Kauri Whānau Weekly Update: Term 1 Week 2

We are so impressed with how well our Year 7 & 8s have settled into the new year. Leadership positions have been established and a number of groups are up and running.

Bike raffle for camp

Huge thanks to Liz May, one of our parents, who won a mountain bike and has selected a model / size suitable for Year 5-8 to donate for our camp fundraising. We will be raffling the bike off this term. We would love one parent to volunteer to manage this raffle, with the support of a few senior students to sell tickets before school. Please send me an email if you are happy to take this on. 

Parent help on camp and with fundraising

So far we have 5 parents who care keen to join us on camp. If you would like to come along and have yet to fill in the form, please click on this link.

Kete Blogging

It has been fantastic to see our students starting their kete blogging for the year - we've had quite a few blog posts already and some students are already well on the way to earning a kete badge.

This year, we are trialling making the blogs slightly more public. While the blogs are set as being public, they have also been set so that they do not appear in search engine results (e.g. Google searches) or blogger listings. This will mean that students can email their blog posts to others and parents will be able to more easily see their child's blog. If you have any concerns or wish to discuss this further please email Hannah (hannah.elliott@beckenham.school.nz).

Genius Hour 

This week the children have been formulating ideas for their first Genius Hour project. Some are choosing to work independently, while others are working in a collaborative pair. There is a wide range of interesting projects being developed. We strongly recommend asking your child about their project. Next Tuesday afternoon, the children will pitch their ideas to their homeroom teacher.

Sport

Please, follow this link to indicate if you are able to help out with sport this term. 

The aim of our sports programme is to provide exposure to a range of different sporting pursuits. This allows the children to develop movement skills and sequences in a range of contexts while broadening their horizons and discovering their passions. There are a range of events throughout the year. Some of these involve all the children and there are many additional optional opportunities for those who want to extend themselves. Children who enjoy the competitive element of sport can strive to qualify for zone and Canterbury level competition through Primary School Sport Canterbury. If your child is not able to compete for any reason, there are a myriad of alternative ways to be involved. Inclusive practise is always at the heart of what we do. If there is anything that we can do to make an event more accessible for your child, please get in contact with Jenny or your child’s homeroom teacher.

For some optional events, children interested in competing should enter using a Google form, which is accessed through Google Classroom. We aim for the children to develop independence in entering events and we acknowledge that some children may need support with this. Conversations at home about upcoming optional events that may be of interest, and checking in to ensure that they have entered events you would expect them to, is advisable. I have attached the link to entry forms for both swimming and duathlon so that you can go through the process together if needed.

Term 1
Swimming Sports Thursday 27th February


This is an optional event, which takes place at Wharenui Pool. Children may enter one distance per stroke and as many different strokes as they wish. For example, they may enter 25m freestyle and 50m backstroke, but may not enter the 25m and 50m backstroke. The children enter this event via a Google form. This form has been made available to them through Google Classroom. Follow this link to get to the entry form. 

Duathlon

Participating in the school duathlon is a fantastic way of showing our school value, ‘We love challenge’. It involves a run around the block, a bike around the park (2 slalom laps for Year 7/8), followed by a second lap of running around the block. The sense of achievement when crossing the finish line makes the hard work worth while. Children need to provide their own bike for this event. Here is the link to the Google form for entries.

Extra-Curricular Sports - Mountain Biking

There are two mountain biking relays that have been very popular in previous years. While these events are promoted by Beckenham te Kura O Pūroto and we are proud for the children to represent our kura, the responsibility of the transport and supervision of children at both events is with the caregiver. Entry for both of these events is done by the caregiver on the event’s website. Follow the link below. Please contact Jenny if you have any questions about either of these events. Email confirmation of your entry to Jenny.

Huxster Mountain Bike Relay - 4th March

Held at Mclean’s Island, this event is a super fun event where children strive to complete as many laps of the course as they can in the time, (1.5 hours for Year 5/6 and 3 hours for Year 7/8). Year 5/6 children must compete in a team of two, while Year 7/8 have the option of doing the event as an individual or in a pair. Children should be confident controlling the speed and direction of their bike on beginner level single track.

