Category Archives: Weekly Newsletters

Beckenham School Newsletter 4 November 2016

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Building  site health and safety update

Managing health and safety on our Beckenham building site has continued to take much of my attention this week. We are aware that access from Norwood St into both the school and the park continues to be challenging for pedestrians, especially those with prams, pushchairs, toddlers, dogs and cycles. We are working very closely, on a daily basis with the site team, to be as responsive and proactive as we can and getting this right, for the duration of the building programme, is a top priority. It isn't right yet, and it may take a couple of weeks or more to get it absolutely working the way we want it to, so we ask for your patience during this time. We are very aware of the need to keep pedestrians and vehicles separated for safety reasons. We also know that people don't want to have to walk through wet grass and mud for the next 18 months to be able to access the park.
Again - please can you be patient with us on the wet, muddy aspect and ensure that the safety part is adhered to whilst we work on trying to get council permission to put a path alongside the road track, for pedestrians!

Learning in and out of the classrooms

We have had lots of children involved in learning outside the classroom this week, with all of our Year 5 and 6 children visiting Rapaki Marae for the first time. Our Year 7/8 students will visit next week. They had an amazing time and we plan to make this a regular part of our school programme.


Our Year 7 and 8 students had a 'Big Day Out' in the city yesterday, visiting an exhibition called ‘Art in the Palm of Your Hand’ at the Canterbury Museum, Quake City and taking part in an activity at the Botanical Gardens.

Our Year 1 and 2 team learning groups have each taken a trip to the Art Gallery and Botanical Gardens over the past two weeks and it has been wonderful to hear about their experiences.

Thank you to all of the whānau who assist staff on these trips - without you we wouldn't be able to take the children out of school for these amazing learning opportunities.

Year 4 parents - meeting at Champion St next Wednesday evening

Year 4 parents should have received an email this week, inviting you to visit our site at 102 Champion St next Wednesday, 9th November from 7-8pm for a familiarisation meeting.
If you have any particular questions you would like addressed at that meeting, please email them to me at principal@beckenham.school.nz or give me a call before then.

Ferndale Satellite Class parking 

Tony is putting cones out each morning and afternoon at the bottom of Sandwich Road to ensure that there is a parking spot for the Ferndale taxi van, and for Ferndale parents who need to drop their children off. These vehicles do have mobility parking permits and need to be able to drop the children at the closest point to their classroom. Thank you all in advance for understanding that these are particular needs and for ensuring that this parking spot is available and that the users of this spot are made to feel welcome.

Enjoy your weekend

Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Tue 8 Nov
Y4 students, visit to Champion St site 9:30-11:30am

Wed 9 Nov
Zone Athletics at Hansen Park.  9am-3pm
Y4 parents meeting at Champion Street. 7-8:00pm

Thu 10 Nov
Yr 7 & 8 Visit to Rapaki Marae.  9am-3pm.

Fri 11 Nov
Show Day - school is closed.

Term Dates

Click here to view the 2016 and 2017 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Name: Max van Eysden-Grice - Year 3

Max, you have grown into such a responsible and reliable student in our hub. You are learning to make the right choices when faced with difficult situations and are being a true role model. You are working hard on all your learning and showing how you can be an independent learner. You are a respectful, caring and kind friend, Max, and you should be very proud of the huge progress you have made. We are certainly extremely proud of you!

Sharing our Learning

Pohutukawa Team

We have had a fantastic start to the NEW term at our NEW location, Champion Street!




One of the awesome pieces of learning we have been able to do in our new learning environment was the annual Pohutukawa probability fair. The children spent the first two weeks planning and creating a probability game where they had to stack the odds in their favour. The result was a thriving probability fair full of fun, laughter and best of all MATHS!


PTA News

A BIG thank you to all the people who have offered to help with the Tip Top Fundraiser next week.
All shifts are now FULL. If you want to be ‘back up’ for a shift, please click on the Tip Top Link
We hope to get your passes to you at the beginning of next week.
Make sure you come & see us at the A & P Show.....& buy an ice cream!!

Sports News

Canterbury triathlon

The Canterbury triathlon is being held at Pegasus Bay on Thursday 1 December for students 9 years and older. The age group you race in is as of 1 Jan this year, so students must be already 9 years old on January 1 2016 to be eligible. This is an individual event, which means each participant must do all three disciplines - bike, run and swim. As this is a Canterbury event, participants need to be very competent and confident in all three disciplines.
Swim is 75 metres for 9 and 10 years, 100metres for 11 and 12+ years.
This swim is in the lake and it will be deep enough to be over students’ heads in parts. Guards from a local surf lifesaving club will be on duty. The temperature may also be quite cold.
Cycle is 5.4 km for 9 & 10 yrs, 10.8 km for 11 & 12+ yrs. These distances may change slightly.
Run is 2.5 kilometres
Students will need to be able to get themselves and their bike to Pegasus Bay by 9:30 on the morning. If transport there (and back) is going to be difficult, please contact Tracy who will try to help out by contacting other competitors.
If students are interested in entering this event, they are to let their teacher know, and they will record their name on a document, or contact Tracy.


