Category Archives: Weekly Newsletters

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 24 February 2023

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Te Matatini 2023



Today in assembly we talked about the national Kapa Haka competition that is currently happening in Aotearoa this week - "Te Matatini". This festival is the 'Olympics' of Kapa Haka. Just as our top sports people, scientists, academics and artists begin their journeys in homes and schools around our country, so do our top kapa haka performers begin their journeys in marae, homes and schools. When our tamariki learn and perform haka, they are not just learning about the performance, but about the value and importance of language and culture and we are giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. To understand more about the 'Power and purpose of Kapa Haka' you might find this article interesing.

Kiss and Drop zone

The 3min drop-off areas on Eastern Tce and Sanwich Roads have been designated, by the City Council, as a drop-off zone to help all of our whānau with drop-offs and pick-ups in the mornings and afternoons and to keep traffic flowing. Please DON'T get out of your car and go into school if you are in the 3 min zone between 8:30 and 9:30am or between 2:30 and 3:30 pm! 
We are ordering new signage to put up to help remind people! 

Thursday 2nd March - School Closes at 1pm for Teachers to attend Paid Union Meetings

If you have not yet filled in the survey to let us know your plans for your child(ren) from 1pm that day, please do that now by clicking on this link. So far we have information for 280 out of 473 children.

Property Update - the 'Water Slide!'

We share everyone's frustration at the issue we have with the 'pond' at the bottom of the green slide in our playground. We have had significant and ongoing challenge finding a contractor who will take on the work needed to create a permanent solution for this isse. We reported at the end of last year that a contract had been accepted by a contractor, however, they have withdrawn from that and we are again back to trying to find another. Simply filling in the hole is not a solution as there are associated drainage issues that need to be rectified. When the rain came againt his week, of course, the side became a 'water slide' and the water, a health hazard! Thank you very much to Temp Fence for supplying us with temporary fencing free of charge around our Junior Playground slide, while our 'haerenga drainage solution' (drainage solution journey) continues.  

Cyclone Gabrielle Fundraising


Today a non-uniform day was held to raise funds for schools in flood-impacted communities. It was a fantastic effort and demonstrated again that we  understand the importance of helping others. A total of $1424.20 was raised by our community. 

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Term 1

Mon 27 Feb - Year 5-8 Swimming Sports - Wharenui Pool 12:30-2:30pm
Thu 2 Mar - School Closes at 1pm for Teachers to attend Paid Union Meetings
Mon 6 - 10 Mar - Walk or Wheel to School week
Mon 6-Fri 10 Mar - Year 7/8 Camp - Wainui
Fri 10 Mar - South Zone Swimming Sports (Y5-8), Wharenui Pool
Wed 22 Mar - PTA Meeting - All Welcome (7:30 – 9:30pm in The Green Room)
Thu 6 Apr - Last day of Term 1
Fri 7 Apr -  School Holidays begin (School closed)

Term 2

Mon 24 Apr - Staff Only Day (School closed)
Tue 25 Apr - ANZAC Day (School closed)
Wed 26 Apr - First day of Term 2
Mon 1 - Wed 3 May - Year 5/6 Camp - Living Springs
Mon 5 Jun - King's Birthday (School closed)
Fri 30 Jun - Last day of Term 2

Citizen of the Week

Leo Cronin-Wilson - Year 8

Leo, you are such an enthusiastic and focused learner, especially in maths where you are hungry for new knowledge and challenge. You have a caring soul and show respect to all. Thanks for the sparkle you bring to the Kauri hub every day. Tino pai, Leo! 

School Notices

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

Our fantastic Kaiako of Kapa Haka - Whaea Cath, is in need of corflute - the white corrugated plastic sheets our kapa haka words are on. In the past, recycled corflute from printers or real estate agents has been used (think House For Sale, and advertising signs). We are hoping we might have some people with access to these amongst our kura whānau. One clear side is all we need for our words, with a decent amount of width to allow for sentences to be added. If you have a surplus or are able to source these, we would appreciate receiving any sheets you may have. These can be dropped to the Office. We get there together! Thanks for your help whānau.

Example of corflute in use

Eastern Tce Upcoming Changes

Please see the plans below from SEIPP which show the traffic swaps in the area which will hopefully ease any confusion… SEIPP is nearly 70% of the way through the pipe installation side of the project so the end is in sight! 

Monday 27/02/23

Palatine Terrace will be closed across from the Malcolm Ave footbridge
The Malcolm Ave footbridge across the Heathcote river will be closed again. This will have an impact on students walking/riding from Centaurus Road, the alternate footbridge is the one at Fisher Ave. The footbridge is planned to be closed for 2 weeks.
Eastern Terrace will remain closed until 02/03/23

Friday 03/03/23

Birdwood Ave and Malcolm Ave intersection will be closed
Birdwood Ave and Martin Ave intersection will be opened
Eastern Terrace will be opened including the Malcolm Ave intersection

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Whānau Workshop - Structured Literacy across all year groups

What: Literacy Parent Education Event on Structured Literacy from Year 1 to Year 8
Presented by: Emma Nahna (Sound Foundations for Literacy)
Where: Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Hall
When: Thursday 23rd March 2023, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Who: All whānau/ caregivers across the school are invited. 

We are fortunate to have the wonderful Emma Nahna, Speech-Language Therapist and Literacy Consultant, coming to run a whānau workshop this term. Emma is extremely knowledgeable and an engaging speaker. Her mission is to support educators and parents “...to grow every child into a successful reader and writer.”

Emma will be running a whānau workshop on Thursday 23rd March at 5:30pm for our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto whānau. The first hour and a half will cover the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of structured literacy across the school and how you can support your learner at home. The last half an hour of the session will emphasise the importance of continuing to follow a structured literacy approach into the senior levels of the school, and will delve into morphology (the study of the forms of words)  and syntax (the arrangement of words to create sentences).

PTA News

Keep your eyes open for news next week regarding a delicious hot cross bun fundraiser! 


Good luck to all the tamariki participating in the weet-bix tryathalon this Sunday. Look out for the gazebo and sausage sizzle - all Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto students and whānau are welcome (even if you didn't remember to join the school group when you entered!)

Community Notices

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

EVolocity Canterbury Launch Event - locked & loaded!

EVolocity Canterbury Launch 
Saturday 4 March
11am-1:30pm
Air Force Museum @ Wigram

Here's the information you need in order to secure a free ticket as numbers are limited!
https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/evolocity-launch-day-canterbury-tickets-534184679757

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 17 February 2023

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Our thoughts are with the people of those North Island communities who have been devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle. I know that many of you will have whānau, friends or colleagues impacted. Expect to hear something in next week's newsletter about some action that we can take to show our support to schools in the impacted areas.

Our thoughts are also with the Turkish community as the scale of the devastation from their earthquakes continues to grow. Those of us who experienced the Canterbury earthquakes understand some of the sense of helplessness and loss that is felt when a natural disaster strikes at the heart of a community. 

Reminder: Early Finish on Thursday 2nd March - please fill in the survey link below (if you haven't already done this)

As you may be aware, the teachers' union, NZEI, are still in negotiations with the Ministry of Education around a new collective agreement. There is going to be a paid union meeting that all union members are expected to attend, on the afternoon of Thursday 2nd March. As the vast majority of our teachers belong to the union, we need to stop classes at 1pm on this day.
If you are NOT able to arrange for your children to be collected at 1pm on Thursday 2nd March, we will arrange supervision here at school. If your child normally attends BOSCO on a Thursday, we will make sure they get to BOSCO as usual.

EVERY FAMILY needs to fill in this survey, please, to let us know what your plan is for this day so that we know where every child is going to be at 1pm, and we can plan adequate supervision for those who need to stay at school.

Reminder: 2023 Whānau feedback on reporting through Hero

During 2022 student reports were provided to whānau through Hero. As this is a new process for our school community, we would appreciate your feedback as we look for ways to improve the experience.

