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.
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.)
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.
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.
Kindness is "the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate" (Oxford Dictionary)
Te Reo Focus
This week, our Te Reo Maori focus has been how to ask someone what their name is and how to tell someone your name. The following video has been helping our tamariki learn this knowledge:
Art Lessons
Over the next few weeks, our tamariki will be participating in a sustainable art rotation of 8 different lessons. These lessons cover all four art strands of the curriculum (visual art, drama, dance and music)
They had their first two lessons this week.
Reading Books
Please ensure all Little Learners Love Literacy books are returned to school by the end of week 6. This will allow us to do a stocktake and work out what new resources we need to purchase to support literacy learning next year.
Toys
We ask that our students leave their toys at home when they come to school. We have plenty of fun activities and things for them to play with whilst at school. When toys from home come to school they can get lost or broken. We know how special our toys are, and the best way to keep them safe is to keep them at home.
It is incredible to think that we are entering Week 6 already! So much amazing learning has been happening in our hub.
The word of the week
Our word of the week in Week 5 was KINDNESS.
Kindness is "the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate" (Oxford Dictionary)
Some of our beautiful tamariki demonstrated kindness this week by creating a card for a friend or loved one. It was wonderful to see the thoughtfulness that they used.
A video that has a kindness song is below...
Te Reo Māori focus
Over the past two weeks, we have been working on different ways to greet people and also how to say how we feel. During our waiata, we have been singing the 'Ata mārie' song, which has been wonderful to support our tamariki in learning Māori greetings.
Here it is so you can sing along at home...
Book Character Day
Book character dress-up was held on Friday 19th of August and it was amazing to see all of our tamariki proudly strutting their stuff in super fun costumes. Even the teachers dressed up!
We were also lucky enough to have a visit from Sandy. She was dressed in her 'Guess How Much I Love You' pajamas and she read us the story.
Toys at school
We have had a number of toys (including bag toys) make an appearance at school this term. We ask that all toys stay home. We know how special they are to you and we don't want to see them broken or lost. There are lots of awesome things for you to play with at school, including amazing outdoor spaces that the school has.
Shoes
The Kahikatea teachers have been noticing a lot of students walking around the school without shoes on. Shoes are important for keeping our feet safe and clean. Kahikatea students are not to be outside in the playground without their shoes on. When in the hub, the expectation is that the students have shoes on (or slippers) unless their shoes are very wet or dirty.
Cultural Presentations
As part of our fortnightly celebration assemblies, children have an opportunity to share with the junior school their culture via a presentation. These presentations are done in the form of a slideshow, in which the family receives a template to fill in. They require adult input and support.
If your child is interested in getting up and presenting a cultural presentation, please contact your child's homegroup teacher for more information.
Photos
Here are some photos of our amazing tamariki hard at work.
Ma te wa, Amber, Krystal, Emma, Katie, Lisa, Kerilea, Kate & Jan
