Author Archives: Reihana Dougherty

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 18 Aug 2023

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Our staff had a big day on Friday, working with two different teams from the Ministry of Education. In the morning, we were working through a Ministry of Education programme called 'Understanding Behaviour and Responding Safely'. In the afternoon, we were looking at the overview or introduction part of the new Curriculum Refresh.


Over the next 4 years, each of the eight areas of the curriculum will be refreshed. 

Ngā mihi nui

Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

NB: You can find our Community Calendar on our school website. You can embed this calendar into your own digital calendar and stay up-to-date with events and information.


Wed 23 Aug - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Wed 23 Aug - 7:00- PTAG=AGM following by regular meeting - Green Room
Fri 25 Aug - Final day for returning Readathon Money
Fri 25 Aug - 10am Celebration Assembly 
Mon 28 Aug - Year 7/8 Ski Trip
Fri 8 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Thu 14 Sep - am - Year 8 entrance testing at Cashmere High
Fri 15 Sep - School Photos
Wed 20 Sep - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Fri 22 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Fri 22 Sep - 1:45pm Beckenham's Got Talent!
Fri 22 Sep - Final day of Term 3

Term Dates: Click here to view 2023 & 2024 term dates

Citizen of the Week

Lily Hale - Year 4

Lily, you are a shining example of someone who lives our school values on a daily basis. Your effective self-management skills, the kindness you show for your peers along with your willingness to help out around the hub make you a positive role model in the Kōwhai team. Ka pai tō mahi, Lily!

School Notices

Head Lice Treatment - free through your pharmacy

Head lice is able to be supported through the minor ailment services, under Te Whatu Ora, Community Pharmacy Minor Ailments Service.

This means pharmacies can now provide a free consult and offer free treatment for a number of conditions, including head lice.

Our Beckenham Elmer Update 



Our school has signed up to participate in "Elmer's Ōtautahi Elephant Trail" and many of you will have seen our 'undecorated' Elmer sitting in the office. Like the penguin and giraffe trails of previous years, the Elmer project will result in a temporary sculpture trail around Christchurch, then the artists will have their elephants returned to them to display in their local environment. Money will be raised for the Laura Fergusson Trust as a result of the trail.

Students have had input into the choice of a name for our Elmer, and what that name is inspired by

Name: Rainbow Bloom

Inspired by: Growing to your full potential and showing your true colours.

Brief description of sculpture: Rainbow Bloom represents our school values, especially 'We Get There Together: Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe'; inclusivity and how it is OK to be different. Above Rainbow’s diversity socks are a selection of flags from the nationalities at our school. Our school's cultural narrative has strong ties to the Ōpāwaho River, so we have represented this on their trunk. We want Rainbow Bloom to bring a smile to people's faces, even when it is the toughest of days. 

The next step: drafting our design on Elmer!

Kahikatea and Kōwhai Gymnastics

The Kahikatea team enjoyed six sessions of gymnastics at Olympia during Weeks 2, 3, and 4. Tamariki had a great time exploring the various apparatus, including the beam, vault, bars, and trampoline. It was wonderful to see the progress children made during these sessions. A huge thanks to the parents who came along to support us with this!


The Kōwhai team also had a wonderful time during their trips to the Christchurch School of Gymnastic over the past weeks. The instructors were very kind and helpful. The children had lots of fun and completed lots of challenging activities including swing ropes, trampolining, swing bars, balance beams, rolling, foam pit and rock crawl. It was lots of fun!

Before School

Please remember that classrooms are open to children from 8.30am. 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 tamariki off before 8.30am BOSCO provides before-school care. 
Please contact them for more details 
Website  https://www.bosco.org.nz/
Phone 027 645 6632
Email office@bosco.org.nz

Enrol To Vote

The General Election is on 14 October 2023. To vote, you need to be enrolled and your details need to be up to date.

It's easy to enrol, check or update your details online: vote.nz/enrol

More information and additional resources are available on the Electoral Commission's website here: https://vote.nz/2023-general-election/resources/resources-to-share-with-your-community

Sports News

School Duathlon

We are looking forward to our school duathlon next Wednesday afternoon (23rd of August). A group of children will be showing their love of challenge by running and biking around our winter duathlon course. Nau mai te wero! Races will start at 1:40 and finish by 3:00. 

I have attached the course map (linked here) for your reference. 

Ngā mihi
Jenny

Congratulations to...

Coleman and Mirren, who recently competed again for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and managed to secure another gold medal each. This was a huge milestone as it was an in house competition against their friends and also their competitors who are a whole belt grade above, so very tricky. We are super proud of them managing a gold and showing their progression and love for the sport. It's also great experience for their Gold Coast championships in November.

