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Friday, 15 September 2023

Kahikatea News Term 3 Week 9

Kia ora e te whānau,

We can't believe there's only one more week of Term 3 left. We have been really enjoying the warmer weather and far fewer wet days indoors. This is a good reminder to dig out those sunhats ready for term 4.

Well done to our learners who auditioned for the talent quest which is being held next week. We loved seeing the joy you had in performing. Thanks for sharing your talents with us!

Cricket Awareness Skills Sessions

Last week we were lucky to experience cricket sessions with Southern Districts & South East Ōtautahi Cricket Club. Each home group had time over at the hall, learning new skills, such as batting and bowling. If your child came home buzzing, check out the brochure and information below, with how to access further cricket lessons.


"At Beckenham Park, we not only deliver cricket for all ages, but a quality, engaging sport and physical activity program that we deliver through play, using our natural environment and varied equipment. We aim to improve the physical literacy of our community and encourage them to stay physically active. We would love to see more of our Beckenham whānau join us for a summer of cricket.
We have teams from Friday afternoon Smashies, Year 1-2 Cricket through to Year 6 Hardball, and then for our female only players we have teams from Year 3-4 through to Year 8-10." - Cat Quinn, Kids in Action Christchurch













Beckenham's Got Talent 

Auditions for team Kahikatea were held on Wednesday afternoon. We were so impressed by the confidence shown, the range of talents, and the willingness to give it a go. Ka pai everyone, Nau Mai te Wero! 







Mathematics


This task sparked lots of discussion and thinking. In Lisa and Quynh's homegroup, we voted using tally marks, on which dog was the odd one out. Then we were set the challenge to find a second answer. Most people thought that the top right dog was the odd one out. Here are some of our reasons.
Top left: "That dog is facing the other way."
Top right: "It is the only one with spots. It must be a dalmation!"
Bottom left: "It's smaller than the others."
Bottom right: "It is long and flat, like a sausage dog!"

We have been enjoying exploring fractions as well as using materials to understand place value.




    

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori

We have been celebrating Māori language this week, through a range of activities and waiata.

Here are some waiata you might want to enjoy with your tamariki at home:





Here are some phrases your whānau may want to learn together:


Here are some images from our wiki:












Literacy

We have noticed so much progress in our handwriting over the course of the year. Bounce and Skip, the monkeys, have had many fantastic adventures with our learners and we have loved seeing all of the pictures of what they've been up to. 

Handwriting is such an important part of our literacy programme. Check out this video discussing the research and evidence surrounding the impact of handwriting fluency.








Learning to use the conjunctions 'because', 'but', 'so': 




Some of our eager writers and illustrators enjoyed sharing their books with Sandy on Friday:

We have really been enjoying the sandpit in this lovely weather. Sometimes our water and sand play can get a little messy, so please provide a change of clothes for your child if they are a keen sandpit adventurer! 

Over the holidays we will be moving homegroup spaces. Quynh and Lisa's homegroup will move to the breakout space, Krystal's HG to the Nook, Amber's HG to the theatre, and Katie's HG to the atrium.

Our last day of the term is Friday 22nd of September (the same day that calendar art orders are due).

Have a wonderful holiday break and we look forward to seeing you all back on Monday 9th October.

Ngā mihi nui,
Team Kahikatea

katie.mcfarlane@beckenham.school.nz
krystal.hunt@beckenham.school.nz
amber.donovan@beckenham.school.nz
lisa.collier@beckenham.school.nz
quynh.nguyen@beckenham.school.nz

Thursday, 31 August 2023

Kahikatea News Week 7 Term 3

Kia ora koutou,

Welcome to Spring! It has been wonderful to have warmer days and to see the sun shining this week!


Keeping Ourselves Safe

This week Kahikatea students have learned about:

Unwanted Behaviour or Touch

  • Students need to know that they can stop touching or behaviour that is inappropriate, that worries or confuses them, or makes them feel unsafe.
  • Students need to be able to say “no” confidently, move away, and report what has happened.

Secrets and Tricks

  • Identify the difference between good surprises and bad secrets
  • Identify the adults they trust about bad secrets
  • Explain safe practices for trick situations, including online.
This Brian and Bobby video has been a really helpful resource for our tamariki.

Last week during our lessons with Constable Meg we all watched this video about Consent (link). We encourage you to watch this too when you have time.

Word of the Week: Friendship

This week we have been learning about friendships and practicing being a good friend. Good friends have several common character traits. By intentionally practicing these qualities, you can help your child learn to be a better friend. 

Here are some friendly character traits you can work on:
  • Taking turns
  • Offering encouragement
  • Sharing
  • Being patient
  • Including others

Mathematics

This week teachers have been completing the JAM test (Junior Asssessment for Maths) so classes have been combined. Some of the topics we have covered during this time include Skip Counting, Time, and Mathematical Art.

Here are some photos of our tamariki enjoying some different maths this week:















Chess Fun! 

Every morning a group of Kahikatea students gather in the nook to play games of chess. Anyone is welcome to play and we encourage those of you whose children like to play or would like to learn how to play chess to check out this cool link: ChessPlus


We hope you are having an enjoyable weekend.

Team Kahikatea