Category Archives: Pohutukawa

Whole School Athletics Day 2020

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Whole Kura Athletics Day - Friday 30th October

(Postponement Date: Tuesday 3rd November)

Our whole kura athletics day provides an opportunity for our tamariki to participate in an athletics event. Our PE focus in the lessons leading up to this event is on the movement skills required to participate safely and to the best of our ability. The focus of the event is on fun and inclusion. Years 0 to 4 will be participating in a range of games that develop the fundamental movement skills of run, jump and throw, while the year 5 to 8 children will be participating in more traditional track and field events. 

This event will go ahead as planned if we are at Alert Level 1. If we are at Alert Level 2, Years 5 - 8 will compete without spectators and events for Years 0 - 4 will be postponed to a time when we are in Level 1.

On the day

Children may wear their house top or their red polo shirt. Children should also wear shoes and clothes that will be suitable for running and jumping, (running shoes and shorts/leggings are ideal). Please ensure that your child has their sun hat and water bottle at school.

The Year 5 - 8 athletics run all day long, starting with the optional mid distance event and followed by track and field rotations. Sprint finals conclude the day. To help with the running of these rotations, we are looking for adult volunteers to work alongside a teacher at our track and field stations. If you are keen to help and available, please email Jenny Diggle (jenny.diggle@beckenham.school.nz).

We welcome spectators in Level one, but please leave dogs at home. There will be an adult team in the house relay so wear your running shoes if you would like to join in on this!

Below is the outline of the programme for the day.




Living Springs Camp Health Form and Gear List

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Dear Parents/Caregivers,

 Planning is well underway for the Pōhutukawa camp at Living Springs. 

The programme is challenging, stimulating and safe. The activities include: archery tag, “Balanz” bikes, zipline, swimming (heated pool), group initiative challenges, low ropes course, bouldering wall, orienteering, animal survival and recreational activities. 

All children will be well supervised and all risks well managed in accordance with our Camp Safety Action Plan and the Living Springs Risk Management Strategies. It will be an exciting learning opportunity for your child. The children will be sleeping in carpeted bunk rooms, which can be heated if required. As well as regular meals, there are two snack times during the day. 

We will be leaving from the Pōhutukawa Hub on Wednesday 25th November shortly after the 9:00 am bell. After the camp, we will return to school between 2:30 and 3:00 pm on Friday 27th November. We will wait in the hub for you to pick your child up, along with their gear.

Essential Tasks to Prepare for Camp 

Medical Forms 

Please complete the Health Profile & Medical Consent Form by Monday 2 November by clicking on the link below and completing the online form.  One form needs to be competed for each child who is attending camp.  A separate health form will be emailed to our parent helpers soon. 



Medication 

If your child requires personalised medication on camp, please complete the Medicine Authority Form. We will print a copy of the form to be stored with your child's medication whilst on camp. Please put your child’s medicine in a small, clearly named zip lock bag or plastic container and hand the bag/container to Anne Batchelor on Wednesday, 25th November when you drop your child off at school. 

If your child has medication that should be kept with them (e.g. an inhaler or travel sickness medication), please put this in your child’s backpack and let your child’s home group teacher know where it is on the morning we leave for camp.

What to bring to Camp
  • A light backpack for the first day containing: 
  • A snack 
  • Lunch 
  • Drink bottle 
  • A warm and waterproof coat 
  • Sunscreen 
  • Sunhat 
  • Medicine that must be kept with the student (e.g. an inhaler or travel sickness medication)

A larger bag or suitcase containing: 
  • Toiletries – soap, toothbrush, toothpaste etc.  
  • Insect repellent 
  • 2 towels (shower and pool) 
  • A pair of walking shoes 
  • A pair of slippers or inside shoes 
  • Socks 
  • Underclothes 
  • Long pants 
  • Shorts 
  • T-shirts 
  • Warm jerseys or bush shirts 
  • A warm hat 
  • Pyjamas 
  • Swimming togs 
  • Lightweight bags for dirty clothes 
  • A pillow 
  • A single fitted bottom sheet for your bed 
  • A warm sleeping bag 
  • A book to read (optional) 
  • Games (small board games or cards only) (optional) 
  • Soft cuddly toy (optional)
If applicable, a plastic container or ziplock bag containing: 
  • Personal medication for the camp medic to look after and administer 
  • Medicine authority form
The following items will not be required and should not be taken on camp: 
  • Money 
  • iPod or MP3/MP4 players 
  • Computers/iPads/tablets 
  • Handheld electronic games 
  • Torches 
  • Chewing gum 
  • Radios 
  • Cell phones 
  • Cameras 
  • Toys 
  • Knives 

Please make sure all items are clearly named and that your child will be able to carry their bag themselves. A good idea is to bring the gear list to camp so that they can be checked off when we leave. A paper copy of the gear list will be sent home closer to our departure.  If there is something you don’t have, we encourage you borrow it from someone rather than buy it.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child's home group teacher.

Cycle Safety Term 4

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Kia ora whānau,

If your child is a year 6 student they will be taking part in the Cycle Safe Programme at school, during week's 1-3 of term 4.

The Cycle Safe programme is run by the Christchurch City Council and is a cycle skills education programme for schools. Students learn the benefits of cycling and how to ride with confidence and be road-wise. Students will be riding their bike on the road, supervised, around Beckenham School.

Your year 6 child/ren will be participating in this course on one of the following sessions:

Session 1 - Friday 16th & Monday 19th October
Session 2 - Tuesday 20th & Friday 23rd October
Session 3 - Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 28th October

More information as to the session that your child/ren will be participating will come home via a reminder notice, with your child, at the beginning of term 4.

On these days, students should bring the following to school:

  • Their bicycle (in good working order)
  • Their helmet (in good working order)
  • A lock to secure these items to the school bike racks

Please ensure that your child/ren come/s to school on these days wearing suitable
clothing for the weather. If it rains and it is unsuitable for the children to go out on their bicycles, the remaining sessions will be either rescheduled at a suitable later date or be classroom-based.

For those who do not have their own, ten bicycles and helmets are available through the programme.

The Cycle Safe team have recently created some 3-5 minute videos about their programme. We welcome you and your students to view them.
Here is a link to a Helmet Fitting video. You can also look on the Cycle Safe page under the videos heading.

Pōhutukawa Living Springs Camp Term 4 2020 – It’s All Go!

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 Kia ora e te whānau,

Thanks so much for responding to the questionnaire that Sandy and Anne sent out on Monday. We've had an overwhelmingly positive response from you in support of our Year 5/6 learners attending camp in Week 7 next term. Living Springs has confirmed that we will go ahead as long as the Covid alert level stays at Level One or Level Two.

We have also been overwhelmed by the number of you who put yourselves forward to be available for parent help at our camp from November 25th to 27th. Thank you. We are sorry that we can't take everyone who volunteered.  The people who will be coming with us are:

Colleen Eason                      Koleighne Ford                    Rebecca Carr
Evan McLaughlan                Nicole Forster                      Brett Cooper
Paula Adams-Stace              Chris Hunt                            Jonathan Pooch
Mike Grantham                    Linda Hakeagaiki                 Mami Mori
Simon Scott                          Michelle Boyle                     Michael de Clifford

If your name is listed above and you are no longer available to attend our camp, please email anne.batchelor@beckenham.school.nz as soon as possible, and we will offer your place to another parent volunteer on the list.

The Covid Pandemic situation has made this term (and year!) more challenging than most. Sandy and the team have discussed the options in terms of fundraising for camp, whilst also trying not to overload our school community.  We have decided not to fundraise as a result. If you have any concerns about paying for your child's camp costs and you have not yet communicated this with us, please let Anne Batchelor know.

Early next term we will send out more information about the camp programme of activities and what to bring etc. 

We hope you have a restful holiday break, see you in Term 4.


Rāpaki Marae Trip

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18 September 2020


Pōhutukawa Team Rāpaki Marae Trip

Tēnā koutou e te whānau,

We are excited to be able to provide our students with a visit to Rāpaki marae in Term 4. This is a wonderful opportunity to be able to put into practice what we have been learning this year with Te Reo Māori language, customs (tikanga), games (kēmu) and songs (waiata). We will also be learning about the history of Rāpaki Marae and the ecology of Horomaka, Banks Peninsula.


We are heading to Rāpaki Marae on Wednesday 21st of October and Thursday 22nd October, from 9.30am-2.45pm.


As we are such a large team we are required to visit the marae in two groups. On Wednesday Anne’s home group, Rae’s home group and half of Steve’s home group will visit the marae. On Thursday Anna’s home group, Gayle’s home group and the other half of Steve’s home group will visit the marae.


We will need the help of some adults to enable us to go on this trip. We will be leaving school at 9.00am via bus and we will have an emergency vehicle. If you are interested in assisting us on this trip as an adult supervisor, please email your child’s home group teacher before Friday September 25th. We will contact all adults who have kindly volunteered to help, to confirm whether your help is required.


The cost of this trip will be covered by your annual donation.


For the trip, your child will need to be in comfortable footwear and in school uniform. They should bring a jacket in case of inclement weather. If your child suffers from asthma, please ensure they have their medication with them in a named plastic bag, with instructions about administration. Your child needs to give this to their class teacher prior to departure.


On the day, students will need to wear school uniform and bring:



A water bottle


A substantial morning tea and lunch


A warm layer of clothing (especially a windproof jacket)


Please note there will be no postponement day if the weather is unsuitable. An email message will be sent out at 8am on the day, if the trip is being cancelled.


Many thanks for the help and support, and we look forward to an amazing trip.


Ngā mihi nui,


Anne, Rae, Katie, Gayle, and Steve