Term 2 Update 2023

Term two is rolling along quickly and, as always, Team Kauri is jam packed with opportunities for the students.

• The year 6/7/8 Jump Jam team are rehearsing every Friday in preparation for the Jump Jam competition in Term 4.
• Winter Sports is in full swing. Every week the whole team heads to Rawhiti Domain to participate in a range of sports; everything from football to gardening is on offer so everyone gets to experience an activity that inspires them.
• The new Kauri gardens are up and running. At the start of Term 2 we planted some winter veggies. The next mission has been a technology challenge for the year 6 students to create a way to stop the birds from eating the greens. Below are some photos of the progress.
• Music lessons are up and running. The students are enthusiastically working towards Strum Strike and Blow next term.
• Kapa Haka is going from strength to strength. Look out for our performance at Tūranga Library on Monday 26 June. 
• Student leadership is a big part of being part of Team Kauri. This year we have a large cohort of year 7 and 8 student leaders who have been planning and running and range of activities for the whole school to participate in. This is tied in with the four houses and, of course, the ever present Christchurch East School Values.
• Please watch the latest Christchurch East News (linked below) for some more information about what has been happening in the Hub and around the school.

Kicking off 2023 in Team Kauri

We've had a massive start to the year in Kauri. There's been too much on to mention everything but here are some of the highlights:

• We started the year with swimming lessons which all the students thoroughly enjoyed. It was great to see so much excellent improvement in the swimmings skills of students across the Hub.
• We had a slip and slide / sausage sizzle as part of our house sports team building for the start of the year.
• We've had Kapa Haka, Kaitiaki group, Jump Jam, choir and guitar lessons up and running.
• We had a virtual reality session by the Blake Education Trust.
• Art lessons are in full swing.
• We had trainers from F45 Gym in to run sessions with the Hub.

Below is the most recent episode of Christchurch East news and some pictures of Team Kauri in action.

Jump Jam

Congratulations to our amazing Jump Jam Team and coaches, Miss Kelly Williams and Miss Tracey Kumar. The team competed in the South Island Nationals this morning and were awarded two merit certificates, two excellence certificates, and 2nd place overall! The performance was fantastic, and it was great to see so many parents and students there in support. As no North Island Teams qualified in the Year 7-8 All Stars category, this makes them 2nd in New Zealand!

Kapa Haka at Tūhono Festival

Congratulations to our amazing Kapa haka, Mrs Lowe, and our tutors Matua Sonny and Whaea Tui. The Kapa haka performed on Saturday morning at the Tūhono Festival in the Christchurch Town Hall. They did an outstanding job and were well supported by whānau. We are very proud of you all!

Team Kauri Athletics Day

This term the whole school did athletics, which culminated with some students progressing on to Zones and doing very well. Below is a video of the Kauri students in action.

Team Kauri Market Day Stalls

Market day was a huge success in Team Kauri. All the students put a massive amount of effort into their stalls leading up to the event and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Below is a video showing the Team Kauri students in action.

​Cycle Safe Session with the Year 6 Students

Recently we had a team from Cycle Safe Canterbury in to run a two day session with the year 6 students looking a road safety and bike skills. All the students made great progress and were very enthusiastic about the sessions. Below is a video of the year 6's in action.

​Kaitiaki Group

The Kaitiaki group did some planting at school the other day. Another great Kaitiaki session!

Kapa Haka

The children are progressing well in their practices for the Tūhono Kapa Haka Festival in November.  The bus is booked and we are looking forward to our performance and seeing others perform.  Ticket sales will be available from Eventbrite in early October which will be one month out from the Festival.  Thank you to those of you who have encouraged their children to participate. We have around 56 children in the group made up of children from Harakeke and Kauri Teams.  A newsletter/notice will be sent home with details about timing and uniform expectations soon.

Guitar Lessons

A good number of students in team Kauri have signed up to do guitar lessons once a week during a break time. I am very impressed with this bunch, both for their enthusiasm and musical ability. The students in the picture are only half of the children who signed up so we may have to look at starting a second group soon. 

Chess Ladder

The chess leaderboard has been going strong over the last few weeks. There has been a lot of strong competition, particularly in the top of the board. Congratulations to Cody, Rudra and Riley for finishing the week in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. 

Strum Strike and Blow

Last week over 40 students from teams Harakeke and Kauri participated in the music festival Strum Strike and Blow. The festival involved 39 schools from Christchurch coming together at Christchurch Arena to practice during the day and then perform in the evening. The participating students had been working hard with Josie, our specialist music teacher, all year to learn the songs on either marimba or ukulele. They were all very well prepared and could play the songs to a high level so special thanks to Josie for training them all up so well. Also special thanks to Karen, our outstanding teacher aide, who went above and beyond the call of duty by bringing in her trailer to transport all the instruments down to the Arena on the day before the performance and back to school afterwards. As always, the students put in a fantastic effort and deserve to be very proud of their accomplishment. 

