Further update about the Chickenpox vaccination

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Kia ora e te whānau

A bit more information about the chickenpox vaccine:
Unless you have paid to have your child vaccinated against chickenpox, it appears that the addition of the chickenpox vaccine to the register will not have provided vaccination for all but the very newest of our current school-aged children:


The vaccine for chickenpox was added to the National Immunisation Schedule on 1 July 2017.

Immunisation
One dose of chickenpox vaccine is free for children aged 15 months. It is also free for children turning 11 years of age who have never been infected with or previously immunised against chickenpox.

BirthDate / Eligibility

From 1 April 2016 onwards
All children are eligible for one free dose when they turn 15 months of age.

From 1 July 2006 to 31 March 2016
Those who haven't been infected or previously immunised against chickenpox are eligible for one free dose when they turn 11 years of age.

Those with medical conditions that put them at high risk of chickenpox, such as patients before organ transplant or after chemotherapy, are eligible for two free doses of chickenpox vaccine, regardless of age.

For everyone else, chickenpox immunisation is available in New Zealand at a cost. Talk to your doctor if you’d like the chickenpox vaccination for you or your child.

Health notice – we have a case of chickenpox at school

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Kia ora e te whānau

One of our students in Kahikatea has been confirmed as having chickenpox.

This email is just to give you a heads up, particularly if your child hasn't been vaccinated for whatever reason, including if they have come to New Zealand after living overseas.

All children in New Zealand can have chickenpox immunisation at 15 months of age. It is part of the National Immunisation Schedule. Most people who have this vaccine will not get chickenpox. If an immunised person does get chickenpox, it is usually mild.

I have taken some key points about chickenpox from the KidsHealth website, and you can read more information here if you need it: KidsHealth: Chickenpox

Key Points to Know about Chickenpox:

  • chickenpox is a common childhood illness caused by a virus
  • it is very easy to catch
  • most cases of chickenpox are mild and children get better completely
  • your child needs to see a doctor if they have a very high fever or are very ill, particularly if they become very drowsy, or are breathing fast or vomiting a lot
  • children with chickenpox need to stay home from school and daycare
  • chickenpox can sometimes cause serious complications

Early symptoms:

Chickenpox can often start with the following symptoms:
  • a fever
  • a headache
  • a runny nose
  • a cough
  • loss of appetite
  • feeling tired


ShowQuest – update on Order and projected finish time…

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Kia ora whānau


I have just heard from Nicky and the order of performance for the evening has just been drawn.

There are 7 schools performing and our students are the final performers.

Please go into the Town Hall foyer and up the stairs to the Victoria Room on the top level to collect your child and sign them out with their home group teacher.

The teachers will have them in home groups. We expect the evening to conclude and children to be able to be released between 8:45 and 9pm.

In an emergency, you can contact Nicky Dunlop on 027 622 9403

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Friday 14th May

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

What an amazing week. We have had rain, mist, sun and wind this week and, at times, all four seasons in one day.  The Cross Country on Tuesday eluded the cool weather front and the children ran in warm, still, autumn sunshine.  It was amazing to see the students persistence, participation and endurance and wonderful to see parents and caregivers cheering them all on.  Thank you for your support and to the parents who helped take the gear in at the end of the afternoon.


Staff Only Day

Friday next week is a staff only day so students do not come to school on Friday. The staff will be engaging in professional development around Structured Literacy, the research and implications for our classroom programmes.  

Have a happy weekend.
Nga mihi nui
Sue Leadbetter
Tumuaki Tuarua / Deputy Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Week 3:
Mon 17 May - Show Quest Year 7 & 8
Wed 19 May - School Photos
Fri 21 May - Staff Only Day (School Closed)

Week 4:
Mon 24 May - Kahikatea City Excursion (Amber/Charlotte HG)
Tue 25 May - Kahikatea City Excursion (Katie/Lisa HG)
Tue 25 May - Zone Cross Country, at Halswell Quarry
Wed 26 May - PTA Meeting 7.30 - 9.30pm
Thu 27 May - Board of Trustees Meeting 5.30 - 7.30pm
Fri 28 May - Celebration Assembly

Week 5:
Thu 3rd Jun - South Zone Winter Sport
Fri 4 Jun - Koru Art Gallery Trip

Week 6:
Mon 7 Jun - Queens Birthday (School Closed)
Tue 8 Jun - Staff Only Day (School Closed)

Term Dates

Click here to view 2021 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Lilian Shelku - Year 6

Lilian, you are a shining example of a determined and passionate Beckenham student, who enthusiastically tackles learning with a quiet ‘can do’ attitude. Your exceptional self management skills mean that you are always well organised and can be relied on to confidently take on extra responsibilities. It is an absolute privilege to have you in our hub, Lilian.

