Author Archives: Reihana Dougherty

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 3 June 2022

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Principal's Patch

Talofa tagata uma!

Learning Conferences coming up in Week 10 on the 4th and 6th of July

Teachers are currently writing reports in HERO and these will be made available to you on Friday 1st July. Learning Conferences will happen the following week, and school will finish at 2pm on Monday 4th and Wednesday 6th of July to allow time for these.
A booking system for learning conferences will be in next weeks newsletter.

Messaging Teachers

If you need to get a message to school about a child's absence (or any other important message) please ALWAYS contact the office either by email or by phone. Please do NOT text teachers as they may be away, or may not check their phone and then your message doesn't get through.

office@beckenham.school.nz
03 337 1404
Text only - 02102794107

Winter footwear options

With winter here, we encourage children to wear gumboots to school (especially on particularly rainy days, and to have a pair of slippers or an extra pair of socks in their bag for wearing in the hub. 

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Term 2 Dates

Monday 6 June - Queen's Birthday - School closed
Wednesday 22 June - Whānau Hui & Hāngī
Wednesday 22 June - PTA Meeting (7.30-8.30PM in the Green Room)
Friday 24 June - Matariki - School closed
Monday 4 July - school closes at 2pm for Learning Conferences
Wednesday 6 July - school closes at 2pm for Learning Conferences
Friday 8 July - Last day of Term 2

Citizen of the Week

Lillie Neame - Year 8

Lillie, you are a ray of sunshine within Kauri hub! You wear a smile wherever you go and as a learner, you show fantastic determination and drive. Not only this, but you are also an incredible friend to so many and we admire the way you are so inclusive of everybody around you. Pai tō mahi Lillie.  

School Notices

Toys and trading cards at school

We have noticed an increase in children bringing both toys, and trading cards (especially Pokemon cards) to school recently. We know that all of these items are extremely precious and that if they get lost, or accidentally given away or misplaced, it causes very real distress.

Our policy ​has always been to ask that toys (including trading cards) are left at home. 


Talking with your child about 'stranger danger'

For many years the rule for children has been "Don't talk to strangers". The messaging to children has changed over the last few years to focus on "Adults who can help us". As part of the Keeping Ourselves Safe Programme (New Zealand Police), there is a lesson with the children about Adults Who Help. The lesson covers:
  • Children need to learn who they can trust to help them if they are scared or worried about something, or if they feel unsafe. 
  • This person may well be someone they know, but they may also need to ask someone they don’t know for help. 
  • It is also important that children, and the people they live with, work together to develop safety rules and strategies that will help children keep themselves safe.   
As a whānau, these conversations are important to have with your children. The Kiwi Families website (click here for the link) has a page to support caregivers on how to talk with your child about strangers. This page may help you decide what are the key things you want your child to know if they are interacting with someone they don't know. ​

Sushi Meets Dumplings Lunch Order

Lost Property

Please take a look at the below images to see if they belong to your child. These items are in the Lost Property. This is out on the Library Deck during school hours.

In addition to this, we have a large watch collection building in the office from this year and last, as well as glasses - both prescription and sunnies. Please feel welcome to pop in to the Office to check if we have yours/your tamariki.

Kupu Māori o te wiki

whakapono: believe

PTA News

DJ Needed



The PTA would absolutely love to chat to any of our school parents who would be keen to volunteer their evening to help us DJ the school disco on Friday 5 August. Sound system & play-lists will be provided- we just need the support of an enthusiastic & knowledgeable parent to make this happen! We would be very grateful for the help.
Please email PTA@beckenham.school.nz

Hāngī Fundraiser (Matariki)


The PTA is having a hāngī immediately following the whānau hui at kura (school) on the 22nd of June at 6.30pm. Matariki is the start of the Māori new year and a time of reflection, connection and planning for the year ahead.
We would like to celebrate with you and your whānau with a hāngī and sharing kai (food) together. 

YOU NEED TO PRE-ORDER HĀNGĪ ($15 each). Be quick as portions sold fast last year. We only have 120 servings available.
 Please order through the link below:

Our traditional hāngī will come in their own individually wrapped trays and will all be cooked together in a big kai cooker. We will have the traditional hāngī which includes meat, vegetables, and stuffing. We are also offering a gluten-free option and a vegetarian option. These portions can usually feed an adult and a child.

Thank you for your support!

BOT Update

School Board of Trustee Elections 2022

Nomination round

Our kura will be undertaking a parent election for 3 School Board vacancies. This process will start with the issuing of nomination papers to our caregiver community by Friday 15th July 2022.

We have employed CES to undertake the election process on our behalf. This year with legislative change, our nomination form and full instruction on how to place your nomination into our own School’s Election website will be emailed to you if we have your email address in our database or you will receive it by post if we don’t have your email in our database.

Nomination papers will also be available at the school office. The school will send those on to CES for processing upon receipt from candidates. 

Nominations close on Wednesday 3rd August at 12 noon.
Election day is Wednesday 7th September.

