Category Archives: Weekly Newsletters

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto School Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 2 September, 2022

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

The first two days of September have definitely been warm and Spring-like! Long may that continue!

There was great excitement in our Junior playground today as our long-awaited whare arrived and was eagerly unwrapped by a group of Kahikatea students! This new piece of equipment will be enjoyed by many children!

If you come visiting outside of school hours, please remind your children that the whare and the two teepees are not for climbing on.




A special thank you to Bruce Aldridge for answering our call for help in the Newsletter last week and giving his skills and time to help repair our seat. Much appreciated!

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Wed 7 Sep - School Photos
Wed 7 Sep - Board Election Day
Mon 19 Sep - Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Thu 22 Sep - BOT Meeting (5.30-7.30pm - te Rūma Kaimahi - Staffroom)
Fri 23 Sep - PTA Disco 
Wed 28 Sep - PTA Meeting (7.30-9.30pm in the Green Room)
Fri 30 Sep - Last day of Term 3
Mon 17 Oct - First day of Term 4
Tue 25 Oct - Netsafe Workshop for all whānau - St Martins School, 7pm

Term Dates

Citizen of the Week

Louis English - Year 3

Louis, you are a shining example of all our school values. The positivity and interest you bring to all learning is wonderful, and you persistently continue until your tasks are complete. Your inclusive nature has helped you make strong friendships quickly, and you continually encourage and build up all those you interact with. You bring fun, joy and light to all you do. Ka pai Louis!

School Notices

Y7/8 Ski Trip

Yesterday life in Kauri hub began before the sun even came up! The year 7/8 team travelled to Mt Hutt for their annual trip to the ski slopes. We had a large number of beginning skiers as well as some seasoned pros, and some who had never seen snow before. After a focused morning of lessons with instructors, children had plenty of time to practice their skills and have fun with friends. We were amazed by how many beginners were given the green light by experienced skiers to use the chairlift and try out the more challenging tracks. A day of laughter, learning and many yawns on the bus trip home. A huge thank you to all the parents and staff who made this wonderful experience possible! 

Kete Values Week 

Starting from last week the Student Council are running activities to support and encourage our school values and use fun but challenging activities to instil this. Each week we will run a series of lunchtime and classroom activities. Last week we celebrated 'We Care' and it was a big success. This week we'll be celebrating 'We love Challenge' where students of all ages will be given an opportunity to participate in an obstacle course which will be set up for use on Friday lunchtime. We also have a series of classroom activities which the teachers will share with the students, further in the week. Following 'We love Challenge' we will celebrate 'We love Learning' where again there will be interactive tasks that teachers will later in the week share with the students.  

School Photos 

Photos will be taken on Wednesday the 7th of September, these will be done in home groups throughout the day.  Each child will have an individual and a home group photo, as well as any other school groups (Te Whānau Tahi, Student Council, etc.). There are no sibling photos being taken.

Lost Property - a lost taonga!


Please come to the Office to collect this, it appears to have been broken and left in the playground.

Returning Sports Uniform

Winter sport is coming to an end with the majority of students no longer participating. Can we please have sport uniforms that are no longer required returned to the Office.
Cross country and football have finished. Basketball finishes at the end of this term, and only one team each for hockey and netball is still playing. All other sports uniforms should be returned.
(Please see the image below of the various Sports Uniform)

Online Safety Workshop

Te Kura O Hato Matini - St Martins Primary School are hosting a free event for all local parents and whānau about keeping young people safe online. Netsafe's Relationship & Education Advisor, Paula Wistrand, will be talking about the risks, challenges and opportunities of digital technology, and the practical ways we can all help young people to be safe online. The session will look at how parents and whānau can support and enable children and young people to navigate online opportunities, challenges and complexities. 

This will be a great chance to get educated on how we can keep our tamariki safe, and we would encourage you to consider attending.

Tennyson St Safety Measures

Thanks to everyone who has lobbied the Community Board over a long period of time around the Tennyson St crossing area. Special thanks to Ester Vallero, who has driven this lobby for a number of years. Thanks to Cleo Hopkinson (Y8) and Matthew Macdonald (BOT Chair) who spoke at the recent submissions meeting.

Scholastic Lucky Book Club


Issue 6 is Out Now! As you know, we have opted to go digital for our lucky book club so you can see the latest issue online, by clicking here. Or, click on the link below for more information on how to order:

Congratulations to...

Cashmere High School Scholarship winners:

Lola Harris has been jointly awarded the Cashmere High School Sports Scholarship for 2023
Quinn Clarke and Zoe Winsor have been awarded a Cashmere High School Leadership Scholarship for 2023.

Cantamath participants and award recipients

On Wednesday, August 24th our problem-solving teams took part in the Cantamath competition. A big well done to Noah, Weaver, Rose and Frida (Year 7) and Quinn, Fergus, George and Ben S (Year 8) who took on the challenge of solving 20 very tricky problems in 30 minutes, amidst much noise and distraction that comes with the competition. Special congratulations to the Year 8s who scored 75 out of a possible 100 points. 

Another part of Cantamath is the project competition. Here our kura excelled, with a large number of highly commended and excellence awards. We were extremely proud of Noah Palmer who received an outstanding award (only two of these were awarded) for his dynamic model of a trebuchet.

As Cantamath has not gone ahead for several years due to Cantamath, some of our Year 8s entered two projects - as their Year 7 projects were selected to go into a competition that did not go ahead last year. 

Excellence Awards:

Dynamic Models:
  • Noah Palmer (Outstanding)
  • Rowan Hopwood
  • Fergus Macdonald
Maths Photography:
  • Stella Gillman
Publicity Motif:
  • Daniel Webster
  • Lilian Shelku
Static Models:
  • William Pooch
  • Caitlin McIntosh
  • Lillie Neame
Written Work:
  • Ella Coleman
  • George Smith (Year 7 and Year 8)
  • Quinn Clarke (Year 7 and Year 8)
  • Freya Braun

Highly Commended Awards:

Dynamic Models:
  • Weaver McDaid
  • Timon Spill
Maths Posters:
  • Lillie Neame
  • Emma Elphick
Overall Theme (Maths in entertainment):
  • Weaver McDaid
Publicity Motif:
  • Lola Harris
Static Models:
  • Harvey Graham
  • Katya Atlas
  • Keanna Hakeagaiki
  • Lola Harris
  • Oliver McLachlan
  • Stella Gillman
  • William Pooch
Written Work:
  • Alfie Moore
  • Ashlyn Taffs
  • Frida Corin
  • Jemma Sutherland
  • Ben Scalan

PTA News

BOT Update

Last chance to vote for your Board of Trustees members. There are 3 positions available. Please see below the candidates and their profiles again. Please check your spam for any missed emails from CES that include the voting link.

Voting closes this Wednesday the 7th of September at 4pm.

Community Notices

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

The Great Canterbury Duck Race 2022

On Sunday 6th of November, the Great Canterbury Duck Race will enter its 5th year. Entry to the event is free to the entire community, enabling everyone to have a fun time along with raising much-needed funds for Life Education Trust Canterbury.
There are 3 exciting races starting from the Bridge of Remembrance down the Avon River and past the Terrace Steps to the finish line at Hereford St Bridge.


Purchase a $10 community race duck and $5 will go towards your school's next Life Education visit. Ducks can be purchased at:

Hosting Cashmere High International Students

Performing Arts

Studio One Performing Arts, your local dance school, is currently giving Ballet (R.A.D.), Jazz, and Contemporary (APDA) lessons in your area. The school’s director is teacher, choreographer & ex-ballet dancer Patricia Paul A.R.A.D. (London). Ballet lessons from 3 years through to Advanced, and all levels in Jazz and Contemporary starting from age 7. For all enquiries please phone 03 372-9191 or email info@studioone.co.nz

Torpedo7 Friends & Family for Southern Schools

Offer begins Friday 16th of September!

Up to 60% off for everyone!

The Deal: Save up to 60% off
Valid Dates: 16th September – 2nd October 2022

How to redeem: 
In-store - Show the above flyer. Store staff will either scan the barcode or enter the 3 digit code below the barcode.
Online - See the promo code on the flyer to use at the online checkout: 94A92F91

Terms and Conditions: Discounts are off RRP. If the product is already on promotion customer will receive the lower offer or promo pricing. Not all products are eligible for a discount. Not available in conjunction with any other offer.  Excludes Burton, Electronics, Freight, Gift Cards and Workshop Services.

VALID FROM 16/09/2022 – 2nd October 2022

Climb a tree - get one free


Coming up on Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 September on behalf of NZArb, The Tree People is proud to support the South Island Tree Climbing Competition at Orton Bradley Park.

Throughout both days there will be a separate tree climb event set up, especially for children.
Under the guidance of qualified arborists, children can put on a harness and be supported to climb or swing in a tree.

The first 50 children to give it a go will receive a free native tree from Trees for Canterbury.

We invite your community to come along, give it a go, and feel what it's like. Everyone is welcome to stay a while and watch the professionals in action as they compete in 5 different technical challenges.

Please note that Park entry requirements mean no dogs are permitted, and a $5 entry fee applies.


See our website https://www.elementsnature.co.nz/  or Facebook page
Bookings are through https://elements.aimyplus.com
For more info email elementsprogrammes@gmail.com

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto School Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 26 August, 2022

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

We are excited to see signs of Spring all around us as daffodils, spring blossoms and new shoots on winter dormant plants emerge. COVID, weather, winter illnesses and the need for extra ventilation have contributed to this winter being a particularly testing one.

Update on COVID protocols...

This week we have reviewed our COVID protocols based on the continued reduction of cases of COVID in our community.
  • We will continue to have both a senior and a junior celebration assembly each fortnight. Whānau are welcome to attend these assemblies again - please wear a mask if you are coming into any building at school.
  • We continue to ask whānau not to come into hubs during the school day. If you need to speak to a teacher, please either make an appointment or wait to speak to them at the end of the day.
  • We will continue to wear masks inside at school whilst we have high levels of winter illnesses and other bugs circulating (tummy bugs seem to be quite prevalent at the moment).

Update on internal Gate between Koru New Entrant area and the rest of the school...

We did plan to remove the internal gate once the full fencing was in place. However, at the moment, we have a challenge with the water at the bottom of the slide in the junior playground being a huge attraction for some of the children, particularly in the New Entrant team, and we have not been able to prevent them from going into the water with 'education' alone. Until the water pooling issue is resolved, we have decided to keep that internal gate in place. We do have a contract in place for that drainage work and are just waiting on notification as to when it will begin. We will continue to support children to get through that gate when they need to, and we appreciate that it is really tricky at the moment.

Supporting our young people to navigate Snapchat and other Social Media

We are regularly faced with challenges that arise for our young people as a result of behaviour on social media. We can't stress enough how important it is for caregivers to be fully conversant with what their children are doing on social media. The potential for emotional harm is extremely high when children are not supported to use these platforms in positive ways. 
Our Kahui Ako (local group of schools) has organised a free, whānau workshop with Netsafe on Tuesday 25th October at St Martins School. 
This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to learn how you can help your child(ren) to be safe online.


Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Wed 7 Sep - School Photos
Wed 7 Sep - Board Election Day
Mon 19 Sep - Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Thu 22 Sep - BOT Meeting (5.30-7.30pm - te Rūma Kaimahi - Staffroom)
Fri 23 Sep - PTA Disco 
Wed 28 Sep - PTA Meeting (7.30-9.30pm in the Green Room)
Fri 30 Sep - Last day of Term 3
Mon 17 Oct - First day of Term 4
Tue 25 Oct - Netsafe Workshop for all whānau - St Martins School, 7pm

Term Dates

Citizen of the Week

Eve Hart - Year 8

Eve, you are an excellent example of living our school values every day. You are hardworking and always give everything a go. You are focused during all learning tasks and are so supportive of others. You are a fun, caring person who sees the positive in all situations. Thank you for being such a positive role model in the Kauri hub. Tino pai Eve!

School Notices

Roadworks Update for next week:

We understand that Norwood St is now very busy during school drop-off and pick-up time, partly due to the ongoing road works in other parts of the neighbourhood. This is likely to be the case next week too. Please take extra care travelling down Norwood St and watch for children. If you are dropping children off and they need to cross Norwood St, please assist them to cross safely, so that they are not left to 'pop out' between parked cars. 
A reminder that Norwood St and Sandwich Road, along with other streets in the Beckenham Loop, are 40km at all times. 



On Sandwich Road, please always remind children to use the school crossing as the only place to cross the road, and please always model this to your children so that they do this when you are not with them. 
From SEIPP:
Monday 29/08/22 – Friday 02/09/22
  • Lane closure of Tennyson Street south lane at the Eastern terrace intersection
  • Traffic will only be able to flow down this section of Tennyson Street from the Colombo Street direction towards St Martins Road
  • Lane closure will be in place for 5 days

A request for a parent / whānau member who has welding capabilities...

We would appreciate help in finding someone with welding capacity and capability to help repair this chair for our kura:

Please let the office or Tony know if this sounds like you!

Statements

You should have received an email today with a link to your Financial Statement in your Hero account. If you require any assistance logging into Hero or have any queries regarding your account, please email accounts@beckenham.school.nz
A huge 'thank-you' to all of you who have paid, or are making payments towards your school donations. Whilst not compulsory, we rely on these donations to be able to provide the extras that we would otherwise not be able to do including Aquatic instruction in Kahikatea and Kōwhai (Term 4), Senior Ski Trip, trips off-site and visiting speakers and performers to the school.

Lunch Orders 

Sushi Meets Dumplings

Order here for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday lunch delivery services.

PTA News

Readathon

Thanks, everyone for your awesome support of the Readathon! Lots of good reading got done and we received lots of donations! We will let you know the final tally soon, just waiting for the last wee bits to come in. We loved seeing all the cute outfits last Friday!

We Care

We wanted to remind you that we still have a few pieces of our beautiful 'We Care' product for sale: 

PTA Disco - save the date!



Remember to save the date: Friday 23rd September for the annual PTA disco. We are hoping to be able to confirm some details soon!

BOT Update

Voting for Parent Elections is currently open. By now you should have received the link to vote via email or via post. Voting closes Wednesday, September 7th @ 4pm. 



Please have your votes in before the closing date to ensure they are counted!

Community Notices

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

Christchurch BASEBALL

Registration is now open for Term 4
All ages from 5 years to Adult - equipment provided
Training held in Avonhead or St Martins

Facebook page is: www.facebook.com/ShrekNZTour/ and Ticketing Website is: https://bit.ly/shrekthemusicalnz

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto School Newsletter, Rāmere, (Friday) 19 August

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

What a great way to end our week with Book Character Day today! The Library was bursting with characters who had jumped out of the books and truly come alive!


Playground Update

We are very excited to confirm that the contract for the rebuild of our Junior Playground has been signed and we are very hopeful that this work will be done before the end of the year, possibly starting during the September holidays.
Alongside that work, we have another contract signed to carry out remediation drainage work to resolve the ponding that has continued to plague the bottom of the new slide area in front of the admin block. We have been frustrated by the time this has taken and understand that having the slide out of action has not been ideal. 

Celebrating the cultural identities of our tamariki and their families.

We love being able to celebrate the diverse range of cultures that make up our school community. Today, in both of our assemblies, Dan shared his strong connections with his South African culture and taught the children different ways to say "Hello" in three South African languages. For the past two days we have been flying the Russian flag - again, to celebrate the culture of our families who have Russian heritage and cultural identity. We have had some valuable conversations with some of our older students and wider community about the intention behind flying different flags - for us it is about inclusion and celebration of culture and identity, and does not imply any support for any country's political stance. 

Board Elections - Have you voted yet?

Having a strong board is critical for a school. We are extremely fortunate to have a history of boards that work hard to reflect the diversity and richness of our community. A strong board focuses on the needs of all tamariki, and ensures that the policies and direction of the school is one that ensures a safe and inclusive learning environment for every student. Please make sure you take the opportunity to vote to ensure that you have helped to elect a board that you feel will continue this tradition.

2023 Term Dates  

Staff Only Days
Thu 26, Fri 27 January & Mon 30 January
Term 1
Tue 31 January to Thu 6 April 94 half days; 10 weeks
NB: Learning Conferences all day Tuesday 31 January and Wednesday 1 February. Supervision will be provided for families who have requested it. Classes start Thursday 2 February. 
Waitangi Day Mon 6 Feb - School Closed
Good Friday  - Friday 7 April - School Closed

Term 2
Wed 26 April to Fri 30 Jun 94 half days; 10 weeks
Staff Only Day Mon 24 April
Queen's Birthday Mon 5 Jun - School Closed

Term 3
Mon 17 Jul to Friday 22 Sep 98 half days; 10 weeks
Staff Only Day during Term 3, date TBC

Term 4
Mon 9 Oct to Tue19 Dec 100 half days; 10 weeks

Labour Day Mon 23 Oct - School Closed
Canterbury Anniversary Fri 17 Nov - School Closed

Total half days: 386 (as required by the Ministry of Education

Ngā mihi nui

Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Wed 24 Aug- PTA Meeting (7.30-9.30pm in the Green Room)
Wed 7 Sep - School Photos
Wed 7 Sep - Board Election Day
Mon 19 Sep - Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Thu 22 Sep - BOT Meeting (5.30-7.30pm in te Rūma Kaimahi - Staffroom)
Fri 23 Sep - PTA Disco (TBC)
Wed 28 Sep - PTA Meeting (7.30-9.30pm in the Green Room)
Fri 30 Sep - Last day of Term 3
Mon 17 Oct - First day of Term 4

Term Dates

Citizen of the Week

Gavin Huang - Year 8

Gavin, you are such a focused and hard-working student! The great progress you have made in literacy is a testament to your application and your determination to give your best. You are reliable and trustworthy in your leadership positions. Thanks for being such a fabulous role model in our hub. Tino pai Gavin!

School Notices

Book Character Day - Thank you all for your participation!

It was so amazing to see our kaimahi (Staff), whānau and tamariki getting involved today and there were so many fabulous characters! 
A huge thank you to the PTA! Please continue to support this fundraiser by getting your donations in for the Readathon. You can transfer directly into the PTA account (12-3148-0244558-00) and use 'Readathon' as the reference, or you can bring them into the office next week.

Well done to all our tamariki who made time for their reading!




Te Whare Tapa Whā

We're really excited to share our new Wellbeing poster and definition with you!


The definition is based on Mason Durie's "Te Whare Tapa Whā" Hauora model, which acknowledges the key areas of wellbeing. We look forward to unpacking this with our tamariki over the coming weeks. 


You may already be familiar with the term Hauora. At kura we have the Hauora Room in the Office, where your tamariki come when they are feeling unwell, or have bumps and scrapes that need mending, or occasionally just need some quiet time, a chat and some TLC. 

Hauora in te reo Māori speaks about wellbeing. Here is the definition as given on Te Aka (the Māori Dictionary) :

Another notice from SEIPP and Christchurch City Council 

Road Closure Eastern Tce - Monday 22 Aug - Wed 24 Aug

What you need to know:
  • We are continuing with Phase 2 of our project to replace a water main on Eastern Terrace.
  • This notice covers upcoming works to connect the newly installed water main on Eastern Terrace to the existing watermain on Martin Ave.
  • There will be a temporary road closure on Eastern Terrace between 153 Eastern Terrace through to Martin Ave.
  • Properties within the road closure will have restricted vehicle access. Our onsite crew will be in contact with affected properties.
  • The work may result in increased dust, noise, and vibrations. We will aim to keep any disruptions to a minimum
  • We will continue to keep you updated as this project progresses, including any foreseeable impacts.
Thank you for your continued understanding and patience while we complete these works.

BOT Update

Voting for Parent Elections is now open. By now you should have received the link to vote via email or via post. Voting closes Wednesday, September 7th @ 4pm. 

Please have your votes in before the closing date to ensure it is counted!

Contact Reihana; at pa@beckenham.school.nz if you need any help with the process.

Community Notices

(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
"First 1000 Days and Play Based Learning!"  to be held at:  La Vida Centre, Christchurch on Monday 29th August -7:30pm to 9:00pm.  

GET YOUR TICKETS!  Tickets are available on Eventfinda NZ - (**early bird tickets are available too so get in quick before they sell out!**).  Head to www.eventfinda.co.nz (search: Nathan Wallis Christchurch) or click on the link below:


Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto School Newsletter, Rāpare, (Thursday) 11 August

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

A reminder that tomorrow, Friday the 12th of August is a Staff Only Day and school is closed to students.

Readathon Reminder - please bring $$$ in next week

Book Character Day next Friday

Hope that everyone is enjoying getting their reading done for the 2nd week of the Readathon. Please remember to start bringing money back next week. Next Friday is Book Character Day so get your thinking hats on to see how you can represent a book or a book character by dressing differently! We all look forward to the wonderful different ways that children choose to represent their favourite characters, and we all have a lot of fun trying to guess who they are!

Strum Strike Blow

Excitement was high at the Chch Arena last night at the annual musical celebration, "Strum, Strike' Blow" with around 1200 Canterbury Primary-aged children rehearsing and performing on marimbas, ukuleles and recorders. Incredibly proud of our tamariki who took part with such joy and enthusiasm. Huge thanks to Roger Hamilton (ukulele) and Jody Stanford (recorder) who coached the students and supported them to get there.




Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Fri 12 Aug- Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Thu 18 Aug - BOT Meeting (5.30-7.30pm in te Rūma Kaimahi)
Fri 19 Aug - Book Character Day (dress up)
Wed 24 Aug- PTA Meeting (7.30-9.30pm in the Green Room)
Wed 7 Sep - School Photos
Wed 7 Sep - Board Election Day
Mon 19 Sep - Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Thu 22 Sep - BOT Meeting (5.30-7.30pm in te Rūma Kaimahi - Staffroom)
Fri 23 Sep - PTA Disco (TBC)
Wed 28 Sep - PTA Meeting (7.30-9.30pm in the Green Room)
Fri 30 Sep - Last day of Term 3
Mon 17 Oct - First day of Term 4

Term Dates

Click here to view the 2022 term dates. 
2023 Term Dates will be confirmed at our next Board of Trustees meeting, and will be published later this month.

Citizen of the Week

Camryn Inglis - Year 6

Cammie, the positivity and enthusiasm that you bring to the Pōhutukawa Hub every day is infectious! You are someone who leads by example, displaying our school Kete Values in all that you do. Your caring nature, sense of humour and willingness to help out whenever you see a need makes a difference to our hub. Tēnā rawa atu koe Cammie, keep shining!

School Notices

Reporting Of Absences

When your child is absent from school please contact the office in the first instance. It is not enough to inform their teacher. A home group teacher is not always the one who will mark their home group roll  - this can be for a number of reasons e.g. teacher is unwell, on a training course off-site, onsite but engaged in other work, and their home group is being taught by a reliever. Teaching staff are also not always able to read all of their emails prior to the commencement of the school day, so your email may remain unread until well after the roll has been taken.

