Kauri Blog, Week 2, Term 1 2026

 Welcome back to 2026!

Tēnā koutou! Team Kauri teachers have been excited to welcome back our Year 7 students as Year 8’s and to integrate our new Year 7’s into the team for the first two weeks of school. It has been a calm and settled start to the year.

New Space, New Team

We are now located in a new space as a team. We are utilising Hangere and Kōmanawa as our classroom spaces and we are very happy to have such lovely classrooms for our learning this year 🙂.

Upcoming Events

Week 3

• PSC Triathlon - Tuesday

Week 4

• House Games - Wednesday

• BTKOP Swimming Sports - Thursday

• Whole School Learning Celebration - Friday

• Passions begin - Friday

Week 5

• House Games - Wednesday

• SZ Swimming Sports - Thursday

Week 6

• Leadership Week - including Kauri Day Out & sleepover

• School Photos - Wednesday

• House Games - Wednesday

• Whole School Learning Celebration - Friday

Week 7

• House Games - Wednesday

Week 8 

• PSC Swimming sports - Thursday

• Whole School Learning Celebration - Friday

Week 9

• Huxster mountain biking - Wednesday

• Last Day of Term - Thursday

Technology & Languages

Tuesday was our first technology session for the year. The Tech team at Christchurch South Intermediate commented on how awesome our kids were from the start and the students loved attending their first tech sessions diving into some amazing hands-on activities. The new technology programme includes: Digitech, Coding, Food technology, Textiles, and Hard Materials.

We also had the pleasure of having our first language sessions with the specialist teaching staff from Cashmere high school. We enjoyed our first experiences of French and Spanish with Debbie and Victoria.

Leadership opportunities

Our new house captains had some opportunities in the first couple of days to setup and lead activities for Team Kōwhai and Pōhutukawa for their water play. The rest of the team have been learning about some of the Leadership opportunities available. The selection process for these leadership opportunities will be happening over the next week and students will be learning about how and what this will involve.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Ben Stoney for completing Grade 5 Violin. We are very pleased for his achievements!

We look forward to the opportunities coming up this term and cant wait to get stuck into the new learnings and experiences we will all have.

Please do not hesitate to contact any of the teaching staff if you have an questions about the upcoming term.

Ka kite!

Hugo, Sarah A, Kate McG, and Megan C.

Week 10, Term 4 2025

 Production Magic

Wow! What an absolutely incredible performance by our Year 7/8 students in this year’s production. The amount of effort and dedication that went into making the night such a success was truly awe-inspiring. From writing the scripts, rehearsing scenes, performing solos, and choreographing dance routines, to crafting props, running the technology for the night, and designing advertisement posters – every student gave their all. The energy, confidence, and creativity on display was remarkable, and the performance itself was nothing short of spectacular. Every member of the Kauri Hub contributed in their own unique way, and we couldn’t be prouder of them all.

Yummy Treats              

As a thank you to the students' hard work on production, we made some ‘bake at home’ treats. They loved designing their unique labels for the jars. Hopefully whānau got to enjoy some yummy cooking. 

Victoria Park Adventure
We enjoyed a wonderful walk to Victoria Park. Although we started off with a little drizzle, the weather soon cleared, giving us a beautiful day to explore. The students loved having lunch with their friends, climbing the trees, playing on the playground, and taking in the views from the hilltop. There were plenty of laughs as they went down the slide as a “train,” and the excitement and energy throughout the day was infectious. It was a perfect opportunity for the tamariki to enjoy the outdoors, challenge themselves, and make memories with friends.

Year 8 Pool Party
After a big day of walking and outdoor fun, we celebrated our Year 8 students with a much-anticipated Pool Party. The tamariki had a blast on the slide, played fun pool games, and enjoyed some classic treats like a sausage in bread and an ice block. It was a fantastic way to acknowledge their hard work, friendship, and contribution to the Kauri Hub this year.

Fond Farewells
We also said goodbye to two of our longest-standing Kauri Hub students – Snowy and Nibbles – who have been with us for 10 years! Nicky’s mornings will certainly look a little different without bringing vegetables in each day to feed them. Their presence and personality have been a cherished part of our daily routine, and they will be missed. They will be going to live with Rowan Matthews, year 8 student. 

Cass Bay Adventures
Our trip to Cass Bay was an absolute highlight of this week! We were spoiled with beautiful weather, and the tamariki made the most of every moment. The perfect setting for a day of summer fun. The pontoon was a favourite spot, with endless manus. Groups explored the rock pools and discovered tiny crabs hiding under stones and shells. Our competitive crew enjoyed shoulder wrestles as the tide went out, and the battles brought plenty of energy and amusement. Some students found patches of clay along the seabed and decided to embrace nature fully… covering themselves head-to-toe like it was a day spa treatment! It was a day filled with sunshine, laughter, adventure, and memory-making, the perfect way to celebrate our time together this year.

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.