Treemendous Makeover Saturday 16 June - only two weeks to go!
The excitement is really building now as we are on the final countdown to our Treemendous Makeover Day on Saturday 16th June.
The day before the Treemendous Makover Working Bee, we are looking forward to having Ruud Kleinpaste - the Bug Man, and Riley Elliott - The Shark Man visit the school. They will be speaking to all of the children, and the teachers, on that Friday.
Please make sure that you have Saturday 16th June (9am-midday) in your diary!
We will have over 800 plants to plant in our Treemendous Makeover area, and there will be a sausage sizzle at the end of the planting - around midday.
What Now TV Crew at Beckenham today
The What Now TV crew were at school today, following a group of our Year 3/4 students on their regular visit to the Thorrington Rest Home.
They shot some film at school in the library first and then down at the rest home. We will try and give you advance warning of when this will screen on What Now - we believe it will be later this month.
Home Learning Survey
We have had a fabulous response (147 so far) to the Home Learning Survey sent out two weeks ago. This survey will close on Tuesday, so if you haven't had a chance to give your feedback yet, please click on this link and have your say.
Reminder: Tuesday 26th June - School will close for formal instruction at 12:30pm
Due to the Paid Union Meeting for teachers in Christchurch that will be happening on the afternoon of Tuesday 26th June, we will be skeleton staff (Principal and Teacher aides only) from 12:30pm due to our teachers all needing to attend the union meeting. We are requesting that you pick up your children at 12:30pm that day, or contact the office to let us know they will be staying at school so we can arrange supervision.
I hope you all have a relaxing and safe long weekend. Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings Tumuaki - Principal
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Saturday, 16 June, 9am - 12noon TREEMENDOUS MAKEOVER WORKING BEE! Tuesday 26 June, School closes at 12:30pm
James, you are an outstanding role model in our hub. You are a highly motivated learner and consistently put your best effort into your learning. You are extremely enthusiastic, inquisitive, caring, and helpful. Thank you for the magnificent contribution you make to our team. You are a superstar!
Ashlyn Taffs - Year 3
Ashlyn, you are such a superstar in the Kōwhai Whānau. You demonstrate of all our school values in all that you do. You approach all learning challenges with a fantastic attitude and a massive smile. Everyone in the hub knows that they can rely on you to be a good friend as well as an amazing role model. Thank you for being awesome Ashlyn! Tino pai.
School Notices
Impetigo (school sores)
We have had cases of Impetigo reported at Beckenham. Please read the following information provided by the Ministry of Health. What to do
Go to the doctor.
Check and clean every day.
Gently wash the sores with warm water and a soft cloth. Wash the sores until the crust comes off and wash away the pus and blood.
Check other children for impetigo. Use any cream from the doctor on the sores.
Cover sores with a cloth or plaster to help stop the infection from spreading.
Keep your child’s nails short and clean.
Wash your hands before and after touching the skin or sores.
Make sure your child washes their hands often, especially if they touch the sores.
What to do if impetigo gets worseYou need to go back to the doctor if any of these things happen:
sores last more than a week
sores become red or swollen
sores have pus in them
your child has a fever.
The infection may have spread to other parts of the body or blood. Your child may need blood tests and antibiotics. It is important to take the antibiotics every day until they are finished, even if the impetigo seems to have cleared up earlier. The antibiotics need to keep killing the infection in the body after the skin has healed.
Time off from kura or school Until sores have dried up or 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has started.
Drop off zone on Sandwich Road
This seems to be working really well in the mornings, but not in the afternoons. This afternoon every space was taken up with cars that were parked there, all but one without a driver in it, for over 10 mins from 3pm. This completely defeats the purpose of there being a drop off/pick up zone. Caregivers who should have been able to just drive in, pick up their waiting child and drive away again were not able to do this.
There was an article on STUFF just yesterday about the challenges that many schools face with pick up and drop off times. Let's not be one of those schools!
We believe that everyone in our school community has the wellbeing and safety of all of our children as a top priority. To achieve this, we need every person to support the strategies that the school, the council and the road rules provide for our children's safety.
We have been putting 'friendly reminders' on vehicle windscreens since the start of term. If the situation doesn't improve next week, we will be asking the Council to send a traffic warden out to help support this strategy.
PTA News
Our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto PTA "WE CARE" products are still available for purchasing. We are so excited to share our NEW ‘We Care’ range with you.
Products that help us care for our environment & provide practical assistance in our daily lives- the Jute Bag & Coffee cups are a must for those on the go & will have all the other shoppers in the supermarket green with envy!
We are still also offering an old favourite, the Beckenham Tea Towel, along with a NEW affordable black stylish Beckenham Apron & an A2 Canvas.
Check out ALL these amazing products on our website
ORDER these products throughout the rest of the year & at your convenience.
Thanks to all those that competed the PTA Survey. Results, with regards to the 2nd Hand UNIFORM SHOP HOURS, highlighted that people prefer afternoon sessions during the week. Therefore the UNIFORM SHOP (located at the PTA Hub /old dental clinic on the corner of Sandwich Road and Eastern Terrace) will be OPEN Monday, Thursday & Friday 3-3:30pm for the rest of this term starting on Thursday next week.