Y 5-8 Athletics

We breathed a sigh of relief as Monday dawned, displaying blue skies and clear weather! A perfect day for the Y 5 - 8 team to participate in their athletics at Beckenham Park. The children competed in age groups, as of 1 October 2016, in sprints, high jump, shot put and discus. Long jump and the long distance races were run at Champion St on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was fabulous to see such a high participation level, superb sportsmanship and so much support for peers. Thank you to the amazing parent help from Pania Radnoty, Desiree Smythe, Sonja Sintmaartensdyk, Rod Gray and John Aramowicz. The day ran very smoothly thanks to all of the teachers and their organisation. It’s a big day! Congratulations to all the students who participated in all the events, earning house points and special congratulations to the following students for placing first in their age group for these events:

First Place Getters:


To  find the champion of each age group, points are allocated for the first four placings in each event and then accumulated. A huge congratulations to these students who have placed first in their age group overall:

School Notices






Community Notices

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

DO YOUR KIDS WANT A SHAKE DOWN BEFORE THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS TRIATHLON?
The weekend before our primary schools triathlon at Pegasus there is the House of Travel Triathlon Festival.
For more details www.triathlonfestival.co.nz
The swim and bike are the same as for the primary schools triathlon so it is an ideal warm up / trial run. The run is the same but in the opposite direction.
There is also options for younger kids from 5 years up over a shorter course.
If you can insert the following note into school newsletters it would be appreciated by John Newsom who runs the event and helps us with our event

DO YOUR KIDS WANT TO TRY A TRIATHLON?
If your kids want a challenge the House of Travel Triathlon is coming up on November 27th
There are events for all ages starting at 5 years and up.
For more details and entry visit www.triathlonfestival.co.nz

John Newsom
 Tel +64-3-6692216
 coachjohnnewsom.com
IMTalk podcast www.imtalk.me
HOT Triathlon Festival

Beckenham School Newsletter 28th October 2016

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Another week of the term has gone by and we are settling in to our new 'normal', both at the Beckenham and the Champion St sites.

Today we saw the large oak tree adjacent to Hub 11 get felled. Several of the classes were able to stand on the park and watch. Whilst it is always very sad to see a mature specimen tree go, it wasn't very healthy due to its roots being significantly compromised over the years of being too close to a building and paving. We are very thankful for the shade that it has provide our children for many years. We have ensured that the large logs are retained to be used in landscaping.
You can watch it below:

Planning for 2017

As we get closer to the end of 2016, we are busy preparing for 2017. This week we have been conducting interviews for full-time teaching staff, and will be able to share that information with you very soon.
We are also working on learning groups for next year. If you have any considerations for your child's placement in a learning group for 2017 that you think will assist us, and that we won't necessarily be aware of, please email me principal@beckenham.school.nz by next Wednesday 2nd November. We will add your considerations to the picture we already have, and work out the best way to put together learning groups that are going to be successful for all children.

Digital safety
It's important to remember that children need to be taught to be safe and responsible users of digital communication and devices. There are lots of online tools available for parents who might be wondering how to navigate this territory, especially when it can feel that the children are one step ahead of the adults in terms of their knowledge of the digital environment. Just because a child can navigate their way confidently around the internet and numerous apps, it doesn't mean that they have the maturity and skills to be able to use the applications safely and responsibly, or that they will know how to recognise, or what to do, if this environment starts to become dangerous or unsafe in any way.
Vodafone, NetSafe & The Parenting Place have joined together to develop a set of resources they have called "Digi-Parenting: A one-stop shop of advice to help families make technology decisions". I encourage you to make a visit to this site, and have a look at what might be relevant for where you and your family are at with this important topic.

Have a great weekend - we are looking forward to having all of our students on site together at Beckenham for the day on Monday as the Year 5-8 students have their Athletic Sports day on Beckenham Park.

Ngā mihi
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Mon 31 Oct
PTA Uniform room open 2:45-3:15pm
Years 5-8 Athletics day at Beckenham School Park
(Champion St site will be closed for the day)

Thu 3 Nov
Yr 5 & 6 Visit to Rapaki Marae.  9am-3pm
Hub 4 Kahikatea - visit to Art Gallery & Museum
Yr 7/8 day in town "Art in the Palm of your Hand"

Fri 4 Nov
Hub 3 Kahikatea - visit to Art Gallery & Museum

Wed 9 Nov
Zone Athletics at Hansen Park.  9am-3pm

Thu 10 Nov
Yr 7 & 8 Visit to Rapaki Marae.  9am-3pm.

