Kia ora whānau,

Well done everyone for making it through Level Four and also working through the first week of distance learning at Level Three.  By now we are all settled into our home learning / distance learning routines.  Thank you for all of the positive feedback on our Pōhutukawa Hub Website.  We hope that you are continuing to enjoy the variety of learning challenges that we offer each day.

Distance Learning
We are really enjoying receiving work that the children have been creating. It's great to see photos and videos of their learning too - they help us feel connected with you! Please also remind your child(ren) to click the submit button on any work that they have completed in Google classroom - that way we get a notification and know that the work requires our attention and feedback. We continue to strive to offer a variety of learning activities that will suit each family and their different circumstances. We are very happy to see that the majority of our learners are completing at least one learning challenge from our site each day, as well as using the site (and other resources) to complete numeracy and literacy learning daily. Remember to check the Sharing Our Learning section in our Pōhutukawa Google Classroom stream so that you can see what everyone has been up to! Keep up the great work everyone, and remember we are here to help if you or your child need support with their learning.

If you feel it would be beneficial for us to call you or use Zoom to connect with you and your child about their learning, please email you child's home group teacher and we will set up a time in the school day that suits. Please keep in mind that Steve will be on site at school next Tuesday and Thursday and Anna will be on site on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On these particular days they are busy working with children at school, and so will contact you on the days that they are working from home.

Using Zoom for Learning meetings with students
Last week we opened up Zoom to our Google Suite for students. Our teachers have been using Zoom for their meetings, and find this platform to be far superior to the similar option of Google Meet which some teachers had been using with the children.

Please be aware that your child's security is a top priority for us. To that end, we have the following procedures in place, and we ask you to monitor (as always) what your child is using their school account for at home.

• All Zoom meetings with staff and students will be recorded by the staff member.
• Staff have enabled Zoom 'waiting rooms' meaning that students cannot begin a meeting without the teacher who created the meeting being in the room.
• Students should ideally be in a room where you can at least see them, when they are in a zoom conference. (Bedrooms and bathrooms are not appropriate places for children to be when using social / meeting platforms.)
• Please remind your child that their Google accounts are for school and learning use only. This means that they should not be using their student accounts to engage in Zoom or Google Meets with one another for social purposes. 

Junior Neighbourhood Support Canterbury challenges you to…

Make a Stop Motion Lego Movie!
You can use lego or other toys to share one part of your Covid-19 isolation time. Some ideas for experience to share include (but are not limited to):

• Keeping 2m away
• Going to the supermarket
• Staying at home
• Leaving the house for exercise
• Easter or ANZAC Day 2020

Send your entries to jns@canterburyns.net before Level 2 ends and we’ll put them into a movie that everyone can watch. If you need some help getting started with Stop Motion, have a look at https://www.instructables.com/id/Stop-Motion-Animation-for-Kids/
Stop Motion Studio is a popular Apple and Android app to use to film and you should only need the free version. If you are using a Chromebook, you may like to try Stop Motion Animator (from the Chrome Web Store).

Kia ora koutou,
We hope you are well.  Please note that we have shared another video with a hello from all of the hub teachers and an update on what we have been doing this week to keep busy! If you could please let your child know to have a look in their Pōhutukawa Google Classroom they will find the video there.
Many thanks,
The Pōhutukawa Team

Kia ora whānau,
We hope that you are all well and enjoying a holiday break in our "new normality".  This is just a short note to let you know that we've sent your child(ren) a video to say hello - they will find it in the Pōhutukawa Class in Google Classroom. We know not all of the children will be checking their school email accounts, so if you could let your child know to head to Classroom when you have time and check it out, we'd greatly appreciate it.
Ngā mihi nui,
Anne, Rae, Anna, Steve, Gayle and Kerilea

Kia ora whānau,

What a busy term we have had so far!

A huge congratulations to all of the children who took part in our Duathlon on Friday.  The Year 5 and 6 children made up 70% of all entrants in the race - we were so proud to see so many of our learners taking part and living our Beckenham te Kura o Pūroto value "We Love Challenge."

COVID-19
We are in unprecedented times with the COVID-19 global pandemic. Our focus at school remains on learning, keeping life as normal as possible for our learners, and ensuring good hygiene practices across the hub.

