Category Archives: Weekly Newsletters

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto School Newsletter Friday 2 June, 2023

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Thank you all for your support of our teachers on Wednesday this week, so that they could attend their union meeting. We do appreciate that this was a very late notice request, and would have been quite tricky for some of you to organise with work commitments. Our teachers will be voting on their new offer in the next few days, and we will keep you updated as to the outcome.

Reports are now live on HERO

Mid-year reports are now available through the Hero portal. The mid-year report reflects aspects of your child's learning so far this year and their next steps in Reading, Writing and Maths. 
 
Please take the time to sit with your child and share their report with them, celebrating their learning and reflecting on their next steps.
 
To find your child's report open Hero, click on their name and then click '2023 report'. 


There is a document attached to the report that you can click through to get a broad understanding of how our reporting works.



If you need any help accessing the report through Hero please contact your child's Home Group teacher or come into the office for assistance.

A reminder that Learning Conferences will provide an opportunity for you, your child and the teacher to talk about your child's learning and other aspects of school relevant to your child.

Learning Conferences

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

Reports go live on HERO today, and these conferences will be an important opportunity to learn more about your child's learning progress and achievement.

The school will close at the earlier time of 2pm on both days. Children who are usually booked into BOSCO on those days will be able to attend from 2pm. We will provide supervision for children between 2-3pm IF NEEDED... 

Each family needs to fill out BOTH forms below, please:
First, if you haven't already done this, please book a Learning Conference for each of your children by clicking on this link. (The code you might need is 8f6xx)
Then, please fill out this form, to let us know what you want to happen for your child at 2pm. We need this form filled out by EVERY family, please.

If you need any assistance to book a conference, please contact Jacky in the office on 03 337 1404

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki

Important Dates

Mon 5 Jun - School Closed - Kings Birthday Weekend Public Holiday
Thu 8 Jun - Cashmere High Open Day 12noon - 4pm
Wed 14 Jun - Learning Conferences - School Closes at 2pm
Thu 15 Jun - Learning Conferences - School Closes at 2pm
Fri 16 Jun - Celebration Assembly 10am, All welcome
Wed 21 Jun - Whānau Matariki Hui, followed by PTA Hāngi
Wed 28 Jun - PTA Mtg, 7:30pm Staffroom

Citizen of the Week

Harriet Scott - Year 4

Harriet, you are a superstar in our team. You are extremely positive, kind, caring and thoughtful. You are a highly motivated learner and have outstanding self-management skills. Thank you for always demonstrating our school values in all that you do. Well done, Harriet!

School Notices

Dogs at school

Please would you remember that dogs should not be brought onto the school site between 8:30am and 3:15pm without prior arrangement. We are noticing a number of dogs in the school grounds at drop-off and pick-up time, and this is causing some anxiety for some of our tamariki and whānau. Thank you all for supporting us in this.

Cashmere High School Open Afternoon - Thu 8th June from 1pm

Usually Cashmere High hold their Open time after school hours, in the evening. Due to the threat of industrial action this year, they have made the call to hold their Open day during the school afternoon.
We understand that many of our Year 7/8 students will want to attend this, and therefore, we have requested a 'bye' in the Winter Sport round for that afternoon.

If you want to take your child to the Open afternoon, please make sure that you come into school and sign them out. If they are attending with someone else's parent, please let the office know in advance. We will NOT be allowing children to leave school unless their primary caregiver is signing them out, or we have been advised who is taking them and they are here to sign them out. Thanks for your support!

Scholastic Book Club

The latest issue (Edition 4)of the Scholastic Book Club is now online. You can use this link to order. Orders close Friday 7 July.



Upcoming Road Works



Student Council News

40 Hour Challenge - World Vision



It's simple: every child deserves clean water.

We are signed up as a school to support the World Vision 40 Hour Challenge 2023 to help raise money that will go towards ensuring every child in the world has access to clean drinking water.

Children from Year 5-8 can join up - either by coming to the Kauri hub and asking for a challenge booklet, or by clicking this link, and signing up through the website. When you get asked to 'Find your team' start typing in 'Beckenham' and our school Team will come up.

Our goal is to raise as much as we can to support this awesome cause.

If you have any questions, please email Bridie bridie.zarifeh@beckenham.school.nz

Fun Run - So much Run and so much Fun!!!

Today at midday we had over 100 students and their whānau participate in a Student Council-organised Fun Run to raise money for Trees for Canterbury.
Trees for Canterbury are a local charity who have been operating for 33 years, focussing on supplying community groups and organisations with the native trees they need, primarily using volunteer labour.
Our school has been the recipient of many trees over the past and it was a lot of fun to be able to give back to this important local organisation.
We will let you know how much money was raised once all the funds have been brought into school next week.
If you are collecting sponsorship funds, please try and have these all back to the office by next Friday 9th June.

Staff Profiles

Anna Reid (Team Leader, Anna McNeill, Nick Bruce
Rowena Barker, Charlotte Verity, Kathryn Moore, Megan Harris

Anna Reid started working at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto over 10 years ago, starting out teaching a New Entrants class. Since then she has been teaching in Kahikatea, Kōwhai and Pōhutukawa at various different times and last year, she took on the role of Team Lead in Kōwhai. Anna loves getting to know all the children and having lots of fun along the way. She is passionate about learning about other cultures and their languages and speaks Danish herself. In her spare time, Anna enjoys reading and walking in the hills.

Anna McNeill began teaching at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto in 2022 in the Pōhutukawa hub and is now based in the Kōwhai hub. Anna has enjoyed being a part of the wonderful community that is Beckenham Te Kura and supporting her students as they grow to become curious, confident learners. 

Nick Bruce has been at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto for over a decade. He has taught in the Kōwhai, Pōhutukawa and Kauri teams. Nick is especially passionate about integrating digital technologies into learning programmes. Nick is also the director of a company specialising in the development of educational software.

Rowe Barker returned to teaching at BTKP in 2002 after spending time at home raising her children. She is passionate about fostering a love of learning and has a particular interest in the teaching of reading. As well as being a classroom teacher Rowe trained as a Recovery teacher. She has taught in the Koru and Kowhai teams.
In her spare time, Rowe likes biking, table tennis and spending time with her family and friends.

Charlotte Verity has been teaching at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto for ten years. Before that, she taught and lived in Melbourne and London for many years. When she isn't at work, you will find her in her garden, at the pool or on her bike. She also loves learning and has done lots of further study, including a science course this year. 

Kathryn Moore joined the Kōwhai team at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto in Term 2 of 2023, teaching literacy and maths four mornings a week. She is passionate about reading, and sharing great books with children is one of her favourite things to do. When not at work, Kathryn is often found walking, reading, knitting, gardening, or having coffee and a chat with her family and friends. 

Megan Harris returned to Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto in 2022 in a relieving capacity, having spent the last six years teaching in Dunedin. As a trained Drama teacher, she is passionate about facilitating individual creativity and expression in every child. In her spare time, she loves reading, going to the theatre and caring for her menagerie of animals.

Sports News

Winter Sport

Winter sport began last Thursday for our Year 5-8 students! We have 130 students who have chosen to play competitively this year and who have joined either a Hockey, Netball or Football team.
Those students who have decided to opt for a non-competitive option participated in either a Korfball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Dance or Chess back at Kura.
The tamariki looked great in their sports' uniforms as they set off with their coaches to various local schools/grounds.
We are proud of the way everyone represented our school and all of the feedback received has been positive.

South Zone Cross Country

Last week on Tuesday 23rd May, Gayle and Sarah took 47 students to the South Zone Cross Country race at Hansen's Park. It was a beautiful day, which was matched by our student's attitudes and amazing effort they put into their races. We were so proud of all of them.



Congratulations to the following who have made it through to the next round. The Canterbury's are
to be held at Nga Puna Wai on Wednesday 21st June.
Ben Stoney
Laura Stoney
Lily Miller
Bianca Ashworth
Harriet Parawa
Isabella Guise
Jack Sayer
Rowan Cameron
Finn Breitmeyer (reserve)
Zoe Colville 
Ella Coleman

PTA News

Matariki Hāngī



As part of the the upcoming Matariki Hāngi, Whānau Hui on the 21 June 2023, the PTA are going to be doing Hangi for our Whānau,  numbers will be limited to 80, so order quickly, so as not  miss out !

The hāngī will be cooked in individual trays in the same kai cooker and will be ready for pick up at 6.30pm from the hall kitchen on that night. The trays are $16 each - Please deposit money into the PTA account. Thank you!

Use the following link to order your hangi. Here you will also find the account details for payment.

Congratulations to...

Mirren and Coleman Leitch who travelled up to Blenheim last weekend for the Marlborough Championships for Brazilian Jiu jitsu in which they competed in and both won gold for the first time. 


They have both been training 4-5 times a week for the past wee while as well as doing other activities and cross country at school. 
It was Mirren's very first competition and for her to win her weight and belt division really was incredible. They are heading to the Gold Coast Australia in November for her 2nd comp and Coleman's 3rd which is very exciting.  

Community Notices

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

Carpenter needed

Waltham School are looking for a carpenter/builder to construct a large rectangular built-up sandpit for our fenced junior area. If anyone had any contacts for quotes, it would be greatly appreciated. Finding someone is providing a bit of a challenge. We are hoping to get one that has built-up sides so the tamariki or teachers can sit around the edge as well.
Please contact Tim Evers, Principal - principal@waltham.school.nz


"Write Like an Author" and "Draw Like an Artist" are school holiday programs for young writers and illustrators.

They will be held during the school holidays, starting on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 and running until Thursday, July 13, 2023 at St Andrew's College.

There will be a three day camp for children aged 9 to 14 and a one day workshop for children aged 7 to 10.

Young writers will learn:
* How to come up with story ideas
* How to plan and outline a story
* How to come up with interesting, sympathetic characters
* The writing process, how to put it all down on paper

Young artists will learn:
* How to draw a cool character
* Different media and techniques
* How to create storyboards
* How to create a multi layered artwork

Plus they'll make new friends and have heaps of fun!

The location of the camp is:
St Andrew's College
347 Papanui Road, Bryndwr, Christchurch

Young writers (or their parents) can register here: http://www.writelikeanauthor.com/CampListing.asp?wc_id=409

Young illustrators (or their parents) can register here: http://www.drawlikeanartist.com/CampListing.asp?wc_id=415

If you'd like more details about the camp please email me and I will be happy to answer any questions or send you some further information.
Regards
Brian Falkner
Coordinator

School Newsletter, Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto – Fri 26 May

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

We are looking forward to a warm weekend after some cold and grey weather earlier this week. 

Supporting all of our community to stay well and healthy continues to be a challenge. We still have COVID and influenza in our school community, and this week, we have had two cases of chickenpox confirmed.



The Ministry of Education have also asked us to check that our immunization records are up to date, with the threat of measles also on the horizon at a national level. If you have had children vaccinated in the past couple of years and haven't updated us, please send updated records to office@beckenham.school.nz

Staff Only Days confirmed for Term 3 and Term 4

The Ministry of Education has allocated two days this year for schools to close in order for teachers to engage with professional learning around the Curriculum Refresh that is currently happening. This is extremely important time for our teachers to be given to engage with the curriculum changes and ensure we understand the new expectations.
At our Board of Trustees meeting last night, the Board confirmed that the two dates that will be taken for these Staff Only days will be:
  • Friday 18 August
  • Thursday 16 November (Friday 17 November is Canterbury Anniversary Weekend, making this a four-day weekend)

Learning Conferences 14 & 15 June

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

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

The school will close at the earlier time of 2pm on both days. Children who are usually booked into BOSCO on those days will be able to attend from 2pm. We will provide supervision for children between 2-3pm IF NEEDED... 

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

Possibility of Industrial Action (strike) by teachers next Wednesday, 31 May

Teachers are waiting to hear from their union, NZEI, for an update on the current negotiations on their collective agreement. They are expecting to have notice on Sunday as to whether they have an improved offer on the table, OR whether they will be moving to take strike action on Wednesday next week. We will put a notice out to you all, through HERO on Sunday to let you know the outcome of this process. If the decision to strike is made, the Board will have no alternative but to close the school as we will not have sufficient teachers on site to safely open.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki

Important Dates

Fri 2 Jun - Celebration Assembly 10am, All welcome
Mon 5 Jun - School Closed - Kings Birthday Weekend Public Holiday
Thu 8 Jun - Cashmere High Open Day 12noon - 4pm
Wed 14 Jun - Learning Conferences - School Closes at 2pm
Thu 15 Jun - Learning Conferences - School Closes at 2pm
Fri 16 Jun - Celebration Assembly 10am, All welcome
Wed 21 Jun - Whānau Matariki Hui, followed by PTA Hāngi
Wed 28 Jun - PTA Mtg, 7:30pm Staffroom

Term Dates

Citizen of the Week

Isabelle Parrett - Year 8

Isabelle, you are such an organised and switched on learner who loves to make a difference by helping others. As an assertive and confident leader, you use your initiative to get things done. You love a challenge, grabbing new opportunities with both hands and also support others to give new things a go. Tino pai, Isabelle!

School Notices

Free Workshops from Mana Ake

Mana Ake supports children who are experiencing circumstances that impact on their wellbeing or mental health. The Mana Ake team works alongside schools, whānau and general practice when they have noticed a concern about a child’s wellbeing or mental health. 
Children can be referred to Mana Ake via their GP or their school. Whānau are able to access phone drop in service to provide guidance about next steps for their child. 
Mana Ake also offer free workshops to parents and whānau to support positive parenting and information around current issues, e.g. digital safety, anxiety, friendships.

Please take some time to fill in this survey if you have suggestions for workshops that Mana Ake could offer that would support you in your parenting journey.

Elmer has arrived!



On Monday we were excited to unwrap a new special friend. It was Elmer! Many Elmers have been sent to schools around Christchurch from the Laura Ferguson Brain Injury Trust. This trust makes a difference to younger people with disabilities in Christchurch. 

In a couple of weeks our senior art leaders with be visiting hubs to talk about Elmer and gather ideas for how we could paint them. The art leaders will decide on a design from the ideas they gather, select colours and start getting creative. Children from across the school will help to paint Elmer. 

Later in the year our Elmer will be part of an art trail around the city. We can’t wait to get started.

Help needed - Grant Funding Applications

The Board are keen to explore opportunities for applying for Grant Funding to supplement our budget which is always extremely tight. Grants can provide funding for items and opportunities that are outside of our budget capacity.
If you have a little bit of time, and would be interested in supporting Rachel (our accounts officer) with making some grant applications, please email accounts@beckenham.school.nz. No previous experience is necessary.

Sports News

Cross Country

On Tuesday 9th May we held our Whole School Cross Country, which due to the weather ended up being our Senior School Cross Country. As the first race started the skies opened up and it poured. This did not put our student's off, they showed 'we love challenge' with their grit and determination to keep going. There was a huge vibe of 'we get there together' with student's supporting one another, cheering each other on and running together. 


There were many vibrant, smiling faces and all in all it was a great event! Well done to everyone who participated and to our first place champions' below:

Year 5-Ben Stoney
Year 5-Laura Stoney
Year 6-Lily Miller
Year 6-Kawariki Taylor
Year7-Jack Sayer
Year 7-Harriet Parawa
Year 8-Cahlen Stace
Year 8-Zoe Colville
Year 8-Ella Colman

 Gayle and Sarah took 48 Students to the South Zone Cross Country event on Tuesday 23rd-results to follow.

Community Notices

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

Dear whānau, 

We are supporting Stats NZ to encourage everyone to complete the 2023 Census.  

So, this is a reminder that you need to return your census forms if you have not done so already.  

Census data is used to make important decisions that affect us all. The census is the official count of people living in Aotearoa New Zealand, and everyone who was in the country on Census Day, 7 March 2023, is required by law to complete a census form.  

Your participation will help ensure that our community receives funding for services for the number of people that live in our community. That includes education, health, and social services. 

To complete the census, you can do it online at www.census.govt.nz using one of the access codes provided in the letters sent to your household. Or you can fill out paper census forms if you have them. To request a new access code or paper forms, freephone 0800 236 787 (0800 CENSUS) or order online at www.census.govt.nz. 

