This year, Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto is excited to announce that we will be holding our athletics celebration as a whole school event. This will take place on Monday the 4th of November (week 4). Years 5 to 8 will be out on Beckenham Park competing in field and track rotations all day. Years 0 - 4 will start the day with their usual school routine and join us on the park for their run, jump, throw rotations from 11:50 am.
Athletics learning is a key part of our PE curriculum across all teams. The children are being taught safe and effective techniques as well as perseverance, resilience and sportsmanship. Our whole school athletics day is a celebration of this learning.
This year, all children will compete alongside each other rather than in boy/girl events. This is one way that we are seeking to make the event inclusive to all. Sport Canterbury do have gender-based divisions for zone level competition and we will still be able to identify qualifying athletes from Years 5 - 8 to represent our kura at this event. To achieve this we will run our sprint finals for Years 5 - 8 by gender. Like previous years, we will be identifying a top girl and boy athlete from each year level from 5 - 8 who will be recognised at a Celebration Assembly following the event.
Our athletics day concludes with sprint finals, starting at 2:00. Our whole school will come together to cheer on the runners. The final event is a House Relay, which doubles up as an adult versus children race. With years 0 - 8 participating in this relay, we are going to need your support to make up an adult team. Bring your running shoes!
Long jump for years 5 - 8 will be held at Hillview Christian School, on a separate date, yet to be confirmed.
More detailed information about the day’s programme will be communicated to you before the event.
The children are training most days in the field events, and it is great to see so many children prepared with appropriate footwear.
Sun Hats
During Terms 1 and 4, the expectation is that everyone is to wear a sunhat. We require everyone to wear hats that shade the face, neck, and ears, whenever the children are outside and involved in school activities. Hats must be broad-brimmed (min. 7.5 cm), or legionnaire/bucket hats (min. 6 cm brim, deep crown). These hats provide significant protection to the eyes. If a child does not have a hat at school, they will be asked to stay in an allocated shaded area. For Year 5 - 8 this area is in the courtyard.
Thank you to those parents who have dug out a sun hat already!
Cycle Safety
This week our year 6 students are involved in the Cycle Safe Programme provided by the Christchurch City Council.
Cycle Safe is a cycle skills education programme for schools. Students learn the benefits of cycling and how to ride with confidence and be road-wise.
The programme includes:
Cycle maintenance and helmet fitting
Basic cycling skills
Road rules
On road cycling
The students are to bring with them their bike, lock and helmet to school on the days their group is taking part.
The groups are as follows:
Group 1 (participating Tuesday and Wednesday)
Ava , Grace H, Zoe L, Syesha, Mila, Molly, Zoe C (R), Ilia, Imedha, Olive, Jayda, Sophie R, Josh B, Max, Morgan, Sachit, Josh W, Riley, Brooklyn, Caleb, Deakyn, Julia, Rosie, Isabella, Luca & Te Paea.
Group 2 (participating Thursday and Friday)
Zara B, Nela, Aydan, Tabea, Zoe-Arianna, Jonty, Mahli, Jill, Marriyah, Lexie, Gracie, Eli, Justine, Fern, Nevannah, Matilda, Layla W, Zara M, Fergus McM, Layla J, Aarav, Cooper, Seth, Otis, Connor C, Mac, Connor I & Marcellus.
Sexuality Education
As part of our health curriculum, we will be teaching 'Nagivating the Journey: Sexuality Education' to our Year 5 - 8 classes this term. If you would like to find out what is involved in these lessons or have any questions, you are invited to attend a parent meeting in the staffroom on Monday November 11th, between 7 and 8pm. Please indicate on this form if you plan to attend.
Speeches
Our topic for writing at the moment is speeches. Every student should be underway with planning or writing their speech. Each student will present their speech to their home group unless there has been consultation with the home group teacher. The speech finals for our team will be Thursday 14 November at 2pm in the hall.
Just clearing up the confusion about tonight's meeting in the Beckenham Staffroom. It is for students and parents. Both Year 7 and Year 8 families are welcome. It is not compulsory. This is an opportunity to meet with the Cashmere High principal and the head of school for next year's Year 9 group.
Welcome back everyone. We have had a great first week back and loved the 'hum' in the hub as the children chatted about their holidays. We are really looking forward to this term as we know the weather will only continue to get warmer as we head towards summer.
Athletics
At the moment we are currently teaching the children some basic athletics skills including discus, shot put, high jump, long jump and running (sprints and relays) each Thursday afternoon. During this time the children are being taught safe and effective techniques as well as perseverance, resilience and sportsmanship. Our whole school athletics day is a celebration of this learning which will be held on Monday 4th of November. Kōwhai team will begin at 11:50 am.
