Monthly Archives: May 2025

Koru Team Term 2 Week 4

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Kia ora, e te whānau,

A warm welcome to this week's Koru Team blog post. It's been a very busy fortnight, filled with lots of amazing learning, as well as the whole school Book Character Dress Up day last Friday and, of course, today's Cross Country event. The children did incredibly well during their Cross Country run today, showing 'We Love Challenge' (completing the course, and doing their best to show determination and stamina) and 'We Get There Together' (encouraging their classmates if anyone was finding the running challenging). We thank our Year 7 and 8 Kauri students who supported the Koru team tamariki as they ran today.










Kiss and Drop:

As the number of children in our Koru Team becomes ever higher, our hub can feel a little overwhelming for some tamariki in the morning. Please aim to "kiss and drop" your child off at the door, rather than entering the hub with them. This will help set your children up for a calm, quiet, and successful transition in the morning. Thank you so much for your support with this!

Learning Conferences:

We’re looking forward to meeting with you all at our learning conferences which are coming up on Tuesday, June 10th and Wednesday, June 11th, after mid-year reports are shared on Friday, June 6th. These meetings are a valuable opportunity to celebrate your child’s progress, talk about their current learning and next steps, and explore how we can work together to support them both at school and at home.

To make a booking, please go to:
https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code and use the following code: r3wt9

Literacy folders:

A reminder to please stress with your children that they need to unpack their Literacy folders every morning and take them indoors to their group's Literacy folder box. This is incredibly important for the smooth running of our Literacy programmes. The contents of the folders are used during the Literacy lessons and are topped up at times throughout the week with new letter cards, heart words and, as children become ready for the challenge of reading books, with the Pip and Tim texts. Many thanks for helping us in this way.

Cyber Safety:
Staying Safe Online - Bullying

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.



Readathon and Book Character Dress Up day:

We know that the children all enjoyed the Readathon's Stop, Drop, and Read, which helped to support some great reading habits. Thank you so much to those of you who were able to collect sponsors to help raise funds for our school.
  
If you still have sponsorship money to collect, this can be transferred directly to the PTA account 12-3148-0244558-00 using 'Readathon' as a reference.

The costumes on Book Character Dress Up day were absolutely adorable.

Check out the selection of photos below for some of the 'characters' who arrived at school last Friday!





























We hope you have a very happy and relaxing weekend and we look forward to seeing the tamariki, bright-eyed and eager, next week.

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,

Katie, Stacey, Niquita and Elizabeth


katie.mcfarlane@beckenham.school.nz

niquita.dalley@beckenham.school.nz

stacey.mclachlan@beckenham.school.nz

elizabeth.drummond@beckenham.school.nz

Kahikatea Team News Term 2 Week 4

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Kia ora e te whānau,

Over the past few weeks, our tamariki have been busy with some incredible learning experiences, and there are lots of exciting updates to share from the Kahikatea Hub!

One of the highlights was our trip to Ferrymead. Our ākonga had an absolute blast exploring toys and stepping back in time. We know many of you are eager to see what they got up to! 


Reminder - Staff Only day

On Friday, the 30th of May, the school is closed.


A Fantastic Day at Ferrymead!

We had an amazing day exploring Ferrymead, and our tamariki absolutely loved the hands-on learning experiences. Our ākonga were split into small groups and rotated through five exciting stations, each highlighting a different aspect of life and play in the past. These included:

  • The Science Behind Toys – Exploring the mechanics and physics that make toys work.

  • Puppets – Learning how puppets were used for storytelling and play.

  • Indoor and Outdoor Games – A chance to try out traditional games from the past.

  • Exploring an Old Classroom – Our tamariki stepped back in time and even created their own thaumatrope – a simple optical illusion toy from the 1800s! (Want to try it at home? Check out this video: How to Make a Thaumatrope)

  • Wandering the Ferrymead Township – A chance to explore the buildings, vehicles, and streets of Ferrymead.

