Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Schoolwide Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 6 September 2024, Week 7

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Staff Only Day Professional Development

On our most recent staff only day, our kaimahi (staff) came together to take part in a Professional Development workshop on the topic of Restorative Practice, which was presented by Rich Matla. It was a highly engaging and incredibly informative day. Restorative Practice is a strong part of our school culture and Positive Behaviour for Learning. Staff explored how to support children by working with them when unpacking boundaries, and routines and exploring incidents. This also included how to work with those ready and able to engage and those who may take a little longer or who have a skill set to build. Keep an eye on team blogs for some tips for home.

Staffing Update

Nau mai haere mai ki te Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto kaimahi. Welcome to our two new Teaching Assistants, Maisy and Lucy. Maisy will be working mainly with the tamariki in Koru, and Lucy will be working in Kahikatea, Kōwhai, as well as gardening club and ESOL. 
Maisy 

Lucy 

We also welcome Chloe to an administration role. Chloe will be supporting the admin team until the end of the year.

Chloe

Maths and Literacy Curriculum

You will have seen in the media that the focus for Curriculum Refresh for 2026 is English and now includes Mathematics. As a kura we have strongly focused on how we teach English and Maths over the past 3 years. We know we are in a strong place with the upcoming changes, and there will need to be time for staff to familiarise themselves with Te Mātaiaho The New Zealand Curriculum. The Ministry of Education has asked schools to take a Staff Only Day in Term 4, the focus being on these curriculum areas. Our day will be Monday 18 November.

2025 Enrolments - do you have a 4 year old!

We welcome enrolment forms for any New Entrant students who may start with us in 2025. It is never too early to pre-enrol your child, and having this data early will help us in the coming months when we begin to organise teaching staff for the following year.

If you know of any in our area, please encourage them to enrol.

Enrolment forms can be collected from the Office or can be found online here.

School events

It has been a busy couple of weeks at school! Further down you will see photos and write ups. Well done to all the tamariki involved and to our whānau for your support.

Ngā mihi nui
Jo Smith - Tumuaki (Acting Principal)

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Thu 12 Sep - Pō Whakangahau - Te Whānau Mahi Tahi (4:30-6:30PM, Cashmere High School)
Fri 13 Sep - Celebration Assembly, 10:00-10:30am, in the Hall
Thu 19 Sep - New Entrant and Year 8 Photos, 9:00-10:00am
Tue 24 Sep - Koru Games (Senior Students)
Wed 25 Sep - Koru Games (Senior Students) 
Wed 25 Sep - PTA Meeting, 7:30-9:30PM, Green Room
Thu 26 Sep - Koru Games
Thu 26 Sep - BOT Meeting, 5:30-7:30PM, Staff Room
Fri 27 Sep - Celebration Assembly, 10:00-10:30am, in the Hall
Fri 27 Sep - Beckenham's Got Talent!
Fri 27 Sep - Last day of Term 3, School finishes 3pm
Mon 14 Oct - First day of Term 4, School starts 8:55am
Fri 18 Oct - Welcome Assembly, 9.15-9.30, in the Hall
Fri 18 Oct - Picnic in the Park (Possible Date), 5-7.30PM 
Wed 23 Oct - PTA Meeting, 7:30-9:30PM, Green Room
Wed 23 Oct - BOT Meeting, 5:30-7:30PM, Staff Room
Thu 24 Oct - School Athletics TBC
Mon 28 Oct - Labour Day (kura/school closed)
Fri 15 Nov - Canterbury Anniversary Day (kura/school closed)
Mon 18 Nov - Staff Only Day (kura/school closed)
Wed 27 Nov - PTA Meeting, 7:30-9:30PM, Green Room
Wed 11 Dec - BOT Meeting, 5:30-7:30PM, Staff Room
Fri 13 Dec - Final Celebration Assembly, 9.45-10.30am, in the Hall
Mon 16 Dec - Year 8 Graduation
Tue 17 Dec - Last day of Term 4, School finishes 12.30PM

Term Dates

Click here to view 2024 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Alex Mussell - Year 8

Alex, you bring fun, insight and inclusivity to our Kauri whānau. You are a deep thinker and motivated learner, who is naturally curious about our world. Your quick thinking coupled with your dry sense of humour is appreciated by many. Alex, you are in your element in a team environment whether that's problem solving in a group or playing sport. Thank you for the way you show our kete values every day at kura.  

Simon McKean - Year 4

Simon, you are an excellent role model in our hub and someone who makes a positive difference on a daily basis. The Kōwhai team appreciates your kindness, enthusiasm for learning as well as your willingness to help out whenever you see a need. Tēnā rawa atu koe, Simon!

