Kauri News - Week 4, Term 3 2025

 Kia Ora Koutou e te Whānau,

Upcoming Events

Week 5

• Wednesday 13th August

• Cheese Roll fundraiser

• Friday 15th August

• Year 5-8 Duathlon

Week 6

• Tuesday 19th August

• Cantamath display drop off

• Wednesday 20th August

• Cantamath display open to public and Interschool competition

• Wednesday 20th August & Friday 22nd August

• Beckenham in school Touch competition 

Week 7  

• Wednesday 27th August

• Year 7 Girls self-defence

• Thursday 28th August - Team Kauri trip

• Quake City, Art Gallery & City Hīkoi

• Friday 29th August

• Beckenham in school Four square tournament

• Te Whanau Mahi Tahi Wānanga

Week 8

• Tuesday 2nd September 

• Year 8 Cashmere testing day

• Wednesday 3rd September 

• Team Kauri Ski trip

Week 9

• Thursday 11th September 

• Team Kauri Ōpawaho Hīkoi - TBC

• Pō Whakangahau - Te Whānau Mahi Tahi Performance 4:30-6:30pm

Week 10

• Monday 15th September 

• Staff vs Students basketball

• Tuesday 16th - Thursday 18th September 

• Koru Games

Calendar Art

Over the first few weeks students have been creating their Calendar Art using digital skills and applications. Students were to create a piece that was unusual and included an element of themselves in the art. As I am sure you are aware, Calendar Art is a great fundraising opportunity for our school and a great way for you to display your child’s art in a number of ways. We look forward to seeing what it looks like later in the term.

Bekamaths & Cantamaths

In preparation for Cantamaths 2025, Team Kauri students participated in a problem solving event we call Bekamaths. This event involved the students solving problems in small groups. As a home learning task students have also been encouraged to participate in a home learning challenge to create posters or projects to do with Maths. Students have been bringing them in this week and they will be available to view in the Kauri breakout space before and after school in Week 5. A number of these projects will be chosen by Teachers to represent Beckenham at the Cantamaths competition later this term.

Passions Term 3

This term teachers are offering some tried and tested and some new Passions for students to discover:

• Felt-making

• Buddies (students working in the Koru & Kahikatea)

• Mad Lab (STEAM activities)

• Debating

• Drawing workshop

Felting (above)		Debating (left, above)

Some students have requested some more outdoor options as were offered in Term 1 & 2, however, it was felt that the weather might be an issue this term so indoor options were offered instead and that more outdoor opportunities will be made available in Term 4.

Ski Trip

In Week 8, the Team will be heading out to the Ski fields for the day. This is an annual event for Team Kauri. One we would like to continue for the foreseeable future. We appreciate the support families are showing for this event by coming as parent helpers and by supporting school fundraising which has been helping reduce the cost of these events for families.

Maths Week Next Week!

To celebrate Maths week we will have a daily joke and maths problem on a whiteboard, outside our hub, for you and your child to solve! You are also welcome to come into the hub before and after school to walk through our Cantamath projects in the breakout space in Kauri Hub.

Mathematics & Statistics: Understanding your child's learning

The Ministry of Education Parent Portal is a collection of guidance and resources for parents, families and carers. Here, you will find information about the learning your child is doing at school within their year level, and how you can support them in their learning. Feel free to have a look and explore what you can do at home to support Maths learning, while keeping it fun!

Staying Safe Online: Snapchat and Privacy

Snapchat is a popular messaging app that lets users exchange pictures and videos (snaps) that are meant to disappear after they’re viewed. Many young people love Snapchat but it’s important that they understand how to protect their privacy on the app.

Check out Netsafe’s Privacy on Snapchat page for some helpful information on Snapchat’s features. You can also find out more information about privacy, security and safety on Snapchat’s help centre.

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Ngā mihi nui,

Team Kauri Teachers

Hugo, Chloe, Sarah, Kate, Nicky, and Megan H

Kauri - Term 3, Week 2, 2025

 Kauri - Term 3, Week 2

The last two weeks in Kauri have been jam-packed with lots of different activities. We have been busy working away on our calendar art, starting a new round of passions, maths, literacy and exploring opportunities outside of the classroom; as well as enjoying our new learning spaces.

Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday 29 July - School Beckamath Event

Friday 8 August - Celebration Assembly 

PTA School Disco: Year 7 & 8: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Sport in Kauri

Week two saw the return of weekly winter sport and it was great to have all our teams out competing yesterday in the sunshine. We want to thank all of our volunteers that show up every week to ensure our tamariki are able to get out every Thursday and experience the nature of competitive sport.

We have two upcoming sports events that we are still seeking parent support for:

Canterbury Volleyball - Wednesday 6 August – Year 7/8 team at Hillview Christian School. We are seeking at least one volunteer to take the team on the day.

