Category Archives: Kahikatea

Kahikatea Newsletter Term 4 Week 1

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PTA Tip Top Fundraiser


The PTA are working hard to try and fill all the shifts for the Tip Top Ice Cream sales fundraiser at the A&P Show in November. Please click on this link to find more information and book a slot: Tip Top A&P Show Fundraiser

Hats


To keep our children safe during the summer months we ask that all children wear a bully brimmed sunhat while outside during learning or play time. This will become compulsory from Week 2 of this term. Children who do not have a sunhat, will be asked to play in the shade during break times. Please support your child in remembering to bring their sunhat.



Art Gallery Visits

Thank you to all the parents and caregivers who have offered to help for this exciting trip. If you can help please hand in the parent help slip to your child's point of contact teacher as soon as possible.


Scooters and bikes

Please continue to remind your children about walking their scooters and bikes in and out of our school grounds. As we have limited space now, it is highly important that we keep each other safe. 



Topic Focus


We are experiencing a lot of change currently at Beckenham School, which has led us to explore the concept of adaptability. The children will gain understandings of how things can adapt in response to change. This week we have adapted to our new environment at school. Some children have adapted to an older brother or sister learning at a different site by being more independent. We have adapted too, by following new rules about where we can and can't play and by taking extra care of each other on the playground. 

We will be looking at adaptations in different contexts too. We will be exploring how we adapt to the different seasons and our new understandings will be presented in a wearable arts performance. To be successful at this we will work with materials, adapting them to suit a new purpose while following the technology process from design to completion. 

Character Poems

Last term we created poems using language features such as metaphors and similes to help us describe a person we know. 

Gail

Gail is like a panda. Cuddly and quiet.
She is blue. She calms everyone down.
Gail is like a silky dress. She is so pretty.
She is a soft blanket. Warm and comfy.
Gail is like an artist. She does awesome paintings.
She is sweet like chocolate cake. 

By a collaborative group of Hub 3 and 4 writers  

Jenny

My teacher Jenny is like a butterfly. Sweet and beautiful.
She is bright yellow like the sun.
Jenny is like a computer. She knows everything.
Jenny is fast on her bike so she is a professional biker.
She is sweet like honey.

By Oliver

Michelle

Michelle is like a wild wolf. She goes around the school to help.
She is white and silver. She's beautiful.
Michelle is like a fairy. She is smart.
Michelle is like candy floss. She's sweet.
I love her!

By Saxon


Art Gallery outing

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Dear whanau,
In Weeks 3 and 4 of this term, each of the classes in Kahikatea are going to be participating in an art lesson run by the Gallery Educator from Te Puna o Waiwhetu. The lesson is entitled ‘Clay Beasts’. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?!
Classes are booked in for their lessons as follows:
  • Room 1  departing school at 9:30 a.m. and returning to school by 1:30 p.m. on Friday 28th October
  • Room 2  departing school at 10:45 a.m. and returning to school by 2:30 p.m. on Friday 28th October
  • Room 4  departing school at 10:45 a.m. and returning to school by 2:30 p.m. on Thursday 3rd November
  • Room 3  departing school at 10:45 a.m. and returning to school by 2:30 p.m. on Friday 4th November.
We will need several parent helpers to accompany each class. Hopefully the times which you will see above, will give you a reasonably clear idea about just how much time you will need to commit, when considering parent helping on this excursion. Each class will be away from school for about 4 hours. This time will need to be somewhat flexible as the travel time is an estimate.
The cost of this trip is between $5 and $10 per child and a request for this donation will be added to your school account once the cost of the bus trip has been confirmed.
If the weather, on the day of your child’s outing, is looking inclement, we shall adjust our timing to include the Gallery lesson only, and shall let parent helpers know as soon as we are able that morning.
PARENT HELP:
Please complete the parent help form which will come home with your child tomorrow, and return it to school as soon as possible.  
Kind regards,
Amy, Amber, Dorinda, Jenny, and Gail  

Kahikatea Newsletter Week 9

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Enjoy the break and Time with your Children

We are very proud of all the learners in Kahikatea. Have a well-earned rest and enjoy the wonderful spring weather. 

