Koru News Term 1 Week 4

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Kia ora, e te whanau,

We've had a very busy fortnight since our first Blog post for the year, so there's a great deal to report on! And thankfully, the weather continues to be beautiful, allowing for plenty of outdoor play, experimentation and exploration.

Learning Through Play:
We've had a wonderful couple of weeks, with the children's interests leading and informing the play. In Week 3, we received a large amount of brand new outdoor 'sports' equipment, and the children have been having a marvellous time cooperating with each other to create and develop games using the various items.
This week, we have had a big focus on 'Pirates', as a result of the interests of a few of the children. The children have been building pirate ships, making hats and treasure maps, and digging for treasure in the sandpit. The play has been collaborative, creative, engaging, full of fun, enticing, and always energetic! Wonderful times 😊







Group teaching and learning:
At the beginning of this week, we began the guided teaching and learning for our writing groups, reading groups and Maths groups.
The children will be bringing their reading folders home each night, and it's most important that folders are returned with the books to school every day. Depending on your child's priority learning needs, you may find a set of sight word cards in the little back pocket of the reading folder. There will be an explanatory letter in with the word cards, outlining some different ideas for you to help your child with learning these sight words to fluency (meaning, no working out required, rather automaticity).
Some children may also need to be supported to practise and learn the letters of the alphabet. If you know that your child has some way to go in this area of learning, now would be a great time to be giving support to your child in helping with this at home.
There is a link on our school website which takes you to a folder full of great resources which you can print off (and laminate if you have access to a laminator) for use at home. Here is the link again, for ease of access.
...and here are a couple of other fun Youtube links which we have been singing along to in class:
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom ABC
Kiwikids Phonics
Jolly Phonics (unfortunately 'q' is missing, but the children may remember and be able to sing it to you!)

Meetings to be arranged:
We have put a timetable up on the noticeboard for the parents of children who have started school this year. We would like to catch up with you for 15 minutes just to talk about your child's transition to school and some ways you might be able to help at home with learning goals. Please add your name to a suitable slot on the timetable. Many thanks for doing this, and we look forward to meeting with you. Those children who started school in Term 4 last year, will have already had this meeting with Stacey.

Life Education:
Our children have had two visits to the Life Education caravan, with Harold, Siobhan and Lou. We talked about everyone being unique and special, about being a good friend and about ways we might help to solve friendship issues.










Vito's visit to school:

A couple of Fridays ago, Elizabeth's 3-month-old puppy, Vito, came in for a school visit. He met some of the children, who were very calm and quiet for him. The children learnt that when you first meet a puppy, you should avert your gaze (rather than look the puppy straight in the eye) and put your hand down for the puppy to sniff (rather than try to pat the puppy on the head or on its face). Some of the children were able to give Vito a little puppy treat when he followed the instructions, 'Sit' and 'Down'.



House Games:
We had our first House Games event last Friday. The children had enormous fun, engaging in the games that their House Captains had organised. We were very impressed with the children's level of independence throughout this activity. All were accompanied happily to the place in the park where their house group had assembled, and all participated fully in the activities. Well done, children! We're proud of you.









Children's folders and poetry books:
A wee reminder that reading folders need to be returned to school every day, as they form a crucial part of the reading routine each day. Library folders just need to be returned to school on Friday mornings, however, if they are back at school a day or two earlier, that is absolutely fine.
It is best if the children's poetry books are returned to school each Monday morning.

All the best for a wonderful fortnight ahead!
Ngā mihi mahana,

Elizabeth, Jo and Stacey


Kahikatea Blog Term 1 Week 4-5, 2020

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Kia ora whanau,

Our Discovery time runs daily from 9.20 each day. We love this time, and use it to pursue our passions, such as lego or playing schools, as well as try new things. We also enjoy getting to know new friends. We are learning to: 
* make eye contact 
* invite others to join our play 
* take turns
* share ideas
* work co-operatively on puzzles, games and constructions
* reflect on and make adaptations to our creations










































Maths Time
Our students are enjoying partnered problem solving as well as independent maths time, where they can choose a variety of maths games and activities. We are working on identifying numbers and addition. We add by counting materials and by counting on from the largest number. 







Life Education & Haoura Time 
We all enjoyed time with Life Education this month. Harold the Giraffe was hilarious! We learnt about being healthy and thought about what makes us special. You might like to talk about what makes you special at home.

Cheese Roll: Final days for ordering

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A huge thanks to everyone who has ordered cheese rolls. If you have yet to place your order, you have until this Thursday to get it in. Click here to order.

