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

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Principal's Update

Kia ora koutou

Colour Run

This week I attended the PTA meeting and heard about all the fantastic work underway to support our school.

As I’m sure you can appreciate, running a school is an expensive business, and we often have to make careful choices about resources within tight financial constraints. The PTA plays a vital role in providing additional fundraising that enables projects which would otherwise not be possible.

Currently, the PTA is seeking grant funding and running fundraising events to create an all-weather turf surface on the court beside the Kōmanawa building. To help raise funds for this project, they are also facilitating a Colour Run.

If your family hasn’t signed up yet, this is a great opportunity to get behind the PTA and support a project that will benefit all our tamariki. Apparently, if enough funds are raised, I’ll be getting slimed!

To register your family’s support for the Colour Run, please use the QR code or link below.

Staffing News - 2026 

Next year we will have two new teachers joining our team at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto.

Kate Meder will be joining us from Christchurch South Karamata Intermediate, where she is currently teaching. Kate brings eight years of teaching experience and a wide range of skills and strengths.

Sarah Spence is joining our team from BestStart Barrington, where she is currently a Head Teacher. Sarah brings diverse experience and particular expertise in supporting pathways to school for our youngest learners.

We look forward to welcoming Kate and Sarah in the new year.

Congratulations also to Anna McNeill, who last term was appointed to a position at Halswell Primary School for 2026. Anna began her teaching career at our school, and we are very excited for her as she takes the next step in her career. We know that Halswell will benefit greatly from the experience and skill she brings to their team.

2026 Class and Team Organisation

I wanted to share an update on the decisions we’ve made regarding class and team placements for 2026. Following a review of how our teams are organised, we’ll be structuring the school a little differently next year. 

The key thinking behind this change includes:

  • Taking the next step towards establishing phase-based teams in line with the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum.

  • Creating a clearer line of sight for teaching and learning across the school.

  • Providing opportunities for our Year 7/8 learners to work in spaces that more closely reflect the environments they’ll experience at high school.

  • Aligning team sizes with available learning spaces to make best use of our facilities.

These changes are designed to strengthen collaboration across teams, support smooth transitions for learners, and set us up well for the next stage of our curriculum journey.

Koru: New Entrants, Kahikatea Yr1/2, Kōwhai Yr 3/4, Pōhutakawa Yr 5/6, Yr 7/8 Kauri

Garden Transformation 

The garden area behind Tākaka has been transformed! I’d like to give special thanks to Lucy, one of our Teaching Assistants, for her work alongside students to develop this space. It has become a beautiful area where students can learn about and interact with the natural world.

I’m also pleased to share that next week our long-awaited chicken coop will be constructed. Cook Brothers Construction, who are currently building the new South Library, have generously donated their labour for the build, and Mitre 10 is providing all the materials for the project. We are very grateful for this wonderful support of our school.

Meanwhile, the incubator in our office is counting down - only five days to go until the eggs begin to hatch! Excitement is certainly building.

Class Placements for 2026 - Reminder


If you have any considerations you would like to share for your child as part of this process for your children please email me at principal@beckenham.school.nz 


Have a great weekend. 


Ngā mihi

Cade

Principal / Tumuaki

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto

Important Dates

Upcoming Events - Term 4

WEEK 6

Thu 13 Nov - Staff Only Day 

Fri 14 Nov - Canterbury Anniversary Day - School Closed


WEEK 7 

Fri 21 Nov - Celebration Assembly (10:00-10:30am)

Fri 21 Nov - PTA Colour Run (1:30pm-3:00pm Fundraiser Event)


WEEK 8 

Wed 26 Nov - PTA Meeting (7:30-9:30pm)

Thu 27 Nov - Board of Trustees Meeting (5:30-7:30pm)

Fri 28 Nov - Whānau and Volunteers Thank you (8:15-8:45am)

Fri 28 Nov - Celebration Assembly (10:00-10:30am)


WEEK 9

Wed 3 Dec - Kauri Production (1:30-3:00pm Matinee & 4:30-6:30pm Evening)

Thu 4 Dec - Kōwhai Production (11:30-12:30pm)

Fri 5 Dec - Celebration Assembly (10:00-10:30am)


WEEK 10

Mon 8 Dec - Kauri Victoria Park Walk & Waltham Pool Party

Wed 10 Dec - Kauri Cass Bay Trip

Fri 12 Dec - Final Celebration Assembly (9:45am-10:30am)


WEEK 11

Tue 16 Dec - Year 8 Graduation Assembly (11:00-12:00pm, Leavers Lunch 12:00-1:00pm)

Wed 17 Dec - Last Day of the Year, School finishes at 12:30pm


2026 Term Dates

Citizen of the Week

Julia - Year 6

Julia, you are a wonderfully positive student whose enthusiasm uplifts those around you. Each day, you show all our school values through your actions and attitude. Keep sharing your delightful sense of humour! Whakamiharo, fantastic!


Lena - Year 8

Lena, you consistently show confidence in your learning and approach your academics with enthusiasm. Your strong leadership and the way you support and guide your classmates make a positive difference in our school community. You truly lead by example, and this recognition is very well deserved.

School Notices

Flipbook of the Rings 

Congratulations to Noah Webster! He took part in the Flipbook of the Rings project as a part of Flipbook Fest 2025 and was selected to be one of the 1600 kids completing a section of the flipbook. 

"The flipbook of the rings is a community project, hosted by the YouTuber @andymation in America. The goal of the project was to recreate the entire three-hour film, The Fellowship of the Ring, as one giant hand-drawn flipbook. Although it was hosted in America, it was open to anyone. I did a seven-second clip, and although I thought it would be easy, it still took ages. I ended up drawing eighty-eight pages, and each one took about 15 minutes, meaning that overall, I was drawing for twenty-two hours. It was a good experience, but I wouldn’t want to do it again."

See videos of this work linked below:


Reminder - Sunhat and Drink Bottles

As we enter into the warmer weather, every child must attend 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.




BOT Update

Term 4 Policy Review - SchoolDocs

    1. Visit the website linked here.

    2. Enter the username (beckenham) and password (pride).

    3. Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.

    4. Read the policy.

    5. Click the Start your review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.

    6. Select the reviewer type.

    7. Enter your name (optional).

    8. Follow the prompts to show that you've read the topic and enter your feedback if you'd like to comment.

    9. Agree to the privacy statement and click “Submit review”.

    (If you don't have internet access, the school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form).

The Sports Corner

Kia ora koutou,

This section of our newsletter is dedicated to highlighting the successes and challenges our students are experiencing in sports outside of school. It’s fantastic to already have three Kauri students sharing how they are embracing We Love Challenge - Nau Mai Te Wero beyond the classroom and pursuing their passions. 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


Hamish - Footballing Success

Following on from his invitation to the West Ham Foundation Australia National Camp earlier this year, Hamish has been selected to attend the West Ham United Development Tour in the United Kingdom. What an amazing opportunity - we wish him all the best as he takes the next steps in his football journey!

A big thank you also to all the community members who supported Hamish’s fundraising efforts by purchasing bacon - your generosity is greatly appreciated.


PTA News

Colour Run

Only 2 weeks until the Colour Run!! Sign up now!

A huge thanks to those who have already signed up and started their fundraising for our upcoming Colour Run. We are off to a great start. Don’t forget to share your link with all your friends and family! For those who are yet to sign up, please try to do so ASAP as we have some awesome prizes to give away in the coming weeks!

Sign up here to register your family!

More details for event will be out soon. Every child at the school will be able to participate and how it works is Tamariki will run/walk one lap of the field and choose to go over, under or through a series of fun obstacles while getting colour powder thrown at them. There will be some water and maybe some slime too! All parents are invited to come and watch the event or even better get involved by helping us throw dye! Sign up to help out by following this link to the google form.

Remember every $1000 we earn one teacher will be slimed! Next Wednesday at the end of the school day the first group of teachers will be slimed!!!

Thanks very much and happy fundraising!

HELP NEEDED - Year 8 Leavers' Lunch!

Each year, the PTA puts on a lunch for all of our lovely Year 8s and their caregivers, to help give them a great send-off from Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto. This is usually highly anticipated by the senior students!

We need your help (provided you are not a parent/caregiver of a Year 8 student!) to prepare the lunch (just a bit of chopping) and serve the lunch (plating up, heating savouries, and helping with clearing up).

Lunch will be served after the Leavers' Assembly, in the late morning, on Tuesday, 16th December.

If you can and would like to help anytime on Tuesday morning, please complete this form.
Your support is really appreciated!

Community Notices

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


Our Kids Clothing Swap is a chance to bring along some pre-loved clothing (newborn – 12 yrs), and bless others while refreshing your own kids' wardrobes. 
While you browse, kids can enjoy activities, and there'll be space to relax, mingle, and connect over a hot drink and baking. 
Everyone is welcome, we'd love to see you there! 
Entry by koha, which goes to the charity Clothed in Love
Date: Sat 29th Nov
Time: 10am -12pm
Location: The Well Church, 364 Colombo Street (carpark on Waverley St)
Please note also that you don't have clothing to swap, you can still enter and fill a bag as we have plenty of clothing on offer!

