Pōhutukawa Update, Term 4, Week 10

 

Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all

It's that time of the year when we reflect with the tamariki and enjoy the last few days together as a 2023 cohort. Our trip to Tough Kid last week was a wonderful way to celebrate with everyone by being part of a festive occasion full of colour, with lots of dancing, singing, and an exciting and challenging obstacle course! Thanks once again to all of the whānau who supported the trip. We hope you enjoy the musical movie montage we made of the day. Beckenham students also feature pretty prominently in the promo video for Tough Kid made by Sports Canterbury, which can be viewed here.

Looking ahead to next week and the last day and a half of school, we will enjoy seeing the Year 8's Graduation Assembly on Monday, before saying farewell to 2023 and meeting our 2024 home groups on Tuesday. We will also be getting the water slide out on Monday afternoon, and doing some water play activities on the Park. Any children who want to bring their togs and towel to school and Monday can participate. Those who'd prefer to stay cool and dry can do so, too.

Finally, you'll have noticed that your child has started to bring home some of their books, extra stationery, and other belongings. If you know that your child still has a lot of stuff to bring home next week, it may be a good idea for them to bring an extra bag to school.  

Thank you to you all for a wonderful year, we hope you all enjoy a safe and relaxing summer with your families. We wish you a happy holidays. Ngā mihi o te tau hou, happy new year to you all.

The Pōhutukawa Team

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 4, Week 8

 

Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all,

We are now racing towards the end of the school year with 3 and a half weeks to go until the finish line! In keeping with that analogy we are just one week away from our trip to the  MASH Tough Kid Challenge fun run on Wednesday, December 6. Thank you very much to those parents who have offered to join us on the trip. We will be speaking to the tamariki more about the trip this week, and also sending out more information in a separate post. Please read on for some very important updates for you to discuss with your tamariki. We hope you also enjoy some photos, and a link to a news article featuring some of our akonga that is just awesome, tau ke!

Road Patrol

For our Year 6's, being a member of the Road Patrol is one of the key ways they can show leadership in our senior school. It is also a wonderful way to hone time-management skills, and perform a valuable service for both our kura and the community; rain, hail, or shine! It was great to have our Year 5 patrollers out completing their training with Constable Meg last week, and they are now on patrol before and after school until the end of the year. Thank you for your support in ensuring they are aware of their days on patrol.

We would also like to take this chance to acknowledge our Year 6 Road Patrol members for their service this year in keeping everyone safe at the crossing. Ngā mihi ki a koutou mo tō mahi, thank you all for your hard work.

Cycle Safe and Homelink Road Safety

It's been rawe, awesome to see our Year 6 tamariki out there on their bikes and embracing challenges with the Cycle Safe team from the CCC. Nau mai te wero!

It's always such a beneficial programme for our Year 6's to learn the benefits of cycling and how to ride with confidence and be road-wise. This year they were lucky to have the additional opportunity to sit in the cab of a large truck to get a front-seat view of a driver's blind spots when driving a large vehicle, and thinking about the implications of that when they are on a bike; a very cool experience!

In addition to Cycle Safe, all students have also been working through a Homelink Road Safety book in class. Home Link Road Safety introduced this programme for teachers to use in schools. The major emphasis of the programme is the pedestrian area, which accounts for approximately 50% of injuries to children on our roads. The following is a message to whānau from Homelink:

"It is unfortunately still true that road crashes are the number one killer of children in New Zealand. The Traffic environment was designed by and for adults. It is an adult responsibility to keep children safe. For that reason, Homesafe Educational Resources Ltd. and local sponsors are enabling the message to be taken from the schools into homes. Homelink will assist parents and caregivers in the development of safe road practices. Together we make a difference."

It would be a great idea to follow up on these important lessons with your tamariki at home as well to ask them what they learned and what they might need to remember about road safety.

