Koru Team News Term 4 Week 10

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Kia ora e te whānau,

It is very hard to believe that we are at the end of our school year - a bittersweet feeling for all, as we say our farewells in advance of the long summer holiday. 

Our children have continued to work hard in all areas of their learning, despite the fact that many of them are feeling very tired indeed! We congratulate all tamariki on their impressive self-management, as the resources around them have been packed up, walls have been cleared, and spaces emptied, leading up to the final big furniture move on Thursday afternoon. Friday arrived, and the children had their first day in Tahaki, embracing the new space with enthusiasm and positivity. Very well done indeed, children. We're proud of you!

We send our heartfelt thanks to those families who were able to give their time last Thursday after school. We appreciate all you were able to do to help us. Your willingness and patience as we were trying to negotiate the boxes, the furniture, and the equipment were truly amazing. You just quietly pitched in, saw the needs and gaps, and filled them. Hooray for you!



Literacy books:

If you happen to find any Little Learners reading books over the summer break, please return these to the office in the new year.



Congratulations:

We congratulate Katie, who has been granted a year's leave to study and work with the Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour. We are incredibly happy for you and wish you all the very best, Katie, as you embark on this new part of your journey in education. You'll leave a very big gap in the Koru team, however we are happy in the knowledge that we'll see you back at Beckenham at the start of 2027!

Hearty congratulations also go to our very own Maisy, who has been accepted into teacher training at the University of Canterbury at the start of next year. We'll miss you terribly, Maisy - having said that, we have very high hopes that we'll see you back at Beckenham Te Kura in the future too.

A huge thanks to our lovely Niquita, who has been a wonderful asset to the Koru team this year. We will miss her sparkly smile and twinkling eyes. We have appreciated the warmth and kindness that she has brought to our team. We wish her all the very best for her future endeavours. 

And, finally... it has been a great pleasure for us getting to know you, our families, and your gorgeous children, throughout the course of this year. Your children have all made the most wonderful progress, emotionally, socially and academically! They have embraced the Beckenham values and use these to guide themselves and each other each day. It's been a joy to have been part of their learning journey. Thank you for your unstinting support. This has taken many and varied forms, and is always appreciated.

We wish you all a very safe and happy summer holiday, and we very much look forward to catching up with you and your children in the playground at the start of next year.

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,

Katie, Stacey, Niquita and Elizabeth






Pōhutukawa News Term 4 Week 10 2025

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Ngā mihi e te whānau, welcome all to the final post for 2025, kia pai ngā rā whakata.

When we reflect on this remarkable year, we celebrate not only the incredible learning progress but also the deep resilience and adaptability that your tamariki (children) showed in the face of various challenges. Their spirit and eagerness to grow have truly been inspiring for all of us here at the school. We want to extend our sincere thanks to you, our whānau (family/community), for your consistent support, which is so vital to their success.

We wish our Year 6 students all the very best as they prepare to head into their intermediate years. We know they are ready for this exciting new chapter and will take the values they learned here with them. We are also eagerly looking forward to seeing our Year 5 cohort flourishing in their role as tuakana (senior students/mentors) in Pōhutukawa next year, guiding our younger students with care and leadership.

We hope you all enjoy a lovely, restorative holiday season spent with your tamariki, celebrating time together. We are excitedly preparing for the fresh and exciting challenges that 2026 will bring, focused on continued growth, discovery, and community connection. Nau mai te wero! (Welcome the challenge!)

We wish you all a safe and happy festive season, ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te tau hau (Merry Christmas and a happy new year) from all of us."**

Ngā mihi nui.

The Pōhutukawa Teaching Team

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

Kōwhai News Term 4 Week 10

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Kia ora e te whānau,

Wow, it is so hard to believe we are at the end of the year and this is our final blog post for 2025! What an incredible and busy year it has been with lots of achievements, positive moments and exciting adventures. 

Highlights of 2025

Term 1 was an awesome introduction to our 2025 year. We started our year with water play, getting to know everyone, activities, an awesome Top Team event, exciting science experiments, house games, a special visit from Police Officer Jo, and the wonderful Kōwhai Service Club began. 

Term 2 was a shorter term, filled with lots of fun events. We began our special Pizza Fridays, went to a performance from Strike percussion group, had a Book Character Day, participated in the school cross country, created Miro sculptures, began our technology inquiry unit, followed recipes and instructions during our procedural writing topic, performed at our school Matariki evening, and went on an amazing trip to Ferrymead. 

Term 3 started with a hiss and a roar. We welcomed Jordan into the Kōwhai team, celebrated Maths Week, began learning about Keeping Ourselves Safe (a unit taught in collaboration with Constable Meg from the New Zealand Police), there was a whole school four square tournament, gymnastics sessions at the School of Gymnastics, and we finished the term with Beckenham's Got Talent.

Term 4 has been another busy and fun term. We began the term with a new event, the Scooter-athlon, started hip-hop dance and ukulele sessions, competed in our whole school athletics, took part in our whole school colour run, worked really hard in production groups, leading to a stellar performance, and finished off the term with the school chicks spending time in our hub. 

