Week 8, Term 4 2025

 Kia ora e te whānau,

It’s been another exciting fortnight in our Year 7–8 team! Our learners have been embracing new challenges, strengthening their teamwork, and demonstrating our school values in action. From collaborative classroom projects to leadership opportunities across the kura, we are continually impressed by the way our students show curiosity, kindness, and determination.

We’ve enjoyed seeing students step up as role models, support one another in their learning, and take ownership of their growth. As always, we appreciate the whānau support that helps make these experiences possible.

Read on for highlights from the past weeks, important upcoming dates, and ways you can stay involved in our learning journey.

Production

Production prep is in full swing. Students have been creating props, backgrounds, preparing music and working together to bring it all together into a coherent performance which we will be doing in Week 9. We look forward to seeing as many Whānau as can attend. :)

Team Kauri students will be holding full dress rehearsals next week leading to our performances on Wednesday 3rd December. The teachers of Kauri request you support your children by ensuring they bring neutral clothes (black and/or white) in a bag to wear for the performances under their costumes. These can begin coming in Friday, but will need to be here this Monday. Some students may also have need of extra bits and pieces for their costumes. Students from the trojan scene are needing a small white sheet and a tie or belt. Give your child's homeroom teacher an email if you need any further direction.

Colour Run

Students and staff participated in our PTA run event colour run Friday Week 7. It was excellent not only to see Staff putting their hands up to get slimed but also to see the school reach its fundraising goal of $15,000.00 culminating in Cade's sliming at assembly.

Classical performance

Our school was treated to an impressive performance from the string ensemble last Thursday. Many of our musically gifted students participated.

Canterbury Athletics

What a fantastic day at the Ngā Puna Wai. The feedback has been incredible and what a display of talent. I wanted to share our students who had a top 10 finish as what an accomplishment that is!

Track Events:

• Zach Guise - 4th in Year 7 1500m
• Levi Bunting - 3rd in Year 5/6 AWD 60m Sprint
• Jacob Hamitlon - 3rd in Year 7/8 AWD 60m Sprint
• Jensen Spence - 3rd in Year 7 60m Sprint
• Laura Stoney - 1st in Year 7 1500m
• Ruby Grice - 8th in Year 5 60m Sprint
• Isabelle Gale - 8th in Year 6 60m Sprint

Field Events:

• Tilly Hopwood - 9th in Year 8 Discus
• Lily McLachlan - 8th in Year 8 Shot Put
• Levi Bunting - 2nd in Year 5/6 AWD Discus
• Mitchell Trotter - 2nd in Year 7/8 AWD Discus
• Jacob Hamilton - 3rd in Year 7/8 AWD Discus
• Levi Bunting - 1st in Year 5/6 AWD Shot Put
• Mitchell Trotter - 3rd in Year 7/8 AWD Shot Put
• Jacob Hamilton - 4th in Year 7/8 AWD Shot Put

End of Year events

Team Kauri have two school trips planned for Week 10:

Monday 8th December: Victoria Park Walk, 10am–3pm
Wednesday 10th December: Cass Bay Trip, 10am–3pm

More information will be coming out regarding these events as we near the dates. Keep an eye out on hero or contact your child's homeroom teacher.

Ngā mihi nui,
The Year 7–8 Team

Kauri- Term 4, Week 6

 Kauri- Term 4- Week 5

First Aid- Drs ABC

Kauri this week has learnt about CPR, strains, stroke, seizures, asthma, panic attacks, emergency protocols and more. This was a great time to brush up on our knowledge and learn about first aid.

 

Athletics

 What a fantastic day we had at our athletics event! It was great to see all students giving their best and showing enthusiasm. A huge thank you to our whānau for your support, it really makes a difference to our day.

Trees for Survival

Kauri have been busy potting up Trees for Survival with our buddy classes from Kahikatea. Our students truly showed “We care” as they guided their buddies through the task; showing kindness, patience, and care for both others and the environment.

