Kauri - Term 2, Week 4

 Kauri - Term 2, Week 4

The last two weeks in Kauri have been jam-packed with lots of different activities. We have been busy working away on our art, inquiry, passions, maths, literacy and exploring opportunities outside of the classroom.

Upcoming Dates:

Wednesday 28 May - Zones Cross Country (you will be notified if your child has been selected to represent Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto)

Friday 30 May - Staff Only Day (School Closed)

Friday 6 June - Celebration Assembly

Cashmere High School Open Day on Tuesday 10 June 2025, from 4.00pm to 6.30pm at the McCombs Performing Arts Centre.

Farewell Kate Hastings!

Last week, we sadly farewelled Kate Hastings as she set off on her new adventure in New York. Kate has been an incredibly valuable member of our team and will be dearly missed by staff and students. Kate gave up hours of her time to help with supporting our learners, both in the classroom and out. We wish you all the best Kate, make sure to send through updates!

Awards

Our Kete award winners in week 3 were Sarah W and Max P for “We Love Learning” and Alfie R-M for “We Love Challenge”. We also congratulated Vinny J for earning his Bronze Leadership award and Archie C for earning his Silver Leadership award.

In week four, we also awarded kete badges to our students who have been working hard on their Kete Blog posts. We awarded kete badges to Bianca A, Dylan B, Samson N, Isabella F, Minah M, Ella H, Georgia S and Evelyn P.

Korfball

On Thursday of week three, we had Tom from Mixx Korfball come in and take sessions with each homegroup. He taught us a few simple rules and then the importance of those rules. We played small games against each other and practiced following Tom’s instructions. There were lots of us that got stuck in and really enjoyed the session.

If your child particularly enjoyed the session and it is something they would like to pursue outside of school, please have them ask their homegroup for an information flier from Mixx Korfball.

I enjoyed the competitiveness of the korfball. It was lots of fun to get involved in the game, passing with my team, and using lots of teamwork. - Ruvi L

Korfball was very fun. I liked how we started without many rules to get us familiar with the game as not many of us had played it before. With more rules being added throughout the game, it was all very well paced and fun. - Oscar W

Strike Percussion

Also on Thursday of week 3, we had a visit from Strike Percussion in the afternoon. Strike is a percussion group from Auckland who travel around the country, performing in different schools. We had Tayla F, Ruvi L, Misha L and Zach G invited onto the stage to join a performance. We were then luckily enough to watch a drumming battle between our very own Hugo and Kate H - where Kate H was the clear winner.

The percussion was good. We really enjoyed the fire number they did at the end. If we were to give it a rating out of 10, it would be 20. - Quinn H & Lukas O

Book Character Day

On Friday of week three, we held our book character day with many of our students getting in the spirit and dressing as their favourite character. We had a variety of characters from Peppa Pig to Harry Potter to King Kong. It was great to see so many of our students getting involved and feeling the spirit of book day!

Pink Shirt Day

Also on Friday of week three, we celebrated Pink Shirt Day. Pink Shirt Day is an annual anti-bullying campaign where people wear pink to show their support for diversity, kindness, and inclusion. It's a way to stand together against bullying and create safe, respectful environments for everyone. 

40 Hour Challenge

A passionate group of student leaders recently attended a youth conference to kick off this year’s 40 Hour Challenge. Representing our school as the 40 Hour Challenge leaders, they explored this years theme “40 Hours Offline”—a powerful call to disconnect from devices and reconnect with the world around them. Through inspiring workshops and guest speakers, the students gained valuable insights, ideas, and motivation to lead the challenge and raise awareness about making a difference—one hour at a time. Sign up will be happening within the coming weeks. 

Cross Country

On Friday of week four, we had our school cross country. It was a great day of doing our best and showing our school values of “We Love Challenge” and “We Care”. We showed “We Love Challenge” by pushing ourselves to do our best and working hard to make it to the finish line. We showed “We Care” by encouraging others and cheering them on. We had some incredible results and are very proud of all of our tamariki for taking part and doing their best.

Kauri -Term 2 Week 1-2

 Term 2 -Week 2

Welcome Assembly Friday, 9 May. 

Te  Awa were the flag bearers for our Welcome Assembly.

VR- On Monday, we spent a session viewing coastal waters from the sea bed, around New Zealand. This explored what makes a healthy marine ecosystem and what we can do as kaitiakitanga | guardianship to protect it. 

Maths- changes to groups. 

The changes to learning groups have been deliberate and considered. Students have been placed in mixed ability maths classes. The rationale behind this is based on research and is designed to align to the refreshed New Zealand curriculum, which has shown a greater positive forecast of student capability in mathematics. 

As we transition into this new system your child's maths teacher will be reviewing work with students to gauge their depth of understanding. This will allow teachers to cater more specifically for their needs and any extension or support they may require. This may be what they are mentioning regarding the tasks being easy compared to previous work. 

However, each class has a rich routine that challenges and extends their learning. 

Passions 

Friday passions have started for term two. This is a great opportunity for students to try something new in a supportive environment.

