Author Archives: Nicky Dunlop

Kauri Whānau Weekly Update: Term 3 Week 4

Posted on by

 In this post:

  • Cantamath
  • Ski Day
  • Year 8 testing for high school
  • What's happening in the hub?

Cantamath:

It was fabulous to see so many awesome Cantamath projects arrive at school last Thursday.  Many thanks for the support, guidance and encouragement you gave to your tamariki so that they could succeed with this project. The slideshow at the end of this post shows projects that will be going through to the Cantamath Competition next week.

These projects need to be delivered to the Christchurch Arena on Tuesday, August 23rd, between 7:15am and 12 noon. We probably have two car loads to transport. If you are able to help with this, please email nicky.dunlop@beckenham.school.nz

All the best to our problem solving teams who will be competing on Wednesday afternoon. Projects can be viewed on Wednesday after school at the Christchurch Stadium. We will take care of project collection after the Year 8 competition and it would great to have help from anyone who is there at that time. 

Ski Day:

This week we have started talking about what our ski day will look like, what the children need to wear and what to do to stay safe on the slopes. 

For those who indicated that they would like help with clothing, I am mid-way through matching up what we have with children. One thing we are short on is ski goggles. Sun glasses are also just fine. Goggles and other clothing items can be hired. We have found one of the most cost effective places to hire from is Snomania, 4 Dalgety Street, in Riccarton.

If you offered to loan gear, we are short on goggles, larger child's gloves and size 12 - 14 ski pants. If you have any you could send along, please name them and send to the hub ASAP. 

This is an outline of our day in the mountains on Thursday September 1st:

  • 5:50am gather at school on Sandwich Rd.
  • 6am depart school in 2 coaches and cars
  • 8am arrive on mountain (or soon after)
  • 8:15 in ski hire
  • 9:00 beginner lessons 
  • 10:30 morning tea
  • 11:00 lessons for more experienced
  • 12:30 lunch
  • 1:00 free skiing for all 
  • 3:30 return all gear
  • 4:00 leave field
  • 6:00 back at school

Children will need:

  • thermal layers, two top and one bottom
  • weather-proof ski pants
  • weather-proof jacket. Puffer jackets are not all waterproof and may need a parker layer on top
  • gloves or mittens
  • knee length socks
  • normal shoes, e.g. running shoes
  • suncream
  • glasses or goggles
  • a hearty lunch and water bottle
  • inhaler for those who need it
  • any medication for the day in a zip-locked bag to be handed to teacher
  • optional - neck muff or scarf (which will need to be tucked inside jacket)
  • we will take plenty of photos (any cell phones will be collected and looked after during the day)
  • food up the mountain is very expensive. Children may like to bring some money for a hot chocolate or some hot chips

Year 8 testing for high school:

As some of you might be aware, Cashmere High are having their testing day for next year's intake in late September. This is to help with class placements, alongside what we inform them when we meet with Cashmere High staff later in term 4. We recognise how important is it to prepare our students with the skills to do these tests, so while we don't know and can't give away any content, we are going to hold a workshop to discuss exam tips and tricks. We will aim to do this in the week leading up to the testing so it is fresh in their minds! 

What's happening in the hub?

  • We have just finished creating calendar art 
  • Next week we start relationships and sexuality lessons for health, we also delve into the nature of science and start conceptualizing our production which will be a walk through the 1980s.
  • In literacy we are writing story-telling speeches
  • In maths some classes are learning about proportion and ratio and others are learning about statistics


Kauri Whānau Weekly Update: Term 3 Week 2

Posted on by

 In this post:

  • Your feedback please
  • Cantamath projects
  • Relationships and Sexuality Meeting
  • Readathon
Many thanks to the vast majority who have now filled in the ski form. If this is still on your 'to do' list, we'd appreciate you getting onto it quickly. A reminder that next Friday, August 12th, is a staff-only day.

Your Feedback

Each year at this time we send out a feedback form to gather your views on how this year is going for your child. This is an opportunity to let us know what you think we are doing well and also what changes you think would be helpful. The form should take less than five minutes; please click here.

Cantamath Projects and Teams

This week on Tuesday we held our annual Becamath competition. The hall was abuzz with mathematical discussion, excitement, noise and plenty of challenge! The top of the scoreboard is pictured below. Next week our problem-solving teams will be announced, 8 children plus 2 reserves, to compete at Cantamath on August 24th. 

Hopefully, there has been a hum of activity underway at your place, as your child works away at their Cantamath project. This needs to be brought to school on Thursday morning next week August 11).


Relationships and Sexuality

We will be starting our health unit on sexuality and relationships education in week 5. On Wednesday, next week, we will be having a parent information afternoon, starting at 3:15pm in our hub.  If you would like to attend this session, please fill in this form. Thanks to those who have already completed this form.

Readathon

Our school readathon started on Monday and runs until next Friday. Thanks for supporting your child to gather sponsors and complete their daily reading at home.  The annual book character dress-up day is coming up on Friday, August 19th. 


Kauri Whānau Weekly Update: Term 3 Week 1

Posted on by

 In this post:

  • Cantamath home learning underway
  • Relationships and Sexuality meeting
  • Cheese roll success
  • Ski trip
  • Term 3 in Kauri overview
It was fabulous to see everyone back today. The children quickly settled back into routine. We have a busy term ahead and really appreciate you reading these posts and completing any required forms so that planning can happen as smoothly as possible. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any queries. 

