Category Archives: Weekly Newsletters

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 8 April

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou



Ramadan is an important time in the Muslim calendar. For 2022, it runs from the 1st of April to the 1st of May. We have a number of Muslim whānau in our school and we wish them all the very best for this time.

Go! Dan! Go!

A group of Kōwhai children sent a video in to support Dan Carter in his kick-a-thon goal of raising money for UNICEF. They were spotted in the live stream last night! If you want to contribute to Dan's fundraising effort, you can do that by clicking this link.


COVID Update

Since we last reported to you on Tuesday, we have only had 2 cases a day for the rest of this week. We continue to have a number of students and staff isolating at home, either with COVID or as household contacts. We are hopeful that the spike of cases we saw early this week is our 'peak' and that we will now start dropping cases. We do want to get everyone through to the start of the school holidays as healthy as possible and hope that the holidays will be the 'circuit breaker' that we all need. 


We are also hopeful that this coming Thursday's cabinet announcement will see a shift to Orange before school returns for Term 2, which will allow us to make some much-awaited changes to our daily operations. As soon as we know more, we will let you know!

Please remember that our term finishes next Thursday 14th April.
Term 2 starts on TUESDAY 3rd May as we will be having a Staff Only Day on the Monday.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Thu 14th Apr - Last day of Term 1
Fri 15th Apr - Good Friday (School Closed)

Term 2

Note that Monday 2nd May is a Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Tue 3rd May - First day of Term 2 

Term Dates

Click here to view 2022 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Thomas O'Beirne - Year 4

Thomas, you excel at demonstrating our school values. You always show perseverance when facing a new challenge in your learning. You are kind and caring to others, and have a great sense of humour. We love your creative ideas in your writing as well as your funny stories. Thank you for showing We Get There Together and We Love Learning in many ways. Tino pai, Thomas!  

Louie de Clifford - Year 8

Louie you exemplify our school values. You are kind, creative, and loyal. You are personable and quick to lend a hand, and this makes a positive difference in our hub. Thank you for the leadership you show in technology and for being a stunning role model for others. Louie, you get stuck right into learning tasks, demonstrating a love of learning and challenge. Tino pai, Louie!

School Notices

Accessing your child's 2021 report through Hero

In 2021 your child's end of year report was generated through Hero and opened to you through your Hero log in. This was the first time we utilised Hero for this.
As we prepare for the next round of reporting at the end of Term 2, 2022, we have turned the report function on your Hero account off as of Thursday 31st March. You will still have access to the other functions on Hero that you can currently use. 

The purpose of turning the report off is to allow the teachers time to begin working on the next report for your child. Access will be turned on again at the end of Term 2 (we will let you know when), and you will then be able to access their new report, along with any previous achievement information.

We will also provide you with support on how to access the report when the time comes.

Diversity Day

It was wonderful to see our ākonga show up to school as their wonderful selves, just with a little more color today! We are lucky to have such an inclusive and diverse school that celebrates all communities. Our student council were very proud to have raised $360 for Qtopia, an organisation that supports the LGBTQ+ community. Diversity Day was a symbol of recognition of all the different people our Kura has brought together!!


Community Dental Service - Dental Care During the School Holidays

The Community Dental Service will be providing urgent and relief of pain appointments during the school break at:
  • Aranui Community Dental Clinic, 240 Breezes Road, Christchurch
  • Hornby Community Dental Clinic, 2 Hei Hei Road, Christchurch
You can access these appointments by calling our Contact Centre on 0800 846 983.
For any dental advice please call the Contact Centre on 0800 846 983 or email commdental@cdhb.health.nz

Sports News

Congratulations to...

The children in this photo were the inaugural recipients of the 'cricket certificates' that are going to be given out regularly to celebrate great skills and sportsmanship at breaktime cricket that is held on the field each day for Year 5-8 students (weather permitting). Thanks to Kingston for coming up with this great idea to promote cricket behaviour that supports our school values!
Thanks to Paul for his huge enthusiasm for supporting our tamariki in cricket at break times, and to Dave for also lending his support on the days he is here.

Year 5/6 Netball

Any student keen to play netball on Friday afternoon at Hagley courts needs to complete the google form sent out earlier this week OR email carolynaitken1974@gmail.com as soon as possible to allow us to sort teams. There is limited spots so this is only an expression of interest.