Fri 11 Nov
Show Day - school is closed.

Term Dates
Click here to view the 2016 and 2017 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Rohith Thony - Year 6

Rohith, you are a superstar in our hub. You are a self-motivated learner who can always be relied upon to do the right thing. You are a thoughtful and caring role model and are an excellent friend to others. Well done for always putting 100% into your learning. We are so proud of you! Tino pai.

Sharing our Learning

Kauri Whānau

Year 7 & 8 are loving the learning at our new school environment on Champion Street. The layout of our hub and having a breakout space, creates an even better learning space than we previously had at Beckenham. With a number of different areas making up the outdoor space, there are lots of options for play, including full sized hoops on the basketball court.


One of our weekly highlights in Kauri is Passion Friday. This term we are cooking; learning how to knit, crochet and make felt; and creating a vegetable garden. The gardening group are having a lovely time digging over the raised garden beds, preparing plants and creating wooden tags to label the garden areas. When we arrived, a rather saggy and tired looking scarecrow was watching over the shabby garden. One of the gardening team’s project will be to give him a makeover. We look forward to watching the garden flourish as the term progresses.





Part of the attraction of being based at Champion Street is the lovely new furniture that we are trial
ing courtesy of Class Furniture. This was one of the aspects that we shared in the video that the media team put together for our first celebration assembly this term. Click on this link and ‘Daniel Attenborough’ will take you on an adventure through the Champion Street environment.


Sports News

Year 5-8 Athletics Day on Monday 31 October

The weather forecast for Monday 31 October is sunny with a high of 15 degrees. Perfect athletics weather!
The Year 5-8 students will not be travelling to Champion St on Monday, as they will be remaining at school to participate in the Athletics Sports day on Beckenham Park. There is no need for the students to arrive at Beckenham School early, as we will be meeting in the hall at 8:55am, when the bell rings.
To be prepared for this day of athletics, the children must be wearing their school hat (to be popped in their bag to take home on Friday). They are allowed to wear sports clothes, such as sports shorts, running shoes and a shirt of their house colour or their school top. Due to expending so much energy, packing an extra big lunch would be great, and having a named water bottle is essential. Sun block will be available at school, however it would be a sensible idea to coat your child before they leave home in the morning, and to pop a bottle of sun block in their bag.

The day runs as follows:
9:15          House relays
9:30         Event 1 (Events are high jump, shot put, discus, sprints heats, fun relays)
10:15 - 10:35 Morning tea
10:35 - 11:20 Event 2
11:20 - 12:05 Event 3
12:05 - 12:45 Lunch (please avoid ordering Lunch Online due to the alternative timing of lunch)
12:45 - 1:30 Event 4
1:30 - 2:15 Event 5
2:15 - 2:55 Sprints finals


Depending on how smoothly the day runs, we may finish earlier than expected. If you are at the park, supporting your child, you may take them home when the sprints finals have concluded. Please check in with either Susan Walsh (Year 7 & 8 students ) or Kat Cotter (Year 5 & 6 students) to sign out your child.
We encourage you to pop down to the park to support and encourage our children during this fun sporting day. If you are available to help out at an event, please contact Tracy on tracy.inwood@beckenham.school.nz

School Notices

Wanted:We would like to develop a composting system at Champion Street and are proposing to use packing pallets....5 of them.  If you have access to these can you please contact Jacky at the office 3371404, office@beckenham.school.nz

PTA News

Community Notices

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

RUDOLPH STEINER SCHOOL FAIR

Saturday November 19th
Come and join us for an old fashioned spring time fair!
Indulge in scrumptious food for lunch from a diverse range of delicious options,
stock up on plants and beautiful handcrafts for Christmas,
or just enjoy the fun and games at the sideshows.
-- Stunning handcrafts
-- Organic food - with plenty of vegetarian options
-- Secondhand clothing, books and a huge White Elephant stall
-- Farmers market with organic veges, honey, flowers, plants and more
-- Fairyland - including a cafe and a craft stall full of child sized goodies at child sized prices
-- Carnival games, pony rides

New Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club:

New Brighton surf lifesaving opens its doors to the community nd members to celebrate ther start of this summer's season.  Juniors start at 10am with an intro to surf and first training of  summer.  At 12pm we have the officil opening of the season. Anybody that is interested in finding out about surf lifesaving at New Brighton is very welcome to come down and find out more about us.  www.newbrightonslsc.org.nz, info@newbrightonslsc.org.nz

Hororata Highland Games


5th November.  Toss the caber, Stone Putt, Farmers Walk, Highland Dancing, Pipe bands plus much more.  Visit www.hororatahighlandgames.org.nz for more details.

