Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Thursday 12 November 2020

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

It's been a short week this week so this newsletter is mostly to keep you up to date with upcoming events!

The weather for the long weekend is looking amazing... keep the hats and sunblock on and I hope you all get some time to relax and slow down just a little, before the Christmas rush is completely upon us!

Sadly, no Kapa Haka concert this year

Due to the limitations of COVID lockdowns and restrictions on assemblies, our new Kapa Haka tutor, Whaea Cath has had quite a challenging time getting regular sessions with all of our groups this year.  and in the latter few weeks we made the call to focus her time on preparations with Te Whānau Mahi Tahi for the recent Cultural Festival performance. On top of that, there have been extra events this term for most team, due to postponements from lockdowns. For that reason, we have made the decision not to try and hold a kapa haka concert this year. We do expect to return to holding some sort of end of year celebration of Kapa Haka next year.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy and the Team

Important Dates

Upcoming Events - lots and lots!

Tue 17 Nov: Homegroup photos for Sari and Sophie's groups. 
Wed 18 Nov: Rāpaki Marae visit Koru Team
Wed 18 Nov: 7-8pm BYOD Information Evening, Kōwhai Hub, Y4-7 whānau
Wed 19 Nov: Board of Trustees Meeting, 5:30 - 7:30pm
Fri 20 Nov: Celebration Assembly 12:10pm - All Welcome
Wed 25 Nov: Canterbury Schools Triathlon
Wed 25 - Fri 27 Nov: Pohutukawa Camp at Living Springs 
Wed 25 Nov: PTA meeting - Green Room, 7:30pm
Sat 29 Nov: PTA Top Team Event - Beckenham Park 
Mon 30 Nov & Tue 1 Dec: Kōwhai Rapaki Marae visit                                                            
Wed 2 Dec: Canterbury Primary School's athletics, Nga Puna Wai Park
Thu 3 Dec - Board of Trustees Meeting, 5:30 - 7:30pm
Fri 4 Dec: Year 3/4 Noho Kura (sleepover at school!)
Wed 9 Dec: Junior Athletic Sports from 1:30pm (NE - Year 4)
Thu 10 Dec: Kahikatea Pool and Picnic day at Waltham Pool
Fri 11 Dec: Final Celebration Assembly 09:15am
Fri 11 Dec: Y7/8 trip to Corsair Bay 11-3pm
Mon14 Dec: Y7/8 Walk to Victoria Park
Tue 15 Dec: Year 8 Leavers Graduation 11am - Invited whānau only
Wed 16 Dec: - 12:30pm - School finishes for the year.
BYOD Information Evening for Year 4-7 whānau
Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto has an optional Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programme for students in Years 5-8. This programme is very popular and has been in operation since 2014. If you want to find out more about our BYOD programme including the rationale, digital citizenship practices and device responsibilities, please visit our BYOD website and come along to our information evening on Wednesday, 18 November from 7-8 pm, in the Kōwhai Hub. If you plan to attend this meeting, please RSVP here.
 
The evening is optional and is aimed particularly at parents of current Year 4-7 students who are considering taking up BYOD next year but have not yet made the decision. The information evening will give you a chance to hear about our BYOD programme and ask questions about how it works. 

We generally recommend that families who want to participate in the BYOD programme purchase a Chromebook for their child to bring school. We are currently changing our BYOD provider and will send out a Chromebook offer, with prices, closer to the end of the year.

With the introduction of the new Digital Technologies strand of the Technology Curriculum this year, ensuring that every child has access to a device becomes more important than ever before.




Timepieces wanted!

If you have any timepieces that you could donate to school eg clocks, watches, pocket watches, digital or analog, working or not, we would love to have them at school for a special interest area in one of our rooms.  Please bring them to the office.
Many thanks in anticipation.



Mana Ake “Drop-Ins” are continuing…

A number of whānau have already made great use of the Mana Ake “drop-ins” that are available on Wednesday mornings from 8:30 – 9:30am. These drop-in sessions are here to provide parents with an opportunity to have a private, informal conversation around the well being of their child with one of our Mana Ake workers (kaimahi). If you feel like you would like to attend a drop-in session, please book in a time via the link here: Mana Ake booking  The code to use is 88t39. Alternatively, you can contact Jacky in the office and she will make a booking for you.

Sports News

Athletics Day

The weather didn’t make it easy for us this year. And we got there in the end! Our athletics events for Years 5 to 8 took place over three days as weather permitted. We were so impressed by the way the children adapted to the changes as they were made. We get there together! 

Something else that impressed us during the week was the way that the children supported and encouraged each other. On Tuesday loud eruptions of cheering could be heard from the hall as the children celebrated every person’s high jump effort. Many times over the three days, we saw children sharing advice and words of encouragement. During Thursday’s mid-distance, friends ran alongside some of the runners with words and sometimes even songs of encouragement. 

Congratulations to our Athletics Champions for 2020
These champions are based on a scoring system that takes into account placings across all the events.
Year 5 Champions: Jayde Inglis and Archie Arnott
Year 6 Champions: Billy Murfin, Caitlyn McIntosh and Petra Cooper
Year 7 Champions: Zoe Clarke and Jonty Mitchell
Year 8 Champions: Thomas Lyall and Grace Monk

Zone Athletics

We had a fantastic day at Hansen’s Park on Monday where just over 60 tamariki represented our kura at Zone Athletics. As usual, the children did us all proud, putting our school values at the fore as they competed in track and field events. I noticed many of our children helping out at events that their friends were competing in, which was great to see. Tino pai! 

Congratulations to all our competitors.

The following children have qualified to represent our zone and kura at Canterbury Athletics at Ngā Puna Wai on Wednesday the 2nd of December.

Ava Howard - 1st long jump
Billy Murfin- 1st 60 m and 2nd long jump
Caitlin McIntosh - 2nd 60 m
Grace Monk - 1st high jump
Jonty Mitchell - 1st long jump and 1st 60 m
JJ Mathias - 2nd 60 m
Lucky Lasiyal - 2nd 1200 m
Zoe Clarke - 2nd high jump

Canterbury Swimming

Congratulations to Abby, Fergus, Emma, Cooper, Zoe and Thomas who competed in Canterbury Swimming Championships. This event was a postponement date from Term 1. 

Swimming at Canterbury level is a huge achievement and the children all did amazingly well against very tough competition. 

Special mention goes to Thomas Lyall who placed 3rd in the 50 m Backstroke. 

Mountain Biking

Congratulations to Morgan Lee who has been making a name for himself in Gravity Canterbury’s downhill events. Morgan placed third in his first competitive outing at the Novice Downhill and then returned a couple of weeks later to take third again in the first race of the Summer Series in the under 13 category. Wananae!

Thank you to 'The Perfect Line' for the photo. 


Sports Uniforms need to be returned, please.

If your child does not have another upcoming sports event, please return their washed uniform to the office foyer. Thank you.

Community Notices

(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)

Studio One Performing Arts

Studio One Performing Arts, your local dance school, is currently giving Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary lessons in your area. The school’s director is teacher, choreographer & ex-ballet dancer Patricia Paul A.R.A.D. (London). Ballet lessons from 3 years through to Advanced, and all levels in Jazz and Contemporary starting from age 7. For all enquiries please phone 372-9191 or email info@studioone.co.nz




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Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter 9th November 2020

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award for 2020

Sir Peter Blake believed in the incredible potential of young people to achieve great things.

The BLAKE Young Leader Awards aim to recognise our young New Zealanders who show commitment to leading positive change in their community that leads to a sustainable future for Aotearoa.
Each year, one senior student from Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto is nominated to receive this prestigious award. At our Celebration Assembly today, we welcomed Hinewai and Hiria from the Westpac Bank, to present this award to Ruby McNiven. Congratulations, Ruby. This is a wonderful acknowledgement of your quietly confident and reliable leadership that has grown and developed throughout your time in the school.

Hinewai (Wespac),, Ruby, Heria (Westpac) and Sandy


SwimSafe Programme 

Our Kahikatea and Kōwhai students have been travelling by bus to Pioneer Pool most days (8 sessions) over the past two weeks, to participate in quite a different type of aquatic programme to anything we have done before. In the past, our aquatic programmes have tried to focus on developing swimming skills. After the swimming programme last year, we consulted with whānau and staff, and the general agreement was that this focus was no longer meeting the needs of our children. We are required, under the New Zealand curriculum, to provide aquatic education for children, so we spent the first half of this year working with staff from the council to make sure that what we did this year would provide better outcomes for all of our children. This year, all of our Kahkiatea and Kōwhai students (Y1-4) participated in an 8 session SwimSafe programme.
The focus of this programme was all about water safety and staying alive in the water.

As you can see from the photos below, all children were able to participate fully, regardless of their swimming ability. 

Being SwimSafe @ Pioneer Pool!





The organisation for this programme was significant, and wouldn't have been possible without the generous help of many parents and caregivers who supported at the pool, and from the extra work put in by the staff, in particular the team leaders, Laura Williamson and Amber Donovan.
Below is an email received yesterday from one of the parents who were helping supervise at the pool... 

"I just wanted to say a huge thanks for the past two weeks of swimming. It is obviously quite a huge undertaking to get it all organised and a lot of planning clearly took place to get all the kids there.
I thought you must be all quite exhausted after the two weeks!
It was a really fun and useful programme and watching from the side of the pool was useful for me to revise some key things about water safety.
Other parents I talked to also felt the teachers had done an amazing effort getting the nearly 200 kids to the pool each day, and that it was a really valuable opportunity for them."

Te Whānau Mahi Tahi at the Christchurch Schools' Cultural Festival

Last week saw our senior kapa haka group, Te Whānau Mahi Tahi, perform at the very final Christchurch Schools Cultural Festival. The Festival has been wound up, after the organising committee had been unable, for the past 7 years, to get any new members onto the committee.

