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Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Friday 12 May 2023

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Coronation Tree Planting

The sun came out today, just as the whole school assembled outside to observe the ceremonial planting of our 'Coronation Tree'. The tree is a very petite kōwhai, that we hope will grow into a tall tree that will become a home for many different animal and bird species. 
Two of our students - the youngest and one of our eldest, helped Tony to plant the tree, in honour of the Coronation of King Charles III last weekend. When you next come into school, ask your child to show you where the tree is planted.



Learning Conferences 14 & 15 June

These are coming up in Week 8 of the term, on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th May. 

Reports will go live on HERO at the end of Week 6, and these conferences will be an important opportunity to learn more about your child's learning progress and achievement.

School will close at the earlier time of 2pm on both days (not 1pm as indicated in a previous email). Children who are usually booked into BOSCO on those days will be able to attend from 2pm. We will provide supervision for children between 2-3pm IF NEEDED... please fill in the second form after booking your Learning Conference.

Each family need to fill out BOTH forms below, please:
First, please book a Learning Conference for each of your children by clicking on this link.
Then, please fill out this form, to let us know what you want to happen for your child at 2pm. We need this form filled out for EVERY child, please.

Celebrating Learning through Passions

This year we have been fortunate to have Kate Allen from Digital Futures NZ working with some of our Year 7/8 students on a Coding passion. This group of 6 ākonga participated in an afternoon at Tūranga with other schools to share and be creative around using digital storytelling to explore the story of Kupe and the Voyagers who first came to Aotearoa.



Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Tue 16 May - Junior Cross Country 2-3pm
Fri 19 May - Celebration Assembly 10am, All welcome
Tue 23 May - Zone Cross Country - Y5-8 qualifiers, Hansons Park 9am-12noon
Wed 24 May - School photos!
Wed 24 May - PTA Mtg 7:30pm - Staffroom
Thu 25 May - Board Meeting 5:30pm - Staffroom
Thu 25 May - Winter Sport begins for Y5-8 students
Fri 2 Jun - Celebration Assembly 10am, All welcome
Mon 5 Jun - School Closed - Kings Birthday Weekend Public Holiday
Thu 8 Jun - Cashmere High Open Day 12noon - 4pm
Wed 14 Jun - Learning Conferences - School Closes at 2pm
Thu 15 Jun - Learning Conferences - School Closes at 2pm
Fri 16 Jun - Celebration Assembly 10am, All welcome
Wed 21 Jun - Whānau Matariki Hui, followed by PTA Hāngi
Wed 28 Jun - Board Meeting, 5:30pm, Staffroom
Wed 28 Jun - PTA Mtg, 7:30pm Staffroom

Term Dates

Citizen of the Week

Grace English - Year 8

Grace, we are beyond impressed with your give-it-a-go attitude in class. Nothing is ever too much trouble for you and we love the way you support your classmates. Grace, you live our values 'we care' and 'we make a difference' in the way that you lift other people up. Thank you for being such an awesome role model. Tu meke Grace!

School Notices

Junior Cross Country

We have re-scheduled our Junior Cross Country event for this coming Tuesday 16th May. Children will gather on the park at 2pm and the races will start shortly after, starting with Year 4 and finishing with Year 0/1. Please feel welcome to come along and support your child/ren if you are able. Tamariki may wear their house shirts on this day. Please ensure that they are wearing appropriate footwear.
At the end of your child's race, please stay and encourage them to support the other runners. 

Thank you so much for all your support.

Ngā mihi nui,

Koru, Kahikatea and Kōwhai teachers

CCC Annual School Travel Survey

The Christchurch City Council annual School Travel Survey is now live! This 5-10 minute survey will improve understanding of school travel patterns across Christchurch. This will help with improving safety, especially for those using active transport. The survey is open to all school communities (students, parents/caregivers and one staff member per school), until 5pm Wednesday 31 May 2023. There are 10 $50 supermarket vouchers up for grabs. 

The survey can be found here.

'Kiss & Go' Drop Off Area

A huge "Thank you" to all those who have supported the 'Kiss & Go' zone. This area is for whānau to pull in and drop off or pick up their children kerb side and then leave. We have noticed cars moving on more quickly which has freed up the space for drop offs, making Sandwich Road move more freely. A great help on a rainy day!


The area works best when it is just the children getting in or out of the car (on the kerb side).  If whānau need to come into the school please park elsewhere on Sandwich Road or the surrounding streets.

