As ever, we really appreciate all of the whanau support we are receiving. We are especially grateful to those dedicated parents who kindly put away books each week, and to those who volunteer for reading time.
Trip to see the Symphony Orchestra at the Town Hall - Wednesday 13th Nov, leaving at 9.15
In preparation, we are learning about classical music. We have loved listening to Peter & the Wolf, Peer Gynt and other popular pieces, and finding out about the parts of the orchestra. On the day, please do make sure your child has their school uniform, a jumper and sensible shoes (no gumboots) on Wednesday.
Digital Learning
We have a digital literacies expert coming to show us new Apps for learning. We have used Scratch Jnr for programming, andDraw & Tell to share our learning.
Athletics
The children really enjoyed participating and trying new skills
What an active week we had last week! We were so impressed by the way the House Captains and Sports Leaders took leadership during our athletic sports on Monday. They were confident, organised and caring. After a false start on Wednesday, summer tournament proved to be an enjoyable learning experience for many on Thursday. Special congratulations go to the orienteering groups who were placed. Those remaining back at school made a good start on backdrops for our production. On Friday afternoon we had the first glimpse at all of the production items. While there is still a lot of work to do, from what we saw, this promises to be a highly entertaining show. What a talented bunch of performers we have in the Intermediate Hub!
We have made a start on our leadership appointments for 2020, so that a group can attend the 'Be Inspired' leadership training this coming Wednesday afternoon. House Captains: Henry H, Ruby M, Thomas, Isla, Mia, Ben N, Lucky, Tom Deputy House Captains: Amelia, Riley, Erik, Devina, Eddie, Grace, Devina and Jack K Student Council Executive: Eva, Emma and Abby
Leavers' Book
This week we will be starting to put all the memories and photos together for our Leavers' Book. If you have yet to send in your Year 8 child's photo of when they were 5, please do this ASAP.
Katie is taking sketching classes. The children have been learning how to shade and make shadows. They have been sketching realistic images, and took advantage of the weather to work outside today.
Te Reo Māori
Rae has been teaching about New Zealand place names and the stories behind the names. Some places are named after people and some are named after landscapes.
Coding
Steve has been overseeing the coding programme. The students are using code.org to learn how to code. Everyone works at their own pace and are on different levels. Some people do pair programming.
NZ Sign Language
Gayle has been teaching the students all sorts of things in NZ Sign Language. They have been learning how to say and spell their names, the alphabet and simple phrases.
Cultural
Every student has chosen a country to research and has been working on a slideshow of information on that country/culture. Tracy has been overseeing the slideshows.
Sun hats and water bottles
With the increase in temperatures, it is incredibly important that every student has their wide-brimmed sunhat and water bottle at school every day. Being hydrated helps keep the body and brain functioning well. It would also be great to see the drink bottles go home regularly to be washed.
Taking advantage of the balmy temperature today, so children elected to silent read outside.
Athletics
What a fabulous day it was for athletics yesterday. It was a day for showing 'We love challenge' and for trying your best. It was lovely to see the whole school on the park, having fun and partaking in a number of sporting activities, along with many whānau members encouraging athletes and taking photos. Congratulations to everyone for having a go, and well done to those students who excelled in their events, coming in the top four. Jenny will finalise the list of students representing our kura in the zones athletics over the next couple of days. This event is being held at Hansens Park on Monday 18 November.
Music Festival
All the very best to the 45 children and Katie who are performing in the Music Festival on Thursday night at the Town Hall. The choir will be having a final practice on Thursday morning at the Town Hall. The choir has been practising for a long time for this special performance, and we know that they will be fantastic.
String and Ukelele Concert
On Thursday there will be a string and ukelele concert at 2:20pm. The concert will go to 2:55pm. The concert is about promoting the option of string and ukulele of 2020.
