Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter 15th June 2018

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Well - the Big Day is finally here and the sun is shining too, which is a real bonus.
Today, we have been hosting Ruud Kleinpaste (The Bug Man) and Riley Elliot (The Shark Man) at school and tomorrow, is the TREEMENDOUS MAKEOVER day!



Check out the video below, taken earlier this week, of Andy Lyons from Heathcote Valley Gallery, an uncle of some of our students, carving this huge log from our school oak tree, into a very special chair.




All of the CCC sports grounds are closed this weekend, so take the opportunity to come along to the Treemendous Makeover and help to make this area a beautiful place for our children to play!

Staffing Update for Term 3 & 4

As you know, Michelle Maule, our Deputy Principal, is currently on secondment to the Ministry of Education, working in the Special Education Team. This secondment was originally expected to be for two terms, however, the Ministry have asked Michelle to stay on until the end of the year. We are very proud of Michelle for the experience that she is able to offer at the Ministry to support other schools, and know that she will be expanding her expertise to bring back to Beckenham as well.

Sue Leadbetter, who is currently doing an amazing job of being Deputy Principal in Michelle's absence, will now continue on doing this until the end of the year. 

That leaves a vacancy for a teacher to take the next New Entrant class that is due to begin in Term 3 and we are delighted to be welcoming Jo Smith back as a full time member of our staff for Terms 3 and 4 to take this position.

I have been very fortunate to have been awarded a Ministry of Education Principal Job Shadow scholarship to travel to Adelaide for the first four weeks of next term. I will be going to a school in the west of Adelaide called Lockleys North School and working with their principal, Tyson Grinham. Tyson has been the successful Australian recipient of the matching scholarship, and he will then come to Christchurch and visit Beckenham for 3 weeks in the latter half of Term 3. This is a very exciting opportunity and I am very grateful to the Board for the support that they have given in supporting me with this. 
Ngā mihi

Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki / Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Sat, 16 Jun - 9am - 12noon THE TREEMENDOUS MAKEOVER WORKING BEE!
Tue 19 Jun - South Music Festival at Hillview Christian School
Wed 20 Jun - South Music Festival at Hillview Christian School
Thu 21 Jun - Pyjama Mufti Day.  Hot porridge breakfast at school from 8:00am.
Thu 21 Jun - Canterbury Cross Country.  Halswell Quarry Park.  9am - 1:30pm
Fri 22 Jun - Celebration Assembly.  10:50-11:20am.  All welcome!

Tue 26 Jun -  Please pick children up at 12:30pm

Fri 29 Jun - School disco. Please see PTA News for details.

Mon 2 July - School Closed - Staff Only Day

Term Dates

Click here to view 2018 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Morvern McDaid - Year 7

Morvern, your bubbly personality and enthusiasm for all that we do in the Intermediate Hub is infectious. Your love of learning is evident through the exceptional work that you do across the curriculum. We see the way you care for others on a daily basis. Morvern your sense of fun lifts our spirits in the Kauri Hub. You are a deep thinker who has great vision. Thank you for the helpful suggestions that you frequently offer. Keep being the fabulous role model that you are.

Arthur Branco Diefenthaler Year 3

Arthur, you are such an amazing member of our Kōwhai Whānau. You regularly display all of our school values in all of your learning, and you always have a big smile on your face! All of us in the hub know that you can be relied upon to do the right thing at all times. Thank you for all of the effort and enthusiasm you bring to our team Arthur, you are an absolute superstar! Tino Pai!

School Notices 

Tuesday 26 June 2018 - 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.

Pyjamas and Breakfast on the Shortest Day 


Next Thursday (21st June), the Student Council will be holding a Pyjama Day to ring in the shortest day of the year. Students are invited to wear their pyjamas to school and eat a hot porridge breakfast, kindly provided by the PTA. The breakfast will be served in the hall from 8:00-9:00 am. In order to minimise waste, we are asking that students bring their own named bowl; these will be rinsed and returned to the students before the end of the day. Spoons will be provided. In return for breakfast and/or mufti, we are asking students to bring a can of food to donate to the Christchurch Methodist Mission, so that those in need can have a hot dinner.

Wellbeing: 

View and download parent tip sheets on how to help children stay calm, manage worries & have fun: https://allright.org.nz/tools/sparklers/parenting-guides/  Just released from the Christchurch Mental Health Foundation.

Lost & Found

This was found in the school playground on Thursday...we would love to return it to its owner.
Please pick it up from the office.
We also have a bundle of lost clothing items building up again in the lost property box in the admin foyer.
Please come and have a look if your child has lost any items - there are shoes, drink bottles, hats, umbrellas etc!! 

Community Notices

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

McMillan's Aquatic Centre is 7km & only 12 mins drive from Beckenham.

We are offering free assessments now for Term 3 bookings.

Location:                                    54 Wickham St, Bromley (off Dyers Rd)
Lesson Times:                            3.25 - 6pm
Adult lessons/Lane Hire:         1pm - 3pm & 6pm - 8pm
Cost:                                            $150 for 10 x 30 minute lessons.
Call Louise on 332 4617 or email bees.swim@xtra.co.nz to book in now.
www.macswimming.co.nz

Electronic Music Afterschool Programme:

PYDT are looking for young people to be part of a fresh, exciting Electronic Music Production programme at the Te Koru Youth Centre. If you're interested in learning how to make your own Music on computers in a fun, social environment at a cool Youth Centre, this is the place for you! If You would like more information about this programme, please email studio@pydt.org, or give Tom a call on 0210503237.

While we have a big focus on Music and Technology here at PYDT, our main focus is professional, holistic youth work. We put a lot of emphasis into our programmes and run them to the highest standard, but they are always seen as simply a point of leverage for us to connect with and support the young people who come through our programmes. We have already had an amazing response from the parents who currently send their young people along, so much so that we have had parents tell us that they are astounded by the change in behaviour their young person has had while at home. Parents have also expressed their excitement that their young person is surrounding themselves with people who have their best interests at heart, rather than loitering around local businesses and causing problems.

This musical endeavour is just one of the many programmes we run here at the centre, including our widely endorsed Leadership Training Course for schools, Holiday Programmes, after-school Youth Hangout spaces, Disability Youth Groups and so many others!

Get ready for flu season – protect your whānau and community

Colder weather also brings along a nasty passenger – the flu.
As you may have seen in the media, it’s been a terrible flu season in the Northern Hemisphere, which
is a possible predictor for what we may see here.
Families in the Hurunui and Kaikōura districts can once again ensure their children have the best
protection available against the flu this winter – and it won't cost a cent! Young people from six
months to 17 years of age living in the Kaikōura and Hurunui areas (within the Canterbury District
Health Board) can receive free flu shots.
Influenza infection rates are generally highest in children and healthy children are the major cause of
the spread of the virus in the community. Around 80 percent of people infected show no or minimal
symptoms so you can spread the flu bug without knowing you have it – and the elderly, pregnant
women and people with chronic health conditions are particularly vulnerable.
Canterbury District Health Board is urging you to protect your whānau and the wider community by
getting your flu shot as soon as possible. This year’s vaccines have been specially formulated for New
Zealand and are expected to offer protection against the strain that was circulating in the Northern
Hemisphere.
While flu shots are free for under 18s, they’re available for anyone for a fee from a doctor, nurse or
some pharmacists. You or your whānau may qualify for a free shot as well- check out www.flufree.co.nz for more info and flu facts.




Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter 7th June 2018

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

This is a BONUS newsletter this week! Whilst the newsletter is normally only once a fortnight, we had a slight glitch in our processes last Friday which meant that a number of important messages got left out of last week's newsletter so this is a 'catch-up' edition!

The big event on the calendar for the next couple of weeks is the TREEMENDOUS Makeover Day, next Saturday, 16th June. This will start at 9am and run until 12noon, followed by a BBQ. We have over 700 plants to plant, and mulch to spread and we have a variety of dignatories and visitors attending, including Hon Eugenie Sage - Minister of Conservation and the Environment, Hon Nicky Wagner MP and Dr Duncan Webb MP.

Please do try and get along and be part of this momentous occasion! If you can bring a wheelbarrow, spades/shovels all the better!

There is one final working bee in preparation of this tomorrow from 1-3pm.
The three key jobs for tomorrow are the shifting of a very large log which will be carved into a seat once it is in position. As many muscles as can possibly be mustered for 1pm would be amazing! Following that, there is a log trail to build and the final logs to be cut and shifted. This working bee is ideally one for adults rather than children, as the work is largely quite heavy.

Two other key events happening in the next few weeks are the School Disco (Friday 29th June) and a Pyjama Mufti Day with a porridge breakfast (Thursday 21st June). Read on for more information about these events.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events


Wed 13 Jun - BOT Meeting, 5:30pm at school
Sat, 16 Jun - 9am - 12noon THE TREEMENDOUS MAKEOVER WORKING BEE!
Tue 19 Jun - South Music Festival at Hillview Christian School
Wed 20 Jun - South Music Festival at Hillview Christian School
Thu 21 Jun - Pyjama Mufti Day.  Hot porridge breakfast at school from 8:00am.
Thu 21 Jun - Canterbury Cross Country.  Halswell Quarry Park.  9am - 1:30pm
Fri 22 Jun - Celebration Assembly.  10:50-11:20am.  All welcome!

Tue 26 Jun -  School closes at 12:30pm

Fri 29 Jun - School disco. Please see PTA News for details.

Mon 2 July - School Closed - Staff Only Day

Term Dates

Click here to view 2018 term dates.

School Notices

COURT THEATRE PERFORMANCE

On Monday 11 June we will all be attending a special show by the Court Theatre. This will take place in the school hall. There will be two performances, the first at 9.30  and the second at 2.00.
HE KURA KŌRERO - THE GIFT OF SPEECH

“Ko te reo kia tika, ko te reo kia rere, ko te reo kia Māori!”

The love of language. The power of words to change our lives and connect us to stories. The courage to face our fears and learn from the challenge is at the heart of He Kura Kōrero.

Kaiarahi is fun, bright and strong… but sometimes struggles with being brave. Join Kaiarahi’s adventure to find the courage to speak Te Reo Māori, be a part of the exciting journey and delve into magical worlds through language.

He Kura Kōrero inspires young people to be bold and brave when using Te Reo Māori in their everyday life, whether they know a little or a lot.

He Kura Kōrero is a new bi-lingual tale of wonder and delight from the same creative team that brought you Māui me Te Rā, Matariki- The little eyes in the sky and Matatihi- Maia’s journey of Bravery. This stunning performance explores Te Reo Māori through live music, puppetry, Kapa haka, song, and storytelling.

There is a cost of $4.50 per child for this performance. This amount will be added to your school account.

South Music Festival

Tickets for this event are now available to be purchased from the office.  Tickets are $5 each.  Each student has been allocated 2 tickets for each of the nights , i.e. a total of 4 tickets, which they can purchase.
We will make any unsold tickets available on Monday 18th June.  First in first served.
The event is being held at Hillview and starts at 7pm.  We request all students to be there in full uniform at 6:20pm.

PTA News


The PTA are holding their annual disco on Friday June 29th.
Come along prepared to dance to DJ Don.

Year 0 - 3, 4:30-5:30 pm
Year 4 - 6, 6:00-7:00 pm
Year 7 - 8, 7:30-8:30 pm

Entry will be by gold coin donation.

Student Council News

Pyjama Mufti Day - Thursday 21 June

A Pyjama Mufti Day, in support of The Methodist Mission to help restock food banks over winter, is being held on Thursday 21st June. Please bring a can of food.  This can be dropped off at the multi purpose kitchen and in exchange you can grab a bowl of hot porridge for a sustaining winter breakfast.

The PTA will be making porridge for breakfast and this will be available fromo 8:00am from the hall kitchen servery.

This event is being organised by the Student Council in collaboration with the PTA.


Bring your own bowl, and you can have a hot breakfast of porridge and fruit. Bring a can of food, in exchange for breakfast, we will donate that to the Food Bank so that others can have a hot meal too.

Community Notices

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

Kiwi Family Trust Presents-Empowering Positive Change 3 Day Programme Christchurch:

Are you interested in moving forward with your life, communicating better with loved ones or looking for a change of direction? If you are ready for a change, check this out!
Date: 18th, 19th & 20th June 2018
Time: 8.30am for 9.00am start to 4.30pm
Venue: 420 St Asaph Street, Christchurch

Enrol today online here http://www.kiwifamilytrust.org/eform_detail.asp?id=9&name=Application+for+Enrolment or call Katrina toll-free on 0508543375.

Criteria Information:
Anyone with a community services card, under 20 years old or that works or volunteers in the community, education, social or health sectors are immediately sponsored by Kiwi Family Trust. Anyone outside of this criteria can fill out the application for sponsorship section of our enrolment form to be sponsored.

Keep your budding Chef entertained these holidays!

Do you have an eager Chef at your school?  International Culinary Studio provides the perfect programme to develop your child’s culinary skills from the comfort of their own kitchen.

Our Junior Chef at Home programme provides children, aged 8-16, with an insight into the culinary world, developing many of the cooking, baking and technical skills they will need if they decide to turn their passion into a career.

Your student will move through this self-paced programme in around 20 hours, and enjoy regular online interaction with our Chef Instructors.

No need for Fancy Equipment or Expensive Ingredients
Learn about Health, Safety, & Hygiene in the Kitchen
Receive Feedback from our Chef Instructors
Interactive Recipes and Videos
Choose from Cooking or Baking or do both
Enter the Mystery Basket challenge and you could win a prize!

Enrol your Junior Chef today!

International Culinary Studio is offering your students a chance to enrol this school holiday at a discounted rate of $20 per student per course. The school with the most enrolments will receive a culinary hamper worth $500, which will be donated to their school for fundraising, a raffle or whatever purpose they choose.*

See the full details of the Junior Chef Programme on our website HERE

For more information, request for info packs or posters for your school, please email Tracy Kruger on tracy@internationalculinarystudio.com

Papanui Youth Development Trust

July OSCAR Holiday Programmes, Pirates and Cruisers are now open!

The programmes will be running from Monday the 9th to Friday the 13th of July, with Drop Off open from 8:30am and and Pick Up open from 3pm each day.
Pirates is designed for those in Years 1-6
Cruisers is designed for those in Years 7-8
The pricing of the programmes will be as follows:

$35 per child, per day
$140 one child, all 5 days
$120 per child for all 5 days when 3 or more children from the same family are registered in either programme.

We are WINZ approved, which means there may be an opportunity for parents to seek financial assistance from Work and Income if money is a barrier.

We have some absolutely fantastic activities lined up for the week. For the Pirates these include Shark Making, boat building, trips to Foster Park (Rolleston) and the Antarctic Centre, and our Cruisers will be getting busy with heading to Flipout, The floor is lava, ten pin bowling, a giant nerf war and   loads of other great activities!

After our online success of the April holiday programmes, our registrations are to be completed online, from any device which can access the internet!
Head over to pydt.org to get your family signed up today.

Or if you would prefer to register in person, then feel free to head down to the centre (1a Harewood Rd, Papanui) and one of our team will help you out!
We think we run the best value Holiday Programmes in town, not only do we provide you with a great, safe place in which you can be confident in the care of your young people while you work, but we make a concerted effort to engage with your young people and get to know what makes them tick.
If you are seeking child-care for the upcoming holidays and haven't previously had the chance to try one of our programmes, there could not be a better time to get involved and see what we're all about!

Starfish Swim School 

Bookings for the July Holiday Program are now open!
Week One: 9 th July – 13 th July - $65
Week Two: 16 th July – 20 th July - $65
Or $110 for both weeks.
Email: info@starfishswimschool.co.nz
Or phone us at: 03 3381795, 2 Nash Road, Aidenfield








Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Friday 1 June

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

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


Term Dates

Click here to view 2018 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

James Coleman - Year 6

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

Wellbeing News


Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsetter Friday 18 May

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

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.

Term Dates

Click here to view 2018 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Savanna Groom - Year 6

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.

13 Reasons Why is not the only challenging series young people are watching but it is one of the most talked about. The Office of Film and Literature Classification has released a guide for parents: Talking with young people about what they’re watching.

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:

Thanks to JMW Electrical

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!





Home Learning Review, Term 2, 2018

Home Learning Review, Term 2, 2018

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