Monthly Archives: September 2025

Year 7 & 8 Team @ Beckenham 2025-09-05 15:36:00

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 Term 3 Week 8

Beckenham has got Talent!

Our Beckenham’s Got Talent contestants were a huge success, impressing us with their creativity, confidence, and skill. From the high standard set in auditions through to the final show, every performance shone and made the event a memorable celebration of talent. A big thank you to all of our students for sharing their talent with us.

For our final Kauri line up we have Hanna, Ben S and A.L.A.R.M. We look forward to seeing you there if you able to attend in Week 10, Friday 1.30pm.

Ski Trip

Thank you for your understanding and flexibility around the postponement and new skiing date. We know there were a lot of disappointed students and (teachers). We are exciting to be going this Wednesday the 10th instead. A big thank you to Mt Hutt for being so accommodating. 

Hikoi

In Week 7, our City Hikoi took us to several significant sites, including Margaret Mahy Playground, Quake City, and the Christchurch Art Gallery. It is always special to be able to offer these opportunities to our Kauri students, and we are grateful to our support team and whānau whose help made the trip possible. Experiences like this also provide a wonderful chance to see students thrive outside the classroom and share their learning in new ways.

















Passions- Drawing

Passions. this term is well underway. This term we have a second Felting workshop a series of S.T.E.M projects, debating and drawing. In drawing we have been looking at shading techniques and a number of different artist that inspire us. 






Cantamath 2025

Last Wednesday we had two teams competing at the annual Cantamath competition, solving 20 challenging maths problems over an intense 30 minute period. Our Year 7 team scored 75 points, coming in the top 15 of a 85-90 team field. The Year 8s came in 10th= with a score of 90 points. A fabulous result for both teams. We also had a large number of entries in the projects competition, with at least half of our entries being awarded Highly Commended or Excellence awards. 





Fibonacci

This term we explored Fibonacci numbers and their fascinating link to square roots, helping us see the bigger picture of how mathematics connects to the world around us. Students observed how Fibonacci numbers appear in nature, patterns, and art, bringing maths to life in exciting ways. Rowan Matthews also showed this in her Cantamath project on Fibonacci numbers.



Te Awa guests- some wanted some not!

Te Awa had an opportunity to take a closer look at New Zealand Predator Free 2050. As part of our science inquiry into extinct, endangered and threatened. We had some real life predators and prey from our friends at The Department of Conservation. This gave us a unique opportunity to do some close work observations and scientific drawings. 










Upcoming dates for the diary;

Week Nine- 8-12 September

Monday- Cashmere alternative testing day.

Wednesday- Ski Trip

Thursday Evening Te Whānau Mahi Tahi performance at Cashmere

Friday - Staff Only Day

Week 10- 15-19 September

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday- Koru Games

Friday- Last day of Term 3.



Kōwhai News Term 3 Week 8

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Kia ora e te Whānau, 

Welcome to the Week 8 Kōwhai blog - it is hard to believe that we are approaching the end of Term 3. This week, we have welcomed spring and the warmer weather with open arms!


Gymnastics

On Thursday, the Kōwhai team was lucky to attend a gymnastics session at the Christchurch School of Gymnastics. It was wonderful to see students embracing our school value 'We Love Challenge - Nau Mai Te Wero’ and stepping outside of their comfort zones to try something new. We were very impressed with the way tamariki (children) represented our school and upheld our kete values during the trip. We are looking forward to our second session next Thursday!


If you are interested in learning more about the Christchurch School of Gymnastics or enrolling your child for sessions, follow this link: 

https://www.chchgymnastics.com/






















PB4L

Over the last couple of weeks, Kōwhai has been learning about how to strengthen our frustration tolerance as well as how to be proactive and assertive when asking for help. 


As part of the learning experience about frustration, students were tasked with the challenge of building a card tower. It was great to see how students persevered through the activity, calmly communicated their feelings, and then problem-solved as they tried new strategies. 


Asking for help

In this sequence of learning, students have been learning to reframe their thinking to view asking questions as a strength. Homegroups discussed that by asking questions, students demonstrate a curiosity to deepen their understanding, and as a result of gaining new knowledge, students are then able to build new connections and apply this to their learning 


Here is a link to the ‘asking for help’ slideshow that we have been working through, which includes some activities that you could try at home .



