Kahikatea News Term 1 Week 11

Kia ora e te whānau,

What a fantastic term we have had in the Kahikatea team! Ngā ākonga have settled in beautifully with their 2024 home groups, and it has been wonderful to see friendships grow and rich learning taking place. Thank you for your ongoing support as we 'fill our kete for the journey.'

Katie and Amber have enjoyed co-leading the Kahikatea team during Term 1. Amber will be the Acting Team Leader from the beginning of Term 2. She is very excited to be stepping back into this role for 2024 while Katie continues working in her Acting Deputy Principal role for the remainder of the year.

Identity

Our concept-based inquiry this year is Identity. This term, we have worked really hard to learn new kupu (words) and rerenga kupu (phrases) by learning our pepeha (introduction) in Te Reo Māori.

Pepeha is a way for all of us to express to others who we are and where we come from. In Te Ao Māori it builds whanaungatanga (relationship/connection).

For Maōri (tangata whenua), pepeha is a set form of words that is recited. Pepeha is about places and people that Māori are connected to through their whakapapa (genealogy).

Non-Māori (tauiwi/tangata tītiri) can have a pepeha if they think about some rules (tikanga Māori). They can express their connection to the places and people they connect to through their own whakapapa.

Each child planned their pepeha, similar to the one below. They then practiced and practiced their pepeha. We are so proud of how well everyone has done! You can look forward to seeing your child's pepeha in their mid-year report learning post.

Ko wai tō pepeha? What is your pepeha?

Teddy Bears Picnic

It was such a treat to come to school in our pyjamas with our favourite teddy bear yesterday! We did a range of fun teddy bear related activities. Here are some photos of the fun!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday! We look forward to seeing you and your child back at school on Monday the 29th of April.

Team Kahikatea

amber.donovan@beckenham.school.nz

ella.rainbow@beckenham.school.nz

lisa.collier@beckenham.school.nz

quynh.nguyen@beckenham.school.nz

sarah.angelo@beckenham.school.nz

Kahikatea News Term 1 Week 9

Kia ora whānau,

The end of Term 1 is just around the corner and our tamariki have worked so hard. It is wonderful to see friendships blossoming, resilience growing, and a determination to achieve learning goals. To celebrate and to acknowledge the wonderful work of all our tamariki we will be having a Teddy Bear Picnic/Pajama Day on the 11th of April. Your child/ren is warmly invited to bring: 

A teddy or cuddly toy (no hard plastic toys please) 

1x small blanket (to sit on or snuggle up in) 

their usual packed lunch

and 

wear their pyjamas! 

Communication

A reminder to all our whānau that the Home Group teachers are always happy to be contacted if there is anything you would like to share or discuss about your child. The home/school relationship is important and communication plays a large part in this. So please see your child's Home Group teacher in the first instance. 

Word of the Week:

Our word of the week is cooperation. Cooperation is all about teamwork and the ability to work well with others.  Our school values, 'We Get There Together ' ('Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe') and 'We Care' ('Arohaina te tāngata ma te taiao') are shown when tamariki cooperate well with others. Below is a short animation and a song about cooperation. 

Story about cooperation

Song about cooperation

Here is a link to some stories which show the value of cooperation:

https://childrenslitlove.com/2020/02/26/fantastic-reads-to-build-teamwork-and-cooperation-skills/ 

Netball:

We have thoroughly enjoyed our netball sessions this term. Tamariki have worked hard to develop their movement skills of running, jumping, throwing, catching, coordination, and teamwork. 

House Games: 

A big thank you to the Year 7/8 House Captains who organise such fun activities during House Games. 

Library: 

Just a reminder that Ella and Amber's homegroups visit the school library on Tuesdays to change their books and Quynh and Sarah's homegroups visit on Thursdays. Tamariki must have their library folders at school on these days so that books can be changed. Also, if your child is not bringing a library book home, it may be because books are overdue on their library account. It would be wonderful if these books could be returned to school. If these books have been misplaced, please contact the school office. 

Resources

Thank you so much to the whānau who have donated toys, cardboard boxes, and craft supplies to support learning through play. It is very much appreciated and the children love having these new resources to inspire creativity. Lots of these items do get used quickly so it would be wonderful if you can collect and bring in any of the following items. 