Staff Profiles: Koru Team (so far this year!)

Elizabeth Drummond (Teacher and co-Team Leader)

Elizabeth has been teaching at Beckenham Te Kura for many, many years now and calls our school and its community her 'home away from home'! She has mainly taught at the New Entrant level and feels passionate about ensuring that the newest children to school, love coming to school as much as she does, knowing that when this is the case, all aspects of a child's learning are able to blossom and develop, without obstacles or impediments.

In her spare time, Elizabeth loves spending time with her family, her dogs, her friends, and good books.

Stacey McLachlan (Teacher and co-Team Leader)

Stacey has been a teacher for many years and joined Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto as a teacher in the New Entrants team in 2018. This year she is enjoying sharing the role of co-team leader with Elizabeth in Koru. Stacey loves welcoming and getting to know all the new entrant tamariki and their whānau to our Beckenham community each year. In her spare time, Stacey loves spending time with family and friends, going on walks, reading books and relaxing with her husband and two children.

Georgia McKenna (Teacher)

Georgia started at Beckenham in 2022, working in the New Entrants team, and supporting our newest tamariki in transitioning to school life. Georgia's favourite part about her job is seeing our youngest tamariki blossom into mature, independent and inquisitive human beings. She loves working in a team environment, and enjoys seeing tamariki strive for success, and encouraging them to be the best versions of themselves they can be. 

Sonya Watson (Teaching Assistant)

Sonya is a past student of Beckenham School and grew up in the loop. Sonya has a strong background in women's mental health supporting mums, dad's, caregivers and families with postnatal distress/depression and anxiety for over 10 years in Canterbury. Sonya has a passion for wellbeing within families and has spent time educating many health professionals about mental health and the importance to listen and support effectively. Sonya brings experience after working at Ferndale base School before starting at Beckenham. The last couple of years in Kowhai and this year with our wonderful Koru children. Sonya enjoys camping with her husband Devon and 2 children Lily and Jack. As a family they spend a lot of time at basketball. Sonya also enjoys gardening, cooking and getting creative. 

Elizabeth, Georgia, Sonya & Stacey

PTA News

The PTA were very disappointed to have had to postpone the Disco that was supposed to be held today. We don't want to see an influx of Covid due to an event so it seemed the sensible decision to make. We also didn't have enough parents volunteer to help run the discos, so, even without the Covid factor, we may have still ended up having to postpone. Please keep an eye out for the new date, and, if you can offer to help at that time with supervision, your support will be very much appreciated!

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 Rāmere (Friday) 5 May 2023

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

It was a pleasure to be able to go out to Living Springs this week and visit the Year 5/6 team on Camp. So much fun was being had and everyone looked as though they had made the most of their time at camp to build relationships and stretch their capabilities. A huge thanks to the staff who did all of the organisation and to the parents who attended as support. 

The early campers catch the sunrise at Living Springs

Covid and other illnesses

We do have a few cases of Covid-19 in the school again, among staff, students and wider whānau. We also seem to have had a number of children with tummy bugs. Please do keep children at home if they are feeling unwell and do test if Covid symptoms are present. If you need Covid tests, we still have packs at school that you can pick up.

Coronation Tree Planting - Friday 12 May, 10am

We have been invited by the Christchurch City Council to plant a commemorative Coronation Tree to mark the Coronation of King Charles III. There is a tree in Beckenham Park that was planted for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. We have received a (very small) kōwhai tree, and we plan to have a ceremonial planting of this on Friday 12th May at 10am. All are welcome!

Ngā mihi nui

Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Term 2

Tue 9 May - 1:30-2:40pm - Whole School Cross Country
Fri 12 May - Coronation Tree Planting - all welcome
Fri 12 May - PTA Discos - see below for more information
Fri 19 May - Celebration Assembly, 10-10.30am
Tue 23 May - Zone Cross-Country - Y5-8, Hansen Park
Wed 24 May - School Photos
Thu 25 May - Board meeting 5:30pm Staffroom
Mon 5 Jun - School Closed - King's Birthday
Thu 21 Jun - Whānau Hui and PTA Matariki Hāngī
Wed 28 Jun - Board meeting 5:30pm Staffroom
Fri 30 Jun - Last day of Term 2

Citizen of the Week

Frida Beumelburg - Year 6

Frida, you are such a diligent, proactive and hard worker. You display our school values, We Love Challange and We Love Learning every day by persevering to improve your learning and complete tasks to the best of your ability. You are a kind and caring student in the Pōhutukawa hub and are willing to help when needed. You are extremely personable, Frida which makes you fun to be around. Ka pai!

School Notices

Earthquake Drill

On Monday we have an earthquake drill. The bell will be rung continuously for a few seconds to signal the start of the drill, a pause to allow time to practice drop, cover, hold, and then a continuous bell to signal the end of the drill. Everyone then heads out to the field for the normal evacuation check.

Teachers will take time before the drill to talk with tamariki about what to do in an earthquake, and to practise drop, cover, hold.

40 Hour Challenge

Grace, Stella, Scarlett and Alyssa attended the World Vision Junior Youth Conference on Thursday. The girls had a great day learning about the amazing work that World Vision does and came back feeling very inspired. The 40 Hour Challenge is coming up so stay tuned to hear from our leaders in the coming weeks about this great cause. 


Staff Profiles

Kauri Team (Year 7/8)

Thomas Woodfield (Team Leader)
Thomas has joined Beckenham this year as the Kauri Team Leader. He loves teaching because of the opportunity to connect with students and support them towards becoming the best they can be. Thomas and his wife are kept very busy with their one-year-old daughter, but in any spare time that he can find he enjoys reading, singing in and conducting choirs, and cheering on his favourite American Football team, the New England Patriots.

Nicky Dunlop
Nicky has been lucky to have taught at BTKOP for 14 years now, all in Years 7 & 8.  After leading the team for around 10 years, she is enjoying a slightly less hectic pace of life this year, working four days a week. Total years teaching is now on the other side of 30!
The wide range of experiences across the arts, in sport and outdoor education is a great foundation for forming strong relationships with our tamariki in their intermediate years. We have a blast! Nicky lives locally with her husband, Grant; 20 year old, Tim, who enjoys helping at school (the other 20 year old, Jack, has flown the coop); and the delightful Yoda (the cat). Sewing and general creativity fill her bucket.

Bridie Zarifeh
Bridie is in her 7th year of teaching. She has taught in Auckland and in New Plymouth and has just moved to Christchurch with her husband, Andrew. They have a cat called Pickle who was not very impressed with the Cook Strait crossing! She is very excited to be working at BTKOP and to be back in her home town city. Bridie loves working with children and has a passion for science, sport and te reo Māori. She loves mountain biking and loves spending time outdoors with friends and family. 

Sarah Junghenn
Sarah has been teaching for over 20 years. She joined the BTKOP whānau in 2021, teaching in the Kahikatea hub. Last year she began working in the Kauri hub, where she is currently. Sarah is passionate about fostering positive relationships with our tamariki and their whānau. She has two small children and two large dogs. When not at work Sarah enjoys spending time with friends and family and loves a good book!
Clockwise from top left: Thomas, Nicky, Bridie & Sarah

PTA News

We need your help! Volunteers for school disco needed!

The PTA are looking for any whānau who would be interested in volunteering their time to help with  school disco this coming week. Please email pta@beckenham.school.nz, or contact the PTA via the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Facebook page.

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 Rāmere (Friday) 28 April 2023

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Welcome to the start of Term 2. And just like that, daylight saving is over, the mornings have a distinctly 'crisp' feel to them, and the need for gumboots and rain/warm jackets is upon us!
If you have got out your children's gumboots and jackets and find that they don't fit any more, please consider donating them to the PTA second-hand clothing shop. If you need gumboots or jackets, check out the PTA second-hand clothing shop! 

While we are talking about the need for gumboots, we are thrilled to be able to confirm that the drainage issue under the green slide has finally been resolved. A HUGE thanks to Hamish Denny and the team from Drainworkz for sticking with us and being the reliable contractor who came through and got this job done, after so many others had let us down. Our appreciation also goes out to Richard Scott, on our Board, who has patiently and tenaciously followed this project through to ensure it was completed. The final stage now will be the addition of a rubber surface, at the bottom of the slide and this is on order, expected by the middle of the term.

Our Year 3/4 Kōwhai team have transitioned beautifully into their new way of working across two buildings. Whilst not without some initial challenges, the extra space is being appreciated by staff and students alike.

House Murals

You will notice that four new Murals are being hung on the fence. These murals were begun last year and completed in Term 1 this year.

In 2022 a selection of possible house mascots for each House were designed and the children across the school voted on which mascots they liked the most. A Year 7/8 passion group then took the winning concepts and turned them into designs for these murals. Each mural depicts one of the four house mascots. We think they look amazing!

