As indicated at the end of last term we are happy to announce a new uniform supplier for Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto. This is effective immediately.
Thanks to everyone who completed the recent ‘Uniform Survey’.
The responses were reviewed & consequently a new supplier was sought.
We are pleased to announce that Mainland Uniforms will be the NEW supplier of the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto uniform.
Mainland Uniforms are a local company that have been supplying Christchurch schools uniform for over 100 years. They have recently opened a city store, conveniently located at 189 Peterborough St (next to Knitwear) with ample off-street parking.
Opening hours are as follows: Monday - Friday 9am-5pm & Sat 10am-1pm.
Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto uniform will be stocked at this store & available for purchasing from the beginning of Term Three.
Generic items of the uniform (plain red polos, plain black track pants, culottes & shorts) can still be sourced from other stores but Mainland Uniform will be the only supplier of our logo items (red polar fleece zipped jacket, red polycotton sweatshirt & the senior jacket)
They can also supply these generic items & are at comparable prices to the previous supplier, conveniently providing a one stop shop.
Mainland Uniforms also offer an online service for those unable to make it to the shop. A direct link can be found on the school website OR via http://www.mainlanduniforms.co.nz/ -click on Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto link & the relevant uniform menu will drop down for selection.
The uniform will remain the same and logoed items will display the NEW school logo. Your current uniform stock can be continued to be worn even if it displays the “old” logo.
Responses from the survey also indicated a “natural fibre” item would be appreciated.
Mainland Uniform will be supplying a thick red plain merino top, to be worn as a jersey.
A plain black skort has also been added to the uniform list along with double-kneed plain black fleece track pants.
Layby will be a service that can NOW be offered over the whole year. A 10% deposit will be required & direct debit can be set up. From September, every year, Mainland Uniforms also offer a 10% discount on layby items in preparation for the new school year. On completion of the layby, if the child has outgrown the item it can be easily swapped for the correct size.
Mainland Uniforms have assured the school that stock levels will be kept high & if there isn’t a particular size, it will be sourced & available within 1-2 weeks (including logo items).
We are very excited to be working with Mainland Uniforms & encourage you to visit the City Store or check out their online store.
At the end of this newsletter is the information you need to book your child's next Learning Conference on Tuesday 31st July or Thursday 2nd August - Week 2 of the coming new term.
Feedback from Learning Conference review 2017
Following the learning conferences in Term 3 last year, we asked for your feedback on a number of aspects of the learning conference process and outcomes. Thank you very much to the 120 people who responded to this survey. This was a significant response to a request for feedback.
Some trends became very clear and we learned that the new format of children directing the learning conferences and a fluid approach to meeting with all of the teachers working with your child (particularly from Years 1-6) had mixed responses from whānau.
This is seen by the results of the graph below (where 1 = not beneficial and 5 = extremely beneficial)
There was also a mixed response to the statement: "There was enough time to talk with the teacher about the learning." seen on the graph below:
We were heartened by the response to the following question about whether the purpose of the learning conference had been met (where 1=not met and 5= completely met):
We were also heartened by the response to the statement "The teacher(s) really knew my child and his/her next steps"
What was the most helpful were the 71 individual 'additional comments' that you took the time to write. These really captured the individual stories we needed to hear and helped explain in more detail why you had responded to the questions above in the way you had.
We have done lots of reflecting on the feedback that we received on the process we used last year, and the opportunities and challenges that it provided for whānau, children and the teachers.
Whilst finding a model that works perfectly for every child and their whānau would be wonderful, it is not realistic. What we have done, is taken all of your feedback, and tried to improve the areas that were causing the most concern.
We have focused on improving the following areas:
ensuring that you have guaranteed time with your child's point of contact teacher
consistency within and across teams
scaffolding the process to better support all children to be actively engaged in the conversation about their learning
making sure that the learning conference is a 'conversation' about learning and next steps, not just a 'show and tell'
having the learning conferences for Years 1-6 be 15 minutes with just the point of contact teacher and more support in place for the child, teacher and whānau to each be able to lead the conversations.
keeping the learning conferences at Year 7/8 longer (30mins) with the students expected to take more leadership in their conferences with all three of their teachers
Please book a Learning Conference for each of your children now...
The next Learning Conferences will be taking place in Week 2 of the new term, on Tuesday 31st July and Thursday 2nd August. Note that school will finish at the earlier time of 2pm on both days to allow for Learning Conferences to happen.
If you want your child to stay at school between 2pm and 3pm on one or both of those days, please remember to let Jacky in the office know (office@beckenham.school.nz) so we can arrange supervision.
To book, please go to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz or click on this link and use the code z8vr4
...and another term comes to an end! I'm not sure that the weeks fly by for the children as fast as they seem to for all of the adults at school, but this term really has felt like a full and fast one!
