Art Gallery Highlights: Term 3 Week 10

 Kia ora, e te whānau,

Once again, our grateful thanks to those parents who were able to join us on this outing and support the tamariki as they engaged with particular art works and then participated in the lesson which Jackie and Julie, the Gallery Educators, ran for us.

Please see below, some photo highlights of our time at the Gallery:
















































What a wonderful learning experience our wee ones had - so many of them are extremely eager to get back to the Art Gallery again, so what a great idea for a holiday outing!

For now, though, all that remains is to wish you all a very safe and happy holiday ahead, as we sail through towards Friday.

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,

Elizabeth, Stacey, Georgia and Sarah


Koru Team News: Term 3, Week 9

 Kia ora, e te whānau,

It's been a very busy couple of weeks for us all in the Koru team, as we come close to the end of Term 3. We have had new children start throughout the last couple of weeks, and they have settled in beautifully! Over the last few weeks, we have had some exciting opportunities for our Koru children, including a cricket awareness session, Keeping Ourselves Safe sessions with Constable Meg, and Te Wiki o te reo Māori (Māori Language Week). We have our Beckenham's Got Talent Show coming up on Friday Week 10, and have some of our children performing. The tamariki did an awesome job showcasing their talents at our mini Koru Talent Showcase. 

Mini Koru Talent Showcase highlights:

Three bananas performing...

The bananas escape from the ravenous dinosaur!

Why is 6 scared of 7?

Take a bow!

The 'second hand' shop joke!

Our flexible friends!

Bridges and handstands...



Tricks with hula hoops.


Great spinning skills!


Te Wiki o te reo Māori:

Last week was Māori language week. We have included some cool activities for the tamariki based on different aspects of te reo Māori. This included learning the names of colours and colouring in a rainbow, singing waiata, making bookmarks that had kowhaiwhai patterns on them, and learning new kupu. It has been an awesome week!!


Cricket:

On Thursday 7th September, each home group had an awesome 25 minute cricket awareness session with Cat, from Southern Districts Cricket Club. This was a great opportunity for our tamariki to participate in, and they all enjoyed themselves enormously. The children learnt different skills based on throwing, catching and batting. All the children were engaged and had such a great time! We will be sending out more information soon about skills sessions that are held on Saturdays at the club. 


Keeping Ourselves Safe:

This term as part of our Health Curriculum, teams are teaching the programme called Keeping Ourselves Safe, in Years 0 - 6. In the units, our Koru children have been looking at: 

- describing where they live; identifying things that make them special and explaining when they feel safe and unsafe

- learning to use the correct names for body parts and describing whether a touch is one they like, one they don’t like, or one that is confusing

- learning to say ‘no’ to touch, behaviour and words that worry or confuse them and talking about moving away and seeking help

- identifying the difference between good surprises and bad secrets

- identifying people they trust and understanding family safety rules. 

We have been working with the children these last 2 weeks on our Keeping Ourselves Safe programme and you may have noticed the children have brought home some homework sheets to complete. A reminder that these sheets can stay at home once completed. It has been really awesome to have discussions with the children about their address, their phone numbers, different feelings we may have, and what to do if they get lost. We were also lucky to have 2 sessions with Constable Meg where we discussed what a police officer is, the different body parts, and talking about good touch, bad touch and confusing touch.  If you have any questions about any of this programme, please come and chat to one of the kaiako. 

Reminders:

  • A reminder that we are a water bottle school, and prefer it if the children drink water throughout the day, rather than flavoured milk or juice.
  • Next week is the last week of Term 3. 
  • Calendar Art: We have sent home the information sheets with the code you need to use if you wish to order your child's calendar art. This is only for Elizabeth, Stacey and Georgia's home groups. Please check the photos on the windows to see the awesome work your child has done. 

Some helpful links:
  • Click on these links and join in as your children sing one of their favourite songs, Sprinkle a Little Sunshine (here with the lyrics, and here, without, but with very cute images instead!)
  • For those new families to the Koru team, a link through to the National Anthem which we sing each morning - your children are doing an awesome job with this, participating and trying their very best each morning
  • Clicking here will take you to a variety of links for those of you who would like to read more about The Science of Reading and Structured Literacy.
All best for a lovely last week of term!
Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,
Georgia, Sarah, Elizabeth and Stacey



Koru Team News: Term 3 Week 5

Kia ora, e te whānau,

It's been a very busy couple of weeks for us all in the Koru team: we've been completing our Calendar Art; we've had Book Character Dress Up Day; and we've continued to have fun with our Literacy and Maths learning, all the while embracing new friends into our team.

We are very excited to have welcomed Sarah Junghen as the teacher of our third New Entrant class at the start of Week 5. Most of you will have seen Sarah this past week, in the hub, but if not, please do introduce yourselves to her. Sarah has been teaching at Beckenham te Kura o Pūroto for some years now, and we feel incredibly lucky to have her with us in the Koru team!

