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Kowhai News Week 6 Term 1
Kowhai News Week 6 Term 1
TWIGHLIGHT FAIR
On the night of the Twilight Fair, the children in Kōwhai team are going to be performing a medley of 3 songs that we know and love. Please bring your child to the admin block at 5:10pm ready for them to perform at 5:20pm.
We know our team choir will be spectacular and the children will love singing to the crowd!
TINNED TOMATOES and MYSTERY BOTTLES- Keep these coming in for the fair. Thanks to all those who have already bought these items in. The PTA really appreciate it!
HELP - The PTA still need parents to help run stalls on the night of the fair. Please contact the PTA to let them know your availability.
Here are some of the stunning artworks that our team have created for the auction. The children are incredibly proud of their efforts! We are too.
Here are some of the stunning artworks that our team have created for the auction. The children are incredibly proud of their efforts! We are too.
ADULT HELP
We know we have an incredible group of parents and caregivers in our team and we would really love some adult help to come in to support some of our current programmes.
Ways you can help:
Maths- helping children with their counting, writing/reading numbers
Reading- Listening to children read
Writing- Supporting children during a writing session
Baking- Coming in to bake with a small group of children
Woodwork/Craft- Helping children develop some skills by making and creating items of interest and use.
If you are able to assist us, please email or come in and see your home group teacher. We are open to any of your offers and know you help will greatly benefit the children in our team!
TOP TEAM
We would like to express our gratitude to all the amazing parents who came along to support our Top Team event. Without your wonderful help, this would not have been possible! The children had an amazing time and this was evident by the HUGE smiles on their faces. As part of our afternoon inquiry, the children will be planning their own, 'Top Team' event to run with children in Koru team.HOME LEARNING.
Each student has a Home Learning book which they keep in their Home Learning Folder. It is really important they bring this to and home from school each day. Each Monday they will organise their new insert and write their weekly spelling words on the sheet. A teacher must check and sign their spelling list. If there is no signature it has not been handed in or checked by a teacher.This week we have added in the maths component to our Home Learning. each week your child will have a MMM sheet pasted into their book for them to learn. If this is new learning, your child can just work through the skill. If it is a skill that your child is able to do, then the focus will be on completing the MMM with speed with the aim of completing this within 1 minute.
That's all for now!
Kowhai Teaching Team
Anne Kaye’s Visit
On Friday morning, we were entertained and inspired by Anne Kayes who is a part of the Storylines Festival. Anne is an award-winning NZ author who won the 2016 Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award. Anne talked about her novel, 'Tui Street Tales' which is about children in a street where the ordinary everyday life becomes strange and are based on a fairytale theme.
The children were captivated by the story that Anne told and asked many wonderful questions to help them learn more about being an author. It was wonderful to see so many children expressing an interest in reading this book for themselves.
So thank you Storylines Festival for our wonderful end of the week.
Kōwhai News Week 4 Term 1
Discovery Time
The children have really been enjoying starting the day with Discovery time. They have been given the chance to explore and play both outside and inside. Outside, they have been using skipping ropes, hula hoops, balls and balance boards and inside, they have been doing lots of different art activities including collage and ferocious animals. They have also been dressing up and doing plays, building complex constructions with lego and learning the skills needed to play board games. Sometimes the children have come up with their own activities which we actively encourage. All of this has contributed to setting the children up for a successful day!
Kowhai Kid of the Week
Each week, we will have five children who have consistently displayed our school values to be a Kowhai Kid of the Week. These children will be able to make pizzas for their lunch on Friday. They will need to bring their pizza toppings to school and we will make the dough here. We need the wonderful assistance of a parent to help the children create their pizzas and clean up the kitchen. If you are keen to help, please see your home group teacher and let them know.
Home Learning
Next week we will begin our home learning for the term. To begin with, this will involve the children reading each night to develop their fluency. Therefore, books they read should not be hard but promote a love of reading. We will also send home some spelling words for the children to learn. In our hub, we will follow the process of look, say, sound, cover, write to learn the words. These words will be taken from their writing.
Problem Solving in Maths
All of them work for 20 hours. How much have they earnt altogether?
I am Bobbi. I have heard your story and it is pretty cool. I am very disappointed in the Once-ler. I am writing to you because, thanks to your story, we have started thinking about sustainability. Me and my class thought about some ways we could help the environment:
The children have really been enjoying starting the day with Discovery time. They have been given the chance to explore and play both outside and inside. Outside, they have been using skipping ropes, hula hoops, balls and balance boards and inside, they have been doing lots of different art activities including collage and ferocious animals. They have also been dressing up and doing plays, building complex constructions with lego and learning the skills needed to play board games. Sometimes the children have come up with their own activities which we actively encourage. All of this has contributed to setting the children up for a successful day!