Ka mau te wehi Coleman & Mirren! Fantastic work.

PTA News

We are holding our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 23rd August at 7pm in the staff room. This meeting is open to all. It will be followed by our regular monthly hui, all welcome and the more the merrier! 

Thank you to everyone who has returned their readathon cards and sponsorship! Don’t forget to return those readathon forms next week to collect a fabulous bookmark, as well as go in the draw to win a Paper Tree voucher. We will be around before school again next week (Monday to Thursday). The voucher winners will be drawn at assembly on Friday 25th August so get those forms back to us please!

You are welcome to pay online to the PTA Bank Account: 12-3148-0244558-000

BOT Update

Policy Review

From time to time we ask you to review one of our policies that come up on our review cycle. A policy for whānau review is the Māori Educational Success, and the Inclusive Education policy. You will find it under Current Review on School Docs at this link. 

The login details are:
Username: Beckenham  Password: pride 

Instructions for reviewers:

Follow the link to the policy.
Read the policy.
Click the 'Start Review' icon at the right-hand top corner of the page. A new screen will appear.
Select your role (board member, staff member, or parent/caregiver) from the drop-down list.
Enter your name (optional).
Submit your ratings and comments.
If you don't have internet access, school office staff can easily provide you with printed copies of the policy and the review form. 

Helplines: 

1737 - free text and phone counselling 24/7 
Youthline – 0800 376 633 or free text 234 
Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 or free text 4202
Anxiety New Zealand - 0800 269 4389
What's Up – 0800 942 8787 (5–18 year olds).
thelowdown.co.nz –or email team@thelowdown.co.nz or free text 5626

Community Notices

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

Beckenham Tennis Club



Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 11 Aug 2023

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Whilst it was still frosty, it was lovely to see the sun yesterday, to lift the experience of Book Character Day! I know that teams are likely to share photos through their team newsletters... below are three Witches in a Cherry Tree...! it was really great to see so many children and families engaging with the fun of Book Character Day, and I know that the PTA collected in lots of fundraising forms from the Readathon yesterday too. Please keep these coming in over the next two weeks. The PTA will have a prize draw for each year level, at Celebration Assembly in two weeks, so you have until 9am Friday 25th August to get that fundraising back in.

School Closed - Friday 18 August

Remember that SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED this coming Friday, 18th August for a Staff Only Day. Our staff will be undertaking two pieces of Professional Development with support from staff from the Ministry of Education. The first part of the day will be UBRS training - Understanding Behaviour and Responding Safely. The second part of the day will be looking at the new Curriculum Refresh document 'Te Mātaiaho' and unpacking this together. 

Te Mātaiaho | the refreshed NZ curriculum is designed to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and be inclusive, clear, and easy to use.

It has been developed over the last two years in collaboration with the education sector, ākonga and their whānau, communities, and a wide range of interested organisations and communities.

The final draft of Te Mātaiaho is expected to be released in Term 3, 2023, and it will include the three refreshed learning areas which have been released so far: te ao tangata | social sciences, English, and mathematics and statistics.

The other five learning areas are being refreshed, and will be released in 2024 and 2025. Schools and kura have until 2027 to begin using the complete refreshed curriculum.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

NB: You can find our Community Calendar on our school website. You can embed this calendar into your own digital calendar and stay up-to-date with events and information.

Mon 14 - Thu 17 Aug - Cantamath Display viewing in Kōmanawa - from 3-3:30pm
Fri 18 Aug - School Closed - Staff Only Day
Wed 23 Aug - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Wed 23 Aug - 7:30pm - PTA meeting - Staffroom
Fri 25 Aug - Final day for returning Readathon Money
Fri 25 Aug - 10am Celebration Assembly 
Mon 28 Aug - Year 7/8 Ski Trip
Fri 8 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Thu 14 Sep - am - Year 8 entrance testing at Cashmere High
Fri 15 Sep - School Photos
Wed 20 Sep - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Fri 22 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Fri 22 Sep - 1:45pm Beckenham's Got Talent!
Fri 22 Sep - Final day of Term 3

Term Dates: Click here to view 2023 & 2024 term dates

Citizen of the Week

Finn Breitmeyer - Year 7

Finn, you exemplify our school values in your daily actions at kura. You bring such enthusiasm towards your learning through inquiring questions, insightful contributions and focused mahi. You are a strong team player on the sports field and a loyal friend to many. You bring reliability to your leadership positions and earn the respect of peers and staff alike. 

School Notices

Student Council Talent Show...

On Friday22nd September, the the last Friday of this term, the Student Council will be hosting "Beckenham's Got Talent!" Leading up to this, each hub will hold a mini-final, where 2 finalists will go through to the school event on the last day of term! Since Kowhai have more children than the other hubs, they will have 3 finalists. Only 5 people per performing group. Please encourage your children to practice an act with their friends. Let the talent begin!!!

A big thank you... 

... to all the whānau who completed our recent science survey. We had an amazing 84 responses! Your thoughts, along with the student surveys, staff surveys, observations of student learning and analysis of teacher planning, will help inform our current review and development of science learning at our school.
Charlotte Verity

School Duathlon

Our school duathlon will be on Wednesday the 23rd of August. It will take place in the afternoon. 

This is an optional event for Year 5 to 8 students. It involves both running and cycling and is considered an endurance event. If your child has an interest in these kinds of events and is looking for a challenge, they can enter the event through a Google form, which will be shared next week. 

The running component is approximately 2 km and the cycling is approximately 1 km. 

Each year we ask for parent help to support us with the running of the event. This usually involves marshalling on the course. There will be a Google form going out via Hero to gather the names of people who can help out. 

Learning across the Teams

DigiFest - engaging with Aotearoa NZ Histories through Technology...

Our Kāhui Āko (local cluster of schools) have put together an opportunity for groups of learners and staff to engage with new parts of our curriculum using technology. This week, groups of Year 5-8 learners went to St Mark's School with teachers and worked with digital technology facilitator, Wilj Dekkers, from ImpactEd.


This coming week, on Tuesday and Wednesday,,. groups of children from Years 1-4 across our Kāhui Āko will be engaging with digital technology at Beckenham in our hall, again supported by Wilj. This is a wonderful opportunity for our teachers to engage in professional learning with other teachers, and to learn alongside our tamariki.

Cantamaths - Year 7&8

This term, as part of their Mathematics learning, our Year 7&8 students have been engaging with Cantamath individual challenges. These were all completed this week, and have been set up in Kōmanawa for viewing next week. There are some AMAZING investigations, games, mathematical artworks and explanations of complex mathematical thinking that have been produced. 

All whānau are welcome to visit Kōmanawa, with their children, to enjoy the display over the coming week, after school each day from Monday to Thursday. If you have children in Year 5 & 6 this year, we particularly encourage you to visit with them as they will be participating in this programme next year.

PTA News

Congratulations on all the great reading that’s been going on over the past two weeks.  Come and choose a bookmark to reward your hard work! The PTA will be at school on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings before the bell to collect sponsorship money and give out bookmarks. You can also pay sponsorship money directly into the PTA account.    

Helplines: 

1737 - free text and phone counselling 24/7 
Youthline – 0800 376 633 or free text 234 
Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 or free text 4202
Anxiety New Zealand - 0800 269 4389
What's Up – 0800 942 8787 (5–18 year olds).
thelowdown.co.nz –or email team@thelowdown.co.nz or free text 5626

Community Notices

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

Chinese Art competition 2023

This art competition is a joint venture by the Christchurch branch of the NZ China Friendship Society and Harcourts Gold Spitfire. It follows on from the highly successful initial competition last year. The theme of this year’s competition is ‘Happy Chinese New Year’. We are running the same competition this year but with more sections and more prizes (see the poster above). 

AKOTECH CodeCamps October School Holidays - FREE PRIZE & EARLY DISCOUNTS

Our holiday camp allows children from the ages of 7-12 to develop 21st century skills in a fun and action packed environment. Create and train your own AI Avatars, make games, code drones & go to work for a simulated Tech Gaming Studio to build games for a big client.  

Develop confidence & initiative through design, creativity, solving problems, presenting & collaboration. Create your own games, worlds and apps to make our world a better place.
We also have Literati Lab just for girls, which includes AI Art & Animation. 
Enter our competition to win a FREE 4 day pass to one of our CodeCamps

St Margarets College: 25th - 28th September & 5th - 8th October
Book Now at www.akotech.nz
Competition: www.codecamp.co.nz/competition
EarlyBird Save Up to 21% Until 25th Aug
Siblings Save 6%


Seeking orchestra musicians - Luminaires Charitable Trust

We are on the search for great volunteer musicians to play in our orchestra.
Luminaires Charitable Trust is a fairly new entity in which we focus on supporting young people in the performing arts. Our shows to date have been Spamalot Young@Part (July 2022) and Heathers the Musical, Teen Edition (April 2023). We are currently in rehearsal for an original children’s show, Beauty Within the Beast, which plays October 5-8th at the McCombs Performing Arts Centre at
Cashmere High School.
The story tells of a battle between the fairies of winter and spring, in which a young non-binary princess gets caught up in their war and is transformed into a beast. And so the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast is told with many twists along the way.
The score is an original score written 25 years ago for a predominantly youth orchestra. Therefore we are open to a mix of young players as well as adult musicians.

The orchestra is comprised of Flutes I&II, Oboe, Clarinets B flat I&II, Bassoon, Trumpets B flat I&II, Trombone, Tuba, Percussion (chimes, triangle, tambourine, cymbal, woodblock, maracas), drum kit, tuned percussion (xylophone, glockenspiel, tubular bells, chime bars), piano and strings.

We would sincerely appreciate you passing this onto anyone you think may be interested.
We ask that interested musicians please email luminairescharitabletrust@gmail.com outlining your preferred instruments and a brief outline of your experience by Sunday 20th August.

Nga mihi nui,
Franc Bol (Producer / Director)
021666921


The General Election is on 14 October 2023. To vote, you need to be enrolled and your details need to be up to date.

It's easy to enrol, check or update your details online: vote.nz/enrol

More information and additional resources are available on the Electoral Commission's website here: https://vote.nz/2023-general-election/resources/resources-to-share-with-your-community

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 11 Aug 2023

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Whilst it was still frosty, it was lovely to see the sun yesterday, to lift the experience of Book Character Day! I know that teams are likely to share photos through their team newsletters... below are three Witches in a Cherry Tree...! it was really great to see so many children and families engaging with the fun of Book Character Day, and I know that the PTA collected in lots of fundraising forms from the Readathon yesterday too. Please keep these coming in over the next two weeks. The PTA will have a prize draw for each year level, at Celebration Assembly in two weeks, so you have until 9am Friday 25th August to get that fundraising back in.

School Closed - Friday 18 August

Remember that SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED this coming Friday, 18th August for a Staff Only Day. Our staff will be undertaking two pieces of Professional Development with support from staff from the Ministry of Education. The first part of the day will be UBRS training - Understanding Behaviour and Responding Safely. The second part of the day will be looking at the new Curriculum Refresh document 'Te Mātaiaho' and unpacking this together. 

Te Mātaiaho | the refreshed NZ curriculum is designed to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and be inclusive, clear, and easy to use.

It has been developed over the last two years in collaboration with the education sector, ākonga and their whānau, communities, and a wide range of interested organisations and communities.

The final draft of Te Mātaiaho is expected to be released in Term 3, 2023, and it will include the three refreshed learning areas which have been released so far: te ao tangata | social sciences, English, and mathematics and statistics.

The other five learning areas are being refreshed, and will be released in 2024 and 2025. Schools and kura have until 2027 to begin using the complete refreshed curriculum.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

NB: You can find our Community Calendar on our school website. You can embed this calendar into your own digital calendar and stay up-to-date with events and information.

Mon 14 - Thu 17 Aug - Cantamath Display viewing in Kōmanawa - from 3-3:30pm
Fri 18 Aug - School Closed - Staff Only Day
Wed 23 Aug - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Wed 23 Aug - 7:30pm - PTA meeting - Staffroom
Fri 25 Aug - Final day for returning Readathon Money
Fri 25 Aug - 10am Celebration Assembly 
Mon 28 Aug - Year 7/8 Ski Trip
Fri 8 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Thu 14 Sep - am - Year 8 entrance testing at Cashmere High
Fri 15 Sep - School Photos
Wed 20 Sep - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Fri 22 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Fri 22 Sep - 1:45pm Beckenham's Got Talent!
Fri 22 Sep - Final day of Term 3

Term Dates: Click here to view 2023 & 2024 term dates

Citizen of the Week

Finn Breitmeyer - Year 7

Finn, you exemplify our school values in your daily actions at kura. You bring such enthusiasm towards your learning through inquiring questions, insightful contributions and focused mahi. You are a strong team player on the sports field and a loyal friend to many. You bring reliability to your leadership positions and earn the respect of peers and staff alike. 

School Notices

Student Council Talent Show...

On Friday22nd September, the the last Friday of this term, the Student Council will be hosting "Beckenham's Got Talent!" Leading up to this, each hub will hold a mini-final, where 2 finalists will go through to the school event on the last day of term! Since Kowhai have more children than the other hubs, they will have 3 finalists. Only 5 people per performing group. Please encourage your children to practice an act with their friends. Let the talent begin!!!

A big thank you... 

... to all the whānau who completed our recent science survey. We had an amazing 84 responses! Your thoughts, along with the student surveys, staff surveys, observations of student learning and analysis of teacher planning, will help inform our current review and development of science learning at our school.
Charlotte Verity

School Duathlon

Our school duathlon will be on Wednesday the 23rd of August. It will take place in the afternoon. 

This is an optional event for Year 5 to 8 students. It involves both running and cycling and is considered an endurance event. If your child has an interest in these kinds of events and is looking for a challenge, they can enter the event through a Google form, which will be shared next week. 

The running component is approximately 2 km and the cycling is approximately 1 km. 

Each year we ask for parent help to support us with the running of the event. This usually involves marshalling on the course. There will be a Google form going out via Hero to gather the names of people who can help out. 

Learning across the Teams

DigiFest - engaging with Aotearoa NZ Histories through Technology...

Our Kāhui Āko (local cluster of schools) have put together an opportunity for groups of learners and staff to engage with new parts of our curriculum using technology. This week, groups of Year 5-8 learners went to St Mark's School with teachers and worked with digital technology facilitator, Wilj Dekkers, from ImpactEd.


This coming week, on Tuesday and Wednesday,,. groups of children from Years 1-4 across our Kāhui Āko will be engaging with digital technology at Beckenham in our hall, again supported by Wilj. This is a wonderful opportunity for our teachers to engage in professional learning with other teachers, and to learn alongside our tamariki.

Cantamaths - Year 7&8

This term, as part of their Mathematics learning, our Year 7&8 students have been engaging with Cantamath individual challenges. These were all completed this week, and have been set up in Kōmanawa for viewing next week. There are some AMAZING investigations, games, mathematical artworks and explanations of complex mathematical thinking that have been produced. 

All whānau are welcome to visit Kōmanawa, with their children, to enjoy the display over the coming week, after school each day from Monday to Thursday. If you have children in Year 5 & 6 this year, we particularly encourage you to visit with them as they will be participating in this programme next year.

PTA News

Congratulations on all the great reading that’s been going on over the past two weeks.  Come and choose a bookmark to reward your hard work! The PTA will be at school on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings before the bell to collect sponsorship money and give out bookmarks. You can also pay sponsorship money directly into the PTA account.    

Helplines: 

1737 - free text and phone counselling 24/7 
Youthline – 0800 376 633 or free text 234 
Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 or free text 4202
Anxiety New Zealand - 0800 269 4389
What's Up – 0800 942 8787 (5–18 year olds).
thelowdown.co.nz –or email team@thelowdown.co.nz or free text 5626

Community Notices

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

Chinese Art competition 2023

This art competition is a joint venture by the Christchurch branch of the NZ China Friendship Society and Harcourts Gold Spitfire. It follows on from the highly successful initial competition last year. The theme of this year’s competition is ‘Happy Chinese New Year’. We are running the same competition this year but with more sections and more prizes (see the poster above). 

AKOTECH CodeCamps October School Holidays - FREE PRIZE & EARLY DISCOUNTS

Our holiday camp allows children from the ages of 7-12 to develop 21st century skills in a fun and action packed environment. Create and train your own AI Avatars, make games, code drones & go to work for a simulated Tech Gaming Studio to build games for a big client.  

Develop confidence & initiative through design, creativity, solving problems, presenting & collaboration. Create your own games, worlds and apps to make our world a better place.
We also have Literati Lab just for girls, which includes AI Art & Animation. 
Enter our competition to win a FREE 4 day pass to one of our CodeCamps

St Margarets College: 25th - 28th September & 5th - 8th October
Book Now at www.akotech.nz
Competition: www.codecamp.co.nz/competition
EarlyBird Save Up to 21% Until 25th Aug
Siblings Save 6%


Seeking orchestra musicians - Luminaires Charitable Trust

We are on the search for great volunteer musicians to play in our orchestra.
Luminaires Charitable Trust is a fairly new entity in which we focus on supporting young people in the performing arts. Our shows to date have been Spamalot Young@Part (July 2022) and Heathers the Musical, Teen Edition (April 2023). We are currently in rehearsal for an original children’s show, Beauty Within the Beast, which plays October 5-8th at the McCombs Performing Arts Centre at
Cashmere High School.
The story tells of a battle between the fairies of winter and spring, in which a young non-binary princess gets caught up in their war and is transformed into a beast. And so the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast is told with many twists along the way.
The score is an original score written 25 years ago for a predominantly youth orchestra. Therefore we are open to a mix of young players as well as adult musicians.