Beckenham School Newsletter October 21 2016

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Week 2 done already! Time is certainly going to be flying by this term.

Thank you to all of those who turned out, at very short notice and in threatening weather, for the 'Ground Breaking' Ceremony that we held this morning at 8:10am. Our site is officially in 'building' mode now - rather than just 'relocation and demolition' so we have entered another exciting phase.






We are looking forward to the fencing of the access road on the edge of the park being completed on Tuesday. The gate system will then be put in so that access and separation of vehicles and pedestrians is assured.

I hope that you all enjoy the long weekend - we look forward to seeing everyone back on Tuesday.

Ngā mihi

Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events


Wed 26 Oct
Yr 5 & 6 Summer Tournament, Teeball & Futsal. 9am-3pm
PTA Meeting 7:30-8:30pm in staffroom.

Thu 27 Oct
Music Festival Rehearsal at Horncastle Arena. 9am-12:30pm
Celebration Assembly at Beckenham, 2:30-3:00pm, All Welcome.
Yr 5 & 6 Glee Club perform at Music Festival 6:00-9:00pm

Fri 28 Oct
Hub 1 & 2 Kahikatea - visit to Art Gallery & Museum

Mon 31 Oct
PTA Uniform room open 2:45-3:15pm

Thu 3 Nov
Yr 5 & 6 Visit to Rapaki Marae.  9am-3pm
Hub 4 Kahikatea - visit to Art Gallery & Museum

Fri 4 Nov
Hub 3 Kahikatea - visit to Art Gallery & Museum

Wed 9 Nov
Zone Athletics at Hansen Park.  9am-3pm

Thu 10 Nov
Yr 7 & 8 Visit to Rapaki Marae.  9am-3pm.


Fri 11 Nov
Show Day - school is closed.

Term Dates

Click here to view the 2016 and 2017 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Name Ailie Robertson - Year 8

Ailie, it has been fabulous to watch you grow into such a capable, conscientious and caring young leader over the past two years.  Your love of learning, engagement and enlightened contributions, enrich both your learning experience and the experience of others. Ailie, you have a big heart, which sees you walking and talking our 'We Care' value on a daily basis. Your confidence is growing, enabling you to take on challenges, applying your perseverance and 'I can do it' attitude. Tino pai Ailie.

Sharing our Learning

Koru Team

On Monday the whole school watched a show in the hall presented by Playhouse called #The Fairest Of Them All. There was great excitement and engagement across the crowd. This has inspired many of Koru tamariki to write about the character from the show.

The troll is under the bridge.
By Oliver

I like the princess! I like snow white! She was dancing with the shelf.
By Ava

I cheered for her, she is so sweet. She waved at me. She is friendly. I love Snow White.
By Frankie

Snow White you were terrific. You were very good. Where did you practice?
By Layla

The Troll was funny. The Troll was cool.
By Roman

Snow White was the best play. I loved Snow White.
By Scarlett

I liked Snow White and she is sweet. She high fived me and it was on Monday.
By Aidan 

School Notices

ICAS Mathematics

Congratulations to all the children who sat the ICAS Mathematics test.
The following children achieved outstanding results:
Year 5: Kate Cornfoot - Merit
Year 6: Adam Barton - Credit
Year 7: Alex Braun - Credit, Amelia Cannon - Credit, Kaia Joergensen - Credit, Isaac MacDonald - Distinction, Daisy York - Merit, Rosie Zinzan-Dickie - Distinction
Year 8: Dominic Gorny - Credit, William Hanlon - Distinction, Henry McMecking - Merit, Kristy Winchester - Merit.

PTA News

It’s Calendar Art Order Time again!   Order need to be in by 27th October 2016.

Our children were busy at the end of last term working on their Art for the School Abacus Calendar Fundraiser.  This week your children should have brought home the order form for this year’s Abacus Fundraiser.  You can order Calendars, Diaries, Cards, Notepads and Mouse Mats.  These range in price from $12-$17 and make great Christmas presents for the extended family!  A sample of these item can also be found in the office foyer.
The children’s art is also on display in the School Foyer, by class.
You can also choice between putting your children’s art on the calendar etc, or upload a photo to the website, or a mixture of both.  
Orders close 27th October 2016 and need to be dropped into the school office.  Our aim is to have all the orders back by then end of November, so that you make the international Christmas post.
Thanks for supporting another wonderful PTA fundraiser with all profits going back into the school community.



Community Notices

(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
Act 2 Drama Group: Audtion Call for the SummerTimes production of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.  Audition date: Sun 30th October at St Albans Community Centre, 1047 Colombo Street. Performance dates : 15-21 Jan 2017.
Call Fay on 6660164, 0210431108 to book an audition time.