For our Whānau Rōpū Hui this term we are excited to be having a shared kai/ potluck picnic at school from 5:00pm to 7:30pm on Friday 8th November. We are looking forward to getting together again to celebrate Te Ao Māori, share some kai and enjoy some games - including the exciting sport of Ki o Rahi. Nau mai haere mai, welcome. These hui, get-togethers, are a great opportunity to get to know other tamariki, children and whānau, families in the school community.
The weather is looking fantastic for our Whole School Athletics day on Monday. Every child will need their sun hat at school with them for this day. Sunscreen will be available at multiple locations for children to reapply throughout the day and we recommend that all children apply sunscreen before leaving home in the morning. All children should also have:
a water bottle
any personal medication, (such as asthma inhalers)
Year 5 - 8 start at 9:00, immediately after roll call. The roll will be taken in homerooms as usual. Years 0 - 4 start at 11:50
For those of you intending to join us and support the children as they compete, I have included a map of the park and a timetable. If you are unsure as to where your child might be, please visit our senior students at the information desk who will be more than happy to help you locate them.
As you walk around the park, please be mindful of the senior throwing stations, in particular, the discus area. This will be roped off when a session is in progress. The best way to get to discus will be to walk the perimeter of the park via high jump and shot put.
GRAB A CUPPA - THERE IS A LOT OF NEWS IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Gosh - November already! The year is flying by and, as you will see from the 'Upcoming Events' listed below, there is a LOT happening over the next seven weeks of the school year! Please do take some time to add events to your diary, or to sync the Community Calendar with your personal digital calendar so you can keep up with what is happening.
Welcome to Sean Lake Ryan who is starting a five-week teacher training placement with Elizabeth Drummond in our Koru team on Monday.
Teams and staffing for 2020
We have been working hard over the past couple of months to try and confirm our full-time teaching staff for 2020. We have reluctantly accepted the resignations of both Tracy Inwood, and Caitlyn Tinnelly from our permanent staff, effective from the end of 2019. Tracy Inwood is planning to spend more time travelling to Auckland where her two adult children now live, with a view to eventually moving, with her husband Phil, to be nearer to whānau in the North Island some time over the next few years. Tracy has been part of our staff for over 7 years now, and has made many valuable contributions, particularly to our Year 7/8 team, and then to our Year 5/6 team as their team leader. Caitlyn Tinnelly has been on maternity leave this year and has been fortunate to win a new permanent position at West Rolleston School, just minutes from where she lives. The Early Childhood Centre that her daughter Pene will attend, is adjacent to the West Rolleston School grounds, so this is a very positive move for her from the perspective of being a working mum. We are very grateful to Caitlyn for the energy and commitment she has given to Beckenham since she started here as a beginning teacher in 2015, and we wish her all the best in her new school.
We are excited to announce the appointment of an existing teacher to a permanent leadership position, two existing fixed-term teachers to permanent positions and the appointment of two new teachers to our staff: Amber Donovan has been appointed to the permanent leadership position of Team Leader of the Kahikatea Team. Amber has been acting in this role since the beginning of 2018 when she willingly stepped up for what she initially thought would be just 6 months, and it grew into 2 years! Amber brings a wealth of experience to this role, both as a team leader in a previous school and as a member of the Beckenham staff for many years. Jo Smith has been appointed to our newly created role of Assistant Principal, and Team Leader of our New Entrant/Year 1 team, Koru. Jo has worked in a variety of fixed-term capacities in our school for 4 years now, and we are very excited to have secured her leadership and teaching expertise on a permanent basis. Jules May was appointed to a fixed-term position at the start of this year when she moved to Christchurch from Wellington. We are delighted Jules has accepted our offer of a permanent position. She brings much experience of teaching junior students, with a particular interest and strength in Māori and Pasifika education, and teaching ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages. Anne Batchelor will be returning to her roots when she starts as our new Year 5/6 Team Leader in 2020 as she was originally a Beckenham student herself! Anne has been teaching at Alexandra School for the past few years and is very excited about returning to the Beckenham community. Laura Williamson will be joining our permanent staff in the new year after teaching this term in Tauranga and, prior to that, a number of years teaching at an International School in Hong Kong. Laura is originally from Canterbury and is looking forward to returning home and joining us at Beckenham.