Term 4

Term 4 starts again on Monday 10th October and finishes ten weeks later on Friday 16th December.
The following are some things we are going to be looking forward to learning and sharing next Term (dates to be confirmed in our newsletters closer to the events);
  • Athletics - Run Jump Throw
  • Visit to the Art Gallery
  • School Reports
  • Kahikatea Production

Food and Water

We have noticed our children having big appetites and as they grow they will need more food. Heading in to Term 4, please make sure they have enough food to last them through the school day including; A Healthy Snack, Morning Tea and Lunch.
Water is extremely important for health and learning. Please send a drink bottle to school for your children to access throughout their learning day. We encourage our tamariki to hydrate regularly.

Sunhats

Protection from strong UV rays is important. Please make sure you child brings their named sunhat to school for Term 4.

Writing

We have been writing poems about special people in our lives. We have used similes and metaphors to give the reader a vivid picture of our special person.

Sandy

Sandy is a bell bird because she can sing like a princess.
She is sparkly because she is beautiful like a butterfly.
Sandy is going to be the princess of the whole entire world.
Sandy is going to be the queen and Sandy will be the boss of Earth.
I love Sandy as a principal
I love school

By Moa

Joshy

My brother is as cool as an eagle. 
Fierce and brave
He is black because he wants to be an All Black.
My brother is like Nike shoes.
He's super fast!
He is as soft as a blankly.
He gives me the best hugs.
He is like a wood cutter because he can make you a radio.
I love my Josh!

By Michaela


Jaxon

Jaxon is like a cheetah because he can run and run.
He is red.
He stands out in a crowd and can run past a cheetah.
Jaxon is strong like a cupboard. 

By Jaimie

Hub 2 Spring Similes
We had fun learning on Thursday with our lovely seniors. Here are our similes we created then shared with their help;

Group 1 - Spring: as cute as a duckling, the water is as brown as chocolate, as fun as spring, as good smelling as flowers, as delicate as a flower, the water is as sparkly as a diamond.

Group 2 - Spring: flowers smell as nice as perfume, ducklings are as soft as a cat, flowers are as beautiful as a butterfly, rain is like a cloud, rain falls down like a shower, sky as blue as the ocean, rainbows are like colours in the sky.

Group 3 - Spring: as blue as the sea, as smelly as a flower, as soft as a cat, as bright as the sun, as beautiful as the sky, as beautiful as a flower, as beautiful as a rainbow, as pink as a flower.





Music Stations

Learning a musical instrument is fantastic for brain development. We have been creating our own music on the glockenspiels during Discovery Stations, which is "more fun than the ipads!"





Asia Awareness

We have created robots that will help someone from another country with settling in New Zealand or Beckenham School. Our challenge with creating it was to get it to stand by itself. This took a lot of team work, planning, discussion and masking tape! We demonstrated that We Love Learning, We Love Challenge, We Get There Together and We Make A Difference. Check our creations out:




















Week 8 Newletter

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Writing

We read Voices in the Park by Anthony Brown. We noticed how the author gave us clues that helped us learn about each character. We took the characters from the book and put them in a new setting. We left clues for our reader, just like Anthony Brown. 

The next day it was my Mum's birthday. I was lucky because Smudge was sitting at the same table and she was sitting beside me. Smudge brought  some playing cards to play with her dad, but instead she played with me. It was fun, well apart from Smudge's Dad because my Mum was being a bossy boots to Smudge's Dad. 
By Taylor

It was my birthday so I drove to a nail salon to relax. When I got there, it seemed an age, but finally the lady talked to me. She couldn't even find my favourite nail colour!

By Niamh


Team Dolphin and Team Rubble have been reading 'My Mum' by Anthony Browne. We have been working on 'hooking' the reader with interesting starters and 'hooks' throughout the writing. Our character writing is about Mum:

My Mum
My Mum is sweet and actually she is the best Mum. She plays with me. My Mum has blue eyes and orange hair. 

