Once again, our grateful thanks to those parents who were able to join us on this outing and support the tamariki as they engaged with particular art works and then participated in the lesson which Jackie and Julie, the Gallery Educators, ran for us.
Please see below, some photo highlights of our time at the Gallery:
What a wonderful learning experience our wee ones had - so many of them are extremely eager to get back to the Art Gallery again, so what a great idea for a holiday outing!
For now, though, all that remains is to wish you all a very safe and happy holiday ahead, as we sail through towards Friday.
We can't believe there's only one more week of Term 3 left. We have been really enjoying the warmer weather and far fewer wet days indoors. This is a good reminder to dig out those sunhats ready for term 4.
Well done to our learners who auditioned for the talent quest which is being held next week. We loved seeing the joy you had in performing. Thanks for sharing your talents with us!
Cricket Awareness Skills Sessions
Last week we were lucky to experience cricket sessions with Southern Districts & South East Ōtautahi Cricket Club. Each home group had time over at the hall, learning new skills, such as batting and bowling. If your child came home buzzing, check out the brochure and information below, with how to access further cricket lessons.
"At Beckenham Park, we not only deliver cricket for all ages, but a quality, engaging sport and physical activity program that we deliver through play, using our natural environment and varied equipment. We aim to improve the physical literacy of our community and encourage them to stay physically active. We would love to see more of our Beckenham whānau join us for a summer of cricket.
We have teams from Friday afternoon Smashies, Year 1-2 Cricket through to Year 6 Hardball, and then for our female only players we have teams from Year 3-4 through to Year 8-10." - Cat Quinn, Kids in Action Christchurch
Beckenham's Got Talent
Auditions for team Kahikatea were held on Wednesday afternoon. We were so impressed by the confidence shown, the range of talents, and the willingness to give it a go. Ka pai everyone, Nau Mai te Wero!
Mathematics
This task sparked lots of discussion and thinking. In Lisa and Quynh's homegroup, we voted using tally marks, on which dog was the odd one out. Then we were set the challenge to find a second answer. Most people thought that the top right dog was the odd one out. Here are some of our reasons.
Top left: "That dog is facing the other way."
Top right: "It is the only one with spots. It must be a dalmation!"
Bottom left: "It's smaller than the others."
Bottom right: "It is long and flat, like a sausage dog!"
We have been enjoying exploring fractions as well as using materials to understand place value.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
We have been celebrating Māori language this week, through a range of activities and waiata.
Here are some waiata you might want to enjoy with your tamariki at home:
Here are some phrases your whānau may want to learn together:
Here are some images from our wiki:
Literacy
We have noticed so much progress in our handwriting over the course of the year. Bounce and Skip, the monkeys, have had many fantastic adventures with our learners and we have loved seeing all of the pictures of what they've been up to.
Handwriting is such an important part of our literacy programme. Check out this video discussing the research and evidence surrounding the impact of handwriting fluency.
Learning to use the conjunctions 'because', 'but', 'so':
Some of our eager writers and illustrators enjoyed sharing their books with Sandy on Friday:
We have really been enjoying the sandpit in this lovely weather. Sometimes our water and sand play can get a little messy, so please provide a change of clothes for your child if they are a keen sandpit adventurer!
Over the holidays we will be moving homegroup spaces. Quynh and Lisa's homegroup will move to the breakout space, Krystal's HG to the Nook, Amber's HG to the theatre, and Katie's HG to the atrium.
Our last day of the term is Friday 22nd of September (the same day that calendar art orders are due).
Have a wonderful holiday break and we look forward to seeing you all back on Monday 9th October.
Thank you to everyone who made our Ski Day in Week 7 such an outstanding success for all. Thanks to the media team who put together the following highlights video of the day:
Koru Games
On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this coming week, 50 Kauri students will head off each day to the Selwyn Sports Centre in Rolleston compete in Basketball, Touch Rugby, Kī-o-Rahi, Ultimate Frisbee, and Hockey.
Our students have been really committed to their training sessions throughout the last few weeks, and we've been very grateful for parents who have volunteered their time to coach teams in the lead up to the event. A big thank you in advance to the parent volunteers who will be in attendance next week as well.