Hats / Drink bottles / Lunch
Just a reminder that all children need their hat at school EVERY day. Please check with your child to make sure they have their hat (clearly named) in their school bag. As the weather continues to warm up, it is really important for the children to stay hydrated. We will be providing regular 'Drink to Think' times during the day for the children to have some water. We would love your support with ensuring your child has their drink bottle at school. Lunch and morning tea Starting next week, the children will be keeping their lunch boxes inside their school bags as they often get the sunshine on the shelves when the weather warms up. We want to make sure the children's lunches are kept hygienic. To make it easy for them to access their morning tea, it would be really helpful if this was in a separate container for the children to put into their tote tray in the hub. Thanks so much.
Inquiry
This term, we are continuing to explore the concept, 'Innovation requires Creativity and has ethical implications'. Our main curriculum focus this term is Science with the children learning about electricity and circuits. Some of the Big Ideas we aim to teach this term include: 1. Electricity is a form of energy 2. Electrical energy can be generated in a number of ways 3. For electricity to flow through a circuit it needs to be closed. 4. There are different types of circuits (series, simple, parallel) 5. Switches can turn circuits off The children will exercise thier creativity by being innovative with applying this knowledge to a gadget or toy. We look forward to sharing this learning as the term progresses. TORCHES One of our lessons requires the children to investigate how a torch works. If you have any old torches that you are happy for us to dismantle to discover how they work, please send them to school on Monday or Tuesday.
Music
This term the children are lucky to be able to receive specialist music tuition. Josie is continuing to teach recorder and will provide lessons for Rowe and Paulette's home group and Roger Hamilton is teaching Nick and Kate's home group ukulele. Our lessons are every Tuesday afternoon. We hope these lessons will inspire some of the children to learn a musical instrument next year.
Literacy- Speeches
At the moment most of the children are all in the process of writing a simple speech to share with their peers. We have provided the children with agency to choose their own topic to talk about. It's been wonderful to see the children so motivated and keen to share their expertise on a specific topic. The children will share their speeches in the hub over the next couple of weeks. Some children might want to practice their speech at home, and if so, will bring their cue cards home to do so.
Basic Facts
As a team, we are having a focus this term on basic facts. We have identified areas the children need to work on and are using Study Ladder and an app that Nick has created to support this learning. You might like to ask your child what skill they are working on and give them time to practice at home.
Discovery
We understand the importance of providing the children with agency and time to develop their communication, problem solving, leadership or cooperative skills, perseverance and risk taking. This term during our Discovery Time, the children will have the opportunity to learn how to programme (code) a sphero, gain art skills, learn some basic cooking/food preparation skills, and complete engineering tasks and challenges. Here are some of the children in action this week.
Dates for the Diary
28th October- Labour Day (school closed) 4th November- School Athletics Day 8th November- Whānau Rōpū Hui 13th November- CSO Big Bang Concert (Trip to the Town Hall) 15th November - Canterbury Show Day (school closed) 20th November- Training Band Concert That's all for now Kōwhai Teaching Team
Welcome back to Term 4! There is no doubt that Term 4 always seems to fly by faster than any other term, and that there is always a lot happening in the school at this time of the year.
We had a fabulous turnout at our Welcome Assembly on Friday, with a record number of new whānau present for our termly welcome to new families and children.
On Wednesday this week we welcomed Year 7/8 students from Carisbrook School in Dunedin to compete with our students in our annual inter-school sports challenge. We were extremely fortnuate with the weather, and this year, we managed to win the trophy back! Congratulations to everyone who participated and showed such great sportsmanship and manaakitanga to our visitors.
Enrolling your four year old...
If you have a four-year-old who you are intending to enrol at Beckenham, we would really appreciate you getting your enrolment form in as soon as possible. You can download an enrolment form from the school website and email it in to Jacky in the office. This helps us with our planning for next year, and helps us with providing evidence to the Ministry of Education that we need more staffing than they have so far allocated to us for 2020.
House Activities in Term 4
In Term Four, on alternate Fridays, we have House Games instead of Waiata. These games provide an opportunity for children to mix with other children of different year levels and ages from across the school and provides leadership opportunities for our senior students. Children can wear their 'House Shirts' every Friday- if you haven't purchased one yet, these are available from the school office.
Parent Seminar on Digital Safety
We are very pleased to be able to announce that Mana Ake will be offering the following important Parent Seminar in November - please put this in your diaries now.
Supporting Your Child in a Digital World' -Parent seminar
The digital world is here to stay.
Come along and find out how to keep your children safe in the digital world. Learn how the digital world can affect children's well-being and how to support them in this environment.
Mana Ake presentation for Whānau
Tuesday 19 November - Staffroom - Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto
Our next Whānau Rōpū Hui - whānau picnic and chance to learn a new game together!
Save the date of our next whānau rōpū hui in your diary - Friday 8th November from 5:00pm. We will have the opportunity to learn a game called "Ki o Rahi" which is a Māori ball game, described in Wikipaedia below: "Kī-o-rahi is a ball sport played in New Zealand with a small round ball called a 'kī'. It is a fast-paced game incorporating skills similar to rugby union, netball, and touch.[1] Two teams of seven players play on a circular field divided into zones, and score points by touching the 'pou' (boundary markers) and hitting a central 'tupu' or target. The game is played with varying rules (e.g. number of people, size of field, tag ripping rules etc.) depending on the geographic area it is played in. A process called Tatu, before the game, determines which rules the two teams will use." The evening will be a chance for families to learn the game together, and to play in mixed teams. It should be a lot of fun!
Ngā mihi nui Sandy Hastings Principal - Tumaki
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Tue 22 - Fri 25 Oct - Cycle Safety for Year 6 students Fri 25 Oct - Celebration Assembly. 10:50 - 11:20am in the school hall. Everyone Welcome. Mon 28 Oct - Labour Day. School is closed Wed 30 Oct - BOT Meeting 5:30 - 7pm Wed 30 Oct - PTA Meeting. 7:30 - 9:30pm Mon 4 Nov - WHOLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS Wed 6 Nov - Summer Tournament for years 7 & 8' Fri 8 Nov - Whānau Rōpū Hui - Ki o Rahi tournament Fri 15 Nov - Canterbury Anniversary Day - school closed
Sam, you are a thoughtful and empathetic member of Kauri whānau. You consistently show initiative, identifying what needs to be done and seeing the task through to completion. Your learning is always completed to the best of your ability and you will often go the extra distance to make sure tasks are completed on time. Keep up the fantastic work!
School Notices
Please do not send food to school to be shared
Please do not bring food into school to be shared with other children. (The only exception to this would be fresh fruit). Whilst we understand that there are times you want to celebrate special events for your children with their friends at school, e.g. birthdays or being awarded prizes, by bringing food and treats for them to share, we have a policy of children only eating the food that their whānau have prepared and sent with them. We have a number of students with food allergies and also need to respect the wishes of some families who want to monitor what their children are eating and prefer their children just to eat food they have prepared. From time to time, there may be an event that teachers have organised that will involve food (cultural or learning activities) and they will have advised families in advance that this will be happening.
Sunhats
Looking at the weather last week you might wonder if the sun will shine again, but I'm sure sunny days are not that far away. During term 4 it is compulsory for all students to wear a hat. These are available for purchase from the school office, the PTA second hand uniform shop and from Mainland Uniforms at 189 Peterborough Street. Caps are not an acceptable form of sun protection for wearing at school. Please name your child's hat on the inside with their own name (particularly important if they have a hand-me-down hat from someone else).
Parking outside the School
The 3 minute drop off zone has generally been working well since its instigation. Please remember that it is a 3 minute drop off zone, and is designed so that students are dropped off. Please do not park here if you intend walking your students into class.
When dropping off or picking up your child from school, please also ensure you stay off the painted yellow lines. These are there to ensure drivers and our road patrollers have a clear view of the road. There is a lot of parking on Eastern Tce and on Norwood Street if the drop off zone is busy or alternatively, you might need to make a circle of the block. Please respect the purpose of these lines especially on wet days to maintain the safety of all our children and their whānau.
Lost Property
We have a collection of drink bottles (Metal and plastic), beautiful knitted hats, a variety of socks and mittens and unnamed bottoms and tops, along with many un-named uniform items etc. The lost property is on display on the library veranda throughout the day.
Jewellery at school
One piece of jewellery/taonga of cultural significance may be worn under clothing. This may be displayed on formal school occasions. Plain ear studs can be worn. Sleepers or dangly earrings are not appropriate for school as they can catch and tear.
Congratulations to...
Zone Speech Finalists. Every year, two intermediate students are selected to represent our kura in the Zone Speech Competition, run by the Rotary Club. This is a fantastic experience that extends and challenges our tamariki.