By Dartanyan

My Sister
She is nice, my sister. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She babysits me and plays with me. She's cute. 

By Petal

My Mum
She's cool, my Mum. My Mum is COOL!!! My Mum is nice because she's kind. She looks like a beautiful butterfly. My Mum looks 21 years old. My Mum is a paediatrician, that is a type of doctor. She likes biking. She likes running. She's very cool, my Mum. My Mum is as smart as an octopus. My Mum is lovely and beautiful. I love my Mum. And do you know what? She loves me too!

By George

Some wonderful writing from a Team Minecraft author, exploring similes...

My Family
My mum is like a turtle. My step dad is like a child. My baby brother is like a puppy or a kitten. I love my family and, you know what? They love me too.

By Eva

Amazing Asia

A huge thank you to the families who have shared aspects of their culture with our children as a part of our Amazing Asia learning. This week Rahul and Aparna joined us to share traditional Indian dress, food and fascinating facts about India. The children really enjoyed the experience.





Kahikatea Newsletter Week 7

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Writing in Hub 1&2

We have a team full of amazing authors! Here is some writing they have been working on last week:

Team Minecraft Writers:


A big storm came here last night. My barbeque went down my steps on the deck. It got broken. My Dad was mad and he was at a work thing. The wind sounded like a truck crashing.
By Blake


No! No! I can't get out and play. Splish, splash, crash, bang! There's too much hail. We have to play inside. The end.                                                                                                          
 By Cian


Last night's storm brought rain, hail and thunder. I found an enormous puddle. It looks like a stream.
                                                                                                                                     By Bobbi


Team Dolphin Writers:

I like Ally because she is my best friend. We play together and we play in Room 0. And we do everything together.
By Charlotte


I have a fish called Juri. He can leap around the fish tank. His fins are not sick too. He is yellow. I like my fish because he is colourful. 
By Juri


Dad
My Dad is a great builder and a great wrestler. He never gives up on his work. One night my sister asked Dad if we could have some chocolate. He said yes! He loves spending time with us and he loves going to the park and seeing me on my bike. He is very nice. 
By Lola T

Team Rubble Writers:

Dad
He is crazy, my Dad because... He plays jokes on us and sometimes we laugh. He is like Fiji weather. My Dad is between tall and small. My Dad gives me hugs. Mum's hugs are the best but Dad's hugs are great. 
By Brynn


Dad
He's alright, my Dad. My Dad is good at work, biking and truck driving. He has whiskers and he's very hairy. He has black hair. He's alright, my Dad. He loves me, my sister Abby and my Mum. He's alright, my Dad. My Dad is as happy as a hippopotamus. I love my Dad and do you know what... He loves me too!!!
By Briar



My Dad
He's always awesome, my Dad. He is amazing at golf, mountain biking and being silly. 
My Dad looks like a clown in town. He has black curly hair and a goaty. He is a very tall man. He's always awesome, my Dad. 
He loves Mum, Reg and of course, me! He loves me 100%. He's always awesome, my Dad! 
My Dad has a super warm heart! My Dad is as silly as a goose on the loose! 
I can't wait for Father's Day again! 
By Maggie


My Dad is Cool
My Dad is pretty cool and he loves me. His favourite thing to do is probably play with me! He is as smart as a horse... He can build cool buildings. And he loves painting. And he loves everyone!!!
By Harvey


Maths - Direction and Turns

We are learning about direction and turns through our Discovery Stations at the moment. We have been giving directions to each other to find hidden treasure, finding our way through mazes, 'programming' our robots (which are actually our buddies), creating treasure maps with directions and turning objects around using quarter, half and full turns.  


Social Studies - Asia Awareness

As our learning is wrapping up for the term, we are looking into how we can make a difference for someone who has just moved to New Zealand from somewhere in Asia. Each hub is currently discussing and creating something that will help others learn about the language, food and culture in New Zealand.