We would appreciate it if you would be able to take a few minutes to complete this survey (click here).

If you are new to Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto in 2023 there is no need to complete the survey.

We will be closing reports for viewing from Monday morning. This is to allow teachers to begin to update student records. They will be opened again when mid-year reports are ready in Week 6 of Term 2.

Request for Annual Donation

Today you will have received an email requesting your contribution in the form of an annual donation.
If you need any assistance logging into Hero to view your statement or wish to find out more about the school donation or setting up payment instalments, you can refer to our website https://www.beckenham.school.nz/ and follow the “Finances and Annual Donation” link in the “Information” dropdown menu. You will also find information on applying for Donation Tax Credits from the IRD on this page. This scheme entitles you to claim back 33% of your donation payments, if you meet the eligibility criteria. Receipts for donations payments (including camp donations) made to us before 31st March this year, can be submitted as part of your application for the financial year ended 31 March 2023.

If you have a student in Year 7 or 8, a Camp donation request will be going onto your account next week and the Year 5 & 6 Camp donation request will be added in a few weeks time. If you have chosen to pay your donations in instalments over the year, please consider increasing these to allow for the cost of camp.

We greatly appreciate all contributions you are able to make towards donations. These go a long way towards providing a rich and diverse programme for our tamariki.

Payments may be made in part or full to the school bank account -

ASB Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Board of Trustees 12 3148 0131641 000 using the child's name as a reference. The school office also has Eftpos facilities available.

If you have any queries, please email accounts@beckenham.school.nz


Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Term 1

Wed 22 Feb - PTA Meeting; All Welcome (7:30 – 9:30pm in The Green Room)
Thu 23 Feb - BOT Meeting (5.30-7.30pm- Staffroom)
Fri 24 Feb - Celebration Assembly (10.00 - 10.30am in the Hall)
Mon 27 Feb - Year 5-8 Swimming Sports - Wharenui Pool 12:30-2:30pm
Thu 2 Mar - School Closes at 1pm for Teachers to attend Paid Union Meetings
Mon 6 - 10 Mar - Walk or Wheel to School week
Mon 6-Fri 10 Mar - Year 7/8 Camp - Wainui
Fri 10 Mar - South Zone Swimming Sports (Y5-8), Wharenui Pool
Wed 22 Mar - PTA Meeting - All Welcome (7:30 – 9:30pm in The Green Room)
Thu 6 Apr - Last day of Term 1
Fri 7 Apr -  School Holidays begin (School closed)

Term 2

Mon 24 Apr - Staff Only Day (School closed)
Tue 25 Apr - ANZAC Day (School closed)
Wed 26 Apr - First day of Term 2
Mon 1 - Wed 3 May - Year 5/6 Camp - Living Springs
Mon 5 Jun - King's Birthday (School closed)
Fri 30 Jun - Last day of Term 2Continue reading→

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 10 February 2023

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

We are all getting back into the rhythm of school again. With two short weeks now behind us, we can see lots of great routines being established by tamariki (children), whānau (families), and kaiamahi (staff) around getting to school, being at school, and managing a Monday-Friday school pattern again.

Being in a 'House' at our school...

We have four Houses at Beckenham, and each child is put into a House when they start at school. Children who are part of the same family are put into the same house, and they usually stay in that house for all the years they are at Beckenham. All of our new students have now been allocated a House. If you are not sure which house your child is in, please contact Jacky or Reihana at the office.

House Shirts: Fisher, Waimea, Heathcote and Tennyson

We have a House Shirt as an optional part of our school uniform. The House shirt can be worn every Friday, and on days when there are going to be House activities such as 'House Games', Athletic Sports, Cross Country etc. On other days, regular, red school tops should be worn. House shirts are able to be purchased through the office for $25 each.

Each house has four senior students who lead the house - two House Captains and two Deputy House Captains. During the year, we have different events where children compete or participate in activities in Houses. The House Captains and Deputies often run these events. At our Celebration Assembly this week, our House Captains and Deputies were introduced.