In the year 7 competition, Henry Hood was placed third place with a witty and informative speech on food waste. The judges were impressed by the amount of research that Henry used to back up his ideas on this important and global topic.
In the year 8 competition, Maddi McIvor was awarded first place. Her powerfully persuasive speech tackled the issue of gender inequality in sport. The judges commended Maddi on her advanced vocabulary and the way that she structured her ideas.
A huge congratulations to both of these children.
Results from our school competition are as follows:
Year 7
1st Henry Hood
2nd Thomas Lyall
3rd Ruby McNiven
Year 8
1st Maddi McIvor
2nd Ben Evans
3rd equal Meg Macdonald and Morvern McDaid
Congratulations also to Meara who competed at the Canterbury Classic Karate Competition and won a gold medal in her age group for Kumite (combat). A lot of hard training went into the preparation for this competition so it was well deserved.
Congratulations to Charlotte who gained 3 firsts in a recent ballet competition. She was also the ballet champion for 'Under 15-year-olds'.
This year, we are excited to announce that we will be holding our athletics celebration as a whole school event. This will take place on Monday the 4th of November. Years 5 to 8 will be out on Beckenham Park competing in field and track rotations all day. Years 0 - 4 will start the day with their usual school routine and join us on the park for their run, jump, throw rotations from 11:50 am. Athletics learning is a key part of our PE curriculum across all teams. The children are being taught safe and effective techniques as well as perseverance, resilience, and sportsmanship. Our whole school athletics day is a celebration of this learning.
This year, all children will compete alongside each other rather than in boy/girl events. This is one way that we are seeking to make the event inclusive to all. Sport Canterbury does have gender-based divisions for zone level competition and we will still be able to identify qualifying athletes from Years 5 - 8 to represent our kura at this event. To achieve this we will run our sprint finals for Years 5 - 8 by gender. Like previous years, we will be identifying a top girl and boy athlete from each year level from 5 - 8 who will be recognised at a Celebration Assembly following the event.
Our athletics day concludes with sprint finals, starting at 2:00. Our whole school will come together to cheer on the runners. The final event is a House Relay, which doubles up as an adults versus children race. With years 0 - 8 participating in this relay, we are going to need your support to make up an adult team. Bring your running shoes!
Long jump for years 5 - 8 will be held at Hillview Christian School, on a separate date, yet to be confirmed.
More detailed information about the day’s programme will be communicated to you before the event.
Sport Uniforms - Please Return
We are missing several Sport Uniform tops. Please hunt in bags, under beds etc for any that are hiding and return items back to school. This clothing is expensive and it is preferable to have them returned rather than charge for replacing them.
PTA News
Your Free Giant Atlantic Pumpkin Seed is ready for collection now!
Every family at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto can collect their pumpkin seed from the Office before or after school.
At every Twilight Fair, next one is on Friday 20th March 2020, we host a Pumpkin Competition & invite all families to have a crack at growing their own Giant.
We will email out hints & tips to those that partake in this opportunity. To be ready for the end of March, get your seed sprouting now.
Fun Fact: The NZ record was set in 2016 at 789.5kg, grown by Tim Harris from Morrinsville- surely a Beckenham Pumpkin will grow bigger than that????
Calling all Green Fingers
We will need plants for our Plant Stall at the Twilight Fair. If you have seedlings starting to pop up in your garden & you are happy to transplant them & nurture them over the next 6 months we would love to have them for the Fair.
Clubbercise
Wednesday 23rd October at 7pm, $10 per session
Clubbercise classes are designed for everybody... It doesn’t matter what fitness level you’re at. It doesn’t matter what your coordination is like. All that matters is that you turn up. No fear. No judgement. Just music, fitness and fun
Hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner.....If your family is considering a ‘Sustainable Christmas’ make sure you pop down to the next Beckenham Booty - Car boot Sale on Sunday 27th October 9 - 11am & start that Christmas shopping.
One of our talented parents is kindly offering a 20-minute photography mini session including 5 images & for up to 5 people for $70.....AND 10% will be donated to the PTA!
Liane Helena Photography specialises in maternity, newborn & family photography. The first session sold out in minutes so another session has been offered on Saturday 16th Nov in the stunning Botanic Gardens.
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
Scorpio Books
NZ Bookshop Day is on Saturday, 26th October and we have some exciting events planned! Graphic novelist, Katie O’Neill will be hosting a drawing workshop, we’re throwing a Wundrous celebration of all things Nevermoor, we’ll have staff picks for only $15 each and most importantly – With each sale, customers are able to nominate a local school for us to donate 10% of their purchase to!
