Principal's Update
Kia ora koutou
We hope you have enjoyed this shortened week and have some fun plans for the upcoming weekend.
Next weekend is the general election. Our school will be serving as a voting location, and some of our Year 8 students will be running a sausage sizzle and bake sale on site. If you choose to vote here, be sure to grab some sustenance to support our students!
New Entrant Enrolments for 2027
We are currently planning our teaching staff for next year. If you have a New Entrant child starting at any point in 2027, it would be extremely helpful if you could complete an enrolment form within the next week. Having accurate numbers helps us secure the correct staffing from the Ministry of Education and allows us to keep our New Entrant class sizes as low as possible for the best start to school. All Enrolment information can be found here:
https://www.beckenham.school.nz/index.php/enrolment/enrollingClass Placement Considerations for 2027
As we near the end of 2026, we are beginning our transition conversations to support students as they take their next steps within our school. Our focus is on ensuring these conversations recognise and build on each student’s strengths, supporting a positive transition to their next teacher and learning environment.
As part of this process, we will begin developing homeroom classes for 2027. If there are any considerations you would like us to take into account when planning for your child’s transition, please share these with us using the link below:
Thank you for your support as we work to ensure a positive and successful start to the next stage of your child’s learning journey.
Delay in Sending Team Blogs
Last week, our school was affected by the global cyber threat related to PHP (an open-source programming language). Over the course of last weekend, we had our school server rebuilt to ensure all vulnerabilities were completely resolved. Thank you for your patience while we addressed this issue.
Kōmanawa Turf Update
The artificial turf project located behind our Kōmanawa building began this week, and groundworks are well underway. We look forward to seeing the project take further shape next week. A big thank you once again to our PTA for their generous contribution toward this project, it is much appreciated!
Ngā mihi,
Cade
Principal / Tumuaki
Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto
Important Dates
2026 & 2027 Term Dates - Linked here
| Upcoming Events | Term 4 |
| Sat 31 October | Jump Jam Competition Day (Cashmere High School) |
| Mon 2 November | South Zone Athletics (Yr 5-8) |
| Tue 3 November | Trees for Survivial Potting Day |
| Wed 4 November | PTA Meeting (7:30-8:30pm, Staff Room) |
| Fri 6 November | Scooter-athlon (11:00-12:30pm Kōwhai, 1:30-3:00pm Koru & Kahikatea) |
| Mon 9 - Thu 12 November | Kahikatea & Kōwhai Swimming Lessons |
| Wed 11 November | School Chicken's 1st Birthday |
| Fri 13 November | School Closed - Canterbury Anniversary Day |
| Mon 16 - Fri 20 November | Kahikatea & Kōwhai Swimming Lessons |
| Wed 18 November | PSC Canterbury Primary Athletics Championships (Yr 5/6) |
| Fri 20 November | Celebration Assembly (9:45-10:30am, Hall) |
| Mon 23 November | Top Team Event: Kauri (Yr 7/8) |
| Wed 25 November | PSC Canterbury Primary Athletics Championships (Yr 7/8) |
| Fri 27 November | Celebration Assembly (9:45-10:30am, Hall) |
| Wed 2 December | Board of Trustees Meeting (5:30-7:30pm, Staff Room) |
| Wed 2 December | PTA Meeting (7:30-8:30pm, Staff Room) |
| Thu 3 December | Loop-a-thon (Yr 5-8) |
| Thu 3 December | Kauri Production |
| Thu 3 December | Pōhutukawa Big Day Out with Aotearoa Surfing at Sumner Beach (Yr 5/6 Chris & Rae's H/G's) |
| Fri 4 December | Pōhutukawa Big Day Out with Aotearoa Surfing at Sumner Beach (Yr 5/6 Nick, Chloe & Kate's H/G's) |
| Fri 4 December | Celebration Assembly (9:45-10:30am, Hall) |
| Mon 7 December | Kauri - Victoria Park Walk
& Yr 8 Leavers' Waltham Pool Party (5-7pm) |
| Tue 8 December | Last Day of Languages & Tech 2026 |
| Wed 9 December | Kauri - Cass Bay Trip |
| Fri 11 December | Final Celebration Assembly (9:45-10:30am, Hall) |
| Tue 15 December | Yr 8 Graduation Ceremony (11:00-12:30pm, Hall) &
Yr 8 Leavers' Lunch (12:45-1:30pm) |
| Wed 16 December | Last Day of Term 4 - School Finishes 12:30pm |
| School Holidays |
| Thu 28 - Fri 29 January | Learning Conferences |
| Mon 1 February | First Day of Term 1 2027 |
Citizen of the Week
Chloe - Year 6
Chloe, you are a superstar in our hub. You are extremely hardworking, caring and positive, and you always go out of your way to help others. You demonstrate our school values at all times and are an outstanding role model to others. Well done, Chloe! Keep up the excellent work.
Cory - Year 5
Cory, you are a positive and upbeat member of the Pōhutukawa hub. You bring an open mindset and a strong drive to excel in everything you do, whether in academics or sports. You get along effortlessly with everyone and always take care to bring out the best in those around you, whether at play or on task. Mīharo, Cory!
School Notices
Next week is Walk or Wheels Week!
We’re encouraging our tamariki and whānau to walk, cycle, scoot or skate their way to school. It’s a fun way to get active, spend time together, improve road safety and help our environment. 🌏💚
Walk or Wheel to School Week is part of the
Good-to-Go school travel programme, which encourages safe, active and sustainable ways for tamariki to travel to and from school. By choosing to walk or wheel, we can all play a part in helping Christchurch reach its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2045!
Whether you join us for one day or the whole week, we’d love to see you getting involved!
Spot Prize Draw!
To add to the excitement, any child who walks or wheels to school at least 3 times during the week will go into the draw to win a spot prize!
Check out our daily themes:
- Move It Monday – Blast off the week with an active adventure! Walk, wheel, skip or scoot your way to school.
- Travel Together Tuesday – Team up with friends and whānau and enjoy travelling to school together.
- Wacky Wednesday – Wear something bright! Look bright, be bright, stay bright! Remember to wear your school uniform, but feel free to add something bright and colourful to your outfit! ✨
- Thoughtful Thursday – Help our planet! Active travel is great for the environment. What else can you do to make a difference?
- Funky Feet Friday – Get creative with your feet! Decorate your shoes, wear your wildest footwear or show off your silliest socks. Glitter, feathers, gumboots, anything goes!
We can’t wait to see our tamariki and whānau getting involved, having fun and demonstrating "We make a difference!"
Let’s get walking and wheeling, Beckenham! 🚲
Head Lice
Unfortunately, we have had a few cases of head lice 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 head lice and how to treat it:
Kupu Māori o te Wiki
| Kia ora koutou! This term we will be focusing on a "Kupu of the Day"! Across the term, we will learn the te reo Māori words for different classroom objects, animals, feelings, food, and colours. |
| Give these a go! "Nau mai te wero - We Love Challenge! He taonga te ako - We Love Learning!" |
| Have a look at the slideshow for our new words of the day! |
Sunhat and Drink Bottle - Reminder
Reminder - As the weather warms up, it is very important that every child attends school with a named sunhat and water bottle. Sunhats are compulsory when outside during Terms 1 and 4. Please also remember to send your child to school each day with sunscreen applied.
Chicken Chat
Our First Birthday is Coming!
Our chickens are turning one on Wednesday, the 11th November. Keep an eye out for any birthday celebration updates to come!
The Sports Corner
Kia ora koutou,
This section of our newsletter will be dedicated to highlighting the successes and challenges our students are experiencing in sports outside of school. We love seeing our ākonga (students) showing our school values, especially We Love Challenge Nau Mau Te Wero in the community. If your child has had a sporting success that you’d like to share with our community, please email me with a short blurb and photo to: kate.mcgregor@beckenham.school.nz - We’d love to feature it in our next newsletter!
Ngā mihi nui,
Kate McGregor
Sports Coordinator
Term 3 - Primary Sports Canterbury Duathlon
Towards the end of last term, 23 of our ākonga proudly represented Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto at the Primary Sports Canterbury Duathlon at Ruapuna! It was a fantastic day, with our students showing determination, sportsmanship and our kura values in action. They represented Beckenham with integrity and pride, and we are incredibly proud of their efforts.
A special shout-out to our ākonga who achieved a top 10 placing in their category! 🏅 What an awesome achievement!
- Year 6 Girls - Laurien: 1st
- Year 7 Open - Haydn: 3rd
- Year 8 Girls - Laura: 8th
- Year 8 Open - Zach: 1st; Daniel: 6th
Term 3 - Koru Games (Year ⅞)
Our Year 7/8 team had a fantastic three days competing across Lincoln University, Selwyn Netball Centre and Foster Park! Across the three venues, our ākonga took part in a range of sporting events, showing determination, teamwork and excellent sportsmanship. It was awesome to see so many students giving it their all, challenging themselves and representing Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto with pride. A huge well done to all our competitors!
Here are some of our commendable results from the three days:
- Hockey: 2nd Place
- Kī-o-rahi A: 11th Place, Kī-o-rahi B: 15th Place
- Korfball: 15th Place
- Netball: 7th Place
- Ultimate Frisbee: 4th Place
Term 3 - Zayn: NZ & School Karate Nationals
A huge congratulations to Zayn, who proudly represented Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto at the Karate New Zealand Nationals and School Nationals Championships in Auckland on 29–30 August 2026.
Zayn had an outstanding competition, bringing home four silver medals across his events:
- 🥈 10/11 Years Male Kata Premier
- 🥈 10/11 Years Male Kumite -35kg Premier
- 🥈 School Year 6/7 Male Kata Premier
- 🥈 School Year 6/7 Male Kumite -35kg Premier
Term 3 - Christchurch School Cycling
A huge congratulations to our Year 7/8 cyclists who achieved some fantastic results! Our boys’ team secured silver in the Canterbury Team Time Trial, while our girls’ composite team was also recognised for their efforts. A special shout-out to Daniel, who achieved gold in the Year 7/8 Boys category! We’re also incredibly proud to share that Beckenham was the top-performing Year 7/8 team! What an awesome achievement. Ka rawe, team Beckenham!
Term 3 - Canterbury Cyclocross
A huge congratulations to Spencer (Year 0), who took out the overall series win in the Male Kids U6 grade at the Canterbury Cyclocross Series! Organised by the Southern Cross Cyclocross Club, the series featured six races at different locations around Christchurch throughout the winter months. Spencer showed fantastic determination and consistency across the season to finish at the top of his grade.
There were also other Beckenham students who competed in the Cyclocross series, noted below. Apologies if I have missed anyone; please let me know, and I will add additional names to the next newsletter:
- Oscar (Year 3) - U10 grade, 5th
- Finn (Year 4) - U10 grade, 7th
- Daniel (Year 8) - U14 grade, 2nd =
- Haydn (Year 7) - U14 grade, 8th
- Simon (Year 6) - U14 grade, 13th
- Cory (Year 5) - U14 grade, 20th
- Jos (Year 5) - U14 grade, 26th
- Hunter (Year 5) - U14 grade, 51st
- Jayme (Year 7) - U14 grade, 1st
- Laurien (Year 6) - U14 grade, 6th
- Emily (Year 7) - U14 grade, 8th
- Mietta (Year 7) - U14 grade, 15th
- Amelia (Year 5) - U14 grade, 20th
- Zach (Year 8) - U17 grade, 3rd
Term 3 - Cycling Success for Zach
A massive congratulations to Zach on an outstanding few weeks of cycling success at the national level! Zach has been absolutely flying, bringing home some incredible results and making Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto proud.