We look forward to your participation in this process.

"I am enjoying my time on the BoT. It gives me an opportunity to give something back to the community. It offers me an insight as to how the school is run. I have had the opportunity to offer a different perspective and have had the chance to hear others' perspectives as well. I have learnt a lot and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I encourage other parents to consider if this is something they could also do." - Matthew Macdonald, Current Board Chair

Community Notices

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

Cashmere High School Open Day – Cancelled

Due to staff absences we are unable to host our Open Day 9 June 2022. This is very disappointing for us as our Open Day is a wonderful opportunity to welcome our community to Cashmere High School.

We are investigating ways in which we can provide families with information about our school.



Clothing Sale - at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Hall




Swords, spam, cheerleaders, spam, singing, spam and did I mention spam - a lot?

The best Kidsfest activity this July is the hilarious kids version of the broadway hit musical MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT YOUNG@PART.

Specifically adapted by Eric Idle for kids to perform to kids, this wonderfully wacky adventure of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table is based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  There’s outstanding singing, dancing, prancing with coconuts, French taunting and of course the Knights of Ni! As the Knights journey on their search for the holy grail they come to realise that the grail is about finding that thing that truly feeds your soul. From swords to cheerleaders there’s something for everyone in this one hour adaption.

You’d be crazy to miss it!.  Tickets $15. At Nasda Theatre during Kidfest these July Holidays!

Bookings https://events.humanitix.com/spamalot-young-part


Marching Canterbury

Don’t knock the sport of Marching, until you try it!

We cater for all ages 4yrs- 30yrs+ We are currently looking for more members to join our teams.

Marching encourages teamwork, discipline, and friendship. It’s great for coordination, posture and brain development. If you would like to see what we are all about and give it a go, get in touch with us at Publicitymarchingcanterbury@gmail.com or Kylie Dowers 021930434.

We have teams in all areas of Christchurch.

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 20 May 2022

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Safety in our Community

You will have all seen the letter from the Department of Corrections that was sent out on Wednesday afternoon. Whilst it can be unsettling to read this information, we do understand that these risks do exist in our communities across New Zealand all of the time. This is an opportunity for us to take time to think about how we support our children to stay safe. 

Central to keeping our children safe is ensuring that school drop-offs and pick-ups are completed in a timely manner. Our school opens at 8:30am, and children who need to be dropped off earlier than that should be booked into BOSCO. Likewise, school ends at 3pm and pick-ups should be completed by 3:15pm. If you ask your child to wait for you at a different point to the front gate, and you are running late, PLEASE ring the office so we can go and get them to come and wait in the office for you beyond 3:15pm. We collect up any children waiting at the front gate at 3:15pm, but won't know that a child could be waiting on Eastern Tce or Norwood St unless you let us know.

We have a strong sense of community around our children and we all appreciate the way families work together, with us, to ensure that all of our children are safe.

Safety on Sandwich Road outside school

We have been working with our children to remind them that bikes and scooters need to be walked, and skateboards carried, across the crossing and on the footpath outside school. There are too many people on the footpath for wheels to be moving quickly there at the same time.

Please help reiterate this message with your children:

Keeping everyone safe as they arrive at school and leave is very important. We Get There Together by:
  • Pushing bikes along the footpath once we are beside school property, and on the school site
  • Pushing scooters along the footpath once we are beside school property, and on the school site
  • Carrying skateboards along the footpath once we are beside school property, and on the school site
  • Push or carry your wheels when walking across the school crossing.
As parents, you can also support us with safety outside school. Please always walk your children across at the crossing when you need to cross Sandwich Road. This sets your child up for good habits when you are not there to walk them across. It also sets a safe example for other children who may not have an adult with them.

COVID Update

COVID continues to have an impact on us at school and, although our case numbers are not high, we have had more staff needing to go into isolation per week this term than we did last term. This has meant a lot more relievers in the school. Thank you for continuing to keep children who have any COVID symptoms at home. We have a good supply of Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) at school, so just ask for a box or two from the office if you need any. We can usually arrange for someone to drop a box into your letterbox, if you need to test and don't want to run the risk of leaving home.
At this point in time, across Canterbury, we are beginning to see people who have had Covid in the early stages of our outbreak (March and early April) test positive again for the second time. 


As you can see from the graph above, we do continue to have cases reported at school most days. As of today, 31% of our students and 36% of our staff have had COVID. Clearly many more have had to isolate, and have not had COVID. We understand that needing to isolate is extremely inconvenient for everyone, so the more we can do to prevent the spread of COVID, the less isolating should also need to happen. We appreciate that everyone continues to support everyone's wellbeing with mask-wearing when at school.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Term 2 Dates

Wednesday 25 May - Zone Cross Country at Hansen's Park
Wednesday 25 May - BOT Meeting - 5.30-7.30PM in te Rūma Kaimahi (the Staff Room)
Wednesday 25 May - PTA Meeting - 7.30-9.30PM in the Green Room
Monday 6 June - Queen's Birthday - School closed
Wednesday 22 June - Whānau Hui & Hangi
Friday 24 June - Matariki - School closed
Friday 8 July - Last day of Term 2

Citizen of the Week

Jenna Sitompul  - Year 7

Jenna, you approach every day with a positive attitude and a lust for learning! Your manners and appreciation for the people around you are second to none and we recognise your diligence with all tasks you take on. All this, paired with a wonderful sense of humour makes you a credit to not only team Kauri, but to our wider kura. Keep being you!