We also welcome the new children who have transitioned or are transitioning into the Koru team, and are in Sarah's Home Group: Iyana, Lailah, Esther, Ariella, Molly and Mason. Ngā whetu koutou katoa - you are all stars!

Calendar Art:

The children have been working incredibly hard this term on their artworks, which will eventually be available for purchase as calendars, notebooks, cards, etc. We know that you're going to absolutely love these works of art, and we do urge you to support our PTA with this fundraiser. Please keep an eye out for more information about ordering calendars, etc. We will be adding information to our daily whiteboard notices as it becomes available.

Keeping Ourselves Safe:

This term as part of our Health Curriculum, teams are teaching the programme called Keeping Ourselves Safe, in Years 0 - 6. In the units, the Koru children will be: 

- describing where they live; identifying things that make them special and explaining when they feel safe and unsafe

- learning to use the correct names for body parts and describing whether a touch is one they like, one they don’t like, or one that is confusing

- learning to say ‘no’ to touch, behaviour and words that worry or confuse them and talking about moving away and seeking help

- identifying the difference between good surprises and bad secrets

- identifying people they trust and understanding family safety rules. 

We will be starting the teaching in Week 8 (the week beginning Monday, September 4th) and over the course of the lessons we teach, there will be some information and activities which will be coming home in your child's school bag. This is for you and your child to complete at home, and does not need to be returned to school. Please keep an eye out for more information about KOS in the weeks ahead, and if you have any questions, please just ask.

Exciting outing ahead for the Koru team:

We are very excited to be letting you know that on Monday, September 18th, the Koru team children will be visiting the Christchurch Art Gallery. 

The purpose of this outing is to give the children the opportunity to engage in discovering and exploring the work of artists whose work is held by the Christchurch Public Art Gallery. Teachers will explore the Gallery with their students, discuss a range of artists’ work and explore ideas of navigation, belonging, identity and how we are connected across time and place. During the guided tour, students will use signs and symbols to create a pictorial map of their own identity and journey through the Gallery which they will then complete, using watercolours and pastels, in the Education Centre.

Please note that there will be no cost for this outing, as your school donation covers all costs involved.

We will be needing parent help, so please do email your child's Home Group teacher or teachers, if you're able to come along with us on the day. 

Elizabeth and Stacey's Home Group will be leaving school at 9:30 a.m. and arriving back at school at 12:00 noon.

Georgia and Sarah's Home groups will be leaving school at 12:00 noon and arriving back at school at 2:30 p.m.

Beckenham's Got Talent:

We are desperately seeking all budding talents out there: singers, gymnasts, dancers, ventriloquists, magicians...!

Teachers have been talking with the tamariki about this fun whole school event, being held on the last day of term in the school hall. Prior to this date (on Friday, September 8th, for us in the Koru team), each team will hold their own team event and then one 'performance' from the Koru team will be selected, to be part of the whole school show on Friday, September 22nd.

Ideas for performances might include:

  • a dance
  • a song
  • a gymnastics performance (with accompanying music)
  • a hula hooping display to music
  • a set of magical tricks
If you would like your child to participate, do let us know. 
Please note that practices will need to take place at home and if there is to be accompanying music, it would be great if you could pass a copy on to us, or let us know exactly what it is and where we can find it.
Also, please don't feel constrained by the list above. Your child may have a talent well outside of this list, and if they feel enthusiastic and confident enough, we'd love to have them participate.

Literacy and Library Folders:

We have noticed, and many of you will have as well, that the children's folders, purchased when they first started school, are not 'hanging together' very well at all. We have noticed that the light blue folders, in particular, have been breaking down and deteriorating really quickly. We contacted Qizzle and sent photos to illustrate our concerns, and they immediately responded by saying that they were going to change their supplier, and asked how many folders did we need to replace those affected. Some folders (yellow ones, purple, red, orange, etc.) have not deteriorated as quickly but generally look as if they will, soon enough, so Qizzle told us that they just wanted to replace them all! We shall be sending home the replacement folders in the children's schoolbags next week. We thank Qizzle for responding so quickly and positively on our behalf.

Fun with Maths (we love numbers!):









...and one or two other items of interest for you:
  • click on these links and join in as your children sing one of their favourite songs, Sprinkle a Little Sunshine (here with the lyrics, and here, without, but with very cute images instead!)
  • for those new families to the Koru team, a link through to the National Anthem which we sing each morning - your children are doing an awesome job with this, participating and trying their very best each morning
  • clicking here will take you to a variety of links for those of you who would like to read more about The Science of Reading and Structured Literacy.
In the meantime, you do hope that you've had a lovely day today, and that it's an equally lovely weekend ahead for you all!

