Principal's Patch
Kia kaha te reo Māori!
‘Kia kaha’ is well understood in New Zealand English with its meaning of ‘be strong’. We often talk about languages as if they are people – talking about language health, strength and revitalisation. So when we say ‘Kia kaha te reo Māori’ we’re saying - ‘Let’s make the Māori language strong'.
This week has been Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) here in Aotearoa and I have been really impressed by how much more te reo Māori I have heard and seen through the media this year than ever before.
At our kura (school), each hub participated in their own way in celebrating and learning more te reo Māori.
The display below was put up in the Whare Pukapuka (library) by Anne, our amazing librarian.
Our goal is always to make te reo Māori a language that our tamariki (children) understand and can use with confidence. This is a challenge when none of our staff are fluent in te reo, and there is a shortage of fluent te reo teachers throughout the motu (nation). We have a team of kaiako (teachers) at school who support us to upskill one another and make sure we keep our focus in this kaupapa (matter)!
We encourage you as a whānau (family) to ako (learn) together, and to add te reo Māori into your daily conversations!
It's been a week of fairly cold mornings at the gate this week, so a huge thank-you to our staff who work the entrances every morning. Thank you also to our road patrol team who are there each day, morning and afternoon, making sure we all get across the road safely. We do appreciate that it is tricky not being able to come onto the school site each day and we thank you all for your patience.
Enrolments for 2022
Do you, or one of your neighbours, have a pre-schooler turning five during 2022?
Are they enrolled yet? If not, please contact Jacky in the office about enrolment as soon as possible. It helps us significantly with our staffing and planning if we know in advance who to expect at school the following year!
Toys and trading cards at school
We have noticed an increase in children bringing both toys, and trading cards (especially Pokemon cards) to school recently. We know that all of these items are extremely precious and that if they get lost, or accidentally given away or misplaced, it causes very real distress.
Our policy has always been to ask that toys (including trading cards) are left at home.
Whilst we are at Level 2, please don't bring the trading cards to the gate for your child to trade at 3pm, as this is causing quite a lot of additional congestion at the gate which is already very busy. Thanks for your support of this.
Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki (Princpal)
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Week 10:
Fri 01 Oct - Last day of Term 3
Fri 01 Oct - Celebration Assembly (if we are at Level 1 - 12-12.30pm)
Term 4
Week 1:
Mon 18 Oct - First day of Term 4
Fri 22 Oct - Welcome to School Assembly (9.15 - 9.30am followed by Morning Tea for whānau)
Week 2:
Mon 25 Oct - Labour Day (School Closed)
Tue 26 Oct - Staff Only Day (School Closed)
Wed 27 Oct - PTA Meeting ( 7.30 - 9.30pm )
Sun 31 Oct - PTA - Halloween Picnic in the Park
Term Dates
Click here to view 2021 & 2022 term dates.
Citizen of the Week
Cahlen Stace - Year 6
Cahlen, your enthusiasm for learning is second to none! You share your excellent general knowledge and well-thought-out ideas with others in a positive manner. Your exuberance is infectious. Cahlen, you take action when the need arises and this helps the whole hub tick along. Tino pai rawa atu to mahi!
PTA News
Lockdown is over and the PTA is back!
The Readathon has been a bit disjointed thanks to COVID, but let's start where we left off! We will be at the main gate on Sandwich Rd every day next week collecting any cards that have been completed or money you still have to donate. We will have cool bookmarks to give in return.
We will still run the popular prize draw at the assembly on Friday 24th September. Everyone who did the reading goes into the draw, so let one of us at the gate know if you lost the card or donated online, alternatively email pta@beckenham.school.nz or message us on Facebook.
We won't be having the book character dress-up day but there will be a chance to dress up at our Family Picnic in the park on the 31st of October! We did have our ever-popular quiz scheduled for the 30th, but due to COVID uncertainty, we have decided to change it from a fundraiser into a BYO picnic in the park on Sunday 31st. More details will follow soon!
Finally: keep your eye out for our Calendar Art Fundraiser. The students have been busy creating masterpieces, which are soon to be turned into easy Christmas gifts! We are hoping to be able to open orders before the end of term - watch this space (and your children’s bags).
School Notices
Kōwhai miniball T4 2021
If your Year 3/4 child is keen to play Miniball at the Pioneer Stadium inter-school competition next term, please click on
this link for more information and register their interest
by next Friday 24th September.NZ Mental Health Awareness
Next week is NZ's mental health awareness week, 27 September - 3rd October.
This year, the focus is on making time to kōrero through our joys and challenges. Talk with your children about the benefits of talking through problems, and who they might go to.
More resources, ideas and stories are featured
here online.
