Koru News Week 2 Term 4

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Hub 1-4 Inquiry
Next week we are beginning our inquiry Sustainable Building. We will begin our inquiry by exploring materials and constructing and experimenting with shapes and designs.
Please send us your empty boxes - such as, toothbrush boxes, cereal boxes, egg boxes etc.

If you are interested in sharing your knowledge of building, design and materials with our tamariki please send an email to your child's teacher. We are looking forward to hearing from some of our builders, architects,planners, drafts people, joiners and engineers!

News from the Koru New Entrants

Pirate Day on the final day of Term 3 -
We had SO much fun 'yo-ho-hoing' and 'pieces-of-eighting' at the end of last term! Our Pirate theme ended with us all making treasure chest biscuits on the last Thursday of term (our thanks to the parents who helped out on that day), and then we all dressed up, in line with the pirate theme, on the final Friday of term. Alfie's Mum 'knocked together' a splendid pirate ship, complete with plank, canons, and skull and crossbones flag. We were also treated to a show performed by the Natural Magic pirates - we were totally entranced, and all very grateful. How lucky we were!

The pirates in action

Everyone joining in with the fun

We were all totally captivated...

Big pirates, little pirates - we all had a ball!


Beckenham's Got Talent:
Our hearty congratulations to Poppy Holton who made it through to the finals of the Beckenham Talent Quest, which was held on the afternoon of the last day of Term 3. We were SO proud of you, Poppy! What a star you are.

Discovery Stations:
We continue to have loads of fun and learn so much at Discovery Stations time (teachers and children alike!). The children practise the Key Competencies of Relating To Others, Managing Themselves, and Participating and Contributing during these play-based learning sessions. This week and next, we are going to be hosting two small groups of local preschool teachers, who would like to observe our Discovery Stations, and then our Literacy time between 10:50 and 12:40. Enjoy these photos from the last fortnight:
How many penguins altogether, we wonder.

Playing 'schools' at school!

Some clever engineering and sign-writing here.

What can you see through the window, Peter?

Reading's fine at any time, is what we say!!

We absolutely love our new Lego table - thank you, Cath.

Hut construction.

Reading a story to Peter Rabbit.

Now that's a very clever construction! 

More clever constructing going on here.

Working together.


We were given a set of cuisenaire rods by a Beckenham family from some years ago and the children are thoroughly enjoying using them especially to form patterns, but also to help solve Maths problems.

More clever pattern-making.


We love writing, and take any opportunity to have fun practising!





And, of course, we LOVE numbers! Generally the children work in pairs (sometimes, in threes) to solve Maths problems. These problems are usually related to a theme, or an area of interest, which is highly motivating for the children on that day or during that week.

If seven mother sheep each had two lambs, how many lambs would there be altogether?

If Old MacDonald had five horses in one paddock and six horses in another paddock, how many horses would he have altogether?


If you put your hand up nine times and each time you received two pingpong balls in a jar, how many pingpong balls would you have altogether?





In Koru New Entrants, We Love Learning!

Important Forms for Living Springs Camp 13 – 15 November

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Hopefully your child brought home the three different notices relating to camp that we gave out on Friday. One notice is an information and gear list for you to keep. The second notice is a Health Profile and Medical Consent form. This is to be filled in and returned to school on Monday. This information is essential for us to plan and prepare in advance, to ensure that we are aware of medical backgrounds and history, just in case! The third form is a Medical Authority form. This is to be filled out if your child is bringing any type of medication to camp. The filled form, along with the medication, should be put into a zip lock bag or ice cream container and handed to Katie on the day we leave for camp (Tuesday 13 November).

We have attached the all of the notices and forms here, in the event that your little poppet misplaced them and they didn't quite make it home!

If you have any queries regarding camp, please contact one of us.




2018 T4 W2 in Pōhutukawa

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Pōhutukawa Pitch Perfect choir performance this Friday

Good luck to the Pōhutukawa Pitch Perfect choir who are performing at Horncastle Arena on Friday 26th October.

The choir will be attending a massed rehearsal on Friday morning. They will bus from school to  Horncastle Arena in the morning, and will return to school by lunchtime. Whilst there they will be shown where to meet when they are dropped off that night (they enter through door 1) and where they are being seated in the arena when not performing.

We ask that parents please do not visit their child/ren during the performance. The performers are to be picked up at the end of the show from where they are sitting, so they are able to be signed out.

The children are required to be at the arena by 6:15pm, in clean and tidy school uniform .

Tickets are available through Ticketek. Adult tickets cost $22.00 and school age children are $10.00.

We welcome back our trainee teacher, Lisa Griffith



Pōhutukawa Whānau has been very fortunate to have had Lisa Griffith as a part of our team, for three weeks at the end of last term, and four weeks of this term. Lisa is in her last year of training to be a teacher, and when she finishes this placement will graduate, ready to begin her career as a teacher. She is mainly based in Beach, with Tracy and has been a valuable contributor to our team.

School Athletics Day

Our school athletics day is next Thursday, 1 November. The students will be participating in field events - shot put, discus and high jump, along with sprinting races.
They have an option of signing up for long jump, which will be held at Hillview Christian School, on an alternative day (Friday 2 November), and opting into mid distance (1000m) running, which is being held first thing on athletics day (9:15am).
The children should wear sports shorts and house shirts or their school shirt on athletics day. They have the option of wearing running shoes or bare feet when competing.
We will supply sunblock during the day, and it would be great if the children came to school with sunblock already applied to their face and torso.
A wide brimmed sunhat is essential for the day, along with a named water bottle. The children will be unable to compete if they do not have a hat. They will be carrying their water bottle with them from event to event.

Sexuality Road Programme: Parent meeting

In week 6 we will be starting our health unit: The Sexuality Road. This topic addresses, changes that happen at puberty (physical and emotional), communication and decision making, reproduction and where to go to for support. We will teach the Year 5 programme and the Year 6 programme separately. If you would like to find out more about what the programme involves, we will be holding a parent information evening for Year 5 - 8 families in the staffroom on Thursday November 2nd, starting at 7pm.

Living Springs Camp 13 - 15 November

We are very much on the countdown for camp. The teachers are finalising details, and intend to send home an information newsletter, gear list and medical form by the end of the week. If you have any concerns or questions about camp, please contact any one of the teachers in the hub.





Kauri Whānau Weekly Update: Term 4 Week 2

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Many thanks to the parents who have signed up to help with events we have planned for this term. If you have yet to do this, please click on this link.  30 of our Year 7s have expressed an interest in being a House Captian or on the Student Council Exec in 2019! If your child would like to apply for a position and has yet to complete the form, here is the link. They have until this Friday to apply. Please read on for important messages.

Sexuality Road: Parent Meeting

In week 4 we will be starting our health unit: The Sexuality Road. This topic addresses, changes that happen at puberty (physical and emotional), communication and decision making, reproduction and where to go to for support. We will teach the Year 7 programme and the Year 8 programme separately. If you would like to find out more about what the programme involves, we will be holding are parent information evening for Year 5 - 8 families in the staffroom on Thursday November 2nd, starting at 7pm.

Long jump this Friday

Unfortunately, we do not have a long jump pit at Beckenham, and therefore need to hold our long jump event at Hillview. This Friday afternoon, we would like to give the children the opportunity to practise at Hillview. We are looking for two parents to accompany this group, with Jenny. Please email Jenny if you can help out between 1:20 and 3pm.

Year 8 Pool Party

As has become tradition, we will be holding a Year 8 pizza and pool party on Monday December 17, from 4pm until 6pm. This year Georgie's family have offered to host the party at their property. More details, including address, will be provided closer to the time.

Basketball singlets and other sports tops to return

If your child played in a basketball team, or for a winter sport team, please make sure that their uniforms are returned to school this week.

Year 8 photos when I was 5

The Year 8s have until next Friday to write their memories for the Graduation Year Book. We like to include photos of when they started school, as 5 year olds, in this book. It doesn't matter if their first school wasn't Beckenham. Parents please locate and email me a photo file, or send a photo for scanning (I promise to return it the same day). We need to get these photos in by next Friday too. Many thanks for your help with this. nicky.dunlop@beckenham.school.nz

Ōtakāro Orchard visit

Last term, Peter from Ōtākaro Orchard visited our hub to talk about their project to create an urban food forest in the centre of Christchurch. At the end of his visit, Peter invited us to come for a working bee to see what the project is all about. On Monday 5th of November, we will be heading into town to do just that. The hub will be split into two groups, with one at the Ōtākaro Orchard site while the other group learns some research skills at Tūranga, Christchurch's brand new central library. The groups will meet at Margaret Mahy Playground for lunch and then swap so that both groups get to do both activities.

In order to make this trip a possibility, we need three parent helpers. If you are able to help, please email hannah.elliott@beckenham.school.nz.

Donations to cover expenses

The following requests for donations will come out on your next school account:

  • Ōtakāro Orchard: $5.50
  • Corsair Bay: $7