Welcome to Kowhai Whanau 2018

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Kowhai Information 2018



A Warm Welcome!


Welcome to 2018 with the Kowhai Team. We have a fun and action-packed year ahead, and we are looking
forward to working with you and your child. Our first few weeks will be focused on our school values:
We Care and We Get There Together. This newsletter will provide you with the information you need to know
about the Kowhai Team.

This will include supporting students to become familiar with daily routines including how to use the inside and
outside spaces, how to move around safely and sensibly, how we use resources and materials and learning how
to work together. Becoming familiar with the sequence of and expectations within a day of learning at school
is important for all our tamariki.  We will be developing and growing the children’s skills of working together,
active listening and learning how we learn.
If you have any questions or concerns please let your child’s home group teacher know.


Home Learning
We are currently engaged in a review of our Home Learning protocols. We expect to have completed this soon
and will inform whanau about the Home Learning expectactions.


Parent Help
In the Kowhai team, we LOVE parent help! We usually give the children a month or so to settle into
school routines. There are many ways to assist us at school, such as parent help either in the hub or
‘behind the scenes’. Please don't hesitate to make contact with one of us and we’ll let you know how
you can help.


Communication
We send home newsletters fortnightly (email) to inform you of our class programme. Essential dates and events
can be found on the school calendar and on our team blog: http://teamkowhaibeckenham.blogspot.co.nz/
in hard copy. Teachers will communicate with you via:  newsletters, phone calls, text or email but, of course,
we will always meet with you as and whenever necessary. We love to catch up before and after school whenever
there is time too!


We look forward to the year ahead with you all!
Kowhai Teaching Team

Kauri Whānau Weekly Update: Term 1 Week 1

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We very much enjoyed meeting with so many of you at learning conferences last week. There was lots of information to take in, so here are some reminders.

We are a peanut free hub: 

In order to ensure that safety of all children in our hub, we are a peanut free zone. This includes your child not eating peanuts for breakfast, Monday to Friday. If your child does slip up and finds a peanut product in their lunchbox, they will not be 'in trouble', but need to let a teacher know as soon as they realise this.

Tuesday is an early start:

Roll call on Tuesday is at 8:30am. This is so that children can get to technology at Christchurch South Intermediate on time. There is a school canteen at South, so money can be brought for small purchases.

Forms:

If you did not sign and hand in cyber-safety or bus agreement forms at learning conferences, please get these back ASAP. We have spare copies in the hub. We also need BYOD forms back.

Parents to read:

Please click on the Kete Awards Scheme tab above this message and have a read of what is involved in this new scheme. We will be introducing it to the children this week. If you have any questions, feel free to email us.
Hannah: hannah.elliott@beckenham.school.nz
Jenny: jenny.diggle@beckenham.school.nz
Nicky: nicky.dunlop@beckenham.school.nz

Cooked lunches:

Children are welcome to use the jug, sandwich press or microwave to prepare a hot lunch. It is preferable that this happens just once a week.

Dunedin Camp:

Dates: April 9 - 13. We have enough parent helpers. Children will arrive back at around 6pm on Friday the 13th, which is the last day of school. Cost is still to be confirmed; we hope to get it down to around $250 per child. Contact Vicki in the office if you would like to start weekly payments, or require financial support.

Leadership Camp for Year 8:

March 8-9. This involves a sleepover at school on Thursday the 8th. We will be back at school by 3pm on the 9th.

Devices:

We strongly encourage BYOD. All children using BYOD need to have BYOD forms back to school, signed, before using their device at school. Cell phones are only to come to school if they are needed for parent communication before / after school. They must be switched off and either in bags or handed into the 'Think Tank' (Kauri teacher office).

First day:


We are looking forward to getting underway with the fun and learning in our hub tomorrow. Please make sure that your child has their sunhat, that it is named, and their jacket is also named. Stationery also needs to be named. We have some free exercise books to give the children this week and will let them know what subject to put on each book.


Please don't hesitate to contact us this year if you have any questions of concerns. A happy child can learn. An unhappy child has difficulty learning. The sooner we know about any issue, the better. Though a positive partnership, parent(s) and teacher(s), we want to make this an awesome year for your child.

Koru 2018 Welcome Newsletter

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Koru Team Newsletter
Term 1 Week 1 2018



Kia ora koutou,
Greetings to you all and a very warm welcome to this new year. It is a pleasure to be able to meet with you and your child/children during these two days of learning conferences. We are looking forward to a full and flourishing year ahead!
Our team from left to right Kristika, Caitlyn, Elizabeth, Dorinda, Sue, Charlotte, Amber and Rowe.

The First Weeks of School
Our focus in the first weeks of school will be about building relationships and getting to know each other. This will include supporting students to become familiar with daily routines including how to use the inside and outside spaces, how to move around safely and sensibly, how we use resources and materials and learning how to work together. Becoming familiar with the sequence of and expectations within a day of learning at school is important for all our tamariki. If you have any questions or concerns please let your child’s home group teacher know.