BOSCO

If you are looking for AWESOME Easter fun for your kids this holiday – look no further! BOSCO has an exciting April Holiday programme planned, filled with activities to keep all ages entertained so YOU don’t have to. We have Suzie the magnificent performer coming to us, House of Bricks, a dance instructor to teach us a few dance moves and so much more! You will not want to miss out on all our baking, crafts and special days that we have planned like pyjama day, circus day, wizard day and definitely not the BIGGEST EASTER EGG HUNT EVER! So, if this sounds like something you are interested in, email Juanita at office@bosco.org.nz or book online via Aimy Plus. See you there!

Community Notices

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

Cashmere Club

Elements Nature Based Play 

After a crazy term of uncertainty how about having your children active & creative in nature next school holidays.  Think huts, trees, tools, arts n crafts with time and space to be a kid.  Elements has a great mix of planned experiences and play throughout our programmes.  In the April School holidays Elements is offering ‘Natures Challenges’ & ‘Myths n Monsters’, for ages 5-13yrs on a Cashmere farm.
See our website https://www.elementsnature.co.nz/  or facebook page https://www.facebook.com/elementsprogrammes/ to see what we get up to.  Bookings are through https://elements.aimyplus.com 
For more info email elementsprogrammes@gmail.com

Studio One Performing Arts, your local dance school, is currently giving Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary and Acro 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 372-9191 or email info@studioone.co.nz

METHVEN SCARECROW TRAIL

Fantastic, fun, school holiday activity!

The trail begins Saturday April 16th. Maps go on sale at Methven I Hub and for $10 (cash only) and the trail begins at the I Hub.

Don't forget to like the Scarecrow Trail FB page if possible - this is where we post messages and the results - https://www.facebook.com/MethvenScarecrowTrail/

Art Classes for Children

Is your child passionate about art? Would they like to extend their creativity through learning a range of new art skills and techniques? Maybe Kat's holiday painting workshops or after-school art classes are just what you've been looking for. Kat's Art Studio is located at 171 Waltham Rd. Art tutor Katrina is a professional artist and tutor who has over 10yrs experience teaching children art. For more details, please visit www.katsartstudio.co.nz


Snow Gear Sale

This winter St Martins Scouts are having a second-hand snow gear sale to fundraise.

Saturday 7th May 9am-3pm
St Martins Scout Den, 297 Centaurus Road, Christchurch

Come and grab some bargains on skis, snowboards, boots, jackets, pants, gloves, goggles and other winter gear.    If you have gear to sell, bring it along Friday 6th May, 2pm to 6pm.     Either donate it to the group or we'll sell on your behalf for 30% of the sale price.

https://www.smartscouts.co.nz/snow/

Click here to go to the Facebook Event

TIMA - School Holiday Programs for Tamariki and Rangatahi with a disability





Playball

AUDITION NOTICE!!

Luminaires are seeking talented actors, singers, dancers and even cheerleaders for our July 2022 Kidsfest Show - Monty Python's Spamalot Young@Part!!    Ages 8-18

Fill in the online form to register for your audition.    https://forms.gle/59FEvyskBQVYL5nj8

You can follow us on social media for updates:
https://www.facebook.com/LuminairesCharitableTrust
https://www.instagram.com/luminairescharitabletrust/




https://www.canterburyvolleyball.org/school-holiday-programme

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 25 March

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

It was lovely to get back to school on Wednesday out of my week in isolation as a household contact of someone with Covid! 

This week has seen a little more progress on the fencing project, with new posts going in around the netball court by the Kōmanawa building. we expect this next section of fencing to be completed by the end of next week.

Roadworks continue next week

We have spoken with the team who are working on the new water pipes on Birdwood Ave and Sandwich Road, and they expect Sandwich Road to continue to be a one-way street for all of next week. Thank you for adjusting your pick-up and drop-off plans to accommodate these roadworks, and keep our children safe.

COVID-19 update

Since we reported to you on Tuesday 22 March, we have had another 8 cases of Covid confirmed across the school. We continue to see people returning to school having completed their period of isolation, whilst others go into isolation, mostly as household contacts. We have had more staff needing to isolate as well, accounting for a number of relievers in the school.



Attendance across the school since our first Covid case 3 weeks ago has gone from around 88%, to 77% at the end of this week. In conversations with principals of other Christchurch schools, daily attendance is mostly varying between around 60-80% at the moment. Given we might be getting to the peak of COVID, we hope to see this attendance rate climb back up again by the end of this term and in Term 2. Saying that, we continue to appreciate you keeping sick children at home!

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Wed 30th Mar - BOT Meeting 5.30pm - 7.30pm (Staff Room)
Thu 14th Apr - Last day of Term 1
Fri 15th Apr - Good Friday (School Closed)
Term 2
Note that Monday 2nd May is a Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Tue 3rd May - First day of Term 2 

Term Dates

Click here to view 2022 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Madeleine Dougherty - Year 6

Madeleine, you are a great example of someone who demonstrates all our school values. You always take up the challenge to further your own learning, and your love of learning absolutely shines through. You contribute in many ways to our school community. Kai pai to mahi!

School Notices

No Coffee Cart next week - Nicola is not available

Paying your school Donation

Thank you to all of those people who have logged into their HERO via their browser or app, clicked on 'Finance' and have paid, or made contributions towards, their school donation for 2022.
 

Claiming back 33% of your School Donations and Contributions from the IRD

Just a reminder that if you make payments towards this year’s School donation before 31st March it will appear on your Donation receipt for the current financial year and you may be eligible to claim back 33.33 cents for every dollar you donate to the school. 


You are now able to produce your own Tax Donation Receipt from your Hero Login, from the tax year ending 31st March 2022. You will need to do this by signing in through your browser, not in the app.

Please follow this link for instructions. Your receipt will be downloaded to your device for you to print or attach to your online IRD donation claim.

For receipts for previous years, you will still need to contact Rachel Higginson by emailing accounts@beckenham.school.nz to request a tax receipt.

There is a limit of 4 tax years for claiming so this means you are currently able to claim for:

2018 tax year (ending 31 March 2019)
2019 tax year (ending 31 March 2020)
2020 tax year (ending 31 March 2021)
2021 tax year (ending 31 March 2022)

Scholastic Book Club

Thinking about our environment and the amount of paper waste that occurs we are no longer issuing Scholastic Book Club brochures to students. You can however view the Scholastic Book Club brochure online and place your order as usual. You can access the brochure via the link below:


If you would like a paper copy, please contact the Office and we can organise this for you.

Library Books Still Missing

Our library books are still missing and we would really love to get them back. Please can you check your home bookcase, in bags, under the bed - or any other place books tend to wander. Or, if we have lent you one of these wonderful books could you kindly return them back to our library or email the Office (office@beckenham.school.nz) saying you would like to keep them a little longer. Thank you!
Hey Warrior - Book Title

Hey Awesome - Book Title

What To Do When Your Temper Flares - Book Title

BOT Update

From time to time we will ask you to review one of our policies that come up on our review cycle. The policy for parental review this term is the School Closure Policy. 
You will find it on School Docs site using this link.

You will need to log in using the Username: beckenham and the Password: pride

We have now found that the best way to give Feedback really simply is done by clicking the green speech bubble.
From here, you will be taken to this form (pictured below) where you can give feedback. This may include things you think need to be added, considered, or altered. We really appreciate you taking a few moments to give feedback on our School Policies.
Please note: it is vitally important that the school has all of your up to date information, if in the case of an emergency (or school closure) we have to contact you urgently. If you have had any changes within the last year, or since enrolment, PLEASE email us at office@beckenham.school.nz and update your address, living arrangements, email address, contact phone numbers - including place of work and work contact details. We may have the correct details already - but it pays to double-check this!

Congratulations to some past Beckenham students!

The cast for the 2022 Cashmere High school production, Jesus Christ Superstar, has been announced. It was fantastic to see so many of our past Beckenham students getting involved and being given both leading roles, and parts in the Ensemble. We counted 5/9 lead roles being past Beckenhan ākonga! Congratulations to these talented young people! Isaac Macdonald, Sadie McLoughlin, Ben Evans, Juliette Gray, Georgina Cockfield, Sophia Brown, Morvern McDaid, Nathan Salgado, Fynn Skelton and  Hannah Winchester

BOSCO NEWS

Bookings are now open for the School Holiday programme at BOSCO


For more information, call 0276456632, or email office@bosco.org.nz

Book now at bosco.aimyplus.com

Community Notices

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


Be sure to click on the event details below so you can stay notified about these upcoming events. 

