Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Schoolwide Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 20th March 2026

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Principal's Update

Ngā mihi e te whānau,

It has been a very busy couple of weeks at school. Students have been working hard in the classroom and engaging in a wide range of activities beyond it. At times like this, it can be difficult to keep up with everything that is happening!

Thank you to all our staff for providing these opportunities, and to our community for your ongoing support in making them possible for our students. There is some important information in this newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to read it carefully.

Join a band!


You may have seen a HERO post earlier in the week about opportunities for students to register their interest in school bands. This is a great opportunity for those learning instruments to take their practice to the next level in a highly supportive environment.

If you would like your child to take up this opportunity, please click the link below:

Safety on the Roads

Please note this message relates to a very small minority of our community. We are becoming increasingly concerned about some of the driving behaviours being demonstrated at pick-up and drop-off times. These include making U-turns in areas with heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic, and using designated no-parking areas for parking.

If this behaviour continues, we will seek support from external agencies to help mitigate the health and safety risks to our students.

Digital Technologies Review

As part of this year’s Annual Plan, we will be undertaking a review of how digital technologies are used in our school to support learning. This will include gathering feedback from families, reviewing current research, and considering health and safety guidelines related to digital technology use.

Our aim is to ensure that when digital technologies are used, they enhance learning experiences and outcomes, while also equipping students with the skills and attitudes they need to use these tools effectively and responsibly in the future.

Please look out at the beginning of next term for opportunities to be involved in this important review.

Turf Update

We are pleased to confirm that our new turf will be laid during September and/or October this year. The turf will be a real asset to our school and wider community.

Thank you again to the PTA for their work on this project, and to our community for their generosity through our fundraising efforts.

The turf location and design is shown below. 

Update from the Chicken Palace

 It is hard to believe that the tiny chicks that graced our office space at the end of last year are now on their way to maturity.

Caring for the chickens provides our students with valuable, real-life learning opportunities. Through this, they develop a strong sense of responsibility, empathy, and respect for living things, while also building patience and an understanding of animal welfare. These experiences bring our school values to life in a meaningful and authentic way, particularly in fostering care for others.

Thank you again to everyone who has played a part in making this possible at our school.

Work at School over the holiday break 

Over the holiday break, work will be completed on the exterior of the Old Dental Clinic (PTA Uniform Shop), and the interiors of the Music Rooms, Pūkaki, and Kōmanawa. Please feel free to use the school grounds as usual, but take care around work areas.

Have a great weekend!

Ngā mihi
Cade

Principal / Tumuaki

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto

Important Dates

2026 Term Dates - Linked Here

Upcoming EventsTerm 1
Mon 23 MarCanterbury Hockey Sessions (Yr 7/8)
Tue 24 MarCanterbury Hockey Sessions (Yr 5/6)
Wed 25 MarCanterbury Swimming Event (Yr 5/6)
Wed 25 Mar - Sat 28 MarSouth Island School MTB Championships
Wed 25 MarBoard of Trustees Meeting (5:30-7:30pm, Staff Room)
Thu 26 MarCanterbury Swimming Event (Yr 7/8)
Fri 27 MarCelebration Assembly (10:00-10:30am, Hall)
Wed 1 AprPSC Huxster Mountain Biking Event
Wed 1 AprPTA Meeting (7:30-9:30pm, Staff Room)
Thu 2 AprLast Day of Term 1
Fri 3 AprGood Friday - School Closed
Upcoming EventsTerm 2
Mon 20 AprFirst Day of Term 2
Wed 22 AprNgā Puna Wai Tournament (Yr 5-8)
Mon 27 AprANZAC Day - School Closed

Citizen of the Week

Stella - Year 5

Stella, you are a magnificent role model in our hub. You are always positive, kind, and thoughtful towards others. You are an incredibly hardworking student, and you consistently demonstrate excellent self-management skills in all that you do. You are a star, Stella!

Kura - Year 4

Kura, you are a highly engaged student who thrives on a challenge. Your inquisitive mind and confidence allow you to make insightful connections across your learning. You embody all of the Beckenham kete values every day. Thank you for always being an outstanding role model in our team!

