Pōhutukawa Update, Term 2, Week 4

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Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all on this chilly Friday. The grey day was certainly made more colourful with all of the creative Book Day costumes! The Media Team has been busy today taking photos of the array of characters, so keep an eye on Hero for those. Thank you for reading on as we have a lot of news to share, as well as some upcoming events.

Food for Thought update... and a "Super" Special Guest

As we posted on Hero earlier in the week, the Food for Thought program that we had planned to do this week was unfortunately cancelled due to their instructor being unwell. We are looking to rebook the program for later in the term, and will keep you all posted. Thank you again to the parents who had initially given up their time to come and support the trip. We do hope you can come along if it goes ahead next month. 

As it turned out there was a silver lining to this cloud, as we were lucky to have a visit from Jon Nabbs - a self-described 'life enthusiast' who came to talk to us all about his incredible endeavours. Jon enthralled the students (and teachers too) with stories of running across Canada from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, a journey of approximately 8,000Km (around 195 marathons), with winter temperatures as low as -50 degrees Celsius! 

Jon also shared that the motivation for his journey is to raise money in support of child cancer patients across New Zealand and Canada to have access to services so they can continue to feel in his words "they have some control as they fight a fight they shouldn't have to fight". His talk was a wonderful example of our 'We Make a Difference' value for the kids, and we're sure they will remember the story of the muesli bar and the grizzly bear for the rest of their lives!

Jon is currently attempting a Guinness World Record for the fastest person to run the length of Aotearoa, and is again using this as a chance to raise money and awareness for children fighting cancer. We will be following his journey, and we wish him all the very best! Nau mai te wero, Jon.

You can find out more, donate, and follow his journey on his website https://www.jonnabbs.com/ and also watch the clip that he shared with the students by clicking here.

Winter Sports

Starting next week, we will be running our winter sports programme on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. The tamariki will be either participating in non-competitive or competitive hockey, netball, or football.

Non-competitive sports will take place at school on Tuesday afternoons and will be supported by the Year 8 Sport Leaders. 

Competitive sports teams will play in the South Zone Winter Sports competition on Thursday afternoons. If your child is on one of these teams, you will soon receive a Hero post with all of the information you need to know. Students who are not on a competitive team will be doing alternative sports programme here at school.

Cross Country

We were blessed with beautiful weather for this year's Cross Country, and it was so great to see the students out there giving it heaps! Amazing also to have the chance to send 24 of our keen bean runners to the Zones.  A huge congratulations to all of our students who embraced the chilly challenge on Wednesday morning at the Zone Cross Country. It's a big achievement to qualify for this race, and the nervous excitement that accompanies the build-up is such a great opportunity to live our value 'We Love Challenge'. Well done to all of the competitors for representing Beckenham so admirably, and a special congratulations to Laura, Lily, Jayme, Max, and Haydn, who will be representing our kura at the Canterbury Cross Country next month. A massive achievement! Watch this space...

Latin American and Pasifika Musical Extravaganza

Yesterday the students were treated to an eclectic performance of Latin American Music by a visiting musician, supported wonderfully by our very own budding musicians Ben and Noah . The concert ebbed and flowed as the audience listened to, and sometimes participated in musical numbers from Chile, Brazil, Samoa, Aotearoa... and more. What a wonderful way to show 'We Love Challenge' for Ben and Noah who embraced the challenge of getting up in front of their peers with very little preparation to perform. Tau ke, awesome.

Muddy Months

As we head into winter we are noticing the inevitable increase of muddy shoes and clothes as students come back from play and lunch, having played sports and games on the Park. We will be asking students to take off muddy shoes before entering the Hub and lining them up neatly outside the door. We are lucky to have wonderful underfloor heating in the classrooms, so feet stay nice and warm, and as an added benefit our carpet stays mud-free! In addition to this, we suggest that if your child is coming home with very muddy clothes, please consider supplying them with a spare pair of school shorts and a spare school top for them to change into once they finish their games. We appreciate your support with this.

Have a great weekend everyone, whatever you get up to. Kia pai tō rā whakatā.

Koru Team News: Term 2 Week 4

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 Kia ora e te whānau,

We hope this finds you all well and managing to stay clear of the winter bugs which are starting to circulate. We'd like to officially welcome Callia and her family to Beckenham to Kura o Pūroto. Callia started school with us on Monday this week. A warm welcome also goes out to Ehsan who is going to be starting with us on Monday next week. Ehsan has a big sister in the Kōwhai team, so we welcome Ehsan's family back to the Koru team!