The model describes health and wellbeing as a wharenui/meeting house with four walls. These walls represent taha wairua/spiritual wellbeing, taha hinengaro/mental and emotional wellbeing, taha tinana/physical wellbeing and taha whānau/family and social wellbeing. Our connection with the whenua/land forms the foundation.
When all these things are in balance, we thrive. When one or more of these is out of balance, our wellbeing is impacted.
The parts of the wharenui:
TAHA WHĀNAU
Taha whānau is the people we care about, who recharge us and make us feel we belong. Whānau isn’t just our immediate relatives. It includes our friends, hoamahi/colleagues, iwi or community – the people who are close to our hearts.
TAHA WAIRUA
Taha wairua is about taking notice and appreciating the beauty around us. It’s about rediscovering things that make us feel awe, hope, strength, unity and connection. For some, wairua is faith or a higher power. Sometimes our wairua isn’t strong and we encourage you to think about what wairua means to you and ways to strengthen it. When your wairua is strong, it’s easier to feel good, cope with challenges and build strong whānau relationships.
TAHA TINANA
Taha tinana is about how your body feels and how you care for it. Refuelling your body helps you to feel mentally well. Sometimes your tinana might not be where you’d like it to be and this might be beyond your control. What’s important is that you do what you can to nurture it.
TAHA HINENGARO
Taha hinengaro is your mind, heart, conscience, thoughts and feelings. Just like your physical health, your hinengaro needs to be nurtured. Hinengaro is what you do to stimulate and refresh your mind so you can better cope with the ups and downs of life.
WHENUA
Whenua is our connection to the land. It’s soil, plants, animals and people – tangata whenua. It’s the earth through which you are connected to your tūpuna/ancestors. Whenua is a place of belonging and it’s comforting that it is never too far away.
Update from Scholastic
"Scholastic New Zealand’s Auckland warehouse is currently closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
We have received a number of queries from schools and parents enquiring as to the status of their orders. Due to the lockdown, we have a number of unfulfilled orders stuck in our warehouse. As books are deemed non-essential items, we are not able to operate and ship any of these orders to school or homes.
I’m sure that you will understand that this situation is beyond our control, as it is for many New Zealand organisations and we thank you for your patience and understanding.
Rest assured, we will be prioritising these orders as soon as Auckland reaches level 3 and our fantastic team gets back to our warehouse. Auckland orders will be dispatched to schools as soon as Auckland reaches level 2 and students return to in-person learning.
In the meantime, if you have any questions related to your order please email
bookclub@scholastic.co.nz. Our Customer Services Team are working from home and will reply to your email with an update as soon as they are able to.
Please stay safe during the lockdown.
The Scholastic Team"
BOSCO
BOSCO’s October Holiday Programme is now open for bookings. We are very excited about the variety of crafts, baking and sport activities we have planned these holidays. We will also be visiting Ferrymead and playing a fantastic round of minigolf at Caddyshack. Pony Parties will bring their amazing animals to visit us and the boys from Cheapskate Skateskool are ready to come and teach us a few tricks again! We have limited spaces available so email Juanita now at
office@bosco.org.nz to find out more or make a booking online via Aimy Plus.
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
Bush Farm Education
CodeCamp
CodeCamp allows kids from the ages of 7-12 to develop 21st century skills in a fun and action packed environment. Develop confidence & initiative through design, creativity, solving problems, presenting & collaboration. Creating games, websites and apps as well as robotics.
4th - 8th October
Learn to Sail
This Learn to Sail program based out of Naval Point Club Lyttelton, is a 10 week course that will teach children aged 8 + how to sail and the basic principle of the sport
The Program starts on Saturday the 25th of September with the option to sail either on a Saturday or a Sunday morning from 9 – 12
The program come’s at a cost of $150 for the 10 weeks and this includes boat hire.
A wetsuit, warm clothes that will get wet and a lifejacket are necessary
For further details and registration please go to
We also have on offer our school program running from the 11th – 14th of October for anyone who wants to give sailing a try
Write Like an Author - Holiday Writing Camp
Learn to write stories like a published author, with a published author!
Write Like an Author is the internationally acclaimed writing course for students aged 8-14 that shows you how to write stories the way authors do.
On a three-day, school holiday writing camp, award-winning author Maria GIll will take you on a journey of fun and discovery, learning how to create, develop and write awesome stories, guiding you every step of the way.
The course has been developed by international award winning author and writing coach Brian Falkner and proven for over a decade in classrooms in Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
The cost of the three day camp is $195 at the early-bird price.
Act2 Drama Group Auditions
Studio One Performing Arts
Your local dance school, is currently giving Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary lessons in your area. The school’s director is teacher, choreographer & ex-ballet dancer Patricia Paul A.R.A.D. (London). Ballet lessons from 3 years through to Advanced, and all levels in Jazz and Contemporary starting from age 7. For all enquiries please phone 372-9191 or email
info@studioone.co.nz