Early Finish on Thursday 2nd March - please fill in the survey link below

As you may be aware, the teachers' union, NZEI, are still in negotiations with the Ministry of Education around a new collective agreement. There is going to be a paid union meeting that all union members are expected to attend, on the afternoon of Thursday 2nd March. As the vast majority of our teachers belong to the union, we need to stop classes at 1pm on this day.
If you are NOT able to arrange for your children to be collected at 1pm on Thursday 2nd March, we will arrange supervision here at school. If your child normally attends BOSCO on a Thursday, we will make sure they get to BOSCO as usual.

EVERY FAMILY needs to fill in this survey, please, to let us know what your plan is for this day so that we know where every child is going to be at 1pm, and we can plan adequate supervision for those who need to stay at school.

Laura and Baby Max

Congratulations to Laura Williamson and her partner Steve on the birth of baby Max at the end of November last year. Some of our staff and students had the pleasure of meeting Max when Laura popped into school for morning tea last week.

2023 Whānau feedback on reporting through Hero



During 2022 student reports were provided to whānau through Hero. As this is a new process for our school community, we would appreciate your feedback as we look for ways to improve the experience.

We would appreciate it if you would be able to take a few minutes to complete this survey (click here).

If you are new to Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto in 2023 there is no need to complete the survey.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki (Principal)

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Term 1

Wed 22 Feb - PTA Meeting; All Welcome (7:30 – 9:30pm in The Green Room)
Thu 23 Feb - BOT Meeting (5.30-7.30pm- Staffroom)
Fri 24 Feb - Celebration Assembly (10.00 - 10.30am in the Hall)
Mon 27 Feb - Year 5-8 Swimming Sports - Wharenui Pool 12:30-2:30pm
Thu 2 Mar - School Closes at 1pm for Teachers to attend Paid Union Meetings
Mon 6 - 10 Mar - Walk or Wheel to School week
Mon 6-Fri 10 Mar - Year 7/8 Camp - Wainui
Fri 10 Mar - South Zone Swimming Sports (Y5-8), Wharenui Pool
Wed 22 Mar - PTA Meeting - All Welcome (7:30 – 9:30pm in The Green Room)
Thu 6 Apr - Last day of Term 1
Fri 7 Apr -  School Holidays begin (School closed)

Term 2

Mon 24 Apr - Staff Only Day (School closed)
Tue 25 Apr - ANZAC Day (School closed)
Wed 26 Apr - First day of Term 2
Mon 1 - Wed 3 May - Year 5/6 Camp - Living Springs
Mon 5 Jun - King's Birthday (School closed)
Fri 30 Jun - Last day of Term 2Continue reading→

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 3 February 2022

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora and Assalam alaykum

Last week, during one of our Staff Only Days, our staff and one of our board members were extremely fortunate to participate in some professional development designed to increase our understanding of Islam so that we can better support our Muslim ākonga (learners) and their whānau. Alongside the session at school, our staff also had the opportunity to visit the Al Noor Mosque. Being culturally competent is an important part of our work, and when we participate in any new learning, we always seek to find broader principles of understanding, including how having faith of any kind can be an important pillar of whānau values.


This morning we welcomed all of our new tamariki and their whānau to our school with our start-of-term Welcome Assembly. 



This would have to have been one of the biggest groups we have welcomed for a long time, with the broadest range of cultural diversity in its make-up. This was evidenced by the 17 flags that were brought in to represent the different cultural backgrounds of our new whānau. We feel incredibly lucky to be able to welcome and be part of such a diverse community.

