Monthly Archives: February 2017

Kowhai Team Newsletter Week 2

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Kowhai News Term 1 Week 2
Friday 10th February 

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of our second week at school. Time is flying! Across our team, the children are settling into hub routines and next week will see us starting to put our key learning programmes into action. 

Thank you for being so supportive over the past few weeks as everyone settles into the new year. It is so lovely to have such a caring and supportive parent community. Here are the essentials for the week ahead.

Inquiry:
As part of our Identity inquiry, the children are investigating why it is important to to make connections with others and how people identify with each other due to the connections they make. They have been busy making identity boxes, and this coming week we are encouraging them to bring along items to school that are important to them and that help to represent their identity. You might like to discuss with your child: how they got their name and what their name means.

BABY AND FAMILY PHOTO: We would love each of the children to bring along or email us a baby photo for us to use for a special activity in week 4. We would also love you to email or bring in a family photo to put on our whanau wall.

Home Learning:
Next week we will be beginning our nightly Home Learning. This will involve the children:
1. Reading each night. Please sign the sheet in the Home Learning book.
2. Spelling words. The words we have given them need to be known so they can access the computers at school. 

As we are setting up these routines, we would love your support by ensuring your child has their Home Learning folder at school every day.

Celebration Assembly:
Kowhai Team are hosting the next school Celebration Assembly on Thursday 23rd February at 2.15pm. We would love to see you there if you would like to come along.

That's all for now.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Kowhai Teaching Team








Kauri Whanau Term 1 Week 2

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It was fabulous spending time with you all last week at learning conferences. Thanks for making the time, as it does make such a positive difference to the start of the school year.


Wainui Camp, 27 Feb - 3 March: 


The cost of Wainui camp works out at $175 per child. This takes into account fundraising profits from the sale of photo-books at the end of last year. As the Student Account statements are not due to go out until after camp as taken place, we would encourage anyone wanting to pay prior to camp (or in installments) to please use "Yr 7/8 Camp" and your child's name as the reference for payments direct to the school's bank account and/or letting the office know when paying via eftpos.  If you have any questions regarding payment, please contact accounts@beckenham.school.nz.

As camp is so early in the year, we are unable to carry out further fundraising. We are in the process of applying for funding to subsidise our Year 8 leadership camp later in the term. We are also looking at a major fundraising event to reduce costs of our annual ski trip in the third term.


Maths Home-learning:

All children should have come home today with maths home-learning. This is due in next Friday. If they get confused or stuck on any section, please encourage them to ask their maths teacher for help. We won't bite.

Writing:

Yesterday we staged a crime scene in the hub to motivate the children for writing newspaper articles, about an authentic crime or incident that they create. We did lots of talking and brainstorming during writing time today to give the children an idea of the planning that needs to happen before the writing begins. We talked with the children about going home and talking with family about their ideas for their crime or incident. Please encourage them to think about this tonight and discuss ideas with you. Tomorrow, Thursday, we will get the written planning underway.

Memory item to share:

Today we started our social studies focus on identity. As a starter, we shared the story 'Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge', by Mem Fox. This story explored the concept of what a memory is. The children have been asked to bring an item to share on Monday, that reflects a memory that they have. The item should fit into one of these sections: 'precious as gold', 'warm', 'makes you cry', 'makes you laugh' or 'something from a long time ago'. Please talk with your child about what they could bring and remind them to pack this for Monday. They are welcome to bring their item in earlier.

Introducing the Kauri teaching team...


Nicky Dunlop: I’ve been teaching for around 27 years now, 80% of this in Year 7 & 8; I love this age-group. I spent 14 years teaching at St Martins, followed by 6 years at St Margaret's College, coordinating their primary classes. I came to Beckenham in 2009 and love working in this friendly and supportive community.  My husband , Grant, is CEO for Workbridge and works in Wellington 4 days a week. Our boys Tim and Jack are in Year 10 at Cashmere High this year. As a family, we love camping, skiing, biking and watching movies on Friday nights. In my down time I love to curl up with a good book, create things and keep fit with a spot of jogging or walking. While I enjoy teaching all subjects across the curriculum, I’m in my element when teaching maths and art. Another passion is using ICT as a tool for learning. The last four years have been by far my best years in teaching. I love working collaboratively and seeing how engaged the students are in their learning. I can’t wait for the school year to start, and look forward to working together with two fabulous teachers to facilitate exciting learning with your children.

Jarred Skelton: I am embarking on my fourth year teaching at Beckenham School and third year as part of the Intermediate Hub. I thoroughly love teaching in the Year 7&8 team, and have been consistenly overwhelmed by the community spirit and support shown by the collective Beckenham whānau. I have many ties to Beckenham, with my brother, father, aunty and grandfather all former pupils and now my son, Fynn, who is entering his first year as a Year Seven student in the Kauri Hub, he’ll have no excuses for not having homework now! My amazing wife Kendall is also a teacher. She teaches Year One at Thorrington School (poor Fynn, living with two teachers!). When I’m not teaching, planning, or hanging out with my family, I am normally on stage at the Court Theatre performing or MCing events. I have worked for the Court Theatre for eight years as an actor, tutor, and a regular cast member of Scared Scriptless. Being a Court Jester has given me many amazing opportunities to travel and work with extraordinary people. Along with my love of drama, I am passionate about music and sport. Having just been married in January 2017, I look forward to taking our honeymoon, to a yet to be confirmed location, this year. I am excited to be working along side Nicky and Jenny, and with all of the children who are part of the Kauri team this year.  
jarred.skelton@beckenham.school.nz



Jenny Diggle: Originally from the UK, I lived and worked in the USA, Canada and Australia before deciding to call NZ home. Five years of working with children at a summer camp in North Carolina, where I taught horse riding, cemented my desire to pursue a career in education. Back in England, my mother is also a teacher and had warned me off the profession for years. Evidently, (and thankfully) she did not succeed, as both myself and my sister are now teachers! After training at the University of Canterbury, I moved to Hanmer Springs to begin my teaching practice at Amuri Area School and then moved on to Gilberthorpe School back in Christchurch before starting at Beckenham last year. I thoroughly enjoy the welcoming community feel at our school and working within a team of such inspirational and dedicated teachers. I’m really looking forward to joining the Kauri Team and I’m really excited about the year to come. I am an avid outdoor enthusiast and enjoy mountain biking, trail running, snowboarding and hiking in my free time. In my down time, I practice yoga and enjoy reading and coffee. Last year I travelled to Nepal where I volunteered in the lower Solukhumbu region as a teacher trainer, which was both a challenging and rewarding experience. I enjoy teaching across the curriculum and have a strong interest in Inquiry learning, Science and Social Studies. I’m very excited about the upcoming school year and the learning journey we about to embark upon together.


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Beckenham School Newsletter 3 February 2017

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Welcome back to school for 2017!
It was terrific to see all of the smiling faces arriving at school yesterday morning, and for the Year 5-8 students, getting onto the buses to head over to Champion St.
The first two days of term have flown by!
Thank you to all of the families who made the time to participate in the Learning Conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday. Special thanks to our amazing teachers - they put in two huge days and they loved having the time to meet you all and to start to build shared understandings for the year ahead.

We are excited about the year ahead, both from teaching and learning, and building perspectives.

We wish everyone a relaxing Waitangi weekend, and look forward to a four day week next week!

Ka kite

Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumaki


Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Thu 9th Feb
Welcome Assembly & Celebration Assembly in the school hall.  2:30-2:55pm.  All Welcome!
Guitar lessons with Rodger Hamilton start today.

Tue 14th Feb
CSM Band and lessons start today.

Thu 16th Feb
String lessons with Anne Robinson (CSM) start today.
BOT Meeting from 6-8:50pm at Beckenham School.

Thu 23rd Feb
Yr 5-8 Swimming Sports at Wharenui Swimming Pool.  12:30-3:00pm

Mon 27th Feb- Fri 3 Mar
Yr 7 & 8 Camp at Wainui

Term Dates

Click here to view the 2017 term dates.

School Notices

Building Updates:

Catch up with the latest building news through the Building Blog, and see the new timelapse video of the East Hub so far.

School Road Patrol:

We are looking for some adult volunteers to operate our morning road patrol.  You would need to be at school by 8:30am, the patrol closes at about 8:55am.  This is a great way to meet the school community and helps keep our children safe travelling to school.  If you think you might be interested in being part of the team, please contact Michelle Maule and she will give you more details.
deputy.principal@beckenham.school.nz

School Hats - required for Term 1
Please remember that hats are required for children when they are playing or participating in outside activities during Term 1.
Hats should be plain black or plain red in the bucket or wide-brimmed style. Red or Black bucket hats can be purchased at the office for $10 each. As we now have EFTPOS at the office, we will not be putting hats on accounts.

Social Media Accounts - Be aware!