Cantamath Home Learning Project

All children should have come home today with a 2-sided sheet outlining their options for a Cantamath project. This is to be worked on at home over the next two and a half weeks. There will be some brainstorming and sharing of ideas at school early this week. These projects are to be the work of the children and adults can help with advice and any skills that the child needs support with. All projects are due at school on Thursday, August 11th. If your child is struggling to get started this week, please email their maths teacher for some support. Every child is expected to complete a project.

Relationships and Sexuality

This term we will be teaching our health unit on sexuality and relationships education. On Wednesday, August 10th, we will be having a parent information afternoon, starting at 3:15pm in our hub. If you would like to attend this session, please fill in this form.

Cheese Roll Fundraiser

All the cheese roll bills have been paid and the money has been counted. We have raised just a smidge under $2500! This money will help pay for upcoming outdoor education trips. Many thanks to everyone who ordered and helped with the production of the cheese rolls. 

Ski Trip

We now have just over half of the ski forms filled out. Many thanks to those who have done this or emailed us. Here is the link for those who still need to.

Term 3 Overview

We shared and discussed this slideshow today.

Kauri Whānau: End of term 2

Posted on by

 In this post:

  • Cantamath projects
  • Getting ready for ski day
  • Celebrations

Cantamath

We are entering Cantamath season at the start of next term. This includes every child in the hub creating a Cantamath project. In Kauri Google Classroom there is a slideshow that explains each of the math projects and has lots of photos of past projects. This is a project that is done at home. Teachers can help with ideas and materials where needed. It would be great to look through the slideshow (I will put it at the end of this post), with your child over the holidays and start doing some brainstorming. They can even get stuck into the project now if they wish. The finished project is due at school on August 11th, the third Thursday of the term.

Ski Day: Sept 1st

We are excited about taking the children up Mt Hutt on Sept 1st. The parents are sorted, the transport is sorted and we are all booked in. The cost of this trip is covered by your activity donation and our generous PTA who are covering the cost of the buses. As part of the package at Mt Hutt, each child gets a lift pass (for lifts at their level), skis, boots, poles (if needed) and a helmet, as well as a 90-minute lesson. 

Please fill in this form to give us information about your child and to indicate if you need help with suitable clothing. We have built up a collection of clothing that we can lend to children and some children also hire clothing.  

There will be more information about how the day runs closer to the time.

Celebrations

We were enormously proud of our ShowQuest Team who competed at the Canterbury competition recently and took out first place in the junior section, as well as Best Choreography and Best Theme! Fergus Macdonald was also recognised for his superb performance with the Outstanding Rangatahi award. 


Our cheese roll-making day was a huge success. The children worked so well and were full of enthusiasm. We had a small and dedicated group of parents who made a fabulous contribution. Over 500 dozen rolls were created and we will know within the next week how much profit was made to contribute towards our outdoor education experiences this year. 

We have four more weeks of winter sport next term. The children are giving their best and enjoying the competition. 










Kauri Whānau Weekly Update: Term 2 Week 8

Posted on by

In this post:

  • Cheese roll help is still needed
  • Ski trip helpers still needed
  • Netball
  • Famine
  • Maths at home video 3
  • Matariki
  • Writers workshops 

Cheese Roll: help needed!

Many thanks to all who placed orders. We have almost 500 dozen cheese rolls to make next Wednesday. At this stage we still need:

  • a parent or two to help with the Wednesday morning shift
  • a parent to help with the Wednesday afternoon shift
  • a parent to chop onions on Tuesday evening
  • large pots (jam-making sized)
  • long wooden spoons
  • electric knives
  • large chopping boards
If you can help with any of the above, please fill in this form.

Ski trip: Sept 1st

Many thanks to the 12 people who have offered to join us for our ski day. We need all of you and some more. If you are able to help and have yet to fill in the form, please do so now.

Winter Sport

Weekly winter sport is well underway and is a highlight of the week for many. We are really proud of the way the tamariki represent our kura at competitive games. We will be giving an update on one sport each week.

Netball

Our 7/8 netball teams have had an amazing start to the season! For many, this is the first time they have taken to the court and the improvement in ball skills, and communication has been outstanding. A huge thank you to all those involved who demonstrate our school values in everything they do both inside and outside of school! 



40 Hour Famine

It is fabulous to see so much interest in World Visions's 40-hour Famine this year. This link explains the different 'Famines' and how to get started. Children are discouraged from doing a food famine. Please remind your child to keep going with their sponsorship gathering. There is just one more week until the famine weekend. 

Maths

Here is our third video on how to learn and practice basic facts at home. When we asked maths teachers from Cashmere High what their one wish was for children to have mastered by the end of Year 8, they said it was the instant recall of multiplication and division facts to 10x. This is worked on at school and for many, a regular work-on at home would be beneficial.


Preparing the Hangi

Ten of our seniors helped to prepare the food trays for the hangi on Wednesday night. They did a fabulous job and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. A big thanks to all of the performers, demonstrators and helpers at our Matariki evening. This was a great opportunity for our Year 7 & 8s to step up as leaders.











Write On School for Young Writers

The School for Young Writers have the following opportunities coming up in terms 3 and 4.  All info here.

Friday  August 5th AND 19th at Kaiapoi Library:  Write On Speak Out: Podcasting with Plains FM   
* Please note this is a two day workshop

Friday August 26th at Rangiora Town Hall : Poetry Takes You Places * plus optional evening open mic at Rangiora Library

Friday September 16th at Rangiora Town Hall:  It's Only Natural : Creative NonfictionTues Oct 18th, or Weds Oct 19th, or Friday Oct 21st at Tūranga Heritage Festival 2022: Moments and Milestones
* pick one day

Friday October 28th at Kaiapoi Library: Oh, Horror! Horror Writing for Halloween