Union negotiations around Principal Collective Agreements.

You will have probably heard through the media that Primary Principals across the country are 'working to rule' at the moment, whilst they continue to negotiate their collective agreement. As is often the case with the news in the media, this is partially true. There are now two unions that represent principals. The union that I belong to has settled their collective agreement and we are not taking any industrial action. Principals who belong to NZEI, the other union, are the ones who are taking action as they have not yet settled their agreement. 

Teacher Collective Agreement Negotiations

At the moment, NZEI (the single union for teachers) has an offer on the table that Primary Teachers around the country are considering. They will be voting on this offer in a couple of weeks.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Term 2

Mon 1 - Wed 3 May - Year 5/6 Camp - Living Springs
Tue 9 May - 1:30-2:40pm - Whole School Cross Country
Fri 12 May - PTA Discos - save the date!
Tue 23 May - Zone Cross-Country - Y5-8, Hansen Park
Thu 25 May - Board meeting 5:30pm Staffroom
Mon 5 Jun - School Closed - King's Birthday
Wed 14 Jun - Learning Conferences (school closing at 1pm)
Thu 15 Jun - Learning Conferences (school closing at 1pm)
Thu 21 Jun - Whānau Hui and PTA Hāngī
Wed 28 Jun - Board meeting 5:30pm Staffroom
Fri 30 Jun - Last day of Term 2

Citizen of the Week

Mietta Turnbull - Year 4

Mietta, you are such a fantastic role model in the Kōwhai hub. You show 'We Get There Together' always by lending a helping hand to both your peers and the teachers. Mietta, your enthusiasm knows no bounds and you are always willing to show that you care by offering your help to others. You use initiative in your learning and you are a fantastic communicator. Tino pai Mietta! 

Staff Profiles

Kahikatea Kaiako

Katie McFarlane (Team Leader)
Katie started teaching at Beckenham in 2015 after spending four years at home with her small children. She has worked in Kōwhai, Pōhutukawa, and is now the Team Leader of Kahikatea. She feels privileged to be a part of each child’s learning journey - he taonga te ako. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her husband, two children, and four fur babies.

Lisa Collier
Lisa has been teaching for 12 years and joined Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto in 2021. She is a trained speech and language therapist with a passion for literacy. Lisa is in the classroom three days a week and working in a lead literacy role for the other two. She is also doing further study in the structured literacy area. Lisa has three children, in primary and high school, and spends her spare time watching them dance!

Quynh Nguyen
Quynh started at Beckenham in 2021 and has been enjoying working with the tamariki at our kura. She was working in Masterton before coming back to Christchurch after the pandemic. When not at work, Quynh enjoys zumba dancing, swimming and doing fun activities with her friends.

Amber Donovan
Amber has been working here at BTKOP for the past 12 years. She enjoys the variety and fun of teaching the youngest children and getting to know so many fabulous people within the Beckenham community. Amber lives locally and she has a big garden which her cat and dog love to play in. Amber enjoys spending time with her family and friends and taking walks with her dog Bodhi. 

Krystal Hunt
Krystal began her teaching career in 2013 in Australia. Her family moved to NZ in 2021. She began teaching at BTKOP in the Kahikatea Hub last year. Krystal is passionate about helping every child develop a love of learning and reach their full potential.  She has two small children of her own and loves spending time with her family. She enjoys a good cup of tea, and crocheting amigurumi.
Kahikatea Kaiako (Teachers) - Katie (T/L), Lisa, Quynh, Amber, Krystal

School Notices

Dogs On Site

Please do not bring dogs onto the school site between 8:30am and 3:15pm without prior arrangement. If you have a dog outside the school site at pick-up or drop-off time, please make sure it is on a lead for both the safety of the dog, and of other children. Some children have not yet learned how to behave safely when approaching unfamiliar dogs. In addition to this please ensure your loved pets are away from the gate while waiting outside the school, to allow all children and adults to come in and out comfortably. Thank you.

Winter Wellness


As we head into winter, winter illnesses, such as colds, flu and other respiratory illnesses, along with predicted Covid waves, become more common.

As a school, we are conscious of doing all we can to support our tamariki, whānau and community to be as well as possible.