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



Koru Team News: Term 3 Week 3

 Kia ora, e te whānau,

Wow! What an incredible first few weeks of the term we have had! There has been a lot happening in our hub, across all areas of school life. We have had different themes for our Learning Through Play, such as transport and vehicles, and cafes and restaurants. The children's imaginations have been running wild with these ideas and this is evident in the games they have been playing with each other, and the creations they have made.

Our tamariki are becoming very knowledgeable about the different school-wide "Words of the Week" we have had. We have talked a lot about the first three words we have had this term:

  • Upstander: Standing up for others in situations that aren't right, and supporting others who may need your help
  • Honesty: Being truthful in what we say and do 
  • Inclusion: Making others feel a part of something and including others in your activities/games. 
Disco:
On Friday, we had our PTA School Disco. There were so many awesome outfits and dance moves being shown off. Have a look at the pictures of some of our tamariki below to see the fun we had:















Reminders:
  • How is the Readathon going at your house? We can't wait to see all the books you have been reading together with your whānau at home. Keep up the great work and remember to bring the forms back into school on Friday, 11th August (Week 4).
  • Next Friday, Friday 11th August, is Book Character Dress-up Day. Your child can come dressed as their favourite story book character. This is a day to celebrate the end of the readathon and all the amazing books there are out there. We cannot wait to see the creativity!
  • A reminder to return Literacy folders to school each day, as we use these during our Literacy sessions. Also a reminder for your child to take really great care of the books that are sent home in these folders, as these books are very expensive to replace and are used within the whole hub. We appreciate and thank you for helping your child to be responsible  and to take great care of our school equipment. 
  • Friendship List: Please remember that if you would like to be on the Friendship List, this will be sent out on Thursday, 10th August to all those who have asked for their details to be included. It is a great way to get in contact with other families and to organise play dates with your child's friends. Please send your details to Georgia's email by Wednesday, 9th August. (georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz).
We hope you are all having the most wonderful weekend and keeping warm!

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,
The Koru team teachers: Georgia, Elizabeth, Stacey, Sarah and Denise

elizabethgail.drummond@beckenham.school.nz
stacey.mclachlan@beckenham.school.nz
georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz


Koru Team News: Term 3 Week 1

Kia ora, e te whānau,

It was so wonderful to see all our Koru children and their wonderful smiles, back at school after the holidays. We have had a brilliant first week back filled with excitement, learning and fun times. A warm welcome to Elias and Aelara who started school this week! What a wonderful job they are both doing settling in!

This term you will see Elizabeth at school; Monday, Thursday and Friday. You will see Stacey at school; Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

We have an exciting term ahead of us including Calendar Art, Keeping Ourselves Safe programme, Firewise, book character dress-up day and a trip to the Art Gallery!

Upcoming events: 

  • Whole school PTA Readathon 25 July - 11 August (forms and information will come home)
  • PTA meeting Wednesday 26th July 7.30-9.30pm in the Green Room (next to the Hall foyer), all are welcome, this can be a great way to meet other parents and support our children and school.
  • Disco, Friday 4th August. Koru disco is 2.00-2.45pm (during our school day)
  • Book character dress up day: Friday 11th August
  • End of term 3 trip to the Christchurch Art Gallery
PTA mid-winter breakfast:
A huge thank you to the PTA and Student Council for organising and making breakfast for everyone to enjoy in the Hall before school on Wednesday. Thank you to everyone who brought in a can of food, to donate to the City Mission Food Bank Collection. 'We Make a Difference'. It was also wonderful to see the children come to school in non-uniform clothes, pyjamas, dressing gowns and onesies!

Stacey and Georgia in their pyjamas!

Enjoying breakfast

Georgia and her Home Group

Stacey and Elizabeth's Home Group

Friendship list
  • If you would like your name and contact details to be added to our Koru Team Friendship List, please email your information to Georgia: georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz
A reminder about routines:
  • It's great if your child is able to independently carry their own bag into school, unpack it and put their lunch and drink bottle on the shelves
  • Your child's Literacy folder needs to be returned to school every day and put into their group Literacy box every morning
  • On Fridays, your child will bring home their poetry book and library folder. Poetry books and library folders will need to be returned to school by the following Friday
  • We ask that caregivers avoid bringing children into school through the staff car park, rather, if entering off Sandwich Road, please come in up near the flagpole, or in through the gate down near the corner of Easter Tce/Sandwich Road
Gumboots and slippers
We hope you are managing to keep warm and dry this weekend. Gumboots (named) will be welcomed as footwear at school tomorrow, with extra socks and slippers or shoes in school bags. 

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,
The Koru teachers, Elizabeth, Stacey, Georgia and Denise

elizabethgail.drummond@beckenham.school.nz
stacey.mclachlan@beckenham.school.nz
georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz