Principal's Update
Kia ora koutou
It has been a busy and remarkably successful term. Thank you to everyone who contributed - as I have mentioned before, our community is our greatest strength, and we are fortunate to work with each and every one of our students. We look forward to all that Term 4 brings, particularly the celebrations ahead.
Pō Whakangahau
Last Thursday, our Kapa Haka group, led by Whaea Cath and Kate and supported by Paerau, performed at Cashmere High School as part of the Pō Whakangahau celebration. It was a fitting tribute to Te Reo Māori and Kapa Haka during Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. Our students performed with distinction and their set was highly polished and truly stood out. Being part of this group allows our students to live our values and act as true Treaty partners. Well done to all involved, we were extremely proud of you!
Celebrating Musical Growth
Last Friday, a special assembly was held to give students learning music through the CSM group an opportunity to perform in front of their peers and teachers. The wide range of musical genres showcased and the sheer talent of our students were something to behold. At our school, we value the arts, and providing these opportunities enriches our well-developed curriculum. We look forward to offering opportunities also for our OSCM music students to showcase their talents in the future.
Shade Sails
You may have noticed that the new shade sails over the junior school playground were installed this week! Thank you to the PTA for successfully applying for grant funding and contributing community-raised funds to this important project. A big thank you also to Jo for choosing the color of the sails, we’ve already received a lot of positive comments about them.
School Heroes
As we bring Term 3 to a close, we would like to acknowledge all the wonderful staff who work behind the scenes in our school. Their support enables our teachers to deliver high-quality learning programmes to the students we have the privilege of having at our school.
To our teaching assistants: Chelsea, Karen, Denise, Kerilea, Stacey, Laura, Kate, Nathalie, Faine and Paul.
We deeply value the vital work you do across our school community. Your dedication not only supports our students in reaching their full potential, but also provides essential backing to our teaching team. By working together, you help create an environment where every learner can thrive, ensuring positive social and academic outcomes across our whole school. Thank you for your continued commitment and energy.
To our caretaker team: Tony and Stacey
Your tireless work behind the scenes keeps our school safe, clean, and looking fantastic every single day. By maintaining our facilities and grounds, you create the bright, welcoming environment our teachers need to deliver great learning and our students need to thrive.
To our office team: Jacky, Alisa, Chloe, Rachel and Anne
You are truly the engine room of our school, serving as the welcoming face of our school for parents and visitors, administering first aid and comfort to our students, maintaining our library as a vibrant hub for reading, and keeping our attendance and financial management running seamlessly. Beyond that, their constant behind-the-scenes support for our teachers and Senior Leadership Team allows our school to operate smoothly every single day. Thank you to our office team for your endless care, patience, and dedication to our entire community!
Have a safe and enjoyable holiday. See you all next term.
Ngā mihi nui
Cade
Principal / Tumuaki
Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto
Important Dates
2026 & 2027 Term Dates - Linked here
| Upcoming Events | Term 3 |
| Fri 25 September | Beckenham's Got Talent (1:30-3:00pm) |
| Fri 25 September | Last Day of Term 3 |
| School Holidays |
| Mon 12 October | First Day of Term 4 |
| Tue 13 October | PTA Meeting (7:30-8:30pm, Staff Room) |
| Fri 16 October | Welcome Assembly (9:15-9:30am, Hall) |
| Mon 19 October | Yr 8 & NE School Photos |
| Fri 23 October | School Athletics Event |
| Mon 26 October | School Closed - Labour Day |
| Wed 28 - Fri 30 October | Kauri - ASB GetWi$e Lessons |
| Wed 28 October | Board of Trustees Meeting (5:30-7:30pm, Staff Room) |
| Fri 30 October | Celebration Assembly (9:45-10:30am, Hall) |
| Sat 31 October | Jump Jam Competition Day (Cashmere High School) |
| Mon 2 November | South Zone Athletics (Yr 5-8) |
| Wed 4 November | PTA Meeting (7:30-8:30pm, Staff Room) |
| Fri 6 November | Celebration Assembly (9:45-10:30am, Hall) |
| 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 |
| Fri 4 December | Celebration Assembly (9:45-10:30am, Hall) |
| Mon 7 December | Kauri - Victoria Park Walk & Yr 8 Pool Party |
| 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 Leavers Assembly (11:00-12:00pm, Hall) |
| Tue 15 December | Yr 8 Leavers Lunch (1:00-2:00pm) |
| 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
Amelia - Year 3
Amelia, you are an amazing role model learner in the Kōwhai hub, always giving your best effort and taking pride in your learning. You are also an incredibly reliable helper, readily willing to lend a hand and completing every job with care and responsibility. Your kind and caring nature shines through in the way you look out for others and make sure everyone feels included and valued. Thank you for all that you do, Amelia. You are an absolute star!
Sebastian - Year 8
Seb, you are always willing to lend a helping hand and never complain, no matter what the job is. You have become our local ICT guru, always ready to step in and help teachers when technology isn’t playing ball. You generously give up your lunch times to support others and make sure things get sorted. Your kindness, patience and willingness to help make a real difference to our school. “Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.”
School Notices
Contacting Staff - Email
Sunhat and Drink Bottle - Term 4 Reminder
Reminder - as we near Term 4 and warmer weather, 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 remember to send your child to school each day with sunscreen applied as well.
Cellphones, Smartwatches, and other personal digital devices
Please avoid bringing personal devices to school where possible. If you have to bring them to school, please turn them off, drop them off at the school office, and collect them again at the end of the school day.
Please refer to our school's policy relating to ‘cellphones and other personal digital devices’ through SchoolDocs,
linked here.
Within the policy document, it states:
Personal digital devices include cellphones, which we manage according to government regulations, and other devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartwatches. Devices that are part of a school-approved Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programme have separate conditions for use.
and
If students bring personal digital devices (including cellphones) to school, the following requirements apply:
Students may be able to take devices on EOTC events, but should check with the teacher or person in charge whether the device is allowed before the event starts.
Students must turn their devices off and keep them in the office during school hours.
If devices are used for a learning activity, this must be approved and supervised by teaching staff.
Happy Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2026 — Māori Language Week 2026!
Last week was Aotearoa’s annual Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori! A range of different activities took place across our kura.
Each day there was a different challenge, ‘te wero o te rā’, for ākonga and kaimahi to have a go at. This has been a great way for students to try new things and grow their knowledge.
Here is a link to the slides if you would like to have a go at them as a whānau!
Last Tuesday evening, we had our Term 3 Whānau Hui. This is an evening for our Māori whānau, tamariki, and kaimahi to come together. We were lucky to have Mihi-Rose and her dad Ranui open our hui with a beautiful waiata. We shared kai, connected with each other, and had a go at learning a routine with tī rākau, which was a lot of fun! We look forward to connecting with more whānau at our Term 4 Whānau Hui!
Last Thursday, our senior Kapa Haka group, Te Whānau Mahi Tahi, performed at Pō Whakangahau, which was held at Cashmere High School. This event brought schools from around the area together for an evening of performances. Te Whānau Mahi Tahi represented Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto with pride and were absolutely incredible! They looked magnificent on stage and gave their all to the performance. We would like to thank our tutor, Whaea Cath, and all the students in Te Whānau Mahi Tahi for the commitment and dedication they have shown in the lead-up to this performance!
Dental Care during the School Holidays
The Community Dental Service will be providing dental care for children enrolled with our service during the upcoming school holidays. The clinics will offer treatment and relief of pain sessions by appointment only. To make an appointment, please call/email our Contact Centre, which operates between the hours of 8:00am and 4:30pm, Monday to Friday throughout the holidays (between 28 September and Friday 05 October). If your child requires urgent dental care during the time we are closed, please contact your family dentist.
The following Dental Clinics will be open during these school holidays:
- Woolston Clinic, 11 Hopkins Street, Woolston, From Monday 28 September to Friday 09 October
- Burnside Clinic, 96A Memorial Ave, Burnside - From Monday 28 September to Friday 09 October
- Aranui Clinic, 240 Breezes Road, Aranui - From Monday 05 October to Friday 09 October
- Hornby Clinic, 2 Hei Hei Road, Hornby - from Monday 05 October to Friday 09 October
The clinics will offer appointments between 8:15am and 4:45pm for school-age and preschool children. If your child has dental pain because of an accident, please contact your dentist in the first instance.