Rugby League Workshops-Cameron Snell (Coach Cam) has volunteered his time to run these workshops for our ākonga. Some of you may remember his name from being one of our community leaders when we ran our leadership talks. 

Felting -Nicky is back in our classrooms on Friday for passions sharing her knowledge and craft of felting.

Minecraft-for our digi natives. 

Buddies-working with our younger tamariki in Kahikatea.

Board Games- enjoying some fun over the colder months. 

Inquiry- Art 

We are diving into visual arts over the next few weeks as we explore and create pieces of work. As kaiako this is exciting to see different ideas come together. You will see more on this as ideas and concepts are finalised. 

Winter Sport- parent volunteers are still needed. It's is not too late! Just email Hugo- hugo.weaver@beckenham.school.nz

Uniforms- Jackets- please remember to name jackets clearly. 

Kauri Update: Week 11, Term 1

 In this post:

• Staffing change in Kauri
• Inquiry presentations
• Maths club change of day
• Looking ahead to term 2
• Uniform reminder
• Technology fun

Welcome to Kate McGregor!

We are looking forward to Kate starting with us next term. Kate will take over from Nicky who will slip into her release teacher role. Kate has considerable experience teaching in Year 7 & 8 and is returning to teaching after a short stint of maternity leave.

Inquiry presentations

This week we have been most impressed by the learning our tamariki have shared as part of their term 1 inquiry. Each child selected a leader, researched and reflected on how that leader displays some of the 'Seven Habits of Highly Effective People'. They also reflected on the lessons they can apply to their own life based on their research findings. You may like to ask your child to show you their presentation. 

Maths Club

It has been great to see so many children at maths club this term. The focus of this group is on extension and problem solving in maths. From next term we will meet on a Friday morning at 8:20am.

Looking ahead to term 2 in Kauri

Every term in Year 7 & 8 is a busy one and term 2 is no exception!

• Our inquiry, that is based on change this year, will have a visual art and science focus
• We will start cross country training in week 1, with the school cross country happening on Friday May 23rd, starting at 10:45.
• Winter sport teams will be sorted in the first few weeks, with winter sport starting in week 4 on Thursday afternoons. If you can help with coaching, please fill in this form.
• In week 2 we will be welcoming presenters from Blake VR to leader about 'Threats to our Moana'.
• Our Passions Programme on Fridays continues, with options this term including: rugby league, ukulele for beginners, felt making, board games, buddies and rippa rugby

Uniform Reminder

Sun-hats can now be stored away for the winter. Please make sure your child has a warm school jacket: either the red polar fleece or our black senior jacket, ready for the start of term. A few non-uniform hoodies have been making their way to school. Please remind your child to come in the correct uniform.  Our second hand uniform shop is temporarily in the Green Room, to the right of the hall entrance and is open during term time from 2:45 - 3:15pm on Mondays and 8:45 - 9:15am on Fridays.

Technology

This week the children moved to the second (of five) rotation for technology. There was much fun in the food tech room as cupcakes were baked and iced.

We'd like to wish you a safe and happy two weeks with your children at home or away on holiday and look forward to seeing them back at school on Monday April 28th.

Week 9

Term One, Week 9 in Kauri

Farewells

This week we say goodbye to Macie and her family who are returning to the U.S. Thank you for showing our School Values and demonstrating We Make a Difference | Nā mātou he rerekē Macie. You will be missed! 

Last week we also said goodbye to Mikyla who has gone on maternity leave. Thank you for your mahi over this year Mikyla. 

House Games

A big thank you to our leaders who led the whole school in House Games on Tuesday. What a fun afternoon we had out on the field. Our younger tamariki had huge smiles on their faces as they got to know their House Captains and Deputies. Great job!

Inquiry 

 

We have been digging into the '7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens'.

This learning was re-enforced by our Leadership Speakers. 

Habit #6:Synergise - working together and valuing each other in a team. 

Gem Macky emphasised this in the rowing team when she spoke about your actions making the boat go faster. 

Adam Whitlock expanded on this by discussing the hefty financial fine you pay if you are late to practice and play for The Crusaders. 

Our next focus is on Leaders who inspire us and how they demonstrate the 'The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People'

Students choose their own leader from a variety of backgrounds science, sports, politics, arts and culture. 

Positive Behaviour for Learning- PB4L

What is a friend, what is an acquaintance? 

This has been further discussed in Kauri Team Hui when we look at how we treat people around us. 

Passions
 

In 'Passions' we really see our school values in action. 

 

Check out some of the things we have been doing:

CYBERSAFETY

Awareness of Online Harm

Many parents didn’t grow up with the internet, so it can be hard to imagine how tamariki may use it. But these days, digital technology is a key part of our young people’s lives. They use it for learning, communicating and entertainment.

Netsafe has released research that looked into parental awareness of children’s experiences of online risks and harm. The research found a mismatch between parents’ awareness and their children’s experiences of upsetting online content.

To check out the research, and other Netsafe resources, visit this link.