Myth Writing

Kauri have been working hard on some amazing myth writing! Students have been retelling old myths with exciting twists as well as creating entirely new stories. The creativity and imagination on display has been fantastic. It is great to see the increase in confidence in writing especially with use of vocab. 

Limericks

 We’ve also started exploring fun poetry, beginning with limericks. Here’s a sample from one of our students:

 "There once was a cat from the bay,

 Who loved to go out and play.

 It chased a bright kite,

 All through the night,

 And napped till the break of day!"

(R.U)

 We can’t wait to see more humorous and clever limericks from Kauri!

Summer Tournament

Congratulations to our Summer Tournament Teams who all achieved great results in each of their sporting codes. 

Passions – Cooking

In Passions, students have been exploring the joys of cooking. Following recipes step by step helps reinforce sequential thinking, just like working through a task list! Some of us had a minor mishap with forgetting baking powder, but that’s all part of the learning.

Production- Legends Unleashed

Production is underway, and there’s a real buzz of creative energy in Kauri! As students collaborate and take on new challenges, we’re seeing fantastic teamwork and growth in social and emotional learning. This is an exciting time, and we can’t wait to share the results with everyone.

Kauri Production Evening - one night only!!!

Wednesday 3 December 4.30pm-6.30pm.

Term 4, Week 2 2025

 Blog - Term 4 Week 2 

It’s been a fantastic start to Term 4, with everyone returning settled, focused, and ready for a great final term of the year. It’s been wonderful to see the positive energy across the hub and students quickly getting back into routines.

Athletics training is well underway as we prepare for our upcoming sports events. Students have been practising a range of disciplines including high jump, sprints, relay, shot put, and discus. It’s been great to see everyone giving things a go, encouraging one another, and showing great teamwork and determination.

We are also delighted to have Jemimah, a second-year student teacher, joining Chloe’s homegroup for the next five weeks. She has already made a fantastic start, getting to know students and supporting learning across the hub.

We celebrated our Speech Finals this week, a huge congratulations to all who presented with confidence and passion. Well done to our Year 8 and Year 7 winners for their outstanding efforts and persuading speeches. 

Year 8: Winner - Annabelle Aitken, Runner up - Oscar Radford 

Year 7: Winner - Max Potter, Runner up - Minah Malak

Students who took part in the Kiwi Competitions have now received their results. A special mention to Tom Broadbank, who received an Excellence in Maths, and Ruvi Lawrance, who received an Excellence in English. Seven students were also awarded Merit certificates, with some achieving across multiple subjects, an impressive effort by all!

Our Passions Programme for Term 4 is off to an exciting start, with students taking part in a variety of engaging activities including Cooking, Digital Technology, Māori Games, and Mural Painting. It’s wonderful to see students exploring their interests, developing new skills, and collaborating across groups each week.

We’ve also enjoyed some friendly competition with our Staff vs Year 8 Basketball Game last week. It was a high-energy match filled with great teamwork, impressive shots, and plenty of laughter. Despite some strong plays from the Year 8s, the staff managed to take out the win, though we’re sure the students are already planning their comeback!

We have also begun our Navigating the Journey health unit. Thank you to the whānau who attended the information evening last week. Across the hub, students have approached these sessions with maturity, respect, and thoughtful discussion.

It’s shaping up to be a busy and exciting term ahead! 

Kauri Blog - Term 3, Week 10

 Kauri Blog - Term 3, Week 10

It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the Kauri hub, with tamariki engaged in a wide range of end-of-term learning and exciting EOTC opportunities. From classroom projects and assessments to experiences beyond the school gates, students have been making the most of every moment, showing focus, teamwork, and enthusiasm as the term draws to a close.