School Notices

Parking Reminder - 3min area on Sandwich Road

A reminder please, that the drop off and pick up area on Sandwich Road (by the bike stands) is a 3min drop-off zone from 8:30-9:30am and 2:30-3:30pm on school days. This means drivers are not able to sit in their cars from 2:30pm waiting for children, or to park cars in this area and go into school. If you arrive early and wait for children, or if you need to get out of your car and come into school, please find an alternative place to park on the street nearby. Having this area just for drop-offs means that the traffic on Sandwich Road moves smoothly before and after school, and this is much safer for our children.

Furthermore, please do not park in or use the staff carpark entrance or exit - this is for staff and service vehicles only. 

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!

'EZlunch' Lunch Orders

Our school now uses Ezlunch, part of the Kindo platform, for all online lunch orders.
Ezlunch offers a simple, mobile-friendly way for families to order fresh, tasty lunches from the same local providers you already know and love. The ordering process is quick, payments are secure, and delivery to school is reliable and easy.

You can view the available menu, linked here.

Hardship Fund Contributions

We know that sometimes families, and others in our community, would like to contribute towards the costs for students whose families might be experiencing some hardship, and are not able to readily fund uniforms, stationery, or even lunches. If you, or anyone you know, would like to make a contribution to our hardship account, please email accounts@beckenham.school.nz or simply deposit funds into the school bank a/c, Beckenham Te Kura o Pūtoro Board of Trustees - 12 3148 0131641 000, with the reference "Hardship donation". We will ensure that these funds are used to support those families who need support. 

Getting support from our Hardship Fund

If you are a family who would appreciate some support with uniforms, stationery, or food, please contact the office or email accounts@beckenham.school.nz, and we will do the best we can to support you. We want to ensure that all of our tamariki have everything they need to succeed at school.

Kupu Māori o te Wiki

Kia ora koutou! This year, we are embracing our te reo Māori and will be learning a new Whakataukī (phrase/proverb), Kīwaha (saying), and Kupu (word) each week. Here are the last two weeks' new te reo we have focused on:

Give these a go! Nau mai te wero - We Love Challenge! He taonga te ako - We Love Learning!

Whakataukī:Mauria te ponoThis means to believe in yourself!
Whakataukī:He rau ringa e oti aiThis means many hands make light work. So, let’s focus on working together as a team!
Kīwaha:He reka!This means yum!
Kīwaha:WananeiThis means wicked!
Kupu:WeroThis means challenge.
Kupu:AkoThis means to learn.

If you are unsure of the pronunciation of a word, have a look at Te Aka (the Māori dictionary) where you can hear how the word is spoken correctly.

Chicken Chat

Chicken fact ~ Did you know? Chickens are the closest living relatives to the Tyrannosaurus Rex!

The Sports Corner

Kia ora koutou,

This section of our newsletter will be dedicated to highlighting the successes and challenges our students are experiencing in sports outside of school. We love seeing our ākonga (students) showing our school values, especially We Love Challenge Nau Mau Te Wero in the community. If your child has had a sporting success that you’d like to share with our community, please email me with a short blurb and photo to: kate.mcgregor@beckenham.school.nz - We’d love to feature it in our next newsletter!

Ngā mihi nui,
Kate McGregor
Sports Coordinator

Swimming Sports Success 

What a fantastic day we had for our Beckenham Te Kura Swimming Sports! It was wonderful to see our tamariki giving their best in the pool and supporting one another throughout the day. Ka mau te wehi! A huge ka pai to all of our swimmers. You should be incredibly proud of the effort, determination, and positive attitude shown throughout the day. 

