Kahikatea Newsletter Term 4, Week 2

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Kia ora e te whānau

We have had another busy week! Read about our highlights and upcoming events below. 

Key Dates 

27-29 Oct & 2-6 Nov : Water Safety Sessions at Pioneer Pool 
30 Oct: Whole School Athletics. 11am-12.15ish & Sprints/Relays 2pm
11 Nov: Trip to Rāpaki Marae - parent helpers will be needed. More information coming about this.

Kete Awards For This Week 
Well done to the children who got "We Love Learning" and "We Get There Together" awards this week.


Head Lice 
...are on the move again. Please check and, if needs be, treat your child's hair. Long hair should be tied up, not just to prevent the spread of Head Lice, but for swimming as well.
Tea Tree Oil can be a good preventative treatment, and for children with long hair, plaits with hairspray can also be a good barrier for transmission!

Swimming - Next Fortnight
We have discussed and role-played what we will need to do for water safety sessions next week, including getting on the bus and changing. Please encourage your child to practise: 
  • Drying themselves
  • Getting undressed and dressed 
  • Putting their clothes in their swimming bag
  • Putting jumpers etc in the right way
As well their togs, towel, goggles and swim cap, children will need a larger lunch and water bottle at school every day next week. Many thanks for your help. If you would like to read our Water Safety Social Story with your child at home, please do so.
Please NAME all of your child's clothes.

Re-visiting Our Treaty 
Over the past fortnight, we have revisited how we show our school values & reconstructed our Team Treaty (see below). This is inline with our school-wide Positive Behaviour For Learning protocol. Do feel free to talk with the children at home about this. 


Kahikatea Treaty
  • We use kind hands and words.
  • We include others.
  • We move safely and carefully.
  • We keep our hands and feet to ourselves.
  • We stay in our personal space bubbles.
  • We try our best and never give up (this shows that we love challenge).
  • We listen to the person talking with our bodies, eyes and ears.
  • We care for the environment and nature. 
  • We look after our materials (pens, paper, devices, books, games, chairs).
  • We ALL help pack up. 
  • We help others and encourage them, too.
  • If there is a problem, we use our words to say, “Stop it please” and we find a teacher if we need more help.
  • We have fun!
Photos of our whole team Treaty and values discussion:


Discovery Photos

Games & Construction

















Dressing Up




Our Little Gardens






Kauri Camp: The Last Post

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 We are on the road! Yesterday was a fabulous day based at camp. Lots of teamwork and challenge, and plenty of fun. A great team effort this morning getting packed up, cleaned and away by 9:30. We are stopping in Oamaru for 90 mins to lunch, play and check out the steampunk museum. Will send out an email later this afternoon to confirm our arrival time. Should be back between 5 and 5:30.

We have been privileged to have a superb bunch of camp parents - couldn't have wished for better. They have cooked, cleaned, run activities, supported the kids, and all with big smiles. 























Kauri Camp Update: Wednesday

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 The sun shone as we headed off to Otago Peninsula for an awesome day of learning and adventure. Albatrosses were seen by all; the lucky ones saw multiple flying overhead. Lots of new experiences enjoyed and memories made. 

After a good night's sleep, we are ready for an action-packed day at camp. 
























Kauri Camp Update: Tuesday

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 Morena everyone! We had an action-packed on camp yesterday and the troops slept well again last night. Today we are off to Otago Peninsula to visit Larnach Castle, cruise on the Monarch and check out the albatross colony. Then it is either off to the pool and Hair Raiser Tour or back to camp for a campfire. 



























Year 1-4 Swim Safety Lessons Weeks 3 & 4

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Kia ora whanau, 

Next Tuesday Year 1-4 start our Swimsafe program at Pioneer pool for the next two weeks. 

Your child will need to bring the following for the Weeks 3 and 4 of this term. 

1) Togs (no bikinis please)

2) Clean dry towel

3) A  named suitably sized swimming bag (this will need to fit their shoes and their uniform in it while they are swimming)

4) Fitted goggles 

Caps are not required but can be worn by preference. We encourage anyone with long hair to please have it tied back. 