As a school, we will continue to:
  • Ventilate spaces and keep them warm
  • Regularly clean surfaces
  • Teach/remind tamariki to cough or sneeze into their elbow
  • Teach/remind tamariki to wash and dry their hands regularly, especially after blowing their nose, coughing, sneezing, and using the toilet
  • Mask wearing will continue to be optional for those who would like to 
  • Contact whānau if a child is unwell while at school for them to be collected
As whānau, please continue to:
  • Keep your child at home if they are unwell
  • Encourage them to cough or sneeze into their elbow
  • Encourage regular hand washing
  • If someone in your home has covid, your child can still come to school as long as they are well, symptom free and have tested negative. Continue to monitor them for symptoms
For more information/tips have a look at these sites

Before School 

A start of Term reminder that classrooms are open to children from 8:30 am. This is to allow teachers time to prepare for the day. Prior to 8.30am there is no supervision of children. 

If you need to drop your child/ren off before 8:30 am BOSCO provides before-school care. 
Please contact them for more details 
Phone 027 645 6632
Email office@bosco.org.nz

General School Timetable

Hours for Students

08:30 AM – 08:55 AM Students arrive at school and prepare for the day
08:55 AM – 09:00 AM School starts at 8.55, the morning roll is taken.
09:00 AM – 10:30 AM Learning time
10:30 AM – 10:50 AM Play time
10:50 AM – 11:00 AM Kai (food) time whilst learning (e.g. listening to a story)
11:00 AM – 12:40 PM Learning time
12:40 PM – 01:20 PM Play time
01:20 PM – 01:40 PM Kai time (Lunch eating), the afternoon roll is taken.
01:40 PM – 03:00 PM Learning time
03:00 PM                 School ends, home time.

Office Hours

The school office is open from 8:30 AM to 3:45 PM during term time.

Food Allergy Guidelines

Across our kura, we have a number of children with different food allergies.

To support the well-being of these students we have the following guidelines in place which we ask you to follow:
  • Students with severe food allergies should only eat lunches and snacks that have been provided by their caregivers.  Bottles, other drinks, and lunch boxes provided by caregivers should be clearly labeled with the name of their child.  Home group teachers and caregivers will decide where the children’s bottles and lunch boxes will be kept during the day to ensure no cross-contamination occurs.
  • Parents are asked not to bring food into school to be shared with other children.  Whilst we understand that there are times you want to celebrate special events for your children with their friends at school, e.g. birthdays or being awarded prizes, by bringing food and treats for them to share, we have a policy of children only eating the food that their whānau have prepared and sent with them.  We have a number of students with food allergies and also need to respect the wishes of some families who want to monitor what their children are eating and prefer their children just to eat the food they have prepared. From time to time, there may be an event that teachers have organized that will involve food (cultural or learning activities) and they will have advised families in advance that this will be happening.  
At the beginning of each year, caregivers will check the expiry dates on any medication to be held at school.  
  • On the first day of school, caregivers will bring their child’s medication to the school office where it will be stored in the Hauora Room. Caregivers will sign a medicine authority form (School Docs Username: beckenham Password: pride).  The responsibility of monitoring the expiry dates of medications rests with the parent.
  • Caregivers may be asked to come and talk to staff about their child and ways we can support them at school.
  • Bottles, other drinks, and lunch boxes provided by caregivers, should be clearly labeled by the caregiver, with the name of the child.
  • We will inform you during the year if specific guidelines for your child’s hub change.  
Our full allergy policy and guidelines are available on the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto website under “Information - Policies - SchoolDocs” then search ‘allergy’. (linked here)

If you have any questions or concerns, please discuss them in the first instance with your child’s point of contact teacher.

Three-point turns on Sandwich Road

Sandwich Road is a busy place on either side of the school day. To keep everyone safe please continue along the road and around the block, rather than doing three-point turns or U turns. 

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 Rāmere (Friday) 10 March 2023

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

We Get There Together - Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe

We'd like to thank all of our whānau for your collective contribution to our school and tamariki, and we recognise all the big and small ways in which you all support each other and make a difference. The wrap-around of care and support in our community, makes it a great honour to be a part of, and leads the way for all of our children to support each other in the same way.

"Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa. Let us keep close together, not far apart."

This week, is Foster Care Awareness Week, and while it has not been a part of discussions within the classroom, it is still worth recognising and giving a big mihi to all of our whānau who are care experienced, supporting tamariki in a care or whāngai setting, or in general look out for all of our tamariki as you would your own. It takes a village to raise a child!


