Author Archives: Kate McGregor

Kauri News – Term 2, Week 11

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Kauri News - Term 2, Week 11

Kia ora koutou,

It’s hard to believe we’re already at the end of another busy term in Kauri! The last two weeks have been packed with learning, activities, and plenty of opportunities for our students to challenge themselves and celebrate their successes. We are incredibly proud of all the effort, resilience, and enthusiasm shown throughout the term.

As we head into the holidays, we wish all our Kauri whānau a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable break.

Mānawatia a Matariki - may Matariki bring you time for reflection, connection, and celebration with whānau and friends.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for another exciting term ahead.

Ngā mihi nui,

Hugo, Kate McG, Megan C, Sarah A, Megan H & Nicky

Upcoming Dates for Term 3:

  • Week 1: Matariki Whānau Evening (Wednesday 22 July), South Zone Basketball Tournament (Wednesday 22 July), Winter Sport restarts (Thursday 23 July)
  • Week 4: Primary Sports Canterbury Volleyball Tournament (Wednesday 12 August)
  • Week 6: Beckenham Te Kura Duathlon Event (Wednesday 26 August), Winter Sport finishes (Thursday 27 August)
  • Week 7: Court Theatre Performance (Monday 31 August), Kauri Ski Trip (Thursday 3 September), Staff Only Day (Friday 4 September)
  • Week 8: Life Education Bus (W8-W9), Primary Sports Canterbury Duathlon Event (Monday 7 September)
  • Week 10: Koru Games (Tuesday 22 September - Thursday 24 September)
Matariki Evening - Wednesday 22 July

Tēnā koutou e te whānau,

We would like to invite you to our school’s Matariki celebration evening on the first Wednesday (22nd July) back of Term Three!

Matariki is the start of the Māori new year and a time of reflection, connection and planning for the year ahead. We would like to celebrate with you and your whānau on Wednesday the 22nd of July from 5:30 pm. The PTA will be having a Sausage Sizzle on the night for a small koha (donation). 

Outline of the night:
  • 5:30 pm - Welcome & Performance in Māpuna, the Hall - Te Whānau Mahi Tahi
  • 5:50 pm - Matariki activities begin in Hubs.
  • 6:40 pm - Matariki activities finish in Hubs, whānau to head back to the hall.
  • 6:45 pm - Performance in Māpuna, the Hall - Pōhutukawa.
Nau mai, haere mai! We hope to see you there!

Passions: Imagination Station - Build On Ice Competition

This term, Kate’s Passions Group has been taking part in the Imagination Station Build on Ice Competition. Working in teams, students have spent time designing, creating, testing, and refining their ideas, showing fantastic creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills along the way.

Every group did an incredible job, demonstrating perseverance, innovation, and teamwork throughout the process. It has been wonderful to see students bringing their ideas to life and supporting one another as they tackled the challenge.

We are incredibly proud of the effort and enthusiasm shown by all students. Check out the photos at the bottom of the blog post to see some of the amazing creations and the hard work that went into them! The full projects were shared to the whānau of these students via Hero.

Kete Blogs:
We have been incredibly impressed by the number of students participating in and completing their Kete Blogs throughout Term 2. The effort, creativity, and consistency shown has been fantastic. An outstanding 117 Kete Blog badges were earned and presented this term—a brilliant achievement! Ka pai to everyone who took the time to share their learning and experiences. Keep up the great work!

Science Badges:
Congratulations to Pippa on earning two Science Badges and to Shaan on earning one Science Badge this term! These badges reflect the extra effort they've been putting in at home to explore, investigate, and extend their scientific learning beyond the classroom. We are incredibly proud of their curiosity, commitment, and enthusiasm—well done to you both! 🧪🌟

Inquiry Presentations:
Our Inquiry presentations to wrap up our Sustainability unit were nothing short of incredible. Students showcased the knowledge they had developed throughout the term with confidence, creativity, and passion. From innovative ideas to thoughtful solutions for real-world environmental challenges, it was fantastic to see the depth of learning and the pride they took in sharing their work. Ka pai to all of our presenters for an outstanding effort! 🌱🌏

Canterbury Softball Sessions:

Our students have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in softball sessions led by the fantastic team from Canterbury Softball this term. They have been learning and developing key skills such as throwing, catching, batting, and teamwork through fun, engaging activities. It has been wonderful to see students grow in confidence while giving a new sport a go. A huge thank you to Canterbury Softball for sharing their expertise and enthusiasm with our ākonga! 🥎

Creating "Safe Habitats for Antarctic Animals" by Constantin, Haydn, Jaxon & Jeffrey

Supporting "Survival of Emperor Penguins" by Dylan & Leo

Supporting "Survival of Arctic Foxes" by Bryn, Chester, Kyle & Tom B
















Reducing the "Depletion of Scott Base" by Clarel, Devin, Tom H & Nate







Kauri Team Newsletter – Term 1, Week 6

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Kia ora koutou,

What a jam-packed two weeks we’ve had in Kauri! Week 5 featured the South Zone Swimming Sports, round two of our Whare Kotahitanga, Walk or Wheel Week, and plenty of learning packed in between.

Week 6 is already shaping up to be a highlight for the yearbook as we enjoyed a range of activities during Leadership Week. From discovering what type of leader we are to putting those qualities into practice, it has been fantastic to see students stepping up and embracing new challenges.

Upcoming Dates:
Week 7:            Wednesday - Whare Kotahitanga (Rotation 3)
                          Thursday - School Based Immunisation Programme

Week 8:             Monday - Canterbury Hockey Skills Sessions
                          Thursday & Friday - SISS Mountain Biking Event
                          Friday - Celebration Assembly & Kauri Sausage Sizzle

Week 9:             Wednesday - Huxster Mountain Biking Event at McLean's Island

Have a fantastic weekend with your tamariki,
Hugo, Kate McG, Megan C, Sarah A, Megan H & Nicky

Thank you to Megan Harris
Over the last three weeks, we have been incredibly lucky to have Megan Harris covering Megan C’s homegroup while she has been away. Megan has stepped in seamlessly and has been a wonderful part of Kauri during this time.

Thank you, Megan, for all the support, care, and enthusiasm you have brought over the past few weeks — we have truly loved having you in Kauri!

South Zone Swimming Sports (& Swimming Cups)
In week 5, our BTKOP representatives headed off to the South Zone Swimming Sports to compete for a chance to advance to the Canterbury event on Thursday the 26th of March. We want to congratulate all of our swimmers for the determination, grit and speed they showed through their races and a further congratulations to those who progressed to the Canterbury event. 

We have also presented our first cups for 2026 and wanted to share our congratulations to Sarah W and Sebastian B who were our 2026 recipients. What an incredible achievement for you both!


Whare Kotahitanga
Our house captains, deputy house captains, and sports leaders have been showing off their fantastic leadership skills by running our Whare Kotahitanga sessions over the past two weeks, with two more to go. During this time, we have been taking part in activities within our house groups, involving all tamariki across the school. Students have rotated through four different stations: rautaki (sport), tūhono (connection), auaha (creation), and hononga (team building). Tamariki across the school have been loving this time to connect, and our kaiako (teachers) have been raving about the leadership shown by our student leaders — tino pai!



Week 6 - Leadership Week
Leadership Week has been a highlight for our class. We were lucky to hear from three inspiring speakers — Craig Saunders, Lucy Gray, and Andy Thompson — who shared their experiences and insights about leadership. Through their talks, students learned about different leadership styles and what it means to lead in positive and meaningful ways.

Throughout the week, we had plenty of opportunities to put these ideas into practice. Students planned a tuakana–teina buddy session and spent time on Friday connecting with our Kahikatea buddies. We also walked to Mount Vernon and then on to Hansen Park, where we took part in leadership and team-building challenges.

Each afternoon, students participated in a variety of fun team-building activities, including blindfolded mazes, tug of war, the electric fence challenge, and the classic game of Zip Zap. On Thursday afternoon, we also enjoyed a swim at Waltham Pool, and we returned to school on Friday morning for a team breakfast together.

It has been fantastic to see students stepping up, supporting one another, and growing their leadership skills throughout the week. Please enjoy these photos from Leadership Week!

Kauri Blog – Term 3, Week 10

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 Kauri Blog - Term 3, Week 10

It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the Kauri hub, with tamariki engaged in a wide range of end-of-term learning and exciting EOTC opportunities. From classroom projects and assessments to experiences beyond the school gates, students have been making the most of every moment, showing focus, teamwork, and enthusiasm as the term draws to a close.