School Notices

Kiingi Tūheitia Tangihanga

The Māori King passed away last week, and as a show of respect we raised the Tino Rangatiratanga flag at half mast. Our ākonga Māori shared with us that it is important to them for all kids to know about this, as it shows respect to Māori, and the Kīngitanga. We love this advocacy from our tamariki, and we got to hold space with them while the flag was raised, and a karakia was said. At the end of the day as the flag came down, waiata and haka took place, with all ages and abilities joining in and sharing this space together.

This was such a great display of leadership and respect from our tamariki.

Updating Student/Whānau Contact Details

It is important that we have the correct contact details for people who are listed as caregivers for all of our students.  If you have moved house, changed your phone numbers or have different people who you would like to have as emergency contacts, please get in touch with the office and update us with the new details.
Obviously if other details concerning your child have changed, e.g. medical issues, then we would also appreciate knowing about these. 

Hats, Sunscreen & Drink Bottles

Term 4 is incoming and this is a reminder that in Term 4 all children need to come to school each day with a school hat and their (named) drink bottle, it is also recommended that children come to school with sunscreen applied. We welcome children to begin bringing their hats now!

Water Play

We are looking for donations of old water play equipment for some of our tamariki to use during the warmer months. If you are willing to donate anything such as a hose, watering can, old guttering, etc we would gratefully accept! If you do have something to donate please give it to the office. Thank you for your ongoing support! 

Coffee Van!

We are very fortunate to now have a coffee van at school on Mondays from 8am to 9am.
To help care for the environment please consider bringing a keep cup to use.

Please see the price list below.

Lunch Orders

Lunches are delivered to the school office for children to collect at 1.20pm

Monday – Sushi Factory is available through LunchOnline.
Tuesday – Subway is available through LunchOnline
Wednesday – Subway is available through LunchOnline.
Thursday – Sushi Meets Dumplings is available.
Friday – Sushi Factory is available through LunchOnline.

Lunchonline (Subway/Sushi Factory)
Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto uses Subway and Sushi Factory through the Lunchonline web based ordering system. To open an account please go to the Lunchonline website to get started.
Lunchonline orders need to be placed by 8:30am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Sushi Meets Dumplings
Sushi Meets Dumplings will deliver on Thursdays.
To place an order, please complete this form – Sushi meets Dumplings order form.
Orders for Sushi Meets Dumplings need to be placed before by 9am on Thursdays.

Maths Whānau Evening

Thank you so much to all the families who attended our recent Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto maths evening. It was wonderful to see so many people together sharing ideas about maths!
These are Rob's slides from the evening. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your child's Homegroup teacher, or alternatively, you can email them to krystal.hunt@beckenham.school.nz

Kauri Ski Trip

What an amazing day! The sky was blue, not an ounce of wind in sight and 16cm of fresh snow!
The Year 7 & 8 kids were wonderful and had a blast. 

BandQuest

We had wonderful news from the school band The Groovy Geese who came second place on their performance night at Bandquest 2025!

Alex, Art, Alfie, Mark and Robbie received huge applause for their two songs “For What it’s Worth” and “Little Lion Man” and we were so proud of their hard work and efforts which were rewarded on the night. They have won a $300 Rockshop voucher for the school. 

The judges commented on their musicality, stage presence and how tightly they performed. Well done and huge thanks to everyone who helped. 


Rockshop Bandquest is Aotearoa’s live music event for Primary and Intermediate aged school students. In its fourteenth year, the programme annually hosts hundreds of young bands in venues throughout the country.
‍
The kaupapa is to encourage Primary and Intermediate aged musicians onto the stage; learning through experience and developing their performance skills alongside their teamwork, communication, goal-setting and leadership skills.

Entrants get to perform in a supportive and encouraging competition format, with a focus on education, inspiration, and entertainment.

Sports News

Winter Sport

Over the past 11 school weeks, children from Years 5 to 8 have participated in winter sport. Fourteen teams competed against local schools in football, netball and hockey. The children have shown fantastic dedication to their team throughout this season and it has been awesome to hear about the leadership and sportsmanship shown by tamariki (children), at their games. My highlight was hearing the positive talk and encouragement that was a continuous narrative of our Year 7/8 football games. 

A huge thank you goes out to the adult coaches who volunteered their time to support this sporting opportunity. Helping us with winter sports is a huge time commitment and we are extremely grateful for your time and expertise.  Nga mihi nui mo to mahi! 