The trip was not only fun but also a great learning opportunity. Our ākonga discovered how toys and games have changed over time, the perfect lead-in to the next phase of our inquiry: designing and creating our very own toys!

We can’t wait to see the creativity that comes next!



















Welcome Georgie!

We’re excited to give a big, warm welcome to Georgie Jones, who is joining our literacy sessions each day!

Georgie has been working in Pōhutukawa as a Literacy and Numeracy Support Teacher and brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to our team. She will be working with a few small groups from Talia and Amber’s classes during our reading block.

This is a fantastic opportunity for our ākonga, as it means smaller group sizes and more focused time with a teacher each day.

Georgie also specialises in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and brings a fresh perspective on English language learning. Her expertise will be valuable not just for our ESOL learners, but for all tamariki as we continue to grow our literacy skills together.


Cross Country Highlights – Embracing the Challenge!

Cross country was an awesome event! Every single tamaiti gave it their all, showing determination, resilience, and a fantastic attitude from start to finish. It was great to see our kura come together and celebrate one another. 

A huge thank you to all the whānau who came along to tautoko (support) our tamariki, and to those who helped out on the day, we couldn’t have done it without you!

This event was a wonderful example of how we show our school value  ‘We love challenge’.
























Money, Money, Money!

This week, our tamariki have been diving into the world of financial literacy and what a fun and engaging unit it's been!

We’ve been super impressed with how much our clever ākonga already know about money. Throughout the week, we’ve focused on:

  • Identifying New Zealand coins and notes

  • Understanding their value

  • Solving simple money equations using addition

It’s been fantastic to see our students making real-world connections, asking thoughtful questions, and enjoying hands-on activities with pretend money.

Kōrero about money at home

We encourage you to talk to your tamariki about money in everyday situations. For example:

  • Explore coins and notes together
  • Look at prices when you're at the supermarket
  • Compare costs or count change

These simple conversations will help build their confidence and understanding of money in real-life contexts!

Here are some pics of what they’ve been up to this week!




























Kōwhai News Term 2 Week 4

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Kia ora e te whānau,

What an awesome and busy first 4 weeks of the term it has been! We have celebrated Book Character Day and our Whole School Cross Country, and we also had an awesome performance from the Strike Percussion group. Our tamariki have been doing an excellent job in their Literacy and Maths groups, and we have really been enjoying our Miro Art and our Technology unit. 

Book Character Day

Last Friday, 16th May, we celebrated the end of our Readathon through our Book Character Day. We loved seeing the children embrace the theme, and come in some amazing costumes! We managed to get a whole hub photo with our wonderful Principal Cade. I wonder if you can spot "Where's Wally?"

Cross Country

Today, our tamariki competed in our Whole School Cross Country. Our tamariki have been practising for this day for the last few weeks. It was absolutely fabulous to see our tamariki showing our school kete value 'We Love Challenge' by giving the race a go, trying their best, and accomplishing their running goals!







Pizza Friday

We have begun our Pizza Friday afternoons. These have been going really well, and our tamariki who have been chosen have really enjoyed spending time with our teaching assistants to celebrate their amazing work of showing our school kete values each and every day. Just a reminder that if your child is chosen, they will be sent home with a letter on the Wednesday which will give some extra information about the day. The school will provide the ingredients for the dough, and then we ask each child to bring their own topping or toppings of their choice. These will be kept in the staff fridge until they are ready to be used. This has been a fun and educational way to celebrate success in our hub, and we can't wait for this to continue!






Strike Percussion Performance

On Thursday, 15th May, we had the wonderful Strike Performance Group come in and share some amazing percussion music with us. The performances were exceptional, and showed a wide range of ways that percussion can be performed. Below is a video of one of the amazing performances!




Ferrymead Trip - Parent Help

On Tuesday 24th June and Wednesday 25th June, the Kōwhai team will be heading to Ferrymead Heritage Park for a school outing. This expedition relates to our school-wide curriculum focus of "Change". We will be looking at how different things have changed over the last 100 years. More information will be coming out at the end of Week 5 (next week). 