Please always let the office know first when your child is absent so that we can quickly ascertain who is present and who is absent on any given day.

A reminder of ways to contact the Office to report an absence:

Phone: (03) 337-1404
(Press 1 to leave an absence message)
Text Message: 021 027 94107
Email: office@beckenham.school.nz

Y7/8 Open Night - Next Tuesday, 16th August 7-8pm

Lost Property

Beautiful knitted items, and warm jackets in Lost Property waiting to be claimed. A reminder for whānau to please name all items coming to school so we can return them to children when they are found (first and last name please).




PTA News


Sponsorship for the Readathon

Please support the PTA by collecting sponsorship money for your wonderful readers. We don’t want them door-knocking but if there are supportive friends or family members who can help that would be fantastic!

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.
 
PTA Meeting dates can be found in the weekly school Newsletter, or on the school calendar - linked here.

BOT Elections

Congratulations to our duly elected Staff Representative Board Member...


Anna Reid, our Kōwhai (Y3/4) Team Leader, was nominated, unopposed, as the Staff Trustee and is returning to the Board table with a wealth of expertise to share.

Parent representatives - going to election!

Thank you to everyone who put their names forward for our Parent Trustees positions. Voting is now open and will be done online, eligible voters will receive their voting papers via email. For anyone without a valid e-mail address, you will be sent papers in the mail – with voting envelopes to send them back to the school office. Each voting paper is barcoded, pin numbered and has a unique identifier so voting can't be done twice. If you lose this piece of paper, OR, if you have not received voting papers, please get in touch with our Board Secretary - Reihana: reihana.dougherty@beckenham.school.nz 

Voting closes on Wednesday the 7th of September at 4pm.

Candidate Statements

Board Parent Election 2022 - 3 Parent Representative vacancies

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 School Newsletter, Rāmere, (Friday) 5 August

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora e te whānau

The big and obvious change around the school this week has been the final stage of our fencing project. We did note, back in Term 1, that this latter stage of the fencing would be happening, however, the speed at which it was suddenly installed caught all of us a little by surprise this week! 

We appreciate that there are mixed feelings within our community about the fencing and gates, and that understanding the purpose of this change is really important. 

From the time that we put in the Treemendous area down on the Eastern Tce boundary, it became evident that fencing at that end of the school was necessary. As we explored this option, we recognised that, over recent years, we have increasing numbers of students joining the school who have needs that require a higher level of monitoring and support to enable them to remain safe in a school environment. The school is positioned with significant potential hazards on it's doorstep with the ponds and the river, as well as the roads. At the start of this year, the Ministry of Education determined that the needs of our students had reached a risk threshold, resulting in the Ministry funding and procuring this full fencing project. 

We are working through the obvious challenges that having tall fences and gates now provide, and we are putting in place new processes for managing and supporting our children to access the park safely at break times, and to support adults and students to access the school when they need to. As part of this, we will need to get an intercom installed at the front gate so that anyone who can't unlock the gate to enter the school during school hours can buzz into the office and request that the gate be unlocked. 

The main gate on Sandwich Road will be open from 8:30-8:55am each morning. If you are dropping children to school after 8:55am, you will need to make sure that you open the gate for them (and remind them to come and sign into the office).  As always, please don't send children to school before 8:30am.

We are very aware at school of making sure all of our children are safe and that they understand that the fences and gates are there to promote the safety of all, especially our newest and our most vulnerable children. Your help in reframing any concerns your children may have about the fences in a positive, caring and inclusive way is very much appreciated.

We are reminded of the words attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: 

"The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members."

We do know that it may take a little while to get these new processes working smoothly. If you have any questions or concerns, we would appreciate you letting us know. 