Year 7/8 Camp

This week was our Year 7/8 Wainui Camp, and it sounds like everyone had a very successful week. These opportunities could not happen without the support of our whānau, camp volunteers, and the Kauri (Year 7/8) team, who have put so much mahi in over the weeks leading up to camp, as well as during the week, to ensure our tamariki get to experience such memorable moments together. We hope our Year 7/8 whānau get to enjoy hearing about some of these from your tamariki, in between plenty of rest and washing over the weekend!

With our senior students away enjoying camp this week our Pōhutukawa (Year 5/6) students have been up for the challenge, and have done an incredible job in stepping into the leadership roles and supporting across all areas of our kura.  

Cyclone Gabrielle fundraising...

The final total of funds raised by the non-uniform day for Cyclone Gabrielle was $1524.80. We have sent this to the Hawkes Bay Primary Principals Association to pass on to the schools and their communities hardest hit by the cyclone. We have passed on our best wishes and support to those affected and we received this reply back:

"Many thanks for your school's wonderfully generous donation to the cyclone relief in our region.  We have received amazing support from throughout New Zealand.  This donation from Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto is an incredible gesture.  The Hawkes Bay Primary Principals Association will meet this week to try and distribute the funds we have received to date - an overwhelming amount.

We shall let you know how the money is shared amongst the most affected schools.

The way the whole country has responded to this catastrophe is incredible - although I am sure the experience of the earthquakes in Canterbury means that you have a clear understanding of what this type of scenario brings. 

Thanks again for your school's community aroha for our region.  Could you please pass on our gratitude to the Beckenham tamariki and whānau."

Lastly, please note that school is closed this Thursday, the 16th of March - please see the notices below for further details.

I wish you all a safe and relaxing weekend.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki / Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Term 1

Thu 16 Mar - School Closed - Teacher Strike Action
Wed 22 Mar - PTA Meeting - All Welcome (7:30 – 9:30pm in The Green Room)
Thu 30 Mar - Board Meeting - Staffroom 5:30pm - Visitors welcome
Thu 6 Apr - Last day of Term 1
Fri 7 Apr -  School Holidays begin (School closed)

Term 2

Mon 24 Apr - Staff Only Day (School closed)
Tue 25 Apr - ANZAC Day (School closed)
Wed 26 Apr - First day of Term 2
Mon 1 - Wed 3 May - Year 5/6 Camp - Living Springs
Mon 5 Jun - King's Birthday (School closed)
Fri 30 Jun - Last day of Term 2

Citizen of the Week

Hayley Rose Ruyters - Year 6

Hayley Rose, it is such a pleasure to have you in the Pōhutukawa hub. You radiate positivity and this is very evident in your desire and the effort you put into being the best learner you can be.  Your organisational skills and help around the hub are always gratefully received. Ka rawe, Hayley Rose.

BOT Update

School Closed on Thursday 16th of March

As you have probably heard via the media today, both primary and secondary teachers have made the decision to strike this Thursday, the 16th of March. As we will have no teachers on-site, the board has no option but to close the school for the day.

Thank you in advance for your understanding of this. We do appreciate that this will be inconvenient for you.

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Board of Trustees

School Notices

House Shirt Price increase

Due to price increases of both the shirts and screen printing, we are going to increase the price of our house shirts to $30 from Monday the 13th of March.

Book Club is out now!

By participating in Book Club, not only are you encouraging your child to be a reader... a percentage of the total order will be given back to our school in rewards, to spend on additional educational resources!

If you would like to take a look at what is available, please click the link here. This is a reminder again that we no longer send home the physical brochures, however, we do have one newspaper-style copy available in the Office if you would like to view it in that format instead. Ordering is done online via the Loop App, and all information regarding this can be found on the link above.

Book a School Tour!

If you have never had the opportunity to have a tour of the school, or if you would like another look at how the school works, we are offering a series of dates from Friday 17th to Thursday 23rd March. Our amazing School Ambassadors are looking forward to having the opportunity to show you around.

To book a time, please go to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and enter the event code z7fnt

Unity Week NZ 2023 

Launched in 2022, Unity Week is a coordinated approach to remember and honour the lives lost in the tragic March 15 Christchurch Mosque attacks, while also promoting a socially cohesive society, with the belief that everyone, regardless of their background or community, should feel welcome, respected, and loved for who they are and where they come from. 

The Unity Week website (https://www.unityweek.co.nz/) can connect you to a range of fantastic upcoming events and resources. 