Back at kura (school), children developed skills in badminton, table tennis, Korff ball and theatre sports.

If your child has a sports top, shin guards or football boots that have been borrowed from school, please return these as soon as possible. We have upcoming sports events and will need to reallocate uniforms. If your child has a black polo or basketball singlet and is competing in Koru Games or Canterbury Duathlon, they may keep their sports top. 

PTA News

Thank you all for getting behind our Cookie Time fundraiser! We raised a fantastic $2,800 which makes a significant contribution to the new school gazebo. The gazebo, complete with Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto graphics, has been ordered and should be easy to spot at upcoming events. 

We hope you’re all enjoying the cookies! We have a few bags left so if you would like to buy another bag contact pta@beckenham.school.nz

Speaking of events, registration opens for the Weetbix Tryathlon next week. We’d love to get a prize winning big group together this time around! Look out for a Hero post next week. 

BOT Update

Policy Review Term 3

We would welcome your feedback on our policy topics, and subtopics, that are up for review this term. These topics can be found at the link below. Please follow these intstructions below to submit your feedback.
  1. Visit the website https://beckenham.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm
  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, school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form.
This review closes on the 27th of September 2024.

Principal Appointment Ongoing

The Board of Trustees would like to remind you that the Principal position is currently being advertised and we expect to hold interviews later in October.

Measles Immunity - Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand

Importance of being immune to measles
Aotearoa New Zealand is at a very high risk of a measles outbreak. Measles cases are rising worldwide, increasing the risk of an infected person bringing measles into the country. This is happening while a decline in local childhood immunisation rates is being recorded.

Measles is a serious and highly contagious disease. It makes most people very sick and can cause severe complications, including damage to the lungs (pneumonia), brain swelling (encephalitis), and sometimes death.  Measles also affects your immune system, so if you get measles you are more likely to get other infectious illnesses for months or years afterwards. 

Across Aotearoa, people’s immunity to measles is currently too low to prevent outbreaks from happening.

Checking if you are immune to measles
It is important to find records to confirm if you are immune to measles and not rely on your own or anyone else’s memory.

This is because many viral illnesses can cause symptoms like measles, particularly in tamariki (children). In the past, people may have mistakenly been told they had measles when they had another illness instead.

It is also common for people to be told they received vaccines as a child, but without written records, no one can be sure what vaccines they received and when they received them.

In Aotearoa, the timing of when measles vaccines have been given to a person has changed a lot over the years. This means many people are not aware that they missed out on getting one or both of their measles vaccines. This is particularly likely for people born in Aotearoa between 1969 and 1980.

Measles immunity by year of birth (as at end of 2023) — Regional Public Health(external link)

To find out if you are immune to measles, you can check your relevant immunisation records or test results. Proof of this information is needed for a healthcare professional to confirm if you are immune.

Community Notices

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

AUDITION ANNOUNCEMENT!

Ahoy there me hearties! Luminaires is seeking singers, dancers and actors for their next major show, “Pirates of the Curry Bean”

For ages 8-25. No experience necessary.

For more information and to register go to: https://forms.gle/PaGDwAc7gNDMP49P7

If you have any questions or would prefer to be involved behind the scenes then find us on social media or email us luminairescharitabletrust@gmail.com

Brain Play has arrived in Christchurch! We teach all things science & technology to Kiwi kids - coding, robotics, science experiments, Minecraft & more. Join a free drop in session of our after-school coding classes - group sessions for ages 7 - 12. Or send us an email to hear more about our 1:1 sessions - these are a great match for students who are looking for extension, a new hobby and to build confidence and skills, and/or for students with high and complex needs. Visit brainplay.co.nz to read more, or email us on referrals@brainplay.co.nz.

French Classes for Children - Beginners

Give your child the opportunity to start learning French!

Alliance Française Christchurch is offering a beginners' class for children in Term 4. These fun and interactive classes are perfect for children who want to explore a new language and culture.

When? Thursdays, starting October 17th
Time? 4 PM - 5 PM
Where? Alliance Française Christchurch, 275 Cashel Street
Cost? $150 per term

For more information or to enrol, visit https://www.afchristchurch.org.nz/learn-french/children/crocos/?course_id=1691. All welcome!

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 3, Week 6

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Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all,

Thank you for reading the important information below regarding our trip to Margaret Mahy Playground on Wednesday.

We hope you have been enjoying the wonderful, warm weather and lighter, brighter mornings. It's always nice to see some early signs of spring! Almost on cue, we had our last week of Winter Sports last week. A HUGE thank you to all of the parents who supported the kids with their Winter Sports. We had more than 70 students participating in the South Zone competition this year, and we simply could not have had that many kids playing without the support of parents. The non-competitive sport participants have also learned and enjoyed badminton, table tennis, chess, and Theatre Sports.  Ngā mihi e te whānau mo ō tautoko nui, we thank you for your huge support. We hope you all enjoy the photos of the sports, and a sneak peek into the vibrant Olympic-themed Keith Haring-inspired Calendar Art that is now on its way to the printers. Look out for order forms coming your way soon!

Margaret Mahy Trip Wednesday, September 4, 11:00 - 2:30 pm

The weather for our trip to Margaret Mahy Playground on Wednesday looks a little cooler than it has been, and changeable so it will be important for the children to be prepared for that by bringing a waterproof jacket with them. Thank you for your support in prepping the tamariki for a successful trip by talking about its purpose, and expectations. We have attached a Social Story to this post so you can talk through this at home.

Wednesday morning is a normal morning at school, then at 11:00 am we will be on the bus to Margaret Mahy Playground. The bus ride takes about 20  minutes.  We are primarily going to have fun! We'll enjoy being in the community together and representing our kura. As a bonus, we'll be using this trip to inform our next writing topic: writing a recount.

Everyone will need to wear their school uniform (no house tops please) and suitable shoes for playing. They will need a BIG lunch and a full drink bottle. We will be ordering some pizza to enjoy while we are there, but it probably won't be enough to sustain them. The students have filled in a form indicating their preferences. If you would prefer your child not to have pizza, please let your home group teacher know.

We will be back on the bus at 2:00 pm and students will be released from school at 3:00 pm as usual.

Please let us know if you have any questions regarding the trip.

Ngā mihi mahana,

The Pōhutukawa Team

Kōwhai News Term 3 Week 6

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Kia ora whānau,

The term is progressing rapidly and we are extremely busy with our learning. Here is an update on some of the things we have been doing.

Inquiry

For Inquiry, we are now focusing on learning about world cultures and everyone has chosen a country they are interested in to research and will then create a presentation of facts and information about that country. This may be a leaflet, a poster or a digital representation. Some of the things we have been finding out about are flags, languages, climate, population, animals and food and drink. The children are really engaged in this topic and are learning valuable research skills, looking for and locating relevant information online. Below you can see some of the children making flags from different countries using mini construction bricks.




Writing

We are focusing on descriptive writing over the next few weeks, using our five senses to describe a scene. What do we see, hear, smell, feel and taste? In this way, we can create a piece of writing with lots of rich language which creates a moment in time that we really feel part of. We started with describing ice cream which involved having a taste tester that was very much enjoyed by everyone and really helped to motivate the descriptive writers in us!



Willowbank Trip

As you will know, we are preparing to go on a trip to Willowbank on Friday 20th September as part of our inquiry on world cultures. Thank you to all the offers of parent help! We now have more than enough which is fantastic. Here is a link to our social story for this trip. Please do take your time to go through this with your child/children.

Cyber Safety

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.


Koru Team News: Term 3 Week 6 (30/08/2024)

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Kia ora, e te whānau,

A very warm welcome to Fin and Greyson who have both joined our team recently. You've made a wonderful start to school, tamariki - well done!

It's been a very busy time for Koru team members, as we spread out to include our new learning space, Kōmanawa. Elizabeth's Home Group is starting and finishing the day there, and some Literacy groups are also being taught in Kōmanawa. The tamariki have fully embraced our new space, and are treating it with great care and respect. Welcome to Finlay and Greyson, who have started school and joined our Koru team.


A couple of items of note:

  • Boxes, please - a request from us to, please, save any boxes you might normally put out in your recycling bin and send them into school instead - the children are loving creating and decorating in the Maker Space in Hangere and we find that we're always in need of boxes, generally small to medium in size, although shoe boxes and even those slightly bigger can also be turned into homes for fairies, dioramas and so on. We'd also love any little bits and bobs such as ribbon, lace, buttons, small pieces of fabric, feathers, etc., for decorative purposes. Many thanks if you're able to help out with any of these items.
  • Beckenham's Got Talent - your children may have been talking with you about the Beckenham Talent Show which is traditionally held at the end of Term 3. A member of our School Council will be coming to the Koru team soon to explain what is involved. There will be more information coming out shortly however, in the meantime, if your child has a particular 'talent' (for example, it might involve singing, dancing, gymnastics, hula hooping, telling jokes, performing magic tricks, etc.) they could be practising at home, in readiness for the Koru team show which will take place prior to the whole school Talent Show. One 'performance' from the Koru team will be selected to be performed at the whole school show. Children are welcome to join up with some friends and enter the Talent Show as a team. Please note, there will be more information to come very soon.