Results:
Year 5 Champions: Thalia & Jos 
Year 5 Runner-Ups: Jessica & Mati 

Year 6 Champions: Chloe & Laurence 
Year 6 Runner-Ups: Laurien & James

Year 7 Champions: Harriet, Hazel & Haydn
Year 7 Runner-Ups: Clara & Harvey 

Year 8 Champions: Sarah & Sebastian
Year 8 Runner-Ups: Zaria & Samson

Following our school event, a number of swimmers went on to represent Beckenham Te Kura at the South Zone Swimming Competition, where they achieved some outstanding results against strong competition from across the zone. We are very proud of all the students who represented our kura so well. This event was a fantastic example of what can be achieved through determination, resilience, and supporting one another. As the whakataukī reminds us: “Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei.” Pursue that which is precious, and if you stumble, let it be upon a lofty mountain.

South Zone - Individual Results:
  • Sebastian: 2nd in 50 m Freestyle, 3rd in 50 m Backstroke, 2nd in 50 m Breaststroke
  • Samson Nuttall: 2nd in 50 m Butterfly
  • Sarah: 2nd in 50 m Freestyle, 1st in 50 m Backstroke, 1st in 100 IM
  • Haydn: 2nd in 50 m Freestyle, 2nd in 50 m Backstroke, 2nd in 50 m Breaststroke
  • Hazel: 2nd in 50 m Freestyle, 3rd in 50 m Backstroke
  • Clara: 3rd in 50 m Freestyle
  • Harriet: 2nd in 50 m Breaststroke, 1st in 50 m Butterfly
  • Chloe: 2nd in 50 m Backstroke, 2nd in 50 m Breaststroke
  • Jos: 2nd in 50 m Freestyle, 2nd in 50 m Backstroke, 1st in 50 m Breaststroke
  • Mati: 1st in 50 m Backstroke
  • Thalia: 1st in 50 m Breaststroke, 2nd in 50 m Butterfly
South Zone - Relay Results (4 x 50 m Mixed Freestyle):
  • Year 8 (Sebastian, Vinnie, Sarah & Harriet): 2nd
  • Year 7 (Haydn, Harvey, Hazel & Clara): 1st
  • Year 6 (Laurence, James, Chloe & Laurien): 2nd
  • Year 5 (Jos, Mati, Amelia & Jessica): 2nd

Year 3/4 Miniball - A successful start to the season 

Our Year 3/4 Miniball teams, the Breakers, Ballers, and Boppers, have had a fantastic start to the season. It has been great to see our players developing their skills, working together as a team, and growing in confidence on the court each week.

Miniball is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn the fundamentals of basketball, and our teams have been doing a great job of supporting one another, showing determination, and giving things a go. Ka pai to all of our players for the effort and enthusiasm they are bringing to each game!

Touch Rugby - Fun for all year levels!

It’s been great to see the continued fun and success across our teams! The photos this week feature our Year 0–2 Fire and our Year 7/8 Eels and Pumas, who have been showing fantastic teamwork, effort, and enthusiasm in their games. Ka pai to all of our players for representing Beckenham Te Kura so well! 

PTA News

Easter Raffle 

Our Easter Raffle is up and running! Thank you for all the donations, and any last-minute donations can be dropped off at the office next week. You should all have a raffle sheet now, with 20 tickets to sell to family, friends, neighbours & workmates. Tickets are $2 each with a range of hampers to be won. Extra sheets are available at the office.

Please return all raffle sheets (sold and unsold) to the office by 3pm on Friday, 27 March.

Payment options:
  • Cash - place in an envelope with the raffles sheet in the box in the office.
  • Kindo app - download the Kindo app and pay online (and don't forget to bring your raffle sheet back to the office!).
All returned raffle sheets will go in a draw to win one of three Easter treats.

MoveX Fundraiser

Thank you to all those who supported our MoveX fundraiser last week! It was a great night, and we raised $660 towards the new shade sails. 

Uniform Shop

We're always on the lookout for fleeces at the uniform shop, so if your child is growing out of theirs, we would love to have it. Donations can be dropped off at the office at any time, or come to the shop on Mondays from 2:45pm to 3:15pm or on Fridays from 8:45am to 9:15am.