We've had a very busy couple of weeks since our last Blog post. Activities have included:

  • Pink Shirt Day last Friday (emphasising the value of 'kindness')
  • the school Cross Country on Tuesday last week
  • learning how to play charades
  • learning some new waiata and playing Te Reo (emotions) Bingo
  • Book Character Dress Up Day today...
  • ... and of course lots of lovely Learning Through Play, with 'Inclusion' and 'Kindness' being our Words of the Week, and therefore a big area of focus for us all.
Cross Country:
Leading up to the school Cross Country, the tamariki, with the help of their kaiako, set themselves goals, which day by day they worked hard to achieve. They talked about 'pacing themselves', stamina and doing their best to have enough energy to continue to the end of the run. The children all worked very hard towards achieving their daily goals and we feel very proud of the effort they all put in on the day.
Well done, children, and hopefully, families, you have all seen the Cross Country participation certificates which the children brought home this week.







Literacy:
Your children are doing so well in their Literacy learning. We just love the eager and excited attitude which they bring to their small group learning each day!
Please follow these links for information about what we are focusing on at Stages 1 and 2 in our Structured Literacy programme, and also learn about ways in which you are able to help at home, at each of these stages:







How can you help your child at home?

The emphasis in teaching spelling is to focus on the sound, as opposed to the letter name. Making the phoneme (sound) - grapheme (letter shape) connection is the first step in literacy learning.

Ensure that both you and your child are saying the ‘pure’ sound without an ‘uh’ sound on the end, for example, ‘lllll’ rather than ‘luh’. Please refer to this Youtube clip, The Sounds of New Zealand English, for more information on the sound that matches each of the letters.

Here are some ideas about ways you might use the letter cards at home with your child: 

Speed Sounds: use the cards as flash cards - your child can look at each letter card and say the sound it represents. See if your child can do this at speed.

‘I Spy’: You can play games such as ‘I Spy’, using the letter sound (not the name).

Stepping Stones: Place the cards on the floor with the letter facing up, as if they are stepping stones across the river. Explain to your child that they have to cross the ‘river’ without falling in the water. Your child steps on each card and says the corresponding sound.

Fish or Memory: You could make up a matching set of letter cards, and use both sets to play Fish or Memory together, by placing both sets of cards face down on the table or floor. Each player has to be able to say the sound, if they are to keep a matching pair of cards.

Writing the graphemes: you might make the letter sound and ask your child to write the matching grapheme (support your child as much as is needed with this activity)

Some of the above ideas can also be used with the heart words that your child either is, or will be, bringing home in their literacy folder.

Look out for more information about our Structured Literacy programme in future Blog posts.

...and now just a few more fun photos from the past fortnight!














Cyber Safety Information for Whānau:

Staying Safe Online...

As our tamariki spend more time online, it’s important parents and whānau help them stay safe. Now is a great time to talk to them about how we use the internet and digital technology.

Netsafe has created an Online Safety Parent Toolkit so parents, families and whānau have all the information they need to talk about online safety.

If you or anyone in your whānau needs support, you can contact Netsafe.

All You Need to Know About TikTok:

Tiktok is one of the fastest growing social media apps. It’s a platform for creating, sharing and discovering short videos – and many young people love it! From new dance crazes to funny clips to animal videos, Tiktok can inspire creativity and bring joy.

But it’s important that parents and whānau help their tamariki navigate Tiktok safely. Today we’re sharing the Netsafe Tiktok Family Safety Toolkit so you can help guide your whānau to a fun and safe digital experience.

We wish you all the best for a lovely weekend, everyone, and we look forward to seeing all of those beautiful, wide smiles at school again on Monday.

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,

Elizabeth, Stacey and Georgia


Kauri Whānau Update: Term 2, Week 4

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In This Post

  • Wellbeing Week
  • Cyber Safety: TikTok
  • Cross Country
  • Getting Winter Ready: Ski Sale

Wellbeing Week: A Focus on Emotional Literacy and Social Skills

We're excited to announce our upcoming Wellbeing Week, dedicated to enhancing our students' emotional literacy, social coaching, collaborative problem-solving, and overall sense of connection.

Throughout the week, we will:
  • Emphasize Emotional Literacy: Helping children understand and express their emotions effectively.
  • Provide Social Coaching: Guiding students in building strong, positive relationships with their peers.
  • Encourage Collaborative Problem Solving: Teaching children to work together to find solutions and overcome challenges.
  • Reinforce Connection: Strengthening the bonds within our school community.
Additionally, we will review our routines and expectations to ensure a smooth and supportive environment in the hub.

If you have any questions about this, please contact your child's homegroup teacher in the first instance.

Cyber Safety: All You Need to Know About TikTok

TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media apps. It’s a platform for creating, sharing and discovering short videos – and many young people love it! From new dance crazes to funny clips to animal videos, TikTok can inspire creativity and bring joy.