Performance/Inquiry

This term, we have been exploring the concept of ‘Change’ by delving into the wonderful world of dance and music. As a team, we have inquired into a range of musical genres from different eras and cultures, with a focus on how this was influenced by the current events of the time. The genres have included Rock n Roll, Disco, Futuristic, Ragtime, and Ancient Egyptian. Students have now opted into one of these genres, and with support from one of the teachers, will be working on developing a short performance. Our goal is to put these together and showcase them in a Kōwhai production. It has been fantastic to see ākonga (students) embracing this learning opportunity and letting their creativity shine through. As we progress into next term, we will keep you updated on how our performances are coming along!


Maths

Over the past two terms, students have been learning about the 5 Math Talk moves. They have been developing strategies to support them in communicating their ideas and sharing their processes in math. It has been fantastic to see how the tamariki (children) have embraced this learning opportunity. The teachers have been very impressed with the way students have been openly sharing their ideas, listening actively to others, and then responding thoughtfully. As a team, we have all been learning that there is immense value in listening, asking questions, and understanding other people's perspectives and ways of thinking. He Taonga Te Ako! - We Love Learning!


Here are some photos of Anna M's Math class. Students did a beautiful job creating patterns in nature.







Discovery

Below aere some photos of Discovery from the last 2 weeks:











Private and Social Media

Actively managing your tamariki’s privacy settings on the social networks they use can go a long way towards keeping control of their personal information.


Any information that is easily available online, whether it’s an email address, date of birth, or pictures, could end up causing harm if it gets into the wrong hands.


To help you navigate privacy on social media, Netsafe has put together a guide on How to Use Privacy Settings on Social Networks. 



We hope that you have a wonderful, restful weekend.


Ngā mihi nui,

The Kōwhai Team.





Pōhutukawa News Term 3 Week 8 2025

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Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all,

Read on for news and information about what has been happening around the hub in the last two weeks!. Have a great weekend everyone, kia pai ngā rā whakata.

Christchurch City Council: Ponds Planting initiative. 










Cycle Safe: Gayle and Rae's Home Groups 










2025 Keeping Ourselves Safe

From Tuesday 19th August until Friday 29th August,  the New Entrant to Year 8 teams will be teaching the personal safety programme by New Zealand Police - Keeping Ourselves Safe. We cover this programme every two years as part of our Health curriculum. 

What will children and young people learn?

They will learn:

  • to work out when their safety is at risk

  • how to keep safe when they meet and mix with other people

  • who and how to ask for help if they, or someone they know, is being abused

  • to go on asking for help until someone does something to stop the abuse

  • that it is important to make and follow personal, family and school safety rules

They will know:

  • that abuse is never okay

  • that abuse is never their fault

What part do parents, caregivers and whānau play?

Parents and whānau are strongly encouraged to support Keeping Ourselves Safe.

You can:

  • find out about abuse and what to do if you think a child you know is being abused

  • talk to your child about what they have learnt in Keeping Ourselves Safe

  • set safety guidelines with your family

  • help young children with the Keeping Ourselves Safe activities they bring home

  • give the same safety messages as the school is giving

  • look at the whānau section of NZ Police Keeping Ourselves Safe for more information

  • frequently asked questions - click here

Keeping Ourselves Safe will be taught by your child’s Home Group teacher, with support from

Constable Meg Moynihan, our local Police School Community Officer, as required. The lessons are age appropriate in content and delivery.

To be successful, Keeping Ourselves Safe needs your help and support. It is important that you

participate as much as possible and talk to your child about what they have been learning. This will

reinforce the messages the school is giving, and help your child to use their skills with confidence.

If you require more information about the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme or wish to discuss the

learning, please speak with your child’s Home Group teacher in the first instance.



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.


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


Privacy and Social Media

Actively managing your tamariki’s privacy settings on the social networks they use can go a long way towards keeping control of their personal information.


Any information that is easily available online, whether it’s an email address, date of birth, or pictures, could end up causing harm if it gets into the wrong hands.


To help you navigate privacy on social media, Netsafe has put together a guide on How to Use Privacy Settings on Social Networks. 





Ngā mihi nui. Kia Kaha.

The Pōhutukawa Teaching Team

Chris, Gayle, Nick, Megan, Rae, Georgie, Viv, Stacey and Laura

Koru News Term 3 Week 8

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Kia ora e te whānau,

Welcome to the Koru blog for Week 8. We have been enjoying the sunshine and warmer days this week... Yay for Spring! 

A reminder that we have a Staff Only Day next Friday, the 12th of September, so school will be closed.

Inquiry (Change) - Digitech

Recently, we have been exploring our Inquiry focus of 'Change' through Digitech. We have taken on the role of programmer and tester, and become familiar with the following:
- The language of movement: forwards, backwards, left, right
- The different roles involved in programming: robot (or Kidbot), programmer, tester
- Bugs and debugging: When obstacles are encountered or the code isn't correct when tested, tamariki need to debug the code and then retest. Bugs support our problem-solving.








Keeping Ourselves Safe

We concluded our Keeping Ourselves Safe sessions this week with a focus on 'Unwanted behaviour or touch - Kore e hiahiatia te whanonga me te pā kino'. We learned that we can stop touch or behaviour that is inappropriate or that worries or confuses us, or makes us feel unsafe. We practised saying NO confidently, and discussed how we can move away and report when things happen that we don't like. We also learned the difference between good and bad secrets. We were very excited to have a look inside Constable Meg's Police car! We even got to try on her Police hat!






Sunflowers

Our expert gardener, Lucy, taught the Koru children about the Life Cycle of sunflowers this week. The sunflower seeds that children planted were harvested from sunflowers that the gardening club grew last year. Children had the opportunity during Learning Through Play to join in and plant their own seed. It will be exciting to see our sunflowers grow in the coming weeks!





Te Reo Māori

We have been learning how to ask someone how they feel in Te Reo Māori this week. We have also been learning the words (kupu) for different feelings and emotions. 

To ask someone how they feel, we say, "Kei te pēhea koe?"
To respond, we say, "Kei te _______ ahau."









Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Katie, Elizabeth, Niquita and Stacey

 




Team Kahikatea Week 8 Term 3

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Staff Only Day Reminder

Friday 12th September (Week 9) Staff Only Day. School will be closed this day.


Kia ora whānau, 


Wow, this term is flying by. Can you believe it’s already Week 8? Kahikatea has been full of learning, creativity, and new experiences these past couple of weeks. Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to:



Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS)

Constable Meg visited us to teach important lessons about how we can keep ourselves safe. Our learning has included:

  • How to identify Police officers and understand that their job is to keep us safe.

  • What to do if we get lost, and how to recognise adults we can trust.

  • Learning the correct names for body parts.

  • Marching and saluting.

  • Understanding what consent means and practising role-plays where we confidently say no.

Here’s a short video to continue these conversations at home: Consent for kids





Clay Art

Our clay skills are growing every week! Nicky has been showing us how to make and shape pots, which has been both fun and challenging. This project has been a wonderful way to live our school value: We Love Challenge.

Here are some photos of our process, from shaping to painting our unique clay pots! 








Maths – Statistics and Graphing

In Maths, we’ve been learning how to use tally charts and collect data. Next week, we’ll take the next step by exploring graphs – learning how to read them and create our own based on the data we’ve gathered.

You can support this learning at home by encouraging your child to collect data on something that interests them (e.g. favourite fruit in the family, colours of cars passing by, or types of toys they have). They can then organise their results in a tally chart and even try creating a simple graph to show what they found.


Trees for Survival

We are excited to share that Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto has been chosen as the first urban school in the South Island to take part in the Trees for Survival programme! 🌱

Trees for survival is a Charitable Trust started by Rotary​ and works in partnership with Regional Councils,​ schools, sponsors and volunteers. I​t is an environmental programme which works with school students to grow​ and then plant​ native trees on sites such as wetlands, hillsides, stream edges, to increase​ biodiversity, stabilise soil and help improve water quality. 

This week, our ākonga planted our very first seedlings. We learned how to care for the seedlings properly and keep ourselves safe while working with potting mix. We are super excited to watch these grow and continue looking after our seedlings!

Find out more about Trees for Survival here: https://www.tfsnz.org.nz/

















Enjoy the first weekend of Spring!

Ngā mihi,
Talia, Sarah, Amber and Kendall