At the end of last year there was some discussion among students and some parents about a new social media app called COCO. It seems that some of the children are using this app to communicate with each other and this led to some misunderstandings and inappropriate comments being sent back and forth. We strongly encourage families to closely monitor their children’s use of any social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or COCO as the minimum age for these apps is usually 13.  Whilst COCO doesn’t appear to have an age restriction when one logs in as a new user, however, hidden in the ‘Terms and Conditions’ are the following which all parents need to be extremely aware of:

6. Warranty Disclaimer
You must be 18 years of age or older to visit or use “Meet Someone New” in any manner. By using “Meet Someone New”, you represent and warrant to Coco that you are 18 years of age or older, and that you have the right, authority and capacity to agree to and abide by the Terms of Use. You also represent and warrant to Coco that you will use “Meet Someone New” in a manner consistent with any and all applicable laws and regulations. ... You agree that “Meet Someone New” may expose you to Content that may be objectionable or offensive. We shall not be responsible to you in any way for the Content that appears on the Coco Service....

9. Ability to Accept Terms of Service
... you affirm that you are at least 13 years old as the Coco Service is not intended for children under 13. If you are under 13 years of age, you are not permitted to use the Coco Service.

Parents are responsible for monitoring their children’s use of devices and internet services out of school hours. It is critical that you do monitor this on a regular basis, including being aware of apps and related passwords that your child has on their device and monitoring the content of what they are doing on their device.

As part of our school cyber safety agreement children are not permitted to subscribe to any social media accounts or non using their school email account.

Public Health Nurses (PHN)

Public Health Nurses are Registered Nurses who specialise in child and family health. They are employed by the Canterbury District Health Board and provide a free and confidential health service for children aged 5 – 18 years. All schools in Canterbury have a PHN assigned to their school to assist children, parents/caregivers and teachers with health concerns, resources and/or information.  Your designated Public Health Nurse is Natasha Graham.

If you are worried about your child’s health you can contact the PHN Service yourself or a referral can be made (with your permission) by school staff or your GP. Common referrals to the PHN service may include - allergies and anaphylaxis, wetting, soiling, head lice, uncontrolled medical conditions (e.g. epilepsy, diabetes, medication, asthma), eating/nutrition, hygiene, skin conditions (e.g. eczema, scabies), puberty/sexuality/sexual health, and emotional issues (e.g. significant changes in behaviour at home, grief and loss, friendships/relationships).

Public Health Nurses are able to meet with parents/caregivers at home, school or work to provide health support, assessment, advice and to coordinate family health, school or support services if required.

You can contact the Public Health Nursing Service through your school or phone Natasha on (03) 3836877 or email natasha.graham@cdhb.health.nz. If you’d like to refer direct to the Public Health Nursing Service you can find the referral form online: http://www.cdhb.health.nz/Hospitals-Services/Community-Rural-Health-Services/phns/Pages/Referrals-PHNS-Service.aspx.

Community Notices

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


HALSWELL UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB

SUMMER FOOTBALL - Online registrations are OPEN for TERM 1, 2017.
First Kicks/Fun Football (ages 4-8). Skill Centres (ages 8-16). Girls Only HUB (ages 5-12).
Please visit our website for more information: www.hawkfootball.org.nz/summer
WINTER SEASON – Online registrations OPEN 30th January 2017. For ALL players aged 4 to 70+
The season starts 1st April to end of August (early bird fees before end of March).
Grading days for 9th-14th Grades are Sunday 12th & 19th February 2017.
For more information please visit our website at: www.hawkfootball.org.nz/register
Senior Men & Women – Casual Kick arounds from end January on Wednesdays, 6.30pm (Halswell Domain)
Any questions/queries please email Sam Bunn (General Manager): huafcGM@gmail.com

Children's Day:

Sunday 5th March 2017 – 11am till 3pm
Come along and celebrate Children’s Day a FREE community event at the green space, corner of New Brighton Road and Locksley Ave. Pack a picnic lunch and bring along friends and family. Over 40 fun filled activities that are all FREE. So come along and join in on all the excitement. Check out the be there website for more information http://bethere.co.nz/event/24257

CHRISTCHURCH UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
Registrationopens in mid-February for the 2017 winter season. For more information and to register please go to www.cufc.co.nz/programmes/#community

Under 6: – $50 – Saturday Fun Football Session
Under 8: – $90 – Saturday Fun Football Session
Under 10: – $105 – One practice plus matchday
Under 12 to U17: – $115 – One practice plus matchday

Imagination Yoga 2017

Children's Yoga Course: Commences 14th February 2017.
A comprehensive, collaborative and completely magical 32-week beginners yoga course for 4-11 year olds.
Give your Child a solid foundation in the valuable practices of yoga, mediation and being calm, centred, courageous, confident and endlessly imaginative - no matter what.
Class Times: Tuesdays 3:30pm & 4:30pm, Thurdays 3:30pm, Saturdays 10am
Course Info: www.siouxiesolar.com/imaginationyoga
Contact: Lou 0226 250 321 / hello@siouxiesolar.com