Kōwhai News Term 1 Week 11

Kia ora koutou,

What an amazing term we have had! The Kōwhai team are extremely proud of the hard work and effort that each of our students have put into their learning, as well as the awesome things they have achieved!

For the holidays....some simple spelling word practise 

Heart words are frequent words that we read or write. These are not words we can 'sound out' (e.g., c-a-t = cat) or use known spelling patterns for, but they are ones we learn by memory.

Click here to view our Heart Word list. Feel free to practise reading and writing these at home. You could read the words, make flash cards or ask your child to spell aloud or write them. We focus on stages 1-4 until the children are really confident and fluent with these. After that, they can also work on the stage 4+ words.

Science - Forensic Unit

All of Kōwhai have had a blast with our Science unit this term. Our focus has been forensics and the students participated in a 'Who did it?' type of scenario as they worked their way through a series of lessons about different aspects of forensic science.

One of the staff members had been brainwashed by a corporation called "Evil" and it was the students' responsibility to figure out who this staff member was and to save them before it was too late. The students received secret video messages and had to find hidden packages in different locations around the school and used these to test chemicals, explore footprints, learn about fingerprints, understand the properties of different fibres and materials, and crack codes. It was so much fun.

For those who missed out on our final lessons..... Reihana was the staff member who was brainwashed and we were successful in saving her!






Making a Difference

During the past few weeks, some of our students have been working hard to make a difference 'Nā mātou he rerekē te ao' by picking up rubbish around our school. When we make sure that rubbish ends up in the bin and we collect rubbish that we see floating around, we are not only ensuring that we have a clean and tidy school, we are protecting our environment. 

Kapa Haka and Te Reo Māori

Next term, we will be commencing our 'opt-in' Kapa Haka sessions. The students who were interested in participating in Kapa Haka have expressed their interest this week and signed up. All students will be part of te reo lessons and those who have chosen not to be part of Kapa Haka will do extra te reo Māori during this time. 

Feel free to chat to your child's homegroup teacher if you would like more information about this.

Communication

A reminder to all our whānau that the homegroup teachers are always happy to be contacted throughout the year if there is anything you would like to share or discuss about your child. The home/school relationship is important and communication plays a large part in this. So please see your child's homegroup teacher in the first instance.

Notice, Think, Wonder - Have you got your maths eyes?

As a warm-up to some of our maths lessons, students are looking at every day images and discussing what they notice, think and wonder about the picture. They are then coming up with different mathematical ideas that are evident in the picture or ideas that they would love to explore further. 

Above are two photos that some groups have looked at.

Holiday challenge - if you are keen, take a picture (or multiple pictures) of some maths that you have seen in your day-to-day activities and ask yourself 'What do you notice? Think? Wonder? Where is the maths?'

Feel free to send your photos to krystal.hunt@beckenham.school.nz with the subject line 'Notice, Think, Wonder.' Krystal would love to see what you have come up with!


Have a great holiday! From team Kōwhai

Kahikatea News Term 4 Week 5

 Kia ora koutou,


It has been wonderful to see the weather starting to warm up! A reminder that all students are required to wear a sunhat for outside play/activities in Term 4. These are kept in hat tubs at school. Students are responsible for ensuring that they look after their own hats and place them back into their homegroup hat tub after break times.

We are also asking that students keep their shoes on at all times (especially outside) unless they are extremely wet/dirty. This helps keep our feet safe and minimises the chance of missing shoes and socks. 

Aotearoa NZ Histories

As part of our Aotearoa NZ Histories Curriculum, the Kahikatea learners have been learning about the first people of Aotearoa and the journey that they undertook to get here. We have been learning about tāngata whenua, Kupe's journey and the waka hourua.

It has been exciting watching this knowledge in our learners develop. 

House Games

Students across the school have been participating in House Games each Monday. It has been a wonderful opportunity for the learners to build team spirit, work with others, and have a great time.







Cashmere Technical Football

We have been fortunate to have some football skills sessions run by Cashmere Technical Football Club. These have been happening on Tuesday (Krystal's & Amber's Homegroups), and Thursday (Katie's & Lisa/Quynh Homegroups) afternoon. 



















Bounce and Skip

The Bounce and Skip monkeys have been having some amazing adventures with our tamariki! We all enjoy seeing what adventures they get up to. We are proud of the wonderful writing efforts of our learners who have taken them home.

When the monkeys come for a visit to your house, please remember to bring them back so they can go on as many adventures as possible.



Ka kite,

Team Kahikatea

Katie, Krystal, Amber, Lisa, Quynh


Kahikatea News Term 3 Week 5

 Kia ora koutou!


Wow, it is incredible to think that we are at the halfway mark of the term! Some fantastic things have been happening in our hub. 

Word of the week - Respect


Maths Week

Last week was NZ maths week. Our tamariki enjoyed many maths activities designed to engage and promote maths within our schools. We created giant graphs and even Mondrian Style artworks - linking maths with art. 

Here are some photos:
















Book Week 

Last week was book week, so to celebrate and share our love of reading we had an awesome whole-school book character dress up day. Can you guess who some of us dressed up as?



















Calendar Art

Kahikatea has been busily working away on their calendar art creations. We can't wait for you to see them! The order forms and the link to your child's artwork will be sent home soon.

