We can confirm which day each homegroup will be going, if you are able to be a parent help on these days.

Tuesday 24th June: Anna M, Anna R, and half of Hazel's Home Groups

Wednesday 25th June: Rowe, Georgia and half of Hazel's Home Groups

Please note: If your child is in Hazel's Home Group, a letter will come home to let you know what day your child will be attending our outing. 

If you are able to be a parent help, please email Georgia (georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz) to let her know you are able to attend. Thanks for all your support!

Reminders

  • Winter bugs: We are encouraging our tamariki to cough and sneeze into their arms, and washing their hands constantly. This will help stop the spread of winter bugs that might arise. 
  • Head lice: Just a heads up that we have a case of head lice in the hub so please be vigilant of scratchy heads! If your child has long hair, we recommend that they have their hair tied up to prevent the spread of head lice. Thank you!
  • Lunchboxes: We love seeing the delicious lunch boxes that our tamariki are provided with! We have had a few students who finish their food early, leaving them still a little hungry at lunch time. We are asking if you could have a chat with your child, and see if they need an extra snack in their lunches, to help sustain those growing bodies!

Cyber Safety

The HDCA for Parents and Whānau

The Harmful Digital Communications Act (or HDCA for short) is an act passed by the Government back in 2015 to help people dealing with serious or repeated harmful digital communications. It covers anything digital like text, emails or social media content.


The most useful thing for parents to understand about the HDCA is the way the 10 communication principles define what is good or bad behaviour online.


If you’re ever concerned about your young person (or you just want to brush up on your knowledge!) visit Netsafe’s Guide to the HDCA. 




Kia pai ngā rā whakatā! Have a great weekend!


Ngā mihi nui,

The Kōwhai Team 




Kauri – Term 2, Week 4

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 Kauri - Term 2, Week 4


The last two weeks in Kauri have been jam-packed with lots of different activities. We have been busy working away on our art, inquiry, passions, maths, literacy and exploring opportunities outside of the classroom.


Upcoming Dates:

Wednesday 28 May - Zones Cross Country (you will be notified if your child has been selected to represent Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto)

Friday 30 May - Staff Only Day (School Closed)

Friday 6 June - Celebration Assembly


Cashmere High School Open Day on Tuesday 10 June 2025, from 4.00pm to 6.30pm at the McCombs Performing Arts Centre.


Farewell Kate Hastings!

Last week, we sadly farewelled Kate Hastings as she set off on her new adventure in New York. Kate has been an incredibly valuable member of our team and will be dearly missed by staff and students. Kate gave up hours of her time to help with supporting our learners, both in the classroom and out. We wish you all the best Kate, make sure to send through updates!



Awards

Our Kete award winners in week 3 were Sarah W and Max P for “We Love Learning” and Alfie R-M for “We Love Challenge”. We also congratulated Vinny J for earning his Bronze Leadership award and Archie C for earning his Silver Leadership award.



In week four, we also awarded kete badges to our students who have been working hard on their Kete Blog posts. We awarded kete badges to Bianca A, Dylan B, Samson N, Isabella F, Minah M, Ella H, Georgia S and Evelyn P.


Korfball

On Thursday of week three, we had Tom from Mixx Korfball come in and take sessions with each homegroup. He taught us a few simple rules and then the importance of those rules. We played small games against each other and practiced following Tom’s instructions. There were lots of us that got stuck in and really enjoyed the session.


If your child particularly enjoyed the session and it is something they would like to pursue outside of school, please have them ask their homegroup for an information flier from Mixx Korfball.


I enjoyed the competitiveness of the korfball. It was lots of fun to get involved in the game, passing with my team, and using lots of teamwork. - Ruvi L


Korfball was very fun. I liked how we started without many rules to get us familiar with the game as not many of us had played it before. With more rules being added throughout the game, it was all very well paced and fun. - Oscar W



Strike Percussion

Also on Thursday of week 3, we had a visit from Strike Percussion in the afternoon. Strike is a percussion group from Auckland who travel around the country, performing in different schools. We had Tayla F, Ruvi L, Misha L and Zach G invited onto the stage to join a performance. We were then luckily enough to watch a drumming battle between our very own Hugo and Kate H - where Kate H was the clear winner.