Want to join the "PTA SUPPORT CREW"? - complete our PTA SURVEY & indicate how/when/where you can support your school - PTA SURVEY 2018
This week saw the start of the Winter Sport programme at Hagley Park for Year 5-8 students. Huge thanks to Jenny Diggle for the amazing organisation that goes into to setting this up and the smooth weekly running of our participation in this. Thanks also to the other teachers and many parents and caregivers who are giving up their time to support this. We have 125 children participating in 14 teams across the disciplines of Rugby, Football, Hockey and Netball. Each team requires a coach, has had trials and needs weekly training and organisation. With 125 children going to Hagley each week, there are 71 children remaining at school who will be participating in an alternate sport programme. One of the rotations available as part of this programme is table tennis. The students who took part in this today were very enthusiastic about learning to control a very bouncy, small ball with a mind of its own!
Bullying Free NZ week
This week was the national Bully-Free New Zealand Week. At Beckenham we have decided not to focus so much attention on the 'week' but to focus attention all the time on being conscious of how we can be caring and make a difference in our relationships with one another. The Ministry of Education published a very useful digital book that we will be sharing with our children at school about how to support someone who you see being bullied rather than joining in, or walking away and doing nothing.
The resource is called "Oat the Goat" and you can read and discuss it with your children by clicking on the link.
Safer streets around Beckenham
This week we have been approached by the Beckenham Neighbourhood Association (BNA) about the wider community concerns for the safety of our community, especially our children, when crossing Beckenham streets. Particular concern has been raised about Tennyson St, along with Centaurus Road, Birdwood Ave and the corner of Sandwich and Norwood Streets. At the same time, on Thursday evening, one of our school families had a very close brush with tragedy when their four year old was hit by a car on Tennyson St. He is safe at home now with a broken leg, but was extremely lucky not to have suffered much more serious injuries. Beckenham parents, Liz O'Connor and Ester Vallero, have previously lobbied the Community Board on this issue and our Board of Trustees are committed to supporting the BNA on this issue.
Treemendous Makeover - Saturday 16 June 9-12noon
The excitement is really building for the big Tremendous Makeover Day on Sat June 16th. The Mazda Foundation have selected this day and time for them to come and work with us on this big makeover. Teams of children, parents and supporters have been working now since early in the year on the preparations for the big, final makeover day when we will be doing mass planting of this area and there will be lots of special publicity, a sausage sizzle and celebrity guests including Ruud Kleinpaste - the Bugman who works with the Mazda Foundation and Project Crimson to help promote and make the Treemendous Makeovers such exciting events.
To ensure that we are ready for the big day on the 16th June, we need to have another small working bee this coming Saturday 26th May from 1pm - 3pm to build the second wooden nest, and some other preparations. If you are able to help, please contact Matthew Macdonald at matthew@odab.co.nz
Home Learning Review
Yesterday we sent home a link to all our families for your feedback on Home Learning. At the time of writing this, we have already received 70 responses! Thank you.
We would like to get feedback from our parent community, on the direction we take with home learning.
Families need to carefully consider what they value when it comes to home learning. Our home learning options need to fit with your values and the time your family wants to put towards this compared with the other valuable family activities you may be involved in.
We know that parents have a diverse range of views on home learning. We also know that each family context is very different and many families already have competing priorities on their time after school.
We regularly hear from parents about the challenge and stress that 'getting children to do home learning' creates for families.
As primary school educators we see importance in children building and maintaining good reading habits through daily opportunities to read in both home and school environments.
There is plenty of research that will argue both for and against other forms of home learning at the primary level.
Your homes present opportunities for your children to develop oral language skills, social skills and values that will enable them to contribute positively to their own future learning, and to the society that they are growing up in. To that end, we prefer to 'offer' home learning opportunities that are flexible and give each student and their family agency to select an approach that will meet the needs of your child. For some families, that selection may be "We are already doing so much - we don't need any more home learning." For others, there will be the ability to choose to engage with the activities that you believe are valuable.
Please click on this link, to give us your feedback on this topic.
The link will close for accepting feedback on Monday 4th June.
Sandy Hastings Principal - Tumuaki
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Sat 19 May - Comedy Night - Beckenham Hall Wed 23 May - Zones Cross Country at Halswell Quarry Park Sat 26 May - Treemendous working bee - 1pm - 3pm Mon 28 May - School Photos Tues 29 May - ICAS Science
Looking ahead:
Sat 16 Jun - TREEMENDOUS MAKEOVER DAY 9-12 noon Tue 26 Jun - teachers paid union meeting in the afternoon - please collect children at 12:30pm. Mon 2 Jul - Staff Only Day - school closed.
Savanna, you have really come into your own this year showing what a positive role model you are. You consistently work hard at whatever task you do and do your best to complete it to a high standard. You also show great caring for your friends, always looking out for others and showing a great maturity. You should be very proud of yourself. Tino pai, Savanna.
Bonnie Brookland - Year
Bonnie, you embrace our kete, we love learning, in your fabulous focus and your determination to give of your best in all that that you do. You are respectful, interested and engaging when working with others. Being a loyal and caring friend is something that you value, and something that others value in you. Thank you for the responsible and thoughtful contributions you make to our whānau on a daily basis. Tu meke Bonnie!
School Notices
Allergies
During Term 4 last year, and in Term 1 this year we carried out an extensive review of our Allergies Policy and Guidelines. Many thanks to Michelle Maule, Sue Leadbetter and parent, Lisa Taylor for the work that they did to pull all of this information together.
Across our school we have a number of children with different food allergies.
To support the wellbeing of these students we have the following guidelines in place which we ask you to follow:
For 2018, we ask that there are no peanuts in the Kauri (Year 7/8) or Kowhai (Year 3/4) teams please, due to the extreme anaphylaxis risk for one of our students who learns in that building - Parenga.
Whenever children bring food to school for shared kai occasions, please follow the guidelines provided by the teachers for that event.
We will inform you during the year if specific guidelines for your child’s hub change. Our full allergy policy and guidelines are available on the Beckenham te Kura o Pūroto website and search the Policies portal for ‘allergy’. If you have any questions or concerns, please discuss them in the first instance with your child’s point of contact teacher.
13 Reasons Why
You may recall the public discussion generated by last year’s Netflix series "13 Reasons Why".
Season two will be released worldwide on Friday 18 May (today). This show was widely watched by teenagers last year. Themes of suicide, sexual assault, consent, bullying and other issues made some viewers feel distressed and in need of support. Similar and equally confronting themes will be present in season two. In the lead-up to the release, some young people may re-watch the first season, or watch it for the first time.
Many young people say they feel the show represents the issues they face. Banning or recommending a ban on viewing it can be harmful, as young people will still watch it but feel they have to hide that from adults. The issues raised in the series are significant and offer a good opportunity to talk to our young people about these difficult life events – but it is important that those conversations are safe ones. We are working with other agencies to ensure information is available to support and encourage safe conversations between young people and their parents, or another trusted adult, if they view this series.
Some of this information is already available on the resource hub on the Mental Health Foundation website. Additional support material will be added to this hub prior to 18 May.
If you or other members of your whānau, are concerned about a young person, please reach out for help. The Mental Health Foundation have a list of contacts, or phone your local DHBs Mental Health Crisis Team. Support is also available from a trained counsellor anytime by calling or texting 1737.
Ministry of Health - Measles Alert
As students return from the Term 1 holidays, the Ministry of Health is reminding schools to be aware of the risks of measles.
Over the past month, measles cases have been reported in Canterbury, the Southern District Health Board region, Nelson-Marlborough, Hamilton and Auckland. Immunisation – the best protection against measles and it is free! To be effective, people need to have two measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations. Anyone who is unsure if they are fully immunised against measles can be vaccinated for free at their GP. What can you do? As a precautionary measure, school leaders are encouraged to confirm the immunisation status of staff and students. Anyone who is not immunised and gets exposed to a confirmed case of measles will need to stay home for at least 14 days to ensure the virus doesn’t spread. General advice Anyone who suspects they may have measles should avoid contact with other people, especially those who aren’t fully immunised, and should phone their GP before visiting. It is important to call first because measles is highly infectious, and people with measles can infect others in the waiting room. Further information and advice is available from:
There was great excitement in the school last week. This was all due to the kindness of a local business, JMW Electrical Services who at the end of 2017 held a competition where the school won a $500 Rebel Sport voucher.
After a school wide student driven survey, the students decided the wanted a Junior Adjustable Basketball Hoop. Last week the Spalding NBA Highlight Basketball System arrived much to the delight of the Kōwhai Mini Ball Team
A HUGE THANKS to JMW Electrical Services for your patience & generosity- the big smiles on our children faces say it all.
Wellbeing
Created by the Prime Minister’s Youth Mental Health Project, SPARX (https://sparx.org.nz) is a fantastic, interactive website for youth struggling with feeling low, anxious or depressed. Participants take a short quiz then work through a series of games and animations to learn about strategies such as keeping active, dealing with problems and recognising unhelpful thoughts. It is ideal for tweens/teens and their families.
PTA News
Hi to all our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Families,
We have an extraordinary community at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto. Because of this amazing community the PTA can do a really great job to support our school through a variety of events, activities, practical support and fundraising. Please take a moment to complete our annual survey https://bit.ly/2KZgpSf
LAST CHANCE
We have had an opportunity open up for a lucky business out there.
Looking to advertise your business/service to an audience of over 450+ on a daily basis over two years for a mere $750? Well Beckenham School PTA have an opportunity for you that would be silly to miss! We are offering a “cog space” on our new bike/scooter fence which faces Sandwich Road.
A BIG thanks to all those local businesses that have already come on board. Payment can be split over several payments for your convenience.