For our school, our pandemic plan is ready to be implemented if needed. In the mean time we will continue to focus on good hygiene practices. Hand washing and good cough etiquette are very important tools in preventing the spread of illness including colds, flu and COVID-19. We will be supervising the children as they wash their hands prior to eating at morning tea and lunch times.

With that, there is a good video clip from Nanogirl that will help your children to better understand the virus - YouTube clip - Nanogirl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPsY-jLqaXM

You may have also seen the Prime Minister sat down with Dr Michelle Dickinson (aka Nanogirl) and the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Juliet Gerrard, to talk about coronavirus:
Watch on the PM’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=615164082657847
Read and watch on the Newshub website: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/03/watch-health-experts-join-jacinda-ardern-to-dispel-some-coronavirus-covid-19-myths.html

One other action we can all take is to be vigilant about our own health and the health of our children. Sandy is encouraging staff to stay away from school if they are showing signs of illness such as coughs and colds. We ask that you please do the same with your children. Colds and flus are common in schools and by staying away, seeking medical attention and practicing good hygiene, we can all keep any spread of illness to a minimum.

The aim of our sports programme is to provide exposure to a range of different sporting pursuits. This allows the children to develop movement skills and sequences in a range of contexts while broadening their horizons and discovering their passions. There are a range of events throughout the year. Some of these involve all the children and there are many additional optional opportunities for those who want to extend themselves. Children who enjoy the competitive element of sport can strive to qualify for zone and Canterbury level competition through Primary School Sport Canterbury. If your child is not able to compete for any reason, there are a myriad of alternative ways to be involved. Inclusive practise is always at the heart of what we do. If there is anything that we can do to make an event more accessible for your child, please get in contact with Jenny or your child’s homeroom teacher.




For some optional events, children interested in competing should enter using a Google form, which is accessed through Google Classroom. We aim for the children to develop independence in entering events and we acknowledge that some children may need support with this. Conversations at home about upcoming optional events that may be of interest, and checking in to ensure that they have entered events you would expect them to, is advisable. I have attached the link to entry forms for both swimming and duathlon so that you can go through the process together if needed.

This is an optional event, which takes place at Wharenui Pool. Children may enter one distance per stroke and as many different strokes as they wish. For example, they may enter 25m freestyle and 50m backstroke, but may not enter the 25m and 50m backstroke. The children enter this event via a Google form. This form has been made available to them through Google Classroom. Follow this link to get to the entry form.
Participating in the school duathlon is a fantastic way of showing our school value, ‘We love challenge’. It involves a run around the block, a bike around the park (2 slalom laps for Year 7/8), followed by a second lap of running around the block. The sense of achievement when crossing the finish line makes the hard work worth while. Children need to provide their own bike for this event. Here is the link to the Google form for entries.
There are two mountain biking relays that have been very popular in previous years. While these events are promoted by Beckenham te Kura O Pūroto and we are proud for the children to represent our kura, the responsibility of the transport and supervision of children at both events is with the caregiver. Entry for both of these events is done by the caregiver on the event’s website. Follow the link below. Please contact Jenny if you have any questions about either of these events. Email confirmation of your entry to Jenny.




Huxster Mountain Bike Relay - 4th March

Held at Mclean’s Island, this event is a super fun event where children strive to complete as many laps of the course as they can in the time, (1.5 hours for Year 5/6 and 3 hours for Year 7/8). Year 5/6 children must compete in a team of two, while Year 7/8 have the option of doing the event as an individual or in a pair. Children should be confident controlling the speed and direction of their bike on beginner level single track.




Note: This event is much earlier in the term than it previously has been.

Due to its popularity, this event is now being held over two days. Children from Beckenham should enter the South and Mid Canterbury zoned event on the 4th of March.




Hanmer 4 Hour Mountain Bike Relay - 21st March
This event features a variety of options for many age groups. The Super Juniors (6 to 11 years) do a very friendly course through the Heritage Forest. This incorporates a green level single track. Every child must have their own tail end charlie, (an adult riding with them) on every lap. This is a fantastic entry into mountain bike racing for those children who are comfortable controlling their speed and direction on trails similar to those at McLean’s Island and Bottle Lake. Children aged 11 years plus ride the same course as the adults, (and at the same time). This course has more climbing and more technical riding, (think Loess Rider or an easy blue level trail). Children should be confident mountain bikers on easy blue trails. Children compete in a team of up to 4 children.