Welcome back to Term 2. We have really enjoyed hearing about all the fun filled activities the children have been able to experience over the holidays. What a lucky bunch!
Here are the essentials for the week ahead...
TRIP TO THE CITY AND THE MARGARET MAHY PLAYGROUND:
Here are the essentials for the week ahead...
TRIP TO THE CITY AND THE MARGARET MAHY PLAYGROUND:
We are continuing to explore ideas about the concept of Identity with a particular focus this term in art. We have planned a wonderful trip to the city to investigate the transitional art that has evolved as a response to the earthquakes. We will travel to the city by bus and walk through the city, taking pictures of artworks and participating a city scavenger hunt. We will then make our way to the Margaret Mahy Playground for lunch and a play before taking a bus back to school. The trip will take place on Wednesday 17th May. We will leave school at 9.30am and will return to school at 2.30pm. There will be a small cost of $3.50 per child to cover the buses. This amount will be added to your school account.
to enable this trip to go ahead, we do need parent helpers for this trip. If you are able to assist us, please let you child’s home group teacher know. Thank you very much.
MAD Time
We have started our first session of MAD time (Make A Difference time). The children have selected an area they are particularly interested in for the term. The different MAD projects include Woodwork with Mike, Passion Projects with Paulette, Sketching with Anna, Italian with Susan, Korean Dance with Rebekah. We also have a small group of children going to Thorrington Resthome to visit the residents.
Pizza Making- Parent Help Needed
This term, the children who receive certificates will be given the opportunity to make pizzas for lunch. This is one way that we can utilise the kitchen in our team. We will notify you either via the phone or email to let you know if your child is making pizzas. As a school, we will provide the pizza dough and sauce and your child will need to bring along the toppings they want on their pizza. We do need the lovely assistance of a parent each week to support the children with making the pizzas. This will be from 11am-12pm. If you are able to help, please add you name to the roster here.
Term 2 Inquiry Focus
Our Inquiry focus for Term 2 sees us continuing to 'dig deeper' into the concept of Identity exploring it with a scientific lens with the children learning how environmental change can affect our identity. Over the course of this inquiry, we will be learning to make comparisons between living and non-living things, think about what living things need to survive and how changes in environment(s) can have an effect on living things. We will also be looking at roles and responsibilities in human and animal communities and what it means to be a citizen. We can wait to see what action the children want to make with their learning.
Learning Conferences
Next week, school will close at 2pm on Tuesday 9th May and Thursday 11th May as we have Learning Conferences. As a school, we highly value this opportunity for the children to share their learning with you, celebrating their achievements and identifying their next steps. If you are yet to make a booking, please go to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and use the code b5qec
We look forward to seeing you all next week.
Hockey
Next week we are lucky to have coaches from Canterbury Hockey coming to school to teach the children basic field hockey skills. The programme is called Small Stix and will consist of 4 skill based sessions and will culminate in a hockey festival to celebrate the children's learning on the 6th of June.
Rhythm Interactive
On Monday, we are are very fortunate to be experiencing Rhythm Interactive at Beckenham School. Due to the hall being out of action, the Methodist Church on Malcolm Ave are kindly hosting the whole event. The children will not only be listening to the percussive skills of the Rhythm Interactive team as they get banging and beating on their drums, but they will also get stuck in themselves, filling the hall with their own rhythmic sounds. It is so exciting! If you want to know more about it, have look at the following YouTube clip from a previous visit to Beckenham School: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ziyo8Zk4eOg.
That's all for now. Have a wonderful weekend with your whanau!
Kowhai Teaching Team