April 2nd: Fossil Fools Day - https://fb.me/e/1vv02W0H6

April 9th: All About BUGS - https://fb.me/e/6m4VbVHXW

April 16th: Easter Upcycle Workshop - https://fb.me/e/2hZ32Fdg7

April 23rd: Upcycle Fabric Workshop - https://fb.me/e/3cU6Dp0No

April 30th: "2040" Movie Screenings - https://fb.me/e/1FC9TKe1x

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 18 March

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Thank you all for continuing to support our efforts to keep all of our community healthy by keeping sick children at home. Thank you also for keeping us informed about children who are staying home due to being household contacts of confirmed cases. I write this to you today from my home - being myself a household contact of a confirmed COVID case! I expect to be back at school again by Wednesday of next week. 

Please remember to advise us if your child contracts COVID. We are required to give daily numbers (no names) to the Ministry of Education.

We are seeing attendance across the school has been slowly dropping through the term and for the last two weeks, we have had less than 400 out of 473 children at school each day. At one level, this has been expected as we have had COVID cases confirmed and people are having to go into isolation.

However, we do not believe that COVID is being transmitted at school!

We do have a number of students who are staying away from school due to 'being cautious'. While we also understand this, we have seen very little, if ANY, evidence of anyone catching COVID at school. In almost every case reported below, both for staff and students, the transmission has happened at home or in a social setting (which is to be expected as these settings are usually without masks and distancing). For that reason, we would encourage those families who are keeping children home out of caution, to send them to school so that their learning can continue uninterrupted. The measures that we are taking at school certainly seem to be making an important difference, and are making school a safe place for your child.


We are not seeing a huge rise in cases, and this week, we have had two days with no new cases reported. Our total number of cases at school since the first case on 3rd March is 23. This is an average of only 1.4 cases per day over the last 16 days.

Covid Cases per day - average 1.4 cases per day

Let's keep learning and staying safe together!

Ngā mihi mahana
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Wed 23rd Mar - PTA Meeting 7.30pm - 9.30pm (Green Room)
Wed 30th Mar - BOT Meeting 5.30pm - 7.30pm (Staff Room)
Thu 14th Apr - Last day of Term 1
Fri 15th Apr - Good Friday (School Closed)
Term 2
Note that Monday 2nd May is a  Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Tue 3rd May - First day of Term 2 

Term Dates

Click here to view 2022 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Maisie Lovelock - Year 8

Maisie, you are a shining star in our Kauri whānau. Your positive, kind and inclusive nature makes you a joy to be around. A proactive attitude and love of learning are key to your success. Thank you for the wonderful ways that you contribute and participate within our kura. 

School Notices

Updates to road closures/route changes

Thank you all for the way that you have supported our students to be safe this week with adjusting your travel around the school for the road works. 

Next week, Sandwich Road will be ONE WAY only, with entry from Norwood St and Exit via Eastern Tce.

Next week Sandwich Road past the school will be ONE WAY ONLY

We would encourage you to continue to walk and wheel as much as possible, and to park on Eastern Tce or Norwood St for pick-ups. There will be no entry into Sandwich Road from Eastern Terrace next week except for residents, staff and accessibility vehicles.

Walk & Wheel Prize Draw

Walk and wheel prizes have been drawn! Thank you to all of our tamariki who entered their names into the draw. It was so amazing to see how many tamariki were eligible to put their name in the draw. To be eligible you needed to have "walked or wheeled" to school at least 3 times over the past two weeks.



Prizes have been drawn and will be delivered to hubs next week.

Lost Property

We have a lost property rack out on the Library deck each day. Please have your children check here during morning tea and lunch. A reminder that it helps to have things named as we can get items back to your childs teacher much easier!

As well as this, we have quite the collection of other items held in the office. If your child is missing a watch, pounamu, or even glasses please come into the office and describe your item. We may have it! (Note some have been lost this year and some are from last year).

Scooter Mix Up today

We have had a look-alike scooter mix-up today after school. Please see the below pictures to see if you recognise this scooter as it may be yours!


The scooter that is missing (likely taken home by mistake) is very similar to this with key differences being it has a mountain-style sticker instead of a cross sticker, and the handle grips are not broken. If your child has picked up the wrong scooter accidentally, please can you return it to the office on Monday, where you will likely find yours waiting for you!

Policy Review

From time to time we will ask you to review one of our policies that come up on our review cycle. The policy for parental review this term is the Visitors Policy. 
You will find it on School Docs site using this link.  
You may need to log in using the Username: beckenham and the Password: pride

Click on "Current Review"




Scroll down to find the policy called "Visitors"

Once you have read the policy, click on the red icon in the top right hand corner, to leave your review!