Transition Visits

As busy as it is at the end of the year, we are also preparing our students for next year with 'Transition Visits'. For the past few weeks, we have been giving our incoming 2024 Year 5's a chance to be with the 2024 Year 6's as a cohort and have some Learning Through Play sessions together. This week our outgoing Year 6's will be spending the afternoon with next year's Year 8 students to get a taste of life in the intermediate Hub. These visits are a really valuable chance for the tamariki to get a feel for the learning environment, reconnect with some of their friends, and also get answers to some questions they may have about 2024. We encourage you to talk with your tamariki about these visits and start the conversations about 2024 if you feel they're ready. Any momentum we can build now to set everyone up for a successful start to next year is valuable indeed. Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe, we are all rowing the waka together.

Kaitiaki Crew News Article

How wonderful, miharo to see the members of our hardworking and passionate Kaitiaki Crew given their 'moment in the sun' this week with the publication of an online news article on Newsline. The article, titled 'Beckenham Students Nurturing Nature' is about our ongoing partnership with the Council Community Partnerships Rangers and Community Waterways Partnership.  It's a wonderful way to promote and celebrate the taonga of our spring-fed ponds for which our school is named, and recognise the mahi of some of our dedicated 'kaitiaki'. Nā mātou he rereke te ao, the world is different because of us! You can read the article here.

Kia pai te wīki,

The Pōhutukawa Team

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 4, Week 6

 

Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all

The first half of the term has sailed past us, and this week you will receive the end-of-year school report for your tamariki. We encourage you to take the time to sit down and read through this with them and celebrate the successes they have had. The General Comment and Learning Posts are from the homegroup teacher and are written directly to your child as a celebration of their work. The report is a wonderful opportunity to read and reflect on 2023 as well as look ahead to next year, be they staying in Pōhutukawa or moving on, and start to think about and discuss together some goals and aspirations they may have for 2024. If you have anything you'd like to discuss please send your home group teacher an email to arrange a time for a call, or to come in for a kōrero, a chat. We have a lot of fantastic things to look forward to as we approach the end of the school year. Please read on for some very important information regarding some education outside of the classroom that requires your attention.

Polynesian Navigators Inquiry and Minecraft Education 

This term for our Inquiry topic we have been learning about how Polynesian navigators used (and still use) mātauranga, knowledge passed down through generations, such as the movement of stars, tide and wind patterns, and of bird migrations to help them safely sail the vast Moana Nui a Kiwa, the Pacific Ocean.

In keeping with our concept of Innovation, we are also taking a deep dive into the amazing boat-building technology of the Polynesians, specifically the waka hourua, the great double-hulled waka that brought the first people to Aotearoa. Students have been exploring how to use Minecraft Education as a tool for designing and building a waka hourua. We look forward to sharing some of the end-results of the learning, soon

There has been so much learning happening for everyone around this fascinating topic already, and we encourage you to ask the students what they now understand about the technology and navigation of the early Polynesian people, He taonga te ako - the treasure is learning.

Kōtuitui Football Update

Over the past 3 weeks the students have been enjoying the Kōtuitui football programme coordinated by New Zealand Football. It's been wonderful to see all the students participating in the sport and developing their skills under the guidance of a coach from Mainland Football. We hope you enjoy some photos of the sessions.

Parent Help Needed - MASH Tough Kid - (Delivered by Primary Sports Canterbury)

On Wednesday 6th December from 12 pm - 3 pm, the Pōhutukawa team will be traveling to South Brighton Domain to take part in a fun-filled obstacle course along with other schools from all around the Canterbury region. MASH Tough Kid is an urban-style obstacle course for primary & intermediate-aged students. Obstacles include tire runs, hurdle jumps, water slides, hay bale climbs, and more. This will be a fantastic way to celebrate the end of a wonderful year with the tamariki, which has indeed had its challenges.

 Our focus for the trip will be on participation and will be doing everything we can to support all the tamariki to partake in the course up to wherever their point of challenge lies. Here is a short introductory video that we watched with the tamariki today to whet their appetite.

For this trip to go ahead, we will need the support of whānau. If you can come along and help us on the day, please email your home group teacher. Thank you in advance for the tautoko, support to ensure this is an awesome end-of-year celebration for all. We look forward to hearing from you!

Year 6 whānau (only) - Cycle Safe begins next week

Next week all of our Year 6 students will be taking part in the Cycle Safe Programme at school, which entails them riding their bikes around Beckenham te Kura o Pūroto, and on local roads, whilst supervised.