Cyber Safety for our young children:

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.

Maths Whānau Evening:

What a fabulous and enlightening evening this was. Rob Profitt-White has been working with kaiako (teachers) here at Beckenham Te Kura over several years now and how fortunate we were to have been able to have him presenting to whānau last night! It was great to see so many of our Koru team families present and we do hope that you found the evening enormously valuable.

An update on Maths in the Koru Team:

In the Koru team, as you know, we just LOVE Maths! Here is a reminder about aspects of Maths and the different forms Maths takes in our programme:

  • a weekly problem-solving session
  • Hot Spot warm ups, with a focus throughout each week on developing number knowledge, Move and Prove and Notice, Think, Wonder (see below for descriptions of these activities)
  • small group lessons, during which the children are taught to use their number knowledge in order to strategise to solve number problems
  • at times throughout each term, a focus on other Maths strands (aspects of Algebra, Geometry and Measurement and Statistics)
  • a Maths game lesson
  • and once a week on Fridays our handwriting lesson is devoted to specifically learning and practising the correct numeral formation.
During problem-solving, the children will be presented with a story and a challenge and will have the opportunity to work in small groups or pairs to solve the problem. The children will often use a whiteboard and other resources to support their problem-solving. Here's an example of an open-ended problem for which it's possible to have many different outcomes:

20 Koru children brought their pets to school for Pet Day at school. 

There were 4 different types of pets; dogs, lambs, calves and cats.

How many of each animal might there be?


Notice, Think, Wonder:
Notice, Think, Wonder involves the children simply offering up their observations and thoughts in response to an image which we will have displayed for them. Here is an example of a Notice, Think, Wonder image:


Move and Prove:
This activity begins with the children being shown a slide such as this:

     
...accompanied by a question, such as 'Which one doesn't belong?'

The question is discussed initially, as a whole group, and then children are asked to 'turn and talk' with the person beside them and discuss why they think the way they think. Once this has happened, the children are asked to move to a position on the mat which has been designated as either 'a', 'b', 'c' or 'd'. If a child finds it difficult to make a decision straight away, we have a space in the middle of the mat, which is the 'pause' area and children who are waiting there are given time to make their decision while others are asked to justify their choice. If a child who is sitting in the middle is persuaded by another child's justification, they are then able to move to sit with that child. As you will see from the image above, it's possible that there might be several 'correct' answers, depending on the way you view and think about the possibilities presented, and we inevitably notice that the children are able to come up with very interesting and well-considered justifications for the choices they have made!

Maths games:
Once a week, the children play either a familiar Maths game or are taught a new game. Here is an example of one of these games:


Please follow this link for a wealth of activities and ideas for you as you support your child's developing Maths knowledge and strategies: NZMaths Families and Whānau. There are many excellent ideas here, for example, ideas for sharing Maths with your child using everyday experiences such as cooking, watching sport, recycling. We urge you to explore this site!

Here is a selection of photos showing some of our tamariki at work during a Maths lesson:








What fantastic days our wee ones are having at school - so much amazing learning in all aspects of their lives at school. We're very much enjoying this warmer weather and trust that you all are too! Have a wonderful weekend ahead and we're looking forward to all of those beautiful, wide smiles back at school on Monday.

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,
Stacey, Georgia, Nicola and Elizabeth

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Schoolwide Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 23 August 2024, Week 5

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou,

You may have seen in the media that schools are currently finding it challenging to get relievers to cover classes. With the sickness that often comes at this time of year, both students and staff, we have had days where we have had to do some 'juggling' to ensure coverage of staff. The students were amazing when we had to do this, as it meant some changes to what they expected that day. Thank you also for your support.

2025 Enrolments - do you have a 4 year old!

We welcome enrolment forms for any New Entrant students who may start with us in 2025. It is never too early to pre-enrol your child, and having this data early will help us in the coming months when we begin to organise teaching staff for the following year.

If you know of any in our area, please encourage them to enrol.

Enrolment forms can be collected from the Office or can be found online here.

Ngā mihi nui
Jo Smith - Tumuaki (Acting Principal)

Important Dates

Reminder: It is a Staff Only Day this Monday the 26th of August. School is closed to students.