Your business/service will not only be viewed by the school families but will also be viewed by other community groups that use the school facilities before, after school & in the weekends. Promote your business/service’s BRAND for TWO years & support Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto children to bike/scooter to their school. As a parent I know I will be supporting those businesses that give back to their community & encourage healthy habits in our children.
For further detailed information on this opportunity click on this link.
To discuss further contact Rachel at pta@beckenham.school.nz OR ph 027 246 3511 if you have any queries.
DEADLINE for purchasing a COG is Friday 25th May. LAST CHANCE before the COGS are off to the printer!
We would like to get feedback from our parent community, on the direction we take with home learning.
Families need to carefully consider what they value when it comes to home learning. Our home learning options need to fit with your values and the time your family wants to put towards this compared with the other valuable family activities you may be involved in.
We know that parents have a diverse range of views on home learning. We also know that each family context is very different and many families already have competing priorities on their time after school.
We regularly hear from parents about the challenge and stress that 'getting children to do home learning' creates for families.
As primary school educators we see importance in children building and maintaining good reading habits through daily opportunities to read in both home and school environments.
There is plenty of research that will argue both for and against other forms of home learning at the primary level.
Your homes present opportunities for your children to develop oral language skills, social skills and values that will enable them to contribute positively to their own future learning, and to the society that they are growing up in. To that end, we prefer to 'offer' home learning opportunities that are flexible and give each student and their family agency to select an approach that will meet the needs of your child. For some families, that selection may be "We are already doing so much - we don't need any more home learning." For others, there will be the ability to choose to engage with the activities that you believe are valuable.
We would like to hear your views on this topic.
Please click on this link, to give us your feedback on this topic.
The link will close for accepting feedback on Monday 4th June
Welcome back to the start of Term 2. A special welcome to all of the new children who have started this week, and to their whānau. We are noticing the cooler temperatures already and it was good to see lots of children in gumboots on the rainy days we had at the beginning of the week. We encourage gumboots and slippers on wet days, along with an extra pair of socks just in case! The PTA shop does have some 2nd hand gumboots, and they will accept donations of gumboots if you have any that are not needed and are still in good condition. Note that the PTA shop will be open on Wednesday and Thursday evening this coming week from 6-8pm.
Some important upcoming dates this term:
Tuesday 26th June - no afternoon classes
This is the date that NZEI have confirmed that there will be a paid union meeting at Horncastle Arena from 2pm, for all primary teachers in Christchurch. Because we don't have a range of dates available to send our staff to, we do need to ask you to collect your children from school this day at 12:40pm. If you are not able to organise any alternatives for this afternoon, please contact Jacky in the office as soon as possible and we will arrange for supervision of that small group of students.
Staff Only Day - Monday 2nd July - School Closed.
When we set our term dates for 2018, we made allowance for 2 days of professional development on which the school would be closed, even though we didn't have confirmed dates at the time.
We have been able to confirm our date for Term 2 as Monday 2nd July. We will be getting further development in the area of Mathematics for our teachers.
We appreciate that, in the last week of term, this is very close to the holidays and may not be ideal for families. Unfortunately, we were not able to get any other dates from the providers who are running this day for us.
Education conversation
The government is currently consulting with New Zealanders about what they want to see education look like now and in the future. This aligns and will help guide the government’s programme of work in the education sector. If you haven’t already, join the conversation and complete the survey via this link.
The survey consists of four questions (along with the usual demographic type questions) which you can answer in as little as 5 minutes; or you can take as long as you like.
The survey closes on 31 May so make sure you have your say.
During each lunch break this term, our amazing staff have volunteered to run extra activities. On Wednesday it was "Art Attack" with chalk shadow drawings being created all over the courtyard. It was lovely to see the concept of "Tuakana Teina" in action - older students and younger students working and playing together and helping one another along.
Sandy Hastings Tumuaki - Principal
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Wed 9 May - BOT Meeting, 5:30 - 7:30pm Wed 9 May - PTA shop open - 6pm - 8pm Thu 10 May - PTA shop open - 6pm - 8pm Thu 10 May - Years 5-8 School Cross Country. In the afternoon. Fri 11 May - Celebration Assembly. 10:50-11:20am. All Welcome. Fri 18 May - Weekly winter sport for Years 5-8 commences. Sat 19 May - Comedy Night - Beckenham Hall (see more info below)
Looking ahead:
Tue 26 Jun - teachers paid union meeting in the afternoon - see info above. Mon 2 Jul - Staff Only Day - school closed.
Sam, you are a thoughtful role model in the Kowhai whānau. You are an amazing team player with a kind heart and caring attitude. You always show great focus and determination when faced with new learning and your positive mindset and willingness to succeed is inspiring. Koia kei a koe, Sam!
Murphy McCabe - Year 8
Murphy, you have a heart of gold! Considering other’s needs ahead of your own is something that is second nature to you. You are kind, caring and compassionate, embodying our ‘We care’ kete value. This year, you have struck up a wonderful friendship with a student from Ferndale and supported him in joining the Kauri hub in various sporting activities. Murphy, you acknowledge the things that others do to benefit you, always taking the time to make sure that their efforts are appreciated. These fabulous character traits coupled with your lust for life and cracking sense of humour bring so much joy and positivity to our Kauri whanau.
