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Kahikatea News: Term 2, week 11

Posted on 5 July, 20265 July, 2026 by Sarah Spence

Kia ora e te whānau,

Term 2 of 2026 has come to an end and we have celebrated this busy term with some wonderful events and activities! Thanks to all who attended learning conferences; what a wonderful opportunity for the kaiako (teachers) to connect with our parents and whānau and to highlight the success of our pupils. We have had PTA breakfast and PJ day, book character day and of course, funky hair day to celebrate the last day of term! We have enjoyed multiple sporting events, and we hope the tamariki enjoy a safe and well-earned break with an opportunity to recharge and relax.

Here are a few snapshots of what Kahikatea have been up to this week.

Hillview Cross Country Challenge!

A huge highlight of this week for some of our tamariki was to represent their school at the Hillview Year 1-4 Cross Country Challenge. It was a wonderful event, and the children showed fantastic sportsmanship and a "can do" attitude! Embracing the school value of "We Love Challenge"!

Numicon - Numicon continues to be a very popular mode of learning for our tamariki and we are enjoying the opportunity to use a wide range of resources and classroom collaboration to extend the children's mathematical knowledge. This week we looked into comparing and ordering numbers to 100, and it created some wonderful problem-solving opportunities for the tamariki.

Funky Hair Day- Friday was FUNKY HAIR DAY!! As always, the tamariki shone bright and showed us their fantastic and creative hairstyles! They absolutely loved comparing their styles with each other, and there were lots of beautiful smiles all around. This was a fantastic way to raise money for the Starship Hospital, who do such incredible and vital work in Aotearoa.

Importance notice for Term 3:

Scooter-athlon- Next term, our Kahikatea Team will take part in an exciting Scooter-athlon on Wednesday 5th August from 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm. Parents are invited to come along and cheer on the tamariki.

The Scooter-athlon will follow a run → scooter → run format, giving students the chance to experience a fun, active, multi-stage race. Students are encouraged to wear their House T-Shirts, bring their own scooter and helmet, wear closed-toe shoes, and follow safety rules. Year 7/8 students will act as marshals to help run the event safely. Please note: If it is raining, the Scooter-athlon will be postponed. Any changes will be shared with parents via Hero.

Please let your classroom teacher know if your child does not have a scooter or if you have a spare one you are happy to lend. Your child will need to provide their own helmet. We can’t wait to see the tamariki scoot, run, and have fun – nau mai te wero! We love challenge!

The Kahikatea teaching team wish you a safe and restful break, and we are looking forward to seeing you in Term 3.

Ngā mihi nui

Sarah J, Amber, Talia and Sarah S

2026 Koru Team News – Term 2, Week 11 (3/06/2026)

Posted on 4 July, 20264 July, 2026 by Stacey

What a Brilliant Term 2!

We've had an absolute blast this term! Our Koru Hub has been filled with laughter, deep learning, and wonderful moments of collaboration. It's been incredible watching our tamariki strengthen their friendships and work so beautifully together. Looking ahead, we are thrilled to welcome our third home group to the Koru team next term. Thank you for a fantastic term!

A massive thank you to everyone who joined us in the Hall last Wednesday for our PTA Midwinter Breakfast! It was wonderful to see so many cosy pyjamas and smiling faces sharing a morning meal together.

We want to extend a special shout-out to:

Our Generous Community: Thank you to everyone who brought along a canned food donation to support those in need.
The Incredible PTA and Volunteers: An extra-large thank you to the amazing team who arrived in the dar, early hours to set up the hall and whip up bowls of delicious warming porridge!

Events like this remind us what a fantastic community we have. Thanks for braving the winter chill with us. We Get There Together!

Digitech

On Thursday, we were incredibly fortunate to be able to welcome Kate Sutherland from Digital Future Aotearoa to spend the morning with us.

As part of our Matariki learning, we explored our kura from a different perspective and reflected on the places that are special to us. We began by wondering what our school might look like from above, like a bird in flight, before comparing our ideas with a real aerial view through a drone flight over the kura and park.

Tamariki noticed familiar places in a whole new way and shared their ideas about where we learn, play, and care for our environment. Back inside, they added their own reflections to aerial images of our kura, as well as creating their own bird's eye view drawings, celebrating Tūrangawaewae, our place of belonging.

We also explored digital citizenship and the responsibility that comes with being a safe and ethical drone pilot. We learned to look out for manu (birds), kurī (dogs), and people in the park, while Kate shared some of the Civil Aviation rules that help keep everyone safe.

It was a wonderful morning of noticing, wondering, reflecting, and connecting with our kura through a different lens.

Term 3 information:

Matariki - Wednesday 22 July

Matariki is the start of the Māori New Year and a time of reflection, connection and planning for the year ahead. We would like to celebrate at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto, with you and your whānau on Wednesday, the 22nd of July, 5:30 - 7:00 pm. There will be a welcome and performance in Māpuna, the Hall by Te Whānau Mahi Tahi. Then Matariki workshops and activities in the Hubs for whānau to make, play and experience together. Pōhutukawa and Kōwhai Kapa Haka will perform in Māpuna, the Hall, to finish the evening.

Scooter-athlon - Friday 7 August

Next term, our Koru Team will take part in an exciting Scooter-athlon on Friday, 7th August, from 1:30 - 3:00 pm. This is the first time this event will take place at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto! Whānau are invited to come along and cheer on the tamariki. The Scooter-athlon will follow a run - scooter - run format. Students are encouraged to wear their House T-Shirts, bring their own scooter and helmet, wear closed-toe shoes, and follow safety rules. The Year 7/8 students will act as marshals to help run the event safely. Please note: if it is raining, the Scooter-athlon will be postponed. Any changes will be shared via Hero. Please let your homegroup teacher know if your child does not have a scooter, or if you have a spare one you are happy to lend. We can't wait to see the tamariki scoot, run, and have fun - nau mai te wero - We Love Challenge!

We look forward to seeing you all next term,

Kendall, Nicola, Elizabeth and Stacey

Kōwhai News Term 2 Week 11

Posted on 3 July, 20263 July, 2026 by Gayle McNaughton

We have made it to the end of Term 2, and what a term it has been!

Learning Conferences

We would like to extend a big thank you to all the whānau who came along to our Learning Conferences last week. It was wonderful to sit down with so many families and celebrate the amazing achievements of our Kōwhai tamariki. We love working alongside you.

Term 2 In A Nutshell

Despite the changeable weather, our hub has been abuzz with a range of busy and fun learning activities. In writing, we have been working on completing our narratives, with tamariki producing some fantastic writing that may have been shared with you at Learning Conferences. We are now working on descriptive writing, expanding our sentences to make them more interesting for the reader.

In reading, we continue to focus on the structured literacy programme as well as reading a variety of rich texts. In maths, we have finished a unit of work focusing on statistics and are currently learning about fractions and decimal numbers.

Learning out of the classroom has included P.E. lessons focusing on small ball skills. Learning to catch, throw and field tennis balls with a partner and in small groups has been a great challenge! These skills involved a lot of teamwork as well as developing hand-eye coordination. We have now completed our pepeha learning and are currently working hard on completing our paper weaving project, which we will be displaying on the hub's walls very soon.

Cross Country Challenge

On Tuesday 30th June, a team of 24 eager athletes from the Kōwhai team took on the Cross Country Challenge at Hillview Christian School. Everyone gave it their all, making it a thoroughly enjoyable and successful day out for the whole team!

Legacy Studio Hip Hop performance

The Legacy Studio hip-hop crew have been working hard practising their routines during their lunch breaks to prepare for the much-anticipated performance last weekend. Every crew member showed incredible focus and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe - We Love Challenge! Here is a photo of some of the hip-hop crew below.

Cyber Safety: Hector's World

Hector's World is an entertaining animated series used to support the education of online safety for primary school-aged tamariki. Over the course of Term 2, we have completed seven cyber safety lessons. The most recent lessons focused on:

Why it is important to be kind and respectful online and how to get help if it’s needed.
The concept of ‘Digital Citizenship’ - learning the skills, values and behaviours that lead us to engage in online experiences positively, confidently and kindly.

We hope that this learning has encouraged conversations at home with your child/ren about safety online.

Scooter-athlon

Next term, our Kōwhai team will take part in the exciting Scooter-athlon again, on Friday 7th August from 11:30pm – 12:30pm. Parents are invited to come along and cheer on the tamariki.

The Scooter-athlon will follow a run → scooter → run format, giving students the chance to experience a fun, active, multi-stage race. Students are encouraged to wear their House T-Shirts, bring their own scooter and helmet, wear closed-toe shoes, and follow safety rules. Year 7/8 students will act as marshals to help run the event safely. Please note that if it is raining, the Scooter-athlon will be postponed. Any changes will be shared with parents via Hero.

We thank you for your continued support of our tamariki and wish you a happy and safe school holiday. We look forward to seeing you back in Term 3.

From the Kōwhai team

Pōhutukawa Team News Term 2 Week 11 2026

Posted on 3 July, 20263 July, 2026 by Nick Bruce

Kia ora Whānau,

It has been a busy and productive couple of weeks to wrap up the term for the Pōhutukawa team! From testing our academic limits to sharpening our skills on the sports field, our students have been giving it their all right up to the final bell.

Here is a quick update on what’s been happening across our team:

Kiwi Competitions Update

This week, many of our students stepped up to the challenge for the annual Kiwi Competitions.

Completed This Week: Maths, English, and science. A huge congratulations to everyone who participated. We saw some fantastic focus and critical thinking on display.

Coming Up Later: If your child is signed up for the spelling competition, please note this will be held later in the year.

Sphero Bolts

In our CCC lessons, we have been putting our digital technologies skills to the test by programming Sphero Bolts. The students have been working hard to code their mini robotic spheres, learning how to control their speed, direction, and angles to navigate them successfully along a custom-designed race track. It has been brilliant to see their problem-solving and teamwork in action.

