Monthly Archives: March 2025

Kahikatea Team News: Term 1, week 7

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 We have had some wonderful learning happening over the past two weeks. The tamariki are really engaged and motivated in all areas of the curriculum. We are seeing a lot of progress already, which is amazing. Students' are now familiar with our routines, and the hub is humming along nicely.


Mathematics:

In Math this week we have been looking at measurement and have been using the context of the story of The Gingerbread Man for ordering and comparing length and height. Below are some pictures of some wonderful learning happening.



















How you can help at home:

Ask your child to make comparisons with toys; e.g., can they line up all of their soft toys in order from shortest to tallest?

Or sort dinosaurs or plastic animals? Can you line your family members up in height order?

Can you learn the Te Reo words for tallest, taller, shortest, and shorter?

Students could draw pictures to bring back to class to share next week!


Literacy:

We are currently assessing, adjusting, and reworking our groups. We are thrilled with the amount of progress students have made in such a short time.






Reminders:

It is school photos next week on Wednesday, 19th March. please ensure students are in the correct school uniform for this.

A reminder to please keep toys at home, unless you have an arrangement with your child's teacher. They can be a big distraction for others during learning time and can often get lost or become damaged.

We have House Games on Tuesday afternoon, children are encouraged to wear their house colour tee-shirts.

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Schoolwide Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 7 March 2025

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

The Stretch Zone 

The Stretch Zone is that space just beyond our Comfort Zone, where we are encouraged to push our boundaries, take risks, and step outside of our usual routines. It's a place where we can challenge ourselves, acquire new skills, and experience personal growth. At Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto, our goal is to help all our students expand their comfort zones through a diverse range of learning experiences and opportunities.

Last week, I had the privilege of visiting our Year 7/8 students at camp. This environment provided the perfect setting for our senior students to push themselves in a "challenge by choice" context. Activities like high ropes, the giant swing, and coasteering allowed students to set both individual and group goals, fostering growth and teamwork.

We are incredibly grateful to our teachers and whānau who attended camp and dedicated their time and effort to making this experience possible. Without your support, this valuable opportunity wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you! Below are some photos from the camp. 

Annual Plan

The school's Annual Plan for 2025 is now available on our website. This plan outlines focus areas for 2025 that build towards the achievement of our strategic plan for 2024-2025.
The Annual Plan can be viewed here: 

Building Work

We are in the final stages of planning for renovations to the Kōmanawa Block and the PTA Uniform Shop. If all goes to plan, work will begin during the school holidays and is expected to be completed by early Term 2, allowing these spaces to be reopened. Once the start dates are confirmed, we will notify the community.

Uniform 

We’ve seen a positive improvement in students wearing the correct uniform, and we’d like to thank everyone for supporting this effort. As a reminder of our expectations, please refer to the graphics below.
Ngā mihi
Cade Englefield
Principal / Tumuaki
Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Thu 13 Mar - Zone Swimming Sports Y5-8
Fri 14 Mar - Celebration Assembly (10:00-10:30am, in the Hall)
Wed 19 Mar - School Photos TBC
Wed 26 Mar - PTA Meeting (7:30-9:30pm)
Fri 28 Mar - Celebration Assembly (10:00-10:30am, in the Hall)
Wed 2 Apr - Fri 4 Apr - Living Springs Camp - Pōhutukawa (Y5/6)
Thu 3 Apr - Board of Trustees Meeting (5:30-7:30pm, Staff Room)
Fri 11 Apr - Celebration Assembly (10:00-10:30am, in the Hall)
Fri 11 Apr - Last Day of Term 1
Mon 28 Apr - First Day of Term 2
Wed 28 May - PTA Meeting (7:30-9:30pm)
Thu 29 May - Board of Trustees Meeting (5:30-7:30pm, Staff Room)
Mon 2 Jun - Public Holiday, School Closed (King's Birthday)
Wed 25 Jun -  Board of Trustees Meeting (5:30-7:30pm, Staff Room)
Wed 25 Jun - PTA Meeting (7:30-9:30pm)
Fri 27 Jun - Last Day of Term 2
Mon 14 Jul - First Day of Term 3

Citizen of the Week

Aayan Adhikari - Year 8

Aayan, it has been a delight to see your commitment to the Kauri Team. You demonstrated the value of We Love Challenge at camp by tackling new experiences. We have seen how you Make a Difference through your high standard of work, setting an example for others. Congratulations on an amazing start to the year. Me he tī!

Charlie Windsor - Year 6 

Charlie, your bright smile and kind nature are noticed by many. You have a positive outlook and see the best in all situations. You step up and help when needed and you do it with an extremely cheerful attitude. You show our school values consistently and are a wonderful role model for all. You are a shining star, Charlie!

School Notices

Before School

Please remember that classrooms are open to children from 8.30am. This is to allow teachers time to prepare for the day.
Prior to 8.30am there is no supervision of children and they should not be left on site.

If you need to drop your child/ren off before 8.30am BOSCO provides before-school care. 
Please contact them for more details 
Phone 027 645 6632
Email office@bosco.org.nz

PTA Uniform Room

Autumn is on its way! With the change of season and cooler temperatures now is the time to stock up on warm winter uniform.
Come and check out what the PTA uniform hub has to offer: sweatshirts, polar fleeces, gumboots and more. We are well supplied at the moment so make the most of what we have to offer!
We are open Mondays 2:45 - 3:15pm and Fridays 8:45 - 9:15am.
Please feel free to drop off any donations at the office

Financial Statements - Year 5 & 6 Camp

If you have a student in Year 5 or 6 who is going to Living Springs Camp in early April, you will have received your student's financial statement this week, with the Camp donation request added.

Payments can be made in part or full to the school bank account - ASB Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Board of Trustees 12 3148 0131641 000 using your child's name as a reference. The school office also has Eftpos facilities available.

This is just a reminder that donation payments (including camp donations) are able to be submitted for the Donation Tax Credits from the IRD. This scheme entitles you to claim back 33% of your donation payments, if you meet the eligibility criteria. Payments made by 31st March, can be submitted as part of your application for the financial year ended 31st March 2025.

If you need any assistance logging into Hero to view your statement or if you wish to find out more about setting up payment instalments and claiming the donation tax credits, you can refer to the Finance and Annual Donation page of our website.

If you have any queries, please email accounts@beckenham.school.nz

Communicating Absences

Our Text Line for reporting absences is currently not working. Please contact the school office if your child will be absent from school via the below methods instead:

Phone: (03) 337-1404
(Press 1 to leave an absence message)
Email: office@beckenham.school.nz

When contacting us please remember to include; your name, your child's name, the reason for their absence, and how long you expect your child will be away from school.

Thank you for your patience and understanding while we sort this matter.

Bananas from The Funky Pumpkin

We want to say a massive 'thank you!' to The Funky Pumpkin, who donated 140 bananas to the Kauri camp. The tamariki and adults on camp enjoyed some banana splits for dessert one night! We really appreciated this kind and generous offer from The Funky Pumpkin.

Walk or Wheel to School Week

This week was 'Walk or Wheel to School Week', this is a fun week that encourages primary school children and their whānau to walk, cycle, scoot or skate to school.

Well down everyone for giving it a go, rain or shine!

Hardship Fund Contributions

We know that sometimes families, and others in our community, would like to contribute towards the costs for students whose families might be experiencing some hardship, and are not able to readily fund uniform, stationery or even lunches. If you, or anyone you know, would like to make a contribution to our hardship account, please email accounts@beckenham.school.nz or simply deposit funds into the school bank a/c, Beckenham Te Kura o Pūtoro Board of Trustees - 12 3148 0131641 000, with the reference "Hardship donation". We will ensure that these funds are used to support those families who need support. 

Getting support from our Hardship Fund

If you are a family who would appreciate some support with uniform, stationery or food, please contact the office or email accounts@beckenham.school.nz and we will do the best we can to support you. We want to ensure that all of our tamariki have everything they need to succeed at school.

Lost Property

We have a collection of smaller or special items in a Lost Property box in the Office. This is not put out for children to go through like the Lost Property clothing rack is, so please pop in to the Office to have a look through if you or your child are missing any items. This has been accumulating over the years so please do check this space even if you haven't lost anything recently!


Reo Māori o te Wīki

This is our Whakataukī (phrase), Kīwaha (saying), and Kupu (word) for the week. Give it a go! Remember, Nau mai te wero, We Love Challenge!

Whakataukī: He rau ringa e oti ai - This means many hands make light work. So, let’s focus on working together as a team!

Kīwaha: Wananei - This means Wicked!

Kupu: Ako - this means to learn

If you are unsure of the pronunciation of a word, have a look at Te Aka (the Māori dictionary) where you can hear how the word is spoken correctly.

Toys at School

We have noticed a large number of toys being brought to school lately. This includes keyrings, Pokemon cards, special notebooks etc. Please could you ensure these stay at home. It might help to check the backpack in the mornings. Thank you for your support with this.

Seeds from Mitre 10 Beckenham

Thank you Stacey M for nominating Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto to win a seed pack from Mitre 10 Beckenham last week. We were selected and are very excited to have some seeds for Lucy and the Garden Club to grow!

Garden Club

Another successful Garden Haul - thanks to Lucy and our tamariki! 

On Thursday morning there was another Vege Market from our keen gardeners.
There was celery, beans, potatoes and some apples on offer.
A koha is always much appreciated!  If you have any spare seeds at home, we will warmly welcome these contributions to our gardens, these can be dropped off at the Office!

Sports News

2025 School Swimming Sports Results

FREESTYLE

Year 5 Girls FREESTYLE - 1 LENGTH FINALS (25m)
  1. Moana Humphreys
  2. Florence Cross 
  3. Meera Verma
Year 6 Girls FREESTYLE - 1 LENGTH FINALS (25m)
  1. Clara Shaw
  2. Vienna Aldridge
  3. Harriet Scott
Year 7/8 Boys & Girls FREESTYLE - 1 LENGTH FINALS (25m)
Year 7 Girls - Minah Malak 1st Place
Year 7 Boys - Dylan Batchelor 1st Place, Mitchell Trotter 2nd Place

Year 5  Boys FREESTYLE - 1 LENGTH FINALS (25m)
  1. Simon McKean
  2. Terence Lee
  3. Leo Davies
Year 6 Boys FREESTYLE - 1 LENGTH FINALS (25m)
  1. Walter Stallworthy
  2. Toby Johnston
  3. Emerson Wood
Year 8 Boys FREESTYLE - 2 LENGTH FINAL (50m)
  1. Kawa Taylor
  2. Archie Chapman
  3. Zakhar Voinov
Year 5 Girls FREESTYLE - 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
  1. Chloe Sayer
  2. Cora Nuttall
  3. Molly McGuigan
Year 6 Girls FREESTYLE - 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
  1. Mietta Turnbull
  2. Harriet Scott
  3. Amelia Soppit
Year 7 Girls FREESTYLE - 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
  1. Sarah Welch
  2. Minah Malak
Year 8 Girls FREESTYLE - 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
  1. Imogen Orchard
  2. Ella Hamilton
  3. Emeline Henderson
Year 5 boys FREESTYLE - 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
  1. Laurence Blane
  2. Jethro Henton
Year 6 boys FREESTYLE - 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
  1. Haydn O’Connor
  2. Hamish McCrae
  3. Jack Hurst
Year 7 Boys FREESTYLE - 2 LENGTH Final (50m)
  1. Sebastian Blane
  2. Daniel McKean
  3. Zach Guise

BACKSTROKE

Year 5 Girls BACKSTROKE - 1 LENGTH FINALS (25m)
  1. Moana Humphreys
  2. Florence Cross
  3. Julia Wallace
Year 6 Girls BACKSTROKE - 1 LENGTH FINALS (25m)
  1. Clara Shaw
  2. Harriet Scott
  3. Lily Hale
Year 5, 6 & 7 boys BACKSTROKE- 1 LENGTH FINALS (25m)
Year 5
  1. Leo Davies
  2. Terrence Lee
Year 6
  1. Toby Johnstone
  2. Emerson Wood
  3. Soren Durrant
Year 7 
  1. Mitchell Trotter
Year 5/6 Girls Backstroke - 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
Year 5
  1. Chloe Sayer
  2. Cora Nuttall
  3. Molly McGuigan
Year 6
  1. Vienna Aldridge
  2. Mietta Turnbull
Year 7 and 8  Girls BACKSTROKE - 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
Year 7
  1. Sarah Welch
  2. Nelly Palmer
  3. Jessica Kaur
Year 8
  1. Imogen Orchard
  2. Emeline Henderson
  3. Tish Gillman
Year 5 and 6 boys BACKSTROKE - 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
Year 5
  1. Laurence Blane
  2. Terence Lee
  3. James Newland
Year 6
  1. Jack Hurst
  2. Haydn O’Connor
  3. Hamish McCrae
Year 7 Boys BACKSTROKE - 2 LENGTH Heats (50m)
  1. Samson Nuttall
  2. Sebastian Blane
  3. Vinnie Firmedow
Year 8 boys BACKSTROKE- 2 LENGTH FINAL(50m)
  1. Kawa Taylor & Zakhar Voinov
  2. Archie Chapman
  3. Lukas O’Connor

BREASTROKE

Year 5, 6 & 7 boys & Year 6 Girls BREASTROKE- 1 LENGTH FINALS (25m)
Year 5 Boys
  1. Jethro Henton
Year 6 Boys
  1. Emerson Wood
  2. Levi Bunting
Year 7 Boys
  1. Mitchell Trotter
Year 5/6 girls BREASTROKE - 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
  1. Chloe Sayer
  2. Cora Nuttall
Year 7 and 8 Girls BREASTSTROKE - 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
Year 7 
  1. Sarah Welch
Year 8
  1. Imogen Orchard
  2. Tish Gillman
  3. Emeline Henderson
Year 5 and 6 boys BREASTROKE- 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
Year 5
  1. Laurence Blane
  2. Simon McKean
  3. James Newland
Year 6
  1. Haydn O’Connor
  2. Jack Hurst
  3. Hamish McCrae
Year 7 and 8 boys BREASTSTROKE - 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
Year 7
  1. Samson Nuttall
  2. Sebastian Blane
  3. Daniel McKean
Year 8
  1. Kawa Taylor
  2. Archie Chapman
  3. Lukas O’Connor

BUTTERFLY

Year open mixed  BUTTERFLY - 2 LENGTH FINALS (50m)
Year 5 Girls
  1. Chloe Sayer
Year 7 Girls
  1. Sarah Welch
Year 8 Girls
  1. Tish Gillman
Year 8 Boys
  1. Archie Chapman
  2. Kawa Taylor

HOUSE RELAY

1st Place - Heathcote
2nd Place -  Fisher
3rd Place - Waimea
4th Place - Tennyson

BOT Update

Policy Review

From time to time we ask you to review one of our policies that come up on our review cycle. A policy for whānau review is the Recording and Reporting Accidents, Injuries, and Illness policy. You will find it on School Docs at this link. Click on current review, start review and follow the directions. 

Username: beckenham
Password: pride

Instructions for reviewers
  1. Follow the link to the policy.
  2. Read the policy.
  3. Click the "Start Review" icon at the right-hand top corner of the page. A new screen will appear.
  4. Select your role (board member, staff member, student, whānau or other) from the drop-down list.
  5. Enter your name (optional).
  6. Submit your ratings and comments.
If you don't have internet access, school office staff can easily provide you with printed copies of the policy and the review form.

Community Notices

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



SEEN: The Film – A New Parenting Documentary

This film is about the lives of four parents with 6 experts (one being New Zealander Nathan Wallis) providing insights into children’s needs and the science of understanding them. It not only explores the transformative power of personal healing for parents but also delves into the scientifically supported effects of such healing on parenting and its impact on child brain development.

It is a film about learning to see who we are, where we come from, the impact we have and how to change.

The film is being screened throughout Australia and in Auckland, Dunedin and Christchurch.

In Christchurch, the Neighbourhood Trust is screening the film on Thursday 27th March at 7pm at the McFaddens Centre, 64 McFaddens Road, St Albans.

To watch the trailer please go to https://seenthefilm.com/

Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite and are appx $19.

Wainui Camp 2025

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 Wainui Camp 2025: A Journey of Growth and Adventure

Our recent Wainui Camp was more than just a fun getaway—it was an experience that brought our school's core values to life. Throughout our adventures, we discovered what it means to care for one another, work as a team, embrace challenges, pursue learning and make a real difference.

From the moment we arrived, the spirit of care was evident. Whether it was encouraging a friend to take a leap off the wharf, supporting teammates during coasteering or respecting the natural world while hunting for pāua and crabs, our tamariki showed kindness and responsibility in action.

Teamwork was at the heart of our experience. Success in activities like kayaking, shelter building, and orienteering relied on collaboration rather than individual effort. Using UHF radios during our search and rescue mission to locate Bob reinforced the power of clear communication and working together. Every challenge reminded us that we get there together.

Stepping outside our comfort zones became a common theme. The giant swing and high ropes tested our limits, while coasteering and wharf jumping pushed us to be bold. These moments weren’t just about adrenaline—they were about discovering resilience, trust, and courage.

Learning at Wainui extended far beyond the classroom. Each activity offered hands-on lessons, from navigation skills in orienteering to problem-solving in search and rescue. Even exploring the coastline became an opportunity to deepen our understanding of nature and resourcefulness.

As we return to school, we carry with us not just memories of an incredible camp but a stronger sense of confidence, teamwork, and adventure. Wainui Camp 2025 has set the tone for an exciting year ahead, and we can’t wait to see how these experiences continue to shape us as individuals and as a team.