Fun Times in the Koru team: Term 1 Week 3

 Kia ora, e te whanau,

We have had an amazingly busy and productive fortnight - it's been SO much fun, and in amongst all of the fun, the children have very quickly shown fantastic gains in their independence and their confidence.

We have:

  • made ice cream
  • started visiting the library
  • started exploring simple 'programming' with the help of Kate, from Code Club (Kate's coming in each Thursday morning to introduce us to Digitech (or Digital Technology); this link will take you to the area in the New Zealnd Curriulum which relates to e-learning and will explain more about this aspect of Technology
  • been exploring the Maths equipment, and in particular, the shape equipment
  • been practising our phonological awareness skills (rhyming, hearing and saying the initial sound in words, hearing and saying the final sounds in words, hearing the two parts in compound words and joining them together); you'll find more about this area of the children's learning on the Koru page of Learning At Home on our school website; just click on this link to get there quickly
  • been finding out about interoception (which is to do with understanding and feeling what's going on inside our bodies, and being conscious of and learning to describe these feelings) and engaging in interoception activities
  • practised our core strength exercises and our finger strength and dexterity exercises, in preparation for the start of handwriting, with Bounce and Skip, our two soft toy monkeys
  • and... we have been making new friends, and talking about showing our school value, We Care, and what this looks like and sounds like

We Care
The children have been introduced to our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto values - our main focus so far has been on 'We Care'. The children came up with the following ideas to describe what others would see and hear when they are displaying this value: 
  • following kaiako instructions quickly and quietly
  • sharing the equipment
  • playing nicely with others, and inviting them into our games
  • having gentle hands and feet, and looking after anyone who hurts themselves
  • and being super amazing with helping to tidy up at the end of our learning through play times and before we go home at the end of the day
  • using good manners, like 'please', 'thank you', 'excuse me' and 'I'm sorry'.
Here are some photos of tamariki showing we care.

Washing our hands thoroughly before kai, showing that we care about being clean when eating

Look how careful we are to ensure that our hands are completely clean

Good job, tamariki!

Working together and helping each other to complete a huge and challenging jigsaw puzzle

More helpful team work with this jigsaw puzzle

Using our new sandpit equipment respectfully and carefully

Forming new friendships


Teamwork: listening to each other and working towards a shared goal (building a home for Bounce and Skip)

Welcoming others into the building team

Keeping the area round the sandpit clean and tidy, thereby showing care for others' health and safety...

...and ensuring that the sand isn't wasted



Core Strength exercises, in preparation for handwriting with Skip and Bounce:

Planking

The Stone Lion





Structured Literacy:
Your children's Literacy folders will be coming home in their school bags this week. There will be a letter to parents included in the folder and this will provide an explanation of our Structured Literacy programme for you. Please note that at the start of the children's literacy learning, there will be letter cards in their folders, and perhaps some heart word cards too, but no book necessarily for the first few weeks. Please click on this link to listen to exactly how we are teaching the children to make the 'pure' sound for each of the letters of the alphabet. This will help you enormously at home, when you are supporting your children with their learning.

Greedy Cat:
In Week 2, we read the shared book 'The New Cat' which is the first story in the Greedy Cat series, and tells the story of how Katie, the little girl in the stories, first received her new kitten for her birthday, and also tells how Greedy Cat got his name! Following on from this, some of our tamariki created Greedy Cat paintings. The children learned how to hold a paintbrush, how to dip their brush into primary colours in order to create the secondary colour they wanted, and to then paint their Greedy Cat image. Once the paint had dried, the children then drew on various features including the eyes, the nose, the mouth, the whiskers, and the claws, using black pastel. These paintings are on display in the hub and we have added a photo here, so that you can see the beautiful display we now have!


Ice-cream:
In Week 3, our Koru tamariki made some delicious banana and chocolate chip ice-cream with Aunty Ali, who comes in and helps support the Learning Through Play during the first session on Wednesday mornings. The children followed a simple recipe, which included whipped cream, condensed milk, mashed banana and chocolate pieces. Different groups of children all had a go at adding in the various ingredients to help create the ice-cream. We all waited very patiently for the ice-cream to freeze! This took all of Wednesday night and most of Thursday, and the icecream was then able to be enjoyed on Thursday afternoon. Please note that one or two children weren't at school on 'ice cream day' and we do have some icecream left over for when these children are back at school. Here are some photos of the ice-cream-making process and also of some of our tamariki enjoying the delicious result! Keep scrolling down! We simply couldn't leave any of these photos out :)






























Maths:
Our focus for Maths throughout Weeks 2 and 3 has been Geometry, looking at shapes and the different attributes they have. We have been exploring shapes by sorting, based on the different attributes the shapes have, going on shape walks to work out how many sides and corners a shape has, playing shape hopscotch and following shape patterns, making different patterns using our wooden shapes, and creating our own pictures by cutting and gluing different shapes such as squares, triangles, circles and rectangles. Below are photos of some of our tamariki involved in the game we call Shape Hopscotch.