Koru Games - Tuesday 16 September - Thursday 18 September - Various year 7/8 teams competing across Lincoln University, Rolleston Netball Centre and Foster Park. We are still seeking volunteers for the following teams and days:

• Boys Dodgeball: Tuesday 16 September

• Football: Tuesday 16 September and Wednesday 17 September

• Ki-o-rahi: Tuesday 16 September

Please reach out if you’re able to support: kate.mcgregor@beckenham.school.nz 

South Zones Basketball Tournament

On Monday 21 July, we had a group of tāma compete in the South Zones Basketball Tournament hosted by Hillview Christian School. While the results didn’t go our way, the boys had a great day competing against and playing alongside other local schools.

Ski Day

We are excited to be able to take all of our Year 7 & 8s up to Mt Hutt on Wednesday September 3rd for our annual ski day. Nicky has sent out the requests for parent help and student information. If you have any questions, it is best to reach out to Nicky: nicky.dunlop@beckenham.school.nz 

Passions in Kauri

The start of term three meant the start of a new Passions rotation. This term, we are excited to be offering: Felting, Engineering Experiments, Debating, Drawing and buddies in the junior school. It is always great to see the students trying new things and getting to collaborate with different groups of students. Last week, our engineering students created marble rollercoasters.

Education Outside The Classroom - Sites of Significance Trip

On Thursday the 28th of August, we are excited to be taking our entire Kauri Team into Christchurch City to explore the city’s sites of significance. This links into our te reo and tikanga Māori unit where the students are exploring our cultural narrative and connecting with the local whenua. For this trip to go ahead, we are seeking parent support. A survey went home on Hero earlier this week but if you are available to help, even for part of the day, please reach out to your child’s homeroom teacher. 

Parent/Caregiver Evening: Behind the Screens – Internet Safety Tips for Home

Raising kids in the digital age isn’t easy and you’re not alone. Should your child have Discord? What are V-Bucks? Is it safe to let them keep their phone overnight? Join us for a practical, entertaining evening hosted by Attitude that will help you feel more confident about parenting in the online world.

You’ll leave with smart tips, tools you can use straight away, and a better understanding of how to guide your child through the digital space without panic or overreaction. Come find out if you're a Firewall Parent, an Open Source Parent, or a Bluetooth Parent—and why it matters.

When: 7–8pm, Wednesday 30th July 2025.

Where: Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Hall.

Who: This event is for parents/caregivers only.

Cost: Free to attend. A small koha (donation) is appreciated to help support the cost of this event.

Please complete this form to let us know if you are attending.

Kauri News: Week 8, Term 2

 Despite the rainy weather keeping us indoors last week, our ākonga stayed energised with some high-tempo movement breaks. Just Dance is always a hit and a great way to refresh our bodies and minds before settling back into learning.

English: Exploring Rivet Boy and Human Rights

This term in English, we’ve been diving into the historical novel Rivet Boy by Barbara Henderson. Set in Victorian-era Scotland, the novel provides powerful insights into the working conditions of children during the Industrial Revolution. Using this text as a springboard, we’ve been expanding our vocabulary and experimenting with sentence structure such as, learning to craft simple, compound, and complex sentences that suit different purposes and enhance meaning.

Our focus has been on persuasive writing, with the big question: Is using children as slave labour a violation of basic human rights? Learners have been exploring this idea from multiple perspectives and using evidence from the text and wider reading to justify their opinions. It’s been a fantastic opportunity to connect literature with real-world issues, particularly around human rights.

Maths: Building Fluency Through Games

In Year 7 Maths, we begin each session with a quick fluency game to strengthen concept knowledge. These games support learners to think flexibly and confidently with numbers while having fun and working collaboratively.

One of the games we’ve been playing is Barrier Game – 2D Shapes, which helps develop understanding of location, transformation, and properties of two-dimensional shapes. It's not only about getting the correct shape or position, but also about using precise mathematical language to describe and interpret.

Some of the questions we use to deepen mathematical thinking include:

• “What words do you think will be helpful for this activity?”
  
  

• “Can you say that again another way?”
  
  

• “What would you do differently next time you played?”
  
  

Fluency games like these are a quick and easy way to reinforce key concepts, promote communication, and build confidence. We encourage whānau to ask their children about these games and even have a go at home, many of them require nothing more than a pencil, paper, and a willingness to think!

Matariki Night a Wonderful Success

Our Matariki celebration night was a huge success, filled with connection, creativity, and culture. The evening began with a performance by our kapa haka group, setting the tone for a special night of reflection and celebration.

Whānau then moved through a range of engaging workshops across the hubs. Getting the chance to make traditional kites, create their own poi, learn about the Matariki stars from our students, and even try some delicious paraoa parai / fry bread. 

It was heartening to see our community come together to honour Matariki — a time to remember, celebrate, and look ahead. Thank you to everyone who helped make the evening so memorable!

Term 2, Week 8 -  All Ages

Staying Safe Online: Scams

People in New Zealand are losing millions of dollars to scammers each year – and this is just the figures reported to Netsafe so the actual figure is likely much higher!

It’s important that you and your tamariki know what to look out for to avoid scams. Netsafe have put their best advice together to help you stay safe online and stay away from scams.

Read their scam tips here.