Category Archives: Weekly Newsletters

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Friday 19 March 2021

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

As many of you will be aware, our Term Dates for 2021 have noted that there will be three Staff Only Days (dates to be advised).

We are now in a position to publish those dates and they will be:
  • Friday 21st May
  • Tuesday 8th June
  • Friday 27th August
Please make sure that you add these dates to your calendar. School will be closed for instruction on those dates, to allow for staff to undertake professional development. Schools across the country have been given a set number of Staff Only Days to use for professional development as part of their collective agreement. Each school is able to select the days it will use as it sees fit.

Congratulations to our swimmers who participated in the Zone Swimming Sports this week - we had a record number of children qualify for the Canterbury Swimming Sports. (see results below).

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal


Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Week 8:
Tue 23 Mar - 9.00 - 2.00 Canterbury Triathlon at Eyrewell Forest, South Eyre Road.
Wed 24 Mar - 7.30 - 9.30pm PTA Meeting
Fri 26 Mar - 12.00 - 12.30 Celebration Assembly

Week 9:
Wed 31 Mar - 4:15-5:45pm Kiwi Volleyball at Hillview Christian School
Thu 1 Apr - 3:15 - 6:00pm Miniball Grade C at Pioneer Stadium
Fri 2 Apr - Good Friday - School Closed

Week 10:
Mon 5 Apr - Easter Monday - School Closed
Tue 6 Apr - Easter Tuesday - School Closed
Thu 8 Apr - 9.00 - 2.00pm, Canterbury Swimming at Selwyn Aquatic Centre
Thu 8 Apr - 3:15 - 6:00pm Miniball Grade C at Pioneer Stadium
Fri 9 Apr - 12.00 - 12.30 Celebration Assembly

Term Dates

Click here to view 2021 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Jalori Mathias - Year 8

JJ, we love your inquisitive mind and caring nature. You bring so many innovative thoughts and ideas to group discussions. You are a fabulous self-starter who puts forth great effort into your work. You are very empathetic and a supportive leader in the Kauri hub. You live our school values on a daily basis. Ka Pai JJ.

School Notices

Medication at School

If a child requires medication at school on a long or short term basis, parents/caregivers need to complete a medicine authority form with Jacky or Reihana in the office. Procedures are followed to ensure that it is kept securely, and administered appropriately. 
Any medication that is required to be kept at school on an ongoing basis, expiry dates need to be checked regularly by parents/caregivers. If the school notices an expiry date is due parents/caregivers will be advised.
Parents/caregivers are asked to please update the school on any medical/health information about their child by contacting the school office.

Student Council Fundraiser for Epilepsy and Down Syndrome


Next Friday, 26th of March, the Student Council will be having a Lots of Socks and Purple Day. You can choose to wear purple, mismatched socks, or both!  
Wearing purple will be raising awareness for people with Epilepsy and letting them know that they are not alone. Wearing mismatched socks will be raising awareness for people with Down Syndrome. So please join us by doing your part and bring a gold coin donation so we can support these organizations together.


Mana Ake “Drop-Ins” are continuing…

A number of whānau have already made great use of the Mana Ake “drop-ins” that are available on Wednesday mornings from 8:30 – 9:30am. These drop-in sessions are here to provide parents with an opportunity to have a private, informal conversation around the well being of their child with one of our Mana Ake workers (kaimahi). If you feel like you would like to attend a drop-in session, please book in a time via the link here: Mana Ake booking  The code to use is 88t39. Alternatively, you can contact Jacky in the office and she will make a booking for you.

Junior ESOL Classes 

Junior ESOL classes have started. Kōwhai and Kahikatea ESOL students are enjoying these, and meet twice a week with Teacher Aides Jeanette and Elizabeth.
Recent highlights include: 

Kahikatea children sharing cultural momentos from home, and asking questions about other cultures.



Kōwhai children collecting produce and making salads and playing traditional games.



Staff Profiles

Introducing our Senior Leadership:


Left to right we have; Jo Smith, Deputy Principal. Sandy Hastings, Principal. Sue Leadbetter, Deputy Principal.

At the start of the year, we were very lucky to have our own Jo Smith step into a leadership position with us as acting Deputy Principal. Jo continues to lead our New Entrants team, and has made a wonderful transition into her busy new role.

Sandy Hastings, our Principal, and Sue Leadbetter, our Deputy Principal make up the rest of our Senior Leadership Team. Sandy is just coming up to the completion of her tenth year at Beckenham, whilst Sue has just started her fifth year at Beckenham.

Sports News

Zone Swimming

A huge congratulations to the swimmers who represented our kura at our zone swimming event on Thursday at Jellie Park. The children all did amazingly well against strong competition. There were some races where our swimmers managed to maintain a convincing and impressive lead, and others that were nail bitingly close. The children’s sportsmanship was phenomenal. If there was an award for the most enthusiastic supporters, I’m sure we would win it! Thank you to Nicola Arnott and Karen McMillan for supporting the children at this event. 

Children who placed 1st and 2nd qualify for Canterbury Swimming at Selwyn Aquatic Centre on the 8th of April. 
Due to renovations and limited space, spectators are not allowed inside the pool at this event.


Year 8 Results
Year 8 relay - 2nd (Cooper, Zoe, Fergus and Ilia)
Zoe Clarke - 1st Freestyle and 1st Butterfly
Cooper Reddecliffe - 1st Freestyle and 1st Breaststroke
Fergus Mcmillan - 1st Backstroke and 2nd Butterfly
Connor Ingram - 4th Freestyle and 4th Breaststroke
Ilia Henderson - 4th Backstroke

Year 7 results
Year 7 relay - 2nd (Lola, Soriel, Tahere and Stella)
Tahere Tayler - 1st Backstroke and 1st Breastroke
Lola Harris - 1st Backstroke
William Pooch - 2nd Backstroke
Stella Gillman - 2nd Freestyle and 3rd Backstroke
Soriel Kim - 4th Freestyle
Charlotte Ryder - 4th Breaststroke

Year 6 results
Emma Vaile - 2nd Backstroke and 4th Freestyle
Archie Arnott - 3rd Backstroke
Violet Morel - 3rd Breaststroke

Year 5 results
Jack Sayer - 1st Breaststroke
Spencer Ingram - 4th Backstroke
Annabelle Smith - 4th Freestyle

A special mention goes to Rose Braithwaite, (year 6) who embraced challenge by competing in the open butterfly event. This saw her swimming an incredibly difficult stroke against Year 8 students. Nau mai te wero!

South Island Mountain Bike Championships

Congratulations to Jonty and Morgan who competed in the above event last weekend. There was strong competition with children travelling from all over the South Island to compete in this event. 
Jonty - 3rd place in Cross Country and 10th Enduro
Morgan - 11th Downhill and 18th Enduro



Good luck to all the tamariki, (and adults) competing in the Hanmer 4 Hour Mountain Bike race this weekend. Good luck also goes to the children competing in the Canterbury Triathlon next Tuesday.

Community Notices

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

BOSCO School Holiday Programme

It is almost time for the April Holidays and if you are in need of childcare or just want to relax and know your kids are taken care of and having loads of fun – this is the answer for you! We will be going to Willowbank, the Antarctic Centre, doing a bit of Disco Roller-skating and also play mini golf at Ferrymead. We have exciting crafts planned and also baking. If sports and outdoor activities is what you are after, we have sports and games planned  too. Get in quick to avoid disappointment. Contact Juanita at office@bosco.org.nz for bookings or book online by clicking this link. 

Potential Fisher Ave Closure

In a Beckenham Neighbourhood Association (BNA) newsletter delivered to local residents this week, there was reference to the closure of Fisher Ave to car traffic between Beckenham St and Norwood St as part of the Better Beckenham Project, supported by the Community Board. Work was reported to be commencing in April.

Amy Hart, Community Board Advisor (amy.hart@ccc.govt.nz), has clarified that the decision is tentatively scheduled to take place on 30th March. Amy has issued an urgent investigation into the consultation process undertaken (or lack thereof) and welcomes written submissions to the Community Board with local views.

If you want to know more about the Better Beckenham project, especially the potential Fisher Ave closure to traffic, see below:
  • Saturday 20th March 4pm. At the junction of Fisher Ave and Beckenham St, join Mike and Marise who will tell you all about it and answer any questions

  • Sunday 21st March 4pm. At the junction of Fisher Ave and Beckenham St, join Mike and Dave who will tell you all about it and answer any questions. 

Sydenham Rugby Club

Junior Registrations are open!
To be a part of the greatest, family-focused club, register & pay online by clicking this link.

Under 6 - Under 13 pricing
(which includes use of playing jersey, and game day jacket for the season)
1 child - $85.00
2 children $130
3 children $150
4+ children $180

For more info follow our Facebook page: facebook.com/sydenhamrugby
Or, contact Riki Tahere - rikitahere@gmail.com

Canterbury Rams Season Memberships

Season passes are now up for our Basketball community. There are a number of different options to suit, including family packages with 3, 6 and game membership options. These can be purchased by clicking on this link.



Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Friday 12 March 2021

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Today you might have noticed the Pride flag flying from our flagpole. In the same way that we fly flags of different nationalities to celebrate and welcome the wide range of diverse cultures we have within our school community, we also fly the Pride flag to celebrate and welcome all of those families who identify in any way as part of the rainbow community. 



Today you may also see a number of our staff wearing a new NZEI rainbow badge. Being an inclusive school for everyone is a foundational belief for our school. 

On Monday we will be flying the New Zealand flag at half mast to remember those who lost their lives in Christchurch on March 15th 2019.

Enrolment reminder

If you (or someone you know in the neighbourhood) have a preschooler who is 4 years old and you are planning on having them start school within the next 12 months, please complete an enrolment form for them and bring/email it in to the office as soon as you can. Whilst their 5th birthday may seem a long way off for you, it is extremely important that we know well in advance exactly how many new entrant students we have arriving over the year, so that we can ensure we have enough staffing in place.
You can find all the enrolment information on our website, including an enrolment form that you can download.


Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumauki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Week 7:
Wed 17 Mar - 4.15 - 5.45 Kiwi Volleyball at Hillview Christian School
Thu 18 Mar - 9.00 - 1.15 Zone Swimming Sports at Jellie Park

Week 8:
Tue 23 Mar - 9.00 - 2.00 Canterbury Triathlon at Eyrewell Forest, South Eyre Road.
Wed 24 Mar - 7.30 - 9.30pm PTA Meeting
Fri 26 Mar - 12.00 - 12.30 Celebration Assembly

Week 9:
Wed 31 Mar - 4:15-5:45pm Kiwi Volleyball at Hillview Christian School
Thu 1 Apr - 3:15 - 6:00pm Miniball Grade C at Pioneer Stadium
Fri 2 Apr - Good Friday - School Closed

Term Dates

Click here to view 2021 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Freyja Scholer - Year 5

Freyja, you are showing yourself to be an excellent role model in Pōhutukawa. You settle to tasks very quickly and complete them to the best of your ability. You are willing to share your thoughts and are prepared to take on board new ones. This is a great attribute to have.

School Notices

School Donations

We wanted to take this opportunity to say a big thank you for all of the donations we have received this year! Your generous contributions enable us to offer a rich and broad curriculum to our tamariki. Also a reminder that we are still happy to receive payments online or by eftpos or cash in the Office and you can pay either in full, by regular instalments, or set up a regular automatic payment. If you require further details you can find the Annual Donation information on our website

During the next two weeks we will be sending out details of your accounts, including a request for the annual donation of $150 per student. You are welcome to pay before you get this!

Claiming back 33% of your School Donations from the IRD

A reminder that you can find out about claiming 33.33 cents for every dollar you donate to the school from the Inland Revenue Department. This includes both the main school donation, and donations towards activities and camps. This makes the real cost of the main donation only $100 per child once you claim this back. Please note there is a 4 year limit for making claims. See https://www.ird.govt.nz/income-tax/income-tax-for-individuals/individual-tax-credits/tax-credits-for-donations for more information.

Please contact Rachel Higginson by emailing accounts@beckenham.school.nz if you would like a donation receipt confirmation letter for previous years or the current year after 31st March. Please note any payments you make for this years' donations, which are received prior to 31st March this year, can be included in your claim for the Tax year ending 31st March 2021.

Alternative Weetbix Tryathlon - Beckenham Style


Last Sunday, the change to Alert Level 2 caused the Weetbix Tryathlon to be cancelled. A small (COVID regulation size) group of whānau quickly arranged an alternative event at Beckenham Park. What awesome initiative!

Parking and driver care on Sandwich Road

We know that everyone is keen to keep our children safe as they travel to and from school. To support this, please can drivers NOT try to undertake U-turns on Sandwich Road during the pick-up and drop-off times. We have witnessed some near misses recently and, ultimately, it is our children who are being put at risk.
Please also remember that the 3 min zone on the school side of Sandwich Road is MAX 3mins - not time enough for you to get out of your car and go into school to drop off or collect your child. If everyone can use this area as a drop-off/pick-up point, then all of the traffic will flow more smoothly.

Te Mana Raupo Kahui Ako

Parent Workshop - Parenting to Establish Safety, Connection and Engagement

The workshop will provide an overview of children’s challenging behaviours and how parents/caregivers can better understand the causes and possible ways to prevent and respond.
The overview covers:
  • Understanding challenging behaviours
  • Understanding Window of Tolerance and Arousal and how this contributes to challenging behaviours
  • Understanding how co-regulation & attunement can enhance moments of shared joy
  • Learn a number of useful activities to respond to various behaviours.
This presentation is grounded in relational attachment based principles and philosophies.
This presentation is open to all families in our wider community and is free of charge.

Presented by: 
Dr Petria Thoresen, PhD, a fully certified Theraplay® Therapist and Theraplay®
Maria Lui, SWRB & MNZAC, a fully certified Group Theraplay® Practitioner and Theraplay®

St Martins School Hall
Tuesday 30th March
5:30-6:30pm

To attend, please RSVP to - reihana.dougherty@beckenham.schoool.nz

Mana Ake “Drop-Ins” are continuing…

A number of whānau have already made great use of the Mana Ake “drop-ins” that are available on Wednesday mornings from 8:30 – 9:30am. These drop-in sessions are here to provide parents with an opportunity to have a private, informal conversation around the well being of their child with one of our Mana Ake workers (kaimahi). If you feel like you would like to attend a drop-in session, please book in a time via the link here: Mana Ake booking  The code to use is 88t39. Alternatively, you can contact Jacky in the office and she will make a booking for you.

Parenting Tips

The Parenting Place has an excellent article on What using cellphones before bedtime does to our kids – according to science. I encourage you to read it.


Staff Profiles

The admin team were thrilled to get their photos taken to introduce themselves to you all!


(Left to right: Reihana Dougherty- Leadership PA & Board Secretary, Rachel Higginson- Accounts and Payroll Administrator, Anne Chin- Librarian, Jacky Sargent- Executive Office Administrator)

Reihana will be working in the back office Monday - Thursday and on Fridays she will be the new face in reception, as Jacky enjoys her new working week, from Monday - Thursday.

Across the way you will find Rachel managing our accounts and payroll systems in the front office, from Monday - Friday during the school day. In the library you will find Anne on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The library is open for students to access every lunch time.

Community Notices

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

Cashmere Technical Football Club

Have a go girls football fiesta! No experience needed.
March 12th 4.15-5.15pm Somerfield Park. All ages - Free!
Register here - https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/156407
Or, email: lisay@ctfc.co.nz

Landsdowne Terrace Playcentre

We are a parent run Early Childhood Education Centre with a friendly and diverse group of local parents.  We believe that child led play is central to development, and recognize the value of parents as first educators.  We run sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday mornings 9-12, and explorer outings on Thursdays. 

Come and check out our Community Mural Fun Day on Saturday 27th March 9am-3pm: bouncy castle, cake stall, sausage sizzle and more. Updates on our Facebook page.
Phone 3322140 | landsdowneterrace@playcentre.org.nz   

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Friday 5 March 2021

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

It certainly does seem that our value of 'We Love Challenge' is being tested as today our country had to deal with not just changing COVID Alert Levels, but a series of significant earthquakes, followed by Tsunami warnings. My thoughts were with principal colleagues in Whangarei and Whakatane who had to evacuate their entire schools, some walking many kilometres to get children out of possible tsunami zones. We contacted our Year 7/8 camp team at Wainui who were well away from the water today, packing up their camp and making ready to head home after a fabulous week of outdoor challenge and adventure.
Events such as these serve as a very real reminder of the need for us to be well prepared and planned for the possibility of an emergency. To that end, Jo Smith and I spent the day on Wednesday at a workshop run by the Ministry of Education and NZ Police that focused on just that - planning and preparing for emergencies. We will be sharing some of our planning with you through upcoming newsletters. We all have specific roles to play to help keep our children safe in unexpected or emergency situations. 

Fire Evacuation Drill

On Tuesday this week we had our first Fire Evacuation Drill of the year. It is a great chance to practise what to do if there was a fire alarm triggered at school. The fire alarm sounded and everyone on site, staff, children and visitors, walked to the assembly point on the field. You may like to talk with your child about the drill and what they had to do. This will reinforce the emergency procedure with them. They did a great job!

Thank you... Y7/8 Camp adults

Thank you to the staff and whānau who supported our Year 7/8 camp to Wainui this week. Taking over 100 young people on an outdoor education camp for 5 days takes an extraordinary amount of planning and organisation. We acknowledge your support and appreciate everyone who put in time and energy to make this camp so successful.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Week 6:
Wed 10 Mar - 4.15 - 5.45 Kiwi Volleyball at Hillview Christian School
Thu 11 Mar - 3.15 - 6.00 Miniball Grade C at Pioneer Stadium
Fri 12 Mar - 12.00 - 12.30 Celebration Assembly

Week 7:
Wed 17 Mar - 4.15 - 5.45 Kiwi Volleyball at Hillview Christian School
Thu 18 Mar - 9.00 - 1.15 Zone Swimming Sports at Jellie Park

Week 8:
Tue 23 Mar - 9.00 - 2.00 Canterbury Triathlon at Eyrewell Forest, South Eyre Road.
Wed 24 Mar - 7.30 - 9.30pm PTA Meeting
Fri 26 Mar - 12.00 - 12.30 Celebration Assembly

Term Dates

Click here to view 2021 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Zach Guise - Year 3

Zach, you have made an outstanding start to the year. You consistently focus on doing the right thing and are an extremely caring and helpful member of the team. You work enthusiastically in all areas of school and are a fantastic role model to others. You are an absolute star, Zach. Tino pai!

School Notices

Christchurch Schools Music Festival - Representative group auditions still open...



A reminder 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 2021 Music Festival.

We want to encourage and support any students in Years 5-8 who are confident singers, and/or instrumentalists to apply for an audition. This is particularly the case in 2021 given the cancellation of the 2020 Music Festival.

Applications are made online on the Festival website here.

