Author Archives: Lisa Collier

Kahikatea News Term 3 Week 10

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Kia ora e te whānau,

Wow, we can hardly believe that it is the end of term 3! It has been lovely to enjoy the warmer days of spring and we are looking forward to an even warmer term 4. Remember to hunt out those sun hats ready for the beginning of next term.

In thinking about our move from winter to spring, Quynh/ Lisa's homegroup collaborated to create a poem called 'Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring'


They then created some illustrations to go with it:


Maths

We Love Learning at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto! Before school last week, Ruby was hard at work tipping felt pens out of the container, and grouping them into colours. She was then recording the number of pens of each colour. As soon as the bell went to start the day, we talked about Ruby's findings and recorded the information on a bar graph. We found out that there were so many more green pens than other colours and wondered why. Some of our thoughts were:
-Green is such a popular colour because of using it for grass in pictures, maybe they supply more of those pens?
-Maybe greens have been gathered from other containers?
-Actually, there are two different shades of green, so should they have been counted separately?


We were really keen to work out the total number of pens, but there were a lot to add. We spoke about ways we could make the adding easier, for example, we could find numbers that added to ten, or other tidy numbers.


 


We then went on to explore some further maths problem solving, where we looked at rows of stamps and linked these arrays to forming a multiplication number sentence.

























Imagination Station

We had a blast with a Lego session by Imagination Station yesterday. We put in so much effort to work together in teams with amazing cooperation.



















Learning Through Play

One of our most popular Learning Through Play experiences, is using the hot glue gun! Here are some of our creative learners, constructing.


We have also had some lovely play in our Kahikatea cafe! The learners have really taken on their roles in acting out taking customer orders, and preparing their meals. There has been some lovely language and literacy experiences.



What a wonderful te wiki o te reo Māori we had! During Learning Through Play, one of the activities we explored was making poi. We had to work on our value or 'We Love Challenge' and really appreciated our big buddies help too.













Some of our learners also enjoyed the waiata 'Porowhita Māori Shapes' and explored a number of different shapes in Māori and English.





You will find your learners calendar art order forms in their bag. They have put so much work into their creations. These make great Christmas presents!

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday break with whānau, and enjoy some lovely weather. We look forward to seeing you again on Monday 14th October!

Ngā mihi nui,
The Kahikatea Team

Amber Donovan | amber.donovan@beckenham.school.nz
Ella Rainbow | ella.rainbow@beckenham.school.nz
Quynh Nguyen | quynh.nguyen@beckenham.school.nz
Sarah Angelo | sarah.angelo@beckenham.school.nz
Lisa Collier | lisa.collier@beckenham.school.nz







Kahikatea News Term 2 Week 10

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Kia ora e te whānau,

We have had some fun events over the last couple of weeks, including our wonderful Matariki evening, and our second group's trip to Clip and Climb. 

We also celebrated Sandy at her farewell on Wednesday. It was lovely to hear from educators, students and whānau about the impact Sandy has had at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto. We wish her all the best in her new role.

Matariki

We loved seeing so many of our tamariki bursting through the door with excitement after a busy day at school. We had lots of activities happening throughout the hubs, and it was wonderful to see learners and their whānau engaging in these. 

It is a special time to connect with our community and we appreciated seeing so many of you despite the cold weather.
























Matariki Maths

Our learners have explored Matariki through a variety of subject areas over the last two weeks. One of these was maths. Some awesome 2D and 3D stars were created!
 


















Matariki Kai



Clip and Climb

Our second groups to attend Clip and Climb also had a blast! For some, this was a new activity which was a little scary, and for others new goals were met. We were really proud of all of our learners. 

Thanks to all of our Clip and Climb whānau helpers for your support.














Literacy Links

When we teach our learners to read and to spell, we focus on using the 'pure' sounds. For example when learning to read the word 'Sam' we sound the word out as "sssss-aaaaa-mmmm, Sam". See below for a great explanation by Emma Nahna (speech-language therapist) of the pure sounds of New Zealand English and their importance in learning to read and write.