If you are gathering multiple orders from friends and family, please arrange this as one payment to school, i.e. get people to pay you cash or put money into your account and then make one payment to school. This message probably just applies to Kauri families.

Next week we will put boxes in front of the hall foyer to collect your containers. Please make sure your child's name and hub are on your container. If you don't have a container, we will provide one, however the less we need to do this the better.

Many thanks for your support with our camp fundraising.


Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto PTA Twilight Fair Newsletter Number 2

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Twilight Fair News # Just under three weeks to go!


There are three weeks to go until our annual Twilight Fair! Planning is humming along. Hopefully you have seen that Fair HQ located in the Green Room, just besides Hall Foyer, is up and running. We are there everyday before and after school. leading up to the Fair.  We are accepting quality second hand clothes, books & toys (we will be accepting these items up until one week before the fair). *NB* Feel free to drop off a combination of donations (i.e.. books, toys and clothes in one go) over the next two weeks.
As well as second hand items, we would love it if you could drop off an unwrapped (Non-alcoholic) bottle. Can be anything-sauce, shampoo, fizzy, oil….just needs to be unopened & not expired. And nothing that requires refrigeration. If it’s in the shape of a bottle, we want it for our Mystery Bottle Stall!
Donations are voluntary. We appreciate any donation that can be made. The collection schedule makes it easier for us to sort and store the donations. However, we will gratefully accept any donation at any time. 

Thank you to the fantastic people who have followed the helper link and signed up already! We need over 100 helpers at night to run fair stalls, serve food and sell tickets. It is a fun way to meet other parents and be part of our awesome Te Kura o Puroto community, so please do click the link Fair Helpers or email us at pta@beckenham.school.nz and let us know what you can do.
We still need more help, especially with staffing the stalls! Even if you can sign up for an hour or two that would be a big help and give others a break to enjoy the festivities. We understand that we are asking a lot of the school community at the moment and please do not feel any pressure to donate. This is the biggest fundraising event that we run as a community and all of these funds are spent on making the school a better learning environment for the kids so please do support where you can.
If you are a baking guru you can drop off BAKING/SWEETS on the day (cakes, loaves, biscuits,
slice, cupcakes, muffins, fudge, toffee..etc..) or BAKE a Cafe style CAKE to sell on the Cof-
fee & Cake stand. You can also distribute FAIR flyers to neighbouring shops/ business and put a FAIR flyer on your back car window!
Don’t forget you can always sign up to be Dunked (20 min duty & no gender discrimination + free hot pie or hot drink & shower) or enter a competition, such as Beckenham Blokes Cake Decorating Competition or Pumpkin Competition!

Pumpkin Competition


The largest pumpkin ever grown in the USA had a weight of 2500 pounds, but the title of the heaviest pumpkin in the entire world went to a man in Belgium. His massive pumpkin weighed over 2900 pounds. (For those of you who are completely metricated, that's about 1134 kilograms!) Sometimes these pumpkins are so large they can be hollowed out and converted into rowboats!
At every Twilight Fair one of the most favourite competitions is the "Big Boy" Pumpkin Competition. Every family at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto is entitled to one free Giant Atlantic Pumpkin Seed, courtesy of the PTA. Some of you took up the challenge last October & might have managed to grow a 'Big Boy'!!! For those of you whose pumpkin hasn't grown so big, we have the 'Tiny Tot' Category available for you to enter.
And for those of you not so "green fingered,' don't worry because we have two other categories that might be right up your alley - the 'Best Carved' Pumpkin & the 'Best Dressed/Decorated' Pumpkin Categories.
Whether your pumpkin is large or small, painted or carved we have competitions galore and we would like to know how are YOUR pumpkins growing? Send us a picture on FB or by email  pta@beckenhamschool.nz

Twilight Fair Art Auction


The Twilight Fair Art Auction is underway again! Ask your children about the Fair Art Canvas they are working on - there are some amazing collaborative artworks that will be auctioned off during the Fair.
This is a chance for students to showcase their talent and each class is doing a combined piece. As art is up to interpretation we try not to limit the work to just two dimensional paintings. For the Fair two years ago one hub used wet on wet watercolor technique, and painted small rectangles of watercolor paper. Using a template, these rectangles were cut out the feather shape and students cut “fringes” into the edges of their feather. Finally, they mounted the feathers together in a wing shape on a canvas.
There will be a great collection of keepsakes created by students up for sale so don't miss this opportunity to own one of these. We hope to see you in the Auction house where we will also house the silent auctions!