Have a wonderful weekend,

Team Kahikatea

Kahikatea News Term 2 Weeks 7 & 8

Kia ora koutou,

Wow....it is Week 8 already! We are having a blast in Team Kahikatea! As the weather cools down, please ensure your child has clearly named warm clothing. 

Hero Reports are Live

We have enjoyed being able to share the success of all of our learners! Have you seen your child's report? Have you shared this report yet with your child? 

Learning Conferences

These are coming up this week, on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th June. We look forward to meeting with you all. 

This is just a reminder that school will close at 2pm on both days. Children who are usually booked into BOSCO on those days will be able to attend from 2pm. The school will provide supervision for children between 2-3pm IF NEEDED.

Please see your child's Homegroup Teacher if you are yet to book a conference.

Word of the week

Our word of the week last week was FRIENDSHIP.

Below are some videos we showed the tamariki as we discussed what a good friend looks like, sounds like, and feels like.





He aroha whakatō, he aroha puta mai - if kindness is sown, then kindness you shall receive. 

Fun Run

On Friday 2nd June, some of our Tamariki (and awesome parents) participated in the school fundraising fun run to raise money for Trees For Canterbury. It was a fantastic effort by all, we are proud of you and loved cheering you on as you ran lap, after lap, after lap of the field. Below are some photos that were taken. 












Have you got your 'Maths Eyes'? 

As part of our mathematics lessons, we have been looking at everyday images and asking the following four questions:

1. What do you notice?

2. What do you think?

3. What do you wonder?

4. Where's the mathematics in this picture?

Have a go (both children and parents) with the following image. (It's a great way to see the world through a mathematical lens and to build up the skills of communicating using the language of mathematics.)

Photos from our week:
















Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.

Team Kahikatea

krystal.hunt@beckenham.school.nz

lisa.collier@beckenham.school.nz

katie.mcfarlane@beckenham.school.nz

quynh.nguyen@beckenham.school.nz

amber.donovan@beckenham.school.nz

Kahikatea News Term 1 Week 5

Kia ora koutou,

Week 5 already! It is fabulous seeing all of our beautiful tamariki so settled into the Kahikatea Hub and doing some fantastic learning. 

Nuts at school - Whānau notice


We are aware that the Kahikatea team has students with nut allergies. Therefore we are asking that if nuts/nut-based products aren't necessary for your child's lunchbox please consider not including them.

The team is also aware that some children have other dietary requirements and their diet may need to be nut-based, so will need nut products to be included in their lunch box.

When the term starts, the teachers will remind the children that at school we eat our own food rather than share with others, along with reminders about handwashing and putting food wrappings in their lunch boxes to take home. This will also include washing their hands after eating nuts to remove any potential residue. 

If you have any questions please contact your child's Homegroup teacher.

Thank you for your support as 'We Get There Together'.

Word of the week

Our word of the week is RESPECT. 

Respect means that you accept somebody for who they are, even when they're different from you or you don't agree with them. Respect in your relationships builds feelings of trust, safety, and well-being. 



Math Focus

This week in maths, some of our learners learned about capacity and how different containers hold different amounts. 

They estimated how many teddies/cubes would fit into different containers, they measured by filling the containers, and they counted the teddies/cubes to check how close their answer was to their estimate. 

It was wonderful to hear the rich discussion about the best way to count the teddies. Depending on how big the pile was, sometimes they counted in 1s, skip counted in 2s, skip counted in 5s and when the pile looked enormous, they skip counted in 10s.


Spare Yarn

During Learning Through Play sessions, we would love to teach some children (who are interested) how to do finger knitting. 

Finger knitting is a calming activity that has many benefits for young children. It builds dexterity and strength in those small muscles which control the hand, fingers, and thumbs. These same muscles are the muscles we use to write, so strengthening them is extremely important. 

Finger knitting also encourages creativity (the creations students can make with their completed finger knitting are endless), hand-eye coordination, concentration, and perseverance. 

In order for us to do this we need some yarn. It doesn't have to be a full ball (small amounts are welcome), or fancy (just regular is fine). The thicker the yarn, the easier it is for children to manipulate. 

If you have some spare at home that you wish to donate, please bring it into the Kahikatea Hub. 


Boxes and Containers

We would love clean boxes and containers for box construction. Children love constructing with boxes and containers and it is amazing to see all the creative creations that our tamariki come up with. 

Don't fill your recycling bin with them - send them our way!

Literacy Videos

Your learner will have brought home a literacy pack in the last week. If you haven't received one, please get in touch with us.

We have recorded some videos to support our whānau with understanding what our literacy stages look like and what you can do to support your learner at home.

Click on the links below to access videos at your child's stage. There are two videos to look at.












Emma Nahna


Kapa Haka


Open Mornings

If you have never had the opportunity to have a tour of the school, or if you would like another look at how the school works, we are offering a series of dates from Wednesday 15th to Monday 20th March. Our amazing School Ambassadors are looking forward to having the opportunity to show you around.
To book a time, please go to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and enter the event code z7fnt.

Sunflowers

During one of our Learning Through Play sessions this week, sunflowers were our provocation (invitation to play).

Some students watched the following time-lapse of a sunflower, and then they had the opportunity to dissect some real sunflower plants. 







House Games Photos




That's all for now! 
Team Kahikatea

quynh.nguyen@beckenham.school.nz
lisa.collier@beckenham.school.nz
krystal.hunt@beckenham.school.nz
amber.donovan@beckenham.school.nz
katie.mcfarlane@beckenham.school.nz