Note: This event is much earlier in the term than it previously has been.
Due to its popularity, this event is now being held over two days. Children from Beckenham should enter the South and Mid Canterbury zoned event on the 4th of March.

Hanmer 4 Hour Mountain Bike Relay - 21st March

This event features a variety of options for many age groups. The Super Juniors (6 to 11 years) do a very friendly course through the Heritage Forest. This incorporates a green level single track. Every child must have their own tail end charlie, (an adult riding with them) on every lap. This is a fantastic entry into mountain bike racing for those children who are comfortable controlling their speed and direction on trails similar to those at McLean’s Island and Bottle Lake. Children aged 11 years plus ride the same course as the adults, (and at the same time). This course has more climbing and more technical riding, (think Loess Rider or an easy blue level trail). Children should be confident mountain bikers on easy blue trails. Children compete in a team of up to 4 children.

Kauri Whānau Weekly Update: Term 1 Week 1

It was lovely to welcome everyone to our Intermediate Hub for 2020 yesterday. There was plenty of enthusiasm, lots of smiles and eager anticipation for the learning journey ahead. We were also very appreciative of the new air conditioning - very!

Camp: 

As we mentioned at learning conferences, we have camp coming up in week 9 of this term, March 30th - April 3rd. We are seeking offers of parent / caregiver help for joining us on camp and also for help with two fundraising projects. Please click this link to indicate how you can get involved.

Swimming Sports:

Our school swimming sports, an optional event, will be held on Thursday February 27th. Jenny has shared a google form with the children via google classroom for them to submit their entries.

Forms and Devices:

We are excited to see the large number of children who have indicated they will bring a device to school for learning this year. This morning we got a number of children set up on the school network. We really want to get this all sorted by Friday, so if your child is yet to do so please encourage them to bring their device tomorrow, Wednesday, and see Hannah before school to get it linked to our school network. Once their device is set up, it needs to come to school every day.

A reminder to get all forms signed and returned to school this week: Cyber-safety, Bus permission and BYOD. Many thanks to the large number of people who got this sorted at learning conferences.

If you missed out on a copy of our start of year newsletter (paper copy), please let me know and I will make sure one is sent home to you.

Remember to be at school before 8:30 on Tuesdays in time to catch the bus for Technology.





Kauri Whānau Weekly Update: Term 4 Week 10

Lots of fun was had at Corsair Bay yesterday. No doubt your children came home with stories of sharks in the bay! Yes, two small sand sharks did come to visit, something we didn't have on our safety plan! Luckily there were only a handful of children on or by the pontoon at the time and we were able to ferry them back to the beach on kayaks. Everyone was buzzing on the way home.

On Tuesday, the children will be bringing school books and stationery home. Please make sure they have plenty of room in their bags.

Victoria Park Walk on Monday:

On Monday we will be leaving school soon after 10am, on our way to Victoria Park on foot. Children may wear mufti, suitable for walking, to school. The must have a sunhat, sunscreen, waterproof layer, water bottle, good sized lunch and any medication they may need, all packed in a backpack.

Year 8 Party:

 On Monday we are having a pool and pizza party for the Year 8s at the Cockfield's house (79 Dyers Pass Rd), which is up by Cashmere Primary School. Please check the map below for how to get there, via walking through the school grounds. It would be good to come with togs on under clothes.  We are hoping the rain will hold off until evening. We will also have access to the basketball court and playground at the school. Pizza and a drink will be provided. Please arrive at 4pm and arrange pick-up at 6pm. If plans need to change due to weather, we will send you an updated message.

















Kauri Whānau Week 9 Update

The weather forecast for tomorrow, Friday, looks perfect for a day at the beach! A few important reminders for tomorrow:

All students are to arrive in school uniform and can bring mufti to change into later. They are welcome to wear their togs under their uniform if they would like to.

Please remember to bring the following:

  • togs/towel
  • drink bottle
  • lunch
  • sun hat
  • sunscreen
  • picnic rug (optional)
  • wetsuit (optional)

If they would like to arrange a shared lunch with friends, that is all good with us on this occasion.

Cell phones will be left at school. Please check that you child does not bring lollies.