We were immensly proud of our tamariki. Huge thanks to our (new this year) kapa haka tutor - Whaea Cath Milio for her commitment to getting our children to the festival and writing a special waiata for them to sing (to the tune of 'Peace Train'). Thanks also to Hannah Elliott for her support of Te Whānau throughout the year.
You can watch their performance on the YouTube clip below:


Staffing Update

It is that time of the year, when staff changes through schools across the country are announced in preparation for the new school year. As schools appoint teachers, new vacancies are created and a domino effect sometimes happens! 
Therefore, we have reluctantly accepted the resignation of Hannah Elliott, who has won a new position at Lemonwood Grove School in Rolleston. This is a great move for Hannah, who lives in the Selwyn district so will now be living much closer to her workplace. We acknowledge and thank Hannah for the contribution that she has made to our school, and in particular to the Kauri Team, over the past three years.

Hannah Elliott

We have been very busy this past week with interviewing for new teachers for 2021, and should be able to have those appointments in the newsletter next week.

We have also been pleased to welcome Rachel Higginson to our staff this week. Rachel has taken over the accounts and payroll position that Sandra Rauch has been in for the past 19months. Rachel was in this last week for handover from Sandra, who finished today. Rachel officially starts on Monday. For any queries regarding accounts or donations, you can contact her on the same email address: accounts@beckenham.school.nz

Rachel Higginson

New vacancy in the Office

We will shortly be advertising a third, administration position for the school. This new position will be a combination of support for Jacky in the office, and a PA to the leadership team and Board. The person specifications will include needing a high level of general organisation, familiarity and confidence with technology, and minute-taking experience. The role will be between 20-25 hours a week, mostly within school hours, and term-time only. We will post the vacancy on the school website by Monday 9 November and will advertise it through the school and neighbourhood Facebook pages.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Mon 9th Nov: Zone Athletics, Hansen Park. 9am - 3pm
Thu 12 Nov: Celebration Assembly, 12:10pm
Fri 13th Nov: Canterbury Anniversary Day - school closed.                                                            Wed 18 Nov: Rāpaki Marae visit Koru, Year 0 and 1.                                                                    Wed 25th Nov: Pohutukawa Camp at Living Springs                                                                        Mon 30th Nov & Tue 1st Dec: Kōwhai Rapaki Marae visit                                                              Wed 2nd Dec: Canterbury Primary School's athletics, Nga Puna Wai Park           

Term Dates

Click here to view 2020 & 2021 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Holly Rogers - Year 8

Holly, you have certainly come out of your shell this year! You demonstrated "We Get There Together" by performing beautifully at the Cultural Festival and helping the group shine. You are kind, caring and lend a helping hand when needed. You have shown an increase in confidence which has enabled you to share your ideas more during your learning. You listen attentively and can always be relied on to make positive choices throughout the school day. 

School Notices

Kauri Theatre Sports

The Kauri Hub Theatre Sports team aka ‘Mission Improvable’ competed last Sunday 1st November at Rangi Ruru Ruru Girls School. There were 4 teams in the heat and even though they didn’t place for the finals, they did an awesome job entertaining the audience with their clever and humorous improv skills.  The team has worked hard all year with weekly practices and workshops at the Court Theatre in town. Well done team! 

Mana Ake “Drop-Ins” are continuing…

A number of whānau have already made great use of the Mana Ake “drop-ins” that are available on Wednesday mornings from 8:30 – 9:30am. These drop-in sessions are here to provide parents with an opportunity to have a private, informal conversation around the well being of their child with one of our Mana Ake workers (kaimahi). If you feel like you would like to attend a drop-in session, please book in a time via the link here: Mana Ake booking  The code to use is 88t39. Alternatively, you can contact Jacky in the office and she will make a booking for you.

PTA News

Art Auction

After discussions last week, the PTA has decided to bring the SALE of the CLASSROOM ART from the NON EVENT FAIR forward.
The Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Art Auction will be starting soon. It started on November 06, 2020 at 09:00 AM  and will end on November 19, 2020 at 09:00PM. 
You can come and view the art in the school reception area from 2.45pm till 3.30pm on 11th November.
Here's your auction link to start bidding on your child's classes art work:

Top Team and Community Picnic

Just over 3 weeks to go for Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto TOP TEAM and community picnic. We have had an odd Year so far so let's end it with a fun afternoon with the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Whanau. 
Top Team competition from 2 till 3.30, come along and support the teams.
For those not participating we will have fair games, a bouncy castle, sausage sizzle, cake stall, coffee cart and ice creams!
 
Make sure you book your team in soon as we have limited spots, click on the link and sign up ASAP
 
Cost is $10 per team, this has been kindly subsidised by Smyth & Co Barristers and Solicitors 
  • The ideal team size is 6, but you can have more or less  
  • Teams must include at least 1 adult with a maximum of 2 adults
  • It is recommended that participants are Year 4 or above (but if you have someone younger who wants to have a go then that's fine, just be aware they may not be able to complete every station) 
  • Teams need to arrive at 1PM for registration / warm up / team briefing
To run a successful event we will need helpers, please complete the link below if you can help for a short period of time or for the whole event.
If you are able to help in any way, run a stall, help out on a top team station, make a cake or slice, or if you have a musical talent please complete the link below. Top Team helpers
The more people that can help the more time everyone has to enjoy the event.