This is 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.
If you have any questions about this, please speak with Jody Keenan (CSM Band tutor), your music teacher, or email Sandy principal@beckenham.school.nz

Te Mana Raupo Kahui Ako

Parent Workshop - Parenting to Establish Safety, Connection and Engagement

The workshop will provide an overview of children’s challenging behaviours and how parents/caregivers can better understand the causes and possible ways to prevent and respond.
The overview covers:
  • Understanding challenging behaviours
  • Understanding Window of Tolerance and Arousal and how this contributes to challenging behaviours
  • Understanding how co-regulation & attunement can enhance moments of shared joy
  • Learn a number of useful activities to respond to various behaviours.
This presentation is grounded in relational attachment based principles and philosophies.
This presentation is open to all families in our wider community and is free of charge.

Presented by: 
Dr Petria Thoresen, PhD, a fully certified Theraplay® Therapist and Theraplay®
Maria Lui, SWRB & MNZAC, a fully certified Group Theraplay® Practitioner and Theraplay®

St Martins School Hall
Tuesday 30th March
5:30-6:30pm

To attend, please RSVP to - reihana.dougherty@beckenham.schoool.nz

Parent Playground Roster

A big thank you to Katherine Christensen for offering to organise our parent playground roster. It will be wonderful to have extra adults out in the playground during lunch play to ensure that our tamariki are safe and happy.

Lunch play runs from 12.40 - 1.20 each day. Being on the parent playground roster is a wonderful opportunity to observe the dynamics of your own and other children playing in the playground, as well as being involved in the school community.

If you are interested, please contact Katie with the following information:
  • Your full name
  • Contact number
  • The names of your child/ren
  • Day/s of the week available
katie.mcfarlane@beckenham.school.nz

Mana Ake “Drop-Ins” are continuing…

A number of whānau have already made great use of the Mana Ake “drop-ins” that are available on Wednesday mornings from 8:30 – 9:30am. These drop-in sessions are here to provide parents with an opportunity to have a private, informal conversation around the well being of their child with one of our Mana Ake workers (kaimahi). If you feel like you would like to attend a drop-in session, please book in a time via the link here: Mana Ake booking  The code to use is 88t39. Alternatively, you can contact Jacky in the office and she will make a booking for you.

Children’s Day - a plant for every family to collect this coming Monday...

Children’s day was donated 2700 plants from Trees for Canterbury to give away to children at the event to plant at home following the event. Unfortunately due to the change in alert levels Children’s Day has been cancelled and changed to be an online event only. (See the community section for details)  As a  result, we have been given enough native plants to give one to every family within our school community.



These will be placed outside the hall on Monday after school for caregivers to collect. If we remain at alert level 2 children will be able to collect one plant per family to take home.

Community Notices

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

Cashmere Club would love to get some more players for their Future Ferns competition.
We are looking for players from Year 3-6 to join our family-friendly club, everyone welcome.
Email us at cashmerenetball@hotmail.com, or visit our website www.sporty.co.nz/cashmerenc


Mega Mates Social Skills Holiday Programme is coming to Christchurch!

We are excited to be running this great programme finally in Christchurch - we have had wonderful feedback from the previous Mega Mates run in Otago and Southland!
This programme is run by our great Christchurch based Speech Language Therapist - Ellie Bloxham 
She will be working on real social skill development in a small, fun group.

Don't miss out - numbers are strictly limited and there is an early bird booking special 
We are focusing on 5 to 7 year old's for this programme.
The course runs over 3 mornings - 3 mornings  28th, 29th & 30 April 2021

Beckenham, Somerfield, Spreydon and Waltham

We’ve already looked at the condition of roads and footpaths in your area and have picked up some things like potholes, damaged kerbs and areas where water is pooling. We’ve also completed safety assessments. To get the full picture, we’re keen to hear further information from local people about roads that may need things like safer crossings, slower speeds, or improved lighting.

Let us know what will make a difference in your neighborhood.
We’re seeking community input until 12 March 2021.

Make a comment on our map of your local neighborhood.
Email us at waybetter@ccc.govt.nz.
Or, submit your comments at have your say.

Kauri Bus Update

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Kia ora Parents and Caregivers,

Our Kauri camp busses are running behind schedule. The children will be back at school by 3:15 with busses arriving on Eastern Tce.

Ngā mihi

Reihana Dougherty