This is a short newsletter this week, just to put some final end of term notices in, and to wish you all a safe and restful break.
You should have received your child's report today. They were handed out to children in the afternoon. If you have not received a report, please email Jacky in the office, and she will chase that up for you at the start of the new term. Some children have brought home a second copy for parents who live separately, and others have had a second copy emailed or posted out by Jacky today, according to the instructions we have on our system. If you need to update your family information, contact details or your child's health details at any stage, please do so by contacting Jacky in the office - preferably in writing/email, so that she can update this.
There will be an email coming out during the holidays about booking Learning Conferences for Week 2 of next term. The dates are on the calendar info below.
A huge thank you to the PTA who organised and ran three fabulous Discos, back to back, last Friday. What a lot of fun was had by our children!
As I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, I have been fortunate to have been awarded a Ministry of Education scholarship to travel to Adelaide for the first four weeks of Term 3 to shadow a principal there. I am very grateful for the opportunity and will be there with another Canterbury principal, Jo Earl, from St Francis of Assisi School in Mairehau. We will return in Week 5 of next term, and the two principals who we have been shadowing then come to Christchurch to shadow us for the last four weeks of Term 3. A great opportunity to understand how other schools and leaders operate and to learn from one another.
During my absence, Sue Leadbetter will be Acting Principal and Nicky Dunlop and Paulette Newton will be sharing the Deputy Principal role supporting Sue.
A highlight of the last day of term for me today, was participating in the staff vs students volleyball match in the hall at lunchtime! I never did find out who actually won, but we all, including the 100 or so spectators, had a huge amount of fun!
Best wishes to you all for the holidays
Ngā mihi Sandy Hastings Principal / Tumuaki
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Mon 23 Jul - Term 3, classes start at 8:55am Fri 27 Jul - Welcome Assembly. 10:50 - 11:20am. a special assembly to welcome all those who are new to the Beckenham Te Kura community. Morning tea hosted by the PTA will follow this assembly. Fri 27 Jul - Years 5 - 8Weekly winter sport Mon 30 Jul - Zone Winter tournament years 5-8, 9am - 12:30pm at South Hagley Park.
Following the responses in our uniform survey we are in the final stages of confirming a new uniform provider. Rest assured that any items of clothing that are currently listed as uniform items for Beckenham will remain so - we are not changing the items of clothing, just the provider. Full details at the beginning of Term 3.
Congratulations to...
Sir Peter Blake Award winners...
This year we could not separate two young leaders. Both are strongly admired and respected by their peers. Over the past two years, one has consistently displayed outstanding leadership skills, while the other has evolved into an outstanding leader.
Tilly
From your first day in the Kauri Whānau, you shone as a natural and capable leader. Your peers respect your calm, proactive and reliable attitude. You are naturally reflective, displaying empathy towards others and offering kind, genuine encouragement to all. You are community minded, able to identify the bigger picture and put others’ needs ahead of your own. You lead with a quiet confidence: your peers recognise you as approachable, patient and supportive. You excel in the face of challenge, readily stepping out of your comfort zone and encouraging others to do the same.
Thom
Kauri Whānau has watched you evolve into a very confident, self-assured and enthusiastic leader over the past 18 months. Your charismatic personality makes others feel welcomed, safe and willing to take risks. You are non-judgmental in the way that you accept others and make every person in a group feel valued. You walk beside those who you lead, regularly stepping outside your comfort zone and in the process encouraging others to do so too. Your peers recognise the 150% that you consistently give and the perseverance with which you approach all that you do.
PTA News
In conjunction with PLASTIC FREE JULY we are offering a FREE Jute Shopping Bag (valued $10) for all BEESWAX FOOD WRAPS orders over the value of $30 (equivalent to TWO x Multi-packs)
We want to make it easier for you to go PLASTIC FREE for July AND the rest of the year
Transforming lives through music. Months of hard work and practise will come to fruition for members of the Virtuoso Strings Orchestra (VSO), who are touring the South Island in July. Forty-two talented school students will entertain audiences with a fun mix of classical, popular and traditional tunes, in what is the highlight of the year for the young musicians. The students, ranging in age from 8 years to 17 years, form a tightly knit group who practise incredibly hard together to perfect their ensemble skills, VSO Co-founder Dr Elizabeth (Liz) Sneyd says. “Their love of music is infectious and their performances shatter every stereotype of classical music that is out there.” In 2012, Liz along with Craig Utting formed VSO and today the popular youth orchestra is based in Cannons Creek, Porirua, and run by the Virtuoso Strings Charitable Trust. The VSO South Island Tour kicks off on July 13 in Christchurch, and wraps up in Mosgiel on July 19. All concerts are free and all are welcome.