Upcoming Dates for Term 4:

  • Week 1: 

    • Throughout the week: Class Speech Competitions

    • Tuesday: Peer Mediator Training

    • Wednesday: Year 5-8 Relationships & Sexuality Education: Parent Information Evening

    • Friday: Celebration Assembly

  • Week 2: 

    • Throughout the week: Walk or Wheel to School week

    • Wednesday: Year 7-8 Speech Finals

    • Thursday: Year 8 Photos

Kauri & Pohutukawa Choir
The Kauri and Pohutukawa Choir had their Area Rehearsal for their upcoming performance on Friday 7 November. Tickets are now available through the following link, which also includes any additional information you may need: https://musicfestival.school.nz/

A huge ngā mihi to Megan for all of her mahi in preparing the choir and helping them sound beautiful. If you have any questions about choir, please reach out to Megan directly at megan.harris@beckenham.school.nz.

Kauri Ski Day
We had a fantastic day up the mountain for our Ski Day, and for many students it was a clear highlight of the term. The weather was kind, the snow was great, and the enthusiasm from our tamariki was infectious. It was awesome to see so many stepping beyond their comfort zones — from learning how to ski for the first time to challenging themselves on the bigger slopes. The determination, resilience, and teamwork on display were outstanding. Ski Day is one of those experiences our students will remember for a long time, and it was wonderful to see them embracing the challenge with such energy and pride.

A huge thank you from Team Kauri to Nicky, whose organisation and planning made the whole day possible, and to the many parents who came along to support. From helping with gear to cheering on the slopes, your contribution made a massive difference. 

Pō Whakangahau - Te Whānau Mahi Tahi Performance
He pō whakahirahira tēnei, kī tonu i te hari me te whakamanawa o ngā tamariki! This was a special evening, full of joy and the courage of our tamariki! Our Kapa Haka group, Te Whānau Mahi Tahi, recently performed at Pō Whakangahau at Cashmere High School. The performance showcased the amount of mahi and aroha that had gone into their preparations, as the tamariki represented Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto with pride and mana. Tamariki – your kaiako could not be prouder of you, and we hope you are so proud of yourselves too.

NFL Tournament
We had three Kauri students, Misha, Nick, and Clarel, as part of the NFL Flag Tournament team that represented Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto at the Canterbury U12 Tournament on Monday of Week 10. It was a fantastic day with great weather, exciting competition, and awesome exposure to a new game; and a big thank you to Chris from Pohutukawa who stepped up to take the team. Our students gave it their all on the field and came away with plenty of new skills, experiences, and memories.


Koru Games
Week 10 saw the long-awaited Koru Games take place. We had a record number of 93 students from the Kauri Team participating across seven different sports. This was an incredible feat, supported by three staff and nineteen parent helpers across the three days. For many of our tamariki, this was their first exposure to a competitive environment and, in some cases, an entirely new sport. The sportsmanship, behaviour, and hard work displayed throughout the event made us incredibly proud of our Kauri learners. 

We want to give a special shout out to our Ultimate Frisbee team who finished as the Bronze Medallists! What an incredible result. A very well done to Ben W, Max, Oscar R, Samson, Dylan, Robbie, Alfie & KJ. Karawhiua!

To all of our parent helpers, we are extremely grateful for you giving up your time — whether it was for one day or all three. Our students could not have these experiences without you, and we are so lucky to have had nineteen incredible volunteers who helped make this event a massive success and a truly memorable experience for our team.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini - My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective.

                                

Beckenham’s Got Talent
And to finally end what has been a busy two weeks and term, we celebrated with Beckenham’s Got Talent! Kauri was represented by Ben Stoney – The Piano Whiz, Hanna O’Sullivan – The Irish Dancing Queen, and A.L.A.R.M. – The Next Generation of Musical Brilliance. These three acts were a brilliant display of talent from the Kauri Team and truly blew us all away! It was wonderful to enjoy all the acts from across the school and cheer them on as they demonstrated our value of We Love Challenge.

Thanks for an incredible team and we are looking forward to getting back into it for our final 2025 term after the break. Have a safe and enjoyable school holiday with your tamariki!

Nga mihi nui,
Hugo, Kate, Sarah, Chloe, Nicky & Megan