerness to learn and bright smiling faces! 

We would like to welcome Jordan into our Kōwhai team, who will be teaching Rowe's class on Monday to Thursday's, for the remainder of Term 3. We are so excited to have him as a part of the team, and we know you will all make him feel welcome. Jordan will start on Monday of next week (Week 3). 

Ferrymead:

On Week 9 of last term, our Kōwhai hub went on an amazing outing to the Ferrymead Heritage park. Our tamariki had the chance to experience how different everyday things have changed over time, dressing up in outfits from the past, experiencing what a classroom was like, walking through an "olden days" shop, and having a tour around the different areas of the Ferrymead Heritage Park. This was such a fantastic experience! Have a look at some of the photos below:

Cyber Safety:

Parent/Caregiver Evening: Behind the Screens – Internet Safety Tips for Home

Raising kids in the digital age isn’t easy and you’re not alone. Should your child have Discord? What are V-Bucks? Is it safe to let them keep their phone overnight? Join us for a practical, entertaining evening hosted by Attitude that will help you feel more confident about parenting in the online world.

You’ll leave with smart tips, tools you can use straight away, and a better understanding of how to guide your child through the digital space without panic or overreaction. Come find out if you're a Firewall Parent, an Open Source Parent, or a Bluetooth Parent—and why it matters.

When: 7–8pm, Wednesday 30th July 2025.

Where: Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Hall.

Who: This event is for parents/caregivers only.

Cost: Free to attend. A small koha (donation) is appreciated to help support the cost of this event.

Please complete this form to let us know if you are attending.

We hope you have a safe and lovely weekend!

Ngā mihi nui,

The Kōwhai Team

Kia ora e te whānau,

What an awesome and busy first 4 weeks of the term it has been! We have celebrated Book Character Day and our Whole School Cross Country, and we also had an awesome performance from the Strike Percussion group. Our tamariki have been doing an excellent job in their Literacy and Maths groups, and we have really been enjoying our Miro Art and our Technology unit. 

Book Character Day

Last Friday, 16th May, we celebrated the end of our Readathon through our Book Character Day. We loved seeing the children embrace the theme, and come in some amazing costumes! We managed to get a whole hub photo with our wonderful Principal Cade. I wonder if you can spot "Where's Wally?"

Cross Country

Today, our tamariki competed in our Whole School Cross Country. Our tamariki have been practising for this day for the last few weeks. It was absolutely fabulous to see our tamariki showing our school kete value 'We Love Challenge' by giving the race a go, trying their best, and accomplishing their running goals!

Pizza Friday

We have begun our Pizza Friday afternoons. These have been going really well, and our tamariki who have been chosen have really enjoyed spending time with our teaching assistants to celebrate their amazing work of showing our school kete values each and every day. Just a reminder that if your child is chosen, they will be sent home with a letter on the Wednesday which will give some extra information about the day. The school will provide the ingredients for the dough, and then we ask each child to bring their own topping or toppings of their choice. These will be kept in the staff fridge until they are ready to be used. This has been a fun and educational way to celebrate success in our hub, and we can't wait for this to continue!

Strike Percussion Performance

Ferrymead Trip - Parent Help

On Tuesday 24th June and Wednesday 25th June, the Kōwhai team will be heading to Ferrymead Heritage Park for a school outing. This expedition relates to our school-wide curriculum focus of "Change". We will be looking at how different things have changed over the last 100 years. More information will be coming out at the end of Week 5 (next week). 

We can confirm which day each homegroup will be going, if you are able to be a parent help on these days.

Tuesday 24th June: Anna M, Anna R, and half of Hazel's Home Groups

Wednesday 25th June: Rowe, Georgia and half of Hazel's Home Groups

Please note: If your child is in Hazel's Home Group, a letter will come home to let you know what day your child will be attending our outing. 

If you are able to be a parent help, please email Georgia (georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz) to let her know you are able to attend. Thanks for all your support!

Reminders

• Winter bugs: We are encouraging our tamariki to cough and sneeze into their arms, and washing their hands constantly. This will help stop the spread of winter bugs that might arise. 
• Head lice: Just a heads up that we have a case of head lice in the hub so please be vigilant of scratchy heads! If your child has long hair, we recommend that they have their hair tied up to prevent the spread of head lice. Thank you!
• Lunchboxes: We love seeing the delicious lunch boxes that our tamariki are provided with! We have had a few students who finish their food early, leaving them still a little hungry at lunch time. We are asking if you could have a chat with your child, and see if they need an extra snack in their lunches, to help sustain those growing bodies!

Cyber Safety

The HDCA for Parents and Whānau

The Harmful Digital Communications Act (or HDCA for short) is an act passed by the Government back in 2015 to help people dealing with serious or repeated harmful digital communications. It covers anything digital like text, emails or social media content.

The most useful thing for parents to understand about the HDCA is the way the 10 communication principles define what is good or bad behaviour online.

If you’re ever concerned about your young person (or you just want to brush up on your knowledge!) visit Netsafe’s Guide to the HDCA. 

Kia pai ngā rā whakatā! Have a great weekend!

Ngā mihi nui,

The Kōwhai Team