Reminder to all whānau that Monday the 6th of February is a public holiday and school is closed. We look forward to seeing you all back again on Tuesday.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki (Principal)

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Term 1

Mon 6 Feb - Waitangi Day (Kura Closed)
Wed 22 Feb - PTA Meeting; All Welcome (7:30 – 9:30pm in The Green Room)
Thu 23 Feb - BOT Meeting (5.30-7.30pm- Staffroom)
Fri 24 Feb - Celebration Assembly (10.00 - 10.30am in the Hall)
Mon 6 - 10 Mar - Walk or Wheel to School week
Mon 6-Fri 10 Mar - Year 7/8 Camp - Wainui
Wed 22 Mar - PTA Meeting - All Welcome (7:30 – 9:30pm in The Green Room)
Thu 6 Apr - Last day of Term 1
Fri 7 Apr -  School Holidays begin (Kura closed)

Term 2

Mon 24 Apr - Staff Only Day (Kura closed)
Tue 25 Apr - ANZAC Day (Kura closed)
Wed 26 Apr - First day of Term 2
Mon 1 - Wed 3 May - Year 5/6 Camp - Living Springs
Continue reading→

Start of 2023 – Whole School Newsletter

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

A Happy New Year to you all!

Less than a week to go and school will be starting again, with Learning Conferences on Tuesday 31st January and Wednesday 1st Feb, followed by classes starting on Thursday 2nd February.

There is some key information noted below to ensure a smooth start to the year for all:

Learning Conferences - Please book yours now if you haven't done so already.

Each child needs to have a learning conference with you and their teacher for 2023 on Tuesday or Wednesday next week. You need to book a 30min time with your child and their teacher by going to 
www.schoolinterviews.org.nz/code and entering the code f69qr
If you need assistance with booking, please call the office on Thursday morning or during the day on Friday and someone will be able to assist you.

Cyber Safety and BYOD Agreements

To help keep students and our technology safe, we ask that all students and caregivers review and complete the Cyber Safety Agreement each year.

Please read through and complete the 2023 Cyber Safety Agreement with your child/children, explaining it at a level that is appropriate for them. If you are unable to complete the form online, a paper version will be available during learning conferences. Please ensure the (digital or paper) form is completed and returned before the first day of classes.

If your child is in Year 5-8 and will be bringing their own device to school for learning, please also read through and complete the 2023 Bring Your Own Device Agreement with your child/children. A paper version will also be available at Learning Conferences, if required. Please complete and return the (digital or paper) BYOD form before the first day of classes.

Stationery 

If you haven't yet organised stationery, or can't locate the list, you can find the stationery lists here, on the school website. Please only name those items that the list asks to be named.

Sunhat and Drink Bottle

It is important that every child starts school with a named sunhat and water bottle. Sunhats are compulsory when outside during Terms 1 and 4.


Uniform

Please find information about the school uniform here.
The PTA will be opening the Uniform shop at the following times next week:
Opening times next week: 
Tuesday 31st January 2pm to 3pm
Wednesday 1st February 8.45am to 10am
During Term 1 2023: 
Tuesday afternoon 2.45 to 3.15pm
Friday morning 8.45 to 9.15am

They would love to have more donations of uniform items that are no longer needed, and are always looking for people who could help out at the uniform shop. Please contact pta@beckenham.school.nz if you can offer assistance.

Welcome Assembly - Friday 3 February 9:15am

This is a very special assembly where we welcome everyone back to school, and particularly welcome our new students and their whānau. Families are welcome to attend, and a very special welcome goes out to the families of our new students (including those who started after Week 1 of Term 4 last year). Our PTA will have a cup of tea or coffee available in the hall foyer from 8:45 - 9:15am, After which the assembly will take place. This lasts about 20mins. 


Medication at school?

If your child needs to have any medication held and /or administered at school, we will need you to come into the office and sign a plan for us to do that. A good time to do this is when you come in for your learning conference. ALL medication plans need to be re-signed for the new year. 



Transiton to a new school year...

Finally - by clicking on the document attached to this email, you can scroll through a visual document about the school, and meet all of the staff for 2023.  This will be especially helpful for some of our younger children, and for children who are new to the school or those moving into a new team.

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Tuesday 31 January - Learning Conferences

Wednesday 1 February - Learning Conferences

Thursday 2 February - School starts, 8:55am

Friday 3 February - cuppa (from 8:45am) followed by Welcome Assembly (9:15am)

Term Dates

Click here to view 2023 term dates.

We are all looking forward to seeing you again next week!

Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal