Citizen of the Week

William Day Year - 4

William, the Kowhai whānau have been immensely proud of your progress this year.  You have consistently made great choices for your learning as the year has progressed.  You have shown focus and determination and have challenged yourself when learning about topics that are of great importance to you.  You have increasingly participated and contributed alongside your peers, demonstrating growth and maturity and the ability to monitor your own interactions.  We have seen more of your lovely, empathetic nature when you have supported your team mates using kind words and actions, on many occasions. Tino pai William.

Updates for 2017:

By now you will have received notification of which hub your child will be in for 2017. Please take a moment to visit www.lunchonline and update your child's details so that lunches get delivered to the correct hub and more particularly the correct site in 2017. Only do this when you're sure you will not be ordering any more lunches this year!!

Learning Conferences - 31 January and 1 February

As usual, we will begin the year with learning conferences on the first two days of term. Please ensure that you have booked a learning conference before you go on holiday! Book it now if you haven't already done this!
www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and use the code 6h5xw

Help with one-off uniform and stationery costs:

Since 25 October, changes made to the Ministry of Social Development’s online service MyMSD allow some MSD clients to apply online for assistance with school uniform and stationery costs. Applicants can upload and send verification of the cost, which will likely be a quote from the supplier. If the payment is approved, they will receive notification by text or by email and the approved amount will be loaded to their payment card. The card can only be used for the amount and supplier for which it was approved. Many of the applications that MSD approves for help with school uniforms and stationery are paid to schools. General information for suppliers is available here on the MSD website

Schools are asked to draw the following to parents’ attention: Can you claim a tax credit for donations? If you’ve made a donation, you may be able to claim a tax credit. To be eligible, you need to have made a receipted donation of $5 or more to: • an approved donee organisation • an approved New Zealand religious or educational organisation • approved overseas aid funds • kindergartens • state schools, state integrated schools, other schools who have been approved as a donee organisation, school boards of trustees or parent teacher associations. Find out more about tax credits for donations

Year 8 Leavers' Book

It is a tradition for our year 8 leavers to receive a Beckenham School Year 8 Leavers book, at their graduation ceremony, which contains photos of each student, their memories and memories from staff who knew them well.  For the past three years, this has been fully funded by Debbie Pettigrew from Grenadier Harcourts.  We really appreciate her generosity for supporting this wonderful memento for our students.

PTA News

Beckenham School PTA organises the ordering of the senior jackets.  These can only be worn by year 7 & 8 students.  The jacket is aimed at giving the students both pride in themselves and pride in their school.  Please note the jacket is not a compulsory item of uniform.
Jackets cost $70 and are available in various sizes.
To try a jacket on and for an order form, please come to the office.
Payment can be made by cash, internet banking or cheque. Please note - Eftpos will be available for this item in the new year, when the PTA account has been registered to the school eftpos machine.

Community Notices

In the grounds of Beckenham School
Tuesday 13th December 2016 5.00-7.00pm
FREE FAMILY EVENT
Free BBQ and/or bring a picnic.
Come and join the Choir, join in or just listen to some community carol singing.
Come in Christmas dress-ups
Organised by Beckenham locals for the Beckenham community. BBQ provided by Beckenham Neighbourhood Association and cooked and served by local Cub Scouts. Music provided by local choirs and other keen folk.

Guitar, Bass and Ukulele Tuition 2017

Beginner Guitar, Bass and ukulele lessons, both group and some individual are available during
school time beginning February 2017.
Roger Hamilton has been teaching these instruments for 10, 2 and 4 years respectively and does
so in 2 other South West Christchurch schools as well.
For further information, contact Roger directly on the address or phone number below.
email: rbhamilt@gmail.com
cell: 027 3070466 / 9424619

SURFKIDS

Childrens Surfing  Programme.
Learn the skills of Surfing in a fun, safe environment. All equipment provided and professional instruction from Aaron Lock and team. For kids 8 - 14 years.
 December : 19 to 23 Dec. and 27 to 31 Dec.
January : 9 to 13 Jan. and 16 to 20 Jan.  plus 23 to 27 Jan.
Cost $30 per day or $135 for five. Bookings essential.
Venue :Sumner.
Call Aaron on 0800 80 SURF (7873) or register online at www.surfcoach.co.nz

