Haere mai! This Whānau Rōpū Hui is based around Matariki. It is an opportunity for us to connect with each other, celebrate Māori culture and learn about Matariki. See you there!
Please use this form to indicate your attendance to our whole-school Matariki celebration
5:00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 30th June (Kōwhai Hub) and to place your order for our whānau rōpū hangi.
Ordering Hangi:
Individual servings of hangi are $20 each. (These are large portions and could feed 2.)
Each serving will have pork, chicken, potato, kumara, carrot and stuffing.
Vegetarian options are also available.
Please pay by Monday 28 June at the school office OR into the school bank account
(12-3148-0131641-00) with "Hangi" and your name as the reference.
We've had a wonderful fortnight, and once again, we've been very busy and our days have been full of fun.
Nicola and Chelsea's Home Groups have 'moved' over to Kōmanawa, where they are starting and finishing each day. Inbetween times, our Structured Literacy and Maths interchanges are still taking place. The children have embraced our new arrangements with typical flexibility and willingness! Teachers have been enormously impressed with the seamless and sensible way the children have moved between spaces, following the lead of one of their teachers whenever they need to transfer. Congratulations, tamariki - we are all very proud of you.
How cute were the children on Friday, dressed in their onesies and pyjamas for our Mid-Winter Breakfast at school! Thanks you very much to all of those families who were able to contribute a can of food for donating to the City Mission.
Kinetic Letters:
The children continue to work very hard on their handwriting skills through the Skip and Bounce handwriting programme. This programme involves practice in several areas which contribute towards children being able to produce legible writing with ease and fluency, including:
correct pencil and pen grip
finger strength and dexterity exercises
core strength exercises
tummy lying, with strong arms and straight legs, to help strengthen the shoulder girdle.
Our monkeys, Skip and Bounce, are always on the look out for those children who are putting great effort into their handwriting. Teachers are always thrilled to see children deliberately transferring their handwriting skills into their Structured Literacy lessons.
Learning Through Play:
We are always delighted to see the different forms of play which the children engage in. Sometimes the children's play might relate to different curriculum areas (for example, Science and Technology) and sometimes the play might take the form of 'role play'. Some of the children have created a game called 'Puppy School'. This game continued throughout last week, and as the days went by, the children realised that they needed more and more resources for their game, including their own karakia and karakia kai, some toys for the puppies (bones and balls), some stickers (!), and a computer for the puppy teacher.
Structured Literacy Parent Meetings:
We hope that those of you who weren't able to attend one of these meetings held earlier in Term 1, either have (last Thursday) or are able to attend on either Tuesday (7:00 - 8:00 p.m.) or Thursday (9:00 - 10:00 a.m.) this week coming. These meetings are being run by Caroline Morritt, our Resource Teacher of Literacy. Caroline is a mine of information and is very happy to answer any questions which you might have. She is also able to refer you to specific youtube clips and websites which will be of enormous value to you, as your children are learning to read and write. Here is the link to the video of a child demonstrating the pure sounds for each of the letters of the alphabet. We have shared this before, but thought it might be of help for those parents of children who are newer to school.
The recent rain that caused so much flooding and damage to Mid and North Canterbury areas also had the potential to cause flooding in our Beckenham part of the world too. However, it would seem that the work that has been done over the past few years on improving the river has paid dividends. It was quite extraordinary to experience that much rainfall, and to see the Ōpāwaho stay largely within its banks around the loop. We at school were very grateful for that, as no doubt many local homeowners were too.
Some of our Year 5/6 students put together a 'thank you' video which has been sent to the Council...
Celebrating PRIDE week
This week has been PRIDE week in New Zealand Schools. It has been interesting seeing the growing interest in this conversation at a primary school level across New Zealand. I believe that this demonstrates our growing understanding of the critical importance of being inclusive and valuing diversity, rather than merely tolerating it, or worse, fearing or condemning it.
Celebrating Pride in Every School
Whakanuia te uenuku ki ia kura
Supporting rainbow young people and their whānau to have a sense of belonging in their schools and communities.
Thanks to Anne Chin and the Diversity group for the fabulous displays in the library to support Pride week.
Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Week 8: Tue 22 Jun - Structured Literacy Parent Seminar (7-8pm) Wed 23 Jun - Canterbury Cross Country (Halswell Quarry 9am-2pm) Wed 23 Jun - PTA Meeting (7.30 - 9.30pm) Thu 24 Jun - South Zone Winter Sport Thu 24 Jun - Structured Literacy - Parent Seminar (9-10am) Thu 24 Jun - Board of Trustee's meeting (5.30 - 7.30pm) Fri 25 Jun - Celebration Assembly (12.00-12.30pm) Fri 25 Jun - PTA Sausage Sizzle (1:20pm)
Week 9: Mon 28 Jun - Winter Tournament (Hagley Park North) Tue 29 Jun - Year 0-4 Cross Country Challenge (Hillview Christian School, 12-3pm) Wed 30 Jun - Whānau Rōpū Hui and Hangi (5-7pm) Thu 1 Jul - Postponement date for 0-4 Cross Country Challenge Thu 1 Jul - South Zone Winter Sport
Week 10: Thu 8 Jul - South Zone Winter Sport Fri 9 Jul - Celebration Assembly & Band Concert (11:50am -12:40pm) Fri 9 Jul - Last Day of Term Fri 9 Jul - Celebration Assembly & Band Concert (11:50am -12:40pm) Fri 9 Jul - Last Day of Term
Charlie, it is always heartening to see that you show the "We care' and "We get there together' values by giving help to others, often without being asked. You are always in the right place at the right time and are a role model in this area. The effort you put into your learning shows a great desire to always be and do the best you can. Kia ora mo to mahi!
School Notices
Teachers Paid Union Meetings - Next Thursday 24th June
Next Thursday all of our teachers who are union members (almost 100%) will be attending one of two paid union meetings that are being held (conveniently for us) in our school hall. The first meeting is at 10am and the second will be at 2pm. This means that we have booked a number of relievers for that day to release the teachers for one of the two meetings.
As the meetings will also be attracting many teachers from other schools in the area, car-parking in the afternoon is likely to be very hard to find.
Structured Literacy Parent evening
We are very pleased to have Caroline Morritt, our Resource Teacher of Literacy working in our school over the next two weeks. Caroline is going to run parent sessions around Structured Literacy over this time.
The access to period products initiative aims to provide free period products to children and young people in all state schools and kura across New Zealand during 2021.
Access to period products is a necessity, not a luxury. The need to access period products exists for every young person who experiences menstruation including young women, girls, transgender, and gender diverse youth, in ways that meet diverse needs and cultural perspectives.
If you have a young person who is in Year 5/6 or Year 7/8 who experiences menstruation, we would appreciate you getting together with them and taking the time to complete this form. More information to come.
Whānau Rōpū Hui and Hangi
We would like to welcome you to our first Whānau Rōpū hui of 2021. The hui will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 30th June, in the Kōwhai Hub.
Nau mai haere mai! Come along, get to know other tamariki and whānau, enjoy some kai, and get involved in this important aspect of our kura. Come to the staff room first and get a cup of tea to bring over to the Kōwhai hub if you would like. The hui will coincide with Matariki, a time of renewal and celebration in Aotearoa New Zealand. We are going to come together to connect, celebrate and learn. All welcome, for more information please click here.
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.
Guinea Pigs in the Library
Our furry friends were being well looked after in the library, by our kind and caring students. They were well educated on all things Minecraft - and provided with a little kai (food) too.
Literacy Learning and Dyslexia
“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.”
Ashraf Samsudin, spoke at the Sounds-Write Symposium in June 2021, delivering a webinar called
‘Dyslexia, Working Memory and Literacy’. He discussed what dyslexia is, working memory and dyslexia, and simple strategies for effective literacy learning.
Ashraf stressed that in order for a person with dyslexia to learn literacy effectively, there are certain criteria that need to be met in their reading and writing instruction. These include:
-explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness
-phonics instruction that is systematic and sequential
-oral reading that is supported with specific, consistent error correction and feedback to aid fluency
-repetition/ repeated exposure
-explicit instruction in vocabulary, reading comprehension, spelling and writing
These areas are illustrated in Scarborough’s Rope (pictured on our science of reading page).
Structured literacy is a term to describe evidence-based approaches to reading and writing instruction. Our structured literacy programme at Beckenham Te Kura ō Puroto, addresses the areas mentioned above, and is crucial for learners with dyslexia. This programme is also beneficial for all other literacy learners, as you can see on The Ladder of Reading infographic. Following a specific scope and sequence helps to ensure our tamariki don’t have gaps in their reading and spelling knowledge, and helps us create a solid foundation to continue to build upon.
We have had an exciting and busy structured literacy journey so far and are continuing to develop our skills and knowledge!
Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe, we are all rowing this waka together.
Speaking 4 the Planet...
... is an art based competition for students to address sustainability issues creatively.
The live event was held last Friday at Tūranga. The theme of Ecosystem Restoration was explored through prepared speeches. Zoe placed second and Cleo was highly commended in the Year 7/8 category.
Otis placed second overall for his visual art submission in the Year 7/8 category.
The consideration and application of the theme was acknowledged in the success of these students.
Congratulations!
Staff Profiles
Congratulations to...
...the students from Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto and their families who came out to Ilam to warm our hearts with their music on the 12th of June.
Samson N, Bonnie H and Lillie N played confidently on a big black grand piano. Tahere T played the guitar and sang.
Thank you to all the families for joining us and supporting the Modern school of Music concert.
Regards Margot
PTA News
Mid Winter Breakfast
Thank you to the parents, teachers and the student council who helped out with the Mid Winter Breakfast this morning.
It was wonderful to see our Tamariki in their snuggly PJ's while enjoying a yummy warm bowl of porridge.
We collected a huge amount of cans which have been donated to the Christchurch City Mission.
Midwinter Breakfast!
Sausage Sizzle
The PTA will be holding a sausage sizzle at lunchtime on Friday the 25th of June.
Sausages will be $2 – children who want a delicious hot sausage in bread for lunch can order and pay at the flagpole in the morning before school on that Friday.
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
Camp Wondergirl is an organisation that inspires, empowers and educates girls ages 8-12 to explore mindfulness, embrace uniqueness, and express their superpowers. Our mission is to make sure every girl knows she is a Wondergirl - powerful, loving, and unique. We offer the tools, support, and community girls need to grow their superpowers so they can flourish into the Wonder Women they are destined to be!
Our signature 5 Day Leadership Programme, Project Wondergirl, runs every School Holidays in Christchurch and the next one is on 19-23 July. Project Wondergirl is a one-of-a-kind, transformative experience for girls to rise up as a leader by expressing themselves fully to make a difference. The girls discover their unique Superpowers and work as a Superhero Squad to create a Video Project that will empower girls all over the world. Activities include Yoga, Meditation & Breathing, Friendship Games, Creative Art Projects, Wondergirl Costume Making and so much more.
Kia ora ano, e te whānau. Here is the second part of the latest news from Pōhutukawa.
Shoes, Ngā Hū
Mud, glorious mud! We certainly have our fair share of it these days. The mud that is making its way into our learning spaces is always a challenge at this time of the year. Because of this, and for the time being, we are asking tamariki to remove their shoes, hū, before entering the Hub and to leave them outside the door, under the eaves. As mentioned before, we have wonderful underfloor heating to keep feet warm, and we will be having an explicit teaching lesson next week on how to pair our shoes neatly outside the door to stop them wandering off by themselves! If you'd like to supply your tamariki with slippers or warm indoor socks, you are most welcome
On the topic of shoes we would like to ask you, if possible, to ensure that your tamariki are wearing running shoes or sneakers on both Wednesday and Thursday. Although we do some form of fitness every day, Wednesday and Thursday is when we run our winter sports programme and suitable footwear is a must. This ensures that students are able to safely carry out the skills that the kaiako, teachers, and the winter sport coaches are teaching them. As always your support with this is greatly appreciated and please let us know if we can support you in any way with this.
BYOD
We are so lucky to have such a huge uptake of whānau signing up their children to bring their own devices to school. We'd like to ask these whānau to please remind your children to bring their devices to school, and fully charged. This enables the school Chromebooks to be used by those students who do not bring their own devices to school.
Ngā mihi, kia pai ō rā whakatā - have a great weekend!