Your child will be participating in this course during one of the following three sessions:

Session 1 - Monday 20th November & Tuesday 21st November

Session 2 - Wednesday 22nd November & Thursday 23rd November 

Session 3 - Friday 24th November & Monday 27th November

Your child/ren will be bringing a notice home this week outlining the session/dates that they will be participating.

On these days, students should bring the following to school:

• Their bicycle (in good working order)

• Their helmet (in good working order)

• A lock to secure these items to the school bike racks                                                                                                                                   

Please ensure that your child comes to school on these days wearing suitable clothing for the weather.

If it rains and it is unsuitable for the children to go out on their cycles, the remaining sessions will be classroom-based.  

For those who do not have their own, a number of bicycles and helmets are available through the programme.

Have a great week, kia pai te wiki.

The Pōhutukawa Team

Kura News Website

 Ngā mihi e te whānau,

In the Pōhutukawa team this year we are thrilled to have some budding journalists, Billy, Chester, Jensen, and Tom.

These keen reporters have created a news site, that they keep regularly updated with news articles about latest comings and goings at kura. We're really pleased to be able to share their mahi with you here.  https://sites.google.com/beckenham.nz/kuranews/home  

Well done, team, you are really living our Kete values with your contributions to school life. Tau ke, awesome!

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 4, Week 3

 Ngā mihi o te ahiahi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all,

It's been a wonderful start to the term as we settle back into our routines. Term 4 is a very busy term, and we have some exciting events coming up that require your attention, and parent help. Please read the information below. Thank you as always for your support, and for speaking with your tamariki about these events to prepare for, and look ahead to what will be a busy, active, and fun-filled end to the year!

Athletics Day Tomorrow

We have enjoyed the warm weather of the first 2 weeks and have been busy preparing for our school Athletics Day tomorrow. The students have been learning and practising 4 events: high jump, sprints, shotput, and discus. All the students have had 2 sessions of each discipline to ready them for the big day tomorrow.

It looks like it will be a very hot day, so thank you for remembering to prepare your child to be out in the sun for most of the day. We look forward to seeing many of you here to cheer them on. The schedule for tomorrow is as follows:

TIME	YEAR 5	YEAR 6
9:20	Mid-Distance Race (optional)	Mid-Distance Race (optional)
10:00	High Jump	Shotput
11:00	Sprints	High Jump
11:50	Discus	Sprints
1:20	Shotput	Discus
2:00	Sprint Finals and House Relay	Sprint Finals and House Relay

Cycle Safe (Year 6 Only)

During weeks 6 and 7 of this term our Year 6 students will be involved in the Cycle Safe Programme provided by the Christchurch City Council. Cycle Safe is a cycle skills education programme for schools. Students learn the benefits of cycling and how to ride with confidence and be road-wise. All Year 6 students will participate in this course and the instructors cater to all cycling abilities.

You can find out more information about the programme here https://ccc.govt.nz/transport/getting-around/getting-to-school/resources-for-schools/cyclesafe/

If your child is in Year 6, they will be coming home with a permission slip today to be returned to school by Monday 30th October.

If you have any questions about the programme, please get in touch with your homegroup teacher.

Kōtuitui Football Programme

Starting next week and running on Monday and Tuesday afternoons for the next 3 weeks we are excited to be offering the students a football programme coordinated by New Zealand Football. Kōtuitui is an integrated unit of work that supports ākonga (students) to use the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ as a context for connecting to others in our bicultural and multicultural society. The programme will provide ākonga with the skills and knowledge to connect to cultures other than their own, both in Aotearoa New Zealand and across the globe. There is no preparation needed for this, and the students will just have to wear their normal school uniform and running shoes. If students would like to bring along their football boots and shin pads, they are welcome to do so, however, the programme will be delivered as an introduction to the 'beautiful game' with no experience or special gear required.

MASH Tough Kid - Delivered by Primary Sports Canterbury

On Wednesday 6th December from 12 pm - 3 pm, the Pōhutukawa team will be traveling to South Brighton Domain to take part in a fun-filled obstacle course along with other schools from all around the Canterbury region. MASH Tough Kid is an urban-style obstacle course for primary & intermediate-aged students. Obstacles include tire runs, hurdle jumps, water slides, hay bale climbs, and more. This will be a fantastic way to celebrate the end of a wonderful year with the tamariki. Our focus for the trip will be on participation and will be doing everything we can to support all the tamariki to partake in the course up to wherever their point of challenge lies. Here is a short introductory video that we watched with the tamariki today to whet their appetite.

In order for this trip to go ahead, we will need the support of whānau. If you are able to come along and help us on the day, (or would even fancy taking part with your tamariki in the race itself!) please email your home group teacher. Thank you in advance for the tautoko, support to ensure this is an awesome end-of-year celebration for all. We look forward to hearing from you!

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 3, Week 10

 

Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all,

In the past two weeks, the Pōhutukawa team has had: planting at ngā pūroto, the ponds with the Christchurch City Council, our Speech Competition and finals, amazing Talent show auditions, and our Beckenham's Got Talent Show, as well as our 'Create a Culture' Inquiry projects and exhibition... that's not to mention our usual end of term assessments. Whew!

Needless to say, the tamariki have had an incredibly busy end to the term, and are very deserving of a well-earned rest! We hope you enjoy the photos we are sharing today of all of the above, and that you all enjoy a wonderful term break with your tamariki.

We're looking forward to seeing everyone in 2 weeks refreshed, revitalised, and ready for the final term.

Ngā manaakitanga,

The Pōhutukawa team

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 3, Week 8

 

Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all,

Last week we finished our Keeping Ourselves Safe programme with a look at "Why should I tell?", where students learn to stop inappropriate touch or behaviour, say “no” confidently, move away, and report what has happened.

Overall, we have been really impressed with the thoughtfulness and maturity of the students during this programme. Children need abuse prevention education throughout their schooling, as their needs and experiences change. They need to have the opportunity to practise skills and to have the learning reinforced. Thank you for continuing these conversations and discussions at home. The final homework activity to do with your tamariki is below.

Coming up in the next 3 weeks we have a planting day (this Wednesday), a speech competition, Inquiry presentations, and a talent show to finish another busy term. There is some important information about all of this below, so please thank you for taking the time to read on.

Planting Day with the Christchurch City Council

We have some more planting to do! As part of our ongoing kaitiakitanga/guardianship of our Beckenham Ponds, the Pōhutukawa students will again have the opportunity to work alongside Christchurch City Council and plant some native trees and shrubs down at the ponds. This is our 4th year of planting down at ngā pūroto, and it is a tangible opportunity to show our school kete value We Care - Arohaina te tangata me te taiao, we care for people and the environment they live in which is inclusive of community.

We plan to do the planting this Wednesday 6 September from 9:00 am - 12:30 pm. We'd like to request that the tamariki bring their gumboots, or a pair of old shoes that they don't mind getting muddy. If the weather is wet, we will postpone.

Create a Culture - Resources from Home

This term as part of our inquiry into the concept of  'Innovation', we are investigating how to create a unique culture by naming and designing the following: physical features of their country, flag, food, language, clothing, holidays, government, Laws and Consequences, sport, school, and artworks. Our next step is to display their 'Create a Culture' project. Students have been given the task of choosing a non-digital form of presentation, such as (but not limited to) a poster, diorama, mobile, or brochure. This week we are inviting students to bring in whatever resources they may need from home in order to work on their presentations. Thank you for your support with this.

Pōhutukawa Speech Competition and 'Beckenham's Got Talent'

As some of you will no doubt be aware, the students have been working very hard on their speeches over the past 3 weeks. The students have been able to choose whether they would like to present their speech to the home group, or a smaller group if they would prefer. It's been wonderful to see the students diligently planning and crafting their speeches,  with many also putting in some extra mahi, work at home too.

Next week they will be presenting their speeches, and we will conduct a Speech Final to award the Megan McLachlan Year 5 - 6 Speech Cup. Nau mai te wero, embrace the challenge!

Also, there are a number of students ready to show us their hidden (or not-so-hidden) talents at the end-of-term talent show. We are holding auditions this week for the illustrious privilege of representing our team at the whole-school 'Beckenham's Got Talent' extravaganza which will be held on the last day of term.

Thank you for supporting our budding performers in their preparations for both of these competitions.

Keeping Ourselves Safe Homework Activity

In Keeping Ourselves Safe we have been talking about who children can go to for help if they feel
unsafe or worried. Reinforce the following messages with your child.

● You must tell someone if other people make you feel unsafe, worried or scared.
● If the first person doesn’t help, go on telling until someone listens and takes action.
● You can always come to me and I will listen and help you.

Work with your child to complete a drawing similar to the harakeke drawing attached. Give
specific names and contact details where you can.

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 3, Week 7

 

Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all

We hope you all had a lovely weekend. Please read on for more very important information regarding our Keeping Ourselves Safe Programme, and some updates from the Pōhutukawa team. Have a great week, everyone, kia pai te wiki.

Keeping Ourselves Safe

Thank you for the feedback about the Keeping Ourselves Safe activities that we sent home last week. These are such important topics to be discussed at home, too. We are continuing with the programme at kura this week, having our final session with Constable Meg today and having further lessons throughout the week.

One of the main messages of the programme is to encourage children to first identify and then take action in unsafe situations. The more conversations that the tamariki can have with trusted adults about this, the more confident they can be if they do find themselves in an unsafe or uncomfortable situation. Please find below 2 more 'homework activities' from the Keeping Ourselves Programme to do at home as a family. The first is a checklist from the 'Confident Me' lesson, and the second is a list of situations in which they could use the 'stop, walk, talk', strategy. 

Homework Activity: Confident Me

As part of Keeping Ourselves Safe, your child has been learning to value themselves and to be
confident. We have also talked about our feelings and how we can express these safely.
These skills help to keep children safe because:
● people who want to harm children are less likely to target a confident, assertive child
● being able to identify their feelings and tell people how they feel can help children to keep
safe and ask for help.

Please help your child to complete the following checklist. Ask them questions about what they have learned. 

Confident Me Checklist:

I feel confident talking to my teacher

I feel confident answering the phone

I can say how I'm feeling

I can say 2 positive things about myself

I know how to make safe decisions

I know who to ring in an emergency

Homework Activity: Safe or Unsafe

As part of Keeping Ourselves Safe we talked in the classroom about how to identify potentially
unsafe situations involving people.

● This could be people that children are with all the time, those they meet in the real world, or
people that they meet online in the digital world.

Your child learnt how to use Stop, Walk, Talk when they feel unsafe.
● Talk to your child about situations that make them feel unsafe.
● Respect your child’s right to say no to touch or behaviour that they don’t like.
● Help them keep safe online.

Consider making a rule that children’s cell phones are stored/charged in your bedroom overnight.
This means children cannot be contacted, coerced into meeting someone outside, or bullied, at night.
Please help your child with the following activities.

1. Ask them to explain Stop, Walk, Talk to you and to tell you when they might use it.
2. Ask them to demonstrate how they would use Stop, Walk, Talk in each of the following
situations:
● Someone pushes you out of a line at school.
● Someone you have just met online asks for your address and a photo.
● A family friend kisses you on the mouth.
● You get a friend request from someone you don’t know.

Create a Culture Inquiry

As part of this year's concept of Innovation, students have been investigating how to create a unique culture by naming and designing the following: physical features of their country, flag, food, language, clothing, holidays, government, Laws and Consequences, sport, school, and artworks. It's proving to be a very popular project, with students even asking to work on their 'Create a Culture' booklets during wet break times. The next step will be for them to choose a way to display their 'Create a Culture' project. They have been given the task of choosing a non-digital form of presentation, such as (but not limited to) a poster, diorama, mobile, or brochure. Students are more than welcome to bring in any resources from home that may help them with their projects. Thank you for your support with this.

Winter Sports

Finally, we just wanted to once again express our sincere gratitude to all the parents who have helped make our Winter Sports Programme a success again this year - it simply couldn't happen without your support! We were fortunate to have some lovely weather over the past 2 Thursday afternoons, and the smiles on the faces of the tamariki at the end were ka rawe, awesome. 

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 3, Week 6

Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all,

It's been great to see us starting to get back to our usual numbers here at kura after a few weeks of unwellness throughout the team. Thank you again, whānau, for keeping tamariki at home who are unwell during this season of coughs and colds. It was just wonderful to see the sun out last Thursday and have everyone outside being active and playing sports. We have our final round of hockey, netball, and football this week both for the South Zone competition, as well as for the non-competitive teams. Let's hope for some more sunshine! We also have the Duathlon coming up this Wednesday. You can read the Hero Community post: School Duathlon for all the information regarding this exciting, optional event.

Please read on for some updates from the team, as well as some very important information regarding Keeping Ourselves Safe a comprehensive child abuse prevention programme for schools, which we begin teaching this week. There is a homework activity from the programme below that we would strongly encourage you to complete with your tamariki.

Our Amazing Teaching Assistants

Last week the Pōhutukawa team bid a fond farewell to Charmaine Pedersen, who has won a full-time position and finished up her time here at Beckenham. All the very best, Charmaine - we will all miss the care and devotion you gave our tamariki every day. In Charmaine's place, we welcome Matt Hastings to the team in a Learning Support role, nau mai haere mai, Matt!

Calendar Art

The students have been working diligently on their Calendar Art over the past month or so, and it has been wonderful guiding them through the creative process from preparation to production. Our concept this year was for akonga to use Van Gogh's Starry Night as inspiration to incorporate what we have learned about the Matariki cluster of stars (te iwa o Matariki) in a landscape that was significant to them. We hope you enjoy the end product as much as the students have enjoyed creating them. Keep an eye out for order forms, which will be available soon!

Keeping Ourselves Safe

Keeping Ourselves Safe is a comprehensive child abuse prevention programme for schools, which is delivered collaboratively with Constable Meg Moynihan, our Police Education Officer.

We had our first lessons with Constable Meg today, in which students learned: to understand what abuse is and know that any abuse is wrong, should be reported, and is not their fault. This week we will also be covering how to verbalise feelings confidently and practise a decision-making process that will help them to make safe decisions for themselves and others.

Homework activity: About abuse

In Keeping Ourselves Safe we have been talking about abuse. We worked with the following
definition:
Abuse is when anybody uses power over another person and causes them harm. This could include:
● hurting them physically
● ill-treating them
● not taking care of their everyday needs
● touching them in sexual ways
● showing them sexual materials
● hurting their feelings and their sense of wellbeing.
It also includes violence that happens in families.
Abuse can harm a child’s health, their dignity and may make it hard for them to learn and develop. 
● No one deserves to be abused.
● All abuse is against the law and should be reported.
● Abuse is never the victim’s fault.
Work with your child to come up with one example of each of the following types of abuse. Then for
each example, discuss how the child could use Stop, Walk, Talk – Who could they talk to? What could
they say?

Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Emotional abuse
Family harm
Neglect
Cyber abuse

Over the next two weeks, we will be sharing the focus areas that we cover here at school with you, so that you can also continue these very important conversations at home, as well. Mā tātou kātoa, te waka a e hoe - we get there together.

Have a great week, everyone, kia pai te wiki.

The Pōhutukawa Team

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 3, Week 3

 

Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all.

We hope that you are all keeping warm and well. We've been having a lot of students experiencing illness this week; it's certainly the season of coughs and colds. Thank you for continuing to keep tamariki at home who are feeling unwell. We can't wait to see everyone back again fit and healthy. Please read on for some updates from the team from the past 2 weeks. Enjoy your weekend, everyone, kia pai ngā rāwhakatā.

Road Patrol

For our Year 6's, being a member of the Road Patrol is one of the key ways they can show leadership in our senior school. It is also a wonderful way to hone time-management skills, and perform a valuable service for both our kura and the community; rain, hail or shine! It's great to have our new squad now on patrol before and after school until the end of the year. Thank you for your support in ensuring they are aware of their days on patrol. "Nā matou he rereke te ao, the world is different because of us."

Winter Sports

Disappointingly, due to the inclement weather Winter Sports was cancelled... again! Winter Sports will now continue until Week 6, instead of Week 5. Luckily on Wednesday the sun was out, and all of our students practiced netball, football, and hockey as you can see from the photos. They are getting some amazing coaching and tautoko, support from our Year 8 student leaders on Wednesday afternoons. A huge mihi, thanks to the parents who are helping out on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. We simply couldn't do it without your help and support.

Four Square

It's been great to have some new playground markings in our Courtyard and to see many of our students having a ball playing an old favourite: four square. There is also a painted chess board, which will be good to have up and running when we have chess pieces that are fitting for a life-size game! Constructive playground games like these never get old, and it would be fantastic to have a conversation with the tamariki at home about some games they could play at break times.

Readathon and Calendar Art

We trust the students have shared their Readathon sheets and goals they have set with the PTA Readathon and making the most of the impetus to do some more reading at home. We're looking forward to the Readathon culminating next Friday with Book Character Day; always a colourful and creative day. Also, students have been excited to start their Calendar Art by getting started with some sketches and ideas. More to come!

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 3, Week 1

 Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all

We trust everyone was able to make the most of the extra time with family over the holiday break. We were glad to see the sun greet us when we returned, although our luck ran out when our winter sports were again cancelled because of the change in weather. Winter is certainly making its presence felt this week, as well! We hope you're all keeping safe, dry, and warm. Please read on for some information about the beginning of the term.

Keeping Ourselves Safe

In Week 6 and 7 we will be teaching the personal safety programme by New Zealand Police - Keeping Ourselves Safe.  We cover this programme every two years as part of our Health curriculum. Parents and whānau are strongly encouraged to support Keeping Ourselves Safe.

You can:

• attend a meeting at school to find out more about Keeping Ourselves Safe on Wednesday 2 August at 2.15 pm in the staffroom
• find out about abuse and what to do if you think a child you know is being abused
• talk to your child about what they have learnt in Keeping Ourselves Safe.
• set safety guidelines with your family
• help young children with the Keeping Ourselves Safe activities they bring home
• give the same safety messages as the school is giving
• look at the whānau section of NZ Police Keeping Ourselves Safe for more information and frequently asked questions

More information about the programme can be found on our school website

PB4L

Our PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning) focus for the start of the term is “being an upstander”. We have been discussing how we can show the values ‘We Make a Difference’ and ‘We Care’ by being upstanders. We have discussed with the students the different actions we can take to be an upstander (as opposed to a bystander) if we see someone being mistreated. We have linked the Slideshow ‘How to be an Upstander’ here, and encourage you to take a look so that you can continue these very important conversations at home, too. You could also read Oat the Goat (bilingual interactive online storybook), which teaches how to show acceptance, empathy, and tolerance by being an upstander. Mā tātou kātoa, te waka e hoe, we are all in the waka together.

Cross ("Cool") Curriculum Classes

CCC classes continue with some changes for Term 3. Steve is continuing to teach the Arts this term this term Visual Arts. Rae is covering Digital Technology and continuing with Coding. Gayle is teaching Geography, and Megan is teaching Health with a look at conflict resolution. There is always a lot of learning happening over the term in CCC, so we encourage you to keep chatting about what we are covering in these courses with your tamariki. He taonga te ako, the treasure is learning.

STOMP!

As part of our concept of Innovation this year, we have launched into our Inquiry this term with a bang... and a thump.... and a rat-a-tat-tat! As you may have heard, we have been looking at STOMP: the inventive and invigorating stage show and the students have been working in groups to recreate and innovate with improvised instruments. It's been great to see the tamariki working together and taking different roles in their groups to create their own unique rhythms. We will be making an audio recording of their performances, so keep your ears open for that!

 

Kia pai te wiki, have a great week

The Pōhutukawa Team

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 2, Week 9

 

Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all,

What a busy few weeks we have had! We loved having the chance to connect with you at our Learning Conferences and also see many of you at our Matariki Evening this week, as well.  These connections, and the whanaungatanga that comes with them, are so valuable. They are wonderful chance for the students to reflect on their successes, as well as look ahead to the next two terms. We hope you enjoy some photos of life in the Pōhutukawa Hub over the past busy few weeks. Please take the time to read on for some important information.

Cyber Safety

Learning online continues to be a vital part of our learning at school, and the cyber safety of our tamariki is always at the forefront of what we do. At the beginning of the year, we held workshops on how to be cyber safe, and also expectations around using devices. We have recently been revisiting some of these ideas, and reminding our students that their school accounts are for learning purposes only. We have attached a Cyber Safety Guidelines @ Home for you to look at with your tamariki and discuss. Mā tātou te katoa te waka e hoe, we are all rowing the waka together.

Shoes/ Ngā hū

It has been really great to see the students 'stepping up' to show We Care for our school environment by removing their shoes during this wet and muddy season. Please click the link here to take a look at our latest Y-chart that was co-constructed with the students during our PB4L lesson. It really does make a huge difference to our learning space. Our next 'step' in this regard is to continue to work on keeping the shoes in a tidy way. Again, revisiting these expectations at ho'me, as well really helps us to get there together.

Winter Sports/ Hākinakina

Our Winter Sports programme is also now full steam ahead, with all of our students getting some amazing netball, football and hockey coaching and tautoko, support from our Year 8 student leaders on Wednesday afternoons. Our competitive teams are enjoying themselves in the South Zone competition and representing Beckenham admirably. A huge mihi, thanks to the parents who are helping out on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. We simply couldn't do it without your help and support.

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 2, Week 4

 Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all

A wet end to the week, with quite a number of tamariki absent due to illness. With coughs and colds, as well as of course Covid, doing the rounds, we are being extra vigilant with our ventilation practices in the team, and giving lots of reminders to cough into elbows, wash hands regularly, and be aware of personal space. We hope you all have a happy, healthy weekend. Please read on for some updates and reminders.

Winter Sports Starts Next Week

 Our Winter Sports programme starts next week and will take place on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. The tamariki will be either participating in non-competitive or competitive hockey, netball, or football.

Non-competitive sports will take place at school on Wednesday afternoons and will be supported by the Year 8 House Captains. 

Competitive sports teams will play in the South Zone Winter Sports competition on Thursday afternoons. If your child is on one of these teams, you will have received a Hero post with all of the information you need to know.

Muddy Months

As we head into winter we are noticing the inevitable increase of muddy shoes and clothes as students come back from play and lunch, having played sports and games on our beloved Beckenham Park. This week we incorporated how to show We Care for our school environment into our PB4L lessons. We will now be asking students to take off muddy shoes before entering the Hub and lining them up neatly outside the door. We are lucky to have wonderful underfloor heating in the classrooms, so feet stay nice and warm, and as an added benefit our carpet stays mud-free! In addition to this, we suggest that if your child is coming home with very muddy clothes, please consider supplying them with a spare pair of school shorts and a spare school top for them to change into once they finish their games. We appreciate your support with this.

Living Springs Camp Movie

Today at our Celebration Assembly, we were lucky to see the premiere of the Kauri Media Team's 'Pōhutukawa Camp Movie'. We have added it here as a link for you to watch and enjoy with your tamariki. 

Noho ora mai

The Pōhutukawa Team

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 2, Week 2

 Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all,

Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all,

What an amazing time we spent at Living Springs. We hope the tamariki have somewhat recovered from their exhaustion, and that they've been able to tell you about some of the highs, lows, challenges, and triumphs, which they experienced over the 3 days at camp. Thankfully, the weather played its part; we experienced a lot of sunshine, a bit of rain, some mist, and pretty mild temperatures throughout, which meant most of the time was spent outside in the stunning surroundings that our corner of the world has to offer.

As teachers, we want to pass on that it was a pleasure, and a privilege to be able to offer this experience of camp to your tamariki. The values we talk about so often at school: We Care, We Get There Together, We Make a Difference, We Love Challenge, and We Love Learning, were all on display at camp, and hopefully the students will now have memories that will last many of them their whole lives.

Over the next little while, we will be unpacking the whole experience of camp with the tamariki at school, and reflecting on how camp ties into our kete values. We certainly took a lot of photos, which will be put together for you and the students to enjoy in the coming days. Watch this space!

Finally, we would like to give a special shout-out to the whānau who joined us on camp. Without you giving up your own time to give your tautoko (support), your awhi (help), and your aroha (care) the camp simply could not, and would not, have happened. Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe, we all row this waka together. Kia pai nga rā whakatā ki a tātou, enjoy a lovely weekend, everyone.

The Pōhutukawa team