The School for Young Writers

For Year 4-9
Bookings essential
Ideal for young writers wishing to sharpen their writing skills before school starts.
Ideal for parents looking for worthwhile holiday activities.
Easily affordable thanks to Creative Communities partial funding.
Bookings now open: youngwriters@xtra.co.nz

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Another week of term has flown by and the end of the school year is getting rapidly nearer. this week saw our Year 5/6 team take off to camp at Living Springs and, by the look of how exhausted they all were when they returned to school this afternoon, a busy and enjoyable time was had by all.


The building work is coming along and the concrete slab of the West Hub should be being poured in the next 10 days. We'll be pleased when the foundation work is complete and the diggers and heavy rollers move on to another site!

Our 2017 teams are each meeting for a day over the next two weeks to have time together to plan for 2017. Sue Leadbetter will be coming down from New Plymouth to join the NE - Y2 team on Monday for their planning day.

Michael Balmer, our Board Chair, was in Kaikoura last week in his professional capacity with the NZ Fire Service. Whilst he was there, he met with the Principal and Board members of Kaikoura Primary School. On his return, he suggested that we ask our children to write to the children of Kaikoura Primary.
When I read the messages that some of them wrote, they gave me confidence and reassurance that the five years of resilience work and positive and growth mindset messaging that our Christchurch earthquake children have been getting has paid off in some way and been successful. They articulated, in many honest and natural ways, how important it is to look after yourself and one another after an event such as a major earthquake. Many of them recollected their earthquake experiences and were able to share that the future, even if it is different to what had been expected, will come right if we care for one another.

Kind regards
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Citizen of the Week

Name - Kennedy Vernal, Year - 7

Kennedy, your joyful enthusiasm regularly brings fun and laughter to the Kauri Hub. You approach your learning with a desire to always do your best, with a willingness to make mistakes and reflect on your learning. This has seen you grow immensely this year, especially in your writing. You have a warm and caring nature when interacting with everyone at our school. It has been great to see your confidence increase as a member of the Intermediate Hub. Keep embracing big mistakes, and celebrating your well deserved successes. Tino pai Kennedy!

Sharing our Learning

Kauri Team

Living our values in Kauri Whanau

In and out of the classroom, Kauri Whanau have been engaged in a wide range of learning experiences that have us living our school values.

We love learning: At Rapaki marae we learnt so much, both about the powhiri process that we experienced and also the history of Rapaki marae.


We get there together: The children are highly engaged in our Sexuality Road lessons. We are learning lots from each other.


We love challenge: This week one of our maths groups took on the four fours challenge. The challenge was to make every number from one to 100, using  four fours in an equation, e.g 4 X (4+4) + 4 = 36 and (4! + 4/4)X4 = 100. We still have a few gaps; let us know if you can work out a solution for 65, 73 or 91.


We make a difference: Our gardening passion Friday group are transforming the gardens at Champion Street. We can’t wait to see our garden grow!



We care: Climate change and sustainability are opening our eyes to issues in the world around us. We are currently in the midst of personal inquiries, which will lead to us working out how we can make a difference for the future of our planet. 

School Notices

School photos 

All of the individual, class and group photos have now been taken for 2016.  This year we did not offer the option of sibling photos due to operating over two sites and the complicated logistics that this would involve.
We are hoping to resume this extra service next year when we the school is based in one location.