So..... with those appointments made, we can now look at our teaching teams for 2020. The caveat on this information is that we never know what is going to happen between now and the end of January! Whilst I would love to think this is completely set in concrete, we all have lives that change, and I am aware that our teachers' plans can and do change, and sometimes at short notice.
Koru Jo Smith (Team leader) Elizabeth Drummond
Kahikatea Amber Donovan (Team Leader) Charlotte Verity Jules May Katie McFarlane
Kōwhai Paulette Newton (Team Leader) Nick Bruce Rowena Barker Laura Williamson
Pōhutukawa Anne Batchelor (Team Leader) Steve Cooke Rae Marsh Gayle McNaughton Anna Reid
We will be looking at putting together the homegroups for our tamariki for 2020 over the next few weeks. If you have any considerations you want us to consider when putting your child in a homegroup (remembering that we do not take 'requests' for specific teachers!), please email me directly at principal@beckenham.school.nz.
Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki
Important Dates
Upcoming Events - There is a LOT happening this term, so we've tried to give as many as possible of the up-coming term's events as we can here so you can get them in your calendar now!
Mon 4 Nov - WHOLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS Wed 6 Nov - Summer Tournament for some Year 7 & 8 students Fri 8 Nov - Celebration Assembly 10:50am - 11:30am Fri 8 Nov - Meeting for parents of this term's WiseUp groups 4-5pm - staffroom Fri 8 Nov - Whānau Rōpū Picnic and learn to play 'Ki o Rahi' 5pm - 7:30pm - Beckenham Park Mon 11 Nov - Information evening for Year 5-8 parents re Sexuality Education programme "Navigating the Journey" Tue 12 Nov - Year 7/8 Zone Debating Competition Round 1 - Kauri Hub 5:30pm - 7:00pm Wed 13 Nov - BYOD programme information evening, Kōwhai Hub, 7pm-8pm Fri 15 Nov - Canterbury Anniversary Day - school closed Mon 18 Nov - Zone Athletics at Hansen Park (all day) Tue 19 Nov - Parent information evening - "Supporting Your Child in a Digital World" - Mana Ake Wed 20 Nov - End of year concert for Jazz Band, Concert Band and Training Band, Hall, 9:15-9:45am Sun 24 Nov - Outdoor Spaces Working Bee 8am - 1pm Sun 24 Nov - Beckenham Booty (PTA) Car Boot Sale 9am - 11am Wed 27 Nov - PTA meeting, 7:30 - 9:30pm Tue 3 Dec - Year 7/8 Zone Debate Competition Round 2, Karui Hub, 5:30-7:00pm Tue 3 Dec - Board of Trustees Meeting, staffroom. Wed 4 Dec - Canterbury Athletics - Ngā Puna Wai Park
Thu 5 Dec - Kapa Haka Concert (Years 3-8)
Fri 6 Dec - Celebration Assembly 10:50am - 11:30am Mon 9 Dec - Kauri Production - School hall, 7pm Wed 11 Dec - Kauri Production - School hall, 7pm Tue 16 Dec - House Games and School Picnic, 12noon, Beckenham Park Wed 18 Dec - Year 8 Leavers' Graduation (invitation only), 11am - 12:30pm Thu 19 Dec - School finishes for the year at 12:30pm Sun 22 Dec - Final Beckenham Booty (PTA) Car Boot Sale for the year, 9am - 11am
Kacey, you are a wonderful role model in the Kowhai Hub. You are an incredibly kind and caring friend to others. You are extremely helpful and always willing to give a helping hand. Your positive attitude to learning is evident in everything you do. Tino pai mahi!
Olivia Hurford - Year 4
Olivia, you are an absolutely stunning role model in Kōwhai hub. You demonstrate all our school values on a daily basis, especially "We Love Learning", by consistently giving your best to every task you undertake. You are a kind and considerate friend to everyone in our team. Tino pai Olivia.
