Kahikatea News Week 9

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Kia ora e te whānau,

It has been wonderful to connect with our community during Learning Conferences last week, and with our Matariki Whānau Rōpu hui this week. Thanks for coming along!


Matariki

We have been learning about Matariki through story telling, craft and singing. Our learners loved having whānau in the hub and joining in with the Matariki activities on Wednesday night. 

Here are some photos:









Mathematics

Our learners have been so engaged in our 'Notice, Think, Wonder' prompts. Here are some of the thoughts that we came up with for the following image:


"It's a pattern!"- Cara
"It's not complete."- Charlie
"It repeats the pattern". - June
"There are 3 colours. The whole picture is a rectangle." - Finn
"There are 10 squares." - Aya
"There's a red line... a rectangle... with squares attached." - Hunter
"There are 4 rectangles." - Felix "5 with the green!"- Hunter
"There are 3 blues and 3 yellows." - Henry
"It's like hopscotch - 1 foot, 2 feet, 1 foot, 2 feet..." - Jace

Matariki Maths:
















Word of the Week: Cooperation

We have explored cooperation this week. We have listened to stories, shared examples, and done some activities which have required cooperation/teamwork.

One of the activities that some of our learners were involved with was working in teams to create human objects. It was pretty chaotic when we were first working in teams to complete the tasks! People were trying different things and we weren't all communicating effectively. The second try was so much more successful. We reflected on how we were successful when working cooperatively.

Here are some images from that activity:




Another activity involved some collaborative colouring. Chunks of a puzzle were given out, that needed to be coloured in as a group. Some groups sat so that everyone could access the puzzle at once, to colour, and some took equal turns. It was fabulous to hear the conversation and problem-solving. We then worked collaboratively to put the puzzle together.







Kapa Haka

Our learners have really enjoyed singing a new waiata this term with Whāia Cath. It makes us giggle. Here are the lyrics, if your child wants to share this with you at home:




Parent Supervision Roster

We have a number of spaces on the parent supervision roster for Term 3. Please email Katie if you would like to support us in the playground during lunch playtime. 
katie.mcfarlane@beckenham.school.nz


Spare Clothes

With the wintery weather upon us, it would be fantastic if you can send your learner along with a spare change of clothes. They can also bring gumboots to avoid wet/muddy shoes. Tamariki are welcome to bring slippers along to school too!



This is the last blog of term 2, with just one week left of school! Have a wonderful holiday break! 

Ngā mihi nui,
Team Kahikatea

Kauri Whānau Update: Term 2, Week 9

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In this post:

  • Ski Day
  • 40 Hour Challenge
  • Wheelchairs next week
  • Matariki photos
  • Innovation inquiry trip
  • Ngarimu Video Competition
  • NOTE-ABLE Children's Online Instrumental Music Competition

Ski Day

Helpers for our Ski Day in Term 3 are still needed. Please fill out this Google Form if you are able and willing.

40 Hour Challenge

Money and booklets (if students have them) are needed as soon as possible. Please hand them in to the office.

Wheelchairs

On Wednesday and Thursday next week, as part of our learning around innovation we will have a trailer-load of rugby wheelchairs coming to school for children to learn about this sport through maneuvering the chair and actively playing the game. Each homegroup will have a timeslot throughout one of the days to participate. Many thanks to Nicky for organising this fantastic opportunity!

Innovation Inquiry Trip

Nicky's inquiry group headed to the Margaret Mahy Playground on Wednesday, armed with universal design checklists, blindfolds and a couple of wheelchairs to check out the playground equipment. We discovered how tricky bark chips are for wheelchair users and started thinking about modifications that could be done to make some equipment more inclusive. That said, a lot of the equipment got very high ratings on our checklists!




Matariki Evening

On Wednesday evening, we gathered as a school to celebrate Matariki. Te Whanau Mahitahi opened the event with an outstanding performance, and the hubs were filled with opportunities engage in learning around what Matariki is as well as why and how we celebrate it.




Ngarimu Video Competition

The Ngarimu Video Competition for ākonga Māori in Year 7–13 is now open for submissions.
This competition is funded by the Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Fund Board for the purpose of providing ākonga with an opportunity to practise storytelling and research, and to learn about the history of the 28th (Māori) Battalion.

Ākonga can submit a three-to-five-minute video in English and/or te reo Māori, and be in to win one of six prizes for themselves and their school or kura.

Entries for the competition close on Friday 8 September 2023.

More information about the competition and last year’s winners can be found on our website.
If you have any pātai, please email ngarimu.scholarship@education.govt.nz.

NOTE-ABLE Children's Online Instrumental Music Competition

NOTE-ABLE was launched in 2020 by Nelson musician and music teacher Joel Bolton with the main goals of showcasing New Zealand’s talented young instrumentalists and inspiring  children everywhere to take up a musical instrument. Find out more here.


Koru Team News: Term 2 Week 9

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 Kia ora, e te whānau,

Here we are at the tail end of Term 2 and your tamariki are doing so well, as they strive to keep up the momentum with their learning! It's been a very busy fortnight, including Learning Conferences, our Matariki hui, several children having their transition to school visits and a big focus for our wee ones on the curriculum area of Science at the moment, specifically Electricity.

Firstly though, Friday was tinged with sadness for us all, as we farewelled Sonya, our teaching assistant. The children had made some beautiful cards for Sonya and these we gave to her, along with their very sweet messages about what the children were going to miss about her. Sonya has been a pillar of support in the Koru team, over the past two terms, and we will certainly miss her love, care, skill and talent, along with her creative flair and, as one of the children put it, her amazing tidiness!


