Kia ora,

Welcome back to a fun-filled and jam-packed term that is sure to fly by! We have been enjoying getting outside in the stunning weather in the lead-up to Athletics Day last Friday. Thanks to everyone for your support in ensuring your child has their sunhat every day.

A reminder that we will begin our swimming lessons in week 5, beginning Monday 9th November. We encourage you to work with your children on being able to dress and undress independently. It is a great idea to start labelling items of clothing also.

We were so impressed with the attitude, positive sportsmanship, and encouragement our tamariki gave each other during our Junior Athletics Day last Friday. Here are some action shots:

Handwriting (Transcription)

Recorder:

As a team, we are developing our musical skills through learning to play the recorder. We have learnt to recognise and play the notes A and B, focusing on correct fingering, breath control and producing a clear sound. We are now building our understanding of beat patterns, learning to recognise and maintain a steady beat and play rhythms accurately. Through regular practice, we are developing our confidence, coordination and ability to play music together.

I have added some pictures of beat patterns below; ask your child to sound them out for you.

Kapa Haka:

We have begun our Kapa Haka sessions with Cath again this term. The students are really enjoying learning about the tikanga and use of the poi.

Art with Nicky:

We love having Nicky Dunlop, our resident art specialist, working in our team! She creates the most incredible visual art with our tamariki and gives them some amazing experiences. Here are some of the robots using pastel and dye that she has been working on with Sarah J's class.

 Kia ora,

As Term 3 comes to a close, we would like to take a moment to celebrate all the learning, growth and achievements that have taken place throughout the term. Thank you to our students and whānau for your continued support and commitment. We hope everyone has a safe, relaxing and enjoyable break, with plenty of time to rest, recharge and enjoy time with family and friends. We look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for an exciting Term 4!

Reminders:

A couple of reminders:

Athletics Day is coming up in the second week of Term 4-more info to come

Swimming sessions: Our two-week block of swimming sessions is coming up in weeks 5 and 6 of next term. If your child is not an independent dresser, now is a good time to encourage your child to dress and undress independently and quickly. Click HERE if you would like to help.

Please remind children not to bring any toys (large or small) to school. We are noticing an influx of small items coming in. This can cause great distraction throughout the day.

Hats-Please remember each child will need a sunhat in Term 4.

Maths-Symmetry

We have been learning all about symmetry! We have explored what symmetry means, looked at lines of symmetry, and discovered lots of shapes and objects that are symmetrical. We’ve had fun spotting symmetry all around us and learning how to identify it. We have been using our Numicon resources to create some amazing symmetrical shapes and patterns.

Heritage Dress Up Day!

Heritage Dress Up Day was a huge success, and it was so wonderful to learn more about each other and our cultural heritage. We managed to raise $280 for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Life Education:

Our Life Ed sessions were so interesting and informative, and we loved meeting Kirsty and Harold. We discovered more about our body systems and learnt about how good physical activity is for our bodies.

Here are our class pics with Harold:

Farewell to Toto:

Toto has been with us for six weeks and has made a huge impression on our tamariki. We wish her all the best for her future career as an educator; we know she will be brilliant and make a difference to many!

 Kia ora Whānau,

Welcome to another exciting fortnight in Kahikatea! We have had a lot happening, and we would love to share some of our wonderful learning and special moments with you.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and encouragement. We hope you enjoy keeping up with what we’ve been doing!

Cricket:

This week was our last of three cricket skills sessions; these were thoroughly enjoyed by all. It was a great introduction to cricket, and many are keen to play next season.

For the past two weeks, we have been learning how to add and subtract using 10s. Look at these clever kids! Next week we will begin a statistical investigation unit of learning.

Beckenham PTA Disco

How wonderful to have the disco to look forward to on Friday, the 21st of August! We are very excited and can’t wait to see the children all having a boogie.

 Disco Times:

• Koru and Kahikatea: 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm

Please feel free to send your child to school wearing their disco outfit at the start of the day. If you feel that their outfit may get damaged, please send it along in a named bag. The teachers will help your child to change into their dancing clothes after big play.

Teachers will collect gold coins at the start of the day. Please note that no food will be sold at the disco; however, your child will receive a small container of popcorn. If you would prefer that your child doesn’t have the popcorn, please contact your child’s Home Group teacher and let them know. 

Please contact your child's Home Group teacher if you have any questions about the disco.

 Kia ora te whānau, 

It is hard to believe that we are almost at the end of another term. 

Kahikatea performed in our whole school assembly last week. The parent turnout was amazing, the kids were so thrilled, and they did so well.

The Kahikatea staff have been delighted by the progress our students have made so far this year. It has been wonderful to see their learning and development flourish, with this growth clearly reflected in their reports.

Here are some of our recent learning celebrations:

Literacy:

The children continue to work hard and remain focused during our whole-class and small-group reading and writing sessions. The writing they are producing is outstanding! Below are some images of students' writing and of  Amber running a whole-class reading session, which the children enjoyed immensely.

 Kia ora te Whānau, 

A big welcome back to Term 2! We have heard many amazing holiday stories and hope you all have had some lovely, quality family time together. Our tamariki have been so excited to be back, and there has been much chat and reconnecting with friends and teachers this week.

We have started off the term by delving into some new and exciting learning:

Maths in Term 2

This term, our Y0-2 ākonga (learners) are using Numicon equipment to support their maths learning. Numicon uses equipment which helps make numbers visible (see) and tactile (touch/use), allowing learners to see how numbers are composed (made up of), how they fit together and how they relate to each other.

The ākonga (learners)  have been wonderfully engaged in these Numicon sessions. They have been highly motivated to complete the daily activities, explain their thinking mathematically and use their maths vocabulary.

Literacy:

Our literacy learning is back in full swing, and the tamariki have come back from a break refreshed and ready to learn. It has not taken them long to get back into our literacy routines. 

A reminder to bring reading folders to school on Thursdays.

Inquiry Learning:

Kapa Haka:

We are lucky enough to have Kapa Haka sessions this term and in Term 4 with Whaia Cath, learning new waiata and tikanga. 

Talia and Sarah J homegroups had a session today. Amber and Sarah's home groups will have a session next week.