Board of Trustees - Election Update

Nominations for the three Parent Trustee Vacancies closed on Sunday 1st November at midday. Only two nominations were received meaning no election was required and those nominees have been declared duly elected by our Returning Officer.
Our thanks, and congratulations go to Suran Dickson and Richard Scott (bios below) for their willingness to contribute to the governance of our school through this process. The Board will now meet to determine a process for dealing with the vacancy that will remain on the board, through the third position not being filled through the election.

Suran Dickson

I am interested in serving on the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Board of Trustees. Currently I am the Director of Flipside Consulting, a Diversity and Inclusion consultancy which works with leaders and organisations to ensure their culture is one which enables happy, innovative staff who bring their whole selves to work. Recent clients include the Crusaders, Christ’s College, Meridian, Orion, Connetics, Hohepa Homes and the Police. The work is a great privilege as we are able to challenge some of the innate structural and personal biases which prevent Māori and Pasifika having equitable opportunities in life, as well as overcoming the social barriers which can hold restrict both young men and women from achieving happiness and success. 
Having trained as a teacher and taught at Lincoln High School, I then moved to the UK in 2002 and taught there for a number of years across secondary, primary and special educational needs schools. I was deeply moved by a number of suicides of young people and left my teaching job to set up the anti-bullying charity, Diversity Role Models (DRM), which became a national leader in tackling bullying by encouraging empathy and critical thinking in young people. As CEO of this organisation I was heavily involved in building corporate relationships, fundraising, scaling the charity up at rapid pace and providing thought leadership around inclusion and diversity issues to the Department of Education, media, businesses and wider political arenas. After leading DRM for 6 years, I had my son, Sonny, and moved back to New Zealand in 2016 to absorb cleaner air, more space and to give him a taste of the Kiwi childhood I was lucky enough to have. Sonny has now happily joined Koru class and we are loving being part of the Beckenham community. 
I also sit on the South Canterbury District Health Board to offer an inclusion and equity lens to the health landscape; a less than dull role in the era of Covid. My spare time (surely a paradox as a working parent!) is spent training for half-ironman, marathons and anything else time-consuming to escape doing the housework.

Richard Scott

My name is Richard Scott and I am standing for the Beckenham Te Kura O Pūroto School Board. I am a father of three with two children currently at Beckenham in years 1 and 3. My youngest will start at Beckenham mid-2021.  Along with my wife, Christy, we have lived locally for five years, and prior to that not far away in Hillsborough, Christchurch.  I am a keen runner, skier and mountain biker. Professionally I am a Principal Mechanical Engineer employed part-time by AECOM NZ Ltd.  In this role, I provide design, analysis, technical leadership, project management and construction contract management in the power and utility industries mainly across New Zealand and Australia. I have not been nominated or held a board position previously, however, I consider myself to have useful skills to offer the board in order to further develop strong values and leadership.  I am particularly interested in academic performance, cultural activities and sporting opportunities.



Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter 2020-10-23 14:43:00

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Staffing Update

Our congratulations go out to Jules May who has won a leadership position (Junior Team Leader) at Te Kōmanawa Rowley School, starting at the beginning of next year. Whilst we will miss Jules' energy and commitment to our tamariki, we certainly wish her well in her new position and celebrate that, once again, the success of our staff in winning new positions of leadership and furthering their careers.



The Year 5/6 Team Leader position which will be vacated by Anne Batchelor at the end of the year has been won by Steve Cooke. We are very excited to be welcoming Steve into our Leadership Team for 2021. 




Both of the above staffing changes result in us needing two more permanent teachers for our staff for 2021. We have these positions advertised and will let you know as soon as we have confirmed them. 

Cycle Safety Pōhutukawa

Our Year 6 students have been very busy this week (with one more group to participate next week), with the Christchurch City Council Cycle Safety programme. Many children, who already considered themselves to be road confident cyclists, have been very surprised about the number of important road rules that they didn't know about, and have been learning over this two day programme. 
As caregivers, please remember that, whilst this will have improved their confidence, nothing beats being out on bikes with your child and demonstrating good cycle safety with them.

Kōwhai Museum Visit

Our Kōwhai Team have had trips to the Canterbury Museum this week to explore and develop their understanding of both The Moon, and Māori traditional tools and living. When learning about the Moon, as part of the Science curriculum, they 
Part of their learning in the Te Ao Māori area was to learn about the legend of "Kupe and Te Wheke". You can click on the link and read this story for yourself - and talk with your children about it.
Thank you to the staff, and whānau, who made this trip possible with their support.


Pōhutukawa Marae visit

This week all tamariki and kaiako in the Pōhutukawa team experienced a wonderful day at Rāpaki Marae, over two days of visits. We all enjoyed taking part in a powhiri ceremony, sharing our pepeha and learning about the local history and tikanga, as well as exploring the surrounding environment. 
Noho ora mai

Outside the Rapaki marae

Matua Maui


Year 7/8 Camp Dunedin

This week our Year 7/8 team have been in Dunedin on camp. They have been having an amazing time with so many varied and challenging experiences. These include Moeraki boulders, Oamaru SteamPunk Playground, Baldwin Street climb, 'Hair-raiser' tour of Dunedin by night, campfire, Albatross colony visit, sports and learning exchange with Carisbrook School, Otago Early Settlers Museum, Otago Museum Butterfly Room, and a day of physical challenges at the Waihola Campground where they have been staying!
The bus is due back to school around 5:30pm tonight - we will email and put a message on FB when we have a more detailed ETA.
A huge thank you to the staff and whānau who have supported this camp, through fundraising, baking and attending, to make it possible.


We Get There Together

During the holidays, one of our wonderful New Entrant students and his dad spent half a day sweeping and tidying the court area outside Kōmanawa, all ready for his friends to enjoy when they returned at the start of Term 4. 
Thank-you Max and Gerard!

Have a wonderful weekend
Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Mon 26 Oct: LABOUR DAY School Closed
Tue 27, Wed 28, Thu 29 Oct: Kahikatea & Kōwhai SwimSafe programme - Pioneer Pool
Wed 28 Oct: 6:45pm Christchurch Arena, Christchurch Schools Cultural Festival - Te Whānau Mahi Tahi performing
Thu 29 Oct: BOT meeting POSTPONED
Fri 30 Oct: Whole School Athletics - Beckenham Park
Mon 2 Nov: Year 7/8 Technology (bus leaves at 8:30am) Note change of date for this week!
Mon 9th Nov: Zone Athletics, Hansen Park. 9am - 3pm
Thu 12 Nov: Celebration Assembly (our first for this term!)
Fri 13th Nov: Canterbury Anniversary Day - school closed.

Term Dates

Click here to view 2020 and 2021 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Holly McIntosh - Year 4

Holly, you are a delightful member of the Kowhai hub.  You are kind, thoughtful and always strive to ensure others are included.  You consistently follow the school values "We Care" and "We Get There Together" by always being willing to take on extra responsibilities.   

School Notices

Mana Ake “Drop-Ins” are continuing…

A number of whānau have already made great use of the Mana Ake “drop-ins” that are available on Wednesday mornings from 8:30 – 9:30am. These drop-in sessions are here to provide parents with an opportunity to have a private, informal conversation around the well being of their child with one of our Mana Ake workers (kaimahi). If you feel like you would like to attend a drop-in session, please book in a time via the link here: Mana Ake booking  The code to use is 88t39. Alternatively, you can contact Jacky in the office (337 1404) and she will make a booking for you.

Head Lice are around... again!

We are noticing increasing numbers of children with head lice again. Anyone can get head lice, and it is important that they are treated before children return to school. You can find out more about head lice and their treatment here.
Children who have long hair should have it tied up. This is especially important for the prevention of the spread of head lice, and of course, a requirement for those children who are swimming next week.
Tight plaits, with some hairspray for more barrier, can sometimes help to raise the protection against headlice, as can a drop of tea tree oil on the hands and smoothed over hair.

Congratulations to...

Keanna Hakeagaiki who competed in the primary schools' competition for gymnastics. After some good routines in vault, uneven bars, floor and beam she ended up coming 4th overall. Well done Keanna!


BOT Mid-Term Elections 2020

Nominations for Mid Term positions for our Board of Trustees are now open. You will have received an email with nomination details and how you nominate. Nomination forms are available from the school office if you haven’t received them. Please note nominations close on Sunday 1st November. We look forward to your interest.

Wayne Jamieson

Returning Officer


Community Notices

(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)


Tell us what you want for 2050 - The Greater Christchurch Partnership

We want to hear from everyone that has an interest in Greater Christchurch as we develop this exciting plan for our sub-region’s future. Greater Christchurch 2050 will describe the kind of place we want for our future generations, and the actions we need to take over the next 30 years to make it happen. 

It should take around 5 minutes to give us your feedback. You can give feedback until 8 November 2020. To find out more about the greater Christchurch Partnership and the plan visit greaterchristchurch.org.nz/greater-christchurch-2050



Hell Pizza Reading challenge

The HELL Reading Challenge is a well-established programme, now in its seventh year, which has been hugely successful in getting kids reading and enjoying the pleasures of stories — with the bonus of free pizza rewards.
We are very excited to be continuing our partnership with HELL Pizza. Their enthusiasm for children’s reading and generous ongoing commitment is awesome.
Teachers, librarians and parents have been telling us how the HELL Reading Challenge has hooked so many reluctant readers into books. In 2020 we want even more young readers to discover the thrill of a great book.
The HELL Reading Challenge is free, and it is so easy! Children receive a stamp on their pizza wheel for each book they read. Once they have read seven books, children can exchange their completed pizza wheel for a free 333 kids’ pizza at HELL.
To find out more use the following link:

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Friday 18 September 2020

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Getting outdoors for Learning

The wonderful weather this week has supported some great learning opportunities outside the buildings.
On Monday, everyone took part in a "Māori Language Moment" in support of Māori language week. Some hubs went outside to the park, and learned a counting game, whilst the Year 7/8 team played a game using rakau, and others sang waiata.


On Monday, in place of the cancelled Koru Games, some senior students participated in a local volleyball tournament at Hillview Christian School. A number of our students stood out for their excellent sportsmanship. On Wednesday, also in place of the cancelled Koru Games, some senior student had the opportunity to engage with a local tournament against St Martins School on Beckenham Park in football, touch, and ultimate frisbee. 