Emma also has some other awesome videos on her YouTube channel, such as how to teach Heart Words and consonant blends, for those of you who would like some more in-depth information in these areas.

This was our final blog for Term 2! If you come across any library or reading books at home over the holidays we would love to have these back next term :). We hope you all have a safe and restful break, and we look forward to seeing everyone again on Monday 22nd July. 

Ngā mihi nui,

The Kahikatea Team

Amber- amber.donovan@beckenham.school.nz

Sarah- sarah.angelo@beckenham.school.nz

Quynh- quynh.nguyen@beckenham.school.nz

Ella- ella.rainbow@beckenham.school.nz

Lisa- lisa.collier@beckenham.school.nz

Kahikatea News Term 2 Week 2

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Kia ora e te whānau mā,What a lovely two weeks back at school for Term 2. Our tamariki have settled in so well with the routines, we have loved the big smiles and warm greetings each day. We would like to send a big thank you to our parents and caregivers as you have made such a difference by setting your child/ren up for success in the morning transition. He waka eke noa - We get there together!Cross CountryA quick reminder that Cross Country will take place on Tuesday, 14th May. The junior races will start from 2.15pm on the field. Please ensure that your child/ren will have their drink bottles, running shoes, and pants, shorts or leggings appropriate for running. They have the option to wear their house shirt.Our tamariki have been training hard for this event and shown our value 'We Love Challenge'. Ka mau te wehi - way to go!School PhotosThank you to our whānau and caregivers for preparing your child/ren for school photos. Everyone came to their photo session with great pride and a big smile. We are excited to show their photos to you when they are available.Naming Uniforms and BelongingsPlease make sure that your child's clothing items, drink bottles, and lunchboxes are properly named. We have had quite a few tamariki losing their tops, jerseys and shoes. You are welcome to have a look in the hub and at the lost property after school should any of their belongings have gone missing.Paper Making and RecyclingLast week, Sarah and Quynh's homegroups had a great time experimenting with paper making! They learnt about the value of recycling, and how used paper can have a second life.









"We made paper out of used bits of paper."
"It was tickly and weird."
"It was squishy!"
"We put our hand on the bit of paper."
"We kept on pushing it."
"Mine was like a pancake!"
"I got heaps of little paper and squished it and we leave it for 24 hours."
"I liked pushing it, it was so fun."
"I made a love heart."
"I loved squishing the paper!"

Learning Through Play

We had scarf dancing as one of the options for LTP last week. Our tamariki had so much fun following and creating movements. Also, a big thank you to one of our parents for donating baby dolls, they were the most popular option during LTP.








Have a fabulous weekend!

Amber, Tracey, Sarah, Megan, Lisa and Quynh

Kahikatea News Term 4 Week 9

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Kia ora e te whānau,

What a wonderful and action-packed couple of weeks we have had!

Transition Visits

With 2024 around the corner, we had the first of our transition visits this week. Our year 2s visited Kōwhai, and our year 1s made new connections with our Koru visitors in the Kahikatea hub. There were lots of creative activities on offer and many smiles seen.










Cinderella

An absolute highlight of our week was seeing the Southern Ballet performance, 'Cinderella'. What a fantastic experience. We went on the bus to the beautiful Isaac Theatre Royal, were shown to our seats by the ushers, and watched an amazing range of dances.

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos of the performance, but following are some pictures of our adventure, and words about our favourite parts.


















What was your favourite part of the Cinderella performance?

"All the gowns!" - Maya
"The drama of the stepsisters!" - Sandi
"Cinderella!" - Alexa
"When Cinderella was dancing with the prince." - Mia-Grace
"The part at the end and all of the cool ballet moves." - Nellie
"They had a lot of dances. The finale!" - Casey
"The bit at the end when they gathered around and did lots of cool stuff." - Reuben
"Cinderella was pretty!" - Ivy
"When she was cleaning the floor." - Freddie
"When Cinderella danced with the prince." - Maeve
"When they went up the stairs." - Maeve
"The dancer with the white tights - they had great moves!" - Jackson
"The acting!" - Henry
"When there was the ending - the last song was nice." - James
"All of it!" - Aya
"The dance with the tassels." - Ethan
"The black costume dance." - Florence
"The start because it was funny." - June
"When the boy and girl danced together." - Ellie and Heidi

