Kia ora whānau, 

Below is IMPORTANT INFORMATION about two upcoming events for the Year 3/4 students. Both of these events require parent help so please read through all the information and respond to the survey. 

Please make sure you fill in the form at the end about the Noho Kura - EVERY family needs to fill this out, whether you plan for your child to attend or not. 

Rapaki Marae Trip - Monday 30th November/Tuesday 1st December

We are excited to be able to provide our students with the opportunity to visit Rāpaki Marae in Week 8 of Term 4. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about te reo Māori language, customs (tikanga), games (kēmu) and songs (waiata), the history of Rāpaki Marae and the ecology of Horomaka, Banks Peninsula. We will explore both the Marae and the surrounding stone beach, banks and rocky areas. 

The key dates are as follows: 

Monday 30th November: Laura and Rowe’s homegroups 

Tuesday 1st December: Nick and Tracey’s homegroups and Kahikatea Yr 3 students

We are currently seeking parent helpers for these two dates. Parent helpers are welcome to join us on the bus or take their own car. You do need to be available for the day. No preschoolers, please. If you are available to assist, please email your home room teacher asap. 

We are also seeking someone who would be willing to be our Kaikaranga and Kaikorero during the pōwhiri at the marae. In the past, we have had a parent who is versed in the protocols around this and who is happy to take on this responsibility for us. We would love it if you felt you could do this for us. 

For the trip, your child will need to wear and/or have:

• school uniform
• sturdy, comfortable footwear
• a windproof jacket which they can carry in their bag
• healthy, substantial morning tea and lunch
• named water bottle

Please note there will be no postponement day if the weather is unsuitable. An email message will be sent out at 8am on the day, if the trip is being cancelled.

Many thanks for the help and support, 

Year 3/4 Teachers

laura.williamson@beckenham.school.nz  rowena.barker@beckenham.school.nz

nick.bruce@beckenham.school.nz     tracey.maloney@beckenham.school.nz

jules.may@beckenham.school.nz                     amber.donovan@beckenham.school.nz 

Noho Kura - Friday 4th December 5:30pm - Saturday 5th December 9-9:30am

We are excited to be able to provide our students with the chance to have an optional Noho Kura (school sleepover) on Friday the 4th of December 2020. 

Please read the information below and then fill in this form. EVERY family will need to fill this in whether your child will attend or not. 

There will be school as usual on that Friday, but then at 5:30 p.m. children can all return to school with what they need for the night. We will have a BBQ dinner, play some games, have supper and then settle down to sleep in the Tahaki Hub. In the morning we will all have breakfast together, after which you need  to take your child home - between  9-9.30am. If your child has specific dietary requirements, please note that on the reply form. 

Here are some details of our noho kura:

Please collect your child after school, and bring them back to school at 5:30 p.m.

Children won’t need a change of clothes - when they get up on Saturday morning they can put their Friday clothes back on.

What to bring:

• Pyjamas
• Slippers or socks
• Sleeping bag and/or duvet
• Pillow
• Teddy bear, cuddly or favourite soft toy
• Facecloth, hairbrush/comb
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Something to sleep on (a small mattress/camping bed etc)

We would love you to help us – it’s going to be lots of fun!! We will need some parent volunteers to come early to organise the BBQ and help get the hub organised for sleeping. Please indicate on the response form if you are able to help. If you offer to help overnight, we will be making contact closer to the sleepover night to organise a meeting and discuss possible areas of responsibility (for example, organising supper).

We are also seeking someone who would be willing to give a karakia on the Friday evening, including welcoming everyone and blessing our event. In the past, we have had a parent who is versed in the protocols around holding a noho and who is happy to take on this responsibility for us. We would love it if you felt you could do this for us. Please fill in the form to let us know if you are able to help – please don’t be offended if you offer and we have already filled the role!

If you child would like to come along for dinner and games and then go home then they are more than welcome. Please indicate that on the form. Be assured that we shall be prepared for every contingency. If you would like to discuss any concerns you or your child may have, please do talk to your child’s teacher.

Please remember to fill in this form with information about your child attending the Noho Kura. 

Thank you for your continued support, 

The Year 3/4 Teachers

 Kia ora whānau, 

We have had a wonderful two weeks of learning Swimsafe skills at Pioneer Pools. The children have thoroughly enjoyed learning new skills, and it has been great to watch their confidence in the water grow. Thanks again to those parents who have helped us over these last two weeks. 

We are still planning on visiting the Rapaki Marae on 30th of November and 1st of December during the day. Due to a variety of factors out of our control, the sleepover part of the marae will no longer go ahead. 

We know that many of the children were looking forward to the sleepover part of our marae visit so we have decided instead to have a Noho Kura (sleepover at school) on the night of Friday the 4th of December. This will involve the Year 3 and 4 students spending the night at school, having a BBQ dinner here and sleeping either in the hall or in our hubs. We will have breakfast the next day and your children will be ready to pick up by 9.30 in the morning. 

We will be needing  parent volunteers to help us cook a BBQ and organise dinner on the night and will send out more information about the organisation around the Noho Kura in the next week. 

Athletics Day 

 Kia ora, 

Tomorrow (the 30th October) we have our Athletics Day. 

The Kōwhai timetable is as follows:

11:00-12:15ish - Athletics rotation of Discus, Relays, Shotput and High Jump.

2:00ish - Sprint finals (Yr 5 up - Kōwhai to watch)

2:40ish - House Relays 

Be Sun Smart

The weather tomorrow looks like a sunny day and we will be outside for much of the day. It is really important that your child has their sun hat and has sunscreen on from the beginning of the day. We will have sunscreen at school for them to reapply throughout the day.

Uniform

Children may choose to wear their house shirt or their red polo. 

They may wear their choice of leggings/shorts. Black is preferred. 

Please make sure that children come to school in footwear appropriate for sports, (running shoes are ideal). 

Parent Help

We are still looking for parent help for Friday. Please email Jenny jenny.diggle@beckenham.school.nz  if you are available. 

Kia ora, 

Next Tuesday Year 1-4 start our Swimsafe program at Pioneer pool for the next two weeks. 

Your child will need to bring the following for the Weeks 3 and 4 of this term. 

1) Togs (no bikinis please)

2) Clean dry towel

3) A  named suitably sized swimming bag (this will need to fit their shoes and their uniform in it while they are swimming)

4) Fitted goggles 

Caps are not required but can be worn by preference. We encourage anyone with long hair to please have it tied back. 

Please make sure you name all  your child's belongings clearly. 

Parent Help

Thank you to all those whanau who have volunteered to help support the children at the pool. This will require whanau meeting us at the pool because the buses are very full already. Buses will depart school at 

Year 1/2: 11:45

Year 3/4: 12:45

Please meet us at the pool at the following times:

Year 1/2: 12:00

Year 3/4: 1pm 

You role is to assist students as they are changing into and out of their togs. This is a supervising role. We are encouraging children to be independent as they change. The routine for changing is everything comes out of their bag, shoes go into the empty bag, then each piece must go into the bag as they take it off, so that the children come out of the changing room with a bag full of their own clothes, and in their hands they have their towels and googles. 

Here are the following parents who volunteered to help and the days that they can help on. 

Please let Laura (Year 3/4) or Amber (Year1/2) know urgently if you are unable to help on one of these days. We would like a minimum of 4 parent helpers per session. As you can see some days there are many more helpers which is great, and on some days we only have 4 so we need to know that you will available to help. 

Year 3/4 - contact laura.williamson@beckenham.school if you are unable to help on these days.