The 2023 Census closes on 30 June, so you should do them online now or as soon as practicable. Ensure your paper forms are posted so they arrive with Stats NZ by 30 June. 

Census collectors are no longer visiting households providing help to complete census forms (except in the cyclone-impacted areas of the Far North, Te Tairāwhiti, and Hawke’s Bay). If you need assistance or more information: 

You can attend a census support event and get face-to-face help to complete forms (for more information go to www.census.govt.nz/census-support). 

We encourage you to help whānau, friends, and neighbours complete their forms.  

There is information in New Zealand Sign Language, Braille, Easy Read, Large Print, and Audio formats, as well as in 29 different languages  at www.census.govt.nz. 

The 0800 CENSUS (0800 236 787) helpline will be open until 30 June. 

Thank you for your support in making sure our community is accurately represented in the census.  

 

AUDITIONS!! 

Luminaires presents Beauty Within the Beast



For anyone aged 8 and over who loves to sing, act or dance.
No experience needed.
Click on this link below to find out more. Or find Luminaires on social media.

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto, school newsletter, Friday 19 May, 2023

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Winter illnesses continue to be causing challenges for both our staff and families at the moment. Our worst day this week was Monday when we had 92 out of 490 children away, 80 of them sick. Thank you for keeping sick children at home. 
If you have changed your address or contact details since the beginning of the year, please do check that you have updated them with Jacky by emailing office@beckenham.school.nz It is important that we have more than one contact for each child in the case of an emergency.

Information needed by the Council about how we get to school...

PLEASE do fill out this brief survey, if you can, as we are trying to work with the CCC around improving our bike storage capacity and this information will really help them to understand our needs... so if your children bike or scooter to school, click on this link NOW!



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

The survey can be found here.

Learning Conferences 14 & 15 June

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

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

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

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

Strike Percussion visit

All of our tamariki were mesmerised by a visit from a very talented team of three musicians on Monday, who perform under the name of 'Strike Percussion'. Whilst their music couldn't be described as 'restful', it was very exciting and stimulating. Many of our children enjoyed the full soundscape and a small number of them found that having ear muffs on during the performance took the edge off the sound, and enabled them to still appreciate the skill and energy of the performance. 



Ngā mihi
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

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

Citizen of the Week

Anika Wallbanks - Year 6

Anika, your desire to be the best version of yourself is impressing us no end! You have shown the kete value 'We Love Challenge' by embracing new challenges and have shown that when you put your mind to it, you can be brilliant! Whakamaua te pae tata kia tina - take hold of your potential so it becomes your reality.

School Notices

School Photos this Wednesday, 24th May

Our friendly, local photographer from Camera and Digital on Colombo St will be at school on Wednesday morning to take our annual school photos.
Please send your child in their best version of the school uniform. 

Community Notices

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







Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Friday 12 May 2023

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Coronation Tree Planting

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



Learning Conferences 14 & 15 June

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

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

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

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

Celebrating Learning through Passions

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



Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

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

Term Dates

Citizen of the Week

Grace English - Year 8

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

School Notices

Junior Cross Country

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

Thank you so much for all your support.

Ngā mihi nui,

Koru, Kahikatea and Kōwhai teachers

CCC Annual School Travel Survey

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

The survey can be found here.

'Kiss & Go' Drop Off Area

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


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

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

Elizabeth Drummond (Teacher and co-Team Leader)

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

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

Stacey McLachlan (Teacher and co-Team Leader)

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

Georgia McKenna (Teacher)

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

Sonya Watson (Teaching Assistant)

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

Elizabeth, Georgia, Sonya & Stacey

PTA News

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

Community Notices

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



Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 5 May 2023

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

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

The early campers catch the sunrise at Living Springs

Covid and other illnesses

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

Coronation Tree Planting - Friday 12 May, 10am

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

Ngā mihi nui

Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Term 2

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

Citizen of the Week

Frida Beumelburg - Year 6

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

School Notices

Earthquake Drill

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

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

40 Hour Challenge

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


Staff Profiles

Kauri Team (Year 7/8)

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

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

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

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

PTA News

We need your help! Volunteers for school disco needed!

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

Community Notices

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