Principal's Patch
Kia ora koutou
The Ōpāwaho Learning Community Cluster, which Beckenham School is a member of, is very pleased to be able to bring Nathan Mikaere-Wallis to speak to our community.
Please find the details below. Our hall can seat 400 people, and with just the Facebook event that went up earlier this week, over 290 seats have already been booked, so you will need to register immediately if you want to get a seat. To secure your seat go to
this link.
Nathan will explore the needs that relate to the development of social, emotional skills, which as well as developing resilience, play a crucial role in the subsequent development of cognitive skills such as literacy. Nathan Wallis is a father of three & foster parent with a professional background in child counselling, teaching and social service management. Until recently he lectured in Human Development at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand and was also a board member and senior trainer with the national body responsible for the dissemination of neuroscientific research to professionals. Nathan is a regular on Radio and Television shows in New Zealand, sharing his expertise on child development.
Teacher Only Day confirmed for Term 2:
We are able to confirm that Monday 1st May will be a TEACHER ONLY DAY. This means that
Term 2 will start on Tuesday 2nd May. Please note this in your diaries.
Congratulations!
Some days I get an unexpected email in my inbox that just makes me smile and feel incredibly proud of our students and the generous hearts that they have. This week, I received this email:
"Just wanted to pass on a huge thank you from the team here at Ronald McDonald House South Island to your students, in particular Charlotte and Madeline who recently held a bake sale to raise money for our families." - Phillipa Webb - Marketing and Communications Advisor - Ronald McDonald House.
Mufti Day
Please note that the date in last week's newsletter for Mufti Day was incorrect. The new and correct date for the Flouro Mufti Day is Thursday 16th March
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Thu 9th Mar11am-12:30am. Kowhai Top Team event
2:15pm - 3pm Celebration Assembly - All Welcome
Fri 10th Mar1:30-3pm School Duathlon
Tue 14th MarZone Swimming sports at Jellie Park Recreation
Thu 16th MarPOSTPONEMENT
Mufti Day - Flouro colours - bring a gold coin to raise money for volunteer firefighters
Mon 20th MarYear 7 Leadership day
1:30-3pm Elgregoe
Wed 22nd MarSchool photos at Beckenham School (class and individual)
Term 2:Please note - we have confirmed Monday 1 May as a Teacher ONLY Day.
Term 2 will start on Tuesday 2nd May.
Term Dates
Click here to view 2017 term dates.
Citizen of the Week
Fynn Skelton Year 7
Fynn, you have a big heart and always show that you care. You are very aware of when your peers need support and always display empathy and understanding. 'We love challenge' is a value that you live by. Fynn, you grab hold of opportunities, displaying confidence and growing resilience. Sharing our Learning
Pohutukawa Team
We have had a fabulous start to the year in Te Whanau o Pohutukawa. Our inquiry focus is the concept of ‘Identity’. This has allowed many opportunities for us to get to know each other, discover the ways in which we are unique, and the commonalities that we share. During writing, we have been expressing our identity through biographical poems. Here are some examples:
Sama
Brave, friendly, kind & loyal
Daughter of Dunya Sabre and Firas Salman.
Sister of Faisal Ahmed and Omar Salman
Who loves nature, her family & her friends
Who feels happy around others
Who is scared of Donald Trump, earthquakes & spiders
Who learnt how to ride a bike in a few days
Who wants to see the pyramids of Egypt & the great wall of China
Born in Egypt, from Iraq, lives in Halswell
Ahmed
Sophia
Amazing, nice, awesome and beautiful
Daughter of Mami and Fraser
Sister to Charissa and Soriel
Who loves dance, sport, art and more
Who feels nervous talking in front of big crowds
Who is scared of Donald Trump, spiders and insects
Who works hard for distinction in dance
Who wants all the bad to be good
Born in Christchurch, lives in Sydenham
Brown
Archie
Weird, loyal and berry funny
Son of Davina McNickel and Michael De Clifford,
Brother of Louie De Clifford
Who loves Animals (sloths), food (not pumpkins) and FNAF
Who fears rotten food, big McDonalds deals, non-stop little kids plays and Doc McStuffins
Who has achieved a life as a sloth
Who wants to get to night 5 in FNAF 1&2
Who lives in in Cashmere and was born in Christchurch
De Clifford
Kauri Team - on Camp
The Year 7 & 8 students have spent this week on Camp at Wainui in the Akaroa Harbour. They have had amazing weather, and challenged themselves to push beyond their comfort zones, supporting one another along the way.
You can read about their adventures on the
Kauri Blog...School Notices
ELGREGOE (Years 0-4)
This year Elgregoe is coming to visit our Year 0-4 children on Monday 20 March. Elgregoe will be focusing on the theme of "YOU be the HERO" which teaches students they can be the solution to bullying.
A hero shows HONESTY, has EMPATHY, is RESPECTFUL, is RESILIENT and looks for OPPORTUNITIES to make a difference.
This show supports the messages we are already giving students to create a positive and bully free environment. Amazing new illusions and puppets, live parrots, and incredible props combine to
deliver a powerful presentation that does make a difference.
The cost to the school for bringing this 1 hour presentation in is $4:00 per child, a request for your contribution for this will be put on your next account.
University of Canterbury Kiwi Competitions (Years 5-8)
The University of Canterbury is offering our Year 5-8 children the opportunity to participate in the Great Kiwi English, Mathematics and Science competitions. These competitions will be taking place annually and are designed by New Zealand teachers for New Zealand students based on the New Zealand curriculum.
The competitions are administered by the centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) which is a not-for-profit Centre at the University of Canterbury. The competitions are open to all Year 5-10 students in English, Mathematics and Science. Students can enter in one or more subjects. It provides teachers, parents and students an independent, comprehensive record of a student's performance. Your child’s teacher will supervise the online tests which will take place in the last 2 weeks of Term 2 at school.
Certificates will be sent to all participating students and prizes awarded to top students. These will be supplied by the University of Canterbury. For further information, please consult the CEM website www.cem.canterbury.ac.nz
We have decided to offer
The Kiwi Competitions now at Beckenham School, in place of the ICAS competitions (which are from the University of New South Wales) which we have participated in the past.
Please click on
this link to complete the registration details for your child. Alternatively forms are at the Beckenham and Champion St offices, and teachers will also have a handful of paper copies.
Payment for these competition fees, $8.50 per subject, will need to be paid in full by the last day of Term 1 (Thursday 13 April). You can pay with eftpos at the Beckenham site office or online school's bank account (ASB 12-3148-0131641-000) with the reference ‘KiwiCom’ and child’s name as the code.
Competitions will take place between 26 June-7 July.
Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival
Application to Auditions for 2017 Representative Groups (Junior and Senior Special Choir, Concert Band and Orchestra) are now open.
Our best musicians need to be part of this!
This is the opportunity for singers and instrumentalists to achieve at the highest level of performance and to excel in their chosen area of artistic endeavour.
If you are interested place an application online – it really is very simple. Go to the festival website
www.musicfestival.school.nz where all the information and application form is available. There is information on the website that will answer every question of a parent or potential participant.
Please note that applications close on April 13th (last day of Term 1)
To complete your application, you will need to use our Beckenham School code which is
pride.
Pohutukawa "Pitch Perfect" Choir
It has been fabulous to have so many Year 5 and 6 students interested in joining choir this year. We will be starting the year with a pop music focus. Once the Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival song books are released, we will spend our time learning the songs and perfecting our singing for this. The festival runs from the 25th to 27th October. Students will have the opportunity to perform alongside around 1000 other other children. The CSM Festival is a wonderful opportunity for our children to develop their musical talents and to contribute towards an event that is an institution in Canterbury. There are bound to be many parents that have fond childhood memories of participating in this festival themselves! The theme for this year is ‘Whatever the Weather’.
If your child is keen to be in the choir, they will be bringing home a letter next week outlining our goals and including some information and dates for the Music Festival. If you support them being in the choir, please sign and return the form, and ensure that they understand that they are committing to being in the choir through to the Music Festival in Term 4.
Katie ChapmanParking and Safety on Sandwich Road
It is drawn to our attention almost every day that a number of people are parking on the broken yellow lines adjacent to the pedestrian crossing at our front entrance on Sandwich Road.
Parking close to the crossing puts the children who are using the crossing at great risk - they are less visible to oncoming traffic, and they need to step out onto the crossing before they can see traffic that is coming.
We rely on every member of our community to follow the road rules and keep all of our children safe. Please allow a little extra time in the morning to park at a safe distance from the crossing and walk.
Staff Profile
Katie Chapman
Kia ora koutou! 2017 is my third year as a teacher at Beckenham School. Prior to this I was a stay at home mummy to Isla (6) and Toby (4). I have taught across a range of year levels and settings in my seven years as a teacher. I feel really lucky to teach at Beckenham School.
I love the way that diversity is celebrated, our children love learning, and we are like a big extended family. I was born and raised in Christchurch and feel proud to be a Cantabrian.
I love listening to music, walking in the outdoors and spending time with my family and friends. My children and I like to spend our weekends out and about, exploring the many attractions that Christchurch has on offer.
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
WINTER FOOTBALL SEASON – HALSWELL UNITED AFC
Online registrations are OPEN. For ALL players aged 4 to 70+
The season starts 1st April to end of August (early bird fees before end of March).
First Kicks 4-6 years ($60), Fun Football 7-8 years ($100), 9th/12th Grades ($130) for the season.
Senior Men/Women – Casual Kick arounds Wednesdays, 6.30pm (Halswell Domain).
For more information please visit our website at: www.hawkfootball.org.nz/register
Email: Sam Bunn: huafcGM@gmail.com for information
OPEN DAY (gain information) - Halswell Outdoor Pools, Sun 12th March, 5pm-7pm
