Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all. We had a great start to the year last week getting to know each other and learning about some of the routines in the Pōhutukawa team. Thankfully, the sun came out on Friday afternoon and we could finish off the week by having some water play in the Park. Those who weren't so keen on getting wet were still able to get outside and spend some time exploring our local flora and fauna down at the ponds or getting creative in the sandpit. It has been so good to reconnect with our returning Year 6 students, as well as make connections with our Year 5's and our students who are new to Beckenham. We are looking forward to an awesome year ahead!
This week we will be starting our ever-popular CCC (cross-curriculum classes) as well as the workshops/ papamahi, which will be covering the following topics:
- using devices, with Rae
- goal setting using WOOP, with Gayle
- book setup and bookwork expectations, with Anna
- being active listeners, with Steve
Thank you as always for your support, and please do get in touch if you have any questions. We understand there is a lot of information to take on board, particularly for students new to our team, and we are all more than happy to explain or clarify any queries you might have. Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe, we are all in the waka together! On that note, here are a few notices for the start of the year.
BYOD and Cybersafety Forms
It is great to have so many students bringing their own devices to school. Please remember to send along the signed permission slip for the BYOD agreement in order for your child to be able to access the BYOD network at school. If you have not yet returned the signed Cybersafety agreement, please do so as soon as possible. Every child MUST sign the Cybersafety agreement regardless of whether they are bringing their own device to school or not. Both of these forms are available at school if you need them.
Stationery
A big thank you to all of you who either brought $5 to your Learning Conference or paid by eftpos at the school office for your child's/children's two maths books for the year. We have received the books and we will be giving them out this week. If you are still to pay for these, please contact Jacky at the office to arrange payment.
Pōhutukawa Learning Site
Our Pōhutukawa Learning Site is up and running for 2021! Please use the following link: https://sites.google.com/beckenham.school.nz/pohutukawalearningsite2020/home
Here you will find the 'Pōhutukawa 101' video that we watched at Learning Conferences. If you find you are having trouble accessing any of the Google material it might be because the privacy settings have been limited to users with a Beckenham school email address. This is to ensure that materials relating to your child's/children's learning cannot be shared out into the wider world. Signing in together with your child will mean you can see everything that we have on our learning sites and on Google Classroom for this year.
Sunhats, sunscreen, and hand sanitiser
Thank you for ensuring that your child comes to school prepared for the sun. A named sunhat is a compulsory uniform item in Terms 1 and 4 and students who do not have a sunhat are required to stay in the shade during break times. A full drink bottle is another key item for these hot days. There is plenty of shade on the netball court, where we eat lunch, although it's a good idea for students to be wearing their hats whenever we are outside. The school supplies sunscreen and students can also bring their own sunscreen and keep it in their bag should they need to apply some during the day. We are making sure we sanitise and wash our hands throughout the day, so if your child has sensitive skin, please give them their own sanitiser to use.
Important Dates
25 February - Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Swimming Sports (Y 5-8) - 12 - 2pm at Wharenui Pool
18 March - South Zone Swimming Sports
23 March - Canterbury Primary School Triathlon
More information about the above events will come home closer to the time.