Kowhai Kid of the Week
Each week, we will have five children who have consistently displayed our school values to be a Kowhai Kid of the Week. These children will be able to make pizzas for their lunch on Friday. They will need to bring their pizza toppings to school and we will make the dough here. We need the wonderful assistance of a parent to help the children create their pizzas and clean up the kitchen. If you are keen to help, please see your home group teacher and let them know.
Home Learning
Next week we will begin our home learning for the term. To begin with, this will involve the children reading each night to develop their fluency. Therefore, books they read should not be hard but promote a love of reading. We will also send home some spelling words for the children to learn. In our hub, we will follow the process of look, say, sound, cover, write to learn the words. These words will be taken from their writing.
Problem Solving in Maths
Our problem solving groups in mathematics are up and running and we are all learning together. We are developing the strategies we need to work together and ensure that everyone in the group understands what is happening. This means that we need to check in with each other and we also need to be able to ask for help if we do not understand something.
Here is an example of a problem we have been working on:
Four friends are earning money for a school trip by doing jobs.
James earns $4.00 an hour delivering pamphlets.
Ella earns $3.50 an hour weeding gardens.
Billy earns $5.00 an hour cleaning windows.
Maisie earns $2.50 an hour walking dogs.
Literacy
We have started our literacy programme where the children are in five learning groups across the team. Starting next week it will be expected that children will complete their reading log each night and record nightly reading in their home learning reading log.
Please enjoy a letter to the Lorax.
Dear Lorax
I am Bobbi. I have heard your story and it is pretty cool. I am very disappointed in the Once-ler. I am writing to you because, thanks to your story, we have started thinking about sustainability. Me and my class thought about some ways we could help the environment: - Saving the rivers and oceans
- Stop cutting down the trees
- Trying not to pollute the air
- To save the marine life
- To save the trees for oxygen
- To keep animals from dying
I'll try my best.
From Bobbi
Kōwhai Newsl Week 2 Term 1
We have had an amazing first two weeks back at school. The weather has been perfect, the children have been enthusiastic and the teachers have enjoyed getting to know the students in Kōwhai hub. As always, there is a lot happening, and a lot to look forward to during the first term.
Problem Solving in Maths
We have begun teaching our problem style approach in maths this week. This has required the children to work in co-operative whānau groups with 3-4 children. We have had an emphasis on what effective group work looks and sounds like and it has been exciting to see the children participate in rich mathematical discussions as they share or question the ideas that are shared when solving the problem.
Here are examples of some of the group thinking.
Life Education / Inquiry Learning
Next week, it is our turn to visit the Life Education van. Each class will have two lessons with the focus being on friendship, showing empathy and how we communicate with others. These are all important concepts to explore, especially at the beginning of a new year at school and supports our current class teaching around feelings and emotions.
Buddies
We began buddies last week with some of the children in Kauri Whanau. Most of the big buddies had 2-3 children. The focus of our sessions has been to get to know each other with the creation of fortune tellers and buddy posters.
Literacy
This week we began our writing programme and we have been highly impressed with the quality of writing being produced by the children in our team. This often occurs when parents read books regularly to children as this exposes them to wonderful language. It also enables them to hear how reading should sound as well as promoting a love of reading. Keep up the great work!
The focus next week is on establishing our reading programme across the team. We will be developing the necessary routines for reading where the children will read in a variety of ways: reading by themselves, reading to a buddy, listening to reading, playing reading/literacy games and even visiting our new school library! FYI-Home Learning will begin in week 4 with books being sent home then.
Learning Conferences
We would like to say a huge thank you to all the families who were able to attend a learning conference at the start of this term. As a teaching team this has enabled us to learn more about your child and how we can meet their needs this year. We really enjoyed meeting you all and are looking forward to the year ahead with your whānau. We are always available through email and are very happy to meet to discuss anything that arises. If you haven't done so yet, please take the time to fill in the google form which was sent out in the last newsletter via this link. This feedback is really valuable for us as a school.
Discovery Learning
Each day we begin with Discovery Time. This time provides the children with the opportunity to work together and to learn through play and exploration. It has been great to see the children problem solving, exercising their creativity, working together and developing their communication skills. We have learnt many things about the children through our conversations and observations which will be reflected in our teaching approaches with them. Here are some photos of the children in action.