Library:
Our Library time has now been confirmed as being on Fridays, and you will have noticed your child's library folder in your child's bag the last two Fridays. Library books can be kept at home until Friday each week, but need to be returned by then, if your child is to have new books issued.
You will also have noticed that your child's poetry book is coming home too. Please read the new poem, as well as the previous weeks' poems, with your child. Any colouring that hasn't been completed can be finished off at home. Your child could also colour in the title page at the front of their book. Please ensure that your child's poetry book is returned to their school bag and comes back to school each Monday.

Friendship List:
We are hoping to put together a contact list to make it easier for you all to set up playdates for your children. Please let Georgia or Elizabeth know if you are willing to have your contact details (cellphone number and/or email address) included on the Friendship List, and we'll get this together as soon as possible. We'd like to do this soon, so please email us by the end of this week (Friday, 25th February).

Your children's photos:
Kate, from Code Club (mentioned above), has asked if I would check to see whether parents would be willing to have their children's photos included in any funding applications she might have to make to the Ministry of Education. Kate endeavours to ensure that photos include the backs of children's heads. Please let Elizabeth know if you would prefer that your child's image NOT appear in Kate's proposals.
Below, you'll see some of the photos taken on Thursday when Kate taught the children how to play the Kidbot challenge. So much fun was had by all!!












...and a final few Learning Through Play photos:

Dancing to The Nutcracker Suite

The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy

What treats are being created here, we wonder?

Don't you just love a good book?

These good friends definitely do!

The Family Corner


Someone else who loves a good book


...and who could this possibly be?!

Hats:
A reminder to please ensure your child is bringing a named hat to school each and every day.

Well... what a lot of great times we've been having in our first weeks at school!

Your children are doing a fantastic job, as they settle (back, for some of the children who started with us last year) into the Koru team and learn about the routines at school, and the different activities and ideas for play and learning that are on offer. We hope you all have a wonderful and warm week ahead, and we look forward to seeing all of those happy, smiling, little faces back at school tomorrow.

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,
Elizabeth, Georgia and Stacey

Koru team start of 2022 school year

Kia ora koutou,

A very warm welcome to you all to the start of the 2022 school year, in the Koru team. We are really looking forward to meeting with you all via Zoom, either tomorrow or on Thursday.

Please find below links to some valuable information, to help you and your children as you transition back to life at school:

 

In the meantime, we wish you all the best for a very happy and fulfilling year ahead together!

Ngā mihi mahana,
Elizabeth, Georgia and Stacey

Latest News From the Koru Team

Kia ora whanau, 
Here we are in Week 8, and the last two and a bit weeks have been just full to bursting with fun and exciting events. 

Kete Certificates

We love seeing our tamariki being celebrated at assembly for their successes with our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto values. In these past two weeks, kete certificates for our Beckenham Te Kura values of We Love Learning, We Make a Difference and We Get There Together have been awarded. Congratulations, and well done to our wonderful tamariki on their achievements!

                 


Our Latest Newbie
A great, big Beckenham Te Kura welcome to Maya, who is our latest new member of the Koru hub. Maya is settling in well and quickly making new friends in her home group.

A Very Special Visitor

On Thursday, we were treated to a very special visit in the form of a cute and very sociable 3 month old Miniature Schnauzer puppy named Biscuit. She was so very cute and well-behaved, showing off her ability to sit, stand and drop on command. What a very clever puppy! The children were super excited before her visit and brainstormed a list of many very interesting and clever questions to ask her owner, Jan. This is just a tiny selection of the questions they prepared for Jan:

  • How fast can she run?
  • Does Biscuit like biscuits?
  • Can Biscuit shake hands?




Book Character Day

Last Friday, 3rd December, was our gold coin dress-up day. Children chose to dress as their favourite book character, or dress in colours of the rainbow to support LGBT and diversity. We were totally blown away by the range of fabulous and creative costumes. 








                       








Learning Through Play 

Our learning focus has been on the warm and sunny season of Summer, (although the weather has other ideas). The children have been taking advantage of the warmer weather to include some outside play alongside other Learning Through Play activities indoors.










We have been reading lots of stories and sharing ideas together about the many fun and enjoyable activities we can enjoy in the summertime. Camping and toasting marshmallows, building sandcastles at the beach, eating ice-creams and picnics in the park are just a very few of the popular things our children love to do!  
Being SunSafe and Sunsmart is also super important at this time.
Follow this link Sunsmart-Level 1 sponsored by the Cancer Foundation, to find some fun and informative videos you can watch with your tamariki in order to encourage them to stay safe in the sun this summer. Remember to slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen and slap on a hat to stay safe when playing out in the summer sun.

Structured Literacy 

The children just love literacy times and enjoy showing the results of their awesome efforts and fantastic progress.





Teddy Bears' Picnic - Next week, Monday 13th December, the children are invited to bring a Teddy from home for our end of year Koru celebration. From 1.30pm, the Koru tamariki will be heading out to the big field for a picnic lunch and some fun activities with their Teddy Bear friends. Please note this change of date, as the weather isn't looking so flash for tomorrow, which was our original date.

Learning conferences.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to all the families who booked a time to come and have a chat with us at our recent learning conferences. These learning conferences provide a wonderful opportunity to have valuable conversations about the rich learning journey, and next steps, for our tamariki.

A short reminder
Please send a named bag to school with your child tomorrow. It will be very useful for your tamariki to be able to take home items belonging to them, such Literacy and Numeracy books. Any unused pages in these books may be useful at school next year, or they could be great be for some fun activities and writing practice at home over the school holidays.

We're looking forward to some fun final days of the school year! Thank you for all your support on the home front. We really appreciate this.

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,
The Koru teachers: Tracey, Nicola, Chelsea, Elizabeth and Stacey



Koru News Term 4 Week 5

Kia ora whanau, 

It is hard to believe it is already Week 5 of Term 4! We have had a very eventful couple of weeks and we love seeing the children bursting into school with big smiles, energy and enthusiasm. 

We are so proud that every child participated in the Junior Athletics Day recently. This involved competing in the sprints, the high jump, the gumboot throw and the bean bag toss. The children demonstrated eagerness, dedication and a wide variety of techniques! They were also incredibly calm and patient, as evidenced when there was an unexpected fire drill halfway through their events. 

Here, we have captured some of the action and some of those magical moments:













'Bears in the Night' and 'We're going on a Bear Hunt' have been the focus for shared reading this past week. The children have explored a range of vocabulary, including prepositions, e.g., The bears go out their window, down a tree, over a wall, under a bridge, around a lake, through the woods, and up a hill, where they are spooked by an owl. 

The children have enjoyed actively joining in with the stories and predicting what happens next. They have been practising retelling the story in their own words and then sequencing the events. 

During Learning Through Play, the focus has been obstacle courses and some children have represented parts of the bear stories and the vocabulary involved. It is wonderful to see the children taking risks with their ideas and working collaboratively on their creations. 









It is always an absolute joy to see our Koru children standing up in assembly with their Kete awards and their proud faces. It is lovely to hear that these awards are celebrated at home, too. 





Learning Conferences: 
Thank you to those of you who have already booked in for your child's Learning Conference for next Tuesday, 23rd November or Thursday, 25th November. We look forward to sharing and celebrating your child's efforts and achievements.

Over these final few weeks, the children will be introduced to their new learning spaces for 2022. We will be visiting the Kahikatea team teachers on several occasions for introductions and some little activities with the teachers.

We look forward to catching up with you all next week. 

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou, 

The Koru teachers: Elizabeth, Nicola, Tracey, Chelsea and Stacey. 


Koru News Term 4 Week 3

Kia ora whanau,

This week we started practising for our athletics day coming up next Thursday, 11th November. The children have been learning the techniques involved in competing in high jump, sprints, the gumboot throw and the bean bag toss. The children have been really enjoying trying something new. At this stage, because we are still at Level 2, unfortunately parents are unable to attend the event. We will endeavour to take lots of photos of your gorgeous children embracing 'We Love Challenge' to share with you following the event.







This week our shared reading focus has been 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. Children have joined in reading parts of the story, retold the story and thought of different words to describe how the caterpillar was feeling. They have made many beautiful caterpillar and butterfly crafts. They have also been involved in class role plays and hot-seating in order to spark their thinking beyond the story.  Hot-seating is a drama strategy in which a character or characters, played by the teacher or a child, are interviewed by the rest of the group. It invites children to recount a specific event, explore motivation and multiple perspectives/experiences related to a theme, topic, event, or an idea within a story.







We have also been busy exploring numbers in our play this week.



Showing 'We Get There Together' in our Learning Through Play.


During Learning Through Play last week some of our tamariki made some little peg doll fairies to play with in our fairy garden. On Friday the children got an opportunity to use their Learning Through Play time to play in the garden. They created some very cute scenes with items they had been collecting. We especially loved the swimming pool for the fairies to bathe in!








Reminders:

School Photos - Chelsea and Tracey's home groups will be having their class and individual photos taken on Wednesday morning.

Athletics Day - Thursday, 11th November. Children can wear their house tops if they wish. Sorry, no spectators allowed for this event.

Hats - In Terms 1 & 4 hats are compulsory for outdoor play. Please ensure your child has a named plain red or black hat to bring to school each day.

Sunscreen - As the days get warmer we will be reapplying sunscreen before lunch playtime each day.

Calendar Art - Have you checked out your child's gorgeous colourful artwork yet online. Their artwork can be made into calendars, mousepads, cards, notebooks or more. These make perfect Christmas gifts! Orders close 9 a.m. on Monday, 8th November.

PTA Salami fundraiser - Hopefully these order forms have made it home! You can drop your order form and money to the collectors before or after school outside the Sandwich Rd entrance every day. Online orders and payments can also be made to the PTA. Orders close 11 November. Salamis will be ready for collection on the 9th and 10th December (after school or evening options), just in time for the holiday season or Christmas presents.

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,

The Koru teachers: Elizabeth, Nicola, Chelsea, Tracey and Stacey