Tēnā koutou! Team Kauri teachers have been excited to welcome back our Year 7 students as Year 8’s and to integrate our new Year 7’s into the team for the first two weeks of school. It has been a calm and settled start to the year.

New Space, New Team

We are now located in a new space as a team. We are utilising Hangere and Kōmanawa as our classroom spaces and we are very happy to have such lovely classrooms for our learning this year 🙂.

Upcoming Events

Week 3

• PSC Triathlon - Tuesday

Week 4

• House Games - Wednesday

• BTKOP Swimming Sports - Thursday

• Whole School Learning Celebration - Friday

• Passions begin - Friday

Week 5

• House Games - Wednesday

• SZ Swimming Sports - Thursday

Week 6

• Leadership Week - including Kauri Day Out & sleepover

• School Photos - Wednesday

• House Games - Wednesday

• Whole School Learning Celebration - Friday

Week 7

• House Games - Wednesday

Week 8 

• PSC Swimming sports - Thursday

• Whole School Learning Celebration - Friday

Week 9

• Huxster mountain biking - Wednesday

• Last Day of Term - Thursday

Technology & Languages

Tuesday was our first technology session for the year. The Tech team at Christchurch South Intermediate commented on how awesome our kids were from the start and the students loved attending their first tech sessions diving into some amazing hands-on activities. The new technology programme includes: Digitech, Coding, Food technology, Textiles, and Hard Materials.

We also had the pleasure of having our first language sessions with the specialist teaching staff from Cashmere high school. We enjoyed our first experiences of French and Spanish with Debbie and Victoria.

Leadership opportunities

Our new house captains had some opportunities in the first couple of days to setup and lead activities for Team Kōwhai and Pōhutukawa for their water play. The rest of the team have been learning about some of the Leadership opportunities available. The selection process for these leadership opportunities will be happening over the next week and students will be learning about how and what this will involve.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Ben Stoney for completing Grade 5 Violin. We are very pleased for his achievements!

We look forward to the opportunities coming up this term and cant wait to get stuck into the new learnings and experiences we will all have.

Please do not hesitate to contact any of the teaching staff if you have an questions about the upcoming term.

Ka kite!

Hugo, Sarah A, Kate McG, and Megan C.

Wow! What an absolutely incredible performance by our Year 7/8 students in this year’s production. The amount of effort and dedication that went into making the night such a success was truly awe-inspiring. From writing the scripts, rehearsing scenes, performing solos, and choreographing dance routines, to crafting props, running the technology for the night, and designing advertisement posters – every student gave their all. The energy, confidence, and creativity on display was remarkable, and the performance itself was nothing short of spectacular. Every member of the Kauri Hub contributed in their own unique way, and we couldn’t be prouder of them all.

Yummy Treats              

As a thank you to the students' hard work on production, we made some ‘bake at home’ treats. They loved designing their unique labels for the jars. Hopefully whānau got to enjoy some yummy cooking. 

Victoria Park Adventure
We enjoyed a wonderful walk to Victoria Park. Although we started off with a little drizzle, the weather soon cleared, giving us a beautiful day to explore. The students loved having lunch with their friends, climbing the trees, playing on the playground, and taking in the views from the hilltop. There were plenty of laughs as they went down the slide as a “train,” and the excitement and energy throughout the day was infectious. It was a perfect opportunity for the tamariki to enjoy the outdoors, challenge themselves, and make memories with friends.

Year 8 Pool Party
After a big day of walking and outdoor fun, we celebrated our Year 8 students with a much-anticipated Pool Party. The tamariki had a blast on the slide, played fun pool games, and enjoyed some classic treats like a sausage in bread and an ice block. It was a fantastic way to acknowledge their hard work, friendship, and contribution to the Kauri Hub this year.

Fond Farewells
We also said goodbye to two of our longest-standing Kauri Hub students – Snowy and Nibbles – who have been with us for 10 years! Nicky’s mornings will certainly look a little different without bringing vegetables in each day to feed them. Their presence and personality have been a cherished part of our daily routine, and they will be missed. They will be going to live with Rowan Matthews, year 8 student. 

Cass Bay Adventures
Our trip to Cass Bay was an absolute highlight of this week! We were spoiled with beautiful weather, and the tamariki made the most of every moment. The perfect setting for a day of summer fun. The pontoon was a favourite spot, with endless manus. Groups explored the rock pools and discovered tiny crabs hiding under stones and shells. Our competitive crew enjoyed shoulder wrestles as the tide went out, and the battles brought plenty of energy and amusement. Some students found patches of clay along the seabed and decided to embrace nature fully… covering themselves head-to-toe like it was a day spa treatment! It was a day filled with sunshine, laughter, adventure, and memory-making, the perfect way to celebrate our time together this year.

It’s been a fantastic start to Term 4, with everyone returning settled, focused, and ready for a great final term of the year. It’s been wonderful to see the positive energy across the hub and students quickly getting back into routines.

Athletics training is well underway as we prepare for our upcoming sports events. Students have been practising a range of disciplines including high jump, sprints, relay, shot put, and discus. It’s been great to see everyone giving things a go, encouraging one another, and showing great teamwork and determination.

We are also delighted to have Jemimah, a second-year student teacher, joining Chloe’s homegroup for the next five weeks. She has already made a fantastic start, getting to know students and supporting learning across the hub.

We celebrated our Speech Finals this week, a huge congratulations to all who presented with confidence and passion. Well done to our Year 8 and Year 7 winners for their outstanding efforts and persuading speeches. 

Year 8: Winner - Annabelle Aitken, Runner up - Oscar Radford 

Year 7: Winner - Max Potter, Runner up - Minah Malak

Students who took part in the Kiwi Competitions have now received their results. A special mention to Tom Broadbank, who received an Excellence in Maths, and Ruvi Lawrance, who received an Excellence in English. Seven students were also awarded Merit certificates, with some achieving across multiple subjects, an impressive effort by all!

Our Passions Programme for Term 4 is off to an exciting start, with students taking part in a variety of engaging activities including Cooking, Digital Technology, Māori Games, and Mural Painting. It’s wonderful to see students exploring their interests, developing new skills, and collaborating across groups each week.

We’ve also enjoyed some friendly competition with our Staff vs Year 8 Basketball Game last week. It was a high-energy match filled with great teamwork, impressive shots, and plenty of laughter. Despite some strong plays from the Year 8s, the staff managed to take out the win, though we’re sure the students are already planning their comeback!

We have also begun our Navigating the Journey health unit. Thank you to the whānau who attended the information evening last week. Across the hub, students have approached these sessions with maturity, respect, and thoughtful discussion.

It’s shaping up to be a busy and exciting term ahead!