Monthly Archives: June 2025

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Schoolwide Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 27th June 2025

Posted on by

Principal's Update

Kia ora koutou

Term 2 has been a busy and rewarding time, with lots of achievements and opportunities for our students to shine. One of our school values is WE GET THERE TOGETHER - Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe, and since I arrived at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto, I’ve seen this value in action in so many ways.

In this newsletter, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the fantastic work of our PTA and the contributions they make to our school. This group supports our community by bringing people together and raising funds that benefit all our students. This year, the PTA has generously helped fund:

$7,000 towards new kapa haka uniforms

$10,000 for bus transport for Education Outside the Classroom activities

$7,000 for blackout blinds in the hall

$8,000 towards a new projector for the school hall

We really appreciate all the time and effort the PTA puts in. If you can, please get behind the events and initiatives they organise. The PTA is always looking for helpers at events.

If you can’t make meetings regularly but want to help out, consider joining the PTA support group. This group helps out at events throughout the year and is important for the PTA’s success.

To join the PTA support group, please follow this link:

Working Bee
Another way to get involved is the upcoming Working Bee on Sunday, 20th July. We’d love as much help as possible on the day. Thanks to Kate and Erin for organising this event! If you’re interested in helping, please register using the QR code below.



Holiday Work at School

Over the school holidays, some work will be happening around the school, including:
  • Painting the outside of the Kōmanawa Block
  • Painting inside the School Hall block
  • Installing two permanent shade umbrellas on the junior playground
  • Tree work near the carpark and in Treemendous
Families are welcome to continue using the school grounds over the break but please take care around the work areas.

Lastly, a big thank you to our whānau for your ongoing support. Your involvement and encouragement really make a difference. I also want to thank our teachers and support staff for their hard work this term - even though it’s been a shorter term, their dedication has been constant.

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa / Many thanks to you all,

Cade
Principal / Tumuaki
Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Fri 27 Jun - Funky Hair Day 
Fri 27 Jun - Celebration Assembly (10:00-10:30am in the Hall)
Fri 27 Jun - Last Day of Term 2
Mon 14 Jul - First Day of Term 3
Fri 18 Jul - Welcome Assembly, Week 1 (9:15-9:45am in the Hall)
Sun 20 Jul - Working Bee (9:00-12:30pm School Grounds)
Wed 23 Jul - PTA Mid Winter Breakfast (TBC)
Wed 23 Jul - PTA Meeting (7:30-9:30pm)
Fri 25 Jul - Celebration Assembly (10:00-10:30am in the Hall)
Sun 27 Jul - Backup Working Bee (If rained off on 20th, 9:00-12:30pm School Grounds)
Thu 31 Jul - Board of Trustees Meeting (5:30-7:30pm, Staff Room)
Fri 8 Aug - Celebration Assembly (10:00-10:30am in the Hall)
Fri 12 Sept - Staff Only Day

Citizen of the Week

Khloe - Year 3

Khloe, you consistently demonstrate our school values throughout your learning. You always try your hardest in all areas of learning, your work ethic is impressive! You are a fantastic role model to others. You are an absolute star. Tino pai!

Pippa Chapman - Year 6

Pippa, your positive attitude shines through in everything you do. You are always striving to grow your skills and knowledge. You are a truly amazing friend—empathetic, caring, and always there for others. Thank you for being such a reliable and positive presence!

School Notices

Kupu Māori o te Wīki:

These are our whakataukī (phrase), instructions and kupu (words) for the last couple of weeks. Give them a go! Remember, Nau mai te wero, We Love Challenge!

Whakataukī: He rā whatiwhati kō - This means a day of hard work.

Instruction: Hurihuri - turn around.

Kupu: Huawhenua - this means vegetables.

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.

Matariki Evening

Thank you for a fantastic Matariki Evening!

Matariki is a time to share kai (food), reflect on the past 4 seasons, celebrate with whānau, and look forward to what is to come as the days get longer. 
Thank you to everyone who attended our Matariki evening on Tuesday 17th June. It was a very special celebration, and it was awesome to see whānau connecting with our kaiako (teachers), as well as with other whānau.
A massive thank you to the PTA for having a delicious sausage sizzle, the kaiako (teachers) who organised wonderful workshop activities, and to all our tamariki (children) for their exceptional kapa haka performances. Mānawatia a Matariki!

Kōwhai trip to Rhodes on Cashmere for Matariki

School Working Bee - More Information

We’re organising a working bee to help tidy up and improve our school grounds — weeding, sweeping, pruning, clearing leaves, and general outdoor maintenance. Many hands make light work, and even an hour or two would make a big difference!

When: Sunday 20th July (with Sunday 27th July as a backup if it’s rained off), 9:00 am -12:30 pm
Where: School grounds
What to bring: Gloves, tools (if you have them), and your enthusiasm!

If you can help, please let us know by filling out this quick form:


Staff Only Day

Please note, we have planned a staff only day on Friday 12 September, with a focus on our teaching staff engaging with the refreshed Mathematics Curriculum. Thank you for your advance understanding.

Community Dental Service Holiday Clinics July 2025

The Community Dental Service will be closed for the upcoming school holidays.

Closed from:      Friday 27th June, 
Reopening on:   Monday 14th July.

Five of our community dental clinics will be open during this School Holiday period:

Aranui (240 Breezes Road)
Woolston (11 Hopkins Street)
Kaiapoi (65 Raven Quay)
Ashburton (38 Elizabeth Street)
Timaru (18 Woollcombe Street)

If your child is experiencing any dental pain/discomfort, you can call us on 0800 846 983 and/or email: commdental@cdhb.health.nz and one of our clinicians will contact you.

Parent/Caregiver Evening: Behind the Screens – Internet Safety Tips for Home

Raising kids in the digital age isn’t easy and you’re not alone. Should your child have Discord? What are V-Bucks? Is it safe to let them keep their phone overnight? Join us for a practical, entertaining evening hosted by Attitude that will help you feel more confident about parenting in the online world.

You’ll leave with smart tips, tools you can use straight away, and a better understanding of how to guide your child through the digital space without panic or overreaction. Come find out if you're a Firewall Parent, an Open Source Parent, or a Bluetooth Parent—and why it matters.

When: 7–8pm, Wednesday 30th July.
Where: Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Hall.
Who: This event is for parents/caregivers only.
Cost: Free to attend. A small koha (donation) is appreciated to help support the cost of this event.

Please complete this form to let us know if you are attending.

Congratulations to...

...the following students who have been selected from auditions for 'The Lions Christchurch Schools' Music Festival 2025':

Mia White - Senior Choir
Ben Stoney - Orchestra (violin)
Joshua Cornfoot - Concert Band (saxophone)
Matthew Scallan - Concert Band (trombone)

Thank you...

A big thank you to everyone in our community that kindly helped by supplying us with your Gib contributions.

BOSCO

BOSCO is looking for new members to join our committee. If you are interested or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Harriet Takamore via email or pop on in when you have the chance to chat.

You would be joining a lovely bunch of volunteers who are passionate about the service BOSCO provides and being a part of its future.

BOSCO currently has availability each day for before and after school care for regular or casual bookings.

If you have thought about using BOSCO for your tamariki but aren’t 100% sure what we're about or how we work, please feel free to pop in for a chat with Harriet or send through an email with any questions you may have.

A trial session is welcome if you would like your tamariki to give it a go first.

Harriet Takamore | Programme Leader | BOSCO Incorporated

office@bosco.org.nz | 027 645 6632

BOT Update

2025 Triennial Elections

Every three years, all public schools in Aotearoa hold elections for their School Boards, and this is going to happen again in 2025.

The School Board is a key part of Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto because they do a lot of important things behind the scenes that, while they may not be visible, are really important to keeping Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto running. Our School Board oversees the development our strategic plan, consults with our community about things that matter, makes sure our finances are being spent wisely and ensures that we are giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi within Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto. Our board is made up of six parent representatives, the Tumuaki/Principal, a staff rep elected by the staff, and an appointed whānau Māori or Ngāi Tahu iwi representative.

The Board has appointed Election Pilot as the Returning Officer for our election and the election is to be provided online. Important things like the nomination and voting forms will be sent to you by email directly by Election Pilot. If we don’t have an email address for you don’t stress, because Schooled Election Pilot will send these out to you by post so you don’t miss out.

There are a lot of rules around School Board elections that need to be followed, and the main ones are the Education and Training Act 2020 and the Education (Board Elections) Regulations 2022. Your name and contact details have been provided to Election Pilot to enable them to deliver election services for Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto, as required by legislation. 

They will use your contact details for the provision of election services for Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto only and your details will be deleted 60 days after the election date as required by legislation. If you have any questions about the election process, then the best people to talk to are the team at Schooled Election Pilot. You can contact the Returning Officer directly on 0800 VOTENZ (0800 868 369) or election@electionpilot.nz.

We will continue to keep you updated through the various stages of the election process, and our election date is Wednesday, 10th September.

Sports News

Canterbury Cross Country Results

What an awesome day we had at the Canterbury Zones Cross Country! The kids did such a great job. They ran their hearts out and were brilliant representatives of our school.

Here’s how our runners placed:
  • Year 5 Girls: Laurien (8th), Chloe (41st)

  • Year 6 Girls: Jayme (44th), Clara (101st)

  • Year 6 Boys: Max (20th), Haydn (51st)

  • Year 7 Girls: Laura (3rd), Misha (55th)

  • Year 7 Boys: Ben (29th)

  • Year 8 Girls: Bianca (16th)
They all gave it their best and showed awesome spirit on a pretty tough course. It was a great day. 

Hillview Cross Country Challenge

On Tuesday 24th June, our top-placed students in our Year 0-4 School Cross Country had the opportunity to take part in the Hillview XC Challenge, held at Hillview Christian School. We had 48 tamariki take part, putting in every effort to do their best. It was fantastic to see the determination on everyone's faces as they strove to get to the finish line, showing our School Kete Value, 'We Love Challenge'.

We had 5 children finish in the top 5 from Years 0-4:
  • Yr 0-1: Erin (1st), Greyson (3rd)
  • Yr 3: Florence (3rd)
  • Yr 4: Hunter (3rd), Amelia (3rd)
A massive congratulations to everyone who took part in this awesome event, and a huge thank you to all the whānau who attended/supported. 


PTA News

Family Portraits - Save the Date!  

Over the weekend 6th and 7th September (Father's Day!) we will have a professional photographer at school. For $25 you get a 10-15 minute photo session and a 10”x13” (253mmx330mm) studio quality, colour or black & white, family portrait, normally valued at $60.00. All the $25 fee comes back to the school but you will be able to buy more prints, portraits and digital copies.  Look out for more information next term. 

Cookie Time Fundraiser 

Thanks to all those who have placed orders for cookies.  The cookies will be available for collection during the first week of term 3, day and time to be confirmed.

Uniform Room

Our Uniform Room is moving back to the PTA hub behind the garage at the corner of Sandwich Road and Eastern Terrace next term.  Opening times remain the same - Monday: 2:45-3:15pm and Friday: 8:45-9:15am.

Community Notices

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

Franklin Writers Competition

We invite students to enter the 2025 Franklin Writers Competition. We’re looking for the best short story (up to 500 words) on the theme of Crossroads.

We have a special prize for the best young writer, and the opportunity to be published in our annual anthology, Easy Reads.

The closing date is 13th July 2025 (end of holidays) and it’s open to all NZ residents.

July Holidays Winter Writing School Opportunities

We have school holiday places available to for keen young writers.

Sarina Dickson
Administrator and Editor, Write On School for Young Writers
schoolforyoungwriters.org


Shrek Jnr Matinee Invitation - Hillview Christian School  




Continence NZ - Free Education Day

Christchurch: 11 July 2025, 9:30am - 4:30pm, Russley Golf Club, 428 Memorial Ave, Burnside, Christchurch. You can register here.



Kauri News: Week 8, Term 2

Posted on by

 Despite the rainy weather keeping us indoors last week, our ākonga stayed energised with some high-tempo movement breaks. Just Dance is always a hit and a great way to refresh our bodies and minds before settling back into learning.

English: Exploring Rivet Boy and Human Rights

This term in English, we’ve been diving into the historical novel Rivet Boy by Barbara Henderson. Set in Victorian-era Scotland, the novel provides powerful insights into the working conditions of children during the Industrial Revolution. Using this text as a springboard, we’ve been expanding our vocabulary and experimenting with sentence structure such as, learning to craft simple, compound, and complex sentences that suit different purposes and enhance meaning.

Our focus has been on persuasive writing, with the big question: Is using children as slave labour a violation of basic human rights? Learners have been exploring this idea from multiple perspectives and using evidence from the text and wider reading to justify their opinions. It’s been a fantastic opportunity to connect literature with real-world issues, particularly around human rights.

Maths: Building Fluency Through Games

In Year 7 Maths, we begin each session with a quick fluency game to strengthen concept knowledge. These games support learners to think flexibly and confidently with numbers while having fun and working collaboratively.

One of the games we’ve been playing is Barrier Game – 2D Shapes, which helps develop understanding of location, transformation, and properties of two-dimensional shapes. It's not only about getting the correct shape or position, but also about using precise mathematical language to describe and interpret.

Some of the questions we use to deepen mathematical thinking include:

  • “What words do you think will be helpful for this activity?”

  • “Can you say that again another way?”

  • “What would you do differently next time you played?”

Fluency games like these are a quick and easy way to reinforce key concepts, promote communication, and build confidence. We encourage whānau to ask their children about these games and even have a go at home, many of them require nothing more than a pencil, paper, and a willingness to think!

Matariki Night a Wonderful Success

Our Matariki celebration night was a huge success, filled with connection, creativity, and culture. The evening began with a performance by our kapa haka group, setting the tone for a special night of reflection and celebration.

Whānau then moved through a range of engaging workshops across the hubs. Getting the chance to make traditional kites, create their own poi, learn about the Matariki stars from our students, and even try some delicious paraoa parai / fry bread. 

It was heartening to see our community come together to honour Matariki — a time to remember, celebrate, and look ahead. Thank you to everyone who helped make the evening so memorable!



Term 2, Week 8 -  All Ages

Staying Safe Online: Scams

People in New Zealand are losing millions of dollars to scammers each year – and this is just the figures reported to Netsafe so the actual figure is likely much higher!


It’s important that you and your tamariki know what to look out for to avoid scams. Netsafe have put their best advice together to help you stay safe online and stay away from scams.


Read their scam tips here. 

Koru News Term 2 Week 8

Posted on by

Kia ora e te whānau,

It has been a fun fortnight in the Koru team, with our first-ever school trip and Matariki evening.


Christchurch Art Gallery Trip

We had a great time travelling on the bus into the city to visit the Christchurch Art Gallery on Monday. The children did an amazing job at showing 'We Care' and 'We Get There Together' by staying together as a group, listening carefully, and participating in the activities. 

On arrival, we met with the educator, who explained that we would be visiting an exhibition and then have the opportunity to create our own artworks.

Fred Graham: Toi Whakaata / Reflections: We were very fortunate to be shown around the Fred Graham exhibition. Tamariki were able to make connections between Māori myths and legends and Fred Graham's sculptures and relief works. We looked for shapes and patterns within each artwork, and children had a chance to draw the shapes and patterns that they could see.

Back in the Art Gallery classroom, children had a great time drawing shapes and koru patterns onto folded paper, which, once folded out, created really effective designs.






Matariki Evening

It was wonderful to have the opportunity to come together as a school community to acknowledge Matariki. 



Here is a song that we have been singing to help us learn the nine stars of Matariki.


Bee-Bots

Recently, children in the Koru team have been introduced to basic coding concepts as part of our maths learning, as well as during Learning Through Play. The Bee-Bots are programmable floor robots that help children learn about sequencing, directional language, and algorithms.  




Cybersafety

Staying Safe Online: Bullying

One in five young people in New Zealand have been the target of online bullying – it can happen to anyone, and it

can be hard for parents and whānau to deal with. Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto takes online bullying seriously and

would encourage you to chat to your tamariki’s teacher if you have any concerns about online bullying.

Visit Netsafe’s Online Bullying Advice for Parents to read more.


Wishing you all a happy, safe and relaxing long weekend.

The Koru team

katie.mcfarlane@beckenham.school.nz

elizabeth.drummond@beckenham.school.nz

niquita.dalley@beckenham.school.nz

stacey.mclachlan@beckenham.school.nz

Kōwhai News Term 2 Week 8

Posted on by

 Kia ora e te Whānau, 


Welcome to the Week 8 Kōwhai blog.


Matariki 


Mānawatia a Matariki! Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades, which rises in mid-winter and marks the beginning of the Māori New Year. It is a time of remembrance, celebration, and renewal. Over the last two weeks, children have been learning about the different stars that make up the cluster. The nine stars of Matariki are Waitī, Waitā, Waipuna-ā-Rangi, Tupuānuku, Tupuārangi, Ururangi, Pōhutukawa, Hiwa-i-te-Rangi and Matariki. In te ao Māori, each star has a special job to do to look after our wellbeing and environment. Please see this slideshow for more information. 


On Tuesday evening, we held a Matariki evening at school. It was wonderful to see so many parents coming to see the kapa haka group perform and share in our Matariki activities. The Kōwhai students did a fantastic job performing, and we were very impressed by their effort. 



Reports and Learning Conferences 


Last week, we celebrated the Kōwhai students' progress and success during learning conferences. Thank you to everyone who came to a conference. It was great to have the opportunity to reflect on the first two terms of 2025 and discuss the amazing learning students have been doing. 


PB4L 


This term, the Kōwhai students have been engaging in Positive Behaviour For Learning lessons (PB4L) on Tuesday mornings. The objective of these sessions has been to support students to develop social/emotional skills and develop strategies to manage challenges and improve their wellbeing. Over the term, there have been several topics that we have covered. These have included: 


  • Understanding our emotions in relation to cross country

  • Appreciating our differences 

  • How to be a good friend


It has been wonderful to see students contributing and participating during these sessions and applying what they have learnt.  Here is an example of an activity students did around celebrating diversity.


For information about Wellbeing at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto please follow this link.

Instructional Writing 


Over the past few weeks, Kōwhai students have been learning how to write an instructional text. An instruction text is a type of non-fiction text that provides step-by-step instructions on how to complete a task. The text may include organisational devices. As part of the writing process, students have been learning how to follow a set of sequenced instructions and then write about their experiences. For some classes, this has involved doing some baking and creating!


For more information about instructional texts, have a look at this slideshow.







Ferrymead 


The Kōwhai Ferrymead Trip is coming up next week, Tuesday 24th June and Wednesday 25th June (Week 9).


A reminder that on the day your child is attending the trip, they need to be at school before 8:45 am. They will also need to bring: 

  • A lunch box with enough morning tea and lunch for the day

  • A full water bottle 

  • A polar fleece or jersey 

  • A light waterproof coat if it appears overcast

  • Comfortable walking shoes

If you have any questions or concerns, please email your child's homegroup teacher or Georgia (georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz).


Head Lice

Unfortunately, we have had a growing number of cases of headlice reported across the school. Can you please check your child's head for eggs and live lice regularly and treat accordingly if detected. The following link has very helpful information about headlice and how to treat it.

https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/head-lice#main-content


Staying Safe Online: Scams

People in New Zealand are losing millions of dollars to scammers each year – and this is just the figures reported to Netsafe so the actual figure is likely much higher!


It’s important that you and your tamariki know what to look out for to avoid scams. Netsafe have put their best advice together to help you stay safe online and stay away from scams.


Read their scam tips here. 


 


Lost Property

If your child/children are missing any of the lost property items in the photo below, please contact the office to retrieve them. Thank you!


We hope you have a wonderful Matariki weekend. 

Ngā mihi, 

The Kōwhai team

Kahikatea News: Term 2, Week 8

Posted on by

 Kia ora whānau,

It was lovely to catch up with you all at our recent learning conferences and at our whole school Matariki night. 

We cannot believe we are nearing the end of the term and nearly half a year gone with your, wonderful tamariki.

As you are aware, we are creating a fourth home group in our team. This home group will be taught by Kendall Skelton, who is currently a teacher in the Kowhai team and a parent to one of our Year 1 students. We are so excited to welcome Kendall to our team, we know she will be a great asset to us for the remainder of the year. 


Technology:
As part of our toys inquiry, we have designed a toy which we are going to attempt to start to make next week.
If you have any crafty items such as: buttons, fabric, cardboard, egg cartons, bottle caps, wires, plastic etc that you could send in, please do so by Wednesday of next week.
We will leave a big my food bag box in the Maker Space, on top of the bench by the sink for you to pop bits in!


Learning in Kahikatea:

We have been busy in maths where our focus over the past two weeks has been on Geometry-looking at the properties of  2D and 3D shapes and time. 



























Literacy:

Next term reading books will come home on a Thursday For the week. This means reading folders need to come to school on Thursdays instead of Mondays. This is to allow teachers to work through the books more than once before sending them home.

Library days are the same:

Tuesday-Amber and Talia

Thursday-Sarah and Kendall

Sarah's Literacy group looked at the story of the 'Gardeners' Maze. We had a go at solving some mazes, then created our own mazes for our friends to attempt to solve!











Matariki:

Over the past few weeks, we have been learning about all of the Matariki stars and what they represent, listening to many myths and legends and creating lots of artwork. Our Matariki night at Kura was a huge success. We hope you have a restful Matariki break with those who are near and dear to you.









Lost Property:
There is a few items of lost property over in the school office. Please pop in and grab these if any belong to you!

Thanks Team Kahikatea