If you have any questions ahead of this event, please check the notices sent out by Jenny via Hero, or email her directly.
Waka Hourua Inquiry
The hub has been a hive of creative energy this week as students have worked collaboratively to create their model replicas of traditional ocean-going waka hourua.
Alongside the construction component, students have been tasked with putting together a blurb that supports their model by explaining about the vessel, pacific navigation, and polynesian migration. Some students may need to spend time finishing off this written element over the weekend, and others may need to revisit their work to ensure it's entirely original - we would like to ensure that plagiarism is avoided.
Innovation Expo Winners
You may have seen on the school newsletter that one of our three teams that participated in the Build Ōtautahi: Minecraft Build Challenge at Te Pae's Innovation Expo was the overall winner of their group. All three teams of four students did an excellent job of using Minecraft to design sustainable structures for vacant city centre lots within the 60-minute timeframe. Many thanks to the parents for supporting this opportunity for our ākonga.
Year 8 Photos
It's the time of year where the teachers begin planning for all the end of year celebratory bits and bobs. If you are a parent of a current Year 8 student, can you please email through to Nicky a photo of your child either on their first day of school, or as a five-year-old.
A huge thank you to the team from Camera and Digital (16 Colombo St) who were at school from 7:30am this morning, setting up for a full day of homegroup and individual photographs. We are grateful to them for rebooking this date, after our first try in Term 2 was called off due to so many staff and students being away sick.
We look forward to seeing the photos when they have them ready, early next term.
Next week we are expecting the SmartGrass contractors in, to begin putting down the SmartGrass on the grass areas of our junior playground and pathways. Much as we would prefer to have real grass, unless we put a permanent "Keep off the grass" sign on it, we just can't grow real grass with the volume of happy children who want to play on it! It will be exciting to see this go in, and it should be completed by the start of Term 4.
Next week, a large proportion of our Year 7/8 students will be at the Koru Games with other Year 7/8 students from Canterbury, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, our Year 7/8 team will be going to Technology (usually this is a Tuesday morning). So this means that next week, Celebration Assembly will be on Monday at 10am, not Friday!
One more week of school to go next week, before we head into the Sep/Oct holidays. Have a safe weekend, everyone!
Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal
Important Dates
NB: You can find our Community Calendar on our school website. You can embed this calendar into your own digital calendar and stay up-to-date with events and information.
Mon 18 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Wed 20 Sep - 7:30pm - PTA Meeting
Thu 21 Sep - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Fri 22 Sep - Final day for PTA Calendar Art orders
Ruby, your friendliness and positivity is appreciated by all in the Kauri team. You bring enthusiasm to the team and your positive nature brightens up the day for others. You are an engaged learner who has been making progress in all areas. Keep on shining!
School Notices
Lost Property
Please check out the Lost Property before the end of term. We have a number of uniform and other items waiting for their owners to claim them. Please also take the time to ensure your childs items are all label, and readable to others, so we can return these to your children directly!
On Sunday, September 10th, three teams of four Kauri students participated in the Build Ōtautahi: Minecraft Build Challenge at Te Pae's Innovation Expo. One of our teams was the overall winner of their group. Their task was to use Minecraft to design sustainable structures for vacant city centre lots, all within a 60-minute timeframe. Leading up to the competition, our students learned about sustainable design principles and practiced their building skills. On the event day, it drew a large crowd, with 13 schools and 48 teams, involving over 200 students across multiple sessions.
Te Whānau Kapa Haka Performance
Our senior Kapa Haka Group, Te Whānau Mahi Tahi delivered a stunning performance at the South Library as part of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori on Tuesday evening.
Thank you to Whaea Cath for her mahi (work) with this rōpū (group).
Community Dental Service Term 3 School Holiday Closure
Sunscreen, Hats and Drink Bottles
Term 4 is incoming and this is a reminder that in Term 4 all children need to come to school each day with a school hat and their drink bottle, it is also recommended that children come to school with sunscreen applied. We welcome children to begin bringing their hats now!
