Kahikitea Blog - Term 1, Week 8

 Kia ora e te whānau,

We are fast approaching the end of Term 1 and what a wonderful term it has been! It has been wonderful seeing the tamariki reconnect with friends from last year and in some cases make some new friends too!

The tamariki have settled well into our daily routines and weekly activities and we look forward to seeing them to continue to thrive and learn in the coming terms ahead.

Literacy

The tamariki have settled well into their literacy groups and have a good understanding of how the process works during the week. They are keen to learn and especially excited when they get to take a new book home on a Thursday. A small reminder that Thursday is literacy book swap day when they can return their previous book to their teacher and receive their new one to share with you at home.

Maths

Our focus this week has been concepts of subtraction and the tamariki have really enjoyed working with their Math buddy's in their home groups to solve some tricky questions and share their ideas.

Inquiry – Sustainability: Healthy Bodies and Minds

We have continued to focus on our healthy bodies and minds inquiry this week by looking at extending the tamariki's vocabulary regarding words around food choices. We established what a carbohydrate is and what it does for our bodies, additionally we talked about protein and the vegetarian/ alternative options available to fuel our bodies. This inquiry has provided some wonderful conversations and engagement in the classes.  

Learning Through Play

Our LTP sessions in Kahikatea are always hugely enjoyed by our tamariki, and they get the opportunity to engage in a wide range of learning opportunities, including art, science and construction. They are also given the opportunity to play sport outside and build their social skills through shared activities with their friends. This week we enjoyed a fabulous balloon art activity with lots of open-ended learning outcomes.  

Tuakana- Teina

We have continued to support our younger tamariki to make connections with our older students at the school and it has been absolutely wonderful watching these reciprocal relationships grow. Our homegroup children are always excited to see their "big buddies" arrive to play games, draw, build or organize sports activities outside. 

Little Kickers

The last two Wednesday's have been a fabulous opportunity for the tamariki to engage in some football games and learn some new skills. Every class has had its own 30-minute session to receive some ball skills training and play some fun games with two great coaches. 

Nga mihi nui

Sarah J, Amber, Talia and Sarah S