Hi everyone,

What a busy first three weeks we have had. It has been great to see the children so happy and growing their friendships across the hub. Here are the essentials for this week.

Life Education - Inquiry into IDENTITY

Next week, each home group will have two lessons with 'Harold' in the Life Education truck. Our focus during these lessons will about friendships and how to care for our body. These lessons will help the children to learn more about their identity and how our actions impact on others as well as the importance of looking after ourselves.

As part of our inquiry learning into identity, the children have been making connections with each other through games and activities looking for similarities and differences. Here are some examples of their learning using art and wordle.

Literacy- Reading

This term we are teaching in teams for literacy, with Rowe and Paulette's homegroup working together and Nick and Laura's homegroup working together. We have begun to introduce the routines for our reading programme with the children now having reading lessons during the week with a teacher.
The children reading level 21 and below will bring a book home from their browsing box to read each night. The aim of these books is for the children to develop their reading fluency and expression. They should be fun and easy for the children to read.
If your child is reading level 22 and above, they should be reading a self-chosen chapter book.
Each night, we would like the children to record the book or chapter(s) they have read in their home book (this is kept in their home learning folder) and for you to sign that they have read at night. Daily reading is so important for children to become proficient readers, so your support is greatly appreciated!

Water- Drink bottles

It is really important that each child have a water bottle at school EVERY day to enable them to stay hydrated.  Kathleen Liberty' s research has shown that it is important to drink water because...
1. Water helps you to think
2. Water helps your body to grow
3. Water helps you to learn
4. Water helps you to stay calm.

We actively encourage the children to drink water throughout the day. You can support us by making sure your child has their named drink bottle at school.

DMIC- Maths

We have begun our DMIC (maths) programme and have been very impressed with the mathematical conversations the children have been having so far. This week we have begun to set up student access to a study ladder account. Next week, the children will bring home their login and password details for them to be able to access their account from home. This will be found in their home school book. The purpose of using this online took is for the children to develop their mathematical fluency.  Please note: this is an optional activity for home learning.

Discovery- Learning through Play

Learning through play is a pedagogical and neurological approach to learning – where children can explore, experiment, discover, and solve problems in imaginative, playful and agentic ways.
Each day, we provide the children with the opportunity to learn through play. It is one way we are able to meet the requirements of the New Zealand Curriculum by developing confident, connected, actively involved, lifelong learners. Almost all of the values and key competencies in The New Zealand Curriculum can be developed by learning through play regardless of the age of students.  Connections across learning areas and to the wider world are able to be explored.

Through play children develop;
* cognitive skills such as creativity, problem-solving, deep and variable thinking, mathematics, and language (oral, written )skills
* social capabilities, establishing and fostering relationships, regulating emotions, and control their own behaviours

Making miniature food out of playdough for a cafe

Learning how to signal

Constructing and replicating castles

Learning to draw by following instructions in books

Welcome back, everyone.

Firstly, thank you to all the families who came along to learning conferences last week. It was great to have the opportunity to learn more about your family and how we, as a teaching team, can best meet the needs of your child this year. This time is incredibly valuable for us as a team.

We had a wonderful day today and it was heartwarming to see the children reconnecting with old friends and new friendships being formed. Can you please make sure your child has their HAT, swimming gear (if they are wanting to do water play) and a drink bottle at school tomorrow? Keep the stationery coming in too as we will be beginning to use this tomorrow. Thanks.

At the end of the day, we wonder if someone took Rune's black shoes home by accident. These black and pink shoes were left at school, so maybe an accidental swap?


Here are some of the children today.

Please keep an eye out for your child's stunning summer art of pohutukawa flowers coming home over the next few days. Here are some photos to get you excited.

Welcome to the last two weeks of the school year. Here are a few final updates from the team.


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 on Wednesday 11th starting at 9:30am. Parents are welcome to attend. 

Inquiry
the children have made some wonderful creation suing electrical circuits. some of the circuits do not have a switch co can you keep a close eye on them so they do not get too hot!

Final Assembly
This coming Friday 13th December is our Final Celebration Assembly for the year. Feel  free to come along if you have children receiving Kete Awards or would like to farewell any of the staff that  are leaving.
Graduation Assembly is on Wednesday 16th December. 

Books
On Friday, we will be sending home the children's books and stationery from this year. This will include used and unused items. Please put any unused items in a safe place as they can be used for both Kōwhai and Pōhutukawa in 2020. 
For our Year 4 moving to Pōhutukawa next year, we do strongly recommend that your child have their own device. This will last them until they leave in Year 8 and are a great investment.
On Monday, we will send home any art work from the hub. Please send your child with an extra bag in case they need it.

Transition to Pōhutukawa
This week, we have been providing time for the Year 4s to visit the team so they can see the many similarities in our teams. The children are letting us know how many visits they need and for many they have commented that it's just like going home as this was our team hub last year.

Last Week of Fun
Friday 13th - Squirt Mania The children can bring along a water pistol, togs or change of clothes. We will be having a wacky and wet afternoon of fun!
Monday 16th - Children are able to bring along their favourite game to play as part of their 'Be a teacher for the day'.
Wednesday 18th- Squirt Mania.The children can bring along a water pistol, togs or change of clothes. We will be having a wacky and wet afternoon of fun!
Thursday 18th- Visit new home rooms and teacher. School finishes at lunchtime (12.40pm)

That's all for now
Kōwhai Teaching Team

It's hard to believe that we are now halfway through the term! Here is the latest from the Kōwhai Team.

Athletics Day

We were treated to spectacular weather at our recent School Athletics Day. The children all did their best at each of the events despite the soaring temperatures. We were really impressed with the skills they have developed over the past few weeks and the way they all showed the school values 'We Get There Together' by working collaboratively and 'We Love Learning' in the way they did their personal best.
Thank you to all the parents who were able to come down and support on the day. We know the children appreciated having you all there.

Electricity and Circuits

Over the past few weeks, the children have been learning about electricity and circuits. They have learnt how electricity moves and how to make a series and parallel circuit. Over the next couple of weeks, the children will be applying this knowledge along with their creativity to create something innovative that uses a series circuit. Your child is currently in the 'Hunting and Gathering' design phase of this process. They might want to bring items to school to help them with the construction of their innovative design. Please do not go out and purchase special things for this. We hope to share these amazing creations with you as they are finished.

CSO Big Bang Concert

We were so lucky to have the opportunity to see the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO) play at the Christchurch Town Hall last week. The children were 'blown away' with the beauty of the Town Hall and even more impressed with the performance by the CSO. We would like to express our thanks to the parents who were able to accompany us on the trip. Without your support, these events are just not possible.



Itinerant Music Tuition in 2020

Learning Through Play- Discovery Time

Our Discovery Time is seeing the children really taking ownership of their learning. Children are currently learning how to code Bee-Bots and Sphero robots  (Digital Curriculum), writing books either individually or collaboratively, learning how to prepare food. This coming week the children will learn how to make and prepare sandwiches. This will be a great help at home, no doubt! There are many children really keen on exploring the arts with 'flipping' the learning and teaching themselves how to draw or sketch. We really value this component of our programme as it provides the children with the opportunity to be deep thinkers, problem solve, collaborate and create. Here are the children in action!

Collaborative Writing

Learning To Draw

Programming the Bee-Bots