Wellbeing at Beckenham te Kura o Pūroto
Do you work or dabble in art, design or advertising? Would you be interested in helping design our wellbeing definition? This will be central to our student wellbeing strategy this year....and beyond! Please contact me if you can help. Many thanks, Charlotte (charlotte.verity@beckenham.
The P.T.A. is working very hard to organise the school fair. Please mark your calendars- Friday 23rd March 2018 will be our first TWILIGHT FAIR since 2014. The P.T.A. are calling all Artists, Musicians, business owners & generous soles…..as they are on the hunt for donations of prizes, vouchers, cash, food, services & acts to help us to create an amazing Twilight Fair
If you are a business/person that can help, please click on the link for more detailed information: https://goo.gl/forms/UXBCuV3Z4iURxLhB3
All funds raised from the Twilight Fair will be added to the PTA ‘OUTDOOR SPACES’ FUND.
Problem Solving in Maths
We have begun teaching our problem style approach in maths this week. This has required the children to work in co-operative whānau groups with 3-4 children. We have had an emphasis on what effective group work looks and sounds like and it has been exciting to see the children participate in rich mathematical discussions as they share or question the ideas that are shared when solving the problem. Here are examples of some of the group thinking.
Life Education / Inquiry Learning
Next week, it is our turn to visit the Life Education van. Each class will have two lessons with the focus being on friendship, showing empathy and how we communicate with others. These are all important concepts to explore, especially at the beginning of a new year at school and supports our current class teaching around feelings and emotions.
Buddies
We began buddies last week with some of the children in Kauri Whanau. Most of the big buddies had 2-3 children. The focus of our sessions has been to get to know each other with the creation of fortune tellers and buddy posters.
Literacy
This week we began our writing programme and we have been highly impressed with the quality of writing being produced by the children in our team. This often occurs when parents read books regularly to children as this exposes them to wonderful language. It also enables them to hear how reading should sound as well as promoting a love of reading. Keep up the great work!
The focus next week is on establishing our reading programme across the team. We will be developing the necessary routines for reading where the children will read in a variety of ways: reading by themselves, reading to a buddy, listening to reading, playing reading/literacy games and even visiting our new school library! FYI-Home Learning will begin in week 4 with books being sent home then.
Learning Conferences
We would like to say a huge thank you to all the families who were able to attend a learning conference at the start of this term. As a teaching team this has enabled us to learn more about your child and how we can meet their needs this year. We really enjoyed meeting you all and are looking forward to the year ahead with your whānau. We are always available through email and are very happy to meet to discuss anything that arises. If you haven't done so yet, please take the time to fill in the google form which was sent out in the last newsletter via this link. This feedback is really valuable for us as a school.
Discovery Learning
Each day we begin with Discovery Time. This time provides the children with the opportunity to work together and to learn through play and exploration. It has been great to see the children problem solving, exercising their creativity, working together and developing their communication skills. We have learnt many things about the children through our conversations and observations which will be reflected in our teaching approaches with them. Here are some photos of the children in action.Wellbeing at Beckenham te Kura o Pūroto
Do you work or dabble in art, design or advertising? Would you be interested in helping design our wellbeing definition? This will be central to our student wellbeing strategy this year....and beyond! Please contact me if you can help. Many thanks, Charlotte (charlotte.verity@beckenham.
School Fair
The P.T.A. is working very hard to organise the school fair. Please mark your calendars- Friday 23rd March 2018 will be our first TWILIGHT FAIR since 2014. The P.T.A. are calling all Artists, Musicians, business owners & generous soles…..as they are on the hunt for donations of prizes, vouchers, cash, food, services & acts to help us to create an amazing Twilight FairIf you are a business/person that can help, please click on the link for more detailed information: https://goo.gl/forms/UXBCuV3Z4iURxLhB3
All funds raised from the Twilight Fair will be added to the PTA ‘OUTDOOR SPACES’ FUND.
Dates for the Diary:
Wed 21 Feb - Walk or Wheel Safely to School
Wed 14 Mar - Kowhai Top Team Afternoon (We do need parent help for this event)
Fri 16 Mar- Storylines Festival- Visiting author to our team
That's all for now. Have a wonderful weekend ahead!
Kōwhai Teaching Team
Wed 14 Mar - Kowhai Top Team Afternoon (We do need parent help for this event)
Fri 16 Mar- Storylines Festival- Visiting author to our team
That's all for now. Have a wonderful weekend ahead!
Kōwhai Teaching Team