Monthly Archives: August 2016

Kahikatea Team Newsletter Term 3 Week 2

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Kia Ora Parents/Caregivers

We have had an excellent week despite some very chilly days. Here are some of the Discovery Stations, which our children are getting into before the bell has even gone each morning!

Using binary code to write our name.

Figuring out how much our name is worth using a chart with each letter being worth a different $ amount. 

Writing our stories on whiteboards. 

We are focussing on target/fielding games and gymnastics this term in PE. Each hub alternates weekly between these lessons. Here is an example of a target game where we try to hit a 'lily pad' with beanbags to earn points:

 We are working on mastering different passes here:

Mihi
Through our topic focus on cultures we are working with the children on their mihi. If you know your family mountain, waka, river or iwi it would be great if your child was able to bring this information along to school. 

Book the Couch
If you would like to bring a favourite book to read to a small group of children between 8:30a.m. and 9:00am we will let the children know when you have arrived to read to them. We will include this as a station in the morning. If you are interested please let your child's teacher know. 

Thank you!
We had a lovely surprise from the Court Theatre today who came in to drop off huge bags of dress-ups for our team. Thank you to Rob who organised this for us - there were some very excited children and teachers alike! 

Beckenham School Newsletter, Friday 5 August, 2016

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Today we are emailing you the link to the newsletter, so that you read the newsletter by clicking on the link, and going to the website.
This is different to last week, where the newsletter was in the email. We expect the reading experience to be better from the website, and offer you the opportunity to visit the new website at the same time!
Please let us know if you have any challenges with reading or receiving the newsletter - our goal is to make it easy for you to access.
We know that winter is well and truly upon us with the possibility of snow being mentioned in current forecasts. Of more concern to us, are the very cold early morning temperatures that are being predicted for next week, along with clear days. Therefore we are predicting possible ice hazards at school. Tony has been preparing the best he can today, getting in extra stocks of salt, and we will be using cones on pathways next week to identify hazardous areas.
Please would you ensure that your child(ren) are dressed appropriately for these winter temperatures. We are noticing a small number of children coming to school wearing just a short-sleeved shirt and no other layers to put on. A polar fleece is a minimum requirement and gumboots (along with a spare pair of socks in their schoolbag) is strongly encouraged.
If you don't have gumboots - the second hand clothing shop has been given some pairs to recycle - if you have spare children's size gumboots that you can pass on to the second hand clothing team, please bring them to the office.
The second hand clothing shop will be open next Friday, before and after school.

Ka kite
Sandy Hastings
Principal/Tumaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Tue 9 Aug
6:30-8:00pm, staff room - Positive Parenting Workshop first of 6 weeks of free workshops sign up by clicking on link above

Thu 11 Aug
6:00 - 8:30pm BOT meeting

Fri 12 Aug
8:45-9:15am & 2:45-3:15pm PTA Uniform Room open.
9:15am-9:45am Celebration Assembly - All Welcome!
12:30-3:00pm - Winter Sport

Tue 16 Aug
ICAS Maths

Thu 18 Aug
Yr 7 & 8 Ski trip to Mt Hutt

2016 & 2017 Term Dates

Citizen of the Week

Sadie McLoughlin - Year 7

Sadie, you are a motivated, energetic student. The enthusiasm and creativity you bring to your learning, has seen you achieve outstanding results across the school curriculum. You are an empathetic member of our school, one who leads by example and regularly shows that she cares. You demonstrate a desire to immerse yourself in challenges and have developed an impressive work ethic. Keep embracing big mistakes, and celebrating your well deserved successes. Tino pai Sadie!

Sharing our Learning

Koru Hub

A very warm welcome to our newest Hub 12/13 students and their families - Karda, Flynn, Harper, Ashleigh, Stella, Jack, Robin, Justin, Maggie, Bobby, and Davish.

We love learning

“Depriving young children of play experiences, the reverie of imagination, and open-ended explorations with the world around them contributes to the acceleration, fragmentation, and deterioration of young children’s developmental possibilities”  

Thomas Armstrong, “The Best Schools” 

Our lovely New Entrants begin each day with self selected learning activities to help make the transition from preschool to school a reasonably easy one. As well as direct instruction, we incorporate many guided play learning activities into the day based on children’s current interests. Recent favourites have been watercolour painting, retelling the Mrs Wishy Washy story using toy animals,making puppets, constructions using blocks and cars, playing teachers.Playing teachers is an age old favourite! Xavier decided to get a group of children around a table today and play word games.



Our children enjoy drawing and writing on a daily basis. They can often be found making their own little books and writing messages.


Little penguins can be found incorporated into playful activities. Through play (guided play) the children are finding out about their world and developing their oral language and social skills. Music and movement are also a large part of our day too.



Through drama we can be any character we choose.  

Play

There are 5 types of functional play; physical, language, exploratory, constructive, fantasy and social. All of these feature in the day of a NE child.

What the Research Tells Us About Play

Play serves as a mediator between what is possible and what is actual “Being playful” – is the drive to play. This compliments the curiosity drive. Curiosity motivates children to seek new knowledge, playfulness allows them to practice new skills and use them creatively through meaningful conversation.

To be able to do this, children require the freedom to engage in authentic play. “This process of play may be the single most important thing that humans do.”

(The Best Schools: How Human Development Research Should Inform Educational Practice)

Parent Education Opportunity 

Last chance to register - starts this coming Tuesday

We are excited to be able to offer six, free, Positive Parenting workshops that are going to be held starting next week.
The sessions will run from 6:30pm to 8pm each Tuesday evening, starting on Tuesday 9 August and finishing on Tuesday 13 September.
The sessions are being facilitated by trained staff from the Christchurch Methodist Mission, and funded through their funding streams.
The school will provide supervision for children, if you need to bring them along to enable you to attend the workshop.

Please register by clicking here.

These are some of the topics that will be touched on:
  • Building strong and healthy relationships, 
  • Tips on managing fears and worries in children, 
  • Establishing routines, 
  • Strategies to manage behaviour positively, 
  • Stress management
These are the key messages that will be woven through the programme:
  • Uncertainty about parenting and ability to parent well
  • Feeling judgment as a parent, yet also being judgemental of other parents
  • Child wellbeing not being well understood
  • Isolation, which appears to be self-perpetuating
  • Being tired as a Parent
  • That there are still on-going effects of post-earthquake stressors
  • Fathers needing to find their place and role as parents.

School Notices

Can you help?

We are currently on the lookout for planks of wood, plastic tubing, wool and cardboard tubes. So if you feel the urge to donate these please let anyone in the Koru team know.

Eastern Terrace:

There are roadworks on Eastern Terrace which means there is very limited parking. Please avoid if at all possible.

Sports News

Winter sports:

Another fine day for the travelling sports players at the park, although a cold wind ensured we remembered we are playing winter sports. Congratulations to these players for being selected as Player of the Day for their team:
Y 5/6 football red - Aram Peek
Y 5/6 football black - Daniel Smith
Y 7/8 football red - Oskar Frampton
Y 7/8 football black - Zak Morrison
Y 5/6 hockey red - Bella Reddecliffe
Y 5/6 hockey black - Tyler Chesterman
Y 7/8 hockey red - Lachlan Smythe
Y 7/8 hockey black -  Liam Clancey
Y 5/6 netball red - Keira Tough
Y 5/6 netball black - Jessie Leask
Y 7/8 netball red - Olivia Cochrane
Y 7/8 netball black - Emily McDonald
Y 5/6 rugby red - Noah Harmer-Campbell

Orienteering Success

In the July holidays, Rosie Zinzan-Dickie travelled to Cambridge, in the North Island, to participate in the NZ Secondary Schools Championship for orienteering. Rosie competed in the sprint and long distance events for Year 7 and 8 girls champs. Out of a field of 54, Rosie placed 4th in the sprint and 5th out of 36 for the long distance races. Given that she was the only member of Beckenham School competing, she represented our school admirably and in fact our school placed 9th out of 15 schools. Awesome work Rosie. We are very proud of your love of challenge!


FIFA - Live Your Goals Week - 12-18th September 2016

Come and experience the beautiful game in a friendly female only environment, at Canterbury’s home of football - English Park.
Football is not only a fun and exciting sport, it’s growth rate is rapid amongst our young females, so get along to one of our girls only events this September.
We will have skills sessions, small-sided games, and even a chance to have Q&A time with one of our very own Football Ferns.
All you have to do is get your students to the ground, we will take care of the rest!
Venue: English Park – 127 Cranford Street, Christchurch

Monday 12th September - for years 5&6 girls
Tuesday 13th September - for years 3&4 girls 
Time: 1:30 – 3:00pm

We are not able to take a group from school to this event, so if your child is particularly interested in participating, and you are able to take them, please email Jacky in the office by this Tuesday 9 August, and we will register them for you.

PTA News

Click here to order your Comedy Bingo Night Tickets!





Community Notices

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


Canterbury District Health Board

Make your GP team your first call 24/7.  It’s always important that people access the most appropriate health care. In most cases this is provided by general practice teams, even after hours.  You can call your usual general practice number 24/7 and when they’re closed, a team of nurses is available to answer your call. The nurses provide free health advice, and if you need to be seen urgently by a doctor, they can tell you what to do and where to go.  When a child is unwell it's always good to seek medical attention sooner, rather than later.
It’s best to phone your own general practice team any time of the day or night.

If a child does need to have an appointment, most practices in Canterbury have free consultations for those under 13.




Storylines Free Family Day

Sun 28th August 10am-3pm at the Upper Riccarton Library.
The Storylines Festival is a great time to celebrate the joy of reading.  Come and share the excitement of NZ books with children, families and the Christchurch community at the Storylines Free Family Day.  This year's authors, illustrators and performers include: Jane Bloomfield, Steve Gurney, Leonie Agnew, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Whanau Tahi Kapa Haka Group, Scott Tulloch plus many others. http://www.storylines.org.nz/

Free High Tech Vision Screening for all Children.

The free iscreen service is available on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10.00am - 2.00pm. It is a drop in clinic so no appointment required. Our address is: The Children's Specialist Centre, 58 Colombo Street, Cashmere, Christchurch, 8022. Phone: 03 3379470 fax 03 3327630.

The iscreen service will determine if a child will require a full eye test or not. We will advise at the appointment if the screening is a pass or a fail or if a follow up test is recommended in 6 months time. Our friendly reception staff will be on hand to make any follow up appointments required to see the Eye Specialist Dr Antony Bedggood if your child receives a failed result at the iscreen. The clinic has a child friendly team approach (Surgeon, Orthoptist, skilled tech staff)and the best technology.
If a child has a failed result, full assessment and treatment is available for family's with a current community services card, if it hasn't already been used in the last year at another optometrist.

Kauri Week Two Update

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Ski trip: 

Our soup fundraising is going well, with $400 raised so far. We hope to sell soup for another two Wednesdays, and with similar profits, we will be able to reduce the cost of the ski trip to $40 per child. So far half of our hub families have completed the form providing details needed about each child for this trip. If you have yet to complete this form, please click on the link below.
Ski form


Keeping up to date with learning commitments:


  • Maths home learning, which for many children is a Cantamath project, is due tomorrow, Friday.
  • Many children are making good progress with their storytelling speeches. The writing of these should be completed by next Thursday, allowing for time to practise presentation before sharing in week 5. Please ask your child to share their speech with you.

It's only week two and already we have lots to celebrate...

Our Sir Peter Blake Young Leader for 2016.

Our first Gold Leaders for 2016.


And the Blazers basketball team celebrated their first win of the season!

Distinction, Distinction, High Distinction, Distinction. Wow, what awesome scientists.

Harvey, from World Vision, came to thank those of us who did the Famine, for raising over $1500 for the refugees of Syria.


Winter Tournament: 

True to its name, the winter weather arrived in time for our South Zone Winter Tournament, which was played on Monday 1 August. With 15 teams participating, we were very grateful to all of the coaches who were able to help out on the day.
Passing and shooting, the netball players battled and pivoted, scoring and defending on the netball courts. Well done to all four teams, with three teams placing third and one team placing sixth.

With six football teams, playing 5-a-side, there were plenty of fast paced games to enjoy. Adjusting to the small pitches and different way of playing took some doing, however teams soon found their stride and went on to score goals and corners. Well done to the year 7 and 8 teams who placed first and two fourths (in different grades) and great work to the year 5 and 6 teams who placed first and second (in different grades).

Bobbly rugby fields, set a challenge for the hockey players,

particularly those used to the smooth surface of astroturf. Swift passing and controlled dribbling ensured goals were scored, along with solid defending to prevent goals at the other end. Great work all four hockey teams, with placings of second, fourth and two sixth placings.

Special congratulations to the year 7 and 8 Football Red team and to the year 7 and 8 Hockey Red team. They have both qualified to compete in the Canterbury Winter Tournament being held on Thursday 25 August, representing our south zone.




Special thanks to all of our coaches who made it possible for us to take so many teams to the tournament: Jarred Skelton, Caitlyn Downing, Sonja Sintmaartensdyk, George York, Katie Chapman, Sarah Freeman, Jenni Adams, Nicky Dunlop, Leone Scott, Jacky Sargent, Fred Simpson, Kate Inwood, Ashley Tough, Jonny Inwood, Tyler Logan and Rod Gray.