As you can see, it has been an action-packed year full of wonderful memories being made and some awesome adventures being had. 



Production

On Thursday 4th December, our Kōwhai tamariki shone on stage as they showcased their talents in our Kōwhai Jukebox Journey. It was wonderful to see all their hard work come together in such a vibrant performance, and it was extra special to be able to share this moment with our school community and whānau. We had a special "Production Screening" on Thursday this week to show the tamariki their magical performance! We just want to say thank you to all the whānau for your support, and a massive congratulations to our tamariki for showing 'We Love Challenge' for being brave and giving the performance a go!


End-of-Year Admin

  • Books: Please make sure all literacy books and library books are brought back into school. This is really important as we need these resources for our tamariki to use next year. Thank you for your support with this. 
  • Transition: On Thursday, we had The Great Migration across the school, where each team moved into a new location. We are now where Pōhutukawa was, to the right-hand side of our school hall. We will be in this space from now on.
  • Meet the Teacher: On the last day of school, Wednesday 17th December, our tamariki will meet their new teacher for 2026. A form will come home with the tamariki that has their teacher's name, the stationery list for next year, and questions to consider for our start of year learning conferences next year. 
We hope you have all enjoyed being a part of this year with us. We wish you a and safe and happy holidays, and look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!

Noho ora mai rā (Take care and stay well),
The Kōwhai Team



Week 10, Term 4 2025

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 Production Magic

Wow! What an absolutely incredible performance by our Year 7/8 students in this year’s production. The amount of effort and dedication that went into making the night such a success was truly awe-inspiring. From writing the scripts, rehearsing scenes, performing solos, and choreographing dance routines, to crafting props, running the technology for the night, and designing advertisement posters – every student gave their all. The energy, confidence, and creativity on display was remarkable, and the performance itself was nothing short of spectacular. Every member of the Kauri Hub contributed in their own unique way, and we couldn’t be prouder of them all.

Yummy Treats              

As a thank you to the students' hard work on production, we made some ‘bake at home’ treats. They loved designing their unique labels for the jars. Hopefully whānau got to enjoy some yummy cooking. 

Victoria Park Adventure
We enjoyed a wonderful walk to Victoria Park. Although we started off with a little drizzle, the weather soon cleared, giving us a beautiful day to explore. The students loved having lunch with their friends, climbing the trees, playing on the playground, and taking in the views from the hilltop. There were plenty of laughs as they went down the slide as a “train,” and the excitement and energy throughout the day was infectious. It was a perfect opportunity for the tamariki to enjoy the outdoors, challenge themselves, and make memories with friends.

Year 8 Pool Party
After a big day of walking and outdoor fun, we celebrated our Year 8 students with a much-anticipated Pool Party. The tamariki had a blast on the slide, played fun pool games, and enjoyed some classic treats like a sausage in bread and an ice block. It was a fantastic way to acknowledge their hard work, friendship, and contribution to the Kauri Hub this year.

Fond Farewells
We also said goodbye to two of our longest-standing Kauri Hub students – Snowy and Nibbles – who have been with us for 10 years! Nicky’s mornings will certainly look a little different without bringing vegetables in each day to feed them. Their presence and personality have been a cherished part of our daily routine, and they will be missed. They will be going to live with Rowan Matthews, year 8 student. 

Cass Bay Adventures
Our trip to Cass Bay was an absolute highlight of this week! We were spoiled with beautiful weather, and the tamariki made the most of every moment. The perfect setting for a day of summer fun. The pontoon was a favourite spot, with endless manus. Groups explored the rock pools and discovered tiny crabs hiding under stones and shells. Our competitive crew enjoyed shoulder wrestles as the tide went out, and the battles brought plenty of energy and amusement. Some students found patches of clay along the seabed and decided to embrace nature fully… covering themselves head-to-toe like it was a day spa treatment! It was a day filled with sunshine, laughter, adventure, and memory-making, the perfect way to celebrate our time together this year.

Kahikatea News: Term 4 Week 10

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Dear parents/whānau,

How have we only got 5 and a half days left of the school year???

We are posting the blog early this week as it includes some important reminders in terms of wrapping up the year.

Stationery:

Students are starting to bring home books, some are full and others are spares. You can use the spares next year. There is a link on the school website to stationery requirements for 2026.

Decodable readers:

No more reading books will be coming home, could you please send back any that you may have this week so that we can store them for 2026.

Library Books:

There are still many outstanding library books needing to be returned. We will not be visiting the library again this year but books need to be brought back to school and placed in the library returns box in the office. Any outstanding book loans will incur a fine.

The Great Migration:

If you can spare 20mins to come and help us shift some of the bigger pieces of furniture after school this Thursday 11th. We would be very grateful.

Fun Day:

As a reward for all of our tamariki's hard work we are planning a bit of a fun day next Tuesday. Students will need a change of clothes as we will have some different water play activities available. We will also have a Teddy Bears' picnic type lunch, children are able to bring a favourite soft toy from home on Tuesday.

Last Day:

 The final day of school is next Wednesday, the 17th of December, and it is a half day. School will close at 12:30pm.