Self-directed Literacy 📚

In Team Pohutukawa we are active participants in our learning. This is how me manage ourselves to be successful during literacy time.

Checking what needs to be done today.

A group of children working on their writing. What great friends!

Relaxing quietly on the ground, getting work done.

Lots of busy work in here. Children working collaboratively in the Learning Cafe.

A cosy place to focus and work together.

Using a chromebook to create a PowerPoint slideshow about what makes Beckenham School special.

Weekly Learning Update

What does learning look like in Te Whanau o Pohutukawa?

What does it mean to be a good friend? Life Education Lessons in Year5/6

Harold came to school in the Life Education truck to teach us about what it means to be a good friend. We have one more session next week. Thank you Kim and hopefully Harold will tell us more jokes!

A good friend cares for me.

A good friend helps you out when you need it.

A good friend includes you in games and helps you when you're having a hard time.

A good friend is funny and play with you and sticks up for you.

A good friend helps you when you feel down.

You have trust with a good friend and they care for you.

 It's important that a good friend is trustworthy, kind and caring.

A good friend is someone you can rely on.

Mathematicians at Work in Hub 21/22

'I'm working on number lines.'

An in-depth discussion about jumping on number lines to solve problems with a missing value. Using a digital number line to solve problems and completing a Basic Facts assessment independently. 

My next learning is to imagine number lines in my head to solve problems mentally.

Explaining our working out.

Harold's in Town at Beckenham School

We are super excited to have Harold and the Life Education truck here to visit us for the next couple of weeks at Beckenham School. Team Pohutukawa will be learning all about how to be a super supportive and kind friend so we can be awesome role models for the younger children in our school. At Beckenham School we are friends for life! 

Calling all Parents interested in Coaching Basketball!

Get ready to shoot some hoops! 

Calling all Basketball fans! We are looking for a Basketball coach (or coaches!!) for our Year 5/6 Friday afternoon Basketball competition. This will include one lunchtime practice at school and taking the team or teams to the Friday after school competition. If you are interested in getting on board with coaching one or two basketball teams for the Friday afternoon competition, please get in touch!

Pohutukawa Newsletter

Kiaora Koutou Whanau!

As I type this, the Duathlon is in full swing. Congratulations to all children who entered and good luck to all participants! We are coming to the end of a jam-packed term. We have all been challenged and stretched in our learning and have tried out ma y new ways of doing things together. We're all super excited about the Hub 14/15 Radio Show and the Hub 21/22 Starfleet Academy Learning Celebration. The children are all looking forward to sharing their learning at the end of the term.

We have focused on one of our emerging values 'We Love Challenge' and what this looks like in our classrooms. Look at all of the different ways children show they love challenge in the photos below.

Learning Journeys

Check out some of the learning that's been happening across the hubs over the last few weeks.

Folk Art Self-Portraits Hub 21/22

WALT create a self-portrait that represents our identity.

We were inspired by the work of Frida Kahlo especially her self-portrait, 'Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird'.

Hub 21/22 Starfleet Academy (Negotiated Learning Time)

So what's you're play about? Well...Comedy World War 3 'The Night Before Christmas!'

Making a Learning Choice in Negotiated Learning Time. 

Focusing on drawing skills as part of a final piece for Negotiated Learning. 

We love comfy furniture!

Are we ever going to pack up this area? No! The art stays here forever!

Robotics Professional

We Learn Together

Focusing on a personal project about Mahatma Gandhi

Another art focused passion project with independent learning steps using a guide.

Lots of different ways of learning.

Home Learning

So far we have been extremely impressed with the self-managing and independence Pohutukawa children have been showing with their Home Learning. The children are starting to move their Home Learning forward by making their own choices and focusing on what's important to them. We have a lot of Sport, Music and other activities happening outside of school! We have some very busy children! 

We will review the current Home Learning programme at the end of the term with the children and will fix up any technical issues!

Life Education Trust

For the last two weeks of term we have the Life Education Trust programme running at school. The children will visit in four groups and two sessions each about creating positive relationships and managing conflict. From the Life Education website:

Social relationships content focus' on friendships, bullying and self-responsibility. Children look at concepts such as being friendly as opposed to being a friend, and they learn about managing conflict. We can also look at important concepts such as cyber citizenship and the effect of bullying.

Swimming Sports

On the 27th of February 77 students from years 5-8 attended the Beckenham School swimming sports at Wharenui pool in Riccarton. Children from Pohutukawa raced each other in a range of different swimming styles and distances and even competed in the house relay! It was an awesome day and we are very proud of everyone for giving it a go. Bring on zones!

We had several children from Pohutukawa attend the Southzone Swimming Sports on Wednesday 18. Congratulations to the whole team for their amazing effort and behaviour.

Softball

We have been extremely fortunate to have Georgia from Softball Canterbury come into our school and teach our students each week some fundamental skills to play softball. These skills include pitching, throwing, fielding, batting, catching and base running. We have had great fun hanging out with Melissa and learning how to play softball. We may even have some future Black Sox players on our hands.

e-Asttle Assessments

We have two Schoolwide assessments coming up this term. Reading in Week 8 and Maths in Week 9. Please visit the Asttle website for more information about these assessment pieces. We will use the data gathered to inform our teaching and planning.

Cybersafety Agreements

Thanks to all the families that have signed and returned their cybersafety agreements. If you have not reviewed the cybersafety agreement with your child this year, please do so and return it to your child's home group teacher as soon as possible.

Feedback or Feedforward?

Please keep your ideas, concerns and positive comments coming! Our home-school partnership is hugely important to us at Beckenham School. We know that having strong connections between home and school has a large impact on children's learning. Please get in touch at any time.