Pōhutukawa Update, Term 4, Week 2

 Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all, what a busy start to Term 4 we've had! It’s been great to make the most of this warm spell of weather to be able to be outside on the Park these past 2 weeks preparing for our school Athletics Day yesterday. We also had a lot of keen students competing at the Huxster MTB relay on Wednesday, and the Choir has been preparing for their big night tonight at the Christchurch Music festival. Special shout out to Megan for supporting them at dress rehearsal today and at their performance at the Christchurch Town Hall tonight. Have fun and sing your hearts out!

Athletics Day

The tamariki embraced the challenges and ran, jumped, threw, and supported each other through a very successful day. It all of our students itwas not only a great way to show out kete value 'We Love Challenge', but also a chance for our students to connect and show support to our junior school... and of course for some it was a much anticipated chance to showcase their amazing athletic abilities! Well done to all students for making these really successful day, and congratulations to those who have qualified for the Zones.

The South Zone Athletics day will be held at Hansen Park on Tuesday November 4th. As students can only compete in 3 events, we will help those who have qualified for more than 3 events, to make the decision about which events to compete in. This sometimes opens up other spots for more students to compete. Thank you for your patience as we work through this decision making process with the budding athletes. We will be sending out more information about the South Zone Athletics Competition next week after these conversations.

Long Jump Next Tuesday - Parent Help Required

On Tuesday afternoon we will be walking to Hillview Christian School with the Pōhutukawa students who have opted to do competitive long jump. We have 40 students, and require some parent help to ensure a successful trip. We aim to leave school just after 1:20 pm, walk to Hillview Christian School, do the long jump, and return by 3 pm. If you can assist, please email your child's Homegroup teacher. We thank you in advance for your support.

Huxster MTB Relay

Hearty congratulations to the amazing contingent of Year 5-6 students who competed at the Huxster Mountain Bike Relay on Wednesday.  

The Huxster Mountain Bike event is a time trial through various tracks at McLeans Island. The objective is to complete as many laps in a given time around a circuit. Our students competed in pairs

Well done to all the competitors for taking on the wero, challenge and giving it their all. Huge congratulations go out to Zach G and Ben S for finishing in 1st place, and Izzy C and Laura S for placing 2nd in their categories. Amazing!

Thank you to Melissa Hurst for the photo of the kids in front of our flash new gazebo!

Full results are here:  HUXSTER24

CCC and Life Education Visit

Our CCC classes are continuing and this term we are covering digital technology (coding), learning languages (NZSL), biology (human anatomy), and physical education (Ki o Rahi). Lots of great learning to be had, as well as plenty of learning conversations to be had at home.  Life Education Trust is a charity that educates and empowers children to make healthy choices so they can live full and healthy lives. The key questions we will be covering with them and the students are How do we know how others are feeling? and What is peer pressure and how can we deal with it? Lots of great learning to be had, as well as plenty of learning conversations to be had at home, too.

AVAILLL

This term we are running the AVAILLL literacy programme, which entails students "reading" selected films with the subtitle feature turned on. While the students read/watch the films they engage in activities to develop vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and spelling. The emphasis is on understanding how words are constructed and the activities reflect this. The aim of the programme is to develop vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and spelling. 

Have a great weekend, everybody. Kia pai ngā rā whakatā

The Pōhutukawa Team

 

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 3, Week 10

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

We have finished the term with a lot of fun today at the Beckenham's Got Talent show. We were treated to music, comedy, dance, and even an improvised routine while the judges deliberated. A very fun finish to a busy term. We hope you all take the chance for some extra family time over the next 2 weeks, and that the tamariki can have some well-earned downtime. See you all again for Term 4! Please read on for some of the latest happenings from the team, and some information about a touch rugby competition below. Kia pai ngā rā whakatā, enjoy the break, everyone,

Touch Rugby

Touch Rugby season at Centennial Park/Pioneer starts on Thursday 17th Oct, runs for 8 weeks, with no game on Thursday Nov 14th (Anniversary Weekend). Teams can be mixed. There are 6 players on the field and ideally 1-2 subs. We currently have two full times and a mixed team in need of more players. Additional teams can be made if there are enough players and parents to help manage. Games for this grade are usually at ~ 4.30/5 p.m. or later on Thursdays for 25 minutes. Cost per player is usually ~ $15-20 for the whole term of play. Please complete this form to register your child’s interest: https://forms.gle/kKQHZZbuvSzB7kWz8 by October 6

 

Planting at Our Ponds

It was rawe, great to continue working alongside the Christchurch City Council again this year to continue the Pōhutukawa tradition of kaitiakitanga/ guardianship of our pūroto, ponds. Planting and tending to native plants such as kahikatea, koromiko, kōwhai, harakeke, ti kouka and more has become a tradition for the Pōhutukawa team and it was so good to see students again embrace their mahi, work, and plant over 100 plants along the pond's eastern edge. 

Speech Finals

The Pōhutukawa Speech Finals were held in Mapuna,  the Hall on Wednesday. 8 students were chosen to represent their home group in the finals, and it was a fantastic effort by all! The Finals were adjudicated by 3 astute, discerning, and impartial judges, which meant the home group teachers could enjoy being part of the audience with the other students. The audience conducted themselves in a fantastic manner, showing appreciation and respect to all of our finalists. We were treated to persuasive speeches on many topics. Congratulations to all of our finalists, special mention to our runners-up Art and Macie, and well done to Jensen for winning the competition with his speech on the importance of protecting our native birds. Congratulations goes out to all of our students who stepped up and presented their speech to a group. Tino pai rawa atu tō mahi, awesome work!