Category Archives: Weekly Newsletters

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Friday 25th September 2020

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

What a lovely warm week we have had for the final week of this term. Yesterday, this warm weather was further celebrated as the tape was finally removed from the grass areas of the playground and the children rushed out with their morning tea to take advantage of sitting on the lush grass!


We were fortunate to be visited by 7 members of the New Zealand Army Band on Wednesday this week. They played a wonderful half hour concert for the children, hopefully inspiring many to begin or continue with their music lessons and practice in the goal of being a professional musician in the future!




We saw some of that wonderful talent on display this afternoon in our Annual Talent Quest! Congratulations to all of the children who performed, and who auditioned. Thanks to all of the staff who helped with the auditioning process, and to the team of staff and students who supported this today, back stage, judging and doing the sound desk.

Considering home groups for 2021

Next term we will be working on building our home learning groups for 2021. Our staff spend a lot of time carefully considering the needs of each child, and take into account a range of emotional, social, behavioural and academic considerations. We do NOT ask parents to choose a home room teacher that they would like for their child. We do know, however, that you hold information about your child's wellbeing at school that may be relevant when we are putting these groups together. Therefore, if you have any considerations about your child for us to add to our home group placement discussions for 2021 - please email these to Sandy by Friday 30th October (the end of Week 3 of next term).

Reminder - Term 4 begins on Tuesday 13 October.

Have a safe and relaxing holiday!

Ngā mihi nui

Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Sun 11 Oct: 10am - 3pm Te Whānau Mahi Tahi Wananga - School Hall

Mon 12 Oct: Staff Only Day - School Closed

Tue 13 Oct: Term 3 begins
Thu 15 Oct: Canterbury Swimming Championships - Selwyn Aquatic Centre
Fri 16 Oct: Welcome Assembly 9:15am - All family of new students this year who haven't yet been to a welcome assembly - Welcome!
Mon 19 - Fri 23 Oct: Kauri Team Camp to Dunedin
Mon 19 Oct: Canterbury Duathlon - Ruapuna Speedway
Mon 26 Oct: LABOUR DAY School Closed
Wed 28 Oct: Christchurch Schools Cultural Festival - Te Whānau Mahi Tahi performing
Fri 30 Oct: Whole School Athletics - Beckenham Park

Term Dates

Click here to view 2020 and 2021 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Cortana Mee - Year 4

Cortana, you display a positive attitude to all aspects of learning with your persistence and enthusiasm. You are a role model in our hub who naturally demonstrates our school values and this has seen you always willing to lend a hand or help others who need it. This helps to make our hub a wonderful place to be. Tino pai, Cortana !

Max Page - Year 6

Max, you are an extremely positive and enthusiastic member of the Pōhutukawa hub. You consistently demonstrate the school values and you approach everything with a great sense of humour. You are respectful of all those around you and you work hard to achieve your goals. Tino pai!

School Notices

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

A reminder that via IRD you can claim back 33.33 cents for every dollar you donate to the school. This includes both school donations, and 'contributions' towards activities and camps. You can submit a receipt to IRD at any time within the past 3 tax years.
This means that right now, you can claim for:
  • 2017 tax year (ending 31 March 2018). 
  • 2018 tax year (ending 31 March 2019)
  • 2019 tax year (ending 31 March 2020)
One of our parents did this recently – it took 20 mins of her time and $400 was deposited in her bank account a week later (4 years of donations for 2 children). 
The steps are easy: 
1. Email Sandra Rauch (accounts@beckenham.school.nz)  to request a tax receipt for your school donation and contributions for the past three years.
2. Go to the IRD Website and search ‘Submit a Donation Receipt’ and follow the steps. 
3. Attach the receipts online and submit.

NB. You’ll have to wait till after Mar 31 next year to claim back this year’s donations.

Congratulations

Here are two YouTube clips of the recent concerts that were held at Hillview Christian School and Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto.  Great to see some of the emerging talent in both the Jazz band and the Training Band.





The PTA will be running a sausage sizzle from 10am - 2pm in addition to a bake stall.  Wheelie Good coffee will also be there so bring some coins and catch up with the community when you cast your vote.

BOT Update

School Board of Trustee Mid Term Elections 2020

Nomination round
Our school will be undertaking Mid Term Elections for our Board of Trustees this year. This process will start with the issuing of nomination papers to our caregiver in our community by Friday 9th October 2020.
The Board of Trustees has again employed CES to undertake the election process on our behalf. This year with legislative change, our nomination forms and full instruction on how to place your nomination into our own School’s Election website will be e-mailed to you by Friday 9th October 2020. Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Board of Trustees election site
For those that do not have access to the internet, nomination papers will be available at the school office and those nomination papers should be returned to the school office. The school will send those on to CES for processing. 
Nominations close on Sunday 1st November 2020 at 12 noon.
We look forward to your participation in this process.

Wayne Jamieson 

Returning Officer


Community Notices

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

Children’s Aikido Class

For 8 – 12 year olds
Co-operative approach to conflict resolution. Physical and fun.
Thursdays from 4:30pm – 5:20pm, new intake - start of term 4.
At the Ōtautahi Community Dojo, cnr Truscotts and Martindales Roads, Heathcote.
For more details see www.aikido.gen.nz
Limited numbers so registration essential
Run by Ōtautahi Aikido, a not-for-profit community organisation





Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Monday 21st September, 2020

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Special Newsletter as we move to Alert Level 1 tomorrow

Kia ora koutou

Hooray for being back at Alert Level 1! The announcement today was well-timed with the final week of term upon us, and the school holidays about to begin. It does mean that a couple of tentative activities scheduled for this week are now able to be confirmed.

The first is a concert this Wednesday afternoon by an ensemble from the NZ Army Band. Now that we can hold an assembly in the hall, we can look forward to this concert for the whole school rather than just half of the students. It will be wonderful to have everyone back in the hall together again.

The second exciting event that is now able to be confirmed is the Talent Quest this coming Friday afternoon. We know that the children are all looking forward to this, and that those students who have made it into the show have been putting in lots of practice. Whilst we can't open the event to all of our community, if your child is performing, you are welcome to attend.

Celebration Assemblies will re-commence next term.

Drop-off and pick-up times

As we did last time we shifted back to Level 1, we would like to encourage you to continue with the drop-off at the gate routine in the mornings. We are seeing so many more settled children in the hubs in the morning, especially between that 8:30-9am time. We will continue to have teachers waiting at the gate to welcome you. If you do need to come onto the site, you are welcome to do that too. Please only come into the hubs in the morning if it is absolutely necessary though. Making sure that your child is at school before the 8:55am bell is the best way you can support them to have a smooth transition into school in the morning.

From tomorrow ALL children will return to a 3pm finish. Parents are welcome to come on site and wait outside hubs to meet their children. In the afternoons, teachers will continue to walk out of the hubs with their home groups, and make themselves available to talk with you if you need to catch up with them.

Special Congratulations to our Y7/8 ShowQuestTeam

We were very excited to learn today that our Year 7/8 Stage Challenge entry (video entry this year due to COVID) was placed 2nd overall for the Intermediate Section, with a 1st place for Storytelling and 1st place for use of location.
An enormous amount of energy, planning, rehearsing and commitment went into putting this production together by both the students and the staff involved, with support from whānau when the videoing needed to be done.
You can watch the performance on the ShowQuest site (Canterbury Junior/Open section)



If you don't want to watch the entire show, the Beckenham performance begins at 14m:10s

PTA News

It is Calendar Art time! The kids (and teachers) have been busy creating some wonderful art again this year. 
Please look out for the personalized orders forms with your child’s unique code.  Log into the Kids ArtWork website, and follow the prompts to view and order your kids' arts.  You can order Calendars, Diaries, Mouse Pads, Notes Books and Cards.  Orders close Monday 28th September.

There will be a final newsletter for the term this coming Friday.


Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Friday 18 September 2020

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Getting outdoors for Learning

The wonderful weather this week has supported some great learning opportunities outside the buildings.
On Monday, everyone took part in a "Māori Language Moment" in support of Māori language week. Some hubs went outside to the park, and learned a counting game, whilst the Year 7/8 team played a game using rakau, and others sang waiata.


On Monday, in place of the cancelled Koru Games, some senior students participated in a local volleyball tournament at Hillview Christian School. A number of our students stood out for their excellent sportsmanship. On Wednesday, also in place of the cancelled Koru Games, some senior student had the opportunity to engage with a local tournament against St Martins School on Beckenham Park in football, touch, and ultimate frisbee. 


Caring for our local environment - Ngā Pūroto (the ponds)

Building on the work of our Healthy Ōpāwho ambassadors (Anna, Cleo and Ben), the students from the Pōhutukawa Team took part in a planting project around the Beckenham Ponds on Wednesday this week. They were supported by parent helpers, and Sampson Karst from our Board who talked with the children about the role that the importance of 'Kaitiakitanga' - being caretakers of our land and living creatures.  A huge thanks to Sally Airey and Heidi Wilton, and their colleagues from CCC who organised this planting and worked to teach the children about the ponds, the plants and the legacy that this planting will leave for our wider community and the ponds ecosystem. Sally emailed this following the event:
Thanks so much for your mahi today, it was a great morning.  We planted about 295 plants- a large area of swampy ground that will grow strong plants and in time grow a  forest that will support the ponds to be a healthy habitat for our native fish, insects and birds.   I was impressed with the care the tamariki made with their planting and lovely to see Anna and Cleo mentoring other students with their planting. 



Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Fri 25 Sep - last day of Term 4
Mon 12 Oct - STAFF Only Day - SCHOOL CLOSED
Tue 13 Oct - First day of Term 4

Term Dates

Click here to view 2020 and 2021 term dates

Citizen of the Week

Freya Braun - Year 6

Freya you demonstrate a friendly, positive attitude to all that you do. You are outstanding in the area of sportsmanship. Your bubbly personality brings happiness to those around you. You are a great friend and lead by example to your peers. Keep up the great work!

Erik Cassels-Brown - Year 8

Erik, you are an energetic and enthusiastic member of the Kauri hub. You are eager to learn and give 110% on the sports field. Erik, we appreciate your personable nature and you often make us laugh with your awesome sense of humour. Tino pai!

School Notices

BOSCO Holiday Programme




Bookings are now OPEN for the October Holiday Programme. We have some exciting outings planned such as visiting Christchurch Gymnastics, Orana Park & Margaret Mahy Playground. Cheapskate Skateskool will also visit us with all their exciting activities. We have a Survivor day, athletics and a dance day planned for our “home days” to include lots of fun and sports to make the most of the beautiful days we know October brings. If you are interested in sending your kids to BOSCO and not miss out on any of these adventures, head over to our website  http://www.bosco.org.nz/ to make a booking using Aimy Plus, or contact Juanita at supervisor@bosco.org.nz. We can’t wait to see you there!

A BOSCO trip out to Orana Park


BOSCO also available on Teacher Only Day 12th October 2020

Teacher Only Day on Monday, 12th October -  bookings are now open. We have a game of T-ball planned , the craft is making a foam ball octopus and our baking craft for the day will be yummy rice bubble marshmallow slices.
Use the following link to book your place:

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.

Registrations are now open for the 2020/2021 Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kid TRYathlon Series!

The world’s largest kids TRYathlon series is back. Open to kiwi kids aged 7-15 years of all sporting abilities, the Sanitarium Weet-Bix kids TRYathlon is a fun day out for the whole family. Swim, bike and run your way to the finish line as an individual or in a team of two, and receive your very own gold medal from top Kiwi sporting stars. Go on give it a TRY!

Register NOW - the Christchurch event always sells out. Here is the link: Weetbix Tryathlon - christchurch
Be sure to link your entry to the Beckenham Te Kura o Puroto School Group- the school with the most entries can win LOADS of prizes!!
Sunday 28th February 2021, Jellie Park Burnside

Term 4 - HATS

As is our usual practice, hats are compulsory in Term 4 for all outdoor play and exercise.  Please take a moment over the upcoming holidays to ensure your child has a suitable red or black hat for use at school.  Caps do not provide adequate sun protection and are not part of the school uniform. Please name your child's hat clearly.
We no longer sell hats at the school office. Bucket style hats or wide brimmed hats are available from our uniform supplier, Mainland Uniforms at 189 Peterborough Street.  
Their website is: Mainland uniforms

COVID-19 Testing for Pacific people:

The Pasifika Health Collective have asked us to share their contacts and the information about COVID-19 testing. This message is for our Pasifika families:
 
Testing for COVID-19 is IMPORTANT and the Pasifika Health Collective are encouraging Pacific people to get a COVID-19 test.
WHO can get tested?
  • ALL PACIFIC PEOPLE
  • regardless of whether you have flu-like symptoms or not
  • regardless of your visa status
WHERE can I get tested?
  • At your GP
  • At Etu Pasifika, 173 Montreal St, 0800 388727
  • Community Based Testing Centres (CBACs) at:   
    • Orchard Road CBAC: 174 Orchard Road: 9am – 4pm, 7 days a week
    • Whanau Ora Community Clinic CBAC: 250 Pages Road, Wainoni: 9am-4pm, 7 days a week
    • Ashburton Hospital CBAC: 28 Elizabeth St, Ashburton, 10am-2pm Tues, Thurs, Sat
How much does a test COST?

All tests are FREE except if travelling overseas 
 
Pacific Health Collective contacts:
Etu Pasifika
Focal point: Amanaki Misa
173 Montreal St
0800 388 727 or (03) 3611002

Pegasus Health
Focal point: Maria Pasene
(03) 353 0216 or 021 222 6417
maria.pasene@pegasus.org.nz

Sports News

Canterbury Schools Orienteering Festival



Congratulations to Torun, Anna, Stella, Claudia, Fergus, Zoe, Archie, Pippa, Feyja, James, Laura, Ben and Tisha who took part in the Canterbury Schools Orienteering Competition last weekend.
Day 1 saw the competitors sprinting around Hagley Park and day 2 competitors tackled longer and harder courses at Halswell Quarry. Our team had a range of experience, for some it was their first time doing orienteering.  It was great to see children from our school in year 1 all the way to year 7 competing.
All children had fun and learnt lots from the experience. Congratulations to the year 6 and under girls who took out first place in their grade.


Volleyball Tournament

Three teams competed at a volleyball tournament organised and hosted by Hillview Christian School on Tuesday. The teams had been training to go to Koru Games this week so this was a welcome opportunity to participate in some competitive games. For some, this was an opportunity to further their skills and experience in volleyball, while others were new to the sport this season. It was great to see technique and confidence grow with every game. There were lots of close and exciting games and wonderful sportsmanship was shown by all. 

On Wednesday, St Martins joined us on Beckenham Park for some friendly games of ultimate frisbee, football and touch. This was another example of some children following their passion and others trying a new sport for the first time. 
A huge thank you to Brett, Nicola, Anna and Simon who supported and managed teams this week in these two events.

PTA News

It is Calendar Art time! The kids (and teachers) have been busy creating some wonderful art again this year. 
Please look out for the personalized orders forms with your child’s unique code.  Log into the Kids ArtWork website, and follow the prompts to view and order your kids' arts.  You can order Calendars, Diaries, Mouse Pads, Notes Books and Cards.  Orders close Monday 28th September.

BOT Update

Notice of adoption of new Home Zone for the school Enrolment Scheme

You will have received formal notification of this change in your email earlier this week. 

For clarification, if your child is already attending Beckenham, and this change makes your residence out of our zone, NOTHING CHANGES for your child. They are already enrolled and can continue attending. If you have a child at the school already, and they have younger siblings who will be starting here after 1 January 2021 and your address has been made 'out of zone' because of the change, your other children can also enrol and attend Beckenham, because of the 'transitional arrangements' described in the documentation.

However, if you leave, and another family move into your home, their children will NOT be able to attend Beckenham as 'in zone' students.

If you have any questions about the impact of these changes on your family/address, please don't hesitate to get in touch by emailing Sandy directly - principal@beckenham.school.nz

School Board of Trustee Mid Term Elections 2020

Nomination round
Our school will be undertaking Mid Term Elections for our Board of Trustees this year. This process will start with the issuing of nomination papers to our caregiver in our community by Friday 9th October 2020.
The Board of Trustees has again employed CES to undertake the election process on our behalf. This year with legislative change, our nomination forms and full instruction on how to place your nomination into our own School’s Election website will be e-mailed to you by Friday 9th October 2020.
For those that do not have access to the internet, nomination papers will be available at the school office and those nomination papers should be returned to the school office. The school will send those on to CES for processing. 
Nominations close on Sunday 1st November 2020 at 12 noon.
We look forward to your participation in this process.

Wayne Jamieson 
Returning Officer

Community Notices

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





Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter, Friday 11 September 2020

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Just a short newsletter this week as we wait to hear the next stages of our COVID-19 Alert levels on Sunday.

Whanau Hui Pātai / Invitation - Whānau Hui

We have unfortunately had to postpone our efforts to hold a proper Whānau Hui with all of the whānau and tamariki able to attend, due to the challenges of COVID-19 Alert levels.

We would like to extend an invitation to Whānau Māori to attend an adults only hui this coming Rāapa 16 Mahuru (Wednesday 16 September) from 7-8:15pm in the staffroom. The kaupapa of this hui is to share orur goals and aspirations for our tamariki Māori, so that these aspirations can be reflected in the Strategic Plan the Board are writing for the next three years.

If you are whānau of tamariki Māori, please come along and participate in this hui.

Staffing Update

We have sadly accepted the resignation of our Pōhutukawa Team Leader, Anne Batchelor this week, effective at the end of this school year. Anne has been offered a position with the RTLB service. She will be training and working as a Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour, alongside Paulette Newton and Cath Barrie and under the leadership of Michelle Maule (all of whom were also teachers at Beckenham).  

The Team Leader position for 2021 will be advertised next week in the Education Gazette.

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori - Māori Language Week

14-20 Mahuru, 2020 - 14-20 September 2020

At school we will be joining in with others all around New Zealand at midday on Monday with the 'Māori Language Moment'. We invite all of our whānau and community to join in too. All you need to do is make a deliberate action to use some Te Reo Māori, for example you could greet someone with 'Kia ora' or 'Tēnā koe', or you could start an email with the same greeting... be part of the movement to celebrate and support the learning and reviatalisation of this language of Te Reo Māori that is unique to our country.

Everyone can contribute to te reo Māori revitalisation:
  • Make te reo welcome at work and in the community
  • Encourage others to use and learn te reo Māori
  • Wwelcome Māori language into your life
  • Pronounce Māori words correctly when speaking English
  • Learn a little, use a little
  • Learn more, and use what you know
  • Keep improving your language, and share what you know

CleanUp Week - across NZ and in Beckenham!

Next week - 14-18 September, is NZ CleanUp week and we are joining in at school...




Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Principal / Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Wed 16 Sep - 9:15am - CSM Band Concert for whānau at Hillview Christian School
Wed 16 Sep - 3:15pm - CSM Band Concert for whānau at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Hall 
Wed 16 Sep - 7-8:15pm - Whānau Hui in the staffroom (adults only)
Fri 25 Sep - last day of Term 4
Mon 12 Oct - STAFF Only Day - SCHOOL CLOSED
Tue 13 Oct - First day of Term 4


School Notices

Peter Rabbit

It was with enormous sadness that we have had to farewell Peter Rabbit, who has been a faithful and loyal friend to hundreds of children at Beckenham te Kura over the past 9 years. Peter has been cuddled and loved by children, read to, played with, taken out to the park for time on the grass, and has helped children who have been feeling sad or upset by simply allowing them to hold him, and most children at Beckenham will know him really well. Something that Peter did incredibly well was to help children who were having trouble saying goodbye to their families at the start of the school day - Peter was worth way more than his weight in gold.
Peter Rabbit died of old age last week. In human years, he would have been about 85. He will be greatly missed, and remembered by all with enormous fondness.

Peter, aged nearly 9 years

Better Beckenham Project 

This project is funded by a $210,000 grant from the NZ Transport Agency in Wellington, aiming to use public spaces (roads and footpaths) to make better neighbourhoods. The project covers the Beckenham Loop, where its geographical limits (in a bend of the river), and low through traffic make some easy enhancements possible. river, and slower vehicle speeds, but we want your ideas too! The project is to be jointly run between the City Council and the residents, so please come along and have some input at our community parties in Beckenham School hall on the 4th September from 3:15 pm till 5pm and 6th September from 3 pm till 5pm. A few children from Beckenham School will have posters on display as they have been working as junior design consultants to produce ideas for the community. Looking forward to seeing you there! For more info email BetterBeckenham@gmail.com.

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.

Considerate Driving 

Sandwich Road can get very congested around drop off and pick up times.  Please show consideration for other drivers and ensure you are not blocking the road when you are dropping off and picking up your children.  We have a designated pick up/drop off zone - we would strongly encourage you to use this area to assist with the traffic congestion.

BOT Update: Mid-Term Elections

School Board of Trustee Mid Term Elections 2020

Nomination round

Our school will be undertaking Mid Term Elections for our Board of Trustees this year. This process will start with the issuing of nomination papers to our caregiver community by Friday 9th October 2020.
The Board of Trustees have again employed CES to undertake the election process on our behalf. This year with legislative change, our nomination forms and full instruction on how to place your nomination into our own School’s Election website will be e-mailed to you by Friday 9th October 2020.
For those that do not have access to the internet, nomination papers will be available at the school office and those nomination papers should be returned to the school office. The school will send those on to CES for processing. 
Nominations close on Sunday 1st November 2020 at 12 noon.
We look forward to your participation in this process.

Wayne Jamieson 
Returning Officer

Community Notices

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






Would you like to take your school child’s younger sibling(s) to an affordable ECE centre with high adult:child ratios, and meet local families?  Landsdowne Terrace Playcentre is 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 recognise the value of parents as first educators.  Come and visit us in our spacious grounds at 8 Landsdowne Terrace on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday mornings 9-12, or our explorer outings on Thursdays. Email landsdowneterrace@playcentre.org.nz  or message our Facebook page. Ph: 3322140
"Whānau tupu ngātahi - families growing together"

Studio One Performing Arts

Studio One Performing Arts, your local dance school, is currently giving Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary 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

Re TikTok: IMPORTANT information for Families regarding a video currently circulating on TikTok

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IMPORTANT information for whānau re TIKTOK 

The Ministry of Education sent the email below to principals late last night - if your child has a TikTok account, it is very important that you are aware of this so you can support your child... There was also an article in the Herald about this yesterday. 



Kia ora koutou katoa

Thank you to everyone who contacted us this morning about a very disturbing clip portraying a sudden death which has gone viral on Tik Tok. We understand that some students have viewed the clip and are understandably distressed by its content. We have contacted Netsafe who are working on removing the clip from sites where possible.

Netsafe have advised the following:

For now, we recommend that students are being made aware not to share or view the footage as it can be highly distressing content. Our webpage (Netsafe) has information about helping tamariki exposed to upsetting content that you may find useful. We have also provided some support lines for students and staff if they need to reach out for support below.

·        Need to talk -. Free call or text on 1737 and there is support available 24 hours a day

·        0800 What's Up - Available Mon-Fri 12pm-11pm Sat/Sun 3pm-11pm on 0800 942 8787

·        Lifeline - call on (0800 543 354) or text HELP (4357) for confidential support.

This content can have an impact beyond those immediately engage with it. It is likely to have had a range of impacts on each person – some may be severely affected and others may not be affected at all. It is important to be aware of the need to talk with young people who have heard about it and to encourage them to express their feelings in response to the video. We recommend that having regular, open conversations at home around online safety is important to help young people navigate the myriad of digital challenges they will experience. 

You can read more on our parental control advice page here. There is an option to switch to Safe Search when using Google search or alternatively, you can consider looking into this article to block Google images without blocking Google search.

This staying safe online guide and some of our printed resources may be useful.