Koru Team news, Term 4 Week 4

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Kia ora, e te whānau,

We've had another busy and brilliant fortnight in the Koru team, with our newbies settling in beautifully and our children who are having their visits before starting school, showing lovely confidence as they become familiar in their new setting. A very warm welcome to all of our new tamariki and their whānau, and thank you to our older children who are ensuring that the new children are feeling safe and secure at school! You are showing 'We Care' and 'We Get There Together'.

Athletics Day:

What a fun and fabulous time the children all had at our Beckenham te Kura Athletics Day on Thursday! The Koru team children participated in a range of games and activities, including throwing, running and jumping, incorporating a wide range of movement skills and using a variety of equipment. The children displayed the full range of our school values throughout their athletics activities, including: 'We Care', 'We Make a Difference' and 'We Get There Together' (our focus value last week) as they looked after their brand new friends who had only had a short time at school; 'We Love Challenge' as they took part in activities that really stretched them physically; and 'We Love Learning' throughout the lead up to their Athletics Day, as they practised and displayed new skills, in order to join in as best as they were able on the day itself. Well done, to our tamariki - we loved seeing you try your best and participating fully at our school Athletics Day! Tino pai tou mahi. Please scroll down for a selection of photos taken on the day.

Literacy:

Children are continuing to make great progress in their Literacy learning, and we know that you'll find it very exciting to witness this as your children share their resources and books with you at home. 

When children first start school, they will bring home a little letter and heart word pack in their Literacy folders. As they become confident with their sounds, their heart words, and they learn how to blend sounds together, they will begin to bring home their first reading books.

At all stages of the children's Literacy learning, your help at home is incredibly valuable. You can use both letter cards and heart word cards as flash cards and children can practise reading them at speed. Another great way to support your child's learning is to help them to practise writing the letters and their heart words. Being able to write the letter for each sound and spell the heart words, is important at all stages of your child's learning.

Here are some links to short videos which we hope you will find helpful. Some families of older children may have viewed some of these videos earlier in the year, however, we thought it valuable to share them again, not only for the parents/caregivers of new children, but also as a refresher for those of older students:

All the best to you all as you support your children at home, with their Literacy learning, and please do ask your child's Home Group teacher if you have any questions.

Photo Gallery:





































Hats
Another reminder about the importance of sending your child to school each day, with their hat, please. Children without hats are asked to remain in the shade on our hall veranda.

Entering school through the correct entrances
...and one more reminder: we ask parents to approah our Koru team learning spaces at the start of each day, through the Eastern Terrace gate, the gate down near the corner of Eastern Terrace and Sandwich Road, in through the gate near the crossing on Sandwich Road or in through Beckenham Park. Please ensure that you use these entrance points rather than walking your child in through the staff carpark. Many thanks for your support with this request.

All the best for a lovely weekend ahead, everyone (looking forward to some more warm weather), and congratulations once again to the Koru team tamariki for their excellent efforts and attitude during the Athletics yesterday. You showed We Love Challenge and We Get There Together!

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,
Katie, Stacey, Niquita and Elizabeth

Kōwhai News Term 4 Week 4

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Kia ora e te Whānau, 

Welcome to the Week 4 Kōwhai blog.


Production 


We have been busy over the last few weeks, continuing to prepare for our upcoming production, 'Jukebox Journey: History's Greatest Hits'. A reminder that tamariki are in a group with one of the Kōwhai teachers doing either Ragtime, Disco, Rock 'n' Roll, Futuristic, Ancient Egypt, or Michael Jackson. Students have been working hard to learn choreography, design props, organise costumes, and rehearse lines. It has been very exciting watching this start to come together, and we are looking forward to having the opportunity to share this with whānau later in the term. 

The date and time for this will be: Thursday 4th December, 11:30am.




Athletics Day 


On Thursday, our students had an action-packed Athletics Day. Students rotated through 5 different events, which included sprints, shot put, long jump, high jump, and discus. It was fantastic to see students showing resilience, celebrating success, and demonstrating great sportsmanship throughout the day. What wonderful examples of embracing the ‘We Get There Together’ and ‘We Love Challenge’ kete values. A huge thank you to our staff, whānau, and awesome ākonga for helping make the day such a positive and successful event!









