Category Archives: Weekly Newsletters

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 27 May, 2022

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

What a frosty start it was today, and what a lovely day it turned into!


We are getting back into a routine of having regular assemblies again each week. It is really great to be able to be rebuilding our sense of family and community, after having spent so long working just within individual hubs.

Whānau Hui and Hāngi - Wed 22 June from 5pm

Please make sure you get this date into your diaries! At 5pm on Wednesday 22nd June we will be having a Whānau Hui. We will meet with a welcome in the hall from Te Whānau Mahi Tahi (masks on please) and then families will be invited to go to a hub and participate in some learning activities about Matariki. At 6:15pm, you are invited to come back to the hall and we will finish the hui with a performance from our Pōhutukawa and Kōwhai kapa haka rōpū. 
Those who are not staying for hāngi will be able to go home around 6:30pm, whilst those who have ordered hāngi will stay on. 

Hāngi order forms will be available next week. There will only be 120 serves of Hāngi available, so if you want to order hāngi you will need to get your order in quickly.

New Entrant Enrolments

Enrolments for the rest of the year - Do you, or one of your neighbours, have a pre-schooler who is turning 5 and wanting to start school this year? If you haven't yet enrolled them, please pop into the office and get an enrolment form, or download one from our website and fill it out and send it into the office, as soon as possible. We need to be able to accurately predict enrolment numbers to ensure we have the appropriate staffing ready.

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

Mitch Welch - Year 6

Mitch, you make a difference through your actions. You are a great communicator and show that we can all work together to be successful. Your kind and caring nature shines through in your compassion for others and in how you take care of our environment at Beckenham. "Nā koe he rereke te Ao", the world is different because of you!

School Notices

Winter Bugs

As we head into Winter, and in a Covid environment, we see an increase in sickness, including Head colds. If your child is unwell please keep them at home to recover. If a child becomes unwell at school during the day, we will contact whānau to arrange for the child to be collected. The Covid-19  practices we have in place will also support our school community with remaining as well as possible over winter.

Long COVID in children

Long COVID describes the symptoms that continue or develop after the initial COVID-19 symptoms.
 
This is usually longer than 12 weeks after a person is first infected.
 
Most people with COVID-19 recover completely and return to normal health. People usually recover from COVID-19 after two to six weeks and many make a full recovery within 12 weeks.
 
KidsHealth has provided some useful information about COVID-19 symptoms in children which you can see summarised here (and read more in the links below):
  • for most children with mild COVID-19, they will be back to normal within a week. A small number of children might take up to two weeks to feel back to normal
  • most children with COVID-19 will have a mild illness and get better quickly
  • for a child or young person to have a diagnosis of a post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) their symptoms need to be having an impact on their everyday functioning and cannot be explained by another condition
  • nearly all children will fully recover and return to normal health
  • scientists and health professionals are still learning about long COVID, but studies so far have found:
    • children are much less likely to have long COVID than adults
    • children recover faster than adults
    • it mostly affects children over the age of 10 – it's very rare in younger children.
Further information is also available on the KidsHealth website, including caring for a child with COVID-19.

Masks Reminder

At Beckenham we are still seeing the benefits of continued mask wearing and we are asking everyone  - staff, whānau and students (Year 3/4 and older) to continue to wear masks when indoors at school

We know that Cashmere High School has had another peak of cases in the past week, and with many families having children at both schools, we just want to continue to be as safe as we can.

We no longer have any child-sized masks available at school, so we do need you to send your child to school with a named mask each day, please.


Update from SIEPP about Roadworks on Eastern Tce

We received this email from SIEPP this week to share with you:
I want to update you on the works we are currently doing on Eastern Terrace with the water main renewal. Works have been taking longer than we had initially planned there due to having to deal with existing contaminated ground in the road where we are installing the pipe. Currently, we are up to the Fisher Ave end of Beckenham Park and are continuing to install the pipe towards Tennyson Ave. We are now coming up to a section of the road that has been identified as having traces of asbestos within it. Due to the health risks of asbestos, we need to follow strict precautions while excavating the material that has been identified as at risk. While completing these works we will need to set up an asbestos containment zone within our site. Anyone working within the at-risk area will be required to wear full hazmat suits with face masks and gloves. We will have decontamination zones to ensure that all of the material is contained within our work site.

I just wanted to let you know that this work is upcoming so that the school community understands what is happening when they see it commencing. The work we are doing is very low risk as there has only been a small amount of asbestos traces found in the ground and it can be easily contained. However, we must follow all of the required protocols for obvious reasons. We will put black polythene around our fences to make it harder for pedestrians to see in but will also have asbestos warning signs on the fences.

The asbestos area is from the end of Beckenham Park through to Fisher Ave and we plan on doing this work for aproximately 3 weeks.

Apologies from Nic in the Coffee Cart

She won't be available this coming Monday 30 May

PTA News

Last orders for peanut butter TODAY! 

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). 

Please click the link (before midnight tonight) to get your jar!

Community Notices

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

FluTracking NZ

With the relaxing of COVID-19 control measures and the reopening of borders, we’re expecting a resurgence of flu in 2022.

We need more participants around New Zealand to help us track the impact of both flu and COVID-19 in our local community.

Please consider giving 20 seconds a week to reply to a survey and help NZ track flu and COVID-19. In return, you will receive a weekly report and a map of respiratory illness in our community!
Click on this link to find out more and sign up!
https://info.flutracking.net/

Thanks for your time and support.

Flutracking New Zealand
https://info.flutracking.net/
Public Health Group
Population Health and Prevention
Ministry of Health


Rhyme and Reason


Jemma and Nick Smithson, (parents of Bryn (Kowhai) and Elsie (Kahikatea)) are excited to share with the community the opening of their new preschool Rhyme and Reason in Opawa. Community open days are scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, so come on down to view their renovated and newly fitted our Early Childhood Centre.

Parliament and its grounds are a place for everyone to share and enjoy, and we are excited to share a creative way for our tamariki to connect to Parliament.

Tell any tamariki you know that Parliament is putting the call out for wild, fun, and creative ideas for how the Parliamentary grounds could be an even more welcoming place!

With this new activity, we want to know what tamariki would do if they were in charge! Would they add another playground? Or cover the lawn with pink flowers? Or maybe add in more statues of people or things that inspire them!

Bring a vision to life and encourage them to design their own Parliament grounds using either the template on the other side of this sheet or freestyle it completely with their own ideas! Your work will be displayed in Parliament and shared with all who work and visit here – and who knows you may even get a special shout out from the Speaker!

Encourage any tamariki you know to take part – it’s easy!

Just follow this link, and use the template provided or create their own design.  Please send their mahi by Thursday 23 June 2022 to the Education Team at: Education Team, Level 11, TSB Building, 147 Lambton Quay, or by emailing to DesignParliamentGrounds@parliament.govt.nz.

We look forward to seeing what they create!

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

Posted on by

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) 13 May 2022

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

This week is New Zealand Sign Language Week. Sign language is one of our three official languages in Aotearoa, along with Te Reo Māori and English. 
Whilst none of us at Beckenham are yet proficient in Sign Language, we do take opportunities where we can to increase our knowledge and understanding of the important place that it has in our society and to understand more about it. 
Below is the video of the New Zealand National Anthem that we use at school, and that we all try to follow along. Even our newest New Entrants can follow along with parts of this already! 


This week we have had our first assemblies in the hall, recognising that the weather is getting cooler! To stay within our COVID guidelines, we have split the school for assemblies and will be having separate Junior and Senior Assemblies this term. This allows us to spread out a bit more, and with the doors open, even get some singing going!

It was great to see our Year 5-8 students out in force on Tuesday participating in the Year 5-8 Cross-Country. The weather held out, and we will be sending students to zone competitions again for the first time in a while.

This term we have welcomed four Speech-Language Therapy students from the University of Canterbury to our school. They will be working for two afternoons a week for 5 weeks in our Year 1/2 
team with groups of students on developing specific literacy skills. 

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Term 2 Dates

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

August Bolling - Year 6

August, you do a fantastic job at displaying our kete values on a daily basis. Your positive, can-do attitude demonstrates your love of learning. This, along with your kindness and great sense of humour is appreciated by everyone in the Pōhutukawa hub. Tau kē koe!

School Notices

Reminder on School Hours

A reminder that tamariki (children) should not be at school before 8.30am. If you are needing childcare before this time, please look to our onsite before and after school care facilities run by BOSCO.

Request for corflute - Real Estate Agents, Printers & Sign Makers alike look here!

Our amazing Kapa Haka teacher - Whaea Cath is all out of corflute, the white corrugated plastic sheets our kapa haka words are on. In the past, recycled corflute from printers or real estate agents has been used (think House For Sale, and advertising signs). We are hoping we might have some people with access to these amongst our Beckenham families. One clear side is all we need for our words. About ten sheets would be good. If you are able to source these please drop anything you may have to the Office. We get there together! Thanks for your help whānau.

Example of corflute in use

Naming Items - Lost Property

Please ensure all of your child's uniform and other items are clearly named. First and last name is preferable as we often have multiple children with the same first name. This helps us ensure any of their lost property is returned to them via their Home Group teacher. If any items are not named, they stay in the Lost Property - which is located on the steps of the Library during the school day. Lost property items are mentioned to ākonga (students) in the Daily Notices.

If unnamed items are still unclaimed by the end of the term, school items are donated to the 2nd Hand Uniform shop, and all other items are donated to the Salvation Army.

Please take the time to name your child's items, and encourage them to have a look in the lost property if needed.

Sports News

Year 5 - 8 Cross Country

So great to see everybody out on the field doing their best for the Year 5-8 Cross Country this week. It was great to have parents on site again to cheer tamariki on in a social distanced manner!  

Congratulations to Heathcoate for winning the house cup for team spirit.
Results will be out in the next Newsletter.


PTA News

Your trusty PTA have a few things in the pipeline that we would like to share with you. 

Do you like peanut butter? We will be taking orders from next week for a Fix and Fogg peanut butter fundraiser. Buy your family's nutty goodness from us!


Save the date: we are planning a fun whānau event to celebrate Matariki - Wednesday 22nd June. Look out for more news soon.


Lastly don't forget the PTA uniform room is open every Monday and Friday 2:50-3:15 after school. We have a good range of second-hand uniform items at very reasonable prices. We always welcome clean, good quality donations.

Follow us on Facebook to keep up to date! Click the link here.

Community Notices

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

Aotearoa TrailBlazers 



The Trailblazers’ Programme for term 2, is a fee-free initiative that utilises the power of running and the magic of nature to help rangatahi (young people) develop self confidence, social and emotional skills, leadership, determination and resilience to stress. 
They will actively participate and challenge themselves to complete events. They will gain a strong sense of belonging, develop positive relationships and experience great achievement. 
It will be running on Tuesdays (Beckenham Park) and Thursdays (Victoria Park).

You can find out more about it on this facebook page:

Read ALL about it through this link.

Ngā mihi, 
Jo Ryder - Program Director
022 4665488
aotearoa.trailblazers@gmail.com


School Holiday Activity

Book your troupes in to watch the Kidsfest musical theatre production of Monty Python’s Spamalot Young@Part! The Kid-Friendly Version.  Monty Python hits the local stage with their quest for the Holy Grail in an excitingly ridiculous musical specifically adapted to be performed BY children FOR children.  Luminaires Charitable Trust presents an incredibly talented cast of 8-18 year olds who bring you this uproarious show. There’s audience participation, fart jokes, and remarkable singing and dancing to incredibly well known Monty Python show tunes. Afterwards your tamariki will all be singing about the Bright Side of Life - in fact we will provide you with the lyrics and tune beforehand so if you want to learn it before the show they can join in with the cast for the final song! 

● Suitable for all primary aged children 
This version has been adapted from the original broadway version specifically for children 
● Venue Nasda Performing Arts, E-Block, Ara Institute of Technology (we will send you a map when you book) 
● Pricing $15 per head, or a flat fee of $1200 if you would like to book the entire show for your group only. Our seating capacity is 85, but with the entire theatre booked for your group we may be able to accommodate 100 by arrangement. NB bookings for the public go live on 30 May, so if you would like the entire venue, please contact us before then. 
● Run Time 60-70 minutes 
● Contact us directly to arrange your booking (therefore no booking fees!) luminairescharitabletrust@gmail.com 021666921 

Shows: 
Wednesday 13 July 11am & 1pm 
Thursday 14 July 11am & 1pm 
Friday 15 July 11am & 1pm & 7pm 
Saturday 16 July 7pm 
Wednesday 20 July 11am & 1pm 
Thursday 21 July 11am & 1pm & 7pm 
Friday 22 July 11am & 1pm & 7pm 
Saturday 23 July 7pm 

Based directly on the film comedy MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, SPAMALOT YOUNG@PART retells the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, with singing and dancing to tunes that you’ll never get out of your head! Re-worked especially for children.

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 Monday 2 May, 2022

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou



We are looking forward to seeing all of our tamariki back at school tomorrow. We are also 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 learning spaces, 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 did so capably during Term 1. 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.

Ongoing Roadworks around the school - please walk if you can this week!

As most of you will be aware, the burst pipe on Colombo Street last week has significantly added to the challenges of navigating safely around our streets. This morning Colombo St was still closed and we are working on the possibility that it will still be closed tomorrow.

The section of Norwood St between Fisher Ave and Tennyson is also closed. 

Sandwich Road is also currently closed at the Eastern Tce end and will be so for the rest of this week.

So there is no vehicle access to the school from Eastern Terrace.

SIEPP will install additional signs on Eastern Tce at the Fisher Ave intersections saying ‘NO SCHOOL ACCESS FROM EASTERN TCE’. They will already have ‘ROAD CLOSED AHEAD’ signs in place.

Please avoid bringing vehicles down Sandwich Road for drop-off and pick-up this week unless you need to access the accessible parking. There will be significant challenge for everyone's safety if we have large numbers of cars trying to do 3-point-turns all week on Sandwich Road.


COVID-19 - Please continue to notify us of positive tests.

Please continue to let school know if your child has contracted COVID-19. We are still sending numbers through to the Ministry of Education on a daily basis. 
We currently have three staff at home this week in isolation and we know that we still have a number of families across the school who have been, or are currently, in isolation due to COVID.

You can email the school office: office@beckenham.school.nz or leave a message on the answerphone 03 337 1404

Term 2 Dates

Tuesday 3 May - Term 2 begins
Monday 6 June - Queen's Birthday - School closed
Friday 24 June - Matariki - School closed
Friday 8 July - Last day of Term 2

Student-Led Inclusion

Due to Covid challenges and being in restricted settings, our colleagues and students in the Ferndale satellite have been operating in their own bubble since August last year. Our senior students were missing the connection with the Ferndale students that they had previously been able to enjoy, so Saxon, one of our Year 8 students, suggested an activity where they could communicate through chalk-painting on the windows! 
Such a lot of fun was had by both groups of students! Lots of great comments and conversations came from people noticing the great artwork in the days after too.
We are looking forward to having much more natural interactions with our Ferndale colleagues and akonga this term, now that we are working in the Orange Covid setting.



Ngā mihi nui

Sandy & the Team