 

PTA News

Hot Cross Buns

There's just one week left to get your orders in. You can fill in the paper order form or order online here:  https://forms.gle/NkEy3XPA9fmUQMdn7

The PTA will be collecting forms/money from by the flag pole from Wednesday to Friday next week before school.

Thanks for your support

Community Notices

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

Sydenham Rugby Club 


We have a couple of events coming up for our junior players to give rugby a go if they are not sure about committing to it.  Please visit this link to find out more.
(Note that the transition event is directed at those players who have previously played rip rugby and will be trying tackle for the first time. The other event is for any players, new or potential)




Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 3 March 2023

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

With our number of New Entrant students increasing each week, Georgia McKenna shifted from three days a week to full-time in the Koru team this week.

This has meant that we needed another part-time teacher in the Koru team, and we are delighted to welcome Nicola Reddecliffe back to our staff in this part-time role.
 
Nicola Reddecliffe - Koru Team

The 'water slide' is now a 'regular slide again!

A huge thanks to Richard Scott from our Board of Trustees for his tenacity and determination in trying to get our drainage issues sorted. There was HUGE excitement today when a team of workers from DRAINWORKZ rolled in and completed the first stage of the drainage work for our slide area. 



The gravel top is a temporary stage and we will eventually be getting this covered with the same matting that is over the new playground. There is also quite a bit more drainage work to be done, but, as you can see, there was great joy in being able to finally use the slide again!

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Term 1

Mon 6 - 10 Mar - Walk or Wheel to School week
Mon 6-Fri 10 Mar - Year 7/8 Camp - Wainui
Fri 10 Mar - South Zone Swimming Sports (Y5-8), Wharenui Pool
Wed 22 Mar - PTA Meeting - All Welcome (7:30 – 9:30pm in The Green Room)
Thu 6 Apr - Last day of Term 1
Fri 7 Apr -  School Holidays begin (School closed)

Term 2

Mon 24 Apr - Staff Only Day (School closed)
Tue 25 Apr - ANZAC Day (School closed)
Wed 26 Apr - First day of Term 2
Mon 1 - Wed 3 May - Year 5/6 Camp - Living Springs
Mon 5 Jun - King's Birthday (School closed)
Fri 30 Jun - Last day of Term 2

Citizen of the Week

Saxton Harris - Year 4

Saxton, you are a super focused learner who puts 110% into all you do. You persistently and bravely tackle challenges and support those around you to do the same. Kind and courteous, super helpful, always responsible and reliable, and with a superb sense of fun - Saxton, you are amazing! Thank you and tino pai tō mahi!

School Notices

Staff car damage yesterday (Thursday 2nd March)

Unfortunately. one of our staff had her car backed into yesterday, whilst parked on Sandwich Road between the entrance and exit to the staff carpark.
She owns a black Kia Sportage and quite a bit of damage was done to the front of her vehicle. If anyone knows anything about it, or saw anything, she would appreciate hearing from you, via office@beckenham.school.nz

School tours are coming!

We know that during COVID, a number of families were never offered the opportunity to have a school tour and to be shown around. For other families, you have come in and enrolled during a holiday period and haven't ever had a proper look around either. And for others... it may be quite a long time since your child started school, and you'd love to have another look around! 
So - keep a look out next week for an email inviting you to book a tour with a couple of our amazing school ambassadors! We are just waiting for the booking system to be set up, and then we can confirm the dates.

Beckenham Park Spraying

We were made aware during the week that there was spraying going on in Beckenham Park. We have spoken with the council and they have confirmed the regular spraying was done early Monday morning. This is done with an Organic herbicide. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the spraying of Beckenham Park, please direct these to the council.

Walk or Wheel to School Week

Next week from Monday 6 March to Friday 10 March 2023, our school is participating in Walk or Wheel to School Week, brought to you by Christchurch City Council. This fun and action-packed week is to promote walking and wheeling to school. There are daily themes and prizes up for grabs for students who participate. For more information head over to the Christchurch City Council webpage. We can’t wait to get started next week!

If students walk or wheel to school 3 mornings or more during the week they will go in the draw to win spot prizes.  Cards that students need to fill out if they are participating will be sent home (pictured below). Tamariki (children) need to write both their name and hub on this card. 


"Footpath Manners"

When scootering or walking to school, it is important that we stay aware of the needs of other people using the footpath. In NZ, we have a convention of keeping to the left so that people in both directions can use the footpath.