School Notices
New 3 minute drop-off area on Sandwich Road
The council have installed 3 min drop off signs on the school side of Sandwich Road, on the section of road between the Toy Library and the crossing.
The 3 minute drop off zone applies between 8:15am and 9:15am and again from 2:30 to 3:30pm on school days. The council discussed this with us last year, as a way of improving traffic flow and parking congestion around the school. We are very supportive of this new arrangement as we believe that, once we get used to using it, it will help to achieve its intended outcomes.
This will work well in the morning for people who want to just pull in and drop off. We regularly have concerns about people double parking and parking over driveways for this purpose.
We will be explaining to children that, if you have told them you will use the new pick up system, they are able to wait on Sandwich Road on the grass area along this side of the road, for you to pull up in the afternoon. Any children who are not collected by 3:15pm will be brought back into the office. If you normally get to school early to get a park, and sit and wait in your car for the children to come out, we encourage you to arrive just after 3pm now, and your children should be waiting for you to drive by and collect them!
Improved Bike Storage - Two separate Bike Stands
We are in the process of getting the fencing on the Bike stand on Sandwich Road finished. We are just waiting now for the two gates to arrive so that we can operate an 'In' and an "Out" traffic pattern through the bike stand.
We have set up another bike stand on the Eastern Terrace entrance to the school, at the top of the pathway on the right. This bike stand has temporary fencing around it at the moment.
Both bike stands will be locked between 9am and 3pm.
We encourage children to use the bike/scooter area that is most convenient to the way the come in and out of school. This will ease congestion in the Sandwich Road stand.
Comedy Evening
On Saturday May 19th, our very own funny man, Mr Jarred Skelton and friends, will be on stage in the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto hall. Jarred and his friends have entertained us in previous years and we can guarantee plenty of giggles and side splitting laughter. This stuff is great for your well-being, so grab some friends, buy your tickets and book that babysitter...
Proceeds go towards the costs of running the Year 7 & 8 Dunedin Camp. We've been there and done that and it was awesome! Now we just need to finish the fundraising to pay all the bills. We have worked hard to make this camp affordable for our families. Please support this fun night out.
Student Council
World Vision 40 Hour Famine
Our World Vision student team participated in a day of learning and training this week with World Vision to support them to understand the need for communities such as ours to support communities in other parts of the world, such as South Sudan.
At the end of Week 6, our Year 5-8 students have the opportunity to participate in the World Vision 40 Hour Famine. Many of you will have also participated in this when you were younger, as this event has been running in New Zealand now for 44 years. When it first began, it was just a 'famine' challenge. In 2018, children are able to develop their own challenge if the idea of fasting is not appropriate or possible for them.
Our World Vision leaders presented about the event in Assembly yesterday, and children have until this coming Friday. 11th May, to collect a participation booklet from Hannah Elliott (Year 7/8 teacher) and bring back their parent's signed permission.
The children then spend the following 4 weeks gathering sponsorship, in preparation for the challenge they have set for themselves, which takes place on 8th-10th June. After that, they collect their sponsorship money and bring it back to school. Last year, our students raised just over $2000. This year, our goal is to raise at least $2500.
Sports News
Whole School Cross Country - this coming Thursday
This coming Thursday, the 10th of May, is our whole school cross country school event. This term, our concept focus has been sustainability and how we must act to sustain what is valued. Regular physical exercise is an important part of sustaining physical and mental health and so we have been out running daily in an effort to promote health habits that may last a lifetime.
On Thursday we will run together, demonstrating our school kete value of ‘We get there together’. By competing together we can maximise tuakana teina, showing that ‘We make a difference’ as we cheer on other teams. While some of our tamariki will be running competitively and striving for a place at our zone cross country event, others will be seeking success at a more personal level. We want to encourage all tamariki to set their own goals for cross country. Maybe it is to simply finish or maybe to keep running the whole way round the course: ‘We love challenge’. We want all the children to experience pride and success regardless of their finishing position. Talking about a personal goal at home can support them in having a positive experience on the day.
On Thursday, all children will need to come to school with appropriate running shoes, a good lunch, a water bottle and a warm layer for before and after their race. Children may run in their house shirts if they wish to or they may run in their school uniform.
Our postponement date, in the event of bad weather is the following Thursday.
Thank you to all adults who have volunteered to help with the running of this event. We really appreciate you taking this time to support our children.
Our first event will start at 1:40 with all children off the course by 2:55. No times are being given as we sometimes need to be flexible on the day. Spectators, please arrive early to ensure seeing your child’s event. Events will follow the order indicated below:
3 km: 2 laps of the school block Year 8 Year 7 2 km: 1 lap of the school block Year 6 Year 5 2 laps of Beckenham Park Year 3 Year 4 1 lap of Beckenham Park New Entrants Year 1 Year 2
Winter Sport
A mammoth thank you goes out on behalf of our Year 5 to 8 children to all the adults who have volunteered to take a winter sports team this season. We would like to acknowledge the huge commitment that is involved in taking a team and we are very aware that many of you have gone above and beyond to make yourself available for lunchtime practices and Friday games. Your efforts enable this valuable learning opportunity to be made available to more children. It is always a challenge, putting together teams for sporting events and it is always our aim to allow as many children as possible the chance to participate.