School Notices

Welcome Assembly


Thank you to William for his mahi to put this together for us.

Student Achievement

Today we congratulate one of senior pupils, Tahere Taylor, for his distinguished accomplishment today - being a published illustrator at just age 12! Ka mau te wehi, Tahere! That’s amazing.

Tahere has had his work published in TOITOI Issue 27. TOITOI is a national journal of writing and art by young New Zealanders ages 5-13. TOITOI celebrates the ideas, imaginations and creative spirit of their young writers and artists. You can learn more about it on their website - www.toitoi.nz

Toitoi Issue 27
Illustrated by Tahere

Thank you from Dan Carter and UNICEF

Kia ora!

I just wanted to reach out and say a huge thank you for Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto's support of our recent Kickathon campaign. The event was a great success and we managed to raise over $500K for kids in the Pacific.

Dan really appreciated the supporter video content, as did we, so huge thanks again. 

A little message from Dan: https://vimeo.com/711882052/d8b8064e1b

Thank you!

Sophie Barker
Partners Coordinator
unicef.org.nz

If you click on the Vimeo link above, you can watch Dan's Thank you video, where this image features for a very fleeting moment!

Dental Van Visit

We currently have the CDHB Dental Van in our school. This is a very important screening process for our children's oral health and we support this visit and try to help our children to understand the positive impact of visiting the dental van. 

As you can see from the info below, they don't do fillings or drilling in the van, instead focusing on screening and preventative processes. Please do ask your child if they have been to the van, and, if they have, ask them if they were given a 'Care Plan' which may need for them to have an appointment made for more FREE dental work at the Community Clinic. 

Bob Bickerton - Taonga Puoro

On Tuesday of Week 2 Kahikatea had the privilege of having a visit from Bob Bickerton with his Taonga Puoro (musical instrument) performance. He walked the students through the history of the instruments and their connection to the Māori Atua/Gods. 

The students were so engaged in this performance that afterwards they went out into our playgrounds and found their own natural resources to create music with. It was an amazing performance and we are so grateful to Bob for making a trip to Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto!

Food Allergy Guidelines

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

To support the wellbeing 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 labelled 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 food they have prepared. From time to time, there may be an event that teachers have organised 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 labelled 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.

Headlice

We have had a few cases of headlice reported in Pōhutukawa and Kōwhai. Please check your child's head for eggs and live nits.  If you find any evidence of headlice please treat your children before sending them to school. Thank you!

Sports News

Cross Country Results

On Tuesday afternoon, our Year 5 - 8 tamariki showed their love of challenge in our senior school cross country. We are so proud of the way that the tamariki stepped up to this challenge and encouraged each other every step of the way. We congratulate every child who participated in their efforts. While the majority of children participated by running the course, a few children participated by taking on a leadership role in the event. Children contributed by setting up the course, judging, recording places, marshalling, commentating and taking photos. 

The level of encouragement that the children showed towards each other was outstanding. The Cup for House Spirit was ultimately awarded to Heathcote.


Top 6 finishers have qualified to represent our kura at Zone Cross Country which takes place on Wednesday the 25th of May at Hansen's Park. 

Year 5 Champions: Lilly and Olley
Year 6 Champions: Jack and Harriet
Year 7 Champions: Frida and Luka
Year 8 Champions: James and Torun

PTA News

PTA Fundraiser

The PTA is selling delicious Fix and Fogg peanut butter.

There are 3 Products available:

750g Super Crunchy Peanut Butter
750g Smooth Peanut Butter
500g Everything Butter

Jars cost $11 each $11 a jar (we get $3). 

Orders close next Friday 27th May. 
Use the paper form sent home with your child or click this link. (https://forms.gle/3wNznfNoE3KcNVC47)


Also please keep your eyes peeled for a Hero link for the annual PTA survey that will be out soon. This is your chance to get involved and let us know your ideas. 

Keep in touch with the PTA

To stay up to date with the PTA, please check out our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto PTA Facebook page, linked here. Or come along to one of our meetings - all welcome.
 
Meeting dates can be found in the weekly school newsletter, or on the school calendar - linked here.
These meetings are usually held on a Wednesday night 7.30-9.30pm.

You can email the PTA at pta@beckenham.school.nz 

Thanks for supporting our kura and the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto PTA! 

Community Notices

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

Update to My Vaccine Pass

From Tuesday 24 May an updated My Vaccine Pass will be available for anyone aged 12 and over who is up to date with their vaccinations.
 