School Notices

Parking and driver care on Sandwich Road

We know that everyone is keen to keep our children safe as they travel to and from school. To support this, please can drivers NOT try to undertake U-turns on Sandwich Road during the pick-up and drop-off times. We have witnessed some near misses recently and, ultimately, it is our children who are being put at risk.
Please also remember that the 3 min zone on the school side of Sandwich Road is MAX 3mins - not time enough for you to get out of your car and go into school to drop off or collect your child. If everyone can use this area as a drop-off/pick-up point, then all of the traffic will flow more smoothly.

Staff Only Day

A reminder that our first staff-only day for this term is next Friday, May 21st.
School will be closed for students on this day.

Newsletter Contributions

If you would like to contribute something to the Newsletter - e.g. student achievements outside of school, you can do so by emailing newsletter@beckenham.school.nz

Please include text exactly as you wish it to be shared, and ensure any images sent through are a .jpg format.

Getting Muddy 

As winter approaches, Beckenham Park is developing some muddy patches. The children are very good at finding these! If your child tends to come home muddy or has the potential for this, please make sure they have a spare school shirt and pair of pants in their bag.

ESOL

Last week we were very pleased to welcome Charmaine, our new Teacher Aide, to our first ESOL lessons for Term 2. Charmaine is taking over from Pip and Elizabeth. 


Students worked on prepositions (under, over, between, across, in front, behind) and made paper helicopters to practice science concepts (flying, floating, falling etc.)


Mana Ake “Drop-Ins” are continuing…

A number of whānau have already made great use of the Mana Ake “drop-ins” that are available on Wednesday mornings from 8:30 – 9:30am. These drop-in sessions are here to provide parents with an opportunity to have a private, informal conversation around the well being of their child with one of our Mana Ake workers (kaimahi). If you feel like you would like to attend a drop-in session, please book in a time via the link here: Mana Ake booking The code to use is 88t39. Alternatively, you can contact Jacky in the office and she will make a booking for you.



Staff Profiles

Introducing our awesome Kōwhai team teachers - and celebrating the sense of humour and fun they bring to their work each day!

Nick Bruce, Meagan Mathers, Laura Williamson (Team Leader), Rowena Barker, Georgie Jones, Quynh Nguyen

Sports News

Cross Country

In the lead up to cross country, there were lots of conversations about mindset and embracing challenge in our hubs. It was awesome to see our tamariki putting this into practise on Tuesday at our whole school cross country. They showed up, dug deep and ran their best race. Thank you to the Kauri students who took on a variety of organisational roles that contributed to the smooth running of the event and thank you to all the whānau who marshalled the course. 

A huge congratulations to every child who participated.

Year 5 Champions - Jack Sayer and Holly Mcintosh
Year 6 Champions - Jayde Inglis and Archie Arnott
Year 7 Champions - Torun Joergensen and James Stoney
Year 8 Champions - Jonty Mitchell and Molly Arnott

The first 6, (Year 5 to 8) across the finish from each category will go on to represent our kura at zone cross country at Halswell Quarry on Tuesday the 25th of May. 

Netball

Year 3/4 netball has started down at Hagley Park on Friday afternoons. Beckenham is lucky enough to have 2 teams this year and they started the season playing against each other. 


 This was a great way for them to gain confidence and understanding of the game before playing teams from other schools. 


Both teams played really well and there were many smiles both on and off the court.

PTA News

SAVE the DATE!

The Annual school disco will be held Friday 11th June. We will run three sessions - times and year groups to follow.
We are still on the hunt for helpers to do a short 1-2 hour shift to help it run smoothly- please fill in the PTA Survey which will be in your inbox, or click here to complete the form.

Reminder

A reminder that our PTA 2nd hand uniform shop runs after school on Monday & Friday. Any donations of uniform can be dropped to the Office during the week.

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

Architectural Festival at The Arts Centre 

Studio One Performing Arts

Your local dance school, is currently giving Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary and Acro 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

Nathan Wallis, Conscious Intelligence

Nathan Wallis, New Zealand's favourite Neuroscience Educator (and host of the documentary “All in the Mind”, and co-host of the TV Series “The Secret life of Girls”) is coming back to Christchurch for another of his popular talks about brain development from childhood to adulthood.  He will be presenting at:

La Vida Centre (Riccarton)  - Wednesday 19th May 2021 7.30-9.00pm.

Nathan's talks are very popular with parents, teachers, coaches, leaders and anyone else who is interested in learning about the workings of the brain.  Nathan has a  profound reputation as a lively and engaging speaker. He uses humor and plain language to condense 25 years of neuroscience research into his unique ‘tell you how it is’ style. You’ll be absolutely captivated and walk away jam-packed with more than a few “ah-ha” moments.

More information can be found by following this link:

Call Parent Help - take the guesswork out of parenting. We’ll support and empower you to be the best parent you can be!

Parenting Helpline
Do you need specific parenting advice you can implement right away? Are you carrying a lot on your shoulders? Speak to our warm and supportive parenting experts.  Call us for support on any parenting issue. Call now for free on 0800 568 856. Available from 9am – 9pm 7 days a week.

Affordable counselling
Do it for yourself and for your family. Our counsellors offer therapy in person and via Zoom. They have helped hundreds of families to restore peace and balance in their lives. Call 0800 568 856 to book an appointment or read more here: www.parenthelp.org.nz/counselling 

Cashmere High School Choral Celebration


Maths Craft

Maths Craft are excited to announce the return of the Christchurch Maths Craft Day, on Sunday, May 23, in The Great Hall at The Arts Centre. Come along to The Great Hall and join us to discover the maths behind craft and the craft behind maths.

The day-long celebration of maths will feature a range of craft creation stations and public talks by mathematician crafters, and promises to engage people of all ages. Knit a mathematical knot, crochet a Möbius strip, fold an origami octahedron, and flex a hexahexaflexagon. Volunteers with backgrounds in mathematics and crafting will be on hand at all times to answer questions and assist people with their creations. Our guest speakers will present a series of maths and craft themed talks throughout the day, ranging in topics from fractals and pleating to crochet and chaos.

The Christchurch Maths Craft Day is free and open to everyone: experts and amateurs, maths-fans and maths-phobes, the crafty and the curious.

Date: Sunday May 23 
Time: 10am-5pm
Location: The Great Hall at The Arts Centre, 2 Worcester Blvd, Christchurch
Cost: Free entry 

ShowQuest Final Reminders

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 On Monday, May 17th, performance day, the children will need to be at school at the usual time. The bus takes us to the Town hall in the morning. We stay there right through until the evening. As soon as we know our performance time, we will send an email out, so those of you not viewing the show know when to collect your child. 

Children will need to bring the following:

  • Their costume (clean and pressed would be fabulous)
  • Any makeup they would like to apply
  • Hair brush / comb. For those with long hair, please bring hair ties and bobby pins. 
  • Lunch and drink bottle.
  • There will be pizza (we have allowed 3 slices per child) and a sweet slice for dinner. You may like to pack extra food, especially if your child does not eat pizza.
  • A small non-electronic game, pack of cards, book, craft work etc - for down time.
  • Phones can be taken for parent communication at the end of the night. We will look after these during the day.
  • They can also bring a rug or cushion to sit on, as we are not sure how comfortable our allocated area will be.

Collection of children:

  • If you are collecting your child after the show we will bring the children down to the foyer and sign them out as they are collected.
  • If you are watching the show, children will be with their homegroup teacher in the foyer at the end of the evening. Please see the teacher to sign out before leaving.
  • If you have any queries, you can call Nicky on 0276229403

Your children are awesome! Prepare to be dazzled!