Caring for our local environment - Ngā Pūroto (the ponds)

Building on the work of our Healthy Ōpāwho ambassadors (Anna, Cleo and Ben), the students from the Pōhutukawa Team took part in a planting project around the Beckenham Ponds on Wednesday this week. They were supported by parent helpers, and Sampson Karst from our Board who talked with the children about the role that the importance of 'Kaitiakitanga' - being caretakers of our land and living creatures.  A huge thanks to Sally Airey and Heidi Wilton, and their colleagues from CCC who organised this planting and worked to teach the children about the ponds, the plants and the legacy that this planting will leave for our wider community and the ponds ecosystem. Sally emailed this following the event:
Thanks so much for your mahi today, it was a great morning.  We planted about 295 plants- a large area of swampy ground that will grow strong plants and in time grow a  forest that will support the ponds to be a healthy habitat for our native fish, insects and birds.   I was impressed with the care the tamariki made with their planting and lovely to see Anna and Cleo mentoring other students with their planting. 



Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Fri 25 Sep - last day of Term 4
Mon 12 Oct - STAFF Only Day - SCHOOL CLOSED
Tue 13 Oct - First day of Term 4

Term Dates

Click here to view 2020 and 2021 term dates

Citizen of the Week

Freya Braun - Year 6

Freya you demonstrate a friendly, positive attitude to all that you do. You are outstanding in the area of sportsmanship. Your bubbly personality brings happiness to those around you. You are a great friend and lead by example to your peers. Keep up the great work!

Erik Cassels-Brown - Year 8

Erik, you are an energetic and enthusiastic member of the Kauri hub. You are eager to learn and give 110% on the sports field. Erik, we appreciate your personable nature and you often make us laugh with your awesome sense of humour. Tino pai!

School Notices

BOSCO Holiday Programme




Bookings are now OPEN for the October Holiday Programme. We have some exciting outings planned such as visiting Christchurch Gymnastics, Orana Park & Margaret Mahy Playground. Cheapskate Skateskool will also visit us with all their exciting activities. We have a Survivor day, athletics and a dance day planned for our “home days” to include lots of fun and sports to make the most of the beautiful days we know October brings. If you are interested in sending your kids to BOSCO and not miss out on any of these adventures, head over to our website  http://www.bosco.org.nz/ to make a booking using Aimy Plus, or contact Juanita at supervisor@bosco.org.nz. We can’t wait to see you there!

A BOSCO trip out to Orana Park


BOSCO also available on Teacher Only Day 12th October 2020

Teacher Only Day on Monday, 12th October -  bookings are now open. We have a game of T-ball planned , the craft is making a foam ball octopus and our baking craft for the day will be yummy rice bubble marshmallow slices.
Use the following link to book your place:

Mana Ake “Drop-Ins” are continuing…

A number of whānau have already made great use of the Mana Ake “drop-ins” that are available on Wednesday mornings from 8:30 – 9:30am. These drop-in sessions are here to provide parents with an opportunity to have a private, informal conversation around the well being of their child with one of our Mana Ake workers (kaimahi). If you feel like you would like to attend a drop-in session, please book in a time via the link here: Mana Ake booking  The code to use is 88t39. Alternatively, you can contact Jacky in the office and she will make a booking for you.

Registrations are now open for the 2020/2021 Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kid TRYathlon Series!

The world’s largest kids TRYathlon series is back. Open to kiwi kids aged 7-15 years of all sporting abilities, the Sanitarium Weet-Bix kids TRYathlon is a fun day out for the whole family. Swim, bike and run your way to the finish line as an individual or in a team of two, and receive your very own gold medal from top Kiwi sporting stars. Go on give it a TRY!

Register NOW - the Christchurch event always sells out. Here is the link: Weetbix Tryathlon - christchurch
Be sure to link your entry to the Beckenham Te Kura o Puroto School Group- the school with the most entries can win LOADS of prizes!!
Sunday 28th February 2021, Jellie Park Burnside

Term 4 - HATS

As is our usual practice, hats are compulsory in Term 4 for all outdoor play and exercise.  Please take a moment over the upcoming holidays to ensure your child has a suitable red or black hat for use at school.  Caps do not provide adequate sun protection and are not part of the school uniform. Please name your child's hat clearly.
We no longer sell hats at the school office. Bucket style hats or wide brimmed hats are available from our uniform supplier, Mainland Uniforms at 189 Peterborough Street.  
Their website is: Mainland uniforms

COVID-19 Testing for Pacific people:

The Pasifika Health Collective have asked us to share their contacts and the information about COVID-19 testing. This message is for our Pasifika families:
 
Testing for COVID-19 is IMPORTANT and the Pasifika Health Collective are encouraging Pacific people to get a COVID-19 test.
WHO can get tested?
  • ALL PACIFIC PEOPLE
  • regardless of whether you have flu-like symptoms or not
  • regardless of your visa status
WHERE can I get tested?
  • At your GP
  • At Etu Pasifika, 173 Montreal St, 0800 388727
  • Community Based Testing Centres (CBACs) at:   
    • Orchard Road CBAC: 174 Orchard Road: 9am – 4pm, 7 days a week
    • Whanau Ora Community Clinic CBAC: 250 Pages Road, Wainoni: 9am-4pm, 7 days a week
    • Ashburton Hospital CBAC: 28 Elizabeth St, Ashburton, 10am-2pm Tues, Thurs, Sat
How much does a test COST?