For those aged 18 and over, ‘Up to date’ means that they have received two doses and a booster dose. For those aged 12 to 17 it means two doses only. Vaccine passes continue to not be available for those under 12.
 
While My Vaccine Pass is not legally required, people are encouraged to have a copy of their pass for when it might be needed. Some businesses, rest homes and other non-essential organisations are voluntarily keeping My Vaccine Pass requirements as a condition of entry.
 
A temporary My Vaccine Pass can be requested for someone who has not had all the required vaccinations because they have had COVID-19 in the last three months (available from 31 May).
 

Not all right?

For many of us, new challenges and the loss of our regular routines is causing stress. This can really erode our wellbeing over time. While it’s important to remember to do the little things that help recharge us, it’s also important to know there is someone to talk to and free help is available.

It’s all right to reach out if you need to - we all need a bit of support from time to time.

Call or text 1737 to speak with a trained counsellor anytime - it’s free and completely confidential. You can also call Lifeline on 0800 543354 or text HELP to 4357. Check out this page on the Mental Health Foundation’s website if you'd like some further advice on how to stay mentally well during this time.

Brain Play

Brain Play teaches online after-school science & technology classes to Kiwi kids aged 5 - 13, from right across the country! Online topics this term include 3D printing, coding, animation, STEM experiments, LEGO & more. Free trials available for new students. Check out our timetable on our website and use the form to get in touch - https://www.brainplay.co.nz/.


Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 6 May

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

As you will know, we had a Staff Only Day at kura (school) on Monday. These days are an opportunity for our kaimahi (staff) to do important professional development. On Monday we worked in two groups. 
Our kaiako (teachers) worked on the assessment and reporting, particularly in mathematics, in preparation for the mid-year reports that will be shared with you via HERO in Week 9 of this term.

Our Teaching Assistants, Admin and Support Staff worked on developing their understanding of  "Trauma Informed Practice". We know that when we further develop our understanding of trauma and add to our "toolkit of strategies, we can better support our tamariki (children)". We know that by being a 'trauma-informed' team, we help to create safe spaces for our tamariki, our whānau and our colleagues to be both safe and included.

This whakataukī (saying or proverb)is a great summary of what we are working towards for our tamariki (children) through these development sessions:

Poipoia te kākano- kia puāwai ai.
Nurture the seed and it will blossom.


COVID-19 update:
We reported 9 new cases of Covid-19 across our school (students and staff) this week, and our rolling 7 day average is 1.4 cases a day. Whilst we do still have COVID in our school community, it does seem to be less active than it was at the end of Term 1. We have had four of our teaching staff away this week in isolation, and we look forward to having them back next week. A number of our tamariki and their whānau are still going through various stages of isolation. 

It was really special to be able to welcome you all back onto the school grounds again this week. Thank you for staying out of the hubs at this time, and for supporting our older children to continue to wear masks so we can try to keep everyone as healthy as possible.

We had our first Welcome Assembly of the year today! The sun was shining and everyone was able to meet together outside in our Pūkaki Courtyard. A video will hopefully be available to share with you early next week.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Term 2 Dates

Monday 6 June - Queen's Birthday - School closed
Friday 24 June - Matariki - School closed
Friday 8 July - Last day of Term 2

Citizen of the Week

Jayme Scott - Year 3

Jayme, you are amazing! You have a growth mindset and tackle challenges with a positive attitude. Ka pai! This makes you a role model for others in our kura. You are kind and caring, and always there for others. You show initiative in the way that you volunteer to help out and find different ways of problem-solving. We look forward to seeing your lovely smile each day. Keep being your fantastic self. 

School Notices

Diversity Group - Period Products

The Ministry of Education have provided our kura with packs of period products to distribute to all children who need them. The Diversity Group were given the task of creating a plan for how to make these available in a safe, inclusive and sensible way. The Diversity Group are currently working on a project to get period products easily available to children who need them at kura.  


There was lots of rich discussion about how to promote and action this. The children were very mindful that some might be embarrassed about this and so discretion was a key factor.  These will be accessible in our bathrooms for children to take as they need. This avoids the potentially embarrassing task of needing to ask an adult, or going to a specially designated place outside of the wharepaku (toilet). The packs can also be taken home and refilled at school whenever needed.

The children have also designed a social story to educate others on how this system works and why it is important to have period products easily accessible to those who need them.   

Concerns and Complaints Process

We understand that from time to time you may have a question or concern that you would like to raise with someone at school. You can find a copy of our Concerns and Complaints Process below, and you can also access this through our school website, or by using the SchoolDocs login (user: beckenham password: pride).
We always want to work with you to resolve any worries or concerns you might have.

