Kōwhai News Term 3 Week 6

Kia ora whānau,

The term is progressing rapidly and we are extremely busy with our learning. Here is an update on some of the things we have been doing.

Inquiry

For Inquiry, we are now focusing on learning about world cultures and everyone has chosen a country they are interested in to research and will then create a presentation of facts and information about that country. This may be a leaflet, a poster or a digital representation. Some of the things we have been finding out about are flags, languages, climate, population, animals and food and drink. The children are really engaged in this topic and are learning valuable research skills, looking for and locating relevant information online. Below you can see some of the children making flags from different countries using mini construction bricks.

Writing

We are focusing on descriptive writing over the next few weeks, using our five senses to describe a scene. What do we see, hear, smell, feel and taste? In this way, we can create a piece of writing with lots of rich language which creates a moment in time that we really feel part of. We started with describing ice cream which involved having a taste tester that was very much enjoyed by everyone and really helped to motivate the descriptive writers in us!

Willowbank Trip

As you will know, we are preparing to go on a trip to Willowbank on Friday 20th September as part of our inquiry on world cultures. Thank you to all the offers of parent help! We now have more than enough which is fantastic. Here is a link to our social story for this trip. Please do take your time to go through this with your child/children.

Cyber Safety

Staying Safe Online: Bullying

One in five young people in New Zealand have been the target of online bullying – it can happen to anyone, and

it can be hard for parents and whānau to deal with. Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto takes online bullying seriously

and would encourage you to chat to your tamariki’s teacher if you have any concerns about online bullying.

Visit Netsafe’s Online Bullying Advice for Parents to read more.