PTA News

WEET-BIX Kids TRYathlon 2016/2017 series for Christchurch Sunday 26 February 2017
Click on this link to register as part of the Beckenham School entries that the PTA are co-ordinating. This makes your entry cheaper and you get to be part of the fun and excitement of being with your friends when you take part in the event.
Entries need to be in by Thursday 1 December.
Beckenham School Weetbix Tryathlon registration

Sports News

Summer tournament

On Wednesday 16 November 27 students from the Kauri team headed to Hagley park to enter in the fun of summer tournament. The kiwi tag team had been training under the supervision of Raneigh Smith, who came to us through Canterbury Rugby. The team worked well together, showing solid defense and some outstanding tries. Not everyone had played much rippa rugby before, so it was great to see the support and inclusiveness of the players. Placing fourth out of twelve teams was a pleasing achievement. Thanks to Sona Tuakalau for helping out with the coaching on the day. The slow pitch team was under the experienced eye of Jarred Skelton. Much to the surprise of some of the inexperienced players, many balls were caught and many more runs were scored. There were some huge hitters in the team, sending the ball flying. Coincidently, the slow pitch team also placed fourth out of twelve teams. Again, our Beckenham School students showed fabulous behaviour, making it a pleasure to be a part of Canterbury Sports activities. Many thanks to our wonderful parent help, who provided private transport: Desiree Smythe, Carsten Joergensen, Jo Barnett, Mary-Clare Delahunty, Katherine Ryan and Michelle Maule. Also thanks to the parents who popped down to the park to support and encourage our tamariki.

Athletics

71 students set off to Hansen Park to participate in the South Zones Athletics day Wednesday 9 November. After a drizzly start, the sun shone and it was a fabulous day for the athletes. Competing against the seven other schools in our zone is a daunting task, particularly for the 9 year olds who have only just joined the athletics competition this year. With hats firmly planted on their heads, our students supported and cheered each other on. Well done to all of the athletes who gave their very best against stiff competition. We were very proud of the way the large team behaved beautifully.
Special congratulations to the following students who came first or second in their event, now qualifying for the Canterbury Athletics competition in Ashburton on Wednesday 7 December:
Edward Feryagin high jump, Emily Eade high jump, Nadia Russell 80m, Tilly Harris 80m, Noah Harmer-Campbell 1200m, Joe Flynn discus, Vita Gear high jump, Shakira Radnoty shot put, Amelia Cunningham 1200m, Henry McMecking 1200m, Lauren Murfin high jump, Dom Gorny long jump, William Hanlon high jump.
We also had a number of children who placed third: Elisa Lester discus, Olivia Cochrane long jump and 60m, Kaia Joergensen high jump, Noah Harmer-Campbell 100m. These athletes are reserves and may be called upon if the first two place getters are unable to travel to Ashburton.
Congratulations to the 9 year old girl relay team and to the 12 year old girl relay team who both came second in their races. Unfortunately only the first placed relay team qualifies for the Canterbury Athletics.
Well done to everyone who participated on Wednesday and good luck to the thirteen athletes representing Beckenham School and the South Zone in Ashburton.

Community Notices

Online Holiday Program | Four weeks of fun!

Become your own music producer with Activate Music Academy’s Online Holiday Program! We’ll workshop your songs, make new friends in the community forum, and get creative to win awesome prizes. Complete beginner? Been making beats for a while? We're going to have a great time making music together! Register and find out more at:
activate music online holiday programme

Active Kids Holiday Programmes

January 2017 registrations now open!
Week one -16 – 20 Jan
CHCH Boys High, Papanui, Lincoln, Swannanoa
Week two -23 -27 Jan
Westburn, Pioneer, Rolleston
Active Kids is an exciting structured programme of sport, physical activity and play for primary school aged children.  The programmes are safe and affordable; OSCAR subsidies available.  New 8am start at CHCH Boys High and Westburn
Visit our website for full details: Sport Canterbury holiday programme

Come along and enjoy the iconic Charity Cricket match on 11 December.

Now in its 34th year, the Cystic Fibrosis Charity Cricket match is being held on the grounds of Christchurch Boys High School where favourites the BNZ Crusaders will pitch their skills against some of NZ’s all stars.
With Olympic medallists such as Tom Walsh, Stu Farquhar, Rory McSweeney, William Stedman who are also closet cricket player,s they may pose a challenge to the title holding Crusaders.
Entry is FREE and there will be an opportunity to meet the sporting heroes. There be a BBQ, drinks and ice cream or just bring a picnic. The kids zone includes a bouncy castle and face painting.
This year Evolution Sports Coaching will be running a cricket academy for kids aged 7-11 for a $10 donation which includes the chance of winning a VIP family pass to the VIP marquee where gourmet and refreshments will be served during the day.
All proceeds go to helping Kiwi kids and adults who have cystic fibrosis lead a much better quality of life.
The team will be welcomed on to the grounds at 10:45 for an 11am start.

