Whānau Hui

We had lots of fun at our Whānau Hui this week. Thank you for coming along to take part in our Matariki celebration. There was lots of excitement in the air, culminating in an amazing performance given by the Kōwhai Kapa Haka group. Well done everyone! Here are some photos of what we got up to:

Waka

Over the past few weeks, our students have been engaged in building waka (Māori canoes) as part of our learning on New Zealand migration. Some children have built their waka using sticks, string and paper while others have built them in Minecraft. Here are some photos of their work:

AI Art

This term some of the children have been exploring the use of generative AI to create stunning digital portraits. Here is some of their work:

 

Reading Folders

If your child is bringing home Pip and Tim books, it is important that they bring their reading folder back to school every day. We suggest that the children always put their reading folder straight back into their bag as soon as they have finished reading at home. That way the folder will always make its way back to school safely. Thank you for your support with this.

Sickness

We are in the middle of the winter illness season. Please remember to keep your child at home if they are unwell. We are trying to minimise the spread of germs by encouraging the children to wash their hands before eating and sanitise or wash their hands as needed throughout the day.

End of Term

As the term draws to a close, we hope you have a restful and enjoyable break with your children, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for another exciting term ahead.

Happy holidays!

From the Kōwhai team

It has been another busy fortnight in the Kōwhai hub. Enjoy reading about our learning and adventures. 

Keeping Well 

Thank you so much to all whānau for making sure we keep our hubs as healthy as possible by keeping tamariki with coughs, colds and other symptoms of illness at home. 

Please do send your child to school with a named jumper every day, as the cooler air during playtimes can get suddenly chilly! Jackets on wet days are also a priority, and gumboots are always welcome (with shoes for wearing in class). Thanks, everyone!

Learning Conferences 

We are excited about meeting with you next week! Please remember that school closes at 2pm on both Wed 14th and Thurs 15th June. 

• If you haven't yet booked a learning conference, you can still book here (code: 8f6xx). 
• Please also fill out this form regarding care of your child from 2-3pm on these days. This form needs to be filled out by EVERY family.
• We also encourage you to spend time looking at your child's report with them on HERO.

Maths 

Currently, our maths learning is focused on multiplication and division. We have been enjoying a mix of: 

• Small group explicit learning with a teacher 
• Problem solving, solving problems like: In the cross country, 9 minions ran two laps each. How many laps did the minions run altogether? 
• Targeted maths worksheets, such as multiplying by skip counting, e.g., 3 x 2 = 2+2+2
• Maths games with a group 
• Finding arrays outside and in the classroom and drawing our own 
• Maths games online

Wellbeing 

Support your child's emotional awareness by listening to this story.

As well as our weekly PB4L focus (e.g., on kindness, friendship, upstanding etc.), we have wellbeing sessions each Friday, focusing on different topics that the teachers see the children might need support with. Recently, we have looked at emotions. We have...

• identified and named emotions 
• talked about how these feel in our body (e.g., when I am nervous, I get butterflies in my tummy)
• shared what causes us to feel these emotions
• played fun emotions games
• and also learnt some strategies for dealing with anger, sadness and frustration, such as talking to an adult or having some quiet time.

Waka & Migration Learning

We're really enjoying learning more about early migration to Aotearoa. We have especially loved learning about the different waka that different groups of people created to make the long voyage over from their homelands. You can explore some of these waka in 3D here and also learn about the traditional Ngāi Tahu way of building Mōkihi to travel local rivers.

Writing

Many children have been writing explanations over the last few weeks, and working on publishing and illustrating their work. Here are just some of their masterpieces:

Discovery

Tamariki are loving lego challenges (thanks, Anna R, for creating these each week), programming challenges (thanks, Nick) and Rowe's wonderful art inspirations. This week, Rowe has shown us how to make 3D paper sculptures! The teachers have noticed how great we are at working together and teaching each other new skills.

Have a great weekend!

Ngā mihi, 

The Kōwhai Team

Kia ora whānau,

We have had a busy couple of weeks and it is so good to see the sun again. Unfortunately, school photos were postponed due to sickness. The children looked so gorgeous and smart!

Strike Schools for Percussion

We were lucky to have a group of performers from Strike School in Wellington last week. This was a stunning performance ending with a percussive fire experience! The performers had trained for weeks with Weta Workshops for obvious safety reasons. 

Industrious Learners

Donations of Art Shirts

Cross Country

Migration

Reading Folders

Kia ora whānau,

We are now well into Term 2 and we are quickly getting used to being spread over two venues. We are really enjoying the space and the children are adapting brilliantly to the new routines involved in this change.

We welcome Kathryn to the team this term. She is teaching maths and literacy for the rest of the year so we are better able to cater to the rising number of children in Kōwhai.

Inquiry

This term, our inquiry focus is on migration and specifically the migration to Aotearoa, learning about how Kupe and his people navigated their way to New Zealand using the stars and the ocean currents as their guides. This will culminate in the children creating a model waka of their own using a choice of media.

Percussion Concert

On Monday, there will be a Strike To Schools percussion performance at the school and in preparation for this, we have been watching lots of clips of various percussion performances and joining in with some of them too. The children have been very enagaged with this and are all very excited about the upcoming event.

Cross Country

Unfortunately, Cross Country had to be postponed last minute on Tuesday as there was a sudden downpour of rain! Our postponement date is next Tuesday 16th May, starting at 2:15 with the Year 4 children going first, followed by the Year 3 children. You are welcome to come along and support your child in this event. Fingers crossed that the weather holds out!

Covid

We have had a rise in the number of Covid cases at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto so if you would like your child to wear a mask at school, please feel free to encourage this. We continue to ensure that the classrooms are well ventilated and that the children are washing their hands regularly. If your child is at all unwell, we do advise that you keep them at home. Thank you so much for your support with this.

Polar Fleeces

Please make sure your child brings a named polar fleece to school. If your child does happen to bring the wrong fleece home, can you please return it to the homegroup teacher as soon as possible. Thank you!

Discovery

We are in search of construction material for Discovery. Smaller boxes such as toothpaste boxes and cereal boxes would be ideal. If you have anything else that you think would be suitable for creating, please do bring it in.

Coronation Tree Planting Ceremony

Today we had a tree planting ceremony in honour of the coronation of King Charles. The youngest and the oldest child at Beckenham planted a Kōwhai tree in the junior playground and everyone at the school attended. It will be exciting to see it grow over the years!

Kia ora whānau,

Week 9 over and out! It’s hard to believe we are approaching the end of term 1 already. We want to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the hard work of our year 3 and 4 students. They have all done an excellent job at settling into the new school year, adapting to routines and have made the most of opportunities to learn and build connections within the hub. 

Science

As part of our innovation focus for the year, over the past few weeks, the Kōwhai children have been exploring simple machines and their functions. It has been a great way for them to learn about some of the basic principles of physics and engineering, inquiring into simple machines, such as levers, pulleys, and inclined planes. By understanding how they work, they have begun to develop an appreciation for the everyday technology that surrounds them. The children have particularly enjoyed working with their peers to build a functional ramp and experimenting with different materials. It has been great to see them all so engaged in the scientific process and thinking critically and creatively about their ramp design. 

Ramadan

Ramadan celebrations have officially begun. Ramadan typically falls on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a significant month that holds great importance for Muslims all around the world. It is a time for spiritual reflection, devotion, and self-discipline, where Muslims fast from dawn until dusk and engage in acts of charity, kindness, and worship. We have families who observe Ramadan within our school and wider community and we can support them by asking them about how they observe Ramadan because each family will probably do something a bit different.

Covid Cases 

There have recently been some positive Covid cases within the Kōwhai hub. Being safe from Covid-19 continues to be important to families, students and staff at Beckenham. In order to minimise the risk of contracting Covid or other viruses, we continue to promote regular washing of hands, especially before eating, and we are continuing to ensure the learning spaces are well-ventilated. This week you may have noticed some teachers and students choosing to wear a mask. This is not compulsory and it is up to your whānau to decide whether this is something you would like your child to do. Please continue to keep your child at home if they are presenting with symptoms or if you are concerned that they may be Covid positive. Thank you for your ongoing support with this.

Jerseys

As we approach the cooler months, it is important that your child/children bring a school jersey with them every day. Unless it is raining, students spend their break times outside and will need their jerseys to keep them warm.

School Houses

Discovery