All tests are FREE except if travelling overseas 
 
Pacific Health Collective contacts:
Etu Pasifika
Focal point: Amanaki Misa
173 Montreal St
0800 388 727 or (03) 3611002

Pegasus Health
Focal point: Maria Pasene
(03) 353 0216 or 021 222 6417
maria.pasene@pegasus.org.nz

Sports News

Canterbury Schools Orienteering Festival



Congratulations to Torun, Anna, Stella, Claudia, Fergus, Zoe, Archie, Pippa, Feyja, James, Laura, Ben and Tisha who took part in the Canterbury Schools Orienteering Competition last weekend.
Day 1 saw the competitors sprinting around Hagley Park and day 2 competitors tackled longer and harder courses at Halswell Quarry. Our team had a range of experience, for some it was their first time doing orienteering.  It was great to see children from our school in year 1 all the way to year 7 competing.
All children had fun and learnt lots from the experience. Congratulations to the year 6 and under girls who took out first place in their grade.


Volleyball Tournament

Three teams competed at a volleyball tournament organised and hosted by Hillview Christian School on Tuesday. The teams had been training to go to Koru Games this week so this was a welcome opportunity to participate in some competitive games. For some, this was an opportunity to further their skills and experience in volleyball, while others were new to the sport this season. It was great to see technique and confidence grow with every game. There were lots of close and exciting games and wonderful sportsmanship was shown by all. 

On Wednesday, St Martins joined us on Beckenham Park for some friendly games of ultimate frisbee, football and touch. This was another example of some children following their passion and others trying a new sport for the first time. 
A huge thank you to Brett, Nicola, Anna and Simon who supported and managed teams this week in these two events.

PTA News

It is Calendar Art time! The kids (and teachers) have been busy creating some wonderful art again this year. 
Please look out for the personalized orders forms with your child’s unique code.  Log into the Kids ArtWork website, and follow the prompts to view and order your kids' arts.  You can order Calendars, Diaries, Mouse Pads, Notes Books and Cards.  Orders close Monday 28th September.

BOT Update

Notice of adoption of new Home Zone for the school Enrolment Scheme

You will have received formal notification of this change in your email earlier this week. 

For clarification, if your child is already attending Beckenham, and this change makes your residence out of our zone, NOTHING CHANGES for your child. They are already enrolled and can continue attending. If you have a child at the school already, and they have younger siblings who will be starting here after 1 January 2021 and your address has been made 'out of zone' because of the change, your other children can also enrol and attend Beckenham, because of the 'transitional arrangements' described in the documentation.

However, if you leave, and another family move into your home, their children will NOT be able to attend Beckenham as 'in zone' students.

If you have any questions about the impact of these changes on your family/address, please don't hesitate to get in touch by emailing Sandy directly - principal@beckenham.school.nz

School Board of Trustee Mid Term Elections 2020

Nomination round
Our school will be undertaking Mid Term Elections for our Board of Trustees this year. This process will start with the issuing of nomination papers to our caregiver in our community by Friday 9th October 2020.
The Board of Trustees has again employed CES to undertake the election process on our behalf. This year with legislative change, our nomination forms and full instruction on how to place your nomination into our own School’s Election website will be e-mailed to you by Friday 9th October 2020.
For those that do not have access to the internet, nomination papers will be available at the school office and those nomination papers should be returned to the school office. The school will send those on to CES for processing. 
Nominations close on Sunday 1st November 2020 at 12 noon.
We look forward to your participation in this process.

Wayne Jamieson 
Returning Officer

Community Notices

(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)





Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Friday 11 September 2020

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Just a short newsletter this week as we wait to hear the next stages of our COVID-19 Alert levels on Sunday.

Whanau Hui Pātai / Invitation - Whānau Hui

We have unfortunately had to postpone our efforts to hold a proper Whānau Hui with all of the whānau and tamariki able to attend, due to the challenges of COVID-19 Alert levels.

We would like to extend an invitation to Whānau Māori to attend an adults only hui this coming Rāapa 16 Mahuru (Wednesday 16 September) from 7-8:15pm in the staffroom. The kaupapa of this hui is to share orur goals and aspirations for our tamariki Māori, so that these aspirations can be reflected in the Strategic Plan the Board are writing for the next three years.

If you are whānau of tamariki Māori, please come along and participate in this hui.

Staffing Update

We have sadly accepted the resignation of our Pōhutukawa Team Leader, Anne Batchelor this week, effective at the end of this school year. Anne has been offered a position with the RTLB service. She will be training and working as a Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour, alongside Paulette Newton and Cath Barrie and under the leadership of Michelle Maule (all of whom were also teachers at Beckenham).  

The Team Leader position for 2021 will be advertised next week in the Education Gazette.