From Week 3 (Friday 18th May), the children will be travelling by bus to Hagley Park to compete in their games against other schools in Christchurch. In the event of bad weather, the game may be postponed. The call to postpone a game is made at 11 am that day so please ensure that your child comes to school with everything they need, even if the weather is questionable.
There will be a charge for the buses which will be added to school accounts for those children participating.
Children participating in winter sport will be provided with a school sports uniform to wear for games. They should bring this to school every Friday. Children will also need warm layers and a drink bottle every week. The following sports require the additional safety equipment.
Rugby: Mouth Guard Football: Shin Guards and football boots Hockey: Mouth guard and shin guard Mouth Guards are available to purchase from the school office for $5 each. Please note these need to be paid for at the time and cannot be put on account.
We do have some football boots and shin guards available to lend out to children for the season.
PTA News
"Looking for eco-friendly presents or some thing for the person who loves Beckenham?- well do we have a deal for you, check it out- reusable coffee cups, aprons, tea towels, jute shopping bags & canvases at affordable prices.
Order & collect at one of collection times listed below from the PTA Hub (corner of Eastern Tce & Sandwich Rd)
Opening HOURS:
Monday 8:30-11am; 2:45-3:15pm
Wednesday 6-8pm
Thursday 6-8pm
These extra hours are valid for the next WEEK, leading up to Mother's Day
We also have a limited number of beeswax wraps, cotton cloths & vege string bags available for those who come along to the PTA Hub- NO orders, 1st in 1st served!
Secondhand uniform will also be available to purchase too -see you there!
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
"Magic: The Gathering" Club - starting up this term...
Magic: The Gathering, is the world’s most popular collectible card game. It’s fun and it makes reading, maths, logic and decision making fun as well. An independent Magic: The Gathering club will be run out of the Beckenham School Green Room (adjacent to the Hall) this term. Entry is open to all Year 6, 7 and 8 students and their parents.
My name is Cam Taffs, and my daughter attends Beckenham. I'm organising this group and I'm a self-professed super nerd and game aficionado. I'm hoping that introducing Magic: The Gathering to a new generation will encourage face-to-face fun and sporting spirit in our community.
No prior knowledge of the game is required and players don’t need to bring any of their own cards (but if they already have some they can). Game nights will run on Monday from 6.30-8.30pm starting from Monday 21 May. Entry will be by gold coin koha. If you or your kids would like to join in, please feel free to rock up on the night.
Spanish Clubs at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto - Mondays after school 3:00 to 4:00 pm
Speak Spanish - Spanish Language School is based in Rangi Ruru Girls' School and offers Spanish Clubs in primary schools. Children learn Spanish in a fun and relaxed way focused on a topic: games, crafts, roleplays, songs are used to teach children. We use Seesaw to build up a student profile and get children and/or families to be part of the club too from home! We are starting our classes in Term 2 ($15 per session - $120 - included GST 8 sessions) it's a great opportunity to experience learning a language! Email us at info@speakspanish.co.nz to enrol sending your children's details.
ANDY GRIFFITHS & TERRY DENTON
Andy Griffiths, author of the Treehouse books, is back, and this time he’s brought his pal, illustrator Terry Denton! Andy and Terry will present outrageous tales from the new book in the series, The 104-Storey Treehouse.
With Terry drawing LIVE illustrations, this is a magical event for the whole family. The show will be followed by a chance for children to meet Andy and Terry, and books will be on sale from the University Bookshop team. This event will sell out quickly. Don’t miss out!
Canterbury Volleyball has a great opportunity for kids to give Volleyball a go!
Kids who sign up will get to learn all the Volleyball skills from our Kiwi Volleyball coaches and try these skills out in a game! This will be a fun filled session and is perfect for kids that have never played before or are just beginners.
Venue: St. Margaret's College Gym
Choose from the following options:
July 11- 11-13 year olds- 9am-12pm July 12- 9 & 10 year olds- 10am-12pm July 13- 11-13 year olds- 9am-12pm
It's hard to believe that the end of the first term is already here! What a busy and exciting term it has been.
Looking ahead to Term 2
During Term 2 our learning focus is on "Sustaining our Wellbeing". Each team will have their own particular focuses within this broad topic, and there will be some consistent school-wide areas of focus, including exercise (particular focus on Cross-country), hydration, healthy eating and sleep.
With regard to sleep, we will be implementing a programme for children in Years 3-8 that has been designed by the University of Canterbury, as a strategy for building resilience and wellbeing. When the programme begins, there will be take home activities that parents will be encouraged to engage with. The goal of the programme is to encourage children to have a better awareness of their own sleep needs and patterns, and to begin to develop some self-management in their own wellbeing around bedtime routines and the importance of sleep in their daily lives. No doubt there will be lessons for us as adults to reflect on also!
