Kahikatea News: Term 3, Week 4

 Kia ora Whānau,

Welcome to another exciting fortnight in Kahikatea! We have had a lot happening, and we would love to share some of our wonderful learning and special moments with you.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and encouragement. We hope you enjoy keeping up with what we’ve been doing!

Cricket:

This week was our last of three cricket skills sessions; these were thoroughly enjoyed by all. It was a great introduction to cricket, and many are keen to play next season.

Learning through play:

Our twice-weekly learning through play sessions continue to be a team highlight! During these sessions, children are encouraged to follow their curiosity, express themselves and learn through play. Every session offers opportunities to experiment, make, wonder and connect — while building confidence, creativity and a love of learning.

Sculpture with Nicky:

Sarah J's homegroup has been working with Nicky on creating sculptures made out of things you put together. Students have made their own decorated paper and have been working with clay. Look at the stunning results:

Numicon Maths:

For the past two weeks, we have been learning how to add and subtract using 10s. Look at these clever kids! Next week we will begin a statistical investigation unit of learning.

Beckenham PTA Disco

How wonderful to have the disco to look forward to on Friday, the 21st of August! We are very excited and can’t wait to see the children all having a boogie.

 Disco Times:

• Koru and Kahikatea: 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm

Please feel free to send your child to school wearing their disco outfit at the start of the day. If you feel that their outfit may get damaged, please send it along in a named bag. The teachers will help your child to change into their dancing clothes after big play.

Teachers will collect gold coins at the start of the day. Please note that no food will be sold at the disco; however, your child will receive a small container of popcorn. If you would prefer that your child doesn’t have the popcorn, please contact your child’s Home Group teacher and let them know. 

Please contact your child's Home Group teacher if you have any questions about the disco.

Kia ora te whānau, 

We hope you have managed to stay warm this chilly week!

Term 3 has started off with a flurry of activities and the tamariki have got straight back into the swing of learning. They are so familiar with our routines and daily tasks by term three it doesn't take very long at all for everyone to settle into their roles and begin engaging in their learning. Here are just a few photos of all the wonderful learning which has occurred this week!

Recorder sessions - This term our tamariki have a wonderful opportunity to engage on a weekly basis with Rachel our visiting music teacher. Every Wednesday they get to learn how to play the recorder through tuition, games and playing the instrument. The tamariki really enjoyed this activity, and we look forward to seeing them grow in confidence and skills as the weeks progress. 

Cricket - Another exciting addition to our timetable in weeks 2,3 and 4 of this term is the opportunity to learn about cricket and how to play. Canterbury Cricket have provided some wonderful coaches who are supporting our tamariki to gain a love of the sport and pick up some new skills through games and practice. It was fabulous seeing how engaged the tamariki were, trying out something new and showing great sportsmanship.

Numicon - Numicon continues to be a very popular mode of learning in the Kahikatea hub. This week our focus has been based around the concept of measurement and in particular, centimeters and how we use estimating when we are comparing and ordering objects. The tamariki have been engaged and focused in their learning. 

Learning Through Play - Learning Through Play is a very important part of our curriculum in the Kahikatea hub and is something our tamariki look forward to every week. This week we focused on International Friendship Day by creating friendship bracelets, a joint art project, and we talked about what it means to be a good friend. 

Reminder - Scooter-athlon 

Next week, our Kahikatea Team will take part in an exciting Scooter-athlon on Friday 7th August from 1:30 pm – 3.00 pm. Parents are invited to come along and cheer on the tamariki.

The Scooter-athlon will follow a run → scooter → run format, giving students the chance to experience a fun, active, multi-stage race. Students are encouraged to wear their House T-Shirts, bring their own scooter and helmet, wear closed-toe shoes, and follow safety rules. Year 7/8 students will act as marshals to help run the event safely. Please note: If it is raining, the Scooter-athlon will be postponed. Any changes will be shared with parents via Hero.

Please let your classroom teacher know if your child does not have a scooter or if you have a spare one you are happy to lend. Your child will need to provide their own helmet. We can’t wait to see the tamariki scoot, run, and have fun – nau mai te wero! We love challenge!