Traffic Reminders

Parking in the 3min area on Sandwich Road - A reminder please, that the stretch of road adjacent to the Admin building on Sandwich Road is a 3min drop-off zone from 8:30-9:30am and 2:30-3:30pm on school days. This means drivers are not able to sit in their cars from 2:30pm waiting for children or to park cars in this area and go into school. If you arrive early and wait for children, or if you need to get out of your car and come into school, please find an alternative place to park. Having this area just for drop-offs means that the traffic on Sandwich Road moves smoothly before and after school, and this is much safer for our children.

Parking on Norwood Street - Please take extra care while doing the after school pick-ups on Norwood Street. Due to the road closures and road works we are seeing a lot of congestion in the afternoons from parents parking at the park gate, trucks, and children trying to cross the road. If you are able to park further away from school and walk, please do so. If you are parking near the park please park carefully and respectfully so as not to disturb the residents and most importantly, to keep our ākonga (students) safe.

Staff Carpark - For everyone's safety, please DO NOT walk through any parts of the staff carpark to access the school grounds. We are noticing some of our parents using this as a thoroughfare to get to the new gate for the Koru/New Entrant area. Please use the gate on Eastern Tce, or the gate at the corner of Eastern Tce and Sandwich Road, or come in via the main entrances and walk the path between the classrooms to get to the Koru area. 

Eastern Terrace Closures - We have been advised that different sections of Eastern Terrace between Sandwich Road and Tennyson St will remain closed until the end of May.

Latest Scholastic Lucky Book Club - out now!

Thinking about our environment and the amount of paper waste that occurs we are no longer issuing Scholastic Book Club brochures to students. You can however view the Scholastic Book Club brochure online and place your order as usual. You can access the brochure via the link below.

Lunch Orders Reminder

Due to the nature of COVID, there may be times you will need to cancel upcoming Lunch Orders for your child (for example if you have a weekly reoccuring order set up, and your child is isolating for the week). Please see the instructions below on how to cancel upcoming orders through Lunch Online. Whānau are able to easily cancel lunches they have pre-ordered if for any reason their children are unable to attend school.

For more information on what Lunch Orders are available to put an order in for your tamariki, please click this link to our website.

Sports News

Student Achievement - Basketball

Bella and Lola represented the Yr 7/8 Girls Pioneer Basketball Team in the SIPT (South Island Primary Tournament) held in Rangiora over Anzac weekend. Their team went through the 4 day tournament unbeaten and were convincing winners in the final with the end result being 48-23. Great work by the girls… and their dads as coach and manager.

Community Notices

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

Think Kind Student Competition 2022

It's that time of the year again where we call all students to submit their very own project. The focus on this project is being kind to our animals and the planet.

The winner of the competition will receive $1,000 towards their school, with every entrant receiving a HELL Pizza Voucher, you wont want to miss out! Entries can range from artwork, literature, film, music and anything in between. The competition encourages students from years 0 to 13 to enter.

The closing date for submissions is Wednesday, 31 August 2022. After entries close, the NZ Vegetarian Society judging panel will select the top 10 projects to present for public voting from 1 October – World Vegetarian Day - which will determine the overall winner. The winner will be announced on 1 November, World Vegan Day.

Julia Clements, NZ Vegetarian Society President, says the competition aims to encourage youth to start thinking about what they are eating.

“Think Kind reflects great values - healthy living, sustainability and reducing animal cruelty. It’s important to encourage young Kiwis to reflect on the importance of kindness to animals, and it’s great to see how many students want to get involved and make a positive contribution.”

For submitting entries please visit the link below:

For regular updates check out our Facebook page:

Rugby

Sydenham Rugby are still taking registrations for junior rugby if your son or daughter would like to play.  Contact 03 332 8875 for information.

www.sydenhamrugby.co.nz

Aerial Circus Classes

Hi I’m Rena Oliphant and I am an aerial performer with over 5 years of experience. Aerial circus is a form of dance/ acrobatics that involves apparatus that is suspended in the air. Examples are the trapeze, lyra (hoop), and silks (pictured above in the silhouette).
I am running aerial circus classes for school aged students (ages 5-13), that provide an opportunity for beginners to complete beginners, in a local and affordable setting. We work on beginner skills that develop flexibility, strength and creativity. There are a few options for classes: Either the Wednesday group class, $10 for an hour, 3.30 - 4.30 (which has 6 places) or a group private class which you can invite friends or family to try a one off session, any time that suits you (also the same price $10 per person for an hour), which is more fun based, rather than skill. Contact Rena on 0273245633 or stmartinsaerials@gmail.com to book or to ask questions.

Mother of All Clean Ups - Beckenham Loop

This annual riverbank cleanup is coming up on Saturday 7 May, 10am-12 noon. 

It is a city-wide effort which covers three areas (Opawaho-Heathcote River, Otakaro-Avon River, and the Estuary) and last year collected more than 400 bags of rubbish. This keeps the river at its most attractive and safe.

The BNA (Beckenham Neighborhood Association) helps with a short section of this, on one bank of the river through Farnley Reserve and along Palatine Terrace. All helpers welcome, just bring a pair of gloves and the rest is organised. 