At the National School Road Championships in Palmerston North (25–27 September), Zach achieved:
🥇 1st – Under 14 Boys Road Race
🥇 1st – Under 14 Boys Points Race
On top of Zach’s individual success, Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto was named the Top Year 7/8 Boys School! What an incredible achievement for both Zach and our kura.
Zach continued his winning form at the National Schools Mountain Bike Championships in Rotorua (4–7 October), taking out:
🥇 1st – Under 14 Boys Cross-Country Olympic (XCO)
These are phenomenal results and a testament to Zach’s hard work, dedication and talent. We are incredibly proud of everything he has achieved and the way he continues to represent Beckenham on the national stage.
Ka rawe, Zach! You are an absolute superstar! 👏
Term 4 - Crater Rim Running
A huge shout-out to Dylan (Year 8), who completed the challenging 12.7km Rapaki Rumble as part of the Crater Rim running events over the weekend! With some gruelling uphill climbs, this was no easy feat. We’re incredibly impressed by Dylan’s determination and resilience!
Term 4 - Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Athletics Day
Our school athletics day was a huge success, with students from all year levels giving events their best, showing great sportsmanship, and cheering on their classmates. It was wonderful to see so much enthusiasm, determination and Kete Values in action throughout the day!
We also celebrated our Year 5–8 Athletics Champions and Runners-Up, recognising the outstanding efforts and achievements of our students. Congratulations to everyone who participated and a special well done to those who earned a spot on the podium. What a brilliant day for our school community!
Year 5 Champions: Hunter & Amelia
Year 5 Runners-Up: Ivy, Jace & Kit
Year 6 Champions: Ruby & James C
Year 6 Runners-Up: Laurien & Ethan
Year 7 Champions: Clara & Lucas
Year 7 Runners-Up: Hazel & Haydn
Year 8 Champions: Zach & Laura
Year 8 Runners-Up: Zaria & Daniel
Term 4 - Miniball
Miniball kicked off last week, and it’s fantastic to hear that our Year 3–4 students are getting involved, giving it a go and, most importantly, loving it! It’s great to see our younger tamariki building their skills, confidence and teamwork while enjoying being part of school sport. Ka pai, everyone!
Term 4 - Samson: South Island Sailing
A huge congratulations to Samson, who was crowned the 13-year-old South Island Age Group Champion and Overall Regatta Winner at the SIAG Regatta held at Charteris Bay Yacht Club over the weekend! An outstanding achievement, Samson — we’re incredibly proud of your success and dedication to your sport. Ka pai!
PTA News
Cookie & Croissant Fundraiser!
We’re getting our end-of-year fundraiser ready, so look out for orders opening on 6th November. This year it’s your chance to stock up on frozen cookies and croissants for all those Christmas celebrations and beyond!
BOT Update
Term 4 Policy Review Now Open - SchoolDocs Platform Update
SchoolDocs is currently undertaking updates to the platform, which means the policy review process will be slightly different this term.
To start reviewing, click on a policy name, read the policy, and consider any feedback you have about the implementation or content of the policy.
If you have feedback about how your school is implementing the policy, email your school directly.
If you have suggestions about how the policy could be improved for all schools, send this to team@schooldocs.co.nz.
If you don't have internet access, our school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy.
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
Girls Smash – Give Cricket a Go!
Girls Smash is a fun, welcoming cricket programme for girls in Years 3–8, designed to help them learn new skills, build confidence and make friends. Through fun, game-based activities, participants will develop the fundamental skills of cricket in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment. The programme uses a modified, social format that gives everyone the opportunity to get involved, learn and have a go, without the pressure of traditional competitive cricket. No previous cricket experience is needed, and girls are encouraged to bring a friend along!
Families can register via
girlssmash.nz by selecting
Christchurch Metro, or use the direct registration link below:
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