Pōhutukawa Team News Term 1 Week 8 2026

Pōhutukawa Team News Term 1 Week 8 2026

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.

Canterbury Hockey Sessions

This week we were lucky enough to have Canterbury Hockey come into Beckenham and run some sessions with us in preparation for Winter Sport. It was great to "have a go" for those who would not normally pick hockey as a go to sport! Thankfully the weather played ball too and we had a great time with the very knowledgeable instructors! Thanks Kate McG for organising these for us! 

Winter Sports Starts Next Term

Our Winter Sports programme starts next Term and will take place on Thursday afternoons. The tamariki will be either participating in competitive hockey, netball, NFL flag football or football. More information will be coming up soon so keep an eye out on the BTKOP SPORTS Google Classroom and the Daily Daily Notices. 

Muddy Months

As we head into the more winter like months 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. In Term 2 we will be asking students to take off muddy shoes before entering the Hub and lining them up neatly outside the door. 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.

Citizen of the Week: Stella

Kete Award Recipients Term 1 Week 8

Jessica and Ivy

Cultural Presentation: Sri Lanka / Madeev

Beckenham te Kura o Pūroto Student Council 2026

 Staying Safe Online: Online Grooming 

As young people become more independent online, they can connect and communicate with people they don’t know.

Often this is a positive experience, but sometimes your tamariki could be being groomed or talking to someone

who isn’t who they say they are. Netsafe’s advice explains how unwanted contact works, including grooming and

what whānau can do to educate kids.

Check out the link here.

Have a great weekend everybody, kia pai ngā rā whakatā!

The Pōhutukawa Teaching Team

Chris, Nick, Kate, Rae, and Chloe.

Pōhutukawa Team News Term 1 Week 6 2026

 

Ngā mihi e te whānau,

Warm greetings to you all. We have had a wonderful 2 weeks in Pōhutukawa. The weather has been mostly welcoming, apart from the wet blast last week, and the students in great spirits!  Please read on for some news from the team, and some updates on the term. Have a great weekend everyone, kia pai ngā rā whakata.

School arrival times

We have begun to notice more and more students arriving at school before 8 am and lingering around either in the park or outside the school gates. A reminder that students should not be at school before 8am, or alternative supervision is to be sought. Thanks for your help with this.

Working Hard throughout the week in the hub! 

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

Online Safety: Gaming

Eighty percent of tamariki in New Zealand aged 8-17 have played games online. Games can have many benefits: entertainment, social opportunities, coordination development, problem-solving and multitasking skills. But, most of all, gaming is popular because it’s fun. 

But games can be tough for parents and whānau to navigate. How much gaming is too much? How do I make sure my tamariki aren’t seeing inappropriate content or chatting in-game with strangers?

Today we’re sharing Netsafe’s Online Gaming Whānau Toolkit so you have all the resources you need to keep your kids safe. 

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/rPN_ev1RSDQ

Have a great weekend everybody, kia pai ngā rā whakatā!

The Pōhutukawa Teaching Team

Chris, Nick, Kate, Rae, and Chloe.

Pōhutukawa Team News Term 1 Week 4 2026

 

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

Huge congratulations to all of the Swimming Sports competitors who represented themselves so admirably this week. Such a fantastic way to show 'We Love Challenge'! Keep an eye out for some photos of the event from our Media Team. Thank you also to the parents and whānau who supported the tamariki at the pool, and in the preparing them for the afternoon. A special mention to those who have qualified for Zones. Nau mai te wero! And so, on we swim into the second half of the term. Please read on for some important information about what we are learning in Pōhutukawa.

Maths and Literacy Groups

Maths and Reading groups have now been established for the past week and we have had the opportunity to see how effective these are for our students. The decision has been made to switch the teaching of Literacy (Reading and Writing) to the home group teacher for 2026. This ensures we have a settled and productive time without any added disruptions moving forward. As of Monday next week, 2nd March, we will put this in place. 

We encourage you to take some time to ask your tamariki to show you what they are now able to access through their learning platforms. These are a great way to keep the learning going at home, too. The treasure is learning, he taonga te ako!

Kapa Haka: Pōhutukawa Team 

James and his Ferndale Friend Albie who joined the Pōhutukawa team for Kapa Haka! Albie loved his time with James. 

Cool Curriculum Classes (CCC Classes)

You may have heard your child talking about our CCC "cool curriculum classes". This is how we start our day; they are a great way to ensure we are teaching all areas of our curriculum. Chris is teachingVisual Art - Drawing and Creating, Rae: will be taking Coding, Nick is working with A.I: Use of Assistive Technology, Chloe will deliver Social Science: History and Kate: Te Reo Māori: Language.

There is such 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.

Education Outside The Classroom

A visit from Jamie from Trees for Survival.

All You Need to Know About TikTok

Tiktok is one of the fastest growing social media apps. It’s a platform for creating, sharing and discovering short videos – and many young people love it! From new dance crazes to funny clips to animal videos, Tiktok can inspire creativity and bring joy.

But it’s important that parents and whānau help their tamariki navigate Tiktok safely. Today we’re sharing the Netsafe Tiktok Family Safety Toolkit so you can help guide your whānau to a fun and safe digital experience.

"Have a Chill Weekend Everyone" -  Maka (Yr5)

The Pōhutukawa Teaching Team

Chris, Kate, Chloe, Rae and Nick.