November 2016 – Page 2 – Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto

A Very Kauri Christmas:

The dancers are looking dazzling, the wearable arts are looking fabulous and the drama is side-splitingly funny. We are just over a week away from performing our show 'A Very Kauri Christmas'. This should be in your diaries for Tuesday December 6th, starting at 7pm. All Year 7 & 8 students are involved in this evening performance. Please chat with your child this weekend about what they need to get organised for their costume.

Next week we are doing some extra rehearsals at Beckenham. These will affect bus times. For those families who drop off or pick up children at Champion Street, please take special note.
Monday Nov 28: We will all head back to Beckenham at 12:45pm for an afternoon rehearsal.
Tuesday Nov 29: The drama group will go to Beckenham, straight from South at 11:30am and will rehearse there for the rest of the day. The dance and wearable arts group will be at Champion Street as usual.
Friday Dec 2: We will meet in the hall at 8:30am and practise at Beckenham until 10:30. Then we'll head over to Champion Street.

Top Team:

On Friday afternoon, December 2nd, we will be having a Top Team event at Champion Street. Tracy has sent out information about this event, including a request for parent helpers. Please make sure children have a change of clothes and a small towel. If they don't have a change of clothes, they will not take part ... and it's going to be too much fun to miss! We need parent helpers. Please email Tracy if you can help out.

Parent helpers required:

If you can help on the following events / trips, please email us:
Friday Dec 2nd: Top Team, 12:30 - 2:30pm at Champion Street. So far we have no helpers.
Friday Dec 9th: Walk from Beckenham (uphill) to Victoria Park and back. 9am - 3pm. So far we have no helpers.
Tuesday Dec 13th: Corsair Bay trip, from 10:30am - 3pm, departing from Beckenham. So far we have Kate, Desiree and Tanya.

Year 8:

In less that three weeks the Year 8s will have graduated from Beckenham. An invitation to the leavers' assembly and lunch will be coming out next week. We are looking forward to you joining us from 11am on Thursday December 15th. The leavers' assembly is followed by a luncheon for leavers and their parents / caregivers. This all wraps up soon after 1pm. At that stage the Year 8s are finished for the year. On that day the Year 8 children can come to Beckenham at 10:45, dressed up in their best clothes. If that is not possible, they will need to catch the bus as usual at 8:30am (dressed in their best clothes).

Just before the assembly, we show a presentation of our big Year 8s as little five year olds. Can you please either email or send to school a photo of your child when they were 5, if possible on their first day of school. Emails to nicky.dunlop@beckenham.school.nz

The other special event for Year 8s in the last week is the pool and pizza party at Tracy's on Monday December 12th, from 4 - 6pm. More details about that later.

Canterbury Triathlon:

Best of luck to Alex, Kaia, Henry, Rosie and Daisy, who will be competting in the Canterbury triathlon at Pegasus on Thursday.

2016 Kauri Photo-book:

If you would like to order a photo-book packed with memories from this year, please click on this link. Books will cost $25. So far I have orders from Vita and Isla, William, Amelia Cu, Max, Lachlan, Dom and Felix. There were also two other orders from people who did not record their names. Could those two please fill in the form again; I have made it clearer.

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Looking back on the week just gone is never the same from one week to the next. Last Friday, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what this week would look like, and the events of Monday morning certainly put a change to that.

Making the call on Monday morning to open wasn't an easy decision. I was desperately trying to weigh and consider the varying needs of those that the decision would impact. The needs of staff, most of whom I knew would have had very little sleep and that for some, this would have been compounded by tsunami evacuations, sirens and/or evacuees. The needs of parents to have their children close in times of uncertainty, alongside the need to project calm and reassurance by having as much normality and routine as possible. The need for the community, workplaces and the economy to be able to function as normally as possible.

In this we were also working in a landscape of zero guidance from the Ministry of Education and conflicting information about what schools were doing on various media.

On reflection, I'm happy with the decision that we made and also conscious that the people who it demanded the most of were our staff. I do want to acknowledge again, their dedication, professionalism and stamina in coming in to work on Monday on the back of their own challenges.