‘Bumperball Football’ (Mini Zorbs)



They were so much fun last time so we’ve brought them back again to this year's Beckenham Te Kura o Puroto Twilight Fair!! Bumper Balls, Bumpa Balls, Bubble Balls, Loopy Balls, Mini Zorbs; whatever you call them, they are all about maximum fun and minimum rules! The Bumper Balls are giant spheres that go around the body and head, like a bubble, leaving just the legs sticking out. Brilliant fun for a game of bumper soccer. Bump, roll and flip over whilst trying to score a goal against your opponents! Too much FUN to handle & something for ALL ages! Look out for them on the big field!! And of course we have a Mitre 10 Mega Ferrymead Bouncy Castle that’ll be popping up on the big field too!!

Twilight Fair Supporters

We very much appreciate the support of the different businesses, parents and others who have all contributed towards our raffle and silent auction at the Fair, or who have donated services & products at a reduced rate or for free to keep down the running costs of the Fair.
Today we have received a voucher for a 'General Service and Drive Chain Clean' valued at $130 and Bell Spark mips helmet 53 - 60cm valued at $135 from Basic Bikes.



And if you have your eye on this brilliant piece of biking equipment it can be exchanged for the same or lesser value or you can of course pay the difference for a more expensive one if you wish too.
Or if your head is more in the clouds why not try trial Flight out of a Rangiora airfield! This has to be one of our MAJOR PRIZES for the Beckenham Twilight Fair Silent Auction ;). You will fly down to the coast, along the beach to New Brighton Pier, have a look around, and return to Rangiora. Approximately a 45 min flight. And for those that would like to “have a go” at flying the aeroplane, the pilot who is an 'A Category Instructor' can assist with this wish!
More information on fabulous donations and sponsors will come!
If you are a business/person that can help, please click on the link for more detailed information: Beckenham Te Kura o Puroto Donations. Please share/ tag this information with those you think may be able to assist.

Health update from the Ministry of Education

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The following information was received from the Ministry of Education late on Friday (28 Feb)...

Help us to keep you and everyone else safe

The Prime Minister has announced the first case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in New Zealand (see the full media release at the end of this article). The Ministry of Health has noted that although we have our first case of COVID-19, the chances of community outbreak remain low.
This case was identified because the person affected and their family did the right thing and got in touch with health authorities.

For now this doesn’t affect what you (schools and families) already are doing and the plans you and health authorities have in place. Schools need to continue to reinforce messages about hygiene practices. Practising good hand and sneeze/cough hygiene is the best defence:


  • wash your hands often with soap and water before and after eating as well as after attending the toilet
  • cover coughs and sneezes with clean tissues or your elbow
  • put used tissues in the bin.
  • Encourage staff and students to stay home if unwell.


We are still focused on keeping it out, and now stomping it out through track, trace and contain. It’s important we all continue to be alert but not alarmed.

Updated information from Health

As announced this week by the Ministry of Health, there are now two categories for travellers arriving in New Zealand:

Category 1 – People who have travelled from or transited through countries in category one in the last 14 days are required to self-isolate for 14 days and contact Healthline after they have left the countries. Mainland China and Iran are the two countries included in this category (with Iran added to this category on Friday 28 February).

Category 2 – People who have travelled from or via countries lists in category two who develop symptoms of fever, cough or shortness of breath should seek medical advice by first phoning Healthline’s dedicated COVID-19 number 0800 358 5453 or contacting their GP including phoning ahead of their visit.

As at Friday 28 February countries in this category are Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Thailand.

Anyone who has travelled from or transited through any of the countries listed in both categories with clinically compatible symptoms should be considered a suspect of COVID-19 case and testing performed.

What you need to do

For schools, this new information from Health should not change significantly how you are currently supporting the health and wellbeing in your school or early learning service community.

For any children, students or staff who have recently returned from Iran or China, they will need to go into a stay away period of 14 days (from when they left Iran or China).

Please continue to encourage anyone who is not well, to not attend your school or early learning service and to seek medical advice.

If you are concerned that someone is showing symptoms of fever, cough or shortness of breath, encourage them to first ring Healthline (0800 358 5453) or contact their GP by phoning ahead of their visit to explain symptoms and travel history.

If schools have any concerns about the possibility that someone does have a communicable disease, your first step is to contact your local district health board for advice and support. Contact details for specific DHBs can be found here. If the individual with a suspected case is still in your school or service, isolate them from others, until you have received medical advice.

We encourage you to keep updated about the status of COVID-19 on the Ministry of Health website.