Upcoming Events

Mon 26 Aug - Staff Only Day (kura/school closed)
Wed 28 Aug - PTA Cookie Time Fundraiser Collection in the Hall (2.45-3.15pm & 6.00-6.30pm)
Wed 28 Aug - BOT Meeting, 5:30-7:30PM, Staff Room
Wed 28 Aug - PTA Meeting, 7:30-9:30PM, Green Room
Fri 30 Aug - Celebration Assembly, 10:00-10:30am, in the Hall
Wed 4 Sep - Kauri Ski Trip TBC
Tue 10 Sep - School Duathlon (12.15-3.00pm)
Thu 12 Sep - Pō Whakangahau - Te Whānau Mahi Tahi (4:30-6:30PM, Cashmere High School)
Fri 13 Sep - Celebration Assembly, 10:00-10:30am, in the Hall
Thu 19 Sep - New Entrant and Year 8 Photos, 9:00-10:00am
Tue 24 Sep - Koru Games (Senior Students)
Wed 25 Sep - Koru Games (Senior Students) 
Wed 25 Sep - PTA Meeting, 7:30-9:30PM, Green Room
Thu 26 Sep - Koru Games
Thu 26 Sep - BOT Meeting, 5:30-7:30PM, Staff Room
Fri 27 Sep - Celebration Assembly, 10:00-10:30am, in the Hall
Fri 27 Sep - Last day of Term 3, School finishes 3pm
Mon 14 Oct - First day of Term 4, School starts 8:55am
Fri 18 Oct - Welcome Assembly, 9.15-9.30, in the Hall
Wed 23 Oct - PTA Meeting, 7:30-9:30PM, Green Room
Thu 24 Oct - School Athletics TBC
Thu 24 Oct - BOT Meeting, 5:30-7:30PM, Staff Room
Mon 28 Oct - Labour Day (kura/school closed)
Fri 15 Nov - Canterbury Anniversary Day (kura/school closed)
Mon 18 Nov - Staff Only Day (kura/school closed)
Wed 27 Nov - PTA Meeting, 7:30-9:30PM, Green Room
Thu 12 Dec - BOT Meeting, 5:30-7:30PM, Staff Room
Fri 13 Dec - Final Celebration Assembly, 9.45-10.30am, in the Hall
Mon 16 Dec - Year 8 Graduation
Tue 17 Dec - Last day of Term 4, School finishes 12.30PM

Term Dates

Click here to view 2024 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Alex Mackintosh - Year 8 

Alex you are an excellent role model in our hub. You have grown as a leader and learner within our kura. You are compassionate and thoughtful with a quick wit to boot. Alex, you always step up and make the most of every opportunity. When it comes to learning, you work on improving by responding to feedback and giving your best effort. Thank you for all that you bring to our Kauri whānau.

Constantin Colville - Year 6 

Constantin, you are an excellent example of someone who tackles challenges head-on and approaches all that you do with a positive attitude. 'We Make a Difference' is a kete value you show daily, demonstrating a growth mindset and enthusiastic problem solving skills. Ka pai tō mahi, Constantin. 

School Notices

2024 Whole School Staffing Teams 


Please click the link, here, to see all the names and faces you may see across our kura (school).

Beckenham's Got Talent!

A message for your Tamariki from the Student Council:
We are excited to announce that in Week 10, we will be hosting a spectacular event: Beckenham's Got Talent!

This is your chance to showcase your unique talents and enjoy an afternoon filled with amazing performances! Whether you sing, dance, perform magic, or have a hidden talent, we want to see what you’ve got. 

Each hub will have the opportunity to showcase their performances, with three auditions from each hub that will advance to the finals.

The hub auditions will take place in week eight and the finals will be on the last day of week ten. if you want to take part in this event then tell your teachers to put your name on the Google form.

Cantamath

Our problem-solving teams took up the challenge of answering some very tricky questions at Cantamath on Wednesday. Well done to Lukas, Hanna, Tom, Ruvi, Bobby, Lewis, Ben and Annabelle.  Liv made a fabulous banner for the school, which the compère thought was the best on display. It is now hanging in our school hall. Our Year 7 & 8s had a number of pieces of work in the project competition and did exceptionally well. Well done to the following for receiving awards:

Excellence:
  • Lily and Annabelle
  • Lukas
  • Lewis
  • Mitch
  • Bobby
  • Charlie
  • Freyja
  • Elsie
  • Tish
High Commended:
  • Emmy
  • Mark
  • Lottie
  • Oscar R
  • Tilly
  • Evelyn
  • Matthew
  • Nicky’s maths class
  • Ben Cross
  • Austin
  • Harshit
  • Holly
  • Alex M
  • Alex P
  • Harriet
  • Hanna
Highly Commended in Overall Theme:
  • Bobby
  • Lukas
  • Tish
Our Year 7 Cantamath Team ready to go!

Second Hand Uniform Donations Needed!

We are looking for uniform items, especially larger sizes, for our second hand uniform shop and to support tamariki in need. We are also needing good condition, used shoes for children. If you have anything at home that you would be willing to donate, the Office would gratefully accept your contributions! Thank you to everyone who helps to keep the uniform room supplied, and running. 

The PTA Second Hand Uniform shop is open Monday 2:45-3:15pm & Friday 8:45-9:15am. Cash payments are accepted, and Eftpos is available at the Office.

Absences

Please contact the school office if your child will be absent from school. When contacting us please remember to include; your name, your child’s first and last name, the reason for their absence and how long you expect your child will be away from school. This ensures we can code your child correctly.

If you do not provide a reason for your child’s absence, we are required by the Ministry of Education to mark this as an unjustified absence on their attendance report.

Phone: (03) 337-1404
(Press 1 to leave an absence message)
Text Message: 021 027 94107
Email: office@beckenham.school.nz

Variety Club


Our kura (school) is a Variety Club school. We have a number of whānau already involved and accessing the incredible support that Variety provides to whānau, for tamariki (children).

If you, or someone you know, is in need of support, please click the link below to see what is available and how to apply: https://www.variety.org.nz/get-support/find-Support

If you need support to apply, we have devices at kura that you may use. 

Pastoral Support & Hardship 

As a school we endeavour to provide as much pastoral support as we can to ensure that all of our tamariki have everything they need to succeed at school. If there is an immediate need or barrier you are experiencing, please connect with us to see if we can help: you can do this via your child's teacher, the Office, or the Senior Leadership Team. 

We also know that whānau, and others in our community, sometimes like to contribute towards the costs for students whose whānau might be experiencing some hardship, and are not able to readily fund uniform, stationery or even lunches. This was the driving reason for setting up our school's hardship fund.

If you, or anyone you know, would like to make a contribution to our hardship fund, please let Rachel Higginson know by emailing accounts@beckenham.school.nz, or by simply depositing funds into the school bank account (12 3148 0131641 000) with the reference "Hardship donation". This will also be tax deductible.

We will ensure that these funds are used to support those families and young people who need support. Thank you to those who have already gifted to the hardship fund. No matter the amount, big or small, it is hugely appreciated. "We Get There Together".

Road Safety - No U-turns on Sandwich Road

To ensure everyone is kept safe at school drop off and collection, please no U-turns on Sandwich Road. There is a lot of traffic at these times and it works best when the traffic flows smoothly. The drop-off zone is designed to pull into and then drive straight out of. Thank you for helping to keep everyone safe.

Beckenham Maths Evening

We invite ALL our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto families (NE-Y8) to join us for a hands on workshop that will help you to support and extend your child with Mathematics.

Thursday, 29th August (5:30 pm – 7:30 pm)

Time:
5:30 pm Tea, coffee and refreshments in the Hall Foyer.
6:00 pm Workshop starts in the Hall. (Approximate finish time 7:30 pm)

Who:
Parents/whānau and students from NE to Year 8
(Please note: no preschoolers or younger siblings. This is for school age children and parents)

Please complete this form to confirm your attendance: https://forms.gle/7nqiuXzLTeRJsrUk7

We look forward to seeing you there!

Parking Around Schools

Mana Ake

We have a wonderful new Mana Ake Kaimahi liaison person who will be working in our Kura on Thursdays. Camelah is from Purapura Whetu.  Welcome to our kura community Camelah!

Shelter in Place and Lockdown Procedures

Throughout the year we hold emergency practices/drills to ensure that staff and tamariki know what to do in an emergency. Scenarios include fire, earthquake, shelter-in-place, and lockdown.

Before these practices, we let ākonga (students) know that we have an upcoming practice, and a social story is shared to support everyone in knowing what to expect.

Shelter in Place and Lockdown
If a situation arises that people need to remain inside for safety, Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto has two levels, Shelter in Place and Lockdown. 

A Shelter in Place directive is issued when the threat is external and not directed at the school. For example, the school may activate the Shelter in Place plan if there is a report of a swarm of wasps, toxic smoke from a nearby fire, or an active armed defender in the community (but not in or near the school grounds).

A Lockdown instruction will be less commonly used and is only likely to be issued if the threat is directly to the school or on the school grounds. This will generally happen on instruction from the Police.

LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES FOR PARENTS

Lockdown procedures are determined by Police advice and require the cooperation of students, staff, and parents. We ask all parents/whānau to please follow the protocol outlined below to make sure everyone is safe.
  • When the school goes into lockdown, all parents/whānau will be notified via both a text message (via Hero) and HERO App alert (which will generate an email for those who don’t use the app). Please ensure the contact details the school holds for your child’s caregivers are current.
  • The school will continue to communicate through these channels, plus on the school Facebook page.
  • Students will not have access to laptops or other devices during a lockdown situation. This is for their own protection until the school ascertains the severity of the situation in consultation with the Police.
  • School phones may not be manned, so please do not try and contact the school, or your child. All information will be sent to you through the channels outlined above as soon as it becomes available. We will be doing the best that we can do to keep everyone informed. 
  • The school will remain in lockdown until advised by the Police or other authorised personnel that it is safe to be lifted.
  • Please do not, under any circumstances, come to the school until you are advised it is safe for you to do so. You may be putting yourself and others in danger.
  • Once the lockdown is over, parents will be contacted immediately.
Thank you for your understanding and for taking the time to familiarise yourself with this protocol as we work together in an emergency situation to keep everyone safe.

Community Notices

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


How do you play? We’d like to know  

Christchurch City Council is in the early stages of gathering community feedback to develop a Play Spaces Network Plan and we’d like to hear your thoughts. 

Our Parks Unit is responsible for 400-plus play spaces, and we need to ensure we are getting the best of these assets.  

The plan will focus on play spaces within Council parks such as playgrounds, outdoor fitness equipment, ball courts and green spaces, skate and scooter parks, bicycle skill areas, water play areas, and natural areas.      

We’re keen to hear what the community think about the play spaces they use.  This feedback will help us develop a draft Play Space Network Plan.  

To find out more or complete the full survey go to https://letstalk.ccc.govt.nz/Playspaces by the 31 August 2024. 

Maths / Strategy Games Club

I'm a qualified maths teacher who works in various local schools. I run a small group for Year 5-8 students who are keen to develop their maths and problem-solving skills.
The present group operates from 3.30 to 5pm on a Wednesday, (but the day may be flexible). We meet at my house which is at the bottom of Cashmere Hills.
If you'd like to know more, please contact me on 0210722939.
Kirsty F

Brain Play Christchurch

Brain Play has arrived in Christchurch! We teach all things science & technology to Kiwi kids - coding, robotics, science experiments, Minecraft & more. Book a free trial of our after-school classes - group sessions for ages 7 - 12. Or send us an email to hear more about our 1:1 sessions - these are a great match for students who are looking for extension, are looking for a new hobby and to build confidence and skills, and/or for students with high and complex needs. Visit brainplay.co.nz to read more, or email us on referrals@brainplay.co.nz.

Orienteering Training Events for School Students: 7th Aug - 5th Sept

Coaching and training is offered by Peninsula and Plains Orienteers for all school-aged children and sports leaders at all levels. No booking required, just turn up with your running shoes, a compass if you have one and $2 for the map. Bring your own Sport-ident stick if you have one, otherwise we will lend you one (a Sport-ident stick is a microchip that you place on your finger to 'punch' each control on the orienteering course).
Each training session will vary, it is run by volunteers and each will have something different to offer. There will be many different things to go over, so it will not have the same format every session. It may involve a walk around looking at features, or a discussion to start, often it will have a set course to run.
Download a flyer and find more information here:
https://papo.org.nz/events/view/4177/training-events-for-school-students-7th-aug-5th-sept-2024

Halswell Softball Club

Want to do something fun with dad on Father’s Day? Looking for a fun and inclusive sport to play in summer?

Halswell Softball Club prides itself on being an inclusive, ethnically diverse, family orientated club. We have players of all ages, from three years old to seventy years old and everything in between. Our players compete at both representative level and social levels. There is something for everyone!

Halswell Softball Club is based at the Halswell Domain, Christchurch. Although this is our home ground, we have players from across the city.

Free sausage sizzle to help with those hungry bellies and treats for the littlies, we look forward to seeing you there!

Junior Indoor Sports

Cashmere Tennis Club 

Cashmere Tennis Club is running free professional coaching on Sunday the 25th August, 1st and 8th of September. This is a chance for kids of any age to try tennis, they don't even need to bring a racquet or have any prior experience, just come and have a go!
9:00am – 10:00am: Ages 5 - 8 an introduction using low bounce balls and fun games
10:00am – 11:00am: Ages 8 - 12  starting to play games on a full size court
11:00am - 12:00pm: Ages 13+

Kidsfirst 'Stay and Play'