But it’s important that parents and whānau help their tamariki navigate TikTok safely. Today we’re sharing the Netsafe Tiktok Family Safety Toolkit so you can help guide your whānau to a fun and safe digital experience.

Cross Country

On Tuesday afternoon last week we had our school cross country. Unlike last year, it was a lovely clear day, perfect for running. All of the Kauri students did well on the day, running hard and supporting others in turn.

On Wednesday, some students from both Kauri and Pohutukawa teams went to Zones at Hansen's Park. We will have a record number of students representing our kura at the Canterbury finals.

A massive thank you to Jenny for organising the school Cross Country and setting our students up for success at Zones.





Getting Winter Ready: Ski Sale

The following was spotted on Facebook in the last week and was passed on to us to share, as it would be great with the cold winter and our Ski Day coming up next term:

City Mission Op Shop
We’ve just received a huge donation of second hand ski gear from NZSki just in time for winter!
Jacket, pants & overalls in a range of sizes are just $5 each!
It’s chilly out there but thanks to NZSki we can keep you warm!
Available at of our City Mission Op Shops.



Kahikatea News Term 2 Week 4

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 Tena Koutou Katoa, 

The cooler weather is now here and rainy days too! Thank you for naming rain jackets, coats, hats etc and checking in the hub to locate your child's belongings at the end of the day. Each home group has at least one large tub for school jerseys and jackets and we encourage children to check all of these if they have lost something. 

School Uniform 

Teachers have been reminding tamariki about the correct uniform items that they should be wearing to school. The following list is taken directly from our school website: 

Clothing

Plain black culottes

Black and white gingham culottes

Black and white gingham dress

Black track pants

Black drill shorts

Red polar fleece jacket

Red polo shirt (long or short sleeved)

Red fleece sweatshirt

Plain red zip Merino top

School Footwear

Black school shoes

Plain white or dark runners

Black school sandal, preferably with a closed in toes

Black or white socks

Hair Accessories

Plain black/red headbands, ties, ribbons or clips.


Cyber Safety 

All You Need to Know About TikTok

TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media apps. It’s a platform for creating, sharing and discovering short videos – and many young people love it! From new dance crazes to funny clips to animal videos, TikTok can inspire creativity and bring joy.

But parents and whānau must help their tamariki navigate Tiktok safely. Today we’re sharing the Netsafe Tiktok Family Safety Toolkit Netsafe Tiktok Family Safety Toolkit so you can help guide your whānau to a fun and safe digital experience.


Pink Shirt Day & Learning Through Play













Have a lovely weekend everyone! 
Team Kahikatea 











Kōwhai News Term 2 Week 4

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Kia ora Whānau, we have had another busy and fun fortnight in Kōwhai! 

Cross Country

We were so proud of all our tamariki with Cross Country! Not only did they give 100% to the event on the day, they also practised diligently each day for the fortnight before the event. Well done everyone!! Thank you to parents and whānau and friends who came out to support us, or who talked to their students and encouraged them prior to the event.

Uniform

We have noticed a number of students wearing non-uniform clothing to school, such as hoodies, jackets, crocs etc. Please make sure your children are wearing correct uniform items and colours, as detailed here. Please also send children with shoes each day, and if they have gumboots for outside wear, then please still send shoes or slippers which they can wear in the hub. A number of children are also coming to school without a polar fleece or jacket. Please ensure they have both, so that they are well prepared if the weather changes.

Cybersafety - The HDCA for Parents and Whānau

The Harmful Digital Communications Act (or HDCA for short) is an act passed by the Government back in 2015

to help people dealing with serious or repeated harmful digital communications. It covers anything digital like text,

emails or social media content. The most useful thing for parents to understand about the HDCA is the way the 10

communication principles define what is good or bad behaviour online. If you’re ever concerned about your young

person (or you just want to brush up on your knowledge!) visit Netsafe’s Guide to the HDCA.


Learning about Recycling and Waste


Last week, each home group enjoyed a visit from the CCC Education Team, who taught us about recycling, compost and waste in Christchurch. We learnt about what goes in each coloured bin, how different materials are recycled and the benefits of recycling. The CCC Educators also told us about some of the amazing technology used in Christchurch's recycling plant and our city garbage and compost trucks, and that much of the gas emitted from our landfill is turned into electricity for the Council building and Art Gallery. How cool is that! Check out photos below, and you might like to play the Bin Good Game at home. Find out about what can go in the yellow recycling bin here.














Book Character Day

What an array of costumes we had today for Book Character Day! We had a lot of fun guessing the different characters as they arrived at school. Even the teachers and the teaching assistants got into the swing of things.

Have a great weekend!

From the Kōwhai team