Monthly Archives: August 2022

Kauri Whānau Weekly Update: Term 3 Week 6

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In this post:

  • Final reminders for ski day
  • Duathlon
  • Assemblies
  • Self-Defence
  • Cantamaths Results
  • From The School for Young Writers.
  • Book Character Day photos

Final reminders for tomorrow's ski day:

  • Be at school by 5:50, meeting on Sandwich Rd
  • Masks for the bus
  • Please give breakfast at home before coming to school
  • Check the previous post for the clothing list. Sunglasses or goggles are essential.
  • Bring a substantial lunch and a water bottle.
  • No money or money cards. The mountain is cashless and we are avoiding an inequality situation between who has and who hasn't got a money card.
  • Please leave cell phones at home. If they must come, these need to be handed in before getting on the buses or in cars.
  • We will send out a notification to confirm our arrival time back at school. We expect it will be around 6pm.
  • A big thanks to those who lent skis and boots for our dryland sessions. If you have yet to pick these up, please do so today if possible.
  • An early night tonight, please

Duathlon:

Our school duathlon is next Tuesday. All competitors were given a paper notice with a course map and race details on Tuesday. A number of our students will also be helping with the running of this event. Spectators are most welcome.

Assemblies:

We are holding assemblies every second week for Year 5-8. Parents are now welcome at assemblies. Please wear a mask. This week we will be presenting Excellence awards from Cantamath. Highly Commended awards will be handed out at our next team hui.

Self-Defence:

This week our self-defence classes started for Year 8 girls and those who are non-binary. These classes are taken by Lynda Maindonald from Self-Defence NZ. This nation-wide programme has been running for a number of years and is always very well received. The children will have three sessions between now and the end of term, with a total of five hours of tuition. 
We are going to provide a parallel opportunity around keeping ourselves safe for the Year 8 boys on Friday afternoons. Each Year 8 boy will get two sessions. Sessions will include:
- How to stand up to peer pressure
- How to move/stand with confidence
- What kinds of situations have the potential to escalate and why 
- How body language/eye contact/tone can affect the outcome of a situation
- How to de-escalate a situation

Cantamath Results:

On Wednesday, August 24th our problem-solving teams took part in the Cantamath competition. A big well done to Noah, Weaver, Rose and Frida (Year 7) and Quinn, Fergus, George and Ben S (Year 8) who took on the challenge of solving 20 very tricky problems in 30 minutes, amidst much noise and distraction that comes with the competition. Special congratulations to the Year 8s who scored 75 out of a possible 100 points. 

Another part of Cantamath is the projects competition. Here our kura excelled, with a large number of highly commended and excellence awards. We were extremely proud of Noah Palmer who received an outstanding award (only two of these were awarded) for his dynamic model of a trebuchet.




As Cantamath has not gone ahead for several years due to Cantamath, some of our Year 8s entered two projects - as their Year 7 projects were selected to go into a competition that did not go ahead. 

Excellence Awards:

Dynamic Models:
Noah Palmer (Outstanding)
Rowan Hopwood
Fergus Macdonald

Maths Photography:
Stella Gillman

Publicity Motif:
Daniel Webster
Lilian Shelku

Static Models:
William Pooch
Caitlin McIntosh
Lillie Neame

Written Work:
Ella Coleman
George Smith (Year 7 and Year 8)
Quinn Clarke (Year 7 and Year 8)
Freya Braun

Highly Commended Awards:

Dynamic Models:
Weaver McDaid
Timon Spill

Maths Posters:
Lillie Neame
Emma Elphick

Overall Theme (Maths in entertainment):
Weaver McDaid

Publicity Motif:
Lola Harris

Static Models:
Harvey Graham
Katya Atlas
Keanna Hakeagaiki
Lola Harris
Oliver McLachlan
Stella Gillman
William Pooch

Written Work:
Alfie Moore
Ashlyn Taffs
Frida Corin
Jemma Sutherland
Ben Scalan

From The School for Young writers

Creative Nonfiction = True Stories Well Told
For our latest Write On Magazine competition, we invite young writers from Year 4 to Year 10 to write a piece of creative nonfiction that draws us closer to nature. Theme: It's Only Natural. 

The Rules: 
1.You can spin out a true story, present an article, write a memoir but you can't make stuff up — that's the "Nonfiction" bit. 

2."Creative” means we want you to use the techniques writers use to tell stories, but about real creatures, places, people and events, in a way that engages and entertains.
3. Word count: up to 400 words
4. Deadline September 20th

Prompts, tips and more information here. 

We also welcome open submissions for Issue 59 of Write On by the end of term of any form of writing, whether or not it matches our theme, It's Only Natural. 
See submissions here: https://www.schoolforyoungwriters.org/write-on

Some Book Character Day Pics ...






Kahikatea News Term 3 Week 5

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Tēnā koutou!

It is incredible to think that we are entering Week 6 already! So much amazing learning has been happening in our hub.


The word of the week

Our word of the week in Week 5 was KINDNESS. 

Kindness is "the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate" (Oxford Dictionary)

Some of our beautiful tamariki demonstrated kindness this week by creating a card for a friend or loved one. It was wonderful to see the thoughtfulness that they used.

A video that has a kindness song is below...



Te Reo Māori focus

Over the past two weeks, we have been working on different ways to greet people and also how to say how we feel. During our waiata, we have been singing the 'Ata mārie' song, which has been wonderful to support our tamariki in learning Māori greetings. 

Here it is so you can sing along at home...







Book Character Day

Book character dress-up was held on Friday 19th of August and it was amazing to see all of our tamariki proudly strutting their stuff in super fun costumes. Even the teachers dressed up!

We were also lucky enough to have a visit from Sandy. She was dressed in her 'Guess How Much I Love You' pajamas and she read us the story. 


Toys at school

We have had a number of toys (including bag toys) make an appearance at school this term. We ask that all toys stay home. We know how special they are to you and we don't want to see them broken or lost. There are lots of awesome things for you to play with at school, including amazing outdoor spaces that the school has. 

Shoes

The Kahikatea teachers have been noticing a lot of students walking around the school without shoes on. Shoes are important for keeping our feet safe and clean. Kahikatea students are not to be outside in the playground without their shoes on. When in the hub, the expectation is that the students have shoes on (or slippers) unless their shoes are very wet or dirty.

Cultural Presentations

As part of our fortnightly celebration assemblies, children have an opportunity to share with the junior school their culture via a presentation. These presentations are done in the form of a slideshow, in which the family receives a template to fill in. They require adult input and support. 
If your child is interested in getting up and presenting a cultural presentation, please contact your child's homegroup teacher for more information. 


Photos

Here are some photos of our amazing tamariki hard at work.


















Ma te wa, 
Amber, Krystal, Emma, Katie, Lisa, Kerilea, Kate & Jan

Koru Team News Term 3 Week 5

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 Kia ora, e te whanau,

This term is whizzing by! Can you believe we are halfway through Term 3 already?

It was great fun seeing all the children and teachers dressed up for Book Character Dress Up Day on Friday of Week 4. There were some amazing costumes!

Nicola dressed as Pete the Cat with his Four Groovy Buttons.
Georgia made a beautiful Cinderella!
Elizabeth was a very Fancy Nancy!
In the Koru hub, we have been busy exploring different play provocations during our Learning Through Play. Last week we introduced our theme, for the next 2 weeks, by performing a role play of visiting the vet. The children loved the little 'show' and it gave them lots of ideas to incorporate into their play last week. They have set up a seating area for the sick animals, and their owners, where they wait for their appointment time. There are forms to fill out about the sick pets and even an x-ray machine. We have talked about how we don't need to have the exact object for our play, but can use any item, to represent something we may require by using our imaginations. 
A variety of pets receiving treatment at the vets.
The line up of patients to get through for the morning.
A happy dog, and his owner, after a vet visit to fix his leg.

Each week our kura has a 'Word of the Week', which is a focus across all teams. This week's word is 'kindness'. Throughout the week, we have lots of discussions about what the word means and how we can demonstrate the word in and out of the classroom. We love seeing how the children are displaying the word of the week throughout the day, and how they use the word to describe situations that happen during their play. It's always so neat hearing our learners use previous 'words of the week' in their explanations and discussions with teachers and peers too. Next week's 'Word of the Week' is 'resilience'.

This group demonstrated many of our past 'words of the week' in their play as they built this train set up. These included: inclusion, respect and kindness! Ka pai, team!
Showing kindness and respect for others' ideas.
Taking turns and showing inclusion, by reading together.
We loved hearing, "We are taking turns on the trolley." 
Showing off his cool ball skills with one of our new balls.

Reminders:
  • If you'd like to be included in our hub Friendship List then please email your child's Home Group teacher with your contact details, including your name, phone number and email address. The Friendship List will be coming out shortly.
  • Our amazing Calendar Art artworks have been finished, so keep an eye out for how you can view these, and order items online, in the next few weeks. You're going to love the results of the children's hard work and focus!
  • Reading folders are sent home Monday-Thursday and are to be brought back to school each day. We are really noticing the progress the children are making in their literacy when they are practising at home. Thank you for your support with this!
  • Library folders and poetry books come home on Fridays.

We hope you are all having a lovely weekend together, and we look forward to the week ahead. 

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,

Georgia, Elizabeth, Nicola, Stacey and Jeanette


Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto School Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 26 August, 2022

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

We are excited to see signs of Spring all around us as daffodils, spring blossoms and new shoots on winter dormant plants emerge. COVID, weather, winter illnesses and the need for extra ventilation have contributed to this winter being a particularly testing one.

Update on COVID protocols...

This week we have reviewed our COVID protocols based on the continued reduction of cases of COVID in our community.
  • We will continue to have both a senior and a junior celebration assembly each fortnight. Whānau are welcome to attend these assemblies again - please wear a mask if you are coming into any building at school.
  • We continue to ask whānau not to come into hubs during the school day. If you need to speak to a teacher, please either make an appointment or wait to speak to them at the end of the day.
  • We will continue to wear masks inside at school whilst we have high levels of winter illnesses and other bugs circulating (tummy bugs seem to be quite prevalent at the moment).

Update on internal Gate between Koru New Entrant area and the rest of the school...

We did plan to remove the internal gate once the full fencing was in place. However, at the moment, we have a challenge with the water at the bottom of the slide in the junior playground being a huge attraction for some of the children, particularly in the New Entrant team, and we have not been able to prevent them from going into the water with 'education' alone. Until the water pooling issue is resolved, we have decided to keep that internal gate in place. We do have a contract in place for that drainage work and are just waiting on notification as to when it will begin. We will continue to support children to get through that gate when they need to, and we appreciate that it is really tricky at the moment.

Supporting our young people to navigate Snapchat and other Social Media

We are regularly faced with challenges that arise for our young people as a result of behaviour on social media. We can't stress enough how important it is for caregivers to be fully conversant with what their children are doing on social media. The potential for emotional harm is extremely high when children are not supported to use these platforms in positive ways. 
Our Kahui Ako (local group of schools) has organised a free, whānau workshop with Netsafe on Tuesday 25th October at St Martins School. 
This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to learn how you can help your child(ren) to be safe online.


Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Wed 7 Sep - School Photos
Wed 7 Sep - Board Election Day
Mon 19 Sep - Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Thu 22 Sep - BOT Meeting (5.30-7.30pm - te Rūma Kaimahi - Staffroom)
Fri 23 Sep - PTA Disco 
Wed 28 Sep - PTA Meeting (7.30-9.30pm in the Green Room)
Fri 30 Sep - Last day of Term 3
Mon 17 Oct - First day of Term 4
Tue 25 Oct - Netsafe Workshop for all whānau - St Martins School, 7pm

Term Dates

Citizen of the Week

Eve Hart - Year 8

Eve, you are an excellent example of living our school values every day. You are hardworking and always give everything a go. You are focused during all learning tasks and are so supportive of others. You are a fun, caring person who sees the positive in all situations. Thank you for being such a positive role model in the Kauri hub. Tino pai Eve!

School Notices

Roadworks Update for next week:

We understand that Norwood St is now very busy during school drop-off and pick-up time, partly due to the ongoing road works in other parts of the neighbourhood. This is likely to be the case next week too. Please take extra care travelling down Norwood St and watch for children. If you are dropping children off and they need to cross Norwood St, please assist them to cross safely, so that they are not left to 'pop out' between parked cars. 
A reminder that Norwood St and Sandwich Road, along with other streets in the Beckenham Loop, are 40km at all times. 



On Sandwich Road, please always remind children to use the school crossing as the only place to cross the road, and please always model this to your children so that they do this when you are not with them. 
From SEIPP:
Monday 29/08/22 – Friday 02/09/22
  • Lane closure of Tennyson Street south lane at the Eastern terrace intersection
  • Traffic will only be able to flow down this section of Tennyson Street from the Colombo Street direction towards St Martins Road
  • Lane closure will be in place for 5 days

A request for a parent / whānau member who has welding capabilities...

We would appreciate help in finding someone with welding capacity and capability to help repair this chair for our kura:

Please let the office or Tony know if this sounds like you!

Statements

You should have received an email today with a link to your Financial Statement in your Hero account. If you require any assistance logging into Hero or have any queries regarding your account, please email accounts@beckenham.school.nz
A huge 'thank-you' to all of you who have paid, or are making payments towards your school donations. Whilst not compulsory, we rely on these donations to be able to provide the extras that we would otherwise not be able to do including Aquatic instruction in Kahikatea and Kōwhai (Term 4), Senior Ski Trip, trips off-site and visiting speakers and performers to the school.

Lunch Orders 

Sushi Meets Dumplings

Order here for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday lunch delivery services.

PTA News

Readathon

Thanks, everyone for your awesome support of the Readathon! Lots of good reading got done and we received lots of donations! We will let you know the final tally soon, just waiting for the last wee bits to come in. We loved seeing all the cute outfits last Friday!

We Care

We wanted to remind you that we still have a few pieces of our beautiful 'We Care' product for sale: 

PTA Disco - save the date!



Remember to save the date: Friday 23rd September for the annual PTA disco. We are hoping to be able to confirm some details soon!

BOT Update

Voting for Parent Elections is currently open. By now you should have received the link to vote via email or via post. Voting closes Wednesday, September 7th @ 4pm. 



Please have your votes in before the closing date to ensure they are counted!

Community Notices

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

Christchurch BASEBALL

Registration is now open for Term 4
All ages from 5 years to Adult - equipment provided
Training held in Avonhead or St Martins

Facebook page is: www.facebook.com/ShrekNZTour/ and Ticketing Website is: https://bit.ly/shrekthemusicalnz

Kauri Whānau to Mt Hutt

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 Not many sleeps now until we get up super early and head off to Mt Hutt on Thursday, September 1st.

At the end of this post is a slide show packed full of information about our day. Please read this through with your child. 

Change of plan re money. Children are not to bring any money with them on the trip. Mt Hutt is cashless and this will cause a divide between those who have money cards and those who do not. The best option is to say no spending for all children. We suggest a thermos of soup or hot chocolate.

Children will need:

  • thermal layers, two top and one bottom
  • weather-proof ski pants
  • weather-proof jacket. Puffer jackets are not all waterproof and may need a parker layer on top
  • gloves or mittens
  • knee length socks
  • normal shoes, e.g. running shoes
  • suncream
  • glasses or goggles
  • a hearty lunch and water bottle
  • inhaler for those who need it
  • any medication for the day in a zip-locked bag to be handed to teacher
  • optional - neck muff or scarf (which will need to be tucked inside jacket)
  • we will take plenty of photos (any cell phones will be collected and looked after during the day)
The best option is for your child to leave their phone at home. We will put out a message to all families to confirm our arrival time back at school.