The orchestra is comprised of Flutes I&II, Oboe, Clarinets B flat I&II, Bassoon, Trumpets B flat I&II, Trombone, Tuba, Percussion (chimes, triangle, tambourine, cymbal, woodblock, maracas), drum kit, tuned percussion (xylophone, glockenspiel, tubular bells, chime bars), piano and strings.

We would sincerely appreciate you passing this onto anyone you think may be interested.
We ask that interested musicians please email luminairescharitabletrust@gmail.com outlining your preferred instruments and a brief outline of your experience by Sunday 20th August.

Nga mihi nui,
Franc Bol (Producer / Director)
021666921


The General Election is on 14 October 2023. To vote, you need to be enrolled and your details need to be up to date.

It's easy to enrol, check or update your details online: vote.nz/enrol

More information and additional resources are available on the Electoral Commission's website here: https://vote.nz/2023-general-election/resources/resources-to-share-with-your-community

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 4 Aug 2023

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

A huge 'Thank you' to the PTA and whānau who gave their time to make the four discos happen! Running four, back-to-back discos is no mean feat and takes a considerable amount of organisation and support. The events were clearly successful, and enjoyed and appreciated very much by our children.

Sandwich Road Water Leak



As those of you who use the front entrance to the school will be aware, we have had major, ongoing issues with a water leak at the crossing point for over 18 months. The issue appeared to have been repaired during the May holidays, then returned again during the July break. Over the past three weeks, Richard Scott and I have been in almost daily contact with the council as the leak has become worse and worse. Below is a message from Tim Drennan regarding this leak and the plan for repairing it:

Firstly, thank you to the school community and residents for their patience with ongoing water leaks in the area. There have been several leaks that have caused disruption, both on the road and within the school grounds.  

We have repaired a number of leaks in this area over the past few months. However, we are aware the current leak has got worse over the last few days.  We had undertaken a temporary repair on this leak in the past and had hoped that it would last until we were able to do a full replacement of the water pipe. The replacement is scheduled to happen in October this year.  

The current leak is on one of the major mains that supplies water to the reservoirs on the Port Hills and surrounding area.  The water supply for the school does not come off this main.

From 8pm, Friday 4 August, one-way traffic management will be in place on Sandwich Road so we can begin the repair. Spare parts are not available locally and need to be sourced from Auckland given the age of the pipe. The repair will be completed on Tuesday 8 August and traffic management will remain in place until then.

This is a temporary repair, and we are hopeful that this will be enough to get us through until the replacement is in place.  

We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming days and weeks.

Again, thank you for your patience.

Ngā mihi
Tim Drennan
Manager Service Excellence 
Three Waters



As you can see from the photo above taken on Friday evening, the repair has started to happen. Please be aware that Sandwich Road will have traffic management in place on Monday and Tuesday, so consider walking, biking or parking away from Sandwich Road if you can on those days.

Sickness and keeping sick children at home

Already this term we have seen a series of colds, flu, tummy bugs and a small amount of Covid at school. We can see that these bugs do spread through a home group or a team very quickly so please keep children at home if they are unwell, and make sure that phone or email the office to let us know why they will be away. Thank you!

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

NB You can find our Community Calendar on our school website. You can embed this calendar into your own digital calendar and stay up-to-date with events and information.

Fri 11 Aug  - Book Character Day - final day of Readathon
Fri 11 Aug - 10am Celebration Assembly
Fri 18 Aug - School Closed - Staff Only Day
Wed 23 Aug - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Wed 23 Aug - 7:30pm - PTA meeting - Staffroom
Fri 25 Aug - Final day for returning Readathon Money
Fri 25 Aug - 10am Celebration Assembly 
Fri 8 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Thu 14 Sep - am - Year 8 entrance testing at Cashmere High
Fri 15 Sep - School Photos
Wed 20 Sep - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Fri 22 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Fri 22 Sep - Final day of Term 3

Term Dates: Click here to view 2023 & 2024 term dates

Citizen of the Week

Lukas O'Connor - Year 6

Lukas, you brighten up the hub with your vibrant smile. You are a helpful student who demonstrates our school values of 'We Care' and 'We Love Learning' on a daily basis. Your kind and caring nature is enjoyed by many. We appreciate you everyday! Ka rawe, Lukas! 

School Notices

Readathon and Book Character Day

Remember to get those reading minutes in each day & added to your tamariki Readathon forms!