Notices/ Reminders
  • This was the last week of the year for decodable books to be sent home for the year. Please send any books (including library books) back to school
  • Please send your learner along to school with a reusable bag so that we can start sending workbooks home next week
  • You are most welcome to attend our final Celebration Assembly for the year. This is at 9:45 on the 15th December
  • Our last day of the year is Tuesday 19th December- finishing at 12:30

What a pleasure it has been to work with our amazing Kahikatea tamariki this year. We have really appreciated all of our whānau support too. Have a wonderful summer break, and we look forward to seeing all of our fabulous Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto learners back in 2024!

-Team Kahikatea
Katie, Krystal, Amber, Quynh and Lisa

Kahikatea News Term 3 Week 9

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Kia ora e te whānau,

We can't believe there's only one more week of Term 3 left. We have been really enjoying the warmer weather and far fewer wet days indoors. This is a good reminder to dig out those sunhats ready for term 4.

Well done to our learners who auditioned for the talent quest which is being held next week. We loved seeing the joy you had in performing. Thanks for sharing your talents with us!

Cricket Awareness Skills Sessions

Last week we were lucky to experience cricket sessions with Southern Districts & South East Ōtautahi Cricket Club. Each home group had time over at the hall, learning new skills, such as batting and bowling. If your child came home buzzing, check out the brochure and information below, with how to access further cricket lessons.


"At Beckenham Park, we not only deliver cricket for all ages, but a quality, engaging sport and physical activity program that we deliver through play, using our natural environment and varied equipment. We aim to improve the physical literacy of our community and encourage them to stay physically active. We would love to see more of our Beckenham whānau join us for a summer of cricket.
We have teams from Friday afternoon Smashies, Year 1-2 Cricket through to Year 6 Hardball, and then for our female only players we have teams from Year 3-4 through to Year 8-10." - Cat Quinn, Kids in Action Christchurch













Beckenham's Got Talent 

Auditions for team Kahikatea were held on Wednesday afternoon. We were so impressed by the confidence shown, the range of talents, and the willingness to give it a go. Ka pai everyone, Nau Mai te Wero! 







Mathematics


This task sparked lots of discussion and thinking. In Lisa and Quynh's homegroup, we voted using tally marks, on which dog was the odd one out. Then we were set the challenge to find a second answer. Most people thought that the top right dog was the odd one out. Here are some of our reasons.
Top left: "That dog is facing the other way."
Top right: "It is the only one with spots. It must be a dalmation!"
Bottom left: "It's smaller than the others."
Bottom right: "It is long and flat, like a sausage dog!"

We have been enjoying exploring fractions as well as using materials to understand place value.




    

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

We have been celebrating Māori language this week, through a range of activities and waiata.

Here are some waiata you might want to enjoy with your tamariki at home:





Here are some phrases your whānau may want to learn together:


Here are some images from our wiki:












Literacy

We have noticed so much progress in our handwriting over the course of the year. Bounce and Skip, the monkeys, have had many fantastic adventures with our learners and we have loved seeing all of the pictures of what they've been up to. 

Handwriting is such an important part of our literacy programme. Check out this video discussing the research and evidence surrounding the impact of handwriting fluency.








Learning to use the conjunctions 'because', 'but', 'so': 




Some of our eager writers and illustrators enjoyed sharing their books with Sandy on Friday:

We have really been enjoying the sandpit in this lovely weather. Sometimes our water and sand play can get a little messy, so please provide a change of clothes for your child if they are a keen sandpit adventurer! 

Over the holidays we will be moving homegroup spaces. Quynh and Lisa's homegroup will move to the breakout space, Krystal's HG to the Nook, Amber's HG to the theatre, and Katie's HG to the atrium.

Our last day of the term is Friday 22nd of September (the same day that calendar art orders are due).

Have a wonderful holiday break and we look forward to seeing you all back on Monday 9th October.

Ngā mihi nui,
Team Kahikatea

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