Cashmere High School: October Music Competition Finals are being held on Oct 20th at 7pm in the McCombs Performing Arts Centre at Cashmere High School. Free entry.

IMAGINATION YOGA: TERM 4
TUESDAYS 3:45-4:45pm at the Huntsbury Community Centre, 30H Huntsbury Ave, Huntsbury.
Imagination Yoga is Children's Yoga. Give your 6-12 year old the opportunity to learn fun, everyday self-care exercises, relaxation/meditation techniques, connect with others and stretch their whole mind, body & imagination! Rejuvenating & Empowering.
Drop in after school $14 or $99 for Whole Term Passport
Call Louise on 0226 250 321 or hello@siouxiesolar.com.
More info at: siouxiesolar.com/classes



Beckenham School Newsletter Friday 14th October 2016

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

What a very busy start to the term it has been so far!

It has been the most different start to a school term that any of us have ever had! We did promise that we wouldn't start bussing our children to Champion St until we could guarantee that there would be building action starting at Beckenham and that promise has certainly been fulfilled.
Our senior students have begun working at the new site and they are loving the experience! They shared a video with the rest of the school this afternoon in assembly which I will arrange to put into next week's newsletter.


Some quotes from the Year 5-8 students about the new learning environment include:
  • I like the new, comfortable furniture.
  • I like the couches.
  • I like bus rides!
  • I like being with the whole of Pohutukawa in a hub instead of being in 2 separate hubs.
  • I like the big outside play spaces.
  • I like having new and different play equipment.
  • It's just awesome!

This week at our Beckenham site it has been extremely busy with the demolition of the Intermediate Hub happening from Monday. The building took two days to remove, and they are now finishing off the removal of the foundations.


All the the classes on that side of the school have grandstand views of the action which has been the catalyst for much oral language development and writing!

By Ashlyn: The noises are bang, crash, crrrr and it makes the ground shake!  The builders are taking the concrete so they can rebuild the classroom. I can see the digger making a lot of noise. I love the diggers because I get to watch them out the window. They are so clever. 
By Luka: The digger is making a crashing noise like it is raining concrete. The intermediate children are moving to Champion Street because the builders are making a new building.
By Archie: I see a digger eating a high verandah. Why are you smashing the classrooms down? It is raining concrete! The builders are smashing the buidings down to build a new school.
By Bailee: The digger is cool. It looks like a dinosaur and it sounds funny. It sounds like rocks flying from the sky and the builders are breaking some classrooms. They are building a new school.
By Aine: I am very excited about the construction going on. It all is, well I can’t really know everything but I do know that the big digger opens its mouth and then it lowers its mouth and closes it again. It also sounds like crash, bang, roar! The digger even works in the rain. It was raining concrete as it smashed the classroom! The builders are building another classroom. What is it going to look like?
By Keira R: The digger is a dinosaur and it makes a loud crack! Bang, arrr, smash! It is raining concrete! The builders are crashing the school they are working hard. What is it going to look like? Is it going to be red?

HRS have shared a plan (attached), which has been published as a a maildrop for local residents, outlining the arrangements that are being set up next week for access to the two building sites through the park entrance at Norwood St. The large green boxes on the plan are 'student crossings' with gates that will be able to be opened and closed to students at appropriate times, to ensure that vehicles travelling along the access are always kept separate from students who need to cross.


Recording the journey

We are looking for a parent who would like to be our official ‘rebuild photographer’ and document the rebuild over the next 18 months through pictures. We envisage this involving taking half a dozen photos from specific points around the school a couple of times a week. This will then allow us to display photos for our community, and capture the changing school environment for posterity. If this sounds like you, please contact me through principal@beckenham.school.nz or leave a message at the office.

Thank you all for your patience and willingness to go the extra distance, quite literally, as you walk further from cars and find new routes around the school to find your child's class and to access BOSCO in the new home in the old R8/9.
It's been a fairly exhausting week for staff, and very exciting at the same time, to see this journey finally started.

Ngā mihi nui

Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Wed 19 Oct
Special group photos plus hub 12 & 13.
Board of Trustees meeting 6-8:30pm
Thu 20 Oct
Yr 5-8 Athletics in Beckenham Park. 9am-3pm.
Whanau Hui at Beckenham School 6-8pm.
Wed 26 Oct
Yr 5 & 6 Summer Tournament, Teeball & Futsal. 9am-3pm
PTA Meeting 7:30-8:30pm in staffroom.
Thu 27 Oct
Music Festival Rehearsal at Horncastle Arena. 9am-12:30pm
Yr 5 & 6 Glee Club perform at Music Festival 5:30-7:30pm
Fri 28 Oct
PTA uniform room open 8:45-9:15am


Term Dates

Click here to view the 2016 and 2017 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Blake Grayburn - Year 2

Blake, you are a wonderful role model for our Hub. You consistently show the Beckenham way. We can always rely on you to do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason, even when no-one is looking. That integrity shows in all areas of your learning. You focus hard to achieve your goals. You constantly strive to show your personal best. We are so very proud of how you have grown in confidence this year. What a true super hero! Ka pai to mahi!

Sharing our Learning

Kahikatea Team

Geometry

We had an exciting end to the term when we combined our Maths focus with Discovery Stations and explored directions and turns. We explored and created mazes, followed and gave directions and created pictures and buildings by following instructions.







Writing

We were focusing on writing about a character. Our goal was to make the writing as interesting as possible for the reader. We do this by writing an interesting ‘hook’ at the beginning, using adjectives and similes and writing an interesting ending. Here are some awesome examples of writing from our talented authors:

Greedy Cat

Greedy Cat is as hungry as a jawsome crocodile.
He is as scruffy as a kune kune pig.
He has black stripes and an orange background. 
And he is as greedy as a turkey! 

By Sophie Macdonald


Kung Fu Monkey

Kung Fu Monkey
Kung Fu Monkey
Kung Fu Monkey
He is fat
Kung Fu Monkey
He is chubby. 

By Luke Hancock


My Mum

She is nice, my Mum. She has very short black hair and long legs like a lizard. She is as beautiful as a butterfly. Her actions are very peculiar. She is never angry and doesn’t do yoga. She always has a very big smile. Do you think those are good reasons? I do too! 
I like her enormous smile. I like her soft hair. She looks small. 
I love my Mum. And do you know what? She loves me too. And she always will.

By William Pooch


Sandy

Sandy is like a bell bird. She sings beautiful waiata. 
She is sparkly. She is a princess.
Sandy is a blanket. She is warm and makes us feel better.

Written collaboratively by a Hub 3&4 writing group

School Notices

Gender Diversity

Our values of ‘We Care’ and We Get There Together’ underpin the way we treat one another and are the foundation of the inclusive approach that we aspire to always practice.
As part of our sexuality education programme, which the Year 5-8 students are about to continue, we will be including gender diversity in our discussions about diversity. Our staff are getting additional support and are learning about these topics too. This will enable us to ensure our learning environments are strongly inclusive and supportive of all children, and teach children to be supportive and inclusive of one another.


We currently have a student at the school who is gender diverse and is in the process of transitioning (changing their expression of gender from their birth sex to the gender they identify with). We are committed to supporting this student, as we do all students. There will no doubt be discussions and questions about this from time to time in the classrooms and among students. We encourage you to talk about diversity with your child(ren). Please do come and talk to your child’s teacher or to Michelle or I if you have any questions we can assist with, or if you would like any information to support your discussions with your child at home.

#TheFairestOfThemAll       

An original children's play, presented by New Zealand Playhouse.

We are pleased to welcome back to Beckenham School, New Zealand Playhouse for their current show #TheFairestOfThemAll.  Snow White and the mirror compete for social media popularity. Viruses and rumours create mayhem while the princess learns about the value of true friendship, putting electronic devices down to enjoy life and the importance of staying safe online.

The Magic Mirror’s cracking up. Now Snow White’s a princess everybody knows she’s ‘the fairest of them all’ and he’s out of a job. After some bitter reflection he decides it’s time for Princess White to be sent back to the forest so he can once again be the mirror-to-the-stars.


With the help of a gruff goat-deprived internet troll, the Mirror launches a very 21st century poisoned ‘Apple’ attack to hijack her computer and cause social media mayhem.

When everyone turns against her, including her beloved prince, she turns to the only friends she has left, the seven dwarfs. Will they be willing to help her one more time and what shocking secret are they hiding?

New Zealand Playhouse will be coming to Beckenham on Monday 17th October, from 1:50pm until 2:50pm. The cost of this to the school is $5 per child. A request for a contribution to this will be on your Term 4 account.  All of our students will be seeing this as the Champion St buses will drop children back to Beckenham for the 1:50pm start.

English ICAS: 

Congratulations to all the children who participated in the English ICAS test. The following students achieved outstanding results: 

Year 5: Kate Cornfoot-Merit, Florence Gerard-Credit. 

Year 6: Adam Barton-Credit, Georgina Cockfield-Credit. 

Year 7: Isaac Macdonald-Credit, Juliette Gray-Credit, Alex Braun-Distinction, Amelia Cannon-Distinction, Kaia Joergensen-Distinction, Sadie McLoughlin-Distinction, Daisy York-Distinction, Rosie Zinzan-Dickie-Distinction. 

Year 8: William Hanlon-Credit.