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Fri 12 Aug- Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Thu 18 Aug - BOT Meeting (5.30-7.30pm in te Rūma Kaimahi)
Fri 19 Aug - Book Character Day (dress up)
Wed 24 Aug- PTA Meeting (7.30-9.30pm in the Green Room)
Wed 7 Sep - School Photos
Wed 7 Sep - Board Election Day
Mon 19 Sep - Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Thu 22 Sep - BOT Meeting (5.30-7.30pm in te Rūma Kaimahi - Staffroom)
Fri 23 Sep - PTA Disco (TBC)
Wed 28 Sep - PTA Meeting (7.30-9.30pm in the Green Room)
Fri 30 Sep - Last day of Term 3
Mon 17 Oct - First day of Term 4

Term Dates

Click here to view the 2022 term dates. 2023 Term Dates will be confirmed at our next Board of Trustees meeting, and will be published later this month.

Citizen of the Week

Maximus Olykan - Year 3

Max, you are a ray of sunshine in our team. You always give new learning tasks a go with a can-do attitude and are super engaged with them. You are a fantastic role model to other students, and show kindness and empathy whenever you help a classmate with their work. Ka mau te wehi, Max!

School Notices

Reminder - Staff Only Day - this coming Friday 12 August - school closed.

Tuning Into Kids - Parenting Workshops

Mana Ake are offering a 6 session parenting programme during Term 3 called "Tuning into Kids - Emotionally Intelligent Parenting". These groups will be starting in the next 2 weeks with the potential for spaces to still be available at the discretion of the facilitators. To register, email the facilitator of the course that you wish to attend. 

There is still space in the programme running on Wednesdays in Linwood, so if you would benefit, please contact the facilitator to find out more.

If you are interested in attending a "Tuning in to Kids" course, but these dates or locations don't suit please email: manaakefeedback@cdhb.health.nz. 

Here’s some feedback we received last term from a parent:

“From this programme, I learnt a lot. I pay more attention to the emotional intelligence education of my daughter than before, and understand her emotional changes better. Good emotional communication makes our relationship much closer than before. And I'm happy to see that my daughter was using the way I learned in the course to help her friends with their emotional problem.” – T2 2022

You can also check out the Mana Ake Website.
Parents going to this site can be assured of finding up-to-date and quality information on wellbeing and parenting skills. The website provides information on what Mana Ake does and how they work. Special mention to the ‘contacts for housing support’ section found under ‘challenges families face’ as we keep in mind how our current social landscape displays.

Lunch Orders Update

Characteristics of Gifted learners

Last term's newsletter discussed some of the different categories that can be used to support the definition of giftedness. As with all learners, students who have been identified as gifted come with both areas of strengths and growth. Not all gifted students have had opportunities to demonstrate their gifted learning aptitude. Some gifted learners may have significant learning and social difficulties that can mask their true potential. Some gifted young people may mask their giftedness and develop alternative identities which are perceived as more socially acceptable.

Below is a table showing clusters of characteristics that gifted learners may demonstrate. This research was undertaken by Don McAlpine and Neil Reid through their work with New Zealand teachers.

Headlice

We have had a few cases of headlice reported in the Junior School. 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

Congratulations to our Volleyballers...

... who are the new Year 7/8 Canterbury Champions! They participated in the Canterbury Volleyball championships at Hillview Christian School on Monday 1st August. 

PTA News

Readathon Fundraiser

We are halfway through the Readathon! Hopefully, all your wee bookworms are enjoying reaching their daily reading goal. Don't forget to talk to Aunties, Uncles and Grandparents to see if they want to sponsor us. 

There is a Book Character dress-up day on Friday the 19th of August, this is usually heaps of fun- so start raiding the dress-up box now! 

PTA Uniform Shop

Just a reminder that the uniform room is open every Monday and Friday. We welcome donations - drop them at the office or bring them along to the Uniform room when we are open, Monday & Friday 2:50-3:15pm

Community Notices

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

Junior Indoor Sports



If anyone has any questions they can contact Action Indoor Sports on;
Ph 03 3666601
Email football@actionindoorsports.com