Kahikatea Team News Term 2 Week 4

Kia ora e te whānau,

Over the past few weeks, our tamariki have been busy with some incredible learning experiences, and there are lots of exciting updates to share from the Kahikatea Hub!

One of the highlights was our trip to Ferrymead. Our ākonga had an absolute blast exploring toys and stepping back in time. We know many of you are eager to see what they got up to! 

Reminder - Staff Only day

On Friday, the 30th of May, the school is closed.

A Fantastic Day at Ferrymead!

We had an amazing day exploring Ferrymead, and our tamariki absolutely loved the hands-on learning experiences. Our ākonga were split into small groups and rotated through five exciting stations, each highlighting a different aspect of life and play in the past. These included:

• The Science Behind Toys – Exploring the mechanics and physics that make toys work.
  
  

• Puppets – Learning how puppets were used for storytelling and play.
  
  

• Indoor and Outdoor Games – A chance to try out traditional games from the past.
  
  

• Exploring an Old Classroom – Our tamariki stepped back in time and even created their own thaumatrope – a simple optical illusion toy from the 1800s! (Want to try it at home? Check out this video: How to Make a Thaumatrope)
  
  

• Wandering the Ferrymead Township – A chance to explore the buildings, vehicles, and streets of Ferrymead.
  
  

The trip was not only fun but also a great learning opportunity. Our ākonga discovered how toys and games have changed over time, the perfect lead-in to the next phase of our inquiry: designing and creating our very own toys!

We can’t wait to see the creativity that comes next!

Welcome Georgie!

We’re excited to give a big, warm welcome to Georgie Jones, who is joining our literacy sessions each day!

Georgie has been working in Pōhutukawa as a Literacy and Numeracy Support Teacher and brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to our team. She will be working with a few small groups from Talia and Amber’s classes during our reading block.

This is a fantastic opportunity for our ākonga, as it means smaller group sizes and more focused time with a teacher each day.

Georgie also specialises in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and brings a fresh perspective on English language learning. Her expertise will be valuable not just for our ESOL learners, but for all tamariki as we continue to grow our literacy skills together.

Cross Country Highlights – Embracing the Challenge!

Cross country was an awesome event! Every single tamaiti gave it their all, showing determination, resilience, and a fantastic attitude from start to finish. It was great to see our kura come together and celebrate one another. 

A huge thank you to all the whānau who came along to tautoko (support) our tamariki, and to those who helped out on the day, we couldn’t have done it without you!

This event was a wonderful example of how we show our school value  ‘We love challenge’.

Money, Money, Money!

This week, our tamariki have been diving into the world of financial literacy and what a fun and engaging unit it's been!

We’ve been super impressed with how much our clever ākonga already know about money. Throughout the week, we’ve focused on:

• Identifying New Zealand coins and notes
  

• Understanding their value
  

• Solving simple money equations using addition
  
  

It’s been fantastic to see our students making real-world connections, asking thoughtful questions, and enjoying hands-on activities with pretend money.

Kōrero about money at home

We encourage you to talk to your tamariki about money in everyday situations. For example:

• Explore coins and notes together
• Look at prices when you're at the supermarket
• Compare costs or count change

These simple conversations will help build their confidence and understanding of money in real-life contexts!

Here are some pics of what they’ve been up to this week!

Kahikatea Team News Term 2 Week 2

 Kia ora e te whānau,

Welcome to Term Two, and a special welcome to our new tamariki and their whanau. It's a pleasure getting to know you all! 

We are looking forward to our visit to Ferrymead Historic Park next week. 

• Your child will need to wear their school uniform
•  A warm jersey or jacket
• A packed lunch, 
•  A drink bottle
• No lunch orders, please 

Children don’t need to unpack their school bags when they get to school. 

School Cross Country 

This will be held on Friday, 23 May. Our children will run in their year groups. Teachers will walk their classes onto the big field for a warm,-up and then each year group will line up ready for their run. 

Year 1 will run at 11.20am (approx)

Year 2 will run at 11.30am (approx) 

We have daily practice runs to prepare for this event, including running on the big field and during our daily fitness sessions. Thank you for sending your child to school in appropriate footwear for running. 

Fraction Fun (MATHS) 

For the last two weeks, we have focused on fractions for our maths learning. Next week, we would like our kids to make Fairy Bread as a celebration of the end of this learning focus. If your child has specific dietary requirements (dairy/gluten), please email your child's homegroup teacher to let them know. 

Dear family and whānau,

This week, we learned about fractions as numbers. We explored the meaning of the top and bottom numbers in a fraction. Ask your child about the meaning of the numbers in a fraction like three-quarters or seven-eighths.

We used two types of material to explore fractions, circles, and rods. Challenge your child to divide circles up into equal parts and to draw a number line showing the size of fractions.

Learning Through Play 

Our beautiful tamariki still enjoy our Learning Through Play sessions with our whole hub. This week included the dress-ups and some disco dancing too! 

Word of the Week: Honesty 

Honesty means that we are truthful in what we say and do. 

When we are honest, people in our lives know that they can trust us. Trust is an important part of positive relationships with our family, friends, and teachers.

Ferrymead Heritage Park - social story 

Here is the social story we have shared with our tamariki in the daily notices. You are welcome to go over it with your child/ren at home too. 

Book Character Dress-up Day 

Kia ora whānau,

As part of our readathon, we are excited to have a book character dress-up day on Friday, May 16th.

Students are invited to come dressed as a book character or, if they prefer, in their usual school uniform. It is not a casual clothes day.