Following this line of thought, I have become increasingly aware of the blurring of 'work' and 'home' in my own life and in the lives of us all, particularly as digital communication allows us to be so available and accessible. Our phones 'ping' with each email and text that comes in, and we are often reluctant to switch off from these demands, or guilty if we do.

At Beckenham School, I am immensely proud of the professionalism and dedication of our staff. As their principal, I also feel responsible for encouraging them to seek balance in their lives and to 'switch off' from work when they leave school so that they can focus on their personal well being and the life that they work to achieve.

To this end I would like to stress to you, our parents, that I do not expect, or encourage, our staff to respond to texts, emails or phone calls that are work related, outside of normal work hours. Our teachers do value close communication with whānau. So please consider if a text or email you are writing in the evening, might be better sent in the morning. Please also know that it will be responded to as soon as possible, within work hours.

Ka kite

Sandy Hastings

Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Wed 23 Nov - Fri 25 Nov
Pohutukawa School Camp at Living Springs

Wed 30 Nov
9-10am CSM Blow Test for students wanting to start learning a band instrument in 2017
1:45-3pm Junior Athletics
PTA Meeting in staffroom. 7-8:30pm. All Welcome.

Thu 1 Dec
6-8pm Board of Trustees Meeting

Tue 6 Dec
7-8:30pm A Very Kauri Christmas in the Beckenham School hall.

Wed 7 Dec
7am - 5pm Canterbury Athletics at Ashburton Domain

Thu 8 Dec
1:30-2:00pm "Thank you" afternoon tea for school helpers
2-3pm Final Celebration Assembly of 2016 at Beckenham School

Thu 15 Dec
11am-12pm Year 8 Graduation Assembly followed by Leavers' Lunch

Fri 16 Dec
Term 4 ends. School finishes at 12:30pm

Term Dates

Click here to view the 2016 and 2017 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Weaver McDaid - Year 0

Weaver, your enthusiasm for learning stands out. You think deeply about learning areas, and share interesting insights that motivate others. Every day, you take risks and embrace new concepts and skills, and you ask questions to keep yourself on track. Your thoughtful, caring attitude is cherished by those around you. Thank you for noticing and helping others constantly, and for being at-the-ready for any responsibility that comes your way. Ka pai Weaver!

Sharing our Learning

Kahikatea Team

In Weeks 2 and 3, the students from the Kahikatea team packed their bags, barely containing their excitement, donned their sunhats and boarded a big red bus, which transported them into the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. The children danced and explored their way through the gardens, until they arrived at the playground. Much fun and laughter ensued, and from there, the children moved on to find a beautiful shady tree under which they could have their lunch. Some children practised their cartwheeling on the wide, open, daisy-covered lawns!
The next stop was to be the Art Gallery, so the children made their way along the Gloucester Boulevard, across Montreal Street and into the Gallery. Susie Cox, the Gallery educator, along with Max, one of the Gallery guides, were there to meet the children. They were split into two groups and were shown through to the exhibitions, which contained animals as their theme. The children observed carefully, to note exactly the methods the artists had used to create the effects they had achieved in their works of art.
Later everyone was invited back to the Gallery classroom where Susie demonstrated the techniques needing to be employed, as the children worked with clay to create their own animal art works.
All too soon, the bus arrived back outside the Gallery to return everyone to school! What a wonderful day out we all had – special thanks to all of the parents and grandparents who accompanied us on our outing. We appreciate your support.

Discovery Stations

We are continuing to start each day with Discovery Stations. Children arrive at school and begin their explorations immediately into such areas as:

Technology challenges
Problem-solving
Painting
Collage
Building
Science investigations
Music making
Creative writing
Maths challenges
Reading challenges
Reading (special topic books, new chapter books, books about Maui)

Children are asked to think about such questions as:

How is this activity helping your learning?
Which of our values are you focussing on?
Have you helped anyone else today?
How are you showing respect for your own work and the work of others?
Are you being careful or wasteful with resources?

The children are thriving in many and varied ways as they participate in Discovery Stations, but perhaps more than anything else, the Key Competencies are being extremely well supported and developed:

Thinking
Relating to Others
Understanding Language, Symbols and Texts
Managing Self
Participating and Contributing

And now … a few samples of writing from Kahikatea students:

The Battle of the Mountains
Long, long ago there were seven mountains. The seven mountains are Tongariro, Taranaki, Tauhara, Putauaki, Pihanga, Ruapehu and Ngaurahoe.
One by one, the males started to get angrier and angrier. Tongariro wanted to fight the other mountains, who were jealous of Tongariro.
Angrily, Putauaki and Tongariro were fighting for days and days. At last Tongariro managed to defeat the other mountains. Tongariro felt proud of himself for defeating the other mountains.
Taranaki slid into the west. The other mountains slid into the north and east.
by Keanna

The Battle of the Mountains
Long, long ago Maui fished up te Ika a Maui, the North Island. On it, rose seven mountains. They had a battle. There were two kids and two parents. The chief and another mountain battled. They shot big, fiery rocks back and forwards. Some other mountains made lava and put it on the chief’s back, but they were tiny dots of lava because Tongariro was dodging really well! Then he managed to win.
The other three mountains slid away.
Tongariro and the lady mountain lived happily ever after with the kids.
by Ben

Art Gallery
On Friday our class left to go on a school trip. I was with Adelene and her Nana. We went over to the bus. Soon we arrived at the Botanic Gardens. Adelene and I played together on the playground. Then it was time to eat our lunch under a tree, but soon it was time to start the long journey to the Art Gallery. I walked with Adelene and her grandma until finally we arrived at the Art Gallery. We sat down in the old cafe there. We were split into two groups. Luckily I was with Adlene. A woman took us upstairs. We looked in an animals room. There was a bull that if you took off its head, it was a barbecue. I was amazed! Soon we went into a room with a gnome holding a bag. The woman said it meant good luck. We went downstairs to make our clay animals. We all sat down at the table. We were given a block of clay. The Art Gallery person called us to show us how to make a mouse. I was very excited. We went back to our desks and I started to make my mouse. It was very fun. I put the whiskers and eyes on and then I curled the tail round its body. Now my mouse was done! I dipped my hand into a cold bucket of water, so the clay would wash off. Then the woman called us down to the mat because it was time to get on the bus and go home.
by Vida

Art Gallery and Botanic Gardens
Last Thursday my class went on a hub trip to the gardens and the Art Gallery. When we got off the bus, we walked through the gardens to the park. At the park, my friend, Taylor, and I played on the chain bridge, then it was time for lunch. I had a roll, grapes and some yoghurt. After that, I walked to the Art Gallery. At the Art Gallery, the class met two art teachers, one named Max and one named Susie. Susie and Max took half the class each to have a look around the Art Gallery. When we got back, we made clay beasts. I made a seal. It was quite hard to make because we only had two minutes! My seal turned out better than I thought. That’s why it was the best school trip ever.
by Niamh

School Notices

Community Kindness - We Care!

Jenny Diggle put out a call for donations of home baking and other food items to be taken to the Hanmer and the general Amuri area....what a fantastic response. We had a car load of tasty baking to send to families who are currently trying to deal with the after effects of the recent earthquake. A huge thank you to our supportive Beckenham School community.

Further to this, we have had lots of other suggestions and offers for ways in which we could help and assist those who are dealing with the reality of living in earthquake zones in North Canterbury and Kaikoura.

Anne and Henry Jaiswal, parents at our school, are both heavily involved in Civil Defence and have been very busy this week supporting the various activities that have been going on. The advice from them, and from others who are trying to co-ordinate these efforts, is to go onto the Red Cross New Zealand website, and make a cash donation. This means that the assistance that is actually needed can be targetted to those who need it in a much more efficient way.

School Attendance & Absences:

When your child is absent from school for any reason please ensure in the first instance, that you inform the office of this absence. You can email to: office@beckenham.school.nz, txt to 02102794107 or phone and leave a message on 3371404.

Please feel free to also inform their hub teacher if you wish, but all absences need to be reported to the office as a matter of course. Information or emails sent solely to a teacher may not get recorded on the roll for the day due to a range of different circumstances, e.g the teacher is unwell/attending an off site course or on teacher release for the day. Informing the office of absences will ensure the ongoing safety of our students and centralise this information. Thank you for your assistance with this.

Scholastic Book Orders

All orders for Scholastic Book have now moved online. Orders will be delivered to your home and payment needs to be made directly to Scholastic. There has been an increasing amount of time needing to be spent on sorting, placing and distributing these orders by Beckenham staff and we are now pursuing the online option for this service.

PTA News

WEET-BIX Kids TRYathlon 2016/2017 series for Christchurch Sunday 26 February 2017

Click on this link to register as part of the Beckenham School entries that the PTA are co-ordinating. This makes your entry cheaper and you get to be part of the fun and excitement of being with your friends when you take part in the event.
Entries need to be in by Thursday 1 December.
Beckenham School Weetbix Tryathlon registration

Tip Top Ice Cream Sales - Canterbury A&P Show Fundraising

A huge ginormous THANK YOU to all the people who helped on the Tip Top Fundraiser. As usual there was lots of fun to be had & in spite of the weather on Thursday & Friday we banked $17500 over the three days. This is Cash Sales, NOT PROFIT. Each ice block has a different profit margin (25-45%), so dependent what we sold will determine the final profit total. We will advise you of the profit once the Tip Top invoice is received. All money raised will be added to the growing ‘Outdoor Spaces’ fund.

Community Notices

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

Christchurch School of Music Junior Symphony Orchestra:

Playing in an orchestra is a great way to develop your musical skills and is also great fun!. Contact the office 3661711 or visit our website if you would like more details - www.csm.org.nz. Rehearsals are held at Catholic Cathedral College on Saturdays from 8:45-10am. Cost is $70 per term.

Community energy Action & Orana Park

Our 2017 calendar is a little different than usual - not only have we packed it full of tips and advice about how to keep your home warm, healthy and energy efficient, there is also a built-in temperature strip that measures the warmth of the room, and tells you whether it is within a healthy range. As an added bonus, having teamed up with Orana Wildlife Park there is lots of information about the animals that live there. All proceees raised from these calendars will go towards the care and conservation of the animals of Orana Wildlife Park. Buy calendars online for $14.95 - www.cea.co.nz/orana.

International Antarctic Centre January school Holiday programme

Do your children like adventure and having fun then during the holidays have them join the explorers at the Antarctic Centre! They will discover the Little Blue Penguins, chill out in the snow and ice room, ride the awesome Hagglund, find out how to survive in Antarctica, play games and much much more…!
The adventures will running Mon – Fri 8.45 – 5.00pm for two weeks during January from Monday 9th to Fri 20th January.
More information is on our website www.iceberg.co.nz or email education@iceberg.co.nz

Brazil Football Clinic

Christchurch United (formerly Christchurch Football Academy) are pleased to announce that Fernando Lambert will be running an elite Brazil Football Clinic, for ages 12 years – 15 years old, focussing on cognitive skills and technique from 19-21 December. Registrations are now open and limited to 16 players per age grouping (U12/U13 – group 1, U14/U15 – group 2), please refer to the attached file for more information. Spaces for the Brazil Football Clinic is extremely limited to the first 16 players in each group, so don’t miss out and register now at the following link Brazil Football Clinic
Xmas Football Camp
If the elite camp is not for you, have no fear, we will be running our regular fun-filled football camp too, also from 19-21 December.
Please note that our full day sessions are restricted to ages 9 – 16 years old, otherwise we hope to see your children here for some Xmas fun.
Don’t miss out, click on the link below to register your child now!
Xmas football camp
For any queries at all please contact office@cfa.org.nz or 021 446 212.

Monthly Archives: November 2016

Junior Athletics Day

Kauri Whanau: Term 4 Week 7/8 Update