What an action packed fortnight we have had! Read below to find out about some of the activities we have been enjoying.
REMINDERS
*Koru Performance: Fri 18th November 2pm, in the Beckenham School Hall
*Please make sure your child brings a named water bottle and sunhat every day. The hot weather is upon us and we are eager to keep children sun-safe and hydrated.
Reading with Dogs
Noah's Mum has kindly brought their family dog Lottie in to read with Hub 10-11...thanks Nathalie!
Construction
We have observed a lot of action on the building site next to our Hubs. We have written about the builders and diggers, and also read stories to help us find out more about construction.
Maths in Hub 10-11
Hub 10-11 have been learning about multiplication using animal stories e.g. how many altogether, if I have 3 owls in each group? There are 4 groups. We have also been learning about fractions and practising addition and subtraction.
Maths in Hub 12-13
We have been learning about doubles in Hub 12 and addition to 10 in Hub 13. At Maths time we enjoy our self-directed learning activities. Every day we can choose from a number of activities including writing numbers, number bingo, shape magformers, block constructions, making number booklets, counting penguins and Maths jigsaws.
Teddy Bears Picnic Term 3 We all had an absolutely fabulous time at our Teddy Bears Picnic at the end of Term 3 and here are some of the lovely photos capturing the joy of this event. It was so much fun making our teddy beds and blankets as part of our Maths measurement unit. Most of all we loved hearing Teddy stories with our parents.
Diggers
Maybe it is because our children are used to the sight of diggers and dump trucks in Christchurch that it is just like another day at the office as far as being surrounded by these machines is concerned. It has been great motivation for oral language and writing in our Hub. We enjoyed the stories written by Sally Sutton called Demolition and Construction. The Builders Cat by Gwenda Turner is another lovely book you may like to share with your children.
Writing about Diggers in Hub 12-13
I saw the claws.
I love diggers. Crunch!
By Davish
I saw a digger yesterday at Beckenham School. Smash went the digger.
By Bonnie
The digger crashed the classroom down.
By Ayla
I saw the digger smashing down the building. I saw the grabber.
By Finn
Crash! Bang! Smash! The digger looks like a crocodile. It is breaking the building down for a new classroom.
By Hatsumi
I was driving a huge digger. It was fun! It looked like a chomping dinosaur. It has long wheels to smash the floor.
By Quinn
Zzzzzz down went the tree. The dust spread all over the place.
By Xavier
We saw the humongous tree come down and there was a man with a chainsaw.
By Bobby
Rumble! bang! Crash! A yellow digger was lifting a piece of wood. It looks like a chomping dinosaur.
What an action packed fortnight we have had! Read below to find out about some of the activities we have been enjoying.
REMINDERS
*Koru Performance: Fri 18th November 2pm, in the Beckenham School Hall
*Please make sure your child brings a named water bottle and sunhat every day. The hot weather is upon us and we are eager to keep children sun-safe and hydrated.
Reading with Dogs
Noah's Mum has kindly brought their family dog Lottie in to read with Hub 10-11...thanks Nathalie!
Construction
We have observed a lot of action on the building site next to our Hubs. We have written about the builders and diggers, and also read stories to help us find out more about construction.
Maths in Hub 10-11
Hub 10-11 have been learning about multiplication using animal stories e.g. how many altogether, if I have 3 owls in each group? There are 4 groups. We have also been learning about fractions and practising addition and subtraction.
Maths in Hub 12-13
We have been learning about doubles in Hub 12 and addition to 10 in Hub 13. At Maths time we enjoy our self-directed learning activities. Every day we can choose from a number of activities including writing numbers, number bingo, shape magformers, block constructions, making number booklets, counting penguins and Maths jigsaws.
Teddy Bears Picnic Term 3 We all had an absolutely fabulous time at our Teddy Bears Picnic at the end of Term 3 and here are some of the lovely photos capturing the joy of this event. It was so much fun making our teddy beds and blankets as part of our Maths measurement unit. Most of all we loved hearing Teddy stories with our parents.
Diggers
Maybe it is because our children are used to the sight of diggers and dump trucks in Christchurch that it is just like another day at the office as far as being surrounded by these machines is concerned. It has been great motivation for oral language and writing in our Hub.
We enjoyed the stories written by Sally Sutton called Demolition and Construction. The Builders Cat by Gwenda Turner is another lovely book you may like to share with your children.
Writing about Diggers in Hub 12-13
I saw the claws.
I love diggers. Crunch!
By Davish
I saw a digger yesterday at Beckenham School. Smash went the digger.
By Bonnie
The digger crashed the classroom down.
By Ayla
I saw the digger smashing down the building. I saw the grabber.
By Finn
Crash! Bang! Smash! The digger looks like a crocodile. It is breaking the building down for a new classroom.
By Hatsumi
I was driving a huge digger. It was fun! It looked like a chomping dinosaur. It has long wheels to smash the floor.
By Quinn
Zzzzzz down went the tree. The dust spread all over the place.
By Xavier
We saw the humongous tree come down and there was a man with a chainsaw.
By Bobby
Rumble! bang! Crash! A yellow digger was lifting a piece of wood. It looks like a chomping dinosaur.
This is a reminder that Hub 21/22 will be going to Rapaki Marae tomorrow. We will meet in the Beckenham School Hall at 8:45 AM before we board the bus. We will return to Beckenham School around 1:00 and will finish the afternoon there. Your child will need a hat, packed lunch, drink bottle, warm clothing and a raincoat.
This week we celebrated some more amazing students at our team hui who have been applying the school values to their everyday learning. We are so proud of their hard work. Goal setting, self-management and persistence were a common theme this week. These lucky children will be baking pizzas on Friday.
Inquiry
Hub 8/9 and 7 have been learning all about different habitats. We are investigating where animals live, and how different animals are suited to their habitat. We are exploring what would happen if animals had to swap habitats. Could they survive? What adaptations would they have to make? We can't wait to create our own diorama of a habitat to showcase our learning. Hub 5/6 have been investigating the characteristics of various animals that enable them to live in a particular habitat. We have applied this knowledge to invent a new animal and have identified the key attributes they need to surivive in a particualr habitat. This coming week, we will be exploring how changes to an environment can impact on animals and what they need to do to adapt to these changes in order to survive. Home Learning Folders Each week the children have the opportunity to go to the library. We have noticed that many of the children are not bringing their Home Learning folders to school each day. We would really love your support with this, as having these at school each day helps the children to be organised for their learning. Inside the Home Learning folder they need to keep their reading book (school book or library book), home learning book and their spelling notebook. Anne also requires the children to have a bag to enable them to issue books at school. This protects them as they travel to and from school. If your child has lost their folder, any type of bag will suffice to keep the items they need at school together. Thanks! S.T.E.M Challenges
Make an animal out of lego
Race cars without touching them
The children in Hub 5/6 have been participating in a variety of S.T.E.M (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) challenges each week. The focus on these activities have been for the children to be creative and active problems solvers who can work together whilst maintaining a growth mindset. Here are some of the challenges so far. This coming week the children will be creating a paper plate pinball track. We can't wait to see their results!
M.A.D (Make A Difference)Time This term the children have been given the options of: Photography - Learning how to use the ipad to take photos, how to take a variety of photos, editing and creating photo frames. Stop Motion Animation- Learning how to make an animated story using lego. Drama- Learning drama skills and applying these to create a short performance. Thorrington Resthome- Visiting our local resthome to make connections with the elderly residents. The children read stories, chat and sing them songs. Sewing- The children are learning a variety of sewing skills as they create a monster pillow. Christmas Crafts and Cards- We are lucky enough to have the assistance of Nicola Arnott who is teaching the children how to make various Christmas crafts and cards. Pizza Making The children have been having a fantastic time with the kind assistance of Melissa Reid, making and baking pizzas each Friday. We feel very fortunate to have the use of a kitchen in our team. We would love to extend our kitchen use across the team by providing each of the hubs the opportunity to use the kitchen to learn more about food technology. We would love to hear from any keen parents who would like to take a small group of children for fun kitchen lesssons from 9am-10.30am. We only need the help of 1-2 parents for each hub. If this sounds like you, please contact your hub teacher.
PTA Tip Top Fundraiser
The PTA are working hard to try and fill all the shifts for the Tip Top Ice Cream sales fundraiser at the A&P Show in November. Please click on this link to find more information and book a slot: Tip Top A&P Show Fundraiser
Hats
Please remember - to keep our children safe during the summer months, we ask that all children wear a brimmed sunhat while outside during learning or play time. This is now compulsory throughout Term 4, and again at the start of each year in Term 1. Children who do not have a sunhat will be asked to play in the shade during break times. Please support your child in remembering to bring their sunhat every day.
Important Dates (for your diary) Mufti Day - Friday 4th November - gold coin donation to raise money for House Flags Celebration Assembly- Kowhai leading Thursday 10th November 2.30pm- 3pm Run Jump Throw Athletics Afternoon - Wednesday 30th November 1.45pm-3pm That's all for this week Kowhai Teaching Team
Another week of the term has gone by and we are settling in to our new 'normal', both at the Beckenham and the Champion St sites.
Today we saw the large oak tree adjacent to Hub 11 get felled. Several of the classes were able to stand on the park and watch. Whilst it is always very sad to see a mature specimen tree go, it wasn't very healthy due to its roots being significantly compromised over the years of being too close to a building and paving. We are very thankful for the shade that it has provide our children for many years. We have ensured that the large logs are retained to be used in landscaping. You can watch it below:
Planning for 2017
As we get closer to the end of 2016, we are busy preparing for 2017. This week we have been conducting interviews for full-time teaching staff, and will be able to share that information with you very soon. We are also working on learning groups for next year. If you have any considerations for your child's placement in a learning group for 2017 that you think will assist us, and that we won't necessarily be aware of, please email me principal@beckenham.school.nz by next Wednesday 2nd November. We will add your considerations to the picture we already have, and work out the best way to put together learning groups that are going to be successful for all children.
Digital safety It's important to remember that children need to be taught to be safe and responsible users of digital communication and devices. There are lots of online tools available for parents who might be wondering how to navigate this territory, especially when it can feel that the children are one step ahead of the adults in terms of their knowledge of the digital environment. Just because a child can navigate their way confidently around the internet and numerous apps, it doesn't mean that they have the maturity and skills to be able to use the applications safely and responsibly, or that they will know how to recognise, or what to do, if this environment starts to become dangerous or unsafe in any way. Vodafone, NetSafe & The Parenting Place have joined together to develop a set of resources they have called "Digi-Parenting: A one-stop shop of advice to help families make technology decisions". I encourage you to make a visit to this site, and have a look at what might be relevant for where you and your family are at with this important topic.
Have a great weekend - we are looking forward to having all of our students on site together at Beckenham for the day on Monday as the Year 5-8 students have their Athletic Sports day on Beckenham Park.
Ngā mihi Sandy Hastings Principal - Tumuaki
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Mon 31 Oct PTA Uniform room open 2:45-3:15pm Years 5-8 Athletics day at Beckenham School Park (Champion St site will be closed for the day)
Thu 3 Nov Yr 5 & 6 Visit to Rapaki Marae. 9am-3pm Hub 4 Kahikatea - visit to Art Gallery & Museum Yr 7/8 day in town "Art in the Palm of your Hand"
Fri 4 Nov Hub 3 Kahikatea - visit to Art Gallery & Museum
Wed 9 Nov Zone Athletics at Hansen Park. 9am-3pm
Thu 10 Nov Yr 7 & 8 Visit to Rapaki Marae. 9am-3pm.
Rohith, you are a superstar in our hub. You are a self-motivated learner who can always be relied upon to do the right thing. You are a thoughtful and caring role model and are an excellent friend to others. Well done for always putting 100% into your learning. We are so proud of you! Tino pai.
Sharing our Learning
Kauri Whānau
Year 7 & 8 are loving the learning at our new school environment on Champion Street. The layout of our hub and having a breakout space, creates an even better learning space than we previously had at Beckenham. With a number of different areas making up the outdoor space, there are lots of options for play, including full sized hoops on the basketball court.
One of our weekly highlights in Kauri is Passion Friday. This term we are cooking; learning how to knit, crochet and make felt; and creating a vegetable garden. The gardening group are having a lovely time digging over the raised garden beds, preparing plants and creating wooden tags to label the garden areas. When we arrived, a rather saggy and tired looking scarecrow was watching over the shabby garden. One of the gardening team’s project will be to give him a makeover. We look forward to watching the garden flourish as the term progresses.
Part of the attraction of being based at Champion Street is the lovely new furniture that we are trial ing courtesy of Class Furniture. This was one of the aspects that we shared in the video that the media team put together for our first celebration assembly this term. Click on this link and ‘Daniel Attenborough’ will take you on an adventure through the Champion Street environment.
Sports News
Year 5-8 Athletics Day on Monday 31 October
The weather forecast for Monday 31 October is sunny with a high of 15 degrees. Perfect athletics weather!
The Year 5-8 students will not be travelling to Champion St on Monday, as they will be remaining at school to participate in the Athletics Sports day on Beckenham Park. There is no need for the students to arrive at Beckenham School early, as we will be meeting in the hall at 8:55am, when the bell rings.
To be prepared for this day of athletics, the children must be wearing their school hat (to be popped in their bag to take home on Friday). They are allowed to wear sports clothes, such as sports shorts, running shoes and a shirt of their house colour or their school top. Due to expending so much energy, packing an extra big lunch would be great, and having a named water bottle is essential. Sun block will be available at school, however it would be a sensible idea to coat your child before they leave home in the morning, and to pop a bottle of sun block in their bag.
The day runs as follows:
9:15 House relays
9:30 Event 1(Events are high jump, shot put, discus, sprints heats, fun relays)
10:15 - 10:35Morning tea
10:35 - 11:20Event 2
11:20 - 12:05Event 3
12:05 - 12:45Lunch (please avoid ordering Lunch Online due to the alternative timing of lunch)
12:45 - 1:30Event 4
1:30 - 2:15Event 5
2:15 - 2:55Sprints finals
Depending on how smoothly the day runs, we may finish earlier than expected. If you are at the park, supporting your child, you may take them home when the sprints finals have concluded. Please check in with either Susan Walsh (Year 7 & 8 students ) or Kat Cotter (Year 5 & 6 students) to sign out your child.
We encourage you to pop down to the park to support and encourage our children during this fun sporting day. If you are available to help out at an event, please contact Tracy on tracy.inwood@beckenham.school.nz
School Notices
Wanted:We would like to develop a composting system at Champion Street and are proposing to use packing pallets....5 of them. If you have access to these can you please contact Jacky at the office 3371404, office@beckenham.school.nz
PTA News
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
RUDOLPH STEINER SCHOOL FAIR
Saturday November 19th Come and join us for an old fashioned spring time fair! Indulge in scrumptious food for lunch from a diverse range of delicious options, stock up on plants and beautiful handcrafts for Christmas, or just enjoy the fun and games at the sideshows. -- Stunning handcrafts -- Organic food - with plenty of vegetarian options -- Secondhand clothing, books and a huge White Elephant stall -- Farmers market with organic veges, honey, flowers, plants and more -- Fairyland - including a cafe and a craft stall full of child sized goodies at child sized prices -- Carnival games, pony rides
New Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club:
New Brighton surf lifesaving opens its doors to the community nd members to celebrate ther start of this summer's season. Juniors start at 10am with an intro to surf and first training of summer. At 12pm we have the officil opening of the season. Anybody that is interested in finding out about surf lifesaving at New Brighton is very welcome to come down and find out more about us. www.newbrightonslsc.org.nz, info@newbrightonslsc.org.nz
Hororata Highland Games
5th November. Toss the caber, Stone Putt, Farmers Walk, Highland Dancing, Pipe bands plus much more. Visit www.hororatahighlandgames.org.nz for more details.