School Routines:
  • The first bell rings at 8.30am. At our West Hub there will be a teacher to meet and greet children and families as they arrive. If your child/children arrive before 8.30am they will need to wait outside as this allows time for teachers to prepare for their teaching day.
  • We encourage you to support your child’s independence by allowing them to carry and unpack their school bag and place it into one of the green or blue cubbies (at the back of the West Hub).
  • Lunch boxes, drink bottles and reading folders will be stored inside the hub.
  • Discovery Stations will be set up in hubs at 8.30 each morning. Once your child has put away their things, he/she is welcome to choose a discovery activity or to go outside to play.
  • All children are to come to their home space at 8.55. If you arrive after this time it is very important that you report to the office to sign in.  If you need to collect your child from school during the day you will need to sign them out at the office.

Karakia to start the day
This karakia is used across our kura to start the day and for formal gatherings, celebrations and meetings.

“This is an ancient karakia that was used when you were out at sea and a storm was approaching. However, the storm is a metaphor for any life­ threatening force. It is now widely used at the start of the day or at the start of a meeting”.

Whakataka te hau ki te uru,
Whakataka te hau ki te tonga.
Kia mākinakina ki uta,
Kia mātaratara ki tai.
E hī ake ana te atākura he tio,
he huka, he hauhunga.
Haumi e! Hui e! Tāiki e!

Translation
Cease the winds from the west,
Cease the winds from the south,
Let the breeze blow over the land,
Let the breeze blow over the ocean,
Let the red ­tipped dawn come with a sharpened air,
A touch of frost, a promise of a glorious day.

Topic
Through a range of learning experiences and across a range of different curriculum areas we will be learning about the concept of Sustainability. We look forward to sharing our learning goals for this with you soon.


Home Learning
We are currently engaged in a review of our Home Learning protocols. We expect to have completed this by week 3 so we can inform whanau about the Home Learning expectations.

Parent Help
To help us settle into our learning routines and general day to day programme we would appreciate if offers of parent/whanau help are delayed until March. If you are happy to work ‘behind the scenes’ to put away reading books etc we would very appreciate that.  Please make contact with one of us and we’ll let you know how you can help.

 
Our Values Kete & Student Wellbeing
The Beckenham School values are captured by this Māori whakataukī:
Ka whakakī ngā kete mo ngā haerenga o tātou katoa
Filling the kete for the journey of us all.
During the year we will keep returning to our school values, integrating and weaving them into our programmes.   
We wish you all the best, for a very happy and successful year together!
Sue Leadbetter sue.leadbetter@beckenham.school.nz

Happy holidays 2017 / 2018

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Kia ora koutou whānau,

What a fabulous year we have had.  Thank you for all your support and the phenomenal feedback we have received.  We have appreciated both positive and constructive feedback which helps us reflect on our practise and reinforces the parts of the programme that are working well.
We are looking forward to 2018 and a full year in our learning spaces.

Te Whatu Manawa Māoritanga o Rehua
Before we visited Rehua Marae on Thursday, some of our children were treated to amazing Marae presentations that had been created by the Year 3 and 4 children in Kowhai hub.
The children used all sorts of resources and media to teach our children about what to expect when we visited the marae. 



















We had a fabulous trip to the Marae on Thursday.  A great big thank you to all the parents who came along and enjoyed the experience too.  The children were great ambassadors for Beckenham School.
Have a look at some of the photos we took over the day.














  
Discovery Time Photos from Monday Week 10


The challenge was to make a tent out of just tarpaulins and large blocks that could withstand a heavy downpour. The children were excited when it started to drizzle so they could test out it's waterproofing!




Amazing collaborative structure complete with hidden treasure and secret rooms.



A Few Holiday Ideas and Tips

  • Loose Parts Play - at Christmas time, there will be plenty to occupy your lovelies. Keep any packaging / boxes / wrapping and set these up on a table with a 'provocation' (challenge). e.g. Make a house for a mouse, make a bridge that can hold a toy, make a tent for a pet or toy, make a boat that can float a toy - you will be amazed at the creativity that will abound.
  • Screen time - Have a balance of time on a screen and time doing other activities - this will change the demands needed for young brains and help with energy levels. Find APPS that encourage creativity and learning. Here are just a few. Puppet Pals, Scribblenauts, GarageBand, Bitsboard, Memory.
  • Pinterest - when you are really stuck for ideas - use this wonderful tool to become inspired.
  • Reading - enjoy self selecting books to read for fun. We have wonderful libraries in Christchurch. Reading together or enjoying a favourite book can be a great way to spend some quiet time at any part of the day.
  • Maths - encourage children to help with cooking or measuring - helping out with any DIY jobs. Telling the time, baking, measuring, solving puzzles, taking a family vote, are all ways we can show our children how we use maths everyday.
  • 'I'm Bored' - welcome this statement with a hearty - "Fantastic! I wonder what you are going to do next!" Allowing children to create their own play is not only extremely valuable - it also takes the pressure off adults. Children can be incredibly innovative, given the right level of 'boredom' and downtime. Having a 'switch off day' where no outing or anything is planned is a great way to recharge young batteries.
  • Top Five Toys of All Time for Children

    1. Stick
    2. Box
    3. String
    4. Cardboard Tube
    5. Dirt


Useful Websites
Remember children need supervision when on the internet



Have a very, very happy, relaxing holiday.  It will be great to see everyone back in 2018 for our student conferences.
We are all looking forward to 2018 and a full year in our new spaces.

Merry Christmas.