Meet at 10am at Beckenham Scout Den, Centaurus Rd, behind the Brickworks.

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Rāpare (Thursday) 14 April

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Today is the last day of Term 1, with Good Friday tomorrow marking both the start of the long Easter weekend and the school holidays.

Term 2 Starts on TUESDAY 3rd May

Please remember that the Monday after the school holidays will be a Staff Only Day for our Kura. Term 2 will start again on Tuesday 3rd May. We look forward to seeing everyone back after the holidays.

Covid-19 Update

Note that numbers may be different to previous graphs, as we do get historical cases reported.

After hitting a peak last week and again early this week, we have had no new cases of Covid-19 reported to us in the past two days. That is great news, and brings our rolling 7-day average from its highest point on Monday of 4.9, to a clearly dropping 2.7 today.
Attendance was also at a term low last week, only getting to 72% on three days. It was good to see that we were back up to 77% for most of this week.

We still need you to let us know if any of our children test positive during the holidays, please.
If your child tests positive, please email me (principal@beckenham.school.nz) with their name, and the date they either started symptoms or tested positive. We will be forwarding numbers to the Ministry of Education through the holidays.

Moving to Orange!!!

As you will be aware, the whole country is now working at the Orange Traffic Light setting. 



This means that we are very pleased to be able to welcome whānau back into the school grounds, for the first time properly since August last year! No more dropping and collecting at the gate (unless, of course, that is still working for you!) Masks won't be required when outside, although you are welcome to wear them if you choose to. 

At Orange, we ask you to wait outside, well away from the hub entrances when dropping and picking up children. A teacher from each hub will be available to greet you outside the hub in the mornings, and teachers will walk out with children in the afternoons. 

All children will finish school at 3pm again!

Whilst the mandate for mask-wearing in schools has been lifted, schools are being encouraged to consider the needs of their community and put appropriate local guidelines in place.

At Beckenham, we believe that masks have been one of the best tools available to us for limiting the spread of Covid-19 at school, and keeping our staff and our children as safe as we can. We are also aware that further waves of Covid-19 are expected, and that NZ is going into its first influenza winter in three years. We know that many families are also now travelling both within NZ and even outside NZ.


For these reasons, we have decided to continue with our status quo on mask-wearing inside our buildings. This means that children in Year 3/4 are strongly encouraged to wear a mask inside, and that our Year 5-8 children should continue wearing masks inside, as they have done so capably this term. Our staff will also continue to wear masks inside. 

We know that this cautious approach has served us well so far, and we will review this during Term 2, as we get a better picture of case numbers in our school community.

Welcome Back to Nicola Reddecliffe

We are very pleased to confirm that Nicola Reddecliffe will be rejoining ourstaff in the New Entrant Koru Team from the beginning of Term 2. Nicola is well-known to many of you, both as a parent and member of the PTA, as well as having been a teacher in the Koru Team last year. Welcome back, Nicola!


Welcome to Maisie Bowden

Maisie has been working as a casual Teaching Assistant for most of the first term. She began just doing a few hours of back-up work, and has quickly become a regular and indispensable part of our team! We love having Maisie on our staff, and thought it was time we introduced her to you properly! Maisie also works at BOSCO so is well-known by our students, and will be known to some of you as well.


From all of us on the staff, to all of you and your whānau... thank you for your continuing support of us all in the work we do with your children. This term has been really challenging, and we have made it through with your support. We are all going to be taking a well-needed break over the next two weeks, and we wish you and your families a safe and relaxing break too.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Thu 14th Apr - Last day of Term 1
Fri 15th Apr - Good Friday (School Closed)

Term 2

Note that Monday 2nd May is a Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Tue 3rd May - First day of Term 2 
Wed 25th May - BOT Meeting 5.30PM - 7.30PM
Wed 25th May - PTA Meeting 7.30PM - 9.30PM

Term Dates

Click here to view 2022 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Skye Langer - Year 4

Skye Langer, you are a fabulous model of all our school values. You show incredible focus and persistence in learning. You keep trying through challenging ideas or material, and you honestly and openly reflect on your learning.  You have a growth mindset and encourage all those around you to do the same. Being an expert on a number of subjects, you share your knowledge and creativity with those around you, such as in your comic club group! You make a difference by noticing and helping around the hub, and supporting others when they need it. You are a welcoming peer who greets others with a smile and an open mind. Skye - thanks for being your amazing self! 

School Notices

Farewell to Constable Ross Mitchell

Yesterday we had the sad honour of farewelling Constable Ross Mitchell who is retiring from his role as School Community Officer with the NZ Police. Ross has been in this role for over 11 years, and has worked in our school training Road Patrollers, and supporting our teachers with Health and Wellbeing programmes of 'Keeping Ourselves Safe' and 'D.A.R.E.' during that time. Ross has been a person who has built his work on building relationships with our tamariki, showing them that the police are there to support, help and protect our community.


It was a fabulous opportunity for our senior kapa haka students to use their skills to show Ross how much they all appreciate his contribution. He was very moved by the haka they did for him. We acknowledge Ross's contribution to our school and wish him all the very best in his new role leading the hardware department at Mitre 10 Mega in Hornby. Do say 'Hi' to him if you see him there!

Community Dental Service - Dental Care During the School Holidays

The Community Dental Service will be providing urgent and relief of pain appointments during the school break at:
  • Aranui Community Dental Clinic, 240 Breezes Road, Christchurch
  • Hornby Community Dental Clinic, 2 Hei Hei Road, Christchurch
You can access these appointments by calling our Contact Centre on 0800 846 983.
For any dental advice please call the Contact Centre on 0800 846 983 or email commdental@cdhb.health.nz

Lost Property

As always, there is a collection of large and small items, along with various unnamed uniform items at school, awaiting their owners to come and claim them.
These three, precious items, are sitting in the office - the earring found in the playground today, whilst Peter Rabbit and the glasses have been there for a few days. Please come and claim them next term, if they are yours!

BOSCO

If you are looking for AWESOME Easter fun for your kids this holiday – look no further! BOSCO has an exciting April Holiday programme planned, filled with activities to keep all ages entertained so YOU don’t have to. We have Suzie the magnificent performer coming to us, House of Bricks, a dance instructor to teach us a few dance moves and so much more! You will not want to miss out on all our baking, crafts and special days that we have planned like pyjama day, circus day, wizard day and definitely not the BIGGEST EASTER EGG HUNT EVER! So, if this sounds like something you are interested in, email Juanita at office@bosco.org.nz or book online via Aimy Plus. See you there!

Community Notices

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

Hockey

Southern United hockey looking for players keen to try goalkeeping

Are you athletic with quick reactions? If you are, you could be an amazing hockey goalkeeper. Southern United Hockey Club are on the hunt for more goalkeepers for their Year 7 and 8 teams. Specialist coaching and development opportunities will be offered to all interested goalkeepers. Contact juniors@suhc.co.nz for more information.

Cashmere Technical Football Club Holiday Fun Programme

Earth Day competition which TOCK

Pebbles Montesorri Cashmere

Pebbles Montessori Cashmere have limited spaces available in our nursery for under 2 years. Currently we have all day Mondays and Fridays plus every afternoon. Please contact us to find out more information and to arrange a visit admin@pebblespreschool.nz.


Free Family Event - The Cashmere Club

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 8 April

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou



Ramadan is an important time in the Muslim calendar. For 2022, it runs from the 1st of April to the 1st of May. We have a number of Muslim whānau in our school and we wish them all the very best for this time.

Go! Dan! Go!

A group of Kōwhai children sent a video in to support Dan Carter in his kick-a-thon goal of raising money for UNICEF. They were spotted in the live stream last night! If you want to contribute to Dan's fundraising effort, you can do that by clicking this link.


COVID Update

Since we last reported to you on Tuesday, we have only had 2 cases a day for the rest of this week. We continue to have a number of students and staff isolating at home, either with COVID or as household contacts. We are hopeful that the spike of cases we saw early this week is our 'peak' and that we will now start dropping cases. We do want to get everyone through to the start of the school holidays as healthy as possible and hope that the holidays will be the 'circuit breaker' that we all need. 


We are also hopeful that this coming Thursday's cabinet announcement will see a shift to Orange before school returns for Term 2, which will allow us to make some much-awaited changes to our daily operations. As soon as we know more, we will let you know!

Please remember that our term finishes next Thursday 14th April.
Term 2 starts on TUESDAY 3rd May as we will be having a Staff Only Day on the Monday.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Thu 14th Apr - Last day of Term 1
Fri 15th Apr - Good Friday (School Closed)

Term 2

Note that Monday 2nd May is a Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Tue 3rd May - First day of Term 2 

Term Dates

Click here to view 2022 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Thomas O'Beirne - Year 4

Thomas, you excel at demonstrating our school values. You always show perseverance when facing a new challenge in your learning. You are kind and caring to others, and have a great sense of humour. We love your creative ideas in your writing as well as your funny stories. Thank you for showing We Get There Together and We Love Learning in many ways. Tino pai, Thomas!  

Louie de Clifford - Year 8

Louie you exemplify our school values. You are kind, creative, and loyal. You are personable and quick to lend a hand, and this makes a positive difference in our hub. Thank you for the leadership you show in technology and for being a stunning role model for others. Louie, you get stuck right into learning tasks, demonstrating a love of learning and challenge. Tino pai, Louie!

School Notices

Accessing your child's 2021 report through Hero

In 2021 your child's end of year report was generated through Hero and opened to you through your Hero log in. This was the first time we utilised Hero for this.
As we prepare for the next round of reporting at the end of Term 2, 2022, we have turned the report function on your Hero account off as of Thursday 31st March. You will still have access to the other functions on Hero that you can currently use. 

The purpose of turning the report off is to allow the teachers time to begin working on the next report for your child. Access will be turned on again at the end of Term 2 (we will let you know when), and you will then be able to access their new report, along with any previous achievement information.

We will also provide you with support on how to access the report when the time comes.

Diversity Day

It was wonderful to see our ākonga show up to school as their wonderful selves, just with a little more color today! We are lucky to have such an inclusive and diverse school that celebrates all communities. Our student council were very proud to have raised $360 for Qtopia, an organisation that supports the LGBTQ+ community. Diversity Day was a symbol of recognition of all the different people our Kura has brought together!!


Community Dental Service - Dental Care During the School Holidays

The Community Dental Service will be providing urgent and relief of pain appointments during the school break at:
  • Aranui Community Dental Clinic, 240 Breezes Road, Christchurch
  • Hornby Community Dental Clinic, 2 Hei Hei Road, Christchurch
You can access these appointments by calling our Contact Centre on 0800 846 983.
For any dental advice please call the Contact Centre on 0800 846 983 or email commdental@cdhb.health.nz

Sports News

Congratulations to...

The children in this photo were the inaugural recipients of the 'cricket certificates' that are going to be given out regularly to celebrate great skills and sportsmanship at breaktime cricket that is held on the field each day for Year 5-8 students (weather permitting). Thanks to Kingston for coming up with this great idea to promote cricket behaviour that supports our school values!
Thanks to Paul for his huge enthusiasm for supporting our tamariki in cricket at break times, and to Dave for also lending his support on the days he is here.

Year 5/6 Netball

Any student keen to play netball on Friday afternoon at Hagley courts needs to complete the google form sent out earlier this week OR email carolynaitken1974@gmail.com as soon as possible to allow us to sort teams. There is limited spots so this is only an expression of interest.

BOSCO

If you are looking for AWESOME Easter fun for your kids this holiday – look no further! BOSCO has an exciting April Holiday programme planned, filled with activities to keep all ages entertained so YOU don’t have to. We have Suzie the magnificent performer coming to us, House of Bricks, a dance instructor to teach us a few dance moves and so much more! You will not want to miss out on all our baking, crafts and special days that we have planned like pyjama day, circus day, wizard day and definitely not the BIGGEST EASTER EGG HUNT EVER! So, if this sounds like something you are interested in, email Juanita at office@bosco.org.nz or book online via Aimy Plus. See you there!

Community Notices

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

Cashmere Club

Elements Nature Based Play 

After a crazy term of uncertainty how about having your children active & creative in nature next school holidays.  Think huts, trees, tools, arts n crafts with time and space to be a kid.  Elements has a great mix of planned experiences and play throughout our programmes.  In the April School holidays Elements is offering ‘Natures Challenges’ & ‘Myths n Monsters’, for ages 5-13yrs on a Cashmere farm.
See our website https://www.elementsnature.co.nz/  or facebook page https://www.facebook.com/elementsprogrammes/ to see what we get up to.  Bookings are through https://elements.aimyplus.com 
For more info email elementsprogrammes@gmail.com

Studio One Performing Arts, your local dance school, is currently giving Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary and Acro 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

METHVEN SCARECROW TRAIL

Fantastic, fun, school holiday activity!

The trail begins Saturday April 16th. Maps go on sale at Methven I Hub and for $10 (cash only) and the trail begins at the I Hub.

Don't forget to like the Scarecrow Trail FB page if possible - this is where we post messages and the results - https://www.facebook.com/MethvenScarecrowTrail/

Art Classes for Children

Is your child passionate about art? Would they like to extend their creativity through learning a range of new art skills and techniques? Maybe Kat's holiday painting workshops or after-school art classes are just what you've been looking for. Kat's Art Studio is located at 171 Waltham Rd. Art tutor Katrina is a professional artist and tutor who has over 10yrs experience teaching children art. For more details, please visit www.katsartstudio.co.nz


Snow Gear Sale

This winter St Martins Scouts are having a second-hand snow gear sale to fundraise.

Saturday 7th May 9am-3pm
St Martins Scout Den, 297 Centaurus Road, Christchurch

Come and grab some bargains on skis, snowboards, boots, jackets, pants, gloves, goggles and other winter gear.    If you have gear to sell, bring it along Friday 6th May, 2pm to 6pm.     Either donate it to the group or we'll sell on your behalf for 30% of the sale price.

https://www.smartscouts.co.nz/snow/

Click here to go to the Facebook Event

TIMA - School Holiday Programs for Tamariki and Rangatahi with a disability





Playball

AUDITION NOTICE!!

Luminaires are seeking talented actors, singers, dancers and even cheerleaders for our July 2022 Kidsfest Show - Monty Python's Spamalot Young@Part!!    Ages 8-18

Fill in the online form to register for your audition.    https://forms.gle/59FEvyskBQVYL5nj8

You can follow us on social media for updates:
https://www.facebook.com/LuminairesCharitableTrust
https://www.instagram.com/luminairescharitabletrust/




https://www.canterburyvolleyball.org/school-holiday-programme