Court Theatre
We have afterschool drama classes for ages 7- 9 Drama 1 and ages 10- 12 Drama 2 as well as Junior Improv Classes for ages 12- 15.
Nathan Wallis Talk:
Cashmere Primary Te Pae Kereru PTA is very fortunate to have Nathan Wallis, X-Factor Education come to our school and speaking about brain development for children aged 5-12 years. Nathan is a specialist in brain research, an educator and a very inspiring speaker. We would like to open this evening up to Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto.
The presentation will take place on Thursday 2 August 2018, 7.30pm to 9.00pm in our School Hall. Tickets are limited and will be available for purchase from 15 July 2018. Tickets cost $25.00 per person.
Parents/Whānau can purchase a ticket via our KINDO online PTA shop. Here is the link https://bit.ly/2z33zAd.
Please note if you already have a Kindo account you will be prompted to add details to the Cashmere Primary Te Pae Kereru Fundraiser account. If you are new to Kindo then you will be directed to the Join Up / Create an account section. For any assistance please do not hesitate to contact theKindo Helpdesk on freephone 0508 KINDO (0508 454 636).
If you have any questions about the evening, please feel free to contact Nic Falloon, PTA Secretary at pta@cashmereprimary.school.nz
We look forward to your parents and whānau joining us for this evening.
What an AMAZING turnout we had at our Treemendous Makeover Day two weeks ago! A HUGE thank you to each and every person who contributed to making this day such a great experience and to getting this area to the stage we now have it at.
Special thanks to the Mazda Foundation, Project Crimson and DOC for all their funding and expertise.
We have lots happening in the school as the term draws to an end with the Breakfast and PJ day last week to celebrate the shortest day of the year. Huge thanks to the PTA for the great breakfast, and for getting up so early to feed us all! Thank you to everyone who donated cans for the Foodbanks too. So good to be able to show 'We Care' and 'We Make a Difference'.
Please remember that school is CLOSED this coming Monday for a staff ONLY professional development day. Reports are written and are in the process of being proofread and printed so that they will be ready for children to bring home next Friday, 6th July.
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Fri 29 Jun- School disco. Please see PTA News for details.
Mon 2 Jul - School Closed - Staff Only Day Wed 4 Jul - CSM Training & Concert Bands Concert. 9:45 - 10:30am in the school hall. All Welcome. Fri 6 Jul - Celebration Assembly, 10:50 - 11:20am All Welcome. Mon 23 Jul - Term 3, classes start at 8:55am Fri 27 Jul - Welcome Assembly. 10:50 - 11:20am. a special assembly to welcome all those who are new to the Beckenham Te Kura community. Morning tea hosted by the PTA will follow this assembly. Fri 27 Jul - Weekly winter sport Mon 30 Jul - Zone Winter tournament years 5-8, 9am - 12:30pm at South Hagley Park.
Charlie, you delight our hub with your witty sense of humour and quick comebacks. You are a great self-manager, always doing the right thing at the right time in the right place. Your writing is inspirational and a pleasure to read! You are always on task and show focus when working independently. Thank you Charlie for being a fabulous role model in Pōhutukawa.
Lily Cummins-Newton - Year 8
Lily, you are an empathetic and considerate individual in our Kauri Whānau. You are acutely aware of those around you, noticing and responding when a kind word is needed to lift the spirits. You are a loyal friend and you encourage others in the face of challenge. You have a positive outlook on life and your humour always brightens our day.
School Notices
Our neighbours are trying to keep our kids safe - please help them...!
I had a call from one of our neighbours on Sandwich Road this week letting me know that she, and a number of other Sandwich Road residents, always try to reverse into their driveways so that when they leave their properties, they can see children coming along the footpath. They do sometimes get negative feedback from parent vehicles parked on Sandwich Road when they do this. They asked that our parents understand that they are doing this to try and keep our children safe.
Teacher Only Day
Just a reminder that Monday 2nd July is a teacher only day. There will be no classes on this day. BOSCO is open on this day if you wish to book in for care here. There is a charge for this service.
Lost Property
Once again the lost property bin is overflowing. Please come and check if any of the items belong to your children. As usual at the end of this term we will be removing any unnamed items from the lost property bin and donating them to the PTA second hand store for them to sell.
Mud, Sweat & Tears
After a month (or more) of rain and cold the temperature soared to 15 C so we took to the mud....and there was plenty to go around! Demonstrating the school values of 'We Love Challenge' and 'We Get There Together', a crazy bunch of Beckenham staff and families leapt in and crossed the finish line together and with bodies intact! What will we conquer next?
Kete Badges:
We have a new scheme in the Intermediate Hub this year, that encourages the children to put our kete values into action. The children have a selection of actions they can undertake that show they are living our school values. By completing these actions and reflecting on what they have done in their kete blog, they are awarded points, which will earn them a kete badge to sew on the sleeve of their school jackets. Badges are very motivating. Actions include, being part of a sports team, contributing to the Treemendous makeover, taking part in the 40 Hour Famine, completing a science badge ... there are at least 30 actions to choose from, as well as the ability to design one’s own challenge. The blogging encourages the children to be reflective about how each action displays a school value; we have been most impressed with the quality of blog posts.
Morvern, a Year 7 student, has designed her own action for ‘We Make a Difference’. You can support her to make a difference by purchasing her reusable bags...
Hello! I'm Morvern from the Kauri Hub and I am making some bags for Plastic Free July. Plastic Free July is trying to not use plastic for all of July, so it would be awesome if you could play your part and not use plastic bags, but reusable fabric ones. I have made these handy bags in two sizes. You can purchase bags for a gold coin, either one large bag or a bundle of 5 snack bags. Pay your money and select your bags from the honesty box in the school office. 100% of the money will go to Christchurch Bull Breed Rescue, who are saving bull breed dogs lives. Thank you for supporting them!
Congratulations
Four students from Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto participated in a belt grading with Cardinals Taekwondo on Sunday 24th June. These students needed to demonstrate perseverance and courage as well as a combination of kicks, punches, blocks and stances, at a demanding 4 hour grading.
The following belts have been awarded: Paolo Reid - yellow belt with green tip Luigi Reid - yellow belt with green tip Amelia Reid - yellow belt with green tip Weaver McDaid - white belt with yellow tip
This is a significant personal achievement and we are very proud of them.
Congratulations also to the students from Beckenham who auditioned for the Christchurch Schools' Music Festival . Over 550 students applied for the 330 available places so there was plenty of competition.
The following students were successful: Bonnie Brookland - flute Eva Cameron - Junior choir Charlotte Grey - clarinet Walter McLoughlin - junior choir Bella Reddecliffe - viola Emily Rowe - clarinet Tom Woodhouse - trumpet
Sport News
Canterbury Cross Country
The postponed Canterbury Cross Country event was held at Halswell Quarry last Wednesday on an extremely muddy and slippery course. Five children from Beckenham attended the event after finishing within the top six placegetters at zone level competition. We had some top 20 finishers, an incredible achievement. At this level, the children are racing against the best of the best from all over Canterbury. All children put up a fantastic effort against the tough competition. We are incredibly proud of the dedication and love of challenge shown by these five children.
Netball Trials
A special mention to Tilly Harris, who has successfully made it through three rounds of trials towards earning a place in the Canterbury Primary Schools Netball Representative Team. Tilly is an exceptionally dedicated sports person and this achievement is testament to hours dedicated to training. We wish her the very best of luck for the final trial being held this Sunday.
Staff Versus Students Basketball
Youth and agility met age and experience last week in a very tense and exceptionally close basketball game between our Year 8 student and a team of staff. In the end, there was only one hoop it with with the final score at 22:20 to the teachers. Thank you students for a fun game!
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.
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
Helen O'Grady Drama Academy
3 reasons to join...communication, presentation, confidence. Join our after school drama classes. To enrol please contact us by phone or via our website. 0800161131. www.helenogrady.co.nz
Matariki Mākete
Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. The cluster rises in mid-winter and heralds the start of a new year. The stars represent a time of seasonal change, the opportunity to reflect over the passing year, prepare ground for new growth and is a time for the community to celebrate.The Matariki Night Markets will include:
Kapa Haka performances and NZ music from singer songwriters
Traditional kai and New Zealand favourites such as Fish and Chips and Pavlova
Art, crafts, jewellery all with a New Zealand feel/twist.
It's our first time taking part in KidsFest. Designed for beginners, no prior experience is needed, just a keen attitude and loads of enthusiasm! We are really excited to be delivering fun kiwivolley skills and games to this age group. Information & registration
Magical Musical Mayhem - Holiday Programe
Here at the Christchurch School of Music we are offering a holiday programme for children aged from 7-12 years as part of the Kidfest programme from 16-20 July in our Music Centre at 60 Ferry Rd. The programme will run from 9am-3pm each day. It's going to be a holiday programme with a difference as it has a strong musical theme. Children will be able to learn an instrument, play in an ensemble, participate in singing games and rhythm activities and complete musical themed art activities. Although it says 7-12 years on the Kidsfest website we will also accept 5 and 6 year olds.
We would be very grateful if you could promote this in your school newsletter to ensure we spread the word as widely as possible.
Cashmere Voices, Chamber Choir, Girls Chorus, Vocal Soloists and a few extra surprises! Thursday July 26th at St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, Manchester St. Door sales only: Adults $10, Students $5 & Family $20 Tea, Coffee and Mulled Wine will be available.
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.
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.
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.