Community Notices

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

Bring the whole family down to the Bowls Canterbury Have a Go sessions held at local bowling Clubs this November.
These are FREE family friendly events and are perfect for anyone from 2 years to 102.
Find Bowls Canterbury on Facebook or follow the link below for more event information.
http://www.bowlscanterbury.co.nz/Category?Action=View&Category_id=4584

Touch Canterbury Junior Trials
Sunday 16 October, Sheldon Park, Belfast
The Touch Canterbury junior trails for the under 12 and under 14 grades are taking place very soon on the 16th of October and we would love to get as many kids there as we can.
Important things  to remember are that the participant has to be playing at an affiliated module to be eligible. The participants also must be younger than the age they are trialing for by the 31st of December, (i.e. For under 12 the participant must not turn 12 until the following year).  The under 12's registration time starts at 9:30am and trial beginning at 10am. The under 14's registration starting 11:30am and trials at 12pm. If anyone wishes to seek more information about the trials, we have all information needed online at  our website http://www.touchcanterbury.co.nz/touch-canterbury/.
Logan Forrester
Junior Development Officer
Touch Canterbury
0278702633
03-323-6102

St Martin's School Fiesta

Saturday, October 29th, 10am-2pm
Come along and enjoy our bouncy castles, home baking, Devonshire teas, face painting, stage entertainment .... not to mention all our glorious food including gourmet burgers (meat and vege), sushi, bacon butties, salads, waffles, snow cones and of course, candy floss and popcorn.
There will be a live auction of some great sporting memorabilia, some exiting gift packs for silent auction and the final opportunity to buy a raffle ticket and be in the draw to win some great prizes from local businesses. You can pick up a Christmas gift or three, plants for your garden, browse through our pre-loved books, white elephant and clothes, and external stalls or check out your skills in side-show alley - we have it all!
The Fiesta is our major fundraising event of the year and the money raised will be used to support redevelopment of our school hall.
We look forward to seeing you there!


Important Update for the beginning of Term 4, 2016

Posted on by

Important Update for the beginning of Term 4, 2016

Kia ora koutou

As you will be aware, we are now officially building and all of the planning and organisation that has been going on is now a reality.

The safety and wellbeing of everyone is our priority for tomorrow, over everything else. If we can have a clear understanding of plans and expectations for moving safely around both sites, and for the bussing back and forth to Champion St, we will set the term up for safety and success.

This is a lengthy email as there is a lot of very important information that we need you to have. Please do read it carefully.

Getting in and out of the Beckenham site

Below is a map of the school, showing access points into the school (Beckenham flags) and access routes around the school (in green).


We will have the four new school flags flying at the four access points to the school tomorrow morning. These points are:

Sandwich Road - the main entrance at the crossing/flagpole
Sandwich Road - at the Dental Clinic
Eastern Tce - via the driveway by Hub8/9 (old R21/22)
Norwood St Park entrance (or any entrance via park) - through into the junior playground or behind Hub 8/9



Fences and Building Site

The fences that are up today (Sunday) are not quite what will be up once the building gets going. We are expecting the demolition of the old Intermediate Hub to happen one day this coming week, and then the 'normal' fencing and access routes will be in place at that time. In the interim, we will be working closely with the Site Manager to ensure that safety and access are prioritised.

Moving around the Beckenham site

Yes - this is going to take a little bit of getting used to as routes are very specific and have changed since last term.
Hub 1/2/3/4 and Hub 10/11 students should have no major changes.
Hub 12/13 children will need to access their rooms through the staff car park fenced off access path.
For Hub 8/9 and Hub 7, the best access in the morning and afternoon (if you are coming in the main Sandwich Road entrance) will be to go through the junior playground, onto the park and then down to your classrooms.

It is very important to remember that none of us have ANY permission to cross fences into the building site - we should consider that this is NO LONGER part of our school. We have no authority over the building site areas - they are now the responsibility of HRS, as is the Health and Safety of anyone who is inside the fenced area.
There will be an Assembly at 9:30am on Monday morning for EVERYONE at the Beckenham Site, to talk about Health and Safety and access around our site. Following this, teachers will be walking their classes around the site and reminding them where they are/are not allowed to go, and which routes they need to take to get there.

Y5-8 students at Beckenham site

In the mornings we need the Y5-8 students to access the buses on Eastern Tce by staying out of the school site, except for those children who come in the Norwood St park entrance, who will then go across to Hub 8/9 (old 21/22), around the back new path and down the driveway to the buses.
Children who arrive at school via Sandwich Rd will be asked to stay on the footpath and walk down to Eastern Tce that way.
The same will apply in the afternoons when Y5-8 students disembark their buses. If they need to go to BOSCO, they should go onto the park, then in to BOSCO via the entrance by the junior playground. If they need to meet a sibling, they should either go through the park to the Junior playground, or around the road, up Sandwich Road and meet them at the flagpole or bike area.
Y5-8 students who bike or scooter to school need to lock their bikes/scooters in the bike stand area, then walk back out onto Sandwich Road and around to the bus on Eastern Tce, and use the same route in the afternoon.

Morning tea and Lunchtime at Beckenham

To ensure safety of all of the children we are planning to keep all the children in two spaces at break times - the park (for Year 3/4 only), and the junior playground for all children. There will be teachers on duty during morning tea and lunchtime in both those spaces.

BOSCO

We are not certain that the access to the new BOSCO rooms (the old Room 8/9) will be ready by 7am tomorrow, so please take your morning BOSCO children to the Hall (via the junior playground doors). If their rooms are accessible, staff will escort them over. If not, they will meet in the hall for the morning session.
At 3pm BOSCO staff will collect children from Hubs 10,11,12 & 13, and will meet Y1-4 children BOSCO children outside Hub 1-4 and escorting them to the BOSCO rooms. We expect the access to BOSCO to be ready for the afternoon session.
Please do not park in the staff car park when dropping or collecting children from BOSCO.

Assembly this Thursday

For logistical reasons, we have changed the time of Assemblies to be on Thursday afternoons. Children from Champion St will bus over earlier and come in directly to assembly and children at the Beckenham site will pack up before coming over to assembly, so that they are ready to pick up their bags when assembly ends at 3pm, and go home. This coming Thursday we will start with our traditional Welcome Assembly (2:15pm) and this will be immediately followed by our normal Celebration Assembly which will be led by the Kauri (Y7/8) team.
Prior to the assembly, the PTA are holding a Welcome afternoon tea in the hall foyer at 1:30pm - new families are particularly encouraged to attend.

Emergency Evacuations

We will have a trial evacuation at both sites on Monday 17th October.

Contacting Champion St

The phone number for Champion St is an extension of the phones at Beckenham. That means that you still call the Beckenham number 337 1404 and ask to be put through to someone at Champion St. Teachers' email addresses have not changed.

Buses to Champion St

A reminder that these will be leaving at 8:30am sharp. We expect the buses to be arriving at 8:15am, so students need to check in with one of the teachers on duty, then get onto their appropriate bus, checking in with their particular bus monitor as they get on. (They should get to know this drill pretty quickly).

Vehicles at Champion St

During school time, no vehicles should come onto the school site. A small number of vehicles will be able to park in the driveway and the rest will need to park on the OPPOSITE side of Champion Street to the school entrance (to leave the school side for the afternoon buses.)

Parent Drop-Off/Pick-up at Champion St

If you are dropping your child off, or picking them up early at Champion St, the same digital sign-in/out process applies at the Champion St reception area. Please ensure that this is always followed.

Ferndale Taxi bus

The Ferndale taxi bus will be parking on Sandwich Road, near the dental clinic and students will enter and exit the site via the Dental Clinic steps. Tony Lee will be putting cones out for the van each day so please ensure that you do not park in this spot - Thank you.

Traffic and Parking at Beckenham

As you will see on the access plan, the staff car park has become a primary access route for students and staff, and now only has 5 staff parks remaining in it. Please DO NOT walk through the staff car park at any time as this creates significant risk for children who will copy this behaviour.
Staff have been asked to park on the south side of Sandwich Road, leaving the north (school) side of Sandwich Road available for parents to drop off children. WE STRONGLY URGE those of you who can, to walk to school or to plan your journey earlier and park in adjacent streets including Birdwood Ave and Martin Ave. If you are using Sandwich Road, we would encourage you to pull up - kiss goodbye, drop off - and drive away, so that we can minimise the traffic build up.
Please note that parking on Eastern Tce (from Sandwich Road to the Ponds) will be restricted to buses only on the school side, and there are NO PARKING signs on the river side. It is critical that these restrictions are followed, to ensure that children are not crossing between cars and buses, and to allow for safe movement of traffic on Eastern Tce when the buses are there.

Tomorrow morning, Michelle Maule will be on Eastern Tce helping with the Champion St buses, Cath Barrie will be on Sandwich Rd at the flagpole entrance assisting foot traffic and I will be on the park access point. Our job is to check that all of the access points are working for everyone, and to help anyone who might be unsure about where to go.

Finally I would like to acknowledge the very hard work of staff, the Board of Trustees, and our Project Team, both at the end of last term and, for many, during the holidays, preparing at both sites to ensure that this coming term goes smoothly.

Thank you for reading to the end of this important newsletter!

We are VERY excited about the fact that the builders are on site and our building programme is underway and we want to ensure that they can get on with their jobs, and we can get on with learning, each without interruption.
Your help and support through this period is very much appreciated. If you have any questions, please email me in the first instance and I will do my best to get back to you as soon as possible.
principal@beckenham.school.nz

Regards
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki