Alphabet Ideas
Team Koru  currently have a big focus on building on our alphabet knowledge (this includes the letter names and the letter sound). It would be fantastic if you could support this at home.You could do this by;

• Using the packs that you would have received from Rowena through the Mutukaroa Programme. 
• When your child is writing their name, talk about what letters make up their name.
• Get your child to help write shopping lists and talk about the sounds that go with letters.

Contact Information and Cyber Safety form
If you have not handed in your 'Contact Details' sheet or 'Cyber Safety' form yet, please hand this into the office next week.


Word Pack
You would have received a 'Word Pack' from Rowena, please practice a few of these each night adding in a few more as your child gets to know some words. It is important to keep reviewing words until they are mastered.Your Mutukaroa learning pack also has a list of games to support learning these words in a fun way e.g. The Ladder game and the Slap game. If you have not received this pack  yet, it will be given to you at your child's learning conference. If your child started at the end of last year and has lost this pack please see your child's 'Point of Contact Teacher' so they can organise you another pack.

Team Koru News
Just letting you know that we will be sending out a fortnightly newsletter via a blog update.  Please make sure you check this so you know what has been happening and be aware of future events.
Please check the Notices Board  (in the entrance to Hub 10/11) daily as we use this to convey any important messages.

River of Flowers
On Monday the 22nd February Hub 10 & 11 participated in the chalk river of flowers to remember the people who passed away in the earthquake 5 years ago. The children demonstrated great respect and worked well together  during this activity.  We were also very proud of them during our whole school and community remembrance gathering on the field.  The children are a credit to all of you.
Most of these children have only been at school a few weeks.

Getting there together

Welcome & Reminders

Discovery Sessions

We have been focusing on two of our school values, 'WE CARE' and 'WE GET THERE TOGETHER'.  In hub 10-11, we have been playing lots of name games and doing various buddy activities to show we get there together (photos below). We will have our first WHARE TIME where our New Entrant students will work with older buddies from across the school and teachers, and complete various 'get to know you' activities.

Some of the children working in buddies for maths:
  
  


Ideas for maths at home http://koru.beckenham.school.nz/p/cool-maths-links.html


Some of the children working in buddies for whare time on Friday:
 


We have been showing 'We Care' by putting our materials and bags away, and using kind words. We are very good at looking out for and buddying up with each other in the playground too!


    

Literacy

In hub 13 during maths time we have been learning to solve addition problems up to 10 using materials. In these photos, we are tracing around our hands to make a template and show our working for a particular equation this way. Some of the children are starting to use imaging by holding their hand behind their backs and counting fingers without looking and others are working in their heads and then verbally explaining their thinking.

Kia ora whanau,

November already...and the weeks are whipping by! We are aware of the fact that this time of year is terribly busy for families, so if you are finding that you are suffering from (digital) information overload, we are going to have a tray outside Rooms 10 and 11, in which we shall place hard copies of our team news and events. Please feel free to pick one up if you would prefer.

Please note the following:

• Whanau hui from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10th;
• Athletics starts on Wednesday afternoon (RJT), so please send your child in sensible shoes fo running, jumping and throwing activities!
• Keeping Ourselves Safe activities will continue through to the end of this week, Week 4. (Home books will keep coming home throughout this week - please work through the marked pages with your child)
Other important dates to note this term are:
• Thursday, 26th November - team outing to Willowbank leaving 11:30 a.m. and arriving back at school between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m. (teachers will be seeking parent help for this outing over the next few weeks);
• Wednesday, 2nd December - Te Whanau Koru will be teaming up with Te Whanau Pohutukawa to go into town to visit the Transitional Cathedral followed by a picnic and time to explore in the Botannic Gardens, leaving school at 9:30 and arriving back at school early-mid afternoon;
• Thursday, 3rd December - Te Whanau Koru and Te Whanau Kahikatea celebration, starting at 1:45 and finishing at 2:45 p.m.
Best wishes to all,
Gail, Rowe, Jo, Cath, Andrea and Amanda