School Notices
BYOD - Bring Your Own Device - How does this work at Beckenham???
Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto has an optional Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programme for students in Years 5-8. This option is very popular and has been in operation since 2014. If you want to find out more about our BYOD programme including the rationale, digital citizenship practices and device responsibilities, please visit our BYOD website or come along to our information evening on Wednesday 13 November from 7-8 pm, in the Kōwhai Hub.
This information evening is for any parents/caregivers who would like to know more about the Year 5-8 BYOD programme. The evening is optional and is aimed at particularly for parents of current Year 4 students who are considering taking up BYOD next year but have not yet made the decision and for parents of current Year 5-7 students who are considering BYOD for their child for 2020 The information evening will give you a chance to hear from and talk with the teachers, and ask questions about how the BYOD option works. If you plan to attend this meeting, please RSVP here.
We generally recommend that families who want to participate in the BYOD programme purchase a Chromebook for their child to bring school. OfficeMax are sending us their 2020 Chromebook prices next week, and we will have information about this offer at the parent evening. Many parents have found this a great way of purchasing a Chromebook at a very competitive price, with a minimum of fuss.
With the introduction of the new Digital Technologies strand of the Technology Curriculum in 2020, every child having access to a device becomes more important than before.
Mana Ake News
Mana Ake “Drop-Ins” are continuing… A number of whānau have already made great use of the Mana Ake “drop-ins” that are available on alternate Wednesday mornings from 8:30 – 9:10am. These drop-in sessions are here to provide parents with an opportunity to have a private, informal conversation around the well being of their child with one of our Mana Ake workers (kaimahi). If you feel like you would like to attend a drop-in session, please book in a time via the link here: Mana Ake booking The code to use is ku2j6. Alternatively, you can contact Jacky in the office and she will make a booking for you.
Parent Seminar on Digital Safety - Tuesday 19 Nov 7 - 8:30pm, Staffroom
Mana Ake will be offering the following important Parent Seminar in November - please put this in your diaries now. 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.
For our Whānau Rōpū Hui this term we are excited to be having a shared kai/ potluck picnic at school from 5:00pm to 7:30pm on Friday 8th November. We are looking forward to getting together again to celebrate Te Ao Māori, share some kai and enjoy some games - including the exciting sport of Ki o Rahi. (Click on this link for a quick introduction to this fun and fast-paced game
Nau mai haere mai, welcome. These hui, get-togethers, are a great opportunity to get to know other tamariki, children and whānau, families in the school community. More information will be sent home next week, we hope to see you there. Hei konei rā!
Steve Cooke and Sampson Karst
Senior Jackets
These are available for purchase from Mainland Uniforms at 189 Peterborough St. There is ample parking there and they have the full range of sizes for you to try on. they also offer the option of layby. Senior jackets are able to be worn by our year 7 & 8 students only. Now is a good time to get your order in for a jacket for 2020.
OUTDOOR SPACES WORKING BEE
Calling all builders, handypeople and keen and willing helpers! We will be having another working bee on Sunday 24th November from 8am - 1pm. The aim of this working bee is to construct some small huts for the garden space by the side of the hall and another one at the back of the hall. These huts will be connected by some balance beams. We aim to also build a 'gaga ball pit' for students to use which will be placed at the back of the hall. Please fill in this doc to let us know if you are available to come along. Bring your tools and smiles!
Our school in the news...
There have been two articles on Stuff and in The Press in the past 10 days about the University of Canterbury research on "Juniors Settling Into School" by Dr KAthleen Liberty. Our school was one of the original five schools that participated in this 5-year study of the effects of post-traumatic-stress on our young children who were starting school. As a result of being part of the study, we have, over time, introduced a number of the recommended strategies that came out of the study, to support all of our children with wellbeing and emotional regulation. These include:
flipping our lunchtimes from Eat-Play-Learn to Play-Eat-Learn, with instant benefit.
ensuring that our new buildings and refurbishments were fitted out with neutral or calming colours (pale blues and greens) rather than 'pops' of bright colours (reds, oranges, bright blues) that interior designers often suggest for 'effect'
removing hanging items from learning spaces, that may catch a child's peripheral vision as they move and flutter and cause increase anxiety (this was particularly important after the earthquakes when we couldn't rely on our world to stay still the way we had previously expected it to)
educating children about hydration - 'Drink to Think'
educating children about the importance of sleep - in 2018 we ran a 'Be a Sleep Detective' programme with children from Year 3-8. We will continue to run this at Year 5/6 every alternate year going forward.
