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’.
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!
