Monday 27 April 2020

Kauri Whānau: Term 2 Week 2/3 in Lockdown Update

Kia ora everyone,

We are aware, from our phone calls with you over the past fortnight, that being in Level 4 is playing out in many different ways for our Kauri families. Some families are loving the opportunity to spend more time together and their children are thriving under the self-direction of learning at home and others are at their wit's end and can't wait for it to be a distant memory. And then there is everyone in-between.

We have enjoyed touching base with you and being able to do our bit to support the learning at home. This is looking different in different homes and that is just fine. The phone calls from us will taper off now, as we focus more on providing feedback and support so that our tamariki can get the most out of the learning we are putting on-line. This said, please do not hesitate to contact us (via email) if you have questions or need support with your child's learning. We can then give you a call as required. Keeping lines of communication open is very important to the success of this 'at home learning' approach.

Connecting

A number of children have been joining us at 11am each school day for a social catch-up. We now have a sizeable bunch of 'regulars', showing that this form of connecting is making a difference. If your child would like to join the fun, they just need to send Hannah an email sometime between 8am and 10:45 to join with 11am catch-up.



Show-time

We are looking forward to our 'camp' concert via Zoom on this coming Thursday at 4pm. Entries for items are dribbling in. We know there is lots of great talent out there. If your child would like to perform (and anyone in your bubble is welcome to join them) please encourage them to fill in the form on the Kauri Google Classroom by the end of Tuesday. 

Level 3 Changes

A small group of Kauri children will be part of the two school 'bubbles' when we hit Level 3 on Tuesday. Those families will be getting information from Sandy. Jenny is one of the 'bubble' teachers. This will mean that some of the children in Te Tai home-group will be getting learning feedback and support from either Hannah, Megan or Nicky, instead of Jenny. We will be sorting this out on Tuesday, our teacher only day, and letting you know of any changes in arrangements. 

Daily Routines for Learning at Home

In order to be getting the most out of our learning at home programme, your children should be:

  • Going to our 'learning at home' page (via school website or google classroom) each morning to view the daily video and scan through any page updates
  • Checking their emails every day
  • Accessing learning via Google Classroom
  • Emailing their teacher if they have questions about anything

Video Conferencing

We are using video conferencing to connect with children socially (11am each school day) and to support individuals and small groups with their learning. We have found these learning conferences can make a big difference and we are more than happy to arrange these. Please email us (or your child can) if you think your child needs a video conference to support their learning. We are currently using a mix of Google Meet and Zoom. 

A different way of giving feedback

One of the gems that we have uncovered over the past fortnight is using screencasts to give students feedback. The students get their feedback in the form of a video of their work on screen, with the teacher giving feedback and suggestions. This is proving to be much more powerful than feedback that is typed. If a child has difficulty opening the link to their screencast, they need to email us. Not every child will have got a screencast, yet. This is definitely something we will continue to do when we get back to school.

Dave, our 24/7 youth worker, is keen to make contact with any children who would like to chat.

Blogging about our school values 

A number of our children are reflecting on how our school values are being lived at the moment and writing about this on their blogs. Below is a lovely example of 'We get there together' from Zara M.

Finding Bears

Lots of people around the Beckenham neighbourhood are putting teddy bears on their balcony, in their windows or in their garden. So when people are going for a walk they can look for bears. People love this and when they're walking they can sing "we're going on a bear hunt". This will encourage more people to go for walks and stay fit during lockdown. 

There is also a map you can put your teddy bear on. So when people are walking around the neighbourhood they can see that you have one at your house. People are walking around competing against people see who can find the most bears. We put one at our house and I got some chalk and wrote look for the bear. It was fantastic seeing people walk past and read it and smile when they saw our bear in the living room window with hippy sunglasses on. 

One person wrote 'look for the beers' and they had 2 beer bottles in their window.  

I think this is an awesome idea as it will encourage people to go for more walks. But just remember if you're doing for a walk, run, like or scooter stay local so no one spreads Covid 19. 

Thanks for reading and start searching for bears. Or even just put a teddy bear somewhere on your property that people will be able to see from street view. 



All the best for the next couple of weeks and please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if needed.


If you have any questions, please click here to send Nicky an email.

Wednesday 8 April 2020

Kauri Whānau: Holidays Week 2 Staying Connected

Kia ora everyone,

We have put together another presentation with video clips and another challenge for our tamariki to do in their holidays. Please suggest to your Year 7 & 8 child that they have a look by going to the Kauri Google Classroom. This is totally optional and it's a great way to keep in touch and stem any boredom.

So far half of the children have filled in the leadership points form. This is also on the Kauri Google Classroom for those who still need to complete it.

Stay safe and happy in your bubble!




Sunday 5 April 2020

Kauri Whānau: Check Google Classroom

Kia ora everyone,

Can you please ask your Year 7 & 8 to check the Kauri Google Classroom. We have just added two new posts for them to check out. It would be great for the children in our team to get into the habit of checking their school email every couple of days, if they are not already doing so. Not for work at this stage - just keeping in touch and staying connected.

Many thanks

Saturday 4 April 2020

Kauri Whānau connecting in the holidays

Kia ora everyone,

We hope that all is well in your bubble. It has been great to see so many of our tamariki engaging in our connecting activity that is posted on the Kauri Google Classroom. There is still time to send in photos and to guess who is doing what, especially for the more recently added photos. I will leave the activity to run through today, Saturday, and will post answers tomorrow, Sunday. So far one person has only made one error with their guesses, pretty jolly impressive! Encourage your child to get involved if they haven't already. Below are a couple of sample slides from the Google Classroom post.








Wednesday 1 April 2020

Kauri Whānau connecting in the holidays

Kia ora everyone,

In these extraordinary times it is really important to stay connected. We have recorded some videos and put a fun activity together so that all of our Year 7 & 8s can keep in touch. Please let your child know that they can go onto the Kauri Google Classroom to access the presentation we have put together for them. (It is not work!) We have also uploaded a google form for them to fill in for leadership points in term 1.

Take care