 A reminder that the last day of the Readathon is this coming Friday the 11th of August, which is also Book Character Day! We look forward to seeing everyone coming to school dressed as their favourite book character. 
All Readathon money needs to be in by 9am on Friday 25th August, and the PTA will announce spot prize winners in assembly on that day (rather than Friday 11th as stated on the reqadathon card).

Cross Country Challenge

At the end of last term, the top-placed students in our Year 0-4 cross country event had the opportunity to take part in the Cross Country Challenge which is held at Hillview Christian School every year. There were many other schools participating which added to the excitement of the whole occasion. Luckily, the rain held off and the children successfully took part in their cross-country races, putting every effort into doing their best. It was fantastic to see the determination on everyone’s faces as they strove to get to the finish line. Well done to you all!

Following the races, the children then attended an award ceremony followed by a delicious afternoon tea. It really was a fantastic experience for our tamariki.

Free Broadband - Supporting Students To Learn

The Ciena Jump for Students Fund can now be accessed through selected local libraries. 

To be eligible, there needs to be cell tower capacity (mobile coverage) at the home address. If the home address is available, your details will be sent to the Christchurch City Libraries by GCSN, and a librarian will contact you when a modem is available to collect. A GCSN co-ordinator is available to support whānau through the process if needed.

The Ciena Jump for Students Fund offers a free modem and 210GB monthly data until the end of this school year.  For more information on the Ciena Jump For Students Fund, please visit https://www.skinny.co.nz/jump/ciena/

Helplines 

1737 - free text and phone counselling 24/7 
Youthline – 0800 376 633 or free text 234 
Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 or free text 4202
Anxiety New Zealand - 0800 269 4389
What's Up – 0800 942 8787 (5–18 year olds)
thelowdown.co.nz –or email team@thelowdown.co.nz or free text 5626

Community Notices

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

“If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart. I'll stay there forever.”
― A.A. Milne
Tickets can be purchased via Ticketek: https://premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/show.aspx?sh=POOHBEAR23


The Mainland Pouākai want you to be a part of the action this year as they take the floor in what will be an exciting season. For the games listed below, we are offering your school an exclusive 10% discount on tickets which will be a great night out for the whole family!  Get yours your tickets today!

Mainland Pouākai vs Northern Kahu Home Game - Sunday 20th August, 3:00pm at Cowles Stadium


Mainland Pouākai vs Whai Home Game - Sunday 27th August, 3:00pm at Cowles Stadium


If you are interested in purchasing tickets to other home games, please click the link:


School Newsletter, Friday 28 July, 2023

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

With Week 2 now finished, Term 3 is well underway! 

Thank you all for your patience with the muddy and wet state of our front entrance area on Sandwich Road. We have been in urgent communication with the council about the leak that has sprung up once again next to the crossing, and I see that yesterday the area was fenced off, so hopefully they have managed to sort that issue.

Richard Scott (Board of Trustees) and I recently met with representatives from the City Council to discuss options at our front entrance to extend the bike storage area and to make improvements to the 'grass' that is currently 'mud' at the main entrance. These conversations have proved to be very positive so far, so we are hoping to be able to get permission to make some positive changes here in the very near future.

Readathon

Hopefully everyone is well underway with their reading and their collecting of sponsorship. There are two more weeks of the Readathon, culminating in Book Character Day on Friday 11th August where children (and adults) can come to school dressed as their favourite book character. The PTA and the school appreciate your support of this fundraiser as it is a major part of the PTA's annual fundraising, and all PTA funds are used to support the school in a range of different ways.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

NB You can find our Community Calendar on our school website. You can choose to embed this calendar into your own digital calendar and stay up-to-date with events and information.

Tue 1 Aug - 7:00 - 8:00pm - Year 7/8 Open Evening
Wed 2 Aug - Keeping Ourselves Safe - Parent information session 2-3pm Staffroom
Fri 4 Aug- PTA Discos - see below for details
Fri 11 Aug  - Book Character Day - final day of Readathon
Fri 11 Aug - 10am Celebration Assembly
Fri 18 Aug - School Closed - Staff Only Day
Wed 23 Aug - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Wed 23 Aug - 7:30pm - PTA meeting - Staffroom
Fri 25 Aug - Final day for returning Readathon Money
Fri 25 Aug - 10am Celebration Assembly 
Fri 8 Sep - 10 am Celebration Assembly
Thu 14 Sep - am - Year 8 entrance testing at Cashmere High
Fri 15 Sep - School Photos
Wed 20 Sep - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Fri 22 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Fri 22 Sep - final day of Term 3

Term Dates: Click here to view 2023 & 2024 term dates

Citizen of the Week

Maya Pauley - Year 7

Maya, you are such a bouncy and enthusiastic ray of sunshine in the Kauri Hub. You love to embrace challenge and ask questions to ensure your success across the curriculum. Thank you for being such a kind and caring individual who looks out for others and makes a difference. Tino pai Maya!