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori - Māori Language Week

14-20 Mahuru, 2020 - 14-20 September 2020

At school we will be joining in with others all around New Zealand at midday on Monday with the 'Māori Language Moment'. We invite all of our whānau and community to join in too. All you need to do is make a deliberate action to use some Te Reo Māori, for example you could greet someone with 'Kia ora' or 'Tēnā koe', or you could start an email with the same greeting... be part of the movement to celebrate and support the learning and reviatalisation of this language of Te Reo Māori that is unique to our country.

Everyone can contribute to te reo Māori revitalisation:
  • Make te reo welcome at work and in the community
  • Encourage others to use and learn te reo Māori
  • Wwelcome Māori language into your life
  • Pronounce Māori words correctly when speaking English
  • Learn a little, use a little
  • Learn more, and use what you know
  • Keep improving your language, and share what you know

CleanUp Week - across NZ and in Beckenham!

Next week - 14-18 September, is NZ CleanUp week and we are joining in at school...




Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Principal / Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Wed 16 Sep - 9:15am - CSM Band Concert for whānau at Hillview Christian School
Wed 16 Sep - 3:15pm - CSM Band Concert for whānau at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Hall 
Wed 16 Sep - 7-8:15pm - Whānau Hui in the staffroom (adults only)
Fri 25 Sep - last day of Term 4
Mon 12 Oct - STAFF Only Day - SCHOOL CLOSED
Tue 13 Oct - First day of Term 4


School Notices

Peter Rabbit

It was with enormous sadness that we have had to farewell Peter Rabbit, who has been a faithful and loyal friend to hundreds of children at Beckenham te Kura over the past 9 years. Peter has been cuddled and loved by children, read to, played with, taken out to the park for time on the grass, and has helped children who have been feeling sad or upset by simply allowing them to hold him, and most children at Beckenham will know him really well. Something that Peter did incredibly well was to help children who were having trouble saying goodbye to their families at the start of the school day - Peter was worth way more than his weight in gold.
Peter Rabbit died of old age last week. In human years, he would have been about 85. He will be greatly missed, and remembered by all with enormous fondness.

Peter, aged nearly 9 years

Better Beckenham Project 

This project is funded by a $210,000 grant from the NZ Transport Agency in Wellington, aiming to use public spaces (roads and footpaths) to make better neighbourhoods. The project covers the Beckenham Loop, where its geographical limits (in a bend of the river), and low through traffic make some easy enhancements possible. river, and slower vehicle speeds, but we want your ideas too! The project is to be jointly run between the City Council and the residents, so please come along and have some input at our community parties in Beckenham School hall on the 4th September from 3:15 pm till 5pm and 6th September from 3 pm till 5pm. A few children from Beckenham School will have posters on display as they have been working as junior design consultants to produce ideas for the community. Looking forward to seeing you there! For more info email BetterBeckenham@gmail.com.

Mana Ake “Drop-Ins” are continuing…

A number of whānau have already made great use of the Mana Ake “drop-ins” that are available on Wednesday mornings from 8:30 – 9:30am. These drop-in sessions are here to provide parents with an opportunity to have a private, informal conversation around the well being of their child with one of our Mana Ake workers (kaimahi). If you feel like you would like to attend a drop-in session, please book in a time via the link here: Mana Ake booking  The code to use is 88t39. Alternatively, you can contact Jacky in the office and she will make a booking for you.

Considerate Driving 

Sandwich Road can get very congested around drop off and pick up times.  Please show consideration for other drivers and ensure you are not blocking the road when you are dropping off and picking up your children.  We have a designated pick up/drop off zone - we would strongly encourage you to use this area to assist with the traffic congestion.

BOT Update: Mid-Term Elections

School Board of Trustee Mid Term Elections 2020

Nomination round

Our school will be undertaking Mid Term Elections for our Board of Trustees this year. This process will start with the issuing of nomination papers to our caregiver community by Friday 9th October 2020.
The Board of Trustees have again employed CES to undertake the election process on our behalf. This year with legislative change, our nomination forms and full instruction on how to place your nomination into our own School’s Election website will be e-mailed to you by Friday 9th October 2020.
For those that do not have access to the internet, nomination papers will be available at the school office and those nomination papers should be returned to the school office. The school will send those on to CES for processing. 
Nominations close on Sunday 1st November 2020 at 12 noon.
We look forward to your participation in this process.

Wayne Jamieson 
Returning Officer

Community Notices

(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)






Would you like to take your school child’s younger sibling(s) to an affordable ECE centre with high adult:child ratios, and meet local families?  Landsdowne Terrace Playcentre is a parent run Early Childhood Education Centre with a friendly and diverse group of local parents.  We believe that child led play is central to development, and recognise the value of parents as first educators.  Come and visit us in our spacious grounds at 8 Landsdowne Terrace on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday mornings 9-12, or our explorer outings on Thursdays. Email landsdowneterrace@playcentre.org.nz  or message our Facebook page. Ph: 3322140
"Whānau tupu ngātahi - families growing together"

Studio One Performing Arts

Studio One Performing Arts, your local dance school, is currently giving Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary lessons in your area. The school’s director is teacher, choreographer & ex-ballet dancer Patricia Paul A.R.A.D. (London). Ballet lessons from 3 years through to Advanced, and all levels in Jazz and Contemporary starting from age 7. For all enquiries please phone 372-9191 or email info@studioone.co.nz