Kōwhai News Term 3 Week 1

Kia ora Kōwhai whānau,

Welcome back to Term 3! We have been getting straight into our learning and the children have settled in very quickly.

New Literacy Groups

This term, we have created new literacy groups which means that your child may have a different teacher for reading and writing. We have been delighted by the way the children have slotted into the new groupings so quickly and easily. For writing, our focus is now on recounts so the children are currently writing a recount about an event they have experienced. Feel free to ask them about it!

Calendar Art

Over the next few weeks, our afternoon focus is on creating Calendar Art. This year, we are looking at the artist, Piet Mondrian, learning about his life and his work as an artist. We have been learning about his transition into abstract art and that his particular style of using geometric shapes is called neoplasticism! This week, the children have been experimenting with drawing horizontal and vertical lines in order to create different geometric shapes. They have then been colouring these shapes, using only primary colours and black, leaving some of their shapes white. Below is an example of Mondrian's work:

Below is a photo of some of the children practising their art skills and also some of their practice examples:

Discovery

In Discovery, the children continue to work on their Stop Motion animations and they are also enjoying working with the Sphero balls, using an iPad to control the ball's movements. This week, we have also introduced a new activity, using the writing app, Little Story Creator. This involves writing a story on an iPad and creating your own pictures to go with it. The children have been learning how to use the app by trying it out and experimenting with the different features. Otherwise, the children continue to do construction, create their own top trump cards, make huts and also make up games to play outside (when the weather allows!).

Masks

We continue to encourage the children to wear masks so if your child has their own mask at home, please feel free to bring it to school. 

Welcome Assembly

Today we had a Junior Welcome Assembly as we are still not able to hold full school assemblies. Congratulations to the Kete certificate recipients!

Magazines

Finally, we are in need of lots of magazines as we are going to be making rākau for te reo Māori this term. If you have any old magazines lying around, we would love to have them. Thank you!

Have a wonderful weekend!

From the Kòwhai team

Kōwhai News Term 2 Week 9

Kia ora tātou,

It has been another busy fortnight, and our students have continued to amaze us with their passion and energy for learning. Well done to all our tamariki! Thanks again to all whānau for your ongoing support. We wish you a relaxing, healthy and fun holiday period. 

Discovery Fun

We continue to provide a range of options on a weekly basis that engage and challenge students. Below are some examples of these.

Sphero Bolt Programming

We have had the privilege of learning how to use a Sphero Bolt - a ball-like robot. These are on loan to us for two weeks. Sphero BOLT is a coding robot that lets kids learn coding through hands-on play and STEAM activities. It is a perfect entry into robotics.

Lego Challenge

Each day, the students are set a new challenge. We have some real experts in our midst. Maybe one day you will see them as contestants on Lego Masters.

Mū Tōrere

Some of our students chose to make the traditional Māori board game called Mū Tōrere. It is said to be the only native board game of the Māori. It is played on the points and centre of an 8-pointed star, by two players with four pieces each. The object of the game is to block your opponent so they cannot move. If your child has made one of these, look forward to it coming home just in time for some holiday fun. It is perfect for a wet day. The instructions will be glued to the back of the board. To play it, you will need two different coloured counters. Have fun!

                                                           

Hear This

We were very fortunate this week to be visited by Cheryl Coughlan, an Educator for Hearing Support Christchurch (a non-profit organisation affiliated with Hearing New Zealand providing education regarding hearing protection to our Primary and Preschool learning community). 

‘Hear This’ (Incorporating Dangerous Decibels) is a presentation designed for children aged 4 -12 years, where they learn about the ear, hearing, decibels and how to prevent Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). It aims to educate about the harmful effects of dangerous noise and how to protect their hearing for life.    

Art Shirts Request

The students all really enjoy painting and it would be great to have a new set of art shirts to avoid paint on their clothes. If anyone has a spare shirt at home that they no longer wear, could you please send it along to school. We are sure they will be christened with paint soon!