We know that when people are walking and talking, it is easy to lose awareness of others, and this is even trickier for children. Please would you talk with your children about 'footpath manners' and being aware of other people who also need to use the footpath. We will be talking about this at school too.

Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival

A message from The Lions Christchurch Schools' Music Festival Team... Singers and musicians from Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto can now apply for an audition to join a Representative Group - Junior & Senior Choir, Concert Band, or Orchestra.

Applications are made online on the Festival website here.  We ask that the parents make the application so that they are aware of the rehearsal and performance commitments.

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Whānau Workshop - Structured Literacy across all year groups

What: Literacy Parent Education Event on Structured Literacy from Year 1 to Year 8
Presented by: Emma Nahna (Sound Foundations for Literacy)
Where: Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Hall
When: Thursday 23rd March 2023, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Who: All whānau/ caregivers across the school are invited. 

We are fortunate to have the wonderful Emma Nahna, Speech-Language Therapist and Literacy Consultant, coming to run a whānau workshop this term. Emma is extremely knowledgeable and an engaging speaker. Her mission is to support educators and parents “...to grow every child into a successful reader and writer.”

Emma will be running a whānau workshop on Thursday 23rd March at 5:30pm for our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto whānau. The first hour and a half will cover the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of structured literacy across the school and how you can support your learner at home. The last half an hour of the session will emphasise the importance of continuing to follow a structured literacy approach into the senior levels of the school, and will delve into morphology (the study of the forms of words)  and syntax (the arrangement of words to create sentences).

Sports News

Swimming Sports

Our Year 5-8 school swimming sports was held on Monday the 27th of February at Wharenui Aquatic Centre. It was wonderful to see students embrace our value of "We Love Challenge" and get into the water to compete. There was an amazing display of swimming and wonderful encouragement and support from everyone. Many thanks to all of the parents who came along to help with the running of the day.

PTA News

Order Hot Cross Buns!

Order your yummy hot cross buns now! Ordering for our fundraiser is up and running - you can fill in the paper order form or order online here. Thanks for your support!

Weetbix Tryathlon

It was great to see over 40 Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto kids participating in the Weetbix Tryathlon.  A big thank you to Ruth Blane for all her hard work and David Blane for excellent bbq skills! Congratulations to all the tamariki, ka pai!

Community Notices

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

Hoon Hay School - part-time caretaker needed

We have a vacancy for a part-time Caretaker for 2 days per week (Monday and Tuesday).
Hoon Hay Te Kura Kōaka is seeking a fit and active handy person to look after our school grounds and buildings two days a week (Monday and Tuesdays, 6.30am - 2.00pm).

Hoon Hay Te Kura Koaka is a warm and welcoming primary school in South West Christchurch. We are currently looking for a caretaker who will work with the Principal and School Board to ensure the grounds and buildings are well maintained two days a week. The position includes a wide range of duties to help provide a school environment that our whole community can enjoy and be proud of. 

We are seeking someone who is physically fit and active and who relates well to both adults and children and has the required skills and experience to complete the following: 
  • Ensure our school grounds are kept to a high standard 
  • Lawn mowing 
  • Gardening 
  • Have good handy person skills and capabilities 
  • Be able to ensure compliance with Health and Safety regulations 
  • Emergency cleaning 
  • Ability  to effectively prioritise work Is a self starter and can work unsupervised 
  • Be able to work positively alongside staff and primary aged students Have initiative and a can-do attitude 
  • Have a strong sense of pride in your work 
  • Hold a current, full drivers licence. 
This position is for two days (7 hours on a Monday and Tuesday), with some flexibility to swap days when required. Start time is 6.30am. The pay rate is negotiable depending on relevant skills and experience. Work conditions are as per the School Caretakers’ and Cleaners’ Collective Agreement. The short-listed candidate will be vetted by NZ Police. 

 If this sounds like you, please complete the Application form,  along with your CV and cover letter prior to 9am, Friday 10 March 2023, and send to office@hoonhay.school.nz

If you have any problems with viewing this attachment, please email office@hoonhay.school.nz.  

Thank you     

Christchurch Boys' Choir

Do you know a boy who likes to sing? Christchurch Boys' Choir has vacancies and is auditioning now. You don't have to go to a certain school, be in a choir already or have a singing teacher. You only need to know the National Anthem and be free on Monday after school. Email us for an audition at musicaldirector@christchurchboyschoir.co.nz or fill out the Google form at https://forms.gle/qWWPYkn6kAvKmmJ17.