Canterbury Softball Visits

Last week, we wrapped up our final session with Canterbury Softball. Over the two visits, the coach worked with our students to develop their throwing, catching, and batting skills.

It has been fantastic to watch the students' confidence grow on the field, and they thoroughly enjoyed learning these new skills. A massive thank you to Canterbury Softball for their time and energy!

Homegroup Moves

Just a quick heads-up that most of our home groups have now moved into new learning spaces for the second half of the year. The students have settled into smoothly and are really excited about the change.

Thank you for your ongoing support throughout this term. We hope you all have a wonderful, safe, and relaxing school holiday break with your families. We look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and ready for Term 3!

Warm regards,

The Pōhutukawa Team

Kauri News – Term 2, Week 11

Posted on 3 July, 20263 July, 2026 by Kate McGregor

Kauri News - Term 2, Week 11

Kia ora koutou,

It’s hard to believe we’re already at the end of another busy term in Kauri! The last two weeks have been packed with learning, activities, and plenty of opportunities for our students to challenge themselves and celebrate their successes. We are incredibly proud of all the effort, resilience, and enthusiasm shown throughout the term.

As we head into the holidays, we wish all our Kauri whānau a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable break.

Mānawatia a Matariki - may Matariki bring you time for reflection, connection, and celebration with whānau and friends.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for another exciting term ahead.

Ngā mihi nui,

Hugo, Kate McG, Megan C, Sarah A, Megan H & Nicky

Upcoming Dates for Term 3:

Week 1: Matariki Whānau Evening (Wednesday 22 July), South Zone Basketball Tournament (Wednesday 22 July), Winter Sport restarts (Thursday 23 July)
Week 4: Primary Sports Canterbury Volleyball Tournament (Wednesday 12 August)
Week 6: Beckenham Te Kura Duathlon Event (Wednesday 26 August), Winter Sport finishes (Thursday 27 August)
Week 7: Court Theatre Performance (Monday 31 August), Kauri Ski Trip (Thursday 3 September), Staff Only Day (Friday 4 September)
Week 8: Life Education Bus (W8-W9), Primary Sports Canterbury Duathlon Event (Monday 7 September)
Week 10: Koru Games (Tuesday 22 September - Thursday 24 September)

Matariki Evening - Wednesday 22 July

Tēnā koutou e te whānau,

We would like to invite you to our school’s Matariki celebration evening on the first Wednesday (22nd July) back of Term Three!

Matariki is the start of the Māori new year and a time of reflection, connection and planning for the year ahead. We would like to celebrate with you and your whānau on Wednesday the 22nd of July from 5:30 pm. The PTA will be having a Sausage Sizzle on the night for a small koha (donation).

Outline of the night:

5:30 pm - Welcome & Performance in Māpuna, the Hall - Te Whānau Mahi Tahi
5:50 pm - Matariki activities begin in Hubs.
6:40 pm - Matariki activities finish in Hubs, whānau to head back to the hall.
6:45 pm - Performance in Māpuna, the Hall - Pōhutukawa.

Nau mai, haere mai! We hope to see you there!

Passions: Imagination Station - Build On Ice Competition

This term, Kate’s Passions Group has been taking part in the Imagination Station Build on Ice Competition. Working in teams, students have spent time designing, creating, testing, and refining their ideas, showing fantastic creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills along the way.

Every group did an incredible job, demonstrating perseverance, innovation, and teamwork throughout the process. It has been wonderful to see students bringing their ideas to life and supporting one another as they tackled the challenge.

We are incredibly proud of the effort and enthusiasm shown by all students. Check out the photos at the bottom of the blog post to see some of the amazing creations and the hard work that went into them! The full projects were shared to the whānau of these students via Hero.

Kete Blogs:
We have been incredibly impressed by the number of students participating in and completing their Kete Blogs throughout Term 2. The effort, creativity, and consistency shown has been fantastic. An outstanding 117 Kete Blog badges were earned and presented this term—a brilliant achievement! Ka pai to everyone who took the time to share their learning and experiences. Keep up the great work!

Science Badges:
Congratulations to Pippa on earning two Science Badges and to Shaan on earning one Science Badge this term! These badges reflect the extra effort they've been putting in at home to explore, investigate, and extend their scientific learning beyond the classroom. We are incredibly proud of their curiosity, commitment, and enthusiasm—well done to you both! 🧪🌟

Inquiry Presentations:
Our Inquiry presentations to wrap up our Sustainability unit were nothing short of incredible. Students showcased the knowledge they had developed throughout the term with confidence, creativity, and passion. From innovative ideas to thoughtful solutions for real-world environmental challenges, it was fantastic to see the depth of learning and the pride they took in sharing their work. Ka pai to all of our presenters for an outstanding effort! 🌱🌏

Canterbury Softball Sessions:

Our students have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in softball sessions led by the fantastic team from Canterbury Softball this term. They have been learning and developing key skills such as throwing, catching, batting, and teamwork through fun, engaging activities. It has been wonderful to see students grow in confidence while giving a new sport a go. A huge thank you to Canterbury Softball for sharing their expertise and enthusiasm with our ākonga! 🥎