Please make sure you name all  your child's belongings clearly. 

Parent Help

Thank you to all those whanau who have volunteered to help support the children at the pool. This will require whanau meeting us at the pool because the buses are very full already. Buses will depart school at 

Year 1/2: 11:45

Year 3/4: 12:45

Please meet us at the pool at the following times:

Year 1/2: 12:00

Year 3/4: 1pm 

You role is to assist students as they are changing into and out of their togs. This is a supervising role. We are encouraging children to be independent as they change. The routine for changing is everything comes out of their bag, shoes go into the empty bag, then each piece must go into the bag as they take it off, so that the children come out of the changing room with a bag full of their own clothes, and in their hands they have their towels and googles. 

Here are the following parents who volunteered to help and the days that they can help on. 

Year 1/2 parent helpers: 

Tues27thToni Ryan, Emily Simpson, Lucia Nuttall, Natalie Doering, Yanshan Wu, Qian Ye, Lou van Tongeren, Helen Johsnon, Charlite Bachelor9 parents
Wed 28thEmily Simpson, Yanshan Wu, Charlie Bachelor3 parents
Thursday 29thCarla Laaman, Katherine Christenson, Natasha Mazlan, Yanshan Wu, Joanne Hurford, Charlie Bachelor6 parents
Monday 2ndRachel Elliot, Kate Stallworthy, Toni Ryan, Emily Simpson, Caroline McKean, Pru Campbell, Rebeckah Hanmer, Natasha Mazlan, Lucia Nuttall, Natalie Doering, Yanshan Wu11 parents
Tues 3rdToni Ryan, Emily Simpson,Lucia Nuttall, Natalie Doering, Yanshan Wu, Qian Ye,Lou van Tongeren, Helen Johnson, Charlie Bachelor9 parents
Wed 4thCharlie Batchelor, Yanshan Wu, Katherine Christensen, Emily Simpson,4 parents
Thurs 5thCarla Laaman, Katherine Christensen,Natashia Mazlan, Yanshan Wu, Joanne Hurford, Charlie Batchelor7 parents
Fri 6thRachel R, Carla Laaman, Ruth Blane, Cristal devereux, Caroline McKean, Charlie Batchelor5 parents


Year 3/4 parent helpers: 

Tues27thCarolyn Aitken, Sally Wood, Kelly Turner-Gower, Toni Ryan, Kerryn Allan, Natasha Woods, Sarah Henderson, Richard Scott, Helen Johnston, Kate Rutherford, Raynor Kauta
Wed 28thNatasha Wood, Kerryn Allan, Richard Scott, Katey Gibling, Mary Winchester, Kelly Turner-Green, Raynor Kauta
Thursday 29thNatasha Wood, Kerryn Allan, Kate Stallworthy, Martin Barr, Raynor Kauta
Monday 2ndNatasha Wood, Kerryn Allan, Sally Wood, Carolyn Aitken, Raynor Kauta , Kate Stallworthy, Kelly Turner- Green,
Tues 3rdCarolyn Aitken, Sally Wood, Kelly Turner-Gower, Toni Ryan, Kerryn Allan, Natasha Woods, Sarah Henderson, Richard Scott, Helen Johnston, Kate Rutherford, Raynor Kauta
Wed 4thNatasha Wood, Kerryn Allan, Kelly Turner-Green, Richard Scott, Katey Gibling, Mary Winchester, Raynor Kauta
Thurs 5thNatasha Wood, Kerryn Allan, Kate Stallworthy, Martin Barr, Raynor Kauta
Fri 6thNatasha Wood, Kerryn Allan, Sarah Henderson, Kate Rutherford, Raynor Kauta


Please let Laura (Year 3/4) or Amber (Year1/2) know urgently if you are unable to help on one of these days. We would like a minimum of 4 parent helpers per session. As you can see some days there are many more helpers which is great, and on some days we only have 4 so we need to know that you will available to help. 

amber.donovan@beckenham.school.nz 

laura.williamson@beckenham.school.nz 

Team Kahikatea