Sports News
Year 4 Touch Rugby
We are looking for a couple more players to join so we can make a team. Games are Thursday Term 4 and Term 1, at Centennial Park. Please contact Jaime, jaime_mcguinness@hotmail.com if your child is interested in joining.
PTA News
Calendar Art
Don’t forget to get your calendar art orders in! They make great Christmas presents as handy cards and notebooks to use all year. Orders close on 22nd September.
The Weetbix TRYathlon is coming around again and we have created a School Group. Click on the link below to join the Beckenham te Kura o Pūroto Group when you enter the TRYathlon. You can also join our School Group, without the link, by using the School Group search functionality when entering online.
And don’t forget the Community Picnic, on Friday 24th November from 5pm. We’ll have a Sausage Sizzle, Bouncy Castle and ice blocks. Looking forward to seeing you all there!
Action Indoor Sports Hornby is looking for sporting superstars to register teams in our junior competition league during Terms 4 and 1.
The competition starts on Friday 13th October and we have spaces available for teams to register in indoor netball (7 aside), football (5 aside), and basketball (3x3).
Game times range from 4:00pm onwards every Friday with the younger age groups playing first. Teams will also be placed in grades to match their sporting ability; 9-11 years, 12-14 years, 14-16 years, and 16-18 years old.
You don’t need to enter as a school and If you are interested in entering teams, contact Action Indoor Sports Hornby on 03 342 6800 for more details or register your team online at www.actionindoorsports.com
FINANCIAL LITERACY - THE ART OF MAKING CHOICES
The Cashmere Parents Group (CPG) are hosting a free evening talk for parents on Financial Literacy.
What IS Financial Literacy and why is it so important? What are our young people learning at school to prepare them for the future financially? Why do parents + caregivers need to know this?
Parents have requested to learn more about this extremely valuable topic, so we've enlisted a great team led by Cashmere High School's Commerce HOD Rasha Magdy. This panel talk will also benefit your students as well, they are most welcome to attend.
The evening will consist of a panel of presenters from the following groups. They will share their knowledge and answer questions to help parents gain skills, tools and understand concepts not only for themselves but to support their whanau.
6.30-7pm Hot drink, 'Brain Teaser' and kōrero in the foyer.
Venue: Cashmere High School, Performing Arts Centre (PAC)
Entry off Barrington Street, 2 car parks onsite.
Please REGISTER HERE and we look forward to seeing you from 6.30pm at the Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday 17th October.
Cashmere Parents Group
E cpg@cashmere.school.nz
Art Classes for Children
Is your child passionate about art? Would they like to extend their creativity through learning a range of new art skills and techniques? Maybe Kat's holiday painting workshops or after-school art classes are just what you've been looking for. Kat's Art Studio is located at 171 Waltham Rd. Art tutor Katrina is a professional artist and tutor who has over 10yrs experience teaching children art. For more details, please visit www.katsartstudio.co.nz
Southern Districts Cricket Club
At Beckenham Park, We not only deliver cricket for all ages but a quality, engaging sport and physical activity program that we deliver through play, using our natural environment and varied equipment. We aim to improve the physical literacy of our community and encourage them to stay physically active. We would love to see more of our Beckenham Whānau join us for a Summer of cricket.
We have teams from Friday afternoon Smashies, Year 1-2 Cricket through to Year 6 Hardball, and then for our female-only players we have teams from Year 3-4 through to Year 8-10.
Canterbury Rams & Mainland Pouākai Basketball Camp Registrations Now Open
The Canterbury Rams & Mainland Pouākai Basketball Camp registrations for the September School holidays have now been released.
Our camps are the perfect opportunity for basketball enthusiast to learn training techniques from our Canterbury Rams and Mainland Pouākai professional players. The camps are fun, energetic and will support players with their development for their school & club seasons.
Spots are limited, get in quick and sign up today.
We are now nearing the end of Term 3 and we are so happy to be enjoying the lovely Spring weather!