We are having a rather busy week. It was fabulous to see two full houses for our production. Below are some picture's from Sherrilee's farewell, production, our makeover for South Hangere (the old Room 20) and our Year 8 transition to high school afternoon. 

































Kauri Whānau Weekly Update: Term 4 Week 9

We are nearly at the end of the school year and have lots of fun activities planned before the 19th. Please read on for all details.

Monday (Dec 9) Production


Just one more sleep until the opening night of our production, Kauri Whānau Musical Mashup!  On Friday we made sure that everyone was sorted with the costume they needed. We have quite a few items at school that we have matched with children. All costumes need to be at school tomorrow (Monday), as we have a dress rehearsal in the morning and a performance for the school, in the afternoon.

Cats
Leggings or shorts - black, grey, white, beige, brown
Long-sleeved top (if possible) in similar colours
Greased Lightning
Dark pants
White T-shirt
We Go Together
T-shirt
Sneakers (converse if you have them)
You Can’t Stop the Beat
Party dress
Who Will Buy
Trousers / long skirts
Plain colours
Blouses / shirts
caps
Fame
Dance wear
Pick a Pocket
Shirts and school shorts
Caps or messy hair
Footloose
Bright t-shirts and shorts
You are more than welcome to bring as many friends and family as would like to come. Shows start at 7pm on Monday and Wednesday. We will be all finished before 8pm. Children needing face paint (Cats and Oliver) should meet in our hub between 5:30 and 6:30pm. All other children need to arrive at school dressed in costume and ready to perform by 6:45pm. 

Wednesday (Dec 11) Sherrilee's Farewell, Production and Year 8 Transition Afternoon

Sherrilee, who has taught Te Reo Māori and kapa haka  at Beckenham for 25 years will be farewelled at a special assembly in our courtyard starting at 9:30. Parents are welcome to attend. 

We love having Dave, our 24/7 youth worker, as part of our team. He is a friend to all and a support for many. On Wednesday afternoon Dave has organised for the 24/7 youth workers from Cashmere High to come along and meet our Year 8s. They will run through a slideshow and then move out to the field for some fun activities. All Year 8s can join in the fun, no matter what high school they are heading to next year.

Our final production performance starts at 7pm. Same applies as has been written above for Monday.

Friday (Dec 13) Final Assembly and Corsair Bay Trip

Our final celebration assembly for the year will start at the earlier time of 9:15 and will probably go for an hour.

At 10:30 we will be jumping on two buses and heading to Corsair Bay for a fun day by the water. The forecast is for a hot day - hooray! Children need to come to school in uniform and bring the following in their bags:
  • Togs and towel
  • Sunhat
  • Sunscreen
  • Lunch and water bottle (no ordering that day)
  • Personal medication, such as inhalers
  • Optional - picnic rug
We will be swimming, exploring the shore, playing on the beach, walking to Cass Bay and chilling out with friends.

Monday (Dec 16) Victoria Park Walk and Year 8 Pool and Pizza Party

Children are to come to school in mufti suitable for hill walking. We will be leaving school soon after 10am, headed for Bowenvale Ave and then up the walking track to Victoria Park. Once there we will have lunch and play before returning to school. We will be back by 3pm. Children need to bring the following:
  • Sunhat
  • Sunscreen
  • Lunch and water bottle
  • Asthma inhalers/antihistamine for those who need them
The Cockfield's have very kindly offered to host this year's pool and pizza party for Year 8. Their house is just below Cashmere Primary School. We will email out the address later in the week. As the name suggests, there is a pool and spa and we will provide the pizza and a drink. We also have access to the Cashmere Primary playground. The party starts at 4pm and children need to be collected by 6pm. 

Wednesday (Dec 18) Leaver's Graduation Assembly 


Graduation assembly starts at 11am. Year 8 are to arrive at school at the usual time, dressed in their best mufti. A lunch for Year 8s and their parents / caregivers will follow assembly at 12:30. By 1:15 all Year 8s should be on their way home. They will be finished for the year.

Thursday (Dec 19)

Last day for Year 1-7. School finishes for the year at lunchtime.