• Strum strike blow was good because we got to learn different instruments and the music was nice. My favourite part was the performance on the night because there was a massive audience. - Amber
• It was really good. Everyone was really committed to Strum, Strike and Blow. I really enjoyed going and hanging out with friends when we did the concert. I really loved learning the marimba and song choice. Even though some of the music was really hard, it was really fun to play. - Junior
• My favourite part of Strum, Strike and Blow was playing Boris the Bassman and seeing my parents in the crowd. We are expecting more fun activities like these over the rest of the year. - Sara
• ​It was a wonderful experience to be able to go to SSB during this year with covid and especially in our last year of Chch East. - Catherine
• It was a really fun experience - Carol
• I liked being out of school with my friends and playing the marimba because it is a super cool instrument. The marimba is a very interesting instrument and it takes time to learn but it bought a very good outcome. - Shylin 
• Strum, Strike and Blow was a fun musical experience. I enjoyed the music. - Renae
• I like the songs; my favorite song was Pepeha by Six60. - Vasiti
• I thought it was really interesting because the amount of creativity that teachers put into the music was fascinating to watch. It was a really awesome experience. I’d also like to thank the teachers. - Mikaela
• I liked the music; especially Boris the Bassman. - Roxy 
• Strum, Strike and Blow was hard but it was really to learn new things that I haven’t learnt before. The music was really good. The girl who sang Party in my Head was really good. - Harmony 
• We would like to thank Josie for her amazing dedication. I would also thank the teachers who came along on the day and Karen for helping transport the instrument. - Framie

Jump Jam

A team of year 7 and 8 students have been working hard on a Jump Jam routine. They're aiming to get into the regional competitions and the dance is looking awesome. Good luck guys!

• I enjoyed doing the practices with Brett Fairweather, the Jump Jam guy, because he helped me make my moves better and helped the whole group make a better dance - Tyler
• I really enjoyed Jump Jam; it’s one of my favourite opportunities I’ve taken this year. The people, the group, the music and the choreography are all great. My favourite part was meeting Brett Fairweather, the Jump Jam guy, who helped me take my dance move to a whole other level and explore different variations of dance. - Yasir
• Jump Jam was fun and the teachers were amazing at leading us. The whole team enjoyed it. We hope to get into the regionals. I would like to thank the two amazing teachers, Miss Kumar and Miss Williams and Brett Fairweather for supporting us. - Framie​

Robotics with Yong Ai

This term a team of students has been heading over to the Technology block to participate in a specialist programme involving building and programming robots. The students are working hard, learning lots and are very enthusiastic about their projects

• Robotics is fun because we make the robots and experiment with setting them up in different ways. I’ve learnt how to make robots and code using a computer. - Abdi
• I’ve been doing robotics for the last two terms. I’m working with Trishant. I built most of the robot and Trishant did the coding. It’s super fun and interesting because we get to learn lots of new things. - Ryan
• Robotics is fun because you get to build a robot and code them to do different things. It’s really good for anyone who wants to get into coding or robotics. - Trishant
• I like the freedom of creating my own robot and coding it to do what I want. - Simone

Red Zone Weekly Visits

This term classes have been heading down to our Red Zone space to continue to develop the site. Students have been thoroughly enjoying the sessions and learning lots about nature and sustainability. 

Physical Education

As part of our PE programme this term, we trained 2-3 times a week as we worked towards our team Kauri house running competition. All the students put in a great effort and it was awesome to see so much improvement in fitness levels across the hub. During training, there was a friendly competition between houses to see who could do the most laps overall with Tāne Mahuta and Tāwhirimātea tying for first place. We capped off by celebrating our success with a popcorn and movie afternoon on the last day.

• Running training was so good because I like maintaining body fitness and it keeps you healthy. I’m a good runner and I like setting up the course before each session. - Abdi
• I like running training because I try my hardest and I’m getting faster. At the start I could only do 3 laps and now I can do 5. - Kian
• The running competition is a good idea because kids are having more fun doing it. I like counting how many laps I do and trying to improve. At the start I could do 3 laps and now I can do 5 or 6. - Ryan
• I really like the running we do twice a week because it’s good exercise and training. I’ve been getting heaps faster and can do at least 5 laps a day. - Jacob

This term there has been a basketball focus with teams from Christchurch East practicing once a week at lunchtimes and playing a game a week against other schools from around Christchurch.

• Basketball is really fun. I enjoyed playing with my team and playing against people I know from other schools. I’ve improved at layups; I already knew how to do them but now I’m way better. - Tyler
• I really enjoyed basketball this year. I improved my dribbling skills and defending. I’d like to carry on in high school next year. - Junior
• I really enjoyed basketball this year because it was my first time doing it. I liked playing against people from other schools and having that competitive feeling. It’s helped me realise the real definition of teamwork. - Yasir
• Basketball was fun because I got to play with my friends and I’m good at it. I improved at listening to my team mates. - Kya
• I like playing basketball because there are tons of people to play with. It was fun versing people from different schools. I’d like to do it again next year. - Riley
• Basketball was awesome because you get to verse other teams from different schools. I really improvised my defending and my shooting. I can’t wait to do it again next year. - Keagen

Celebrating our Learning

Congratulations to all those from Team Kauri who received certificates at the last two assemblies. It’s been great gathering back in the hall again and celebrating students’ success together as a school. ​

Kapa Haka

We are very lucky to have two fantastic specialist kapa haka tutors who come into the school once a week. Currently all of team Kauri and a group students from team Harakeke are working towards a performance at the Tūhono festival in November.

• I’m enjoying kapa haka - especially the haka because we get to put heaps into it. I also like the waiata, especially Te Wai Tuku Kiri. - Chase
• Kapa haka is fun because I like learning the actions and the different songs. I like hearing how all the different instruments sound, for example the Pumoana. I had heard one before, but never seen it up close. - Vanda

Music and Strum Strike Blow

Students who elected to do music this year have been going out for weekly lessons with Josie, our specialist music teacher. They’re working towards their performance at Strum Strike Blow in term 3. All students have been working hard and are sounding great. We'll include some pictures in the next update. 

• I’m learning the ukulele this year and I’m looking forward to Strum Strike Blow. My favourite song to play is Summertime. -  Rayna 

Kaitiaki Group

The Kaitiaki group has been working hard on our adopted Red Zone space. Here are some photos of the students in action and some student comments about what they’re enjoying about being part of Kaitiaki group.

• My favorite part of Kaitiaki group is that we get to have our own ideas for what we do for our Red Zone space. We have gardening groups and I’ve learnt lots about plants and seeds. - Devisha
  
• I like Kaitiaki because we’re designing something useful to go into our Red Zone area to make the place nicer. - Renae
  
• It’s fun because we get to share our ideas and get a chance to make them happen. - Roxy
  

Arts in team Kauri

This term there has been a big arts focus in Team Kauri with all students going out for weekly sessions with our incredible specialist art teacher, Andrea. 

• I did mask art this term. Everyone came up with a lot of ideas and you got to use your own ideas to design and make your own mask. I learnt many new art techniques such as paper mache. - Tanvi
• I did carving and it really fun, but I learnt that you have to be careful with the tools. - Diamond
• I liked the skateboard art. I worked hard on my design and it looks really awesome. - Amber
• I did tuatara art this year. We got to use our art skills to create unique pieces of art. I really enjoyed making art with my friends. - Manaia
• Art allows me to be creative and make whatever I desire to make. It also lets me experiment with different styles like paper mache, making animals or origami. One thing I’ve learnt is there are a lot more art styles than you would think and sometimes they’re not that easy to learn. - Salman

Inquiry in term Two - Creating a Movie

Coming soon will be the phenomenal Christchurch East movie which we’ve been busy writing, filming and editing all term. I was impressed with the creativity, positive attitude and teamwork evident in the hub during the process. I’m sure the finished produced will be spectacular. 

• I was an actor and writer for the school production. It was awesome working with other people and seeing how a movie is made. I learnt that to make a good team you have to communicate with others. - Akina
  

Other Inquiry Learning

As part of inquiry in term one, some students in Kauri built a model Polynesian ocean going waka. This linked in with learning they were doing about how the first people came to Aotearoa and the Treaty of Waitangi.

• I enjoyed building a model waka. We made it out of driftwood and popsicle sticks. I enjoyed using a drill and the other tools. I’ve still got my waka at home and found out it even floats. - Yusuf
  
• Something I enjoy at school is Wonderopolis. I like it because sometimes we talk about geography and different countries. - Lilyana
  

Other inquiry learning this term involved one class having an axolotl at school for a few days. This generated plenty of interest from the students and prompted some great research about axolotls.

• Having an axolotl in class was fun. It was very cute. I’m doing some research about them and I learnt that they eat other salamanders if they’re small enough. They swallow them whole! - Sneh
• The axolotl was cute and was interesting to have in the class. We’re researching axolotls now and I’ve found out they eat their siblings. - Catherine

House Colours Day

All the students enjoyed House Colours Day in term one. We did a range of fun games such as four way Capture the Flag, three legged race, dress up relay and more. The students enjoyed the friendly competition between houses and entered into the spirit of the day with enthusiasm.

• House colours day was awesome and so much fun. It made me laugh so much because we did sports we’d never done like putting on a funny costume and doing a relay. It made me really happy to do something new at school. - Enaya
• I liked all the activities we did on house colours day and hope we do more of that type of thing this year. - Sara
• I liked how house colours day was really competitive but fun at the same time. - Catherine
• House colours day was really fun; especially the 3 legged race because it was funny and we won. - Daniel ​

Pink Shirt Day

Pink Shirt Day is a day to raise awareness of, and putting a stop to, bullying. The students dressed up in pink, took photos and had a great time playing some fun games.

• It was fun doing lots of games on Pink Shirt Day. It’s important to stop bullying so I thought it was a cool thing for the school to do. - Elizabeth
  
• My favorite part of pink shirt day was taking photos in the K1 space. We got to wear whatever we wanted so long as it was pink which was super, super fun. - Rania
  

Technology

Every week the year 7s and 8s head over to the technology block to learn a range of different skills. It’s the highlight of the week for many students and they always come back buzzing.

• Technology is super fun because we learn lots of new things like how to make things out of acrylic. I made a clock which I took home and put in the living room. - Tanishaa
• I enjoyed sewing because it was really chilled. It was fun to design a pillow. I learnt how to use a sewing machine better than I already knew how to. - Isabella
• The best thing about technology was making our own things in soft materials. I already knew how to use a sewing machine because my Grandma taught me, but I got better. - Shanelle
• I like making new stuff in technology like the pillow we made. We stitched a pillow together using a sewing machine and then made a design with facial features on it. It was my first time using a sewing machine. -  Murtaza 
• In technology we got to design food and make a model of it out of clay. I enjoyed drawing my food and creating the model - Isabel  
• Robotics is fantastic because you get to build your own robot and code them to do different stuff. I’ve learnt about the 6 thinking hats and how to use them to see things from a different perspective. - Trishant

The Arts Centre Road Show

Sunday 1st of December
Team Kauri had Rutherford's Den from the Arts Centre come into school to teach us science.
We learnt about the atom and created the structure of an atom using materials. The photo above is the art atoms we created. We also learnt about Sir Ernest Rutherford and some of his schooling. We wrote in calligraphy using traditional materials. Our team learnt about bubbles and what they are made up of. We learnt how to manipulate the shapes of bubbles. 

A huge thank you to Rutherford's Den for this awesome opportunity!
Here are some photos of our fun.

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Athletics Day

Friday 1st of November
Team Kauri participated in Athletics Day and showed all of our School Values on the day and at the practices leading up to it. Students dressed up in house colours and supported their teams.
Well done to Mahuika who won this year!
​
Congratulations to all the students who came first and those who qualified for Zones, all the best!

A huge thank you to Mr Young for organising a great day and to the House Captains for their awesome leadership.

Here are some photos of the practices and of the day.

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Cultural Week

​Tuesday 1st of October​ 2019​
At the end of Term 3, Christchurch East School celebrated the diverse cultures of our students. 
Everyone dressed in clothing that identifies our cultures and we paraded down to Latimer Square as a school. 

Many students also performed in our cultural celebration and shared traditional dances. 
Well done to these students who showed Excellence when performing!

Every student brought in food from their culture and shared it with Team Kauri and we all celebrated our diversity as a team. It was incredible to share a variety of different cultural dishes together.

A huge thank you to all the parents who came into school to help serve lunch to our team. 
Also thank you to all the parents who put in lots of effort to make delicious food for us to all share.

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Strum, Strike and Blow

Sunday 1st of September 2019
​On Thursday the 29th of August, Team Harakeke and Kauri Music students attended Strum, Strike and Blow at Horncastle Arena.

These students played recorder, marimba and ukulele with 1400 students from 45 schools around Canterbury.
They spent the day practising at Horncastle Arena and then performed in the night for family and whānau.

Each of these students have been practising tirelessly since Term 1 and it was amazing to see all of their hard work come to fruition. They all showed Excellence as they strived to improve their skills throughout their practices.

A huge thank you to our Music Teacher Josie for all the hard work you have put into teaching our students, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without you!

Here are some photos of the day for you to enjoy.