• Craft and construction (wool, boxes, buttons, milk lids, containers, toilet roll tubes) 
• Magazines, coloured paper or card, posters, old calendars
• Stickers/labels 
• Good dress-up costumes (including hats, accessories, shoes) 
• Wrapping paper
• Ribbon or string
• Boxes for box construction (cereal boxes, biscuit boxes, small paper bags, egg cartons etc

We also want to make a really cosy reading space in the hub. If you have any top quality cushions, fabric, rugs or blankets that are no longer needed, please let your child's kaiako know. 

Photo Gallery: 

Reminders: 

• Please name your child's belongings
• Please remind your child/ren they do not need to bring toys to school
• Hats are to be worn during break times (Term 1 and 4)

 If you need to korero with your child's teacher please remember you can email us: 

sarah.angelo@beckenham.school.nz

ella.rainbow@beckenham.school.nz

quynh.nguyen@beckenham.school.nz

amber.donovan@beckenham.school.nz

lisa.collier@beckenham.school.nz

Arohanui, from Team Kahikatea 

Amber, Quynh, Lisa, Sarah, Ella & Katie 

Kahikatea News Term 1 Week 7

Tēnā koutou katoa,

Weeks 6 and 7 of Term 1 have really seen the weather changing as we head into Autumn. There are a few bugs about and some tamariki are showing signs of tiredness. Much like our environment that has been flowering and fruiting all summer we are ready to slow down a little and nurture ourselves. 

We Care | Arohaina te tāngata me te taiao

Maths

Kahikatea is currently exploring pattern-making in mathematics. This has included patterns with skip counting, multiplication, identifying, and creating patterns. We have been on the lookout for ways in which maths is used in our daily lives, for example, in arts and crafts, nature and gardening, tattoos, wrapping paper, and design. 

NZ Maths Website

NZ Maths has some great maths activities for tamariki. This is the link for NZ Maths home kete. NZ Maths also has some great resources on number facts games that support our tamariki in their number knowledge. 

Literacy

Tamariki should all be bringing home their reading books regularly now. Most children are putting their literacy folders into their literacy teacher's container at the start of the day and packing them into their bags after literacy. We encourage tamariki to read and practice their sounds each night to increase fluency. We appreciate your support in their literacy journey. 

Te Reo Māori

We have been focusing on daily greetings in Te Reo Māori. Here's the link to Ata mārie- Good Morning waiata. We have been learning kupu (words) in Te Reo Māori as we work towards creating our own pepeha (introduction).

Netball

Our netball unit continues and we are seeing some great skills developing in catching, throwing, dodging, and jumping. 

Digital Technology in Kahikatea

Nick from the Kōwhai team has created some wonderful apps for our tamariki that align with learning in literacy and maths. The length of time in which children are on devices is usually 5-10 minutes and is supervised by an adult. We also use an app called ChatterPix - this app allows children to create characters and use an audio tool to give the characters a voice. If you have any concerns or queries, please contact your child's homegroup teacher.

Nuts at School

Just a reminder that we have children in our team who are allergic to nuts. One of these is life-threatening. Therefore, we are asking that nuts and nut-based products are not brought to school by your child. This includes all nuts.

Walk and Wheel to School

Thank you whānau for supporting this year's walk and wheel to school. It was a great opportunity for our kaiako to learn more about how your tamariki get to school.

Parent Playground Helpers

Last year, we had a wonderful group of parents and caregivers who came along to school during lunch play to support our tamariki in the junior playground. We will be restarting this again from the beginning of Term 2. The benefits of being on the parent playground roster include being involved in the school day, and getting to know other parents and your child's friends. Please email Katie if you would like to offer your help for Term 2. katie.mcfarlane@beckenham.school.nz

Visual Diary of Kahikatea 

If you need to korero with your child's teacher please remember you can email us: 

sarah.angelo@beckenham.school.nz

ella.rainbow@beckenham.school.nz

quynh.nguyen@beckenham.school.nz

amber.donovan@beckenham.school.nz

lisa.collier@beckenham.school.nz

Arohanui, from Team Kahikatea 

Amber, Quynh, Lisa, Sarah, Ella & Katie