The Year 7 & 8 small business group will be setting up their bakery and opening at lunchtime tomorrow, 12:40. All items are being sold for $1. All profits are going to charity. Your child can purchase cookies, cupcakes, donuts and rice-bubble slice. If your child is worried about losing their money before lunchtime, they can hand it in to their home group teacher who will hand it back at 12:40.

As mentioned, our focus for Culture this term is on the variety of cultures we have within our team. This will be an opportunity for all students to share their culture with their home group. So far we have located the countries of the children in home groups on a world map and have coloured in a flag from the identified country, which will be displayed around the world map on the wall. Every student in the Pōhutukawa hub will be represented by a flag on the wall. The students will be given an opportunity to gather information about their culture, whether that be from talking at home, from what they experience at home or what they look up on the internet.

We have learning conferences in week 7 on Tuesday 11th June and Thursday 13th June. Note that school will finish at the earlier time of 2pm on both days to allow for Learning Conferences to take place. These conferences are an opportunity for you to meet with your child’s home group teacher to discuss your child’s current achievement and their next steps for learning. The conferences will be 15 minutes in duration for Year 1-6.

If you would like your child to stay at school between 2 pm and 3 pm on one or both of those days please fill in this google survey so we can plan ahead.

To book, please go to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and use the code yucbe  

School reports will go home with all children tomorrow. These reports comment on attitude and application in Reading, Writing and Maths, and also include a general comment about how the year has gone so far. Learning conferences next week will be the time to discuss these reports in further detail if required.

The Christchurch School Strike 4 Climate Team have notified us that there will be another student strike for climate change on this Friday.

In order to meet our sporting commitments on Friday afternoon, we need to know who will be attending this strike. Can you please email by the end of Thursday, either 

tracy.inwood@beckenham.school.nz or 

jenny.diggle@beckenham.school.nz  

to let us know if your child will be involved in this strike. 

My stomach tightened with nerves as I led the pony to the mounting block. I stepped onto the block while someone else held the pony still. I put my left foot comfortably into the stirrup and bounced into the saddle. I screwed up my face in fear, if the pony moved but he stayed still. I aimed to get my other foot in the stirrup but I missed. I aimed again and got in. Phew. It reassured me that both my feet were in the stirrups. The pony felt enormous to me but he was tiny. I was only seven! I took a deep breath. “Are you good up there?” the helper asked. “Yup,” I said hesitantly. The truth was, I wasn't ready, but how do you learn without doing it? The teenager clicked on the pony and he walked forward. I wobbled around, trying to keep my balance. By the time we got to the round pen, I had found my balance. I never thought that animals aka horses are so comfortable to sit on! She led me around the small round pen, while we waited for Bonnie. When Bonnie and our instructor came, we kept being led around the pen. Then the instructor asked if we wanted to ride without being led. I felt my butterflies in my tummy as the teenager walked beside me but didn't hold me. We learned to turn, go, and stop, and then we played a game of sneak up granny. Of course, I won! I started having fun and relaxing, as it was only Bonnie and me in the lesson. It was soooooo much fun, and now I get riding lessons/pony club.

By Tabea

 Fear factor!!

The last name gets pulled out of the bucket, but it isn’t me. Applause thunders through my ears as the challenge gets announced. You have to eat an eyeball, eeeeeww!!!! It sounds gross but I still want to do it. I hear that there are still more eyeballs to be eaten, so I shoot my hand up straight away. Katie is coming with metal tongs plopping sticky eyeballs into people's hands. I am getting even more excited. As she comes  closer and closer she gets to me and drops a sticky, squelchy eye ball in my hand waiting there 

I walk up to the humongous line of people waiting to eat the eyeball. Once everybody who wants to do the challenge has an eyeball to eat my anxiety kicks in. Then the countdown starts: 5,4,3,2,1! I hesitate for a second then reluctantly stuff it in my mouth. It tastes revolting! I am disgusted. I instantly ask Rae if I can get a drink from the drinking fountain by the classroom. She says yes so I race over as fast as I can. I have never run this fast, not even in cross country. Sluuuuuurp, I drink as much as I can to try to wash the taste out. 

The water just makes it worse. Now I feel nauseous - worse than ever. I go back to the line to be applauded for the task I have achieved. Now I am grateful that I have done it.

By Quinn

I clung to the side rail as we entered the dark gloomy cave. The only noises I could hear were screeching tracks, screams and trickling water. As we walked down the wet path I saw broken bars and caution tape. Now I was getting scared. Eventually we got a cart. I jumped in. Finally I thought.

Erch, the cart screeched up the track then when we got to the top of the hill edge we jerked to a stop. I felt worried. What if the track was broken? But that was exactly what the ride wanted me to think because next screech the cart wheeled down the track at top speed. Ahh! Where is this going? Curving, wurving, up, down, left, right. Then suddenly the cart dropped down and we splashed through a giant curtain of water. Woosh! It was over.

I got out of the cart sopping wet, took off my dripping headband and jersey and wrung them out. I looked up at Dad and asked him hopefully, “Again?”

By Julia