Reporting to Parents in Writing and through Learning Conferences
After our student led learning conferences in Term 3 last year, we sent out a detailed questionnaire for caregivers to give us feedback.
We had 120 responses which gave us some very rich feedback.
On a scale from 1 (Not at all) to 5 (Extremely well), the following responses were received to this question:
We were quite pleased to see 68% of people were very satisfied or extremely satisfied, and we could identify some areas for improvement.
When we compared this to the next question, we could see that around 44% of the respondents weren't finding the conferences as beneficial, from the parent perspective, as we would have hoped.
The respondents shared lots of really valuable feedback with us about what they really liked about the learning conferences, and about how we could improve, and of course, there was a wide variation of perspective from people who absolutely loved it, and a few who really didn't!
This year, we will be trying something a little bit different, to try and meet the different needs of parents, and to still ensure that we are empowering our children to be engaged with their learning through a process of having voice and ownership.
In Week 5 of Term 2 (Wed 30th May) we will be having Student-led Learning Conversations. These will be a little different to what we did last year and will focus wholly on the children sharing their learning with their whānau. The teachers will be there, and overseeing, but you won't need to book a specific time as the focus will not be on having a conversation with the teacher - it will be on the conversation with your child.
Written reports will come out at the end of Term 2, and in Week 2 of Term 3, there will be a formal opportunity to book a time to meet with your child and their teacher(s) to discuss any queries you may have about the reports, and to set goals for the rest of the year.
Please remember that, on top of these set times, you are welcome at any time during the year, to make a time to meet with your child's teacher to discuss their progress at school.
Kauri Team in Dunedin
As I finish writing this, the Year 7 & 8 Kauri Team are making their way back to Christchurch after a simply amazing week of fun and learning in Dunedin.
To see the full set of photos, and see the breadth of excitement they have been having, you can visit the school Facebook page.
They have visited Albatross, explored Larnach's Castle, been spooked in the Octagon, studied at the University, walked beaches and tunnels, competed against our friendly rivals Carisbrook School, swum, danced, eaten chocolate, and of course, walked up and down the steepest street!
Thank you to all of the parents who supported this trip with their time, and with baking, and to the The Southern Trust for a very generous donation of $15,000 that helped make the trip much more affordable.
Thank you all for the support you give to our school, and to our staff and students. We are all looking forward to the the next two weeks holidays, and I know that our staff will be taking time to rest and relax, as well as prepare for Term 2. I trust you are all able to have some quality time with your family.
Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumaki ~ Principal
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Mon 30 Apr - Term 2 begins 8:55am Fri 4 May - Welcome Assembly, 10:50- 11:15am. Followed by a morning tea hosted by PTA. Wed 9 May - BOT Meting, 5:30 - 7:30pm Thu 10 May - Years 5-8 School Cross Country. In the afternoon. Fri 11 May - Celebration Assembly. 10:50-11:20am. All Welcome. Fri 17 May - weekly winter sport for years 5-8 commences.
Katya, you are a thoughtful and empathetic member of the Kowhai whānau. You are quick to notice when people need help and are always willing to give up your time to be a good friend and to support the smooth running of the hub. You actively demonstrate our values "We love learning" and "We love challenge". You strive to achieve learning tasks to the best of your ability and always seek advice if you need it. You are a great role model. Tino pai , Katya
Benjamin Scallan - Year 4
Ben, you are an excellent role-model in our hub. You demonstrate the value of 'We Love Learning' by being an incredibly hard-working and focused learner. You show the value of 'We Love Challenge' when things are tricky by asking questions and having a growth mindset. You understand the importance of being a supportive and caring team-member, and you show kindness and empathy towards others. Ka pai, Ben!
School Notices
Welcome Assembly - Term 2 Friday 4th May at 11am
If you have a child who has started at Beckenham School since our last welcome Assembly (Friday 9th February) then your child will be being formally welcomed at the next Welcome Assembly on Friday 4th May at 11am. You and your whānau are invited to attend this assembly and also to stay afterwards for morning tea, hosted by the PTA.
Sports News
Duathlon Results
The school duathlon is arguably one of the most challenging sporting events in our school calendar. The event is open to our year 5 to 8 tamariki who are keen to test their endurance and stamina. In the lead up to the event, it was fantastic to see many tamariki out running and biking in the park developing healthy habits that may last a lifetime. Congratulations to everyone who stepped up to this challenge.
Year 5 Champions: Zoe Clarke and Josh Breitmeyer Year 6 Champions: Jain Cooper and Ben Newton Year 7 Champions Sophia Brown and Ben Evans Year 8 Champions: Tilly Harris and Joel Kingham
PTA News
Are you sitting down?? The figures are in...... The PROFIT of the Beckenham School Twilight Fair is the BIGGEST profit EVER raised at a Beckenham School Fair & given the inclement weather this is an even more amazing feat!
$17,400 PROFIT was raised!