BOT Update

Term 1 Policy Review - SchoolDocs

  1. Visit the website https://beckenham.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm
  2. Enter the username (beckenham) and password (pride).
  3. Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
  4. Read the policy.
  5. Click the Start your review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
  6. Select the reviewer type.
  7. Enter your name (optional).
  8. Follow the prompts to show that you've read the topic and enter your feedback if you'd like to comment.
  9. Agree to the privacy statement and click “Submit review”.
If you don't have internet access, our school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form.

Community Notices

(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)

Cashmere Netball Club - Looking for extra Players!

Cashmere Netball Club are currently looking for a few extra players in the following teams:
  • Year 6 - Saturday at Hagley Netball Courts, 11am - x 2 spaces available
  • Year 5 - Saturday at Hagley Netball Courts, 11am - x 4 spaces available
  • We are also still taking registrations for year 3 and 4.

Koru Team News Term 1 Week 6

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Kia ora e te whānau,

It is incredible to think that we are into the second half of our first term together... and what a fantastic term it is! The tamariki are well-settled into school life, including our routines, timetables, and expectations. It's a joy to listen to them referring to our school values at both mat time, and during their learning and play. Their ability to articulate their thinking and their reasoning is second to none, and we're very proud of the way that they are already 'living our school values' (in particular, 'We Care' and 'We Get There Together' which are our focus values for Term 1)!

Kotahitanga (Getting On Together):

Throughout this first term, we have been focusing on the importance of making connections, forming, maintaining, and sustaining relationships.

Over the term, our work has (and will be) related to:

  • personal identity and self worth (feeling good about ourselves)
  • belonging
  • talking about ourselves, including about our feelings and expressing our opinions
  • enhancing relationships (working cooperatively)
  • communication
  • friendship (defining friendship, establishing friendships, maintaining and sustaining our friendships)
  • social environments and, in particular, our class (aroha; what it looks like, feels like, sounds like; and making good choices in our happy hub!)
Check out our Stone Wall, on the right as you enter our learning spaces. The children have put a great deal of work into completing this display, and we're sure you'll agree that this work truly represents each of our wee ones, and the values that we hold dear at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto! 


Maths in the Koru team:

Our Maths programme in the Koru team is made up of several different components:

  • Warm ups
  • A sequence of lessons focusing on a particular strand, or strands, of Maths (e.g., Maths and Statistics, Geometry, Algebra, etc.)
  • Problem solving
  • Maths games

Warm ups:

These take place at the start of each Maths lesson, and can take the form of an activity we call Notice, Think, Wonder, another activity we call Move and Prove, or a focus on number knowledge.

'Notice, Think, Wonder' will begin with a photograph which is designed to stimulate thinking and questions. Some examples might be:

What do you notice?
What do you think?
What do you wonder?


What do you notice?
What do you think?
What do you wonder?

We absolutely love the children's thinking, observations, and confidence to contribute during this warm up time!
'Move and Prove' asks the children to consider 3 or 4 options and select the one that they think answers the question (or doesn't belong).
An example might be:

The letters 'a', 'b', and 'c' (and also 'd' as the children become familiar with the activity) are positioned on corners of the mat. The tamariki are given thinking time and then might be asked to 'turn and talk', to discuss their thinking with a learning buddy. They are then asked to move to the letter which represents the option that they have chosen. The 'prove' part of Move and Prove asks children to justify their thinking - why did they choose the answer which they chose? 
As with Notice, Think, Wonder, Move and Prove supports us all to be able to acknowledge and compliment the children on their thinking, as well as their confidence to participate and contribute. And, as you can imagine, it's incredibly endearing to hear the tamariki complimenting each other in these situations!! 

Lesson sequences:
Following our Warm Up, we move into our lesson sequence for the week. The topics we have covered so far this term include:
  • All About Us (a 3-week topic, focusing on Number, Geometry, and Algebra)
  • Pattern Makers (Algebra)
  • Counting One to One (with a focus on Number Structure and Operations)
A selection of photos taken during these topics follows, and these will provide a glimpse into the learning the children have been engaging in during these topics.

















Problem Solving:
Once a week, we have a problem-solving activity, during which the children are presented with a Maths problem to consider. They will generally work with a learning buddy and will have access to a range of equipment, including materials to help with their thinking and a whiteboard and a whiteboard pen for recording (one of each of these, between two children, encourages sharing and turn-taking).

An example of a possible Maths problem

Maths Games:
On Fridays, our big buddies from the Kauri team spend time with us and, during this time, the children are provided with a Maths game which they will play in small groups, each group supervised by one of the Kauri team students.
On the last two Fridays, the game the children have played is the game called '21'. (This might also be a fun game to play at home.)
This is a strategic counting game where players take turns to add 1, 2, or 3 numbers to a running total, starting from 1. The objective is to not be the player who says "21"!






In the Koru team, we are learning to think and act like Mathematicians, and we are LOVING it!!

Our photo gallery this week:
  • We love visiting the library each Friday:











  • Here we are practising our interoception activities:
  • Practising the letter sounds and forming the related grapheme:




  • Playing schools:
  • Playing hospitals:

  • Practising writing the heart words:

  • Practising our Skip and Bounce pen grip:





  • More fun at Learning Through Play time:


What beautiful tamariki they are... and what fantastic learning they are doing. We are very proud of them all!
We hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and we look forward to seeing all of those beautiful, wide smiles again on Monday.

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,
Nicola, Kendall, Stacey and Elizabeth

Kōwhai News Term 1 Week 6

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Kia ora e te whānau,

Wow, we can't believe how quickly Term 1 is going! Our tamariki have settled in beautifully to the Kōwhai routines, and have been showing our school kete values throughout the day.

Maths and Literacy Groups

Our maths and literacy groups have been established, and our tamariki are now settling into these routines and are building momentum in their learning.  

For literacy, if your child is still on the Structured Literacy programme, they will be taking one book home every week to practise reading at home. Once your child has completed the Structured Literacy programme, home learning will consist of reading a chapter book or non-fiction book of their own choice each night. Some students may bring home a journal story or article that they have read in class. All students will be visiting the library each week. The days for each group are as follows:

  • Tuesday: Jordan and Gayle's literacy groups
  • Wednesday: Georgia and Anna's literacy groups
For writing, our tamariki have had the awesome opportunity to write to a penpal from a different school across Aotearoa New Zealand. The focus of these letters was to tell their penpal some information about themselves, as well as about their experience of Walk or Wheel to School Week, which took place last week. We are very excited to receive some letters back! For the rest of this term, we will be focusing on recount writing. 

For maths, we have spent the first few weeks looking at geometry and focusing on 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes and their different attributes, and looking at different types of angles that we may find within shapes. For the rest of this term, we will be focusing on number structure and operations, looking at numbers up to 1,000 and 10,000, as well as looking into addition and subtraction. Problem-solving is also completed at least once a week, opening our tamariki up to open-ended and unfamiliar questions. We have been beginning with some different rapid routines. These include activities like Notice, Think, Wonder, MoveNProve, Revisit and Retain, Which One Doesn't Belong, and some Esti-Mysteries. Have a go at this question below which was a part of our programme this week:


Scooter Skills

Next week, on Thursday 19th March, we will be having our Scooter Skills sessions. This is run by a representative from the Christchurch City Council, and will involve a 45-minute session with groups of 20 tamariki at a time. 
Thank you to all the families who are willing to lend a scooter for the day. We are extremely appreciative! 
A reminder for all whānau that tamariki will need to bring their own helmet on Thursday. Please make sure this is named. What an exciting event!



Kapa Haka Performance

Today our whole hub performed at our celebration assembly. Our tamariki did a fantastic job, and showed our school kete value 'We Love Challenge' by being brave and getting up the front of the whole school to pull off a magnificent performance. Ka pai tō mahi, tamariki!

Recorder Lessons Opportunity

On Thursday morning, Celia, from the Christchurch School of Music, came out to demonstrate the recorder to our Year 3s and 4s. They are offering small in-school group lessons for $97.50 a term starting in Term 2. If your child has expressed an interest please go ahead and enrol using this link: csm.org.nz/enrol-online. Someone will be in touch with you to organise lessons. They will take place on a Wednesday morning, and the children will be in small groups of 4 for a 20-minute lesson.
 
