Kia ora ki ngā whānau,
What a glorious few weeks we have enjoyed recently! The children have been very actively engaged in their learning and are determined to make a difference in all aspects of their school life, including their social, emotional, physical and academic growth.
The Pūkaki Play Space:
We are delighting in the new Pūkaki Play Space, and loving the exciting opportunities it provides us. We've been involved in lots of planting (hanging baskets, sunflower seeds, succulents and beans, peas and sweet pea seeds), not only in order to 'decorate' the area, but also because the children had requested, at the end of Term 2, that they have the chance to learn more about, and be involved in, gardening and nature in general. The children love their Play-based Learning activities in this new space, some of the favourite activities being potion-making, building and exploring in the sandpit, building models on the platforms...
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| Working with our Ferndale friends and Friday's preschool visitors from Pebbles |
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| Potion-making: chocolate or strawberry cake today? |
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| Strawberry cake, it is! |
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| More essential ingredients being added into the mix |
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| Reaching and balancing |
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| Beautifying the space |
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| And who is this flexible wee one? |
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| Will our boats float? |
Talent Quest:
A reminder that in the Koru team we shall be holding the 'heats' for the Talent Quest on Friday, September 13th, and that one or two acts will be selected to perform in the Talent Quest itself, which is going to be held on the final Friday of term, September 27th, 1:40 - 2:45 p.m.
We shall be in touch with the families of those children who will be going on to perform on that final Friday.
There is mounting excitement and a lot of practice taking place!
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| Jump! |
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| Wow - great skills |
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| Keep practising - you can do it! |
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| ...and fantastic skills here too! |
Book Character Day:
Book Character Day was absolutely fabulous and we all had
enormous fun. Check out the school Facebook page for a selection of photos, and below, you will find even more, depicting our wee ones (and one or two older ones) 'dressed up to the nines'!
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| Guess who! |
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| That mischievous cat! |
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| Recognise this book character? |
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| One very cute scarecrow |
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| Thing 1 (or was it 2 or even 3?) came to visit us |
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| And who might this be?! |
Te reo Māori:
The children continue to work hard on their mihi practice, and many are now able to fluently introduce not only themselves, but also their parents, and are building up to including their family name (surname) as well.
The children are also confidently singing waiata and, a week ago, even led the whole school in the singing of Kia Ora Ra!
We're also looking forward to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori which begins on September 9th and runs through to September 15th. Christchurch City Library has many
amazing resources to support this special week in our calendar. Teachers will be supplementing what we already have with the resources on offer through the library website.
Eco and Waste Warriors:
We all participated enthusiastically in the Clean Cubby Competition which has been running over the past fortnight. In the Koru team, children put their hands up for the job of Cubby Monitor and made regular checks throughout the day, ensuring that - yes - bags were zipped up, folders tidily tucked within and no clothing was left to fall out on to the ground or veranda. All children have been devoted to the notions of cleanliness and tidiness, and have vowed to continue to maintain their high standards. The Koru team won the cubby competition twice over the fortnight and was mentioned as an example, to some of the older students!
Many members of the Koru team also like to ensure that not only are their learning spaces clean and tidy, but also the wider outdoor spaces are litter-free. Thank you to our 5- and 6-year-olds for displaying the school values of 'We Care' and 'We Make a Difference'.
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| Keeping the veranda in pristine condition |
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| ...and the floor indoors as well |
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| A vacuum cleaner at work! |
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| Tidying the book shelves |
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| Stacking chairs |
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| ...and cleaning the children's 'teaching station' |
And last (photo), but not the least, as you will see...
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Little (Peter) meets Large (Benjamin) - Netherland Dwarf and Flemish Giant
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Parenting Week:
'Strategies to help your family through the difficult times and enjoy being together'
Neighbourhood Trust is proud to bring you Parenting Week here in Canterbury. It's happening from 9th to 19th September and has around 30 events for any stage of parenting. They have a great line-up of experts including Mike King, Pio Terei, Dr Sue Bagshaw, Jenny Hale and Jax Hamilton, all right here.
Their Facebook page: Parenting Week, Christchurch has all the events listed and more information.
www.facebook.com/parentingweekchch
We look forward to another wonderful week ahead.
Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,
Jo, Stacey, Kristika and Elizabeth
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