Principal's Patch
Kia ora koutou
What a wonderful way to end the term with the Whānau Roopu which was held in the staffroom on Wednesday evening. Thank you to our Ao Māori team Steve, Jules, Elizabeth, Hannah, Kate and also our iwi representative from the Board, Samson Karst, for the organisation behind the evening. Huge thanks also to all the teachers, whānau and tamariki who joined us for pizza, soup and buns and some great discussion. The staffroom was filled with great smiles, interesting chatter, discussion, waiata, activity and karakia. We brainstormed ideas around the priorities for Te Ao programmes including Kapa haka, Te Reo, Tikanga and also our aspirations for Te Ao Māori in our Kura. We will share the ideas generated from the night with you all soon.
Paulette and some of our student council showed our school values ‘We Care’ and ‘We Make a Difference’ when they dropped the donations of cans and dried food collected, at the shortest day breakfast, to the Salvation Army. The team at the Salvation Army were blown away with the amount of food we donated.
A huge thank you goes out to our
wonderful PTA for organising this collection and to everyone who donated cans. It was very much appreciated and will help many families in need.
We also end the term with a note on cyber safety.
Our children live in a very different world to the one we were bought up in. Social media can add a dimension of complexity for our tamariki and whanau. Our job as parents now includes equipping our families to be cyber-safe, introducing and strengthening the tools needed when engaging in the online world.
At this young age, children often have yet to develop the filters and thought processes required to make good choices when commenting on posts and chatting online. This can result in them saying things they would never say to a person face-to-face. The result can be extremely harmful. We encourage you to have regular conversations with your child about their use of any social media.
A great way to support your child's online safety is to know exactly what sites/apps they are using and monitor their use closely. At present some of our tamariki appear to be using an app called TikTok. On researching TikTok we found that even though TikTok reports it is for children 13 and over, a recommendation from 'common sense media' reports that this app is suitable for people over 16 years of age. As parents, we need to know what our children are using and how they are interacting online. Our children need your support and guidance to help them remain safe.
Many of our children do not have access to social media, even though your child may tell you that 'everyone else' has access. Many of our families also use a "no devices in bedrooms" rule so parents can monitor usage.
If you discover that your child is receiving unwanted/hurtful communication online, the first step is to take a screenshot of the message and secondly block the person who has sent the message. Most social media platforms have reporting functions for inappropriate activity - we recommend you use this function.
Kia Kaha. Ngā mihi nui.
Sue, Nigel and Paulette.
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Term 2Tuesday 2nd July - Year 0 - 4 Cross Country at Hillview (Zone level)
Term 3Wednesday 25th July - PTA meeting. 7:30pm All welcome.
Friday 26th July - Welcome Assembly and morning tea for new families.
Thursday 8th August - BOT Meeting. 5:30pm at school.
Monday 12th August - Staff Only Day. Professional development - maths and digitech.
Upcoming AssembliesCelebration Assembly Week 10Next week at Celebration Assembly our items will include
- Elsie from Junior Neighbourhood Association sharing some fundraising ideas with the support of Mia and Holly our Neighbourhood Support Leaders.
- Gemma York will share her speech from Speak for the Planet
- Kahikatea will share a piece from their hub Kapa haka group
We hope to see you there!
Term Dates
Click here to view 2019 term dates.
Citizen of the Week
Fergus McMillan - Year 6
Fergus, you bring energy, a depth of thinking and creativity to the Pohutukawa Whānau. You are an active and reflective learner, and we love your desire to take on challenges with determination while encouraging others to do the same. Your creativity in writing and reading, especially, is inspiring to your peers. Your kind and thoughtful nature is an asset to our hub. Keep up the great work, Fergus!
Freddie Winsor - Year 8
Freddie, you inject fun and positivity into all that you do. You hit the ground running when you joined us last year, totally unfazed by coming away on camp after only two days at Beckenham Kura. This is you to a T: enthusiasm plus! Since then you have continued to embrace opportunities to lead, learn and grow. You shine as a Waimea House Captain and Sports Leader. Keep up the great work!
Noah Palmer - Year 4
Noah, you have worked extremely hard in all areas of school life since the beginning of the year. You consistently make thoughtful and stimulating contributions to our hub discussions. You always work enthusiastically in all areas of school and are a fantastic role model for others. You are an absolute star. Tino pai!
School Notices
PB4L News (Positive Behaviour for Learning)
Working together to create a safe, supportive and inclusive community as we fill our kete for the journey.
At our Celebration Assembly last week, we launched our first 'positive behaviour expectation' which focussed on how we move in and out of the school buildings. We will be following this up by explicitly teaching the behaviour we are looking for and actively monitoring and rewarding the positive behaviour over the last 2 weeks of the term. We strongly encourage you to discuss this with your child/children and actively support this at home. Next term we will focus on other behaviour expectations. Thank you for your support.
As part of the professional development, we have created a staff noticeboard which is intended to be interactive for all staff members. This board will be updated regularly with new topics for discussion. Currently, we have a map of the school and grounds, which staff are populating with stickers, identifying any hotspots that may appear on duty. This will identify any particular areas we need to supervise more closely.
If you would like any more information on PB4L in general or at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto, please make a time with Anna or Nigel to discuss it further.
Music News
Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival
Congratulations to the following Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto students who have made it into a Representative Group for the 2019 Christchurch Primary Schools’ Music Festival. 554 students across Canterbury auditioned for the 345 places this year. The auditioners were very impressed by the high standard of many of the pupils applying.
Tabea Brookland: Concert Band - Clarinet
Sophia Brown: Orchestra - Violin
Eva Cameron: Senior Choir
Charlotte Grey: Concert Band - Clarinet
Walter McLoughlin: Senior Choir
Amelia Reid: Orchestra - Viola
Paolo Reid: Orchestra - Cello
Emily Rowe: Concert Band - Clarinet
ICAS Assessments
The University of New South Wales is offering your child to take part in the ICAS assessment programme.
ICAS is an independent, skills-based assessment program which recognises and rewards student achievement. ICAS is unique, being the most comprehensive generally available suite of academic assessments for primary and secondary school students.
Entries are administered at school. For further information, please consult the ICAS website - https://www.eaa.unsw.edu.au/icas/about. Each participant will receive a certificate and a detailed report of their performance.
This year, we will be offering Digital Technologies, Science, English, and Maths assessments.
Each assessment costs $15.00 to enter (please note that this has increased from previous years, due to the transition from paper-based assessments to an online test). Payment for these competition fees will need to be paid in full by Friday 2 August 2019. You can pay with EFTPOS at the school office or online school's bank account (ASB 12-3148-0131641-000) with the reference ‘ICAS’ and child’s name as the code. If you wish to enter your child, please fill out the form here.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email - hannah.elliott@beckenham.school.nz.
Ngā mihi,
Hannah Elliott
Bread Tags for Wheelchairs
Do you eat store made bread? What do you do with those pesky little plastic bread tags?
We are collecting them at the front desk in the office. 'Bread tags for Wheelchairs' was started in South Africa in 2006 by Mary Honeybun. It is a community program where individuals and organisations collect bread tags, which are sold to a South African moulding company, Zibo. The bread tags are recycled and used in the manufacture of seedling trays and other items. The money raised pays for wheelchairs for the less fortunate which are purchased through a local pharmacy. This is a really easy way, albeit quite small, of trying to reduce our production of 'new plastic'.
This is the container at the front desk after just one week of collecting tags, I might need to get a bigger container!! Well done everyone - keep bringing them in.
Ferndale News
We have welcomed a number of Beckenham students into the Ferndale unit at lunchtime this week. It has been fantastic to see the interactions and games, so many new friendships are developing.
Mana Ake News
Introducing our school's liaison for Mana Ake.
Kia ora! My name is Anna and I was born and raised in Christchurch. I currently have a BA in Psychology from Stanford University and an M.Phil in Education and Psychology from the University of Cambridge. In addition to this, I have also held various research positions which have involved conducting and publishing research within the field of Mindfulness. I’ve returned to New Zealand this year, and am very much looking forward to working within the Beckenham school community as your Mana Ake Kaimahi Liason.
Our next Mana Ake drop-in session will be this Wednesday from 8:30 - 9:30 in the upstairs room of the school office. If you have any questions around parenting or your child's wellbeing that you would like to discuss with Anna please pop in. Next term we will be providing the opportunity for parents to book into a 15 minute slot in the drop in sessions every second Wednesday.
Sports News
Interhouse Challenge
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| Interhouse hockey competition |
The House Captains and Deputies have been doing innovating thinking about their role in the school and what they can offer. One idea they had was to have an inter-house competition. Tuesday afternoon saw the first round of the tournament that they organised. The children competed in hockey, football, netball, Tapu Ae, basketball, theatre sports and a chalk art challenge. A special focus was placed on good sportsmanship and points were awarded to houses demonstrating fair play in addition to the points available for a win.
Our sportsmanship focus for this week was demonstrating ‘We care’ by showing respect for the rules of the game and the referee’s call. Many of the games were refereed by the House Captains themselves and it was great to see the children listening and following their direction, while still maintaining a competitive focus.
The basketball element of this challenge is run by players from the Canterbury RAMs. They are offering an exciting and highly engaging introduction to the sport of basketball to children who may not have previously played.
This week, Tennyson played Fisher, while Heathcote went head to head with Waimea. This is the first of three rounds.
After round one the scores are as follows:
Tennyson
Heathcote
Waimea
Fisher
Winter Sports Players of the day
Ruby M, Maddi, Meara, Lola, Mila, Henry, Otis, Freddie, Ishaan, Lucy, Millie J
PTA News
Beckenham Booty Car Sale
Beckenham Booty Car Boot Sale is this Sunday- come on down, we have loads of car boots booked in, all heaving with treasures just for you. Open from 9-11am in the school car park. The weather forecast looks great & a delicious Mexican Bean Soup will be available to warm you up!
Plastic Free July
Plastic Free July is just around the corner. We have Jute Bags, String Vege Bags, Beeswax Wraps & our Ideal Takeaway Coffee Cups to assist you with your war on plastic. Order online at the following link
Plastic Free July or pop on down to the Beckenham Booty Car Boot Sale this Sunday. For more info click on the following link
Beckenham BootyClubbercise
We have sold out for the first ever Clubbercise Christchurch with Chloé at Beckenham Class. No Door Sales available.
For those that have booked, Thank -you - payment is due
now. Payment must be received by Monday 1st July. Non-payment will result in your booking being cancelled & your spot(s) will be offered to those on our “waiting list”
To go on the Waiting list please click on the following link:
waiting list If you have booked you will receive an email, before the class, advising on how to check in on the night.
We are so excited to see all 100+ of you next Wednesday at 7pm- let’s dance like no one is watching, get fit & get glowing at Clubbercise!
PTA Survey
Our PTA welcomes everybody's contributions, no matter how big & small.
To make sure we have up to date information about how & when you can help we send out our PTA Survey once a term. If you completed this survey last term & nothing has changed then there is no need to complete the survey again
If you are new to the school &/or your circumstances have changed, please complete this now by clicking on the following link:
Beckenham PTA surveyEarly Next Term
Calling all Craft Beer Enthusiasts, the PTA, in conjunction with THREE BOYS BREWERY will be offering a Brewery Tour early next term. For more exciting information check out the
PTA Facebook Page for updates.
NZ Police
NZ Police recently launched a new non-emergency number, 105. We’ve done this to make it easier to get hold of us in the event of non-urgent situations or ‘Things which have Already Happened’, which don’t require Police assistance immediately.
You can call us on 105 for all non-emergencies, or you can go online at 105.police.govt.nz to report things like:
- Lost property
- Theft for a public place or car
- Intentional property damage
- Or to get an update or add info to a previous report
In the event of an emergency, always call 111 - Things that are Happening Now.
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
Aquagym
Swim for Life! Where Champions Grow!
Book now for Holidays and Term 3 2019. 459 Cashel Street. Ph: 3810299. info@aquagym.co.nz
Open Christchurch
Open Christchurch, which invites the public of all ages to discover central city architecture and public spaces with free, one-off access to special buildings, and a range of themed walking tours, kicks off on the 30 June.
More information can be found here:
https://teputahi.org.nz/2015-programme/open-christchurch/the first event is at The Cathedral Grammar Junior School when they open their doors and its rooftop playground for all to encounter for one day only.
Other venues include Christ's College Memorial Dining Hall, the stunning Heritage building and Ao Tawhiti (Christchurch's only vertical school.)
The Arrowsmith Programme
Is your child struggling with aspects of learning at school?
Three out of 30 children in each class struggle with a learning difficulty. The Arrowsmith Program helps children with learning difficulties. If you would like to hear more about the Arrowsmith Program, including details of full time, part time or at home options - go to https://arrowsmithschool.org/
or https://sevenoaks.school.nz/arrowsmith/
Parents, Teachers, Learning Support Staff
Gina Wilson is coming to Christchurch.
Do you have a concern for your child’s health, learning or behaviour? Then you won’t want to miss this one-day-only presentation!
Gina Wilson (BHSc, B'Ed Tchng, ND, DipHerbMed) is a Naturopath specialising in health, learning and behaviour; Nutrition Consultant; and Biomedical therapist. Gina works with children to improve their overall health via nutrition, natural supplements and education.
There aren’t many health professionals in NZ who have the depth of knowledge and ever-developing, up to date information in this field as Gina and we are fortunate to have her visiting Christchurch to present here for the very first time!
Gina’s presentation offers practical help and covers:
The importance of the gut and its effect on the body and brain
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Fussy eating and what you can do
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Poor sleep, some of the reasons why
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Constipation/ diarrhoea and how to address these
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Suggestions of some basic supplements and why they may be needed e.g. zinc, magnesium, b- vitamins
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Common nutritional deficiencies that may contribute to ASD/ADHD behaviours
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Environmental toxic exposures that may contribute to ASD/ADHD behaviours
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Lifestyle habits that may contribute to ASD/ADHD behaviours
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How to identify underlying triggers for children’s behaviour (including anxiety and low mood) and learning problems
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How to address these causes so the child can thrive, concentrate, and learn with ease.
Location: St Albans School, Christchurch
Time and date: Saturday 31 August 2019 from 10am – 12noon
Cost: $25 per ticket
To register interest (or for any queries) email Kate Wood by Friday 5 July 2019
biomedicshealth@gmail.com
Spaces will go quickly so don’t hesitate to register your interest ASAP
Lego Brick Show
The Christchurch Brick Show is back again organising and promoting our annual Lego Brick Show to be held in Horncastle Arena on 13th and 14th July 2019. The Christchurch Brick Show is listed as a key event in the Kids fest magazine. Click on this link
lego brick show to see more details.
Some of our highlights this year will be a 7m long LEGO interactive carnival scene and back on display we will have the LEGO replica of the New Brighton Pier.
We are excited to have more than 200 exhibitors displaying an assorted variety of LEGO sets and individual creations. Children will have the opportunity to go hands-on with various LEGO focused activities in Imagination Station’s huge build and learn zone. Free activities include building spaces, mechanics benches, mosaic walls, gaming area, remote control LEGO vehicles and epic ramp races.
For more details visit info@christchurchbrickshow.nz