Keep up to date on the Crusaders Charity Cricket Facebook .

Citizen of the Week

Weaver McDaid - Year 0

Weaver, your enthusiasm for learning stands out. You think deeply about learning areas, and share interesting insights that motivate others. Every day, you take risks and embrace new concepts and skills, and you ask questions to keep yourself on track. Your thoughtful, caring attitude is cherished by those around you. Thank you for noticing and helping others constantly, and for being at-the-ready for any responsibility that comes your way. Ka pai Weaver!

Sharing our Learning

Kahikatea Team

In Weeks 2 and 3, the students from the Kahikatea team packed their bags, barely containing their excitement, donned their sunhats and boarded a big red bus, which transported them into the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. The children danced and explored their way through the gardens, until they arrived at the playground. Much fun and laughter ensued, and from there, the children moved on to find a beautiful shady tree under which they could have their lunch. Some children practised their cartwheeling on the wide, open, daisy-covered lawns!
The next stop was to be the Art Gallery, so the children made their way along the Gloucester Boulevard, across Montreal Street and into the Gallery. Susie Cox, the Gallery educator, along with Max, one of the Gallery guides, were there to meet the children. They were split into two groups and were shown through to the exhibitions, which contained animals as their theme. The children observed carefully, to note exactly the methods the artists had used to create the effects they had achieved in their works of art.
Later everyone was invited back to the Gallery classroom where Susie demonstrated the techniques needing to be employed, as the children worked with clay to create their own animal art works.
All too soon, the bus arrived back outside the Gallery to return everyone to school! What a wonderful day out we all had – special thanks to all of the parents and grandparents who accompanied us on our outing. We appreciate your support.

Discovery Stations

We are continuing to start each day with Discovery Stations. Children arrive at school and begin their explorations immediately into such areas as:

• Technology challenges
• Problem-solving
• Painting
• Collage
• Building
• Science investigations
• Music making
• Creative writing
• Maths challenges
• Reading challenges
• Reading (special topic books, new chapter books, books about Maui)

Children are asked to think about such questions as:

• How is this activity helping your learning?
• Which of our values are you focussing on?
• Have you helped anyone else today?
• How are you showing respect for your own work and the work of others?
• Are you being careful or wasteful with resources?

The children are thriving in many and varied ways as they participate in Discovery Stations, but perhaps more than anything else, the Key Competencies are being extremely well supported and developed:

• Thinking
• Relating to Others
• Understanding Language, Symbols and Texts
• Managing Self
• Participating and Contributing

And now … a few samples of writing from Kahikatea students:

The Battle of the Mountains
Long, long ago there were seven mountains. The seven mountains are Tongariro, Taranaki, Tauhara, Putauaki, Pihanga, Ruapehu and Ngaurahoe.
One by one, the males started to get angrier and angrier. Tongariro wanted to fight the other mountains, who were jealous of Tongariro.
Angrily, Putauaki and Tongariro were fighting for days and days. At last Tongariro managed to defeat the other mountains. Tongariro felt proud of himself for defeating the other mountains.
Taranaki slid into the west. The other mountains slid into the north and east.
by Keanna

The Battle of the Mountains
Long, long ago Maui fished up te Ika a Maui, the North Island. On it, rose seven mountains. They had a battle. There were two kids and two parents. The chief and another mountain battled. They shot big, fiery rocks back and forwards. Some other mountains made lava and put it on the chief’s back, but they were tiny dots of lava because Tongariro was dodging really well! Then he managed to win.
The other three mountains slid away.
Tongariro and the lady mountain lived happily ever after with the kids.
by Ben

Art Gallery
On Friday our class left to go on a school trip. I was with Adelene and her Nana. We went over to the bus. Soon we arrived at the Botanic Gardens. Adelene and I played together on the playground. Then it was time to eat our lunch under a tree, but soon it was time to start the long journey to the Art Gallery. I walked with Adelene and her grandma until finally we arrived at the Art Gallery. We sat down in the old cafe there. We were split into two groups. Luckily I was with Adlene. A woman took us upstairs. We looked in an animals room. There was a bull that if you took off its head, it was a barbecue. I was amazed! Soon we went into a room with a gnome holding a bag. The woman said it meant good luck. We went downstairs to make our clay animals. We all sat down at the table. We were given a block of clay. The Art Gallery person called us to show us how to make a mouse. I was very excited. We went back to our desks and I started to make my mouse. It was very fun. I put the whiskers and eyes on and then I curled the tail round its body. Now my mouse was done! I dipped my hand into a cold bucket of water, so the clay would wash off. Then the woman called us down to the mat because it was time to get on the bus and go home.
by Vida


Art Gallery and Botanic Gardens
Last Thursday my class went on a hub trip to the gardens and the Art Gallery. When we got off the bus, we walked through the gardens to the park. At the park, my friend, Taylor, and I played on the chain bridge, then it was time for lunch. I had a roll, grapes and some yoghurt. After that, I walked to the Art Gallery. At the Art Gallery, the class met two art teachers, one named Max and one named Susie. Susie and Max took half the class each to have a look around the Art Gallery. When we got back, we made clay beasts. I made a seal. It was quite hard to make because we only had two minutes! My seal turned out better than I thought. That’s why it was the best school trip ever.
by Niamh

School Notices

Community Kindness  - We Care!

Jenny Diggle put out a call for donations of home baking and other food items to be taken to the Hanmer and the general Amuri area....what a fantastic response.  We had a car load of tasty baking to send to families  who are currently trying to deal with the after effects of the recent earthquake.  A huge thank you to our supportive Beckenham School community.

School Attendance & Absences:  

When your child is absent from school for any reason please ensure in the first instance, that you inform the office of this absence.  You can email to: office@beckenham.school.nz, txt to 02102794107 or phone and leave a message on 3371404.

Please feel free to also inform their hub teacher if you wish, but all absences need to be reported to the office as a matter of course. Information or emails sent solely to a teacher may not get recorded on the roll for the day due to a range of different circumstances, e.g the teacher is unwell/attending an off site course or on teacher release for the day.  Informing the office of absences will ensure the ongoing safety of our students and centralise this information.  Thank you for your assistance with this.

Scholastic Book Orders

All orders for Scholastic Book have now moved online.  Orders will be delivered to your home and payment needs to be made directly to Scholastic.  There has been an increasing amount of time needing to be spent on sorting, placing and distributing these orders by Beckenham staff and we are now pursuing the online option for this service.

PTA News

WEET-BIX Kids TRYathlon 2016/2017 series for Christchurch Sunday 26 February 2017

Click on this link to register as part of the Beckenham School entries that the PTA are co-ordinating. This makes your entry cheaper and you get to be part of the fun and excitement of being with your friends when you take part in the event.
Entries need to be in by Thursday 1 December.
Beckenham School Weetbix Tryathlon registration

Tip Top Ice Cream Sales - Canterbury A&P Show Fundraising

Community Notices

Christchurch School of Music Junior Symphony Orchestra: 

Playing in an orchestra is a great way to develop your musical skills and is also great fun!.  Contact the office 3661711 or visit our website if you would like more details - www.csm.org.nz.  Rehearsals are held at Catholic Cathedral College on Saturdays from 8:45-10am.  Cost is $70 per term.

Community energy Action & Orana Park

Our 2017 calendar is a little different than usual - not only have we packed it full of tips and advice about how to keep your home warm, healthy and energy efficient, there is also a built-in temperature strip that measures the warmth of the room, and tells you whether it is within a healthy range.  As an added bonus, having teamed up with Orana Wildlife Park there is lots of information about the animals that live there.  All proceees raised from these calendars will go towards the care and conservation of the animals of Orana Wildlife Park. Buy calendars online for $14.95 - www.cea.co.nz/orana.

International Antarctic Centre January school Holiday programme

Do your children like adventure and having fun then during the holidays have them join the explorers at the Antarctic Centre! They will discover the Little Blue Penguins, chill out in the snow and ice room, ride the awesome Hagglund, find out how to survive in Antarctica, play games and much much more…!
The adventures will running Mon – Fri 8.45 – 5.00pm for two weeks during January from Monday 9th to Fri 20th January.
More information is on our website www.iceberg.co.nz or email education@iceberg.co.nz

Brazil Football Clinic

Christchurch United (formerly Christchurch Football Academy) are pleased to announce that Fernando Lambert will be running an elite Brazil Football Clinic, for ages 12 years – 15 years old, focussing on cognitive skills and technique from 19-21 December.  Registrations are now open and limited to 16 players per age grouping (U12/U13 – group 1, U14/U15 – group 2), please refer to the attached  file for more information.   Spaces for the Brazil Football Clinic is extremely limited to the first 16 players in each group, so don’t miss out and register now at the following link Brazil Football Clinic
Xmas Football Camp
If the elite camp is not for you, have no fear, we will be running our regular fun-filled football camp too, also from 19-21 December.
Please note that our full day sessions are restricted to ages 9 – 16 years old, otherwise we hope to see your children here for some Xmas fun.
Don’t miss out, click on the link below to register your child now!
Xmas football camp
For any queries at all please contact office@cfa.org.nz or 021 446 212.

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Building  site health and safety update

Managing health and safety on our Beckenham building site has continued to take much of my attention this week. We are aware that access from Norwood St into both the school and the park continues to be challenging for pedestrians, especially those with prams, pushchairs, toddlers, dogs and cycles. We are working very closely, on a daily basis with the site team, to be as responsive and proactive as we can and getting this right, for the duration of the building programme, is a top priority. It isn't right yet, and it may take a couple of weeks or more to get it absolutely working the way we want it to, so we ask for your patience during this time. We are very aware of the need to keep pedestrians and vehicles separated for safety reasons. We also know that people don't want to have to walk through wet grass and mud for the next 18 months to be able to access the park.
Again - please can you be patient with us on the wet, muddy aspect and ensure that the safety part is adhered to whilst we work on trying to get council permission to put a path alongside the road track, for pedestrians!

Learning in and out of the classrooms

We have had lots of children involved in learning outside the classroom this week, with all of our Year 5 and 6 children visiting Rapaki Marae for the first time. Our Year 7/8 students will visit next week. They had an amazing time and we plan to make this a regular part of our school programme.


Our Year 7 and 8 students had a 'Big Day Out' in the city yesterday, visiting an exhibition called ‘Art in the Palm of Your Hand’ at the Canterbury Museum, Quake City and taking part in an activity at the Botanical Gardens.

Our Year 1 and 2 team learning groups have each taken a trip to the Art Gallery and Botanical Gardens over the past two weeks and it has been wonderful to hear about their experiences.

Thank you to all of the whānau who assist staff on these trips - without you we wouldn't be able to take the children out of school for these amazing learning opportunities.

Year 4 parents - meeting at Champion St next Wednesday evening

Year 4 parents should have received an email this week, inviting you to visit our site at 102 Champion St next Wednesday, 9th November from 7-8pm for a familiarisation meeting.
If you have any particular questions you would like addressed at that meeting, please email them to me at principal@beckenham.school.nz or give me a call before then.

Ferndale Satellite Class parking 

Tony is putting cones out each morning and afternoon at the bottom of Sandwich Road to ensure that there is a parking spot for the Ferndale taxi van, and for Ferndale parents who need to drop their children off. These vehicles do have mobility parking permits and need to be able to drop the children at the closest point to their classroom. Thank you all in advance for understanding that these are particular needs and for ensuring that this parking spot is available and that the users of this spot are made to feel welcome.

Enjoy your weekend

Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Sharing our Learning

Pohutukawa Team

We have had a fantastic start to the NEW term at our NEW location, Champion Street!




One of the awesome pieces of learning we have been able to do in our new learning environment was the annual Pohutukawa probability fair. The children spent the first two weeks planning and creating a probability game where they had to stack the odds in their favour. The result was a thriving probability fair full of fun, laughter and best of all MATHS!

PTA News

A BIG thank you to all the people who have offered to help with the Tip Top Fundraiser next week.
All shifts are now FULL. If you want to be ‘back up’ for a shift, please click on the Tip Top Link
We hope to get your passes to you at the beginning of next week.
Make sure you come & see us at the A & P Show.....& buy an ice cream!!

Sports News

Canterbury triathlon

The Canterbury triathlon is being held at Pegasus Bay on Thursday 1 December for students 9 years and older. The age group you race in is as of 1 Jan this year, so students must be already 9 years old on January 1 2016 to be eligible. This is an individual event, which means each participant must do all three disciplines - bike, run and swim. As this is a Canterbury event, participants need to be very competent and confident in all three disciplines.
Swim is 75 metres for 9 and 10 years, 100metres for 11 and 12+ years.
This swim is in the lake and it will be deep enough to be over students’ heads in parts. Guards from a local surf lifesaving club will be on duty. The temperature may also be quite cold.
Cycle is 5.4 km for 9 & 10 yrs, 10.8 km for 11 & 12+ yrs. These distances may change slightly.
Run is 2.5 kilometres
Students will need to be able to get themselves and their bike to Pegasus Bay by 9:30 on the morning. If transport there (and back) is going to be difficult, please contact Tracy who will try to help out by contacting other competitors.
If students are interested in entering this event, they are to let their teacher know, and they will record their name on a document, or contact Tracy.

Y 5-8 Athletics

We breathed a sigh of relief as Monday dawned, displaying blue skies and clear weather! A perfect day for the Y 5 - 8 team to participate in their athletics at Beckenham Park. The children competed in age groups, as of 1 October 2016, in sprints, high jump, shot put and discus. Long jump and the long distance races were run at Champion St on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was fabulous to see such a high participation level, superb sportsmanship and so much support for peers. Thank you to the amazing parent help from Pania Radnoty, Desiree Smythe, Sonja Sintmaartensdyk, Rod Gray and John Aramowicz. The day ran very smoothly thanks to all of the teachers and their organisation. It’s a big day! Congratulations to all the students who participated in all the events, earning house points and special congratulations to the following students for placing first in their age group for these events:

First Place Getters:


To  find the champion of each age group, points are allocated for the first four placings in each event and then accumulated. A huge congratulations to these students who have placed first in their age group overall:

School Notices

Community Notices

DO YOUR KIDS WANT A SHAKE DOWN BEFORE THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS TRIATHLON?
The weekend before our primary schools triathlon at Pegasus there is the House of Travel Triathlon Festival.
For more details www.triathlonfestival.co.nz
The swim and bike are the same as for the primary schools triathlon so it is an ideal warm up / trial run. The run is the same but in the opposite direction.
There is also options for younger kids from 5 years up over a shorter course.
If you can insert the following note into school newsletters it would be appreciated by John Newsom who runs the event and helps us with our event

DO YOUR KIDS WANT TO TRY A TRIATHLON?
If your kids want a challenge the House of Travel Triathlon is coming up on November 27th
There are events for all ages starting at 5 years and up.
For more details and entry visit www.triathlonfestival.co.nz

John Newsom
 Tel +64-3-6692216
 coachjohnnewsom.com
IMTalk podcast www.imtalk.me
HOT Triathlon Festival

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Another week of the term has gone by and we are settling in to our new 'normal', both at the Beckenham and the Champion St sites.

Today we saw the large oak tree adjacent to Hub 11 get felled. Several of the classes were able to stand on the park and watch. Whilst it is always very sad to see a mature specimen tree go, it wasn't very healthy due to its roots being significantly compromised over the years of being too close to a building and paving. We are very thankful for the shade that it has provide our children for many years. We have ensured that the large logs are retained to be used in landscaping.
You can watch it below:

Planning for 2017

As we get closer to the end of 2016, we are busy preparing for 2017. This week we have been conducting interviews for full-time teaching staff, and will be able to share that information with you very soon.
We are also working on learning groups for next year. If you have any considerations for your child's placement in a learning group for 2017 that you think will assist us, and that we won't necessarily be aware of, please email me principal@beckenham.school.nz by next Wednesday 2nd November. We will add your considerations to the picture we already have, and work out the best way to put together learning groups that are going to be successful for all children.

