Category Archives: Kahikatea

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

Kahikatea News Week 7 Term 3

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Kia ora koutou,

Welcome to Spring! It has been wonderful to have warmer days and to see the sun shining this week!


Keeping Ourselves Safe

This week Kahikatea students have learned about:

Unwanted Behaviour or Touch

  • Students need to know that they can stop touching or behaviour that is inappropriate, that worries or confuses them, or makes them feel unsafe.
  • Students need to be able to say “no” confidently, move away, and report what has happened.

Secrets and Tricks

  • Identify the difference between good surprises and bad secrets
  • Identify the adults they trust about bad secrets
  • Explain safe practices for trick situations, including online.
This Brian and Bobby video has been a really helpful resource for our tamariki.

Last week during our lessons with Constable Meg we all watched this video about Consent (link). We encourage you to watch this too when you have time.

Word of the Week: Friendship

This week we have been learning about friendships and practicing being a good friend. Good friends have several common character traits. By intentionally practicing these qualities, you can help your child learn to be a better friend. 

Here are some friendly character traits you can work on:
  • Taking turns
  • Offering encouragement
  • Sharing
  • Being patient
  • Including others

Mathematics

This week teachers have been completing the JAM test (Junior Asssessment for Maths) so classes have been combined. Some of the topics we have covered during this time include Skip Counting, Time, and Mathematical Art.

Here are some photos of our tamariki enjoying some different maths this week:















Chess Fun! 

Every morning a group of Kahikatea students gather in the nook to play games of chess. Anyone is welcome to play and we encourage those of you whose children like to play or would like to learn how to play chess to check out this cool link: ChessPlus


We hope you are having an enjoyable weekend.

Team Kahikatea



Kahikatea News Term 3 Week 5

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 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 3 Week 3

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Kia ora e te whānau,

We all had such a great time at the disco today! Thank you to all of the parents/caregivers who came along and joined in with the fun, and to our wonderful PTA for organising such an enjoyable event.

Keeping Ourselves Safe

The Kahikatea team will be participating in the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme during Weeks 6 and 7. Your child's homegroup teacher will teach six sessions and Constable Meg will teach two sessions.

What will children learn?
They will learn:
- to work out when their safety is at risk
- how to keep safe when they meet and mix with other people
- who and how to ask for help if they, or someone they know, is being abused
- to go on asking for help until someone does something to stop the abuse
- that it is important to make and follow personal, family, and school safety rules

Children will have some short activities to work through at home with you. Thank you for your support with this.

Please click on this link for more information about Keeping Ourselves Safe.

 

Lunchboxes

Just a reminder to please not send lollies, chocolate, or drinks other than water to school. Our food-at-school policy aligns with national food and nutrition guidelines. 

"Good nutrition is essential for the healthy growth and development of children and young people.  Children and young people eat much of their food each weekday at school. Good nutrition affects students’ behaviour, learning, concentration and energy, as well as their physical health. When students eat a nutritious diet, they find it easier to learn. Teachers report improvements in students’ attendance, attention, behaviour and levels of concentration in schools where healthy eating is accepted practice." (Ministry of Education Healthy Food and Drink Guidance 2020)



Friendships

With inclusion being our word of the week, it might be worth checking in with your child about their friendships at school. In Kahikatea, we always encourage our tamariki to make new friends and get to know other children in the hub and at school. That way, they don't feel like they have to stick to one friend every playtime. Below are some videos you and your child can watch and discuss together.



Gymnastics

The Kahikatea tamariki have been enjoying doing gymnastics at Olympia! We have seen our school values of 'We Love Challenge' and 'We Love Learning' on display during each session. Next week will be our last week of gymnastics. Here are some photos from our sessions.























































Have a lovely weekend!

The Kahikatea Team

Kahikatea News Term 3 Week 1

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Kia ora e te whānau,

It was so lovely to see the smiles on the faces of the Kahikatea tamariki as they arrived at school on Monday morning! We hope that you all had a wonderful holiday break.

We have an exciting term ahead, with gymnastics, calendar art, House of Science learning, and the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme to look forward to.


Gymnastics

Our first gymnastics session will be next Tuesday, the 25th of July. The following social story has been shared with children. Please take a moment to have a look through it.





















Sharing Our Learning - What is a Scientist?

On Tuesday, Katie asked her home group the following questions:
- What is a scientist?
- What does a scientist do?

Children then drew a picture of how they view science in action. Here are some examples. We think they are fantastic!


"My scientist is studying eggs from a bird." - Jess


"The scientist is sharing his potions with the little kid." - Louis


"The scientist is doing tests on a hedgehog." - Poppy


"My scientist is holding a potion and is going to bed." - Rossouw


"She's making potions. She is called Rosie." - Violet


The scientists are inspecting the dogs and the cats." - Zac


"The scientist is studying the animals." - Sailor

Nuts at School

This is another reminder that the Kahikatea team has students with nut allergies, one of these is life-threatening. Therefore, we are asking that nuts and nut-based products are NOT brought to school by your child. Nut-based products include items like Nutella, peanut butter, muesli bars containing nuts, etc.

The team is also aware that some children may have other dietary requirements. Please talk with your child’s Homegroup teacher if this is the case so that they are aware and we can create a specific plan to support your child if need be.

Our policy at school is that children only eat their own food and not share. Teachers are reminding children about this, handwashing, and putting food wrappings in their lunch boxes to take home.

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

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


Literacy Information

Some children have changed into a new literacy group with a different teacher. It has been lovely getting to know our new literacy groups this week! 

Please ensure your child brings their literacy folder to school each day and places it in their literacy teacher's tub. This way, we can make sure that texts are regularly going home for you to enjoy with your child. 

Teachers will be sending home updated materials to support children with home learning by the end of Week 2.


Request for Materials

We love being creative in the Kahikatea team! Please continue to send along recyclable materials to school. 


That's all for now,

Team Kahikatea

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