School Notices

Keeping Ourselves Safe programme and Parent Information Session

From 7th August the New Entrant to Year 6 teams will be teaching the personal safety programme by New Zealand Police - Keeping Ourselves Safe. Years 7/8 will be doing a combination of the 'Keeping Ourselves Safe' and Choices' programmes. We cover this programme every two years as part of our Health curriculum. 
Parents and whānau are strongly encouraged to support Keeping Ourselves Safe.
You can:
  • attend a meeting at school to find out more about Keeping Ourselves Safe on Wednesday 2 August at 2.15 pm in the staffroom
  • find out about abuse and what to do if you think a child you know is being abused
  • talk to your child about what they have learnt in Keeping Ourselves Safe.
  • set safety guidelines with your family
  • help young children with the Keeping Ourselves Safe activities they bring home
  • give the same safety messages as the school is giving
  • look at the whānau section of NZ Police Keeping Ourselves Safe for more information and frequently asked questions
More information about the programme can be found on our school website

Help Needed

Are You a Welder?

We have a basketball hoop outside Koru that needs to be modified so our students can use it.
If you have welding skills that you are able to offer us we would love to hear from you.  A small piece of metal will be required to make the modification - we are happy to pay for this.
Please contact Tony Lee, our caretaker, or Jacky in the office.

Flag Fixer - sewer needed

As you will be aware we fly a flag every school day as part of our acknowledgement of the different nationalities and cultures represented within our school.
Some of these flags (14 in total) are beginning to show signs of wear and tear, specifically around the holes where the flagpole string goes.
We are looking for someone who is able and keen to sew a small patch over the holes that no longer have an eylet / metal ring on them.  This will enable another sewer, who has already volunteered, to put a buttonhole in this area and thus extend the life of the flag.
Please contact the office if you are able to offer your help with this flag fix-up! office@beckenham.school.nz, or 3371404.

Staff Profiles

At the end of Term 2, we welcomed Denise Colville to our staff, working as a Teaching Assistant in the Koru, New Entrant Team. Denise is a trained teacher from Germany and we are delighted to have her skills in our team, as she waits for her New Zealand teacher registration to be confirmed.

Student Council News

This term the Student Council are running "Kete Value Fridays". Each Friday there will be activities for the students to take part in. 



  • Last week we made Thank You cards and bird feeders to show We Care
  • This Friday the activity that we are running is an obstacle course on the left side of the hall presuming the weather is suitable. This will represent We Love Challenge. 
  • Next week (Week 3) is going to be We Love Learning, and we will teach origami. 
  • We won't run an activity in Week 4 because of Book Character Day. 
  • Week 5 will be We Make a Difference, the activity we will run is a school rubbish raid. 
  • In Week 6, for We Get There Together, we will run a doodle wall. 
Please encourage your child to participate - We Get There Together!

PTA News

It's Disco Time!

Get your dancing shoes on, as the PTA Disco will be happening next Friday, 4th August.
Entry by Gold coin donation.
NE/Y1/2 children will each be given a scoop of popcorn and there will be no other snack sales available.
Y3-8 Discos will have the option of purchasing popcorn or chips, priced between 50c and $2



Community Notices

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

Information regarding new Metro bus fares.

On 1 July the fares on Greater Christchurch public transport, buses and ferry, changed. The 50% fare discount funded by the government has now ceased. Environment Canterbury have now implemented a new fare structure with some exciting changes.

Single zone – all metro buses are a single zone. The same fare is now charged wherever you board or disembark in Greater Christchurch.
Cash fares are $4/adult and $2/child (under 19)
Metrocard bus concessions are $1. These apply for people under 25yrs as well as people with a Community Services card, a Total Mobility card or who attended a partnering Tertiary provider. For more information see - https://www.metroinfo.co.nz/travel-and-fares-info/new-fares-from-1-july-2023/
 
What do your students need to know?

Your date of birth on your Metrocard activates the ‘Under 25’ concession. If a student paid child fares on their Metrocard pre-July , they will receive this  concession automatically.
All other Metrocard benefits such as free transfers and capping remain
 
What about free fares for under 13 yrs that the Government announced?
Canterbury has not yet implemented free fares for under 13yrs. We will be providing an update of the timing of this when details are confirmed.