Contact Details

Parents are responsible for letting the school know about any changes to their contact details, including details of parents who don't live with the child but who wish to receive school information and notices. If you have any changes, or want to check your details, please do this by coming into the Office, or emailing office@beckenham.school.nz. We appreciate you keeping us in the loop!

Staff Only Days for 2022 confirmed

Due to COVID, we have shifted the Staff Only Day that was proposed for Term 1 to Term 3.
We have confirmed the following dates as Staff Only Days for 2022:
  • Monday 2 May (Term 2 will now start on Tuesday 3 May)
  • Friday 12 August
  • Monday 19 September  

Absences

Please remember to contact the school office if your child will be absent from school. This includes if they are learning from home, unless you have already provided us with a timeline for their absence. 

When contacting us please remember to include; your name, your child’s name, the reason for their absence and how long you expect your child will be away from school.

If you do not provide a reason for your child’s absence, we are required to mark this as an unjustified absence on their attendance report.

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

Scholastic Book Club

Thinking about our environment and the amount of paper waste that occurs we are no longer issuing Scholastic Book Club brochures to students. You can however view the Scholastic Book Club brochure online and place your order as usual. You can access the brochure via the link below.

Lost Library Books

Dear parents and caregivers, if we have lent you one of these wonderful books could you kindly return them back to our library or email the Office (office@beckenham.school.nz) saying you would like to keep them a little longer. Thank you!

Hey Warrior
Hey Awesome

What to do when your temper flares

PTA News

Keep in touch with the PTA

To stay up to date with the PTA, please check out our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto PTA Facebook page, linked here. Or come along to one of our meetings - all welcome.
 
Meeting dates can be found in the weekly school newsletter, or on the school calendar - linked here.
These meetings are usually held on a Wednesday night 7.30-9.30pm.

You can email the PTA at pta@beckenham.school.nz



Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 11 March

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Hooray for warm and sunny weather! Doesn't life always feel that much better when the weather is great? It certainly makes life at school feel more 'normal' in these strange times, as we keep all the windows and doors open to support ventilation, kapa haka happens outside, and a variety of music and sport activities are able to be undertaken outside too.

COVID Numbers Update

We have had a further two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our student/staff population since we reported to you yesterday. This brings our total number of school cases to 14. We are also seeing some  people returning to school having completed their isolation periods. Our staff continue to work hard to keep the school programme happening as normally as possible, whilst we make adjustments for the fact that the number of children and staff at school decreases a little bit more each day. Today we had 100 children out of 476 away from school, and four staff isolating at home as either cases or household contacts. The particular staff who are away can change on a daily basis and we don't always know if they will be away for a day or two, or a more extended time. We are fortunate to have a reliable group of relievers we can draw from who know our children and staff and do their best to keep learning going as per the plan. Thank you for keeping children at home when they are not 100% well. 

Upcoming closure of Sandwich Road next week

We have been informed by SIEPP Construction that they will be closing Sandwich Road from Tuesday 15th March for up to a week. This is to undertake work related to the ongoing main water pipeline replacement project that is happening at a variety of locations across the local area.

From Tuesday 15th March, Sandwich Road will be closed to traffic at the Norwood St end, and open ONLY TO RESIDENTS, STAFF and ACCESSIBILITY VEHICLES from the Eastern Tce end.


We understand that this may cause some disruption and change to your normal travel times in the mornings so please do plan ahead and allow extra time. We understand that this work is important to our local community and that it will ensure strong infrastructure going forward.

This is stage one of three upcoming stages of work around the school that will impact on our usual traffic access. All footpath access to school should be available as usual.

Welcomes and a farewell

Staff and tamariki in our Koru New Entrant team were very excited to have Amy Bell join them this week from the University of Canterbury. Amy is studying to become a teacher and has been here for a week of placement and observation as part of her studies. 

Amy Bell

We also welcome Kal Walker to our school staff. Kal joins our teaching assistant team and comes from a background in Early Childhood Education. 

Kal Walker

We will be farewelling Elizabeth Mahy from our staff next week. Elizabeth joined our staff early last year as a teaching assistant and has provided wonderful learning and personal development support for a number of our children over the time she has been here. Elizabeth is leaving us to begin her tertiary study and we wish her all the very best for that journey!

Elizabeth Mahy

Noho ora e te whānau! Stay well!
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Mon 14th Mar - School Photos (Postponed)
Wed 23rd Mar - PTA Meeting 7.30pm - 9.30pm (Green Room)
Wed 30th Mar - BOT Meeting 5.30pm - 7.30pm (Staff Room)
Thu 14th Apr - Last day of Term 1

Term Dates

Click here to view 2022 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Xavier Kelly - Year 6

Xavier, you have had a great start to the year. You persist when things are tricky and your effort and positive attitude to learning has been noticed. You are clearly showing our kete value 'We Love Challenge', and you should be very proud of yourself. Teno pai, Xavier.

School Notices

Postponement of school wide photos

Due to the current high levels of covid cases in the community we have decided to postpone the school photos day planned for the 14th of March.  We will look to rebook this later in the year - potentially Wed 7 Sept 2022, but this will be confirmed at a later date.

Community Dental Service Suspended

The Community Dental Service is suspending some of its services from 5pm Wednesday 9th March 2022 to provide support to the Canterbury health sector in response to Omicron.

They will continue to provide relief of pain clinics by appointment only from Thursday 10th March.  You can access these appointments by calling the Contact Centre on 0800 846 983.

For any dental advice please call the Contact Centre on 0800 846 983.

PTA News

Keep in touch with the PTA

To stay up to date with the PTA, please check out our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto PTA Facebook page, linked here. Or come along to one of our meetings - all welcome.
 
Meeting dates can be found in the weekly school Newsletter, or on the school calendar - linked here.
These meetings are usually held on a Wednesday night 7.30-9.30pm.

You can email the PTA at pta@beckenham.school.nz

Community Notices

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

Please find the facebook links for these events:
Seaweek: https://fb.me/e/2NIggZW1g 
Global Recycling Day: https://fb.me/e/l7SRroQxN
"2040" Movie Screening: https://fb.me/e/1FC9TKe1x

Community Service Awards & Youth Service Awards

Nominations close 5pm, Thursday 14 April



On behalf of the Spreydon-Cashmere Community Board we wish to advise that nominations are open for the 2022 Community Service and Youth Service Awards.

Community Service Awards are a way of giving well-deserved recognition to people who make our communities better places to live.  They are a way of thanking and honouring volunteers who without pay and little recognition demonstrate dedication and passion, inspiring others to make service a central part of their lives. 

These awards are given to local community members and are intended to give public recognition to those who have contributed significant voluntary service in one or more of the following areas:
  • Physical well-being, eg recreation/sport
  • Children, youth and education
  • Older adults
  • Disability
  • Physical environment
  • Social and economic well-being
  • Cultural, church and community service
Youth Service Awards

Youth Awards are presented in recognition of significant voluntary service by residents aged 25 or under, living in the Spreydon-Cashmere area.  These awards recognize individual effort rather than that of a whole group or organisation.

For more information on the Awards:  ccc.govt.nz/csa

For enquiries: phone Wendy Gunther on 941 5113.

To make a nomination: Complete an online nomination form at:  ccc.govt.nz/csa
Or click on the link to download a printable copy of our nomination guidelines and nomination form.

Nominate now!

Junior rugby registrations are now open for this season - Sydenham Rugby Club


Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 4 March 2022

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

We are very aware of the multiple challenges that are presented to us daily, particularly through the media, with COVID, the Wellington protest, and events unfolding in Ukraine. Protecting our children from some of this media and the adult discussions around it is a positive action that parents can take.

The welfare of our students is always at the top of our minds. With the deeply sad events unfolding in Ukraine, we are aware that this may be having an impact on some of our students, especially those who are from, and/or who have family and friends in Ukraine and Russia. This is also being heavily covered in the media, and the reporting and content has been very harrowing and may cause anxiety for our wider student community. 

Kindness and respect for our students who may have European connections is especially important in these very challenging times. Our school has supports in place for students who may be impacted, and we encourage anyone with concerns about the safety and wellbeing of a student to contact us.

Learning from Home

Over the next few weeks, we do expect that some children will need to begin periods of time where they are Learning At Home, especially if they are Household Contacts. We encourage you to have a look at the Learning At Home Website and familiarise yourself with how it will support your child’s learning if they are isolating/unwell at home. 

There are a range of learning options on the site, some that are digital and others that do not require access to a device to complete. This is particularly true for the NE - Year 4 students. If your child is in Years 5-8, they will be more digitally focused.

Please contact your child’s Homegroup teacher, or the school office, should you need any support with accessing Learning At Home.

It is important that you let us know if your child is at home sick, or if they are learning at home, as this will also determine how their absence is coded.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Mon 14th Mar - School Photos
Wed 23rd Mar - PTA Meeting 7.30pm - 9.30pm (Green Room)
Wed 30th Mar - BOT Meeting 5.30pm - 7.30pm (Staff Room)

Term Dates

Click here to view 2022 term dates.

Click here to follow our school Facebook page.

Citizen of the Week

Bella Toledo-Riveros - Year 8

Bella, you are such a warm and inclusive member of the Kauri hub. Your honesty, compassion and tolerance are widely appreciated by your peers. Bella, 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 Bella!

Sristy Lasiyal - Year 4

Sristy, you have made an outstanding start to the year. You consistently focus on doing the right thing and are an extremely helpful member of the team. You and kind, caring and positive. You are a fantastic role model to others. Well done, Sristy!        

School Notices

Walk or Wheel to School Week - THIS COMING WEEK!

This coming week is "Walk or Wheel Week", which is a fun week that encourages school children and their families to walk, cycle, scoot or skate to school. We hope some of our whānau will take up the wero (challenge) and give it a go! 


If your child walks or wheels to school at least three days next week, they can go into the draw for some spot prizes that have been provided by Christchurch City Council.

COVID-19

As you will have seen in the messages sent out last night and this morning, we now have active cases in our immediate school community. A further case was confirmed after this morning's message went out, bringing our total cases so far to four.

As advised by the Ministry of Education, we are not spending time focussing on where each case is in our school, or who the close contacts might be. We are living with this virus in our community and we are all focussing on behaving in the safest way that we can, wearing masks, distancing, using good hygiene practices, and staying at home when we are not well. We are noticing that a number of people who have developed sore throats and headaches have tested negative for 2 or 3 days before eventually testing positive around day 4 or 5. Even though they had initially tested negative, they still had symptoms so had stayed at home, meaning that the risk of further spread has been minimised..

Kidshealth.org.nz is a great health and wellbeing information website and they have put out a useful video about caring for a child with COVID-19 which you may find helpful.

To help everyone at school, we need you all to:
  • advise us if your child has tested positive for Covid-19, as soon as you can. Call the office on 337 1404 or Sandy (after hours/weekend) on 021 899 429.
  • advise us if you are keeping your child at home for any reason, and what that reason is - e.g. the whole household is in isolation as someone in the household has tested positive; you are keeping your child at home as you believe they have had an exposure with a confirmed case and you are taking a cautious approach to see if your child develops symptoms.
  • if your child has ANY symptoms or is sick in ANY way, please keep them at home and let us know. If your child presents at school with any symptoms, we will call you to come and take them home.
  • send your child to school, if you are confident that they are well and symptom-free.
What we’re doing 
  • School will stay open
  • We will provide Learning At Home as much as we can whilst teachers are still teaching classes at school and staffing allows
  • We have appropriate public health measures and cleaning procedures in place
Symptoms of COVID-19 
  • A new or worsening cough
  • Sneezing and runny nose
  • A fever
  • Temporary loss of smell or altered sense of taste
  • Sore throat
  • Shortness of breath
  • Less common symptoms include diarrhoea, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, malaise, chest pain, abdominal pain, joint pain, or confusion/irritability. 

2022 Music Festival - Representative Group applications now open.



This is to let you know that talented singers and musicians from Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto can now apply for an audition to join a Representative Group - Junior & Senior Choir, Concert Band, Orchestra - for the 2022 Music Festival.

If you and your child have been through this process before, you know the drill, so check out the details for this years' festival and commitments and apply.

If this is new to you and your child, read the information on the festival website first. If you still have questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me to have a chat about the suitability of this opportunity for your child. 

Applications are made online on the Festival website here.

It is important that all of our talented singers and musicians get a chance to not only participate in a life-changing learning opportunity but also to represent Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto while doing it.

Being selected for a Representative Group for the Music Festival is the artistic equivalent of being selected for a Canterbury level sports team; let's make sure the opportunity is not overlooked.

Kindest regards

Sandy Hastings

Mana Ake

Lunch Orders


To see more details on all of our lunch order options, please click here to see the link.

Kauri Leadership Week

Last Friday, as a conclusion to our Kauri Leadership Week, Year 7 & 8 headed for the hills, walking up to Victoria Park and embracing a love of challenge. Our leadership learning has included an inspiring talk from Mark Inglis and two separate leadership days for Year 7 & 8 where the '7 habits of highly effective people' that we have been learning about were put into action. The children had a blast, embraced the challenge of the climb and supported their peers when the going got tough. 

Immediate online positive parenting support offered to all families in Aotearoa

To support mental health, resilience and emotional wellbeing for our tamariki and rangatahi, Ministry of Health are partnering with Whāraurau to offer free online versions of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program® across the country.

Triple P is an evidence-based programme with a long history of successful use in New Zealand. More than 10,000 New Zealand whānau have accessed some type of Triple P support in the areas where it has been available free for the past 10 years, with many turning to online programmes throughout the Covid 19 pandemic. 

There are three free Triple P Online programmes available throughout Aotearoa to help parents and caregivers positively support children to reduce anxiety, build emotional resilience and life skills, and cope with life’s challenges. These programs also help whānau stay calm and optimistic, guide behaviour positively, and encourage children’s learning.

  • FEAR-LESS TRIPLE P ONLINE – for parents and caregivers of children and teenagers (6-14 years) who have significant anxiety.
    This 6-module online course gives parents and caregivers a better understanding of anxiety, gives them skills and strategies to improve children’s coping capacity, and helps parents develop safe, gradual ways for children and teens to face anxiety-provoking situations and overcome their fears. It also helps boost children’s and teenagers’ confidence and problem-solving skills.

  • TRIPLE P ONLINE – positive parenting for those who have toddlers to 12-year-olds.
    This 8-module online course helps parents and caregivers develop a range of positive ways to address child behaviours, promote new skills and help emotional self-regulation, to help them improve family relationships and raise happier, more confident and capable tamariki.
  • TEEN TRIPLE P ONLINE – positive parenting for those who have ‘tweens’ or teenagers – 10-16 years.
    This 6-module online course helps parents and caregivers understand more about pre-teen and teenage development and behaviour, so they can provide the best environment for raising responsible, resilient rangatahi while maintaining close relationships and minimising conflict.
Caregivers can immediately register and begin their free online programmes by visiting www.triplep-parenting.net.nz

Community Notices

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




NEXT CHAPTER PARENTING 

Offering Individual, or group, PARENTING SESSIONS via Zoom. Ten one hourly sessions, weekly at a time convenient to you, available evenings. 

Topics covered include; Communication, Empathy, Setting Limits, Quality Time, Consequences, Choices, Redirection, Pick your battles with your child, Problem Behavior, Praise vs Acknowledgement, Time In vs Time Out, The Pause, Sibling Rivalry, Teenage Boundaries Erickson’s Stages of Growth, Personality Types and how it affects your children.  

WINZ funding assistance where eligible.


Craft Competition for Children's Day

We are pleased to announce that TOCK.earth is co-hosting Christchurch's ONLINE Children's Day. To celebrate this important day we are running a fun activity/competition which your tamariki may like to get involved in at home. The competition is craft based and runs from now until the end of Monday 7th with prizes for the winning entries. 
Here is the link to the post with details on how to enter on our facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/tock.earth or check out the Children's Day page on our website https://tock.earth/childrens-day-2022/

Happy Children's Day.🙂

Ngā mihi nui.

The TOCK Team
www.tock.earth

Cashmere Tech

As a part of Girls and Women’s Month Cashmere Tech are running a Girls Fiesta at Somerfield Park on Friday March 11th!!

We will be celebrating all things Female Football on the day with loads of prizes to be given away. 

Our Women’s Premier League and Reserves players will be there on the day to join in with the fun! 

Details for the Day: 

Date: Friday 11th March 

Times: 4:00pm - 5:15pm - 5th to 12th Grade 
     5:30pm - 6:45pm - 13th to 16th Grade

Where: Somerfield Park 

All players welcome - no registration needed - come have fun and play some football!

Environment Canterbury

Environment Canterbury is consulting on its draft Annual Plan 2022/23 from today Wednesday 2 March to Sunday 3 April 2022.

You may be interested in the proposal for changing bus fare structure. We’re looking at options of either fare-free travel, flat fares or a tertiary student concession. 

We’re also keen to hear views on how we fund flood protection and recovery, and a future rate to accelerate action on climate change.

All information about the proposals and how to have your say can be found at ecan.govt.nz/annualplan22

haveyoursay@ecan.govt.nz