To book an appointment at one of our clinics, please:
Call: 0800 846 983
Or email: commdental@cdhb.health.nz
School Fruit Trees in Blossom
The first of our kura 'Orchards in Schools' fruit trees is in blossom! The tree pictured below is out the back of the Tahaki classroom block. We look forward to seeing more blossoms on our young trees over the coming weeks.
Safety & Parking Around School
Dungeons & Dragons at Beckenham
This term, we have had the opportunity to introduce Dungeons & Dragons sessions at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto, with a small group of Year 6–8 students coming together once a month for a morning of adventure, creativity and collaboration.
The sessions have been a fantastic success. It has been wonderful to see students connecting with others who share similar interests, including across different year levels. Throughout the sessions, students have had opportunities to develop their communication, teamwork, problem-solving and creative thinking skills, while building confidence and positive connections with their peers.
A huge thank you must go to Hadley Pettigrew, who has been instrumental in getting Dungeons & Dragons up and running at our school. Hadley has helped facilitate the sessions this term, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with the students and helping us establish a programme that we now have the knowledge and resources to build on in the future.
The engagement and enthusiasm from our students has been fantastic to see. It has certainly shown us the potential of Dungeons & Dragons as another way to bring students together around a shared interest, and we look forward to seeing where this opportunity might lead in the future.
Ngā mihi nui, Hadley, for helping us begin this adventure!
Hands-On Conservation: Beckenham Students Shine at Ohinetahi Reserve
What an awesome day of community spirit, teamwork, and environmental action!
Thirty enthusiastic Year 3/4 and Year 7/8 students from Beckenham recently took part in a special Community Day at Ohinetahi Reserve. Working alongside David from the Summit Road Society / Port Hills Trust, our students rolled up their sleeves to care for our local ecosystem, learning about indigenous restoration and putting in some serious hard work to protect the Port Hills.
A massive thank you to Mark Abundo (Intern Minister) and Hamish Galloway (Senior Minister) from Cashmere Presbyterian Church, whose outstanding organisation
made the day run seamlessly.
After a busy morning of conservation work, everyone was treated to an incredible lunch generously provided and cooked by Edrick Corban-Banks, owner of Casa Paella. The delicious meal was a highlight of the trip and was thoroughly enjoyed by all of our hardworking volunteers!
We are super proud of how our Year 3/4 and Year 7/8 students represented Beckenham—demonstrating great teamwork, leadership, and care for our natural environment. High five to everyone who made this special partnership possible!
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
End of Term 3 - Sports Corner Wrap-up to come early Term 4!
PTA News
Book and Clothing Sale
A big thank you to all those that helped out with the book, clothing and bake sale. Thanks for all the donations, amazing bakers, helpers beforehand and on the sale days as well as all those who came and supported us by buying something. We raised around $3800 towards new sports uniforms, ka pai!
Entertainment Book
For a limited time, every Entertainment Membership comes with even more value:
- A SECOND Entertainment Membership FREE!
- A FREE $30 Woolworths eGift Card with every Membership purchased!
New World SMEG Knife Stickers
We’re still collecting stickers to help stock the hall kitchen with new knives, so if you have spare stickers, please drop them into the office. If you collect stickers during the school holidays, please bring these in on Monday or Tuesday of the first week of Term 4! Thank you!
BOT Update
Term 3 Policy Review Closing Soon - SchoolDocs
- Visit the SchoolDocs website: https://beckenham.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm
- Enter the username (beckenham) and password (pride).
- Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
- Read the policy.
- Click the Start your review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
- Select the reviewer type.
- Enter your name (optional).
- Follow the prompts to show that you've read the topic and enter your feedback if you'd like to comment.
- Agree to the privacy statement and click “Submit review”.
If you don't have internet access, our school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form.
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
Seussical Jr. Production - October 9 - 11
Outdoor Expo during the school holidays - 20% off for families
The school holidays are almost here, and the Outdoor Expo is the perfect excuse to get the kids off the couch and away from their screens. It's on 2 to 4 October at Canterbury Agricultural Park in Christchurch.
Come see what's out there and what adventures you can go on — outdoor activities for every age and interest. Mounted games are on Saturday and Sunday, with heaps of horsemen to watch — great for a picnic. There are two test tracks to try out bikes, one sealed and one grassed, open all three days. Plus a great kids' area with bouncy castles, amusement rides, face painting, and a huge food court.
