Kōwhai News Term 3 Week 2

Posted on 2 August, 20242 August, 2024 by Anna Reid

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

Random Chat Online

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,

Team Kōwhai

Kahikatea News Term 3 Week 2

Posted on 2 August, 20242 August, 2024 by Quynh Nguyen

Kia ora e te whānau,

What a lovely two weeks back of Term 3. We have noticed that the children are positively growing in physical and social-emotional skills. We have loved seeing the smiley faces and the "Good morning!". If you have any concerns or questions, please make sure to speak with your child's homegroup teacher.

Timetable

We have made some changes to the timetable this term to meet the needs of our tamariki, this means giving us more time to incorporate wellbeing activities in the morning (such as mindfulness, yoga, body percussion, etc.) without taking away learning time. The children have adjusted super quickly and smoothly to the new timetable and enjoyed having a "sneaky snack" after the fitness break in the morning. Ka mau te wehi - Awesome work!

Hillview Cross Country Challenge

A massive thank you to the parent helpers who supported the Hillview Cross Country event, your help made a huge difference to us. We are very proud of the children as they participated amazingly at the event.

Calendar Art

Just a quick heads-up that we are underway with creating our Calendar Art, and you may receive an email later this term about ordering products with your child's art printed on them. More details to come.

Lunchbox food

We really appreciate the fresh fruit and vegetables that have been coming to school in the tamariki's lunchboxes. This makes a difference to their intake of nutrients essential for a healthy body.

Arty Shapes

Our maths unit in the last two weeks is called Arty Shapes, looking at shape properties such as sides, corners, etc. Check out our shape creations!

Learning Through Play

Have a lovely weekend!

The Kahikatea Team.

Amber- amber.donovan@beckenham.school.nz

Sarah- sarah.angelo@beckenham.school.nz

Quynh- quynh.nguyen@beckenham.school.nz

Ella- ella.rainbow@beckenham.school.nz

Lisa- lisa.collier@beckenham.school.nz

Koru Team News: Term 3 Week 2 (2/08/2024)

Posted on 2 August, 20242 August, 2024 by Stacey

Kia ora e te Whānau,

Welcome back to Term 3! A very warm welcome to our new children who have started school in our Koru team: Leah, Parker, Elijah, Ethan, Stevie and Aubree. We look forward to lots of new children coming for visits and starting school in Term 3. We are also welcoming Nicola to join our teaching team. For the first 4 weeks of the term, Nicola will be at school in the mornings and will finish at 12:00pm. The children in Nicola's homegroup will be with Elizabeth in the afternoons. Nicola will be working fulltime from week 5 onwards this term.

Thank you so much to everyone who has noticed our 'Kiss and Drop' zone for families to say goodbye to their child at the classroom door. Our learning space has been so calm and quiet with children who are settled and happy in the mornings, a massive thank you for helping us with our morning routines!

Friendship list: if you would like your name and contact details to be added to our Koru Friendship List, please email Georgia by Wednesday 7th August. Georgia will update the list and share it with you. If your name is already on the list, please don't worry about contacting Georgia again. georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz

A reminder about routines:

Literacy folders need to be returned to school every day and put into their group Literacy box every morning
It's great if your child is able to independently carry their own bag into school, unpack it and put their lunch box and drink bottle on the shelves
We ask that caregivers avoid bringing children into school through the staff car park, rather, if entering off Sandwich Road, please come in up near the flagpole, or in through the gate down near the corner of Eastern Tce/Sandwich Road

What are we up to in Term 3?

Maths: We are focussing on Number Knowledge: counting, ordering, numbers before and after, reading and writing numbers up to 10 and beyond. Number Strategy: we are learning different strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems using numbers up to 10 and beyond. We are also looking at number patterns, symmetry, time and sequencing events, and measurement: volume.

Literacy: We are learning to read and write the letter sounds and heart words for each literacy stage. In our writing time, we are looking at different parts of sentences and the information they give us like: who, do, where and what.

Te Reo Maori: We are learning to greet others and introduce ourselves in Te Reo Maori.

Social Sciences: Our Kura: Our School. Our schoolwide focus this year is 'Identity' and we are looking at what makes Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto special to us and our community.

The Arts: Calendar Art is a fabulous way for us to get creative and is also one our PTA's main fundraising events. All the children (in Elizabeth and Georgia's home groups) will create a piece of art for you to look at and purchase as a calendar or card (more information to come from the PTA).

Learning Through Play: this is a time when our children can explore our learning space, play with friends, be creative and have fun together. We talk a lot about our School Values (We Love Challenge, We Love Learning, We Make a Difference, We Care, We Get There Together) and the 'Word of the Week' during Learning Through Play, these help us make great choices and show ways that support us being a good friend to others.

Maths Family Whānau Evening: We are excited to offer a Maths Family Whānau Evening, Thursday the 29th of August, 5.30-7.30pm in our School Hall.