Upcoming Dates for Term 4:

• Week 1: 

• Throughout the week: Class Speech Competitions

• Tuesday: Peer Mediator Training

• Wednesday: Year 5-8 Relationships & Sexuality Education: Parent Information Evening

• Friday: Celebration Assembly

• Week 2: 

• Throughout the week: Walk or Wheel to School week

• Wednesday: Year 7-8 Speech Finals

• Thursday: Year 8 Photos

Kauri & Pohutukawa Choir
The Kauri and Pohutukawa Choir had their Area Rehearsal for their upcoming performance on Friday 7 November. Tickets are now available through the following link, which also includes any additional information you may need: https://musicfestival.school.nz/

A huge ngā mihi to Megan for all of her mahi in preparing the choir and helping them sound beautiful. If you have any questions about choir, please reach out to Megan directly at megan.harris@beckenham.school.nz.

Kauri Ski Day
We had a fantastic day up the mountain for our Ski Day, and for many students it was a clear highlight of the term. The weather was kind, the snow was great, and the enthusiasm from our tamariki was infectious. It was awesome to see so many stepping beyond their comfort zones — from learning how to ski for the first time to challenging themselves on the bigger slopes. The determination, resilience, and teamwork on display were outstanding. Ski Day is one of those experiences our students will remember for a long time, and it was wonderful to see them embracing the challenge with such energy and pride.

A huge thank you from Team Kauri to Nicky, whose organisation and planning made the whole day possible, and to the many parents who came along to support. From helping with gear to cheering on the slopes, your contribution made a massive difference. 

Pō Whakangahau - Te Whānau Mahi Tahi Performance
He pō whakahirahira tēnei, kī tonu i te hari me te whakamanawa o ngā tamariki! This was a special evening, full of joy and the courage of our tamariki! Our Kapa Haka group, Te Whānau Mahi Tahi, recently performed at Pō Whakangahau at Cashmere High School. The performance showcased the amount of mahi and aroha that had gone into their preparations, as the tamariki represented Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto with pride and mana. Tamariki – your kaiako could not be prouder of you, and we hope you are so proud of yourselves too.

NFL Tournament
We had three Kauri students, Misha, Nick, and Clarel, as part of the NFL Flag Tournament team that represented Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto at the Canterbury U12 Tournament on Monday of Week 10. It was a fantastic day with great weather, exciting competition, and awesome exposure to a new game; and a big thank you to Chris from Pohutukawa who stepped up to take the team. Our students gave it their all on the field and came away with plenty of new skills, experiences, and memories.

Koru Games
Week 10 saw the long-awaited Koru Games take place. We had a record number of 93 students from the Kauri Team participating across seven different sports. This was an incredible feat, supported by three staff and nineteen parent helpers across the three days. For many of our tamariki, this was their first exposure to a competitive environment and, in some cases, an entirely new sport. The sportsmanship, behaviour, and hard work displayed throughout the event made us incredibly proud of our Kauri learners. 

We want to give a special shout out to our Ultimate Frisbee team who finished as the Bronze Medallists! What an incredible result. A very well done to Ben W, Max, Oscar R, Samson, Dylan, Robbie, Alfie & KJ. Karawhiua!

To all of our parent helpers, we are extremely grateful for you giving up your time — whether it was for one day or all three. Our students could not have these experiences without you, and we are so lucky to have had nineteen incredible volunteers who helped make this event a massive success and a truly memorable experience for our team.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini - My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective.

                                

Beckenham’s Got Talent
And to finally end what has been a busy two weeks and term, we celebrated with Beckenham’s Got Talent! Kauri was represented by Ben Stoney – The Piano Whiz, Hanna O’Sullivan – The Irish Dancing Queen, and A.L.A.R.M. – The Next Generation of Musical Brilliance. These three acts were a brilliant display of talent from the Kauri Team and truly blew us all away! It was wonderful to enjoy all the acts from across the school and cheer them on as they demonstrated our value of We Love Challenge.

Thanks for an incredible team and we are looking forward to getting back into it for our final 2025 term after the break. Have a safe and enjoyable school holiday with your tamariki!

Nga mihi nui,
Hugo, Kate, Sarah, Chloe, Nicky & Megan