Kids under 13 get in free with a paying adult.
For
20% off your tickets, go to
outdoorexpo.co.nz/tickets and enter
BECKENHAM20 under “Have an access code?”
Offer ends 27 September, so grab them soon. See you there!
Free Holiday Bible Club – Supporting Christchurch Families
We would love to provide children with a safe, welcoming and enjoyable place where they can make friends, play games, sing songs and learn encouraging lessons from the Bible.
The Holiday Bible Club will be held:
- 6–8 October 2026
- 9:00am–12:00pm each day
- Westburn School Hall, 257 Waimairi Road, Ilam
- For children aged 6–12
- Completely free of charge
South Island Baptist Church is a well-established local church that genuinely cares about the people and families of Christchurch. We want to serve our community in a meaningful way and make this programme available to as many families as possible.
Storybox Drama Afterschool Classes
Step inside stories at Storybox Drama!
Our creative drama classes for ages 5–12 use beautiful children’s books as the starting point for imaginative, story-led drama.
Children explore characters, ideas and story worlds through drama games, movement, voice, improvisation and creative play. There’s no pressure to perform – instead, children’s ideas and imaginations help shape the exploration.
Days: Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school
Location: Somerfield Community Centre
Cost: 5-7 Years $155 per 8-week term, 8-12 Years $180 per 8-week term
Sign up now for Luminaires
Term 4 Workshops
Acting and Singing! We're going to make a movie!
- Cracroft Guiding Centre
- Term time Thursdays after school
- Ages 8-25
Get your tickets now to Luminaires' production of Xanadu Jr !!
Black Box Theatre, Papa Hou from the 2-10 October 2026
A hilarious family-friendly musical adventure about following your dreams in the face of obstacles. With well known pop songs - hits like "Magic", "All Over The World", "I'm Alive", "Evil Woman", and of course "Xanadu."
Starring performers aged 10-17!
Enrolling now for Term 4! 4 & 8 week options ~ After-school Art Classes for Tamariki!
- Aged 8-12 years old.
- Location: The Bull Room, Risingholme, Opawa.
Lots of variety to foster creativity, problem-solving, artistic skills and friendships!
Please message me for further info. I look forward to hearing from you.
andreabakerart@gmail.com, 0212327141
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ART PLAY DAY
Join Arts Canterbury. Get creative. Have a go!
Arts Canterbury invites you to Art Play Day, a FREE (but koha welcome!) celebration of creativity, community and the joy of making art.
- Come along to Climate Action Campus in Christchurch and spend the day exploring, creating and connecting with local artists. There will be hands-on “have-a-go” activities including painting, printmaking, clay, collaborative art and plenty of opportunities to get creative as well as live demonstrations by Arts Canterbury artists. No experience necessary!
- Make a day of it, and enjoy lunch or snacks from food trucks YumYum Real Fruit Ice Cream and Hungry Potato.
- From little artists to big ones, families to grandparents, there is something for everyone. Come and discover a new creative skill, try something you’ve never done before, or simply enjoy being surrounded by art and creativity.
Arts Canterbury Chair Jane Reid says the day aims to make art accessible to everyone.
“We want Art Play Day to be a free event where people can simply come along, pick up a brush or piece of clay, and discover what creativity can bring to their lives. It’s also a chance for the public to meet local artists and be part of Canterbury’s vibrant arts community.”
With the vibrant Climate Action Campus as our backdrop, Art Play Day is all about making art accessible, joyful and part of everyday life.
FREE ENTRY • ALL AGES • EVERYONE WELCOME
Bring your curiosity. We’ll bring the art!
Arts Canterbury - Artists Supporting Artists
Free tickets on Humanitix
Sunday 4 October 2026, 10am-4pm
Climate Action Campus, 180 Avonside Drive, Christchurch
Calling all young aspiring podcasters
GCSN, Christchurch City Libraries, and Plains Media are excited to present Top of the Pods, a podcasting competition where teams from across greater Christchurch can create and submit their own podcast.
Tamariki in Years 5 - 10 can submit a podcast episode (5 - 20 min) or snippet (<5 min) in teams of up to 12. There are amazing prizes up for grabs, including brand-new podcasting equipment for your school!
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