We wish Sonya all the very best in the future - we know she'll be treasured by her new colleagues and the children she works with.
At the same time as farewelling Sonya, we have also been welcoming Denise, who is taking over the role that Sonya has held. We're really looking forward to having Denise with us in the Koru team, we can't wait to get to know her well and we welcome her with wide open arms into our whānau.


Junior Park Explorers:
We were really sorry to have had to postpone our Junior Park Explorers excursion on Friday, however we're all looking forward to a warmer, drier outing once we're able to set a new date some time in Term 4. We'll be looking for more parent helpers at that point! The children coped with the disappointment very well, and are to be congratulated for doing so.

Science:
We have been taking a dive into 'Electricity' last week and will continue with this focus in the week ahead. We are having great fun as we hypothesise and experiment, share our ideas and make connections with prior experiences.
Last Monday, the children discussed:
  • What is electricity?
  • Where does electricity come from?
  • Have you ever felt an electric spark from something or someone?
  • Have you ever had a power cut and not had any electricity?
  • Have you ever seen an electric car?
On Tuesday, the children learnt about what energy is and where it comes from, as well as having a look at renewable and non-renewable energy.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the children were introduced to the word 'circuit'. We looked at open and closed circuits and learned that a closed circuit is required for electricity to flow. We experimented to find out what electricity would flow through and what it wouldn't flow through. The children predicted that electricity wouldn't flow through plastic, but that it would flow through metal. Using an 'energy tube', we tested our predictions and found out that those predictions were right!
When the energy tube is 'turned on' the circuit is closed and that's when the tube flashes and makes an eerie fluttering noise. We discovered that our bodies conduct electricity, so as long as we had a hand on the metal ring at each end of the energy tube, the circuit would be closed. We even tested, if we were to sit in a big circle and all hold hands, whether the circuit would be closed and the energy tube would light up and make its eerie fluttering sounds, and ... yes, it did!!














One final thing:
A plea from Jossi's family - might Jossi's polar fleece have gone home in the wrong bag, by chance? It's been missing for several days now. Would you please check the names on your child's polar fleeces, just to be sure that you don't also have Jossi's by mistake. Many thanks :)

We hope you are all having a wonderful weekend with your whānau - stay warm, dry and cosy, and we look forward to seeing those beautiful, wide smiles again tomorrow morning!

Ngā mihi mahana,
Elizabeth, Stacey and Georgia


Kōwhai News Term 2 Week 9

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Kia ora whānau,

Welcome to the Kōwhai blog for Week 9!

Whānau Hui

We had lots of fun at our Whānau Hui this week. Thank you for coming along to take part in our Matariki celebration. There was lots of excitement in the air, culminating in an amazing performance given by the Kōwhai Kapa Haka group. Well done everyone! Here are some photos of what we got up to:










Waka

Over the past few weeks, our students have been engaged in building waka (Māori canoes) as part of our learning on New Zealand migration. Some children have built their waka using sticks, string and paper while others have built them in Minecraft. Here are some photos of their work:









AI Art

This term some of the children have been exploring the use of generative AI to create stunning digital portraits. Here is some of their work:

 


Reading Folders

If your child is bringing home Pip and Tim books, it is important that they bring their reading folder back to school every day. We suggest that the children always put their reading folder straight back into their bag as soon as they have finished reading at home. That way the folder will always make its way back to school safely. Thank you for your support with this.

Sickness

We are in the middle of the winter illness season. Please remember to keep your child at home if they are unwell. We are trying to minimise the spread of germs by encouraging the children to wash their hands before eating and sanitise or wash their hands as needed throughout the day.

End of Term

As the term draws to a close, we hope you have a restful and enjoyable break with your children, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for another exciting term ahead.

Happy holidays!

From the Kōwhai team

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 2, Week 9

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Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all,

What a busy few weeks we have had! We loved having the chance to connect with you at our Learning Conferences and also see many of you at our Matariki Evening this week, as well.  These connections, and the whanaungatanga that comes with them, are so valuable. They are wonderful chance for the students to reflect on their successes, as well as look ahead to the next two terms. We hope you enjoy some photos of life in the Pōhutukawa Hub over the past busy few weeks. Please take the time to read on for some important information.

Cyber Safety

Learning online continues to be a vital part of our learning at school, and the cyber safety of our tamariki is always at the forefront of what we do. At the beginning of the year, we held workshops on how to be cyber safe, and also expectations around using devices. We have recently been revisiting some of these ideas, and reminding our students that their school accounts are for learning purposes only. We have attached a Cyber Safety Guidelines @ Home for you to look at with your tamariki and discuss. Mā tātou te katoa te waka e hoe, we are all rowing the waka together.

Shoes/ Ngā hū

It has been really great to see the students 'stepping up' to show We Care for our school environment by removing their shoes during this wet and muddy season. Please click the link here to take a look at our latest Y-chart that was co-constructed with the students during our PB4L lesson. It really does make a huge difference to our learning space. Our next 'step' in this regard is to continue to work on keeping the shoes in a tidy way. Again, revisiting these expectations at ho'me, as well really helps us to get there together.

Winter Sports/ Hākinakina

Our Winter Sports programme is also now full steam ahead, with all of our students getting some amazing netball, football and hockey coaching and tautoko, support from our Year 8 student leaders on Wednesday afternoons. Our competitive teams are enjoying themselves in the South Zone competition and representing Beckenham admirably. A huge mihi, thanks to the parents who are helping out on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. We simply couldn't do it without your help and support.