Digital safety
It's important to remember that children need to be taught to be safe and responsible users of digital communication and devices. There are lots of online tools available for parents who might be wondering how to navigate this territory, especially when it can feel that the children are one step ahead of the adults in terms of their knowledge of the digital environment. Just because a child can navigate their way confidently around the internet and numerous apps, it doesn't mean that they have the maturity and skills to be able to use the applications safely and responsibly, or that they will know how to recognise, or what to do, if this environment starts to become dangerous or unsafe in any way.
Vodafone, NetSafe & The Parenting Place have joined together to develop a set of resources they have called "Digi-Parenting: A one-stop shop of advice to help families make technology decisions". I encourage you to make a visit to this site, and have a look at what might be relevant for where you and your family are at with this important topic.

Have a great weekend - we are looking forward to having all of our students on site together at Beckenham for the day on Monday as the Year 5-8 students have their Athletic Sports day on Beckenham Park.

Ngā mihi
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Citizen of the Week

Rohith Thony - Year 6

Rohith, you are a superstar in our hub. You are a self-motivated learner who can always be relied upon to do the right thing. You are a thoughtful and caring role model and are an excellent friend to others. Well done for always putting 100% into your learning. We are so proud of you! Tino pai.

Sharing our Learning

Kauri Whānau

Year 7 & 8 are loving the learning at our new school environment on Champion Street. The layout of our hub and having a breakout space, creates an even better learning space than we previously had at Beckenham. With a number of different areas making up the outdoor space, there are lots of options for play, including full sized hoops on the basketball court.


One of our weekly highlights in Kauri is Passion Friday. This term we are cooking; learning how to knit, crochet and make felt; and creating a vegetable garden. The gardening group are having a lovely time digging over the raised garden beds, preparing plants and creating wooden tags to label the garden areas. When we arrived, a rather saggy and tired looking scarecrow was watching over the shabby garden. One of the gardening team’s project will be to give him a makeover. We look forward to watching the garden flourish as the term progresses.




Part of the attraction of being based at Champion Street is the lovely new furniture that we are trial
ing courtesy of Class Furniture. This was one of the aspects that we shared in the video that the media team put together for our first celebration assembly this term. Click on this link and ‘Daniel Attenborough’ will take you on an adventure through the Champion Street environment.

Sports News

School Notices

Wanted:We would like to develop a composting system at Champion Street and are proposing to use packing pallets....5 of them.  If you have access to these can you please contact Jacky at the office 3371404, office@beckenham.school.nz

RUDOLPH STEINER SCHOOL FAIR

Saturday November 19th
Come and join us for an old fashioned spring time fair!
Indulge in scrumptious food for lunch from a diverse range of delicious options,
stock up on plants and beautiful handcrafts for Christmas,
or just enjoy the fun and games at the sideshows.
-- Stunning handcrafts
-- Organic food - with plenty of vegetarian options
-- Secondhand clothing, books and a huge White Elephant stall
-- Farmers market with organic veges, honey, flowers, plants and more
-- Fairyland - including a cafe and a craft stall full of child sized goodies at child sized prices
-- Carnival games, pony rides

New Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club:

New Brighton surf lifesaving opens its doors to the community nd members to celebrate ther start of this summer's season.  Juniors start at 10am with an intro to surf and first training of  summer.  At 12pm we have the officil opening of the season. Anybody that is interested in finding out about surf lifesaving at New Brighton is very welcome to come down and find out more about us.  www.newbrightonslsc.org.nz, info@newbrightonslsc.org.nz

Hororata Highland Games

5th November.  Toss the caber, Stone Putt, Farmers Walk, Highland Dancing, Pipe bands plus much more.  Visit www.hororatahighlandgames.org.nz for more details.