It is important for the children to have a good quality recorder so, if you don’t have a good one at home already, please purchase a Yamaha descant from Music Works at 569 Colombo St. They are currently on special at $14.95.
 
This is a great opportunity to get your child started on their musical journey and the recorder leads nicely into the band programme offered at Years 5-8.



Nut Free Zone

A reminder to all that our hub is completely nut free. This includes any spreads in sandwiches that contain nut products (nutella, peanut butter), any muesli bars containing nuts, slices or biscuits with nuts in them, and any other products that might make their way into lunch boxes that have traces of nuts within them. If you are unsure, please read the back of packets to double check the ingredients. Thank you for your support with this. 


Online Safety: Gaming

Eighty percent of tamariki in New Zealand aged 8-17 have played games online. Games can have many benefits: entertainment, social opportunities, coordination development, problem-solving and multitasking skills. But, most of all, gaming is popular because it’s fun. 


But games can be tough for parents and whānau to navigate. How much gaming is too much? How do I make sure my tamariki aren’t seeing inappropriate content or chatting in-game with strangers?


Today we’re sharing Netsafe’s Online Gaming Whānau Toolkit so you have all the resources you need to keep your kids safe. 


YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/rPN_ev1RSDQ

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 


Ngā mihi nui,

The Kōwhai team


anna.reid@beckenham.school.nz

georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz

gayle.mcnaughton@beckenham.school.nz

jordan.pollock@beckenham.school.nz

Kahikatea News Term 1 Week 6

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Kia ora whānau,

It’s hard to believe we are already six weeks into the term! It has been a very busy and positive time in our classroom. Our tamariki have settled well into routines and have been showing fantastic engagement with their learning. It has been wonderful to see growing confidence, new friendships, and lots of enthusiasm across all areas of the curriculum. 


Literacy

We are a few weeks into our literacy groups, and we are incredibly impressed with our tamariki and their enthusiasm to learn. It has been wonderful to see students building confidence as they work through their reading and literacy activities.

A quick reminder that students can only take their reading books home if they have their reading folders at school. Folders only need to be brought to school on Thursdays. On this day, students will return their previous book and receive a new one to take home. Thank you for helping support this routine!


Maths

Last week, we were learning about shapes and geometry. Our tamariki enjoyed exploring and identifying different shapes through a range of fun, hands-on activities. Take a look at some of the things we got up to!

Over the next few weeks, we will be diving into place value and grouping numbers. Students will be learning how numbers can be grouped into tens and ones, helping them better understand how numbers are made.

Ideas to try at home:

  • Ask your child to group everyday objects (such as Lego, pasta, or small toys) into groups of 10.

  • Practice counting collections and see how many groups of 10 you can make.

  • When you see numbers around you (letterboxes, page numbers, prices), ask: How many tens? How many ones?

These small activities can really help strengthen their understanding of numbers.








Inquiry – Sustainability: Healthy Bodies and Minds

As part of our inquiry learning around sustainability, we have been exploring what it means to have healthy bodies and healthy minds. Recently, we looked at how to create a balanced plate of food and talked about 'everyday foods' and 'sometimes foods'. Students discussed what foods help give us energy, what foods help our bodies grow, and why it is important to have a variety of foods on our plates. Have a look at our balanced plates of food! 









Tuakana–Teina

Our seniors recently led some wonderful Tuakana–Teina activities as part of their leadership week. They created a range of games and activities for small groups of our tamariki.

It was a big hit! It was fantastic to see such great engagement from everyone involved. Our younger students loved working with the seniors, and it was awesome to see the older students stepping into their leadership roles. Here are some pictures of the fun!






















Little Kickers

We are excited to be taking part in Little Kickers, an organisation that gives children a positive introduction to sport by teaching football skills in a friendly, pressure-free environment. The focus will be on developing ball skills.

Please talk with your child about this and reassure anyone who might feel nervous that this is for everyone, whether they have played football before or not.

Little Kickers will take place on:

  • Wednesday 18th March

  • Wednesday 25th March

We are looking forward to lots of fun and active learning!


Diversity Day

Wow! Everyone showed up today looking bright and colourful for Diversity Day.

Thank you to everyone who brought along a gold coin donation. These donations are going towards two fantastic charities: Rainbow Youth and The Dyslexic Foundation.




Sickness 

There is a lot of sickness going around at the moment! If your child is feeling unwell, please keep them at home. Phone 033371404 or email the office at office@beckenham.school.nz to let them know your child is unwell and will not be at school. 


Wishing you all a wonderful weekend with your whānau!

Ngā mihi, 

Amber, Sarah S, Talia and Sarah J


Kauri Team Newsletter – Term 1, Week 6

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Kia ora koutou,

What a jam-packed two weeks we’ve had in Kauri! Week 5 featured the South Zone Swimming Sports, round two of our Whare Kotahitanga, Walk or Wheel Week, and plenty of learning packed in between.

Week 6 is already shaping up to be a highlight for the yearbook as we enjoyed a range of activities during Leadership Week. From discovering what type of leader we are to putting those qualities into practice, it has been fantastic to see students stepping up and embracing new challenges.

Upcoming Dates:
Week 7:            Wednesday - Whare Kotahitanga (Rotation 3)
                          Thursday - School Based Immunisation Programme

Week 8:             Monday - Canterbury Hockey Skills Sessions
                          Thursday & Friday - SISS Mountain Biking Event
                          Friday - Celebration Assembly & Kauri Sausage Sizzle

Week 9:             Wednesday - Huxster Mountain Biking Event at McLean's Island

Have a fantastic weekend with your tamariki,
Hugo, Kate McG, Megan C, Sarah A, Megan H & Nicky

Thank you to Megan Harris
Over the last three weeks, we have been incredibly lucky to have Megan Harris covering Megan C’s homegroup while she has been away. Megan has stepped in seamlessly and has been a wonderful part of Kauri during this time.

Thank you, Megan, for all the support, care, and enthusiasm you have brought over the past few weeks — we have truly loved having you in Kauri!

South Zone Swimming Sports (& Swimming Cups)
In week 5, our BTKOP representatives headed off to the South Zone Swimming Sports to compete for a chance to advance to the Canterbury event on Thursday the 26th of March. We want to congratulate all of our swimmers for the determination, grit and speed they showed through their races and a further congratulations to those who progressed to the Canterbury event. 

We have also presented our first cups for 2026 and wanted to share our congratulations to Sarah W and Sebastian B who were our 2026 recipients. What an incredible achievement for you both!


Whare Kotahitanga
Our house captains, deputy house captains, and sports leaders have been showing off their fantastic leadership skills by running our Whare Kotahitanga sessions over the past two weeks, with two more to go. During this time, we have been taking part in activities within our house groups, involving all tamariki across the school. Students have rotated through four different stations: rautaki (sport), tūhono (connection), auaha (creation), and hononga (team building). Tamariki across the school have been loving this time to connect, and our kaiako (teachers) have been raving about the leadership shown by our student leaders — tino pai!



Week 6 - Leadership Week
Leadership Week has been a highlight for our class. We were lucky to hear from three inspiring speakers — Craig Saunders, Lucy Gray, and Andy Thompson — who shared their experiences and insights about leadership. Through their talks, students learned about different leadership styles and what it means to lead in positive and meaningful ways.

Throughout the week, we had plenty of opportunities to put these ideas into practice. Students planned a tuakana–teina buddy session and spent time on Friday connecting with our Kahikatea buddies. We also walked to Mount Vernon and then on to Hansen Park, where we took part in leadership and team-building challenges.

Each afternoon, students participated in a variety of fun team-building activities, including blindfolded mazes, tug of war, the electric fence challenge, and the classic game of Zip Zap. On Thursday afternoon, we also enjoyed a swim at Waltham Pool, and we returned to school on Friday morning for a team breakfast together.

It has been fantastic to see students stepping up, supporting one another, and growing their leadership skills throughout the week. Please enjoy these photos from Leadership Week!