Category Archives: Weekly Newsletters

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

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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

Posted on by

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.)




Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 28 April 2023

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Welcome to the start of Term 2. And just like that, daylight saving is over, the mornings have a distinctly 'crisp' feel to them, and the need for gumboots and rain/warm jackets is upon us!
If you have got out your children's gumboots and jackets and find that they don't fit any more, please consider donating them to the PTA second-hand clothing shop. If you need gumboots or jackets, check out the PTA second-hand clothing shop! 

While we are talking about the need for gumboots, we are thrilled to be able to confirm that the drainage issue under the green slide has finally been resolved. A HUGE thanks to Hamish Denny and the team from Drainworkz for sticking with us and being the reliable contractor who came through and got this job done, after so many others had let us down. Our appreciation also goes out to Richard Scott, on our Board, who has patiently and tenaciously followed this project through to ensure it was completed. The final stage now will be the addition of a rubber surface, at the bottom of the slide and this is on order, expected by the middle of the term.

Our Year 3/4 Kōwhai team have transitioned beautifully into their new way of working across two buildings. Whilst not without some initial challenges, the extra space is being appreciated by staff and students alike.

House Murals

You will notice that four new Murals are being hung on the fence. These murals were begun last year and completed in Term 1 this year.

In 2022 a selection of possible house mascots for each House were designed and the children across the school voted on which mascots they liked the most. A Year 7/8 passion group then took the winning concepts and turned them into designs for these murals. Each mural depicts one of the four house mascots. We think they look amazing!

Union negotiations around Principal Collective Agreements.

You will have probably heard through the media that Primary Principals across the country are 'working to rule' at the moment, whilst they continue to negotiate their collective agreement. As is often the case with the news in the media, this is partially true. There are now two unions that represent principals. The union that I belong to has settled their collective agreement and we are not taking any industrial action. Principals who belong to NZEI, the other union, are the ones who are taking action as they have not yet settled their agreement. 

Teacher Collective Agreement Negotiations

At the moment, NZEI (the single union for teachers) has an offer on the table that Primary Teachers around the country are considering. They will be voting on this offer in a couple of weeks.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Term 2

Mon 1 - Wed 3 May - Year 5/6 Camp - Living Springs
Tue 9 May - 1:30-2:40pm - Whole School Cross Country
Fri 12 May - PTA Discos - save the date!
Tue 23 May - Zone Cross-Country - Y5-8, Hansen Park
Thu 25 May - Board meeting 5:30pm Staffroom
Mon 5 Jun - School Closed - King's Birthday
Wed 14 Jun - Learning Conferences (school closing at 1pm)
Thu 15 Jun - Learning Conferences (school closing at 1pm)
Thu 21 Jun - Whānau Hui and PTA Hāngī
Wed 28 Jun - Board meeting 5:30pm Staffroom
Fri 30 Jun - Last day of Term 2

Citizen of the Week

Mietta Turnbull - Year 4

Mietta, you are such a fantastic role model in the Kōwhai hub. You show 'We Get There Together' always by lending a helping hand to both your peers and the teachers. Mietta, your enthusiasm knows no bounds and you are always willing to show that you care by offering your help to others. You use initiative in your learning and you are a fantastic communicator. Tino pai Mietta! 

Staff Profiles

Kahikatea Kaiako

Katie McFarlane (Team Leader)
Katie started teaching at Beckenham in 2015 after spending four years at home with her small children. She has worked in Kōwhai, Pōhutukawa, and is now the Team Leader of Kahikatea. She feels privileged to be a part of each child’s learning journey - he taonga te ako. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her husband, two children, and four fur babies.

Lisa Collier
Lisa has been teaching for 12 years and joined Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto in 2021. She is a trained speech and language therapist with a passion for literacy. Lisa is in the classroom three days a week and working in a lead literacy role for the other two. She is also doing further study in the structured literacy area. Lisa has three children, in primary and high school, and spends her spare time watching them dance!

Quynh Nguyen
Quynh started at Beckenham in 2021 and has been enjoying working with the tamariki at our kura. She was working in Masterton before coming back to Christchurch after the pandemic. When not at work, Quynh enjoys zumba dancing, swimming and doing fun activities with her friends.

Amber Donovan
Amber has been working here at BTKOP for the past 12 years. She enjoys the variety and fun of teaching the youngest children and getting to know so many fabulous people within the Beckenham community. Amber lives locally and she has a big garden which her cat and dog love to play in. Amber enjoys spending time with her family and friends and taking walks with her dog Bodhi. 

Krystal Hunt
Krystal began her teaching career in 2013 in Australia. Her family moved to NZ in 2021. She began teaching at BTKOP in the Kahikatea Hub last year. Krystal is passionate about helping every child develop a love of learning and reach their full potential.  She has two small children of her own and loves spending time with her family. She enjoys a good cup of tea, and crocheting amigurumi.
Kahikatea Kaiako (Teachers) - Katie (T/L), Lisa, Quynh, Amber, Krystal

School Notices

Dogs On Site

Please do not bring dogs onto the school site between 8:30am and 3:15pm without prior arrangement. If you have a dog outside the school site at pick-up or drop-off time, please make sure it is on a lead for both the safety of the dog, and of other children. Some children have not yet learned how to behave safely when approaching unfamiliar dogs. In addition to this please ensure your loved pets are away from the gate while waiting outside the school, to allow all children and adults to come in and out comfortably. Thank you.

Winter Wellness


As we head into winter, winter illnesses, such as colds, flu and other respiratory illnesses, along with predicted Covid waves, become more common.

As a school, we are conscious of doing all we can to support our tamariki, whānau and community to be as well as possible.

As a school, we will continue to:
  • Ventilate spaces and keep them warm
  • Regularly clean surfaces
  • Teach/remind tamariki to cough or sneeze into their elbow
  • Teach/remind tamariki to wash and dry their hands regularly, especially after blowing their nose, coughing, sneezing, and using the toilet
  • Mask wearing will continue to be optional for those who would like to 
  • Contact whānau if a child is unwell while at school for them to be collected
As whānau, please continue to:
  • Keep your child at home if they are unwell
  • Encourage them to cough or sneeze into their elbow
  • Encourage regular hand washing
  • If someone in your home has covid, your child can still come to school as long as they are well, symptom free and have tested negative. Continue to monitor them for symptoms
For more information/tips have a look at these sites

Before School 

A start of Term reminder that classrooms are open to children from 8:30 am. This is to allow teachers time to prepare for the day. Prior to 8.30am there is no supervision of children. 

If you need to drop your child/ren off before 8:30 am BOSCO provides before-school care. 
Please contact them for more details 
Phone 027 645 6632
Email office@bosco.org.nz

General School Timetable

Hours for Students

08:30 AM – 08:55 AM Students arrive at school and prepare for the day
08:55 AM – 09:00 AM School starts at 8.55, the morning roll is taken.
09:00 AM – 10:30 AM Learning time
10:30 AM – 10:50 AM Play time
10:50 AM – 11:00 AM Kai (food) time whilst learning (e.g. listening to a story)
11:00 AM – 12:40 PM Learning time
12:40 PM – 01:20 PM Play time
01:20 PM – 01:40 PM Kai time (Lunch eating), the afternoon roll is taken.
01:40 PM – 03:00 PM Learning time
03:00 PM                 School ends, home time.

Office Hours

The school office is open from 8:30 AM to 3:45 PM during term time.

Food Allergy Guidelines

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

To support the well-being 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 labeled 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 the food they have prepared. From time to time, there may be an event that teachers have organized 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 labeled 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.

Three-point turns on Sandwich Road

Sandwich Road is a busy place on either side of the school day. To keep everyone safe please continue along the road and around the block, rather than doing three-point turns or U turns. 

Community Notices

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