The percussion was good. We really enjoyed the fire number they did at the end. If we were to give it a rating out of 10, it would be 20. - Quinn H & Lukas O



Book Character Day

On Friday of week three, we held our book character day with many of our students getting in the spirit and dressing as their favourite character. We had a variety of characters from Peppa Pig to Harry Potter to King Kong. It was great to see so many of our students getting involved and feeling the spirit of book day!



Pink Shirt Day

Also on Friday of week three, we celebrated Pink Shirt Day. Pink Shirt Day is an annual anti-bullying campaign where people wear pink to show their support for diversity, kindness, and inclusion. It's a way to stand together against bullying and create safe, respectful environments for everyone. 



40 Hour Challenge

A passionate group of student leaders recently attended a youth conference to kick off this year’s 40 Hour Challenge. Representing our school as the 40 Hour Challenge leaders, they explored this years theme “40 Hours Offline”—a powerful call to disconnect from devices and reconnect with the world around them. Through inspiring workshops and guest speakers, the students gained valuable insights, ideas, and motivation to lead the challenge and raise awareness about making a difference—one hour at a time. Sign up will be happening within the coming weeks. 



Cross Country

On Friday of week four, we had our school cross country. It was a great day of doing our best and showing our school values of “We Love Challenge” and “We Care”. We showed “We Love Challenge” by pushing ourselves to do our best and working hard to make it to the finish line. We showed “We Care” by encouraging others and cheering them on. We had some incredible results and are very proud of all of our tamariki for taking part and doing their best.

Pōhutukawa News Term 2 Week 4 2025

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Kia ora all, 

For the last fortnight the focus certainly has been on whats happening outside of the classroom rather than whats happening in it! Winter Sport has had the children pumped up and ready to go and throw the school Cross country on top of that they have been about ready to explode! The news this week is a lot of sport and some colder weather notices to keep things ticking over. 

Winter Sports

Our first outing yesterday for Winter Sport and it was awesome to see all of the students heading out in their Beckenham colours to represent the school! We had a great time and are looking forward to getting 10 weeks of solid sport in on a Thursday afternoon. We have scheduled in practice times for Wednesday afternoons so please remind students the will need their winter sport equipment on both of those days. 

For those who do not head off site for sport, there are plenty of options at school in the non competitive sports. We had Jump Jam, Dance, Skipping, Korfball, Table Tennis and Badminton on the go! Again, just fantastic to see everyone trying something new or giving something a go, getting active and blowing out the cob webs from being inside on some of these wet  days! 



Cross Country

We were blessed with beautiful sunny, but chilly! weather for this year's Cross Country, and it was so great to see the students out there giving it heaps!  A huge congratulations to all of our students who embraced the opportunity to push themselves and got stuck into the event, it is such a great opportunity to live our value "We Love Challenge". Results of the Cross country will be posted soon to Hero, fingers crossed we could have some amazing representatives form the Pōhutukawa Team heading to Zones! 






Muddy Months

As we head into winter we are noticing the inevitable increase of muddy shoes and clothes as students come back from play and lunch, having played sports and games on the Park. We will be asking students to take off muddy shoes before entering the Hub and lining them up neatly outside the door. Slippers are most welcome to be worn inside only as well. We are noticing many students wearing very little in the cold mornings as well. Can you please remind them to be wearing their school polar fleece to keep warm! 

In addition to this, we suggest that if your child is coming home with very muddy clothes, please consider supplying them with a spare pair of school shorts and a spare school top for them to change into once they finish their games. We appreciate your support with this.



Have a great weekend everyone, whatever you get up to. Kia pai tō rā whakatā.

The Pōhutukawa Teaching Team

Chris, Rae, Nick, Gayle, Megan and Georgie