Talent Quest
Over the past few weeks, Kathryn has been auditioning the Kōwhai talent quest hopefuls and it was great to see so many Kōwhai children take part! Kathryn was very impressed with everyone's different talents. This week, we held our own Kōwhai Talent Quest and 3 finalists were chosen to take part in the whole school Talent Quest next Friday afternoon. Congratulations to comedian, Leo Hynes; gymnasts, Chloe Sayer, Lucy Lee and Vienna Aldridge and singer, Meera Verma, also known as Cupcake. Everyone who took part was outstanding so well done to all of you!
Writing
We are currently focusing on writing information reports. The children are learning about the structure of an information report and how to present the information they gather in a clear and organised manner, making it easy for the reader to understand. This will be our focus until the end of term. Please do take the opportunity to ask your child what topic they have been writing about.
Technology
We are approaching the end of our technology inquiry and have been incredibly engaged in designing and creating balloon racers. Students have been testing out their models and making modifications to see if they can get them to travel even further. It has been really interesting to see which features on our balloon racers help or hinder their progress, and how this relates to the key science ideas we covered in our ramps and marbles learning earlier this year.
Big ideas:
Environmental factors can change how an object moves (e.g. wind, moving down a ramp or rough surface etc.), as can changing the materials or shape of an object.
Forces include pushes, pulls and twists.
Air can be used to create a push (e.g., a leaf blower) or
pull (e.g., a vacuum) force.
Friction is another force that can slow things down. Wheels
help overcome friction.
Scientists complete more than one test of a design or experiment to make sure their findings are accurate and can be trusted. Scientists record their results.
PB4L
Our PB4L focus this week is LEARNING and we are particularly focusing on being in the right place at the right time, actively listening and taking pride in our work, making sure we do our best every single time. Our word of the week is CO-OPERATION and the children have been watching various videos on teamwork. We have been talking about how cooperation means working together to get things done.
Some of the Kōwhai children demonstrating co-operation:
Fleeces/Jumpers
We are experiencing difficulty in returning fleeces and jumpers to their rightful owners as the names are not always legible and sometimes the name of the previous owner is still written on the label. We would love your support with naming all of them clearly. If they are second hand fleeces or jumpers, please score the previous names out and clearly write your child's name in. We also have students who are missing their fleeces and jumpers. Please can you also check that your child hasn't inadvertently taken the wrong fleece or jumper home. We really appreciate your help with this.
Hats
We are now starting to prepare for Term 4 and we are back to wearing hats outside at all times. Please could you ensure that your child has a named hat ready for the first day of Term 4 as they will not be able to participate in outdoor activities without it. Thank you so much for your support with this.
Library Visits Next Term
We are currently organising visits to the South Library next term to learn about our local community, explore the Canterbury Stories exhibit and to hear the story of the South Library, from the days of the Māori up until the upcoming rebuild and the effect this has had on Beckenham as a community. It will be a very interesting and informative experience.
We would love some parent help for this so we wanted to give you a heads up regarding the dates involved. Each homegroup will be going on a different day. Please see below for the different dates involved:
Monday 16th October 1:25-2:50pm = Anna R
Tuesday 17th October 1:25-2:50pm = Anna M
Wednesday 18th October 1:25-2:50pm = Rowe
Tuesday 24th October 1:25-2:50pm = Charlotte
Wednesday 25th October 1:25-2:50pm = Nick
If you are interested in coming, please let your child's homegroup teacher know. We only have a certain amount of spaces so we will get back to you at the beginning of next term to confirm if you will be needed or not. Thank you! N.B. This trip is not suitable for pre-schoolers.
Athletics Day
On Thursday 26th October next term (Week 3) we will be running a whole school Athletics Day to which you are welcome to come and support your child/children. There will be more information to follow next term.
Structured Literacy Books
Finally, we are needing all the structured literacy books that have been sent home to be handed back by the end of this term. Please make sure that all of them are returned as soon as you can.
Thank You
We would like to take the opportunity to thank your children for all their hard work this term. It has been a busy time but there has been a lot of fantastic learning along the way. Thank you to you as parents and caregivers for all you do to support us and your children. We get there together!
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