A GINORMOUS SHOUT OUT to the Fair Team who worked their hardest planning for this event starting way back in Oct 2017. A HUGE thanks to the businesses & individuals that supported this event, please check out our SPONSOR BOARD:
And of course thank you to Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto staff, students & school community that helped make this event be the BEST FAIR EVER!! Roll on 2020!
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
Starfish Swim School
During the April school holidays Starfish will be running a holiday programme. When a student from Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto, including siblings, books lessons you will receive a discounted rate and $10 from every booking will go towards our Outdoor Spaces fund! Classes will be ruining both weeks of the holidays. Week one Monday 16th April - Friday 20th April $55 Week two Monday 23 April - Friday 27 April (closed Anzac Day) $42 For bookings and any enquiries please phone: 33881795. info@starfishswimschool.co.nz
Spanish Club at Beckenham School- Mondays after school 3:00 to 4:00 pm
Speak Spanish - Spanish Language School is based in Rangi Ruru Girls' School and offers Spanish Clubs in primary schools. Children learn Spanish in a fun and relaxed way focused on a topic: games, crafts, roleplays, songs are used to teach children. We use Seesaw to build up a student profile and get children and/or families to be part of the club too from home! We are starting our classes in Term 2 ($15 per session - $120 8 sessions) it's a great opportunity to experience learning a language! Email us at info@speakspanish.co.nz to enrol sending your children's details.
Aquagym
459 Cashel St Ph:381- 0299
Learn to Swim & Coaching
Book now for April Holiday Courses &Term 2.
Leaders in Aquatic Education
Shirley Boys' High School
Parent Information Evenings
(Meet Headmaster John Laurenson for an informal chat over a cup of tea or coffee)
Monday 7th – Thursday 10th May 2018. 6.00pm - 7.30pm
SBHS Spartans Room (PE block, entrance off North Parade)
Community Open Night
Thursday 24 th May 2018. 6.30pm - 8.30pm
Commencing in the Assembly Hall (entrance off North Parade)
Marian College Open Night & Open Day 2018
Haere Mai! Talofa lava and welcome!
You are invited to experience the opportunities Marian College has on offer.
Open Night - Tuesday 15 May from 4-7pm. Principal's welcome 4:15pm and 5:30pm.
Open Day - Monday 28th May from 1-3pm. Principal's welcome at 1:00pm.
There is Wilsons car parking on Barbadoes St and next to Marian College on Moorhouse Avenue.
0800What’sUp
0800What'sUp (0800 942 87 87) is a confidential free nationwide telephone and online help line for New Zealand children between the ages of 5-18 years old.
What’s Up has been there for New Zealand children for over 16 years, and during that time we have talked with thousands of children about what it is that concerns them. We have listened to their stories, their worries, and even their jokes. Children do not have to give us their names, or any other details they choose not to disclose.
The average age of our callers is 13 years old, and young people may ring and talk to us about anything they like. No problem is too large or too small for our trained Counsellors and Supervisors, who come from a variety of backgrounds and experience. All of our counsellors are paid professionals who practice Child Centered Practice and Empowerment. We do not tell our callers/online chatters what to do, but instead provide support, allowing them to explore what is best for them and the possible consequences of their choices.
0800What’sUp is open until 11:00pm every day, including public holidays. Our hours are Monday to Friday 12 noon - 11pm, and 3pm - 11pm on Saturdays and Sundays. We also offer online chat, which is available from 5-10pm each day.
ARE YOU UP FOR A CHALLENGE?
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?
If so, come along to our Traditional Māori games themed school holiday sessions at South library.
Not only will you learn a tī rākau (short sticks) routine, but you get to make some tī rākau to take home. We will have a go at some other traditional games as well.
It’s going to be heaps of fun! Don’t miss out!
Recommended for ages 7-12 years. Bookings essential
Phone 941 7923
Tuesday 17 April, 10.30am–12pm or 1–2.30pm
SURFKIDS
Childrens Surfing April Holiday Programme.
Learn the skills of Surfing in a fun, safe environment. All equipment provided and professional instruction from Aaron Lock and team. For kids 8 - 14 years.
April Holidays Week 1 and 2. 16 -20th and 23 -27th April 10am to 12pm.
Cost $30 per day or $135 for five. Bookings essential.
Venue :Sumner. Call Aaron on 0800 80 SURF (7873) or register online at www.surfcoach.co.nz
St Margaret's College Open Day
St Margaret's College Open Day is on Friday 11 May
The details are:
St Margaret's College, Christchurch, Open Day - Friday 11 May 2018
Time: 10:30am to 1:00pm
Principal's Address: 11:45am featuring current principal, Gillian Simpson, and incoming principal, Diana Patchett
For those looking at boarding options, we have an SMC Boarders' Sleepover on Friday 11 May at 4:30pm to 10:00am on Saturday 12 May. Pre-registration for this is required by emailing lizzie.d@stmargarets.school.nz
Want to join the "PTA SUPPORT CREW"? - complete our PTA SURVEY & indicate how/when/where you can support your school - PTA SURVEY 2018
