Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

The term is clearly racing by - so much so that we realised today that we didn't send out the newsletter last Friday. Here it is... enjoy!

Learning Conference Feedback

Thank you to everyone who has given feedback on the Learning Conferences. Today (Monday) is the final day for feedback, so if you still want to have your say, please click here and complete the feedback form. We will use this information to support our next steps with this process.

Building Update

Slow progress seems to be the order of the day at the moment! However, this is not changing the fact that our Champion St classes will DEFINITELY be returning to Beckenham from the start of Term 4. So only three weeks left of catching buses every day! Hooray! We are working with a moving company to shift most of the Champion st resources back to Beckenham in the second week of the holidays. However, we will be looking for offers of help from parents who have a trailer, to pick up some really bulky items like picnic tables and benches, ideally during the last week of this term. If you can help, please call Jacky or email her at office@beckenham.school.nz

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Citizen of the Week

Sharing our Learning

Kauri Team

Last Wednesday, 70 bleary eyed, yet excited, Year 7 & 8 children gathered at 6:20am to embark on a day that put ‘We Love Challenge’ into action. 90 minutes later our bus emerged on the other side of the cloud that had descended over Canterbury, into a sparkling blue sky day, surrounded by the snowy slopes of Mount Hutt. What an awesome day we had. A 90 minute lesson set the foundation for a day of skill development. Persistence, practise and a positive attitude reaped rewards, whether that was on the beginners’ slope, venturing up the chairlift for the first time or exploring new slopes. Our able and willing parent helpers allowed for a day where everyone could meet challenge at their level. As the bus arrived back at school 12 hours later, 70 tired yet happy children descended, full of stories to share from their day of challenge on the slopes. 

By spending Years 7 & 8 at Beckenham School, you open the door on many adventures. Adventures where everyone gets to take part. We encourage the children to seize opportunities, rather than let opportunities pass them by. Our day at Mt Hutt was just one example of this.

Kowhai Team

Netball

We have had a very successful season of netball in the Kowhai team. We managed to put together 2 teams this year, the Beckenham A team and the Beckenham B team. All the children have had a great experience and have hugely improved their netball skills throughout the winter. Well done to all those children and a big thank you to Jacqui Cooper, Huriana Timothy and Rebecca Carr who helped to coach the 2 teams. We could not have done it without you. Thank you also to all the parents who came and supported the teams even on some very cold and wintery days!

Calendar Art

Wow, what an amazing effort the children have been putting into their calendar art. Each home group has taken a different spin on creating a calendar masterpiece. The children have taken ownership of a their art to create a piece they can be really proud of. We hope you enjoy them!

Inspiration Stations:

Every morning in the Kowhai hub children are learning through different challenges and play. These challenges allow us to be metacognitive (that means thinking about our thinking) as we think deeply about how we are using our thinking skills to solve problems and be creative. All our activities are based around a theme of Change. These activities include:

• Investigating how games and toys have changed over time
• Researching geological and historical change.
• Creating cars and making changes to our designs.
• Changing shapes through tangrams.
• Creating costumes of the future .
• Upcycling junk.
• Exploring maps.
• Creating transformers.

Ask us about what we are learning in our inspiration stations. You will be amazed!

Kids In Town

This week both the Koru and the Kowhai Kapa Haka groups performed at the Art Gallery as part of the Kids In Town programme. Sherrilee and the Kapa Haka groups all put on an amazing performance and there was a fantastic turnout of friends and family which was great to see. It was such a wonderful experience for the children and very exciting too!

School Notices

We have the opportunity to apply for a grant to support families who feel stretched to cover some extra schooling costs, including uniform, stationery, additional tuition (eg music lessons) and camps.

If you would be interested in us applying on your behalf, please complete this brief form (https://goo.gl/forms/77FQinMfFtnJ9hNY2) by Friday, 15 September, and Vicki from the office will be in touch.

Term dates 2018.  

There was an error in the original dates published.  In 2018 Labour day is Monday October 22nd and Christchurch Anniversary day is Friday November 16th. Click here to find the 2018 dates on the school website.

Wellbeing Focus This Fortnight

Over recent weeks, we have looked at how being part of family and friendship groups supports our wellbeing. We have shared how we care for our family and our friends. We have learnt that being with family and friends requires working as a team, and using lots of communication, caring and compromise.

We have explored how good friends and family listen to each other actively. Watch this clip and practise at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWe_ogA5YCU

Each family is different, and we celebrate that difference. Many children have shared some of the special things their family do, in terms of activities or spending certain parts of the day or week together.
Ideas to reflect on or discuss at home:
What special or fun things do you do together with your family?
What matters in your family?
Who are you grateful for in your family and what do you enjoy about them? Make a point of telling them or writing a note to share your thoughts with them.

Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) Parent Information Meeting

Thursday 28 September 2:15pm
Years 0-6 will be learning about ‘how to keep themselves safe’ in weeks 3&4 in term 4.
The Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) programme focuses on helping students learn and apply a range of safety skills that they can use when interacting with others.
We will be holding a parent information meeting where Constable Ross will inform our parents of the programme and answer any questions you may have about the programme and content covered. Constable Ross will be teaching alongside our teachers and spending time in each hub.
There is also some information about the programme and a range of resources for parents on the Police website below:
http://www.police.govt.nz/advice/personal-and-community-advice/school-portal/resources/successful-relationships/keeping-1

BOT News

Have you wondered what the Board of Trustees do, or thought it might be a way for you to contribute to our school?  Here's a few thoughts from current Board member Rachele Allan.

In 2014 I was elected to the Board and have enjoyed a very eventful time; the achievements have been spectacular.  Look around and you almost see a revamped school with beautiful and well functioning learning spaces.  Inside the classrooms our children are privileged to amazing learning opportunities; literacy, numeracy, reading, culture, music, sport that all support a journey for our future leaders.

As a Board member I'm not involved with the day to day running of the school; that is left to Sandy and her team of experts.  Our role on the Board is to provide direction and be constructive in our involvement to focus on "every student achieving their highest possible educational potential".  We support our teaching staff and students through decision making and planning. We are responsible for making sure that the budgets are maintained and have roles in supporting and advocating for our school.  Skills such as communication, planning, finance are useful, as are a collaborative and team focused approach to meetings and issues resolution.

I am a passionate Beckenham School supporter but my priorities have changed and I won't be standing in the election at the end of the year.  We have about 10 meetings a year and some preparation time is also required.  In all probably maximum about 4 hours a month.  Not a huge commitment for incredible rewards and satisfaction.  I am very proud of the achievements the Board has made in recent times and I hope that some of you might consider putting your name forward.

There is always reluctance to stand for something in case you don't win or get elected, and I know that being a trustee isn't for everyone.  However if you have the skills (or recognise these skills in someone else), I would challenge you to stand despite the potential outcome, win or lose.  From the other side I can promise it's pretty concerning being on the Board and wondering if there will be enough people to have an election!  Don't worry about not knowing what to do; the School Trustees Association has plenty of resources and training to help you through; here is a short video on what it's all about (http://www.trustee-election.co.nz/).

If you'd like to know more please get in touch with any of the current Board members - http://www.beckenham.school.nz/index.php/people/board-of-trustees.

Congratulations

Roxy Murfin and Jimmy Middleditch have been selected to represent Canterbury in football. They will play in a tournament against 21 other South Island teams in October. It's a huge achievement for both these players who trialled against strong competition to be selected.

Roxy Murfin placed third in the Canterbury Primary Schools fencing competition last weekend.

PTA News

ASB Summer Starter

We have created a Beckenham School Team for the ASB Summer Starter on Sunday 26 November. Beckenham School will receive 50c per KM for every person from the school community that joins our school team and participates in the ASB Summer Starter. So get your friends, family, neighbours and work mates signed up through the Beckenham School Team. 10km, 4km and Kids 1.5km Dash, Duck & Dive options. Adults $20, 10-15 years $10, under 9s $5, 1.5km option $15. The perfect way to fundraise for our new outfit spaces! How many children will we spot wearing their house tops on the day?
http://bit.ly/2vgIuvK

Beckenham Tea Towels

You should have received a flyer in your child's bag, about the PTA Tea towel fundraiser. These beautiful tea towels will be available by advance order only, for just $10 each. To order, click here. Orders need to be received by the end of the term, Friday 29th Sept.

Staff Profile - Michelle Maule

Kia ora koutou. This will be my 22nd year teaching and almost all of it at Beckenham School! Yes I love being here! Every year is different and there have been many varied roles and opportunities at Beckenham that have enabled me to be challenged and continuously learning.  I am married to Simon, who is a mortgage broker, and we have a 13 year old son, Ruben, who has been at Beckenham for 8 years and has now just started Cashmere High School as a Year 9. My mother was a Solomon Islander and my father is from England so we have a rich cultural background. Simon, Ruben and I live in one of the most amazing places in the world, Governors Bay. At the end of the day, we love feeling like we are going on holiday when we drive over the hill. It is an incredibly peaceful place and we all love walking in the hills and playing basketball together. Recently my school focus has been on creating a culture of wellbeing, supporting our staff to develop strategies for increased wellbeing and explicitly teaching wellbeing practices to empower our children and to ensure learning is optimal. I have participated in Mindfulness training (Pause, Breathe, Smile) and support the wellbeing team at school. I am also about to embark on study in Positive Psychology/Education and Strengths Based Practice.

Rebekah Stoop

Community Notices

NEW MEMBERS & COACHING OPPORTUNITIES BECKENHAM TENNIS CLUB

Beckenham Tennis Club Motto is to be family friendly our goal is for families to play tennis together
We are open for NEW members to play tennis.

•             Registration interest on our new web site:  www.beckenhamtennisclub.co.nz
•             Pee Wee Junior First Day Saturday 28 October 8.30am (already had some coaching), 9.30am class for beginners.
•             Junior/Intermediate TEAMS (children can serve a ball) coaching for two weeks in September prior to school holidays.

•             ADULT – EASY TENNIS COACHING for beginner adults coming back into tennis or learning.  Tuesday morning group or Saturday afternoon (after 4pm).

HAVE A GO DAY sponsored by Canterbury Tennis – Sat & Sunday the 2nd and 3rd September for all people interested in trying out tennis = 1-4pm
Will have spot prizes and Sausage Sizzle

Contact: Leanne Dunbar cell 0275 316 026 landline ph 9606021

Do you have no time after school with all your child's activities to be able to fit in swimming lessons?  Well you aren't alone!  MAC's & Bumble Bees Swim School  are running an intensive holiday programme that will help with this issue.  Get your swimming tuition in over 5 consecutive days and make great progress quickly.
Dates:  Monday 9th - Friday 13th October
Times:  9am - 3pm (Bumble Bees) & 1.30pm - 5pm (MAC's).  All lessons are 30 minutes long
Cost:  $75.00

Call Louise now on 332 4671 or email bees.swim@xtra.co.nz to book in.

Expect Trains

The rail line has been closed since the November earthquake and we need to make sure people have not become complacent around the railway.
Your local school or home may not be located next to the rail line but at some point you and your family or friends will no doubt use a rail crossing on their travels.

Our key safety messages are:

• Always expect trains from either direction and at any time
• If you are in a car, always slow down as you’re approaching a level crossing and be prepared to STOP
• Look out for trains, and obey signs and signals
• Stay off railway tracks. Only cross the railway at approved railway level crossing points.

Port Hills Athletics

Registration days:
Sunday 17 th September 2-4pm
Wednesday 20 th September 6-7pm
Clubrooms Hansen Park, Opawa
Info: T&F Club Captain
Sarah Clapp
gandsclapp@gmail.com
WWW.PORTHILLS@ORG.NZ

Christchurch Vegan Expo

Air Force Museum of New Zealand, Harvard Ave, Wigram.
10am – 4:30 pm
Sunday, October 8, 2017

Studies have shown eating excess meat is causing health issues, so whether you are looking at reducing your meat intake by including Meatless Mondays into your family’s diet, or if you already eat a wide range of vegetarian/vegan meals, you will find something at the 2017 Christchurch Vegan Expo to interest you.

Enjoy great vegan food, watch top veggie chefs display their cooking secrets, learn about vegetarian living and enjoy celebrating cruelty-free, pro-planet lives with Christchurch’s vegetarian and vegan community. Whether you are vegetarian or not, you will love the variety of foods and entertainment on offer, which includes a special kid’s zone and bouncy castle.

Eftpos and plenty of free parking will be available.
Kids free (12 and under), adults $5 (tickets available on the door).

More info: veganexpo.org.nz 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/666845676847643/

New Zealand Football and Mainland’s action-packed holiday football programme is a great way for young players to have fun and develop their football skills at the same time.

Available from one to three consecutive days per week.
Suitable for children aged 7-14 years old. Children will be placed in groups relative to their age and ability
Girls only sessions also available (numbers permitting).
Each session includes skill-based training, so kids can learn the tricks and techniques to become better players. There are also plenty of chances to play football games in a fun environment, and experience the thrill of putting those skills into practice.
Keen to play? Click here to register

Starfish Swim School

Bookings for the October holiday program
are now open!
Week one:
2 nd – 6 th October
Week two:
9 th – 13 th October.
Cost is $62 for the week or $105 for both weeks.
Email: info@starfishswimschool.co.nz
Or phone us at: 03 3381795
2 Nash Road, Halswell



Book Club Issue 6 is now available.  visit  https://bookclub.scholastic.co.nz/ to order

CASPA

CASPA is now accepting enrolments for the up and coming October Holiday Programme, please book online via caspa.aimyplus.com or call 03 3499260

Meet in the Middle, Sunday 15 October 

Celebrate the opening of Te Ara Ōtākaro, the Avon Trail, by joining the walk or ride along the river from New Brighton or the City to Kerrs Reach for a grand family fun day, with a regatta, kids activities, food and live entertainment. For details: www.middle.nz


Weekly Writing Classes - for years 4-13.  8 Saturdays each term from 10am - 12pm at Hagley College.
To register go to : http://www.schoolforyoungwriters.org/

Kiwi Volley 

Holiday Fun programme for year 7 & 8 students takes place on 11th, 12th and 13rd October 2017, between 9am and 12pm at St. Margaret's College, Cost: $60 per person. These sessions are full of fun and they include a mini tournament. Complete beginners are welcome! Players will learn all the basic skills, meet other Volleyball players and have a ton of fun!
 Register at:  https://www.canterburyvolleyball.org/kiwivolleyball-holiday-programme

Kids Karate Classes

Help your child build confidence, self-control, and a healthy body and mind through a traditional martial art. Port Hills Karate supports a safe, caring and respectful learning environment at Christchurch South Intermediate.
Principal Instructor, Dan Jakes has been training in karate for over thirty years. Dan holds a third degree black belt and is a former National Champion and NZ Representative. Dan has twenty years of coaching experience and is also a qualified teacher.
For more information:
Visit: http://www.porthillskarate.nz/
Phone: 03 3665058 or 021 408036
Email: dan@sanctuaryhealth.co.nz