Last Lunchonline orders on Friday 13th December 2019. Orders restart on Feb 10th 2020.
Congratulations to...
Congratulations to Thomas who placed third in the National Judo Championships in Rotorua last weekend. The points he earned during this competition place him as the second-highest-ranking judo player for under 14-year-olds in NZ.
Over the holidays, Winni and Boyd competed in the National Mountain Bike Championships in Dunedin. Over three days, they competed in enduro, cross country and downhill events. Rain on the Saturday increased the challenge of an already very technical course in the downhill section. Congratulations to Winni who placed 2nd in the under 14 grade.
...our school Theatre Sports Team of Max, Ben, Meg, Archie, Dom and Maia, who competed today (Saturday 2 November) at the Christchurch Schools Theatre Sports Competition. They were amazing. They came 1st in the blind round (where they were given a game pulled out of a hat) and were awarded 3rd place overall. Fantastic result, especially considering all the other teams were high schools. Their team name was "New and Improv'd"
'New and Improv'd' who won 3rd place at the Theatre Sports Competition today at the Court Theatre.
PTA News
Have you got your free Giant Atlantic Pumpkin Seed yet?
We are so excited that many of you have taken up the challenge to grow a Giant Atlantic Pumpkin for the Twilight Fair in March 2020
Now that you have your seed here are some tips for starting your seed off, it’s not quite as simple as just planting your seed in a pot...Click on the following link to get some great ideas: Giant Pumpkins NZ . Their video is also very informative & helpful- we strongly encourage you to watch it.
And remember if your pumpkin doesn’t quite grow to plan there will be other categories to enter your pumpkin into, such as the Best Decorated Pumpkin....or even the Smallest!!
Please keep us updated with how your little pumpkin is growing, we love to see progress pics - send us your images via the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto PTA Facebook Page
If you haven’t already grab your seed, don’t delay as stock is running out. Grab your seed, one free seed per family, from the Office before or after school.
Good luck and happy growing.
Beckenham Booty: Sunday 24th November, 9-11am
Everyone needs to be pro-active with recycling nowadays. Things that one person no longer needs are just what somebody else is looking for. Pop on down to our next Beckenham Booty car boot sale, grab a coffee, be environmentally friendly & start shopping for a sustainable Christmas. Or better still book a space for $20 & declutter. Beckenham Booty - Car boot Sale, located in the Beckenham Te Kura o Puroto staff Car Park at 71 Sandwich Rd - we'll be there, we would love to see you!
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
Summer Flags art competition.
Open to all ages, your students may be interested in participating. This competition is seeking designs for summer-themed street flags using a specially crafted colour palette. Six winning designs will be selected to display on 125 street flags around our central city from January to end of March 2020. Winning entries will receive a voucher worth $150 to spend in the central city! Competition entry criteria and the submission template can be downloaded on our webpage: https://ccc.govt.nz/culture-and-community/enliven-places-programme/how-the-council-is-enlivening-places/design-a-summer-flag/
SURFKIDS
Childrens Surfing Programme. Learn the skills of Surfing in a fun, safe environment. All equipment provided and professional instruction from Aaron Lock and team. For kids 8 - 14 years. Sundays 10am to 12pm. Dec / Jan Holidays : from 16th Dec, 10am -12pm Cost $35 per day or $145 for five or $270 for ten lessons. Bookings essential. Venue :Sumner.
Call Aaron on 0800 80 SURF (7873) or register online at surfcoach.co.nz