Dance and Ukulele 

Over the last 4 weeks, students have been attending weekly hip hop dance and ukulele sessions. It has been wonderful to see the way students have been engaging during these classes and subsequently developing confidence when learning the dance routine and playing the chords. We certainly have some very talented Kōwhai kids who are really making the most of this awesome learning opportunity!

Here is the link to the audio that students are dancing to!





Hats

We are now well into term four and as we get closer to summer, it is important that we stay sun smart. Could you please support your tamariki to make sure they are wearing their hat when they are outside. If they have forgotten their hat, they need to go under the hall verandah at break times. Duty teachers will be supporting with reminders. 

Headlice

Unfortunately, we have had more cases of headlice reported in Kōwhai Hub. Can you please check your child's head for eggs and live lice regularly and treat accordingly if detected. The link below has very helpful information about headlice and how to treat it.

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


Pōhutukawa News Term 4 Week 4 2025

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Ngā mihi e te whānau, welcome all to whats been happening in the Pōhutukawa Team for Weeks 3 and 4 of Term 4 2025, kia pai ngā rā whakata.

Learning in the hub: Mathematics in the Parenga Learning Space









Citizen of the Week: Jake Ussher


Congratulations Jake! We are super proud of you!



Navigating the Journey

We will be participating in the Navigating the Journey programme over the next 4 weeks. The Navigating the journey Te takahi i te ara resources use the metaphor of navigation to describe a person’s lifetime journey of  physical, social, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of hauora (wellbeing). 

Navigating the Journey is a comprehensive age-appropriate programme about relationships and sexuality developed by Family planning for delivery in primary and secondary schools. This programme is aligned with the Ministry of Education’s guidelines for relationship education and sexuality education. This programme is also aligned with the health and physical education learning area of The New Zealand Curriculum. 

The key concepts that will be covered for 2025 can be found on Hero. If you wish to find out more detail about any specific lessons please get in touch with your home group teacher.




Sporting Achievements

Following on from his invitation to the West Ham Foundation Australia National Camp earlier this year, Hamish has been selected to attend the West Ham United Development Tour in the United Kingdom. What an amazing opportunity - we wish him all the best as he takes the next steps in his football journey.

A big thank you also to all the community members who supported Hamish’s fundraising efforts by purchasing bacon - your generosity is greatly appreciated.







Hub Visit from "Bear" Chris' Golden Retriever






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.



Ngā mihi nui.

The Pōhutukawa Teaching Team

Chris, Gayle, Nick, Megan, Rae, Georgie, Viv, Stacey and Laura


Kahikatea News Week 4 Term 4

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Kia ora e te whānau,

What a wonderfully busy week we've had in Team Kahikatea. We have had several events and have more coming up. Here is the latest news from the Kahikatea team.
Thank you for coming along to support your child/ren during our school athletics day yesterday. We have some photos from the day in our blog this week. 

PTA - Colour Run 

Fri 21 Nov - PTA Colour Run (1:30pm-3:00pm Fundraiser Event)

Information for this will come home with your oldest or only child. 

Team Kauri Raffle 

Team Kauri are excited to announce our Luxury Hamper Raffle Fundraiser! 

Our generous Team Kauri families have donated some amazing treats, beautifully packaged into 7 stunning hampers — each filled with luxury goodies perfect for a picnic, a romantic weekend getaway, or simply indulging yourself during a busy week. 

Grab your raffle tickets from our awesome parent volunteers outside the hall this Friday morning and afternoon!

$3.00 per ticket, 2 tickets for $5 or 5 tickets for $10!!!

The draw for these awesome prizes will take place at the Kauri Quiz Night on 1st November. You do not have to attend this evening to be a winner of the draw, so get in a buy your tickets!!!

Don’t miss your chance to win something special while supporting Team Kauri!

✨ Good luck and thank you for your support! ✨


Tuesday Dance Sessions

Our tamariki are really enjoying our dance session being held in our school hall every Tuesday. This is the music that we've been using to learn our dance. Your child may want to show you the dance they are learning, and you may want to join in!

Music HERE 


Athletics Photos 

The tamariki from the Kahikatea team did so well at athletics on Thursday. What an awesome bunch! We saw a lot of demonstrations of our values 'We Love Challenge' and 'We Get There Together' during our practice sessions AND the actual event, ka mau te wehi - how amazing! Below are some photos.






















Have a safe and happy weekend! Feel free to contact any of the team if you have any questions, queries or clarifications about what's happening at kura. 

Ngā mihi nui,

Team Kahikatea