Kia ora whānau,

The term is progressing rapidly and we are extremely busy with our learning. Here is an update on some of the things we have been doing.

Inquiry

For Inquiry, we are now focusing on learning about world cultures and everyone has chosen a country they are interested in to research and will then create a presentation of facts and information about that country. This may be a leaflet, a poster or a digital representation. Some of the things we have been finding out about are flags, languages, climate, population, animals and food and drink. The children are really engaged in this topic and are learning valuable research skills, looking for and locating relevant information online. Below you can see some of the children making flags from different countries using mini construction bricks.

Writing

We are focusing on descriptive writing over the next few weeks, using our five senses to describe a scene. What do we see, hear, smell, feel and taste? In this way, we can create a piece of writing with lots of rich language which creates a moment in time that we really feel part of. We started with describing ice cream which involved having a taste tester that was very much enjoyed by everyone and really helped to motivate the descriptive writers in us!

Willowbank Trip

As you will know, we are preparing to go on a trip to Willowbank on Friday 20th September as part of our inquiry on world cultures. Thank you to all the offers of parent help! We now have more than enough which is fantastic. Here is a link to our social story for this trip. Please do take your time to go through this with your child/children.

Cyber Safety

One in five young people in New Zealand have been the target of online bullying – it can happen to anyone, and

it can be hard for parents and whānau to deal with. Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto takes online bullying seriously

and would encourage you to chat to your tamariki’s teacher if you have any concerns about online bullying.

Visit Netsafe’s Online Bullying Advice for Parents to read more.

Kia ora Kōwhai whānau,

What a fabulous start to Term 3! We have a busy term ahead. 

Below are some things that are happening within our team.

Maths

We are having a focus on fractions, measurement, addition, subtraction, and multiplication.

Here's a Notice, Think, Wonder (What do you notice? What do you think? What do you wonder? Where is the maths?) picture prompt linked to fractions:

Writing

For writing this term, we begin with persuasive texts and then move into descriptive writing later in the term. Some literacy groups have been exploring persuasive picture books (I Wanna Iguana and Dear Mrs LaRue).

Parents beware, your child may write you a persuasive letter with reasons why you should get them a new pet, or allow them to extend their bedtime! We have been blown away with the creative ideas from our tamariki.

Inquiry Lessons

Our inquiry focus this term is Social Sciences and we are going to be researching a country of choice and making a presentation to share.

Willowbank

In week 9,we will be having a trip to Willowbank. This will be linked to our inquiry focus on cultures from around the world as we will be learning about different animals from around the world as part of the trip.

Calendar Art

We are all very busy working on our beautiful calendar art pictures! This year the Kōwhai Team have decided to create Zentangle Name Art for the calendars. We can't wait for you to see them all.

Recorder Lessons

This term we are continuing with our recorder lessons with Josie, these will continue until week 6 when Josie goes on maternity leave. The students have learned how to play songs that use the music notes A, B, G and E. Hot Cross Buns is a favourite!

Cricket

We were fortunate to have a group from Canterbury Cricket come and run a session with us in week 1. We had an amazing time and the children learned some cool skills. Below are some photos from the session, as well as some flyers with information about how your child can get involved in cricket outside of school. 

Cyber Safety

How do random chat websites work? And what are the risks for tamariki using them?

Random chat websites, like Chatroulette, pair users randomly through text or webcam conversations. The appeal

is getting to talk to someone new that the user would never meet. But these websites are designed for adults and

often allow nudity and other inappropriate content from users.

If you’re concerned that your young person might be exposed to these sites or you want to introduce parental controls, you can find out more on Netsafe’s Random Chat Websites page. 

Regards, 

Kia ora whānau

Here are some key moments from the final weeks of Term 2 in the Kōwhai Team.

Fractured Fairy Tales

As part of our writing focus this term, our literacy groups have been exploring fairy tales and how to 'fracture' or rewrite them to take on a different character's perspective.

The learners in Krystal's literacy group had a surprise this week when Karen brought in a record player from 1960 and played some old-fashioned fairy tales.  They were fascinated by this different form of media that could be used to share stories. 

Pepeha

This term, the Kōwhai students have been developing a digital pepeha. In Māori culture, a pepeha is an introduction that establishes identity and heritage. The children have been learning about the key components that should be included in a pepeha and how to develop, manipulate, store, retrieve, and share this content digitally.

Matariki

Last week, we held a Matariki evening at school. It was wonderful to see so many parents coming to see the kapa haka group perform and share in our Matariki activities.

Canterbury Cricket

Next term, coaches from Canterbury Cricket will be coming to school to teach the Kōwhai children about cricket. The children will have the opportunity to learn and practise the key skills needed for cricket as part of Canterbury Cricket's Smash Play programme.

School Holidays

We hope you have a wonderful time with your children over the school holidays and we look forward to seeing you all next term.

Kind regards

The Kōwhai Team

Kia ora Whānau, we have had another busy and fun fortnight in Kōwhai! 

Welcome to Tracey

A warm welcome to Tracey who has joined our team. Tracey will be providing CRT for our Teachers as well as using her expertise in Structured Literacy to support our team.

Matariki     

We are looking forward to seeing you at our Matariki evening on Tuesday June 25th. All Kōwhai workshops will be in Tahaki. 

NZ Opera in Schools Tour - The Elixir of Love

Last Thursday, the NZ Opera "Opera in Schools" tour visited us to perform Donizetti's The Elixir of Love. 

This 45-minute adaptation of Donizetti’s famous opera follows Adina, the daughter of the local fish and chip shop owner. Nemorino, who works there, is madly in love with her but is too shy to express his feelings. When a famous film star, Belcore, arrives and flirts with Adina, Nemorino must find the courage to fight for his love, possibly with the help of a magical Elixir of Love.

Cybersafety

Many parents didn’t grow up with the internet, so it can be hard to imagine how tamariki may use it.

But these days, digital technology is a key part of our young people’s lives. They use it for learning,

communicating and entertainment.

Netsafe has released research that looked into parental awareness of children’s experiences of online risks and harm. The research found a mismatch between parents’ awareness and their children’s experiences of upsetting online content.

To check out the research, and other Netsafe resources, visit this link. 

Friendship Is...