Delicious Cheese Rolls: Supporting Year 7 & 8 Camp Fundraising

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Kia ora everyone,

Year 7 & 8 are heading down to Dunedin for an exiting week of learning at the end of this term. We are kicking our fundraising off with our annual cheese roll business.

We have had fabulous feedback on the quality of our cheese rolls in the past, so you can be guaranteed a tasty product! They do well in the freezer, so this is a good opportunity to stock up for the winter months. Details are in the link below.

Please click on this link to order.  There will also be paper order forms available at the school office.




Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Friday 21 February 2020

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Three weeks of the 2020 school year done already, and it is lovely to see all of our students, new and old, settling into the daily routines of learning in their hubs. We have already had 35 new children start this year, including 19 who have come into the area from other schools. We hope that our new families are feeling welcomed and getting to know other families in the area.

Staffing news

It is with mixed emotions that I have to advise our community that Nigel Easson, Deputy Principal,  tendered his resignation from our school today, effective at the end of Term 1.  Nigel has won a new position as the principal of Sheffield School, near Darfield and he will start there in Term 2.
I know you will join me in wishing Nigel and his family all the best for their new challenge.


Zone Amendment Consultation

As emailed out to you last week, our Board is currently working with the Ministry to consult with you regarding the proposed amendments to our school enrolment zone. These amendments are detailed on our school website and, if adopted, will likely come into effect from the start of the 2021 school year. The consultation closes on April 4th so do ensure that you have read the documents and had your chance to provide feedback.


Outdoor Spaces update

As you will see when you visit school, the work on our new outdoor play space is really going well. The shape of the different areas that are being developed are starting to take shape and we can all start to imagine what the finished area might look like. Thank you all for your patience with the contractors and for letting them get along with their work whilst we run the school around them!

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy and the team

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Sat 23 Feb - Weetbix Tryathlon, thank you to the PTA for supporting our students with this!
Wed 26 Feb - PTA Meeting.  7:30 - 9:30pm
Thu 27 Feb - Years 5 - 8 School Swimming Event at Wharenui Swimming Pool.  12 - 3pm
Thu 27 Feb - Board of Trustees meeting 5:30 - 7:30pm
Fri 28 Feb - Celebration Assembly, 11- 11:30am in the hall.  All welcome.
Sun 1 Mar - Beckenham Outdoor Spaces Working Bee.  8:30am - 1:00pm
Wed 11 Mar - Zone Swimming Sports - qualifiers only - more details to come
Fri 13 Mar - Celebration Assembly, 11 - 11:30am in the hall.  All Welcome
Fri 13 Mar - School Duathlon (Y5-8) Beckenham Park - 1:15-3pm
Fri 20 Mar - TWILIGHT FAIR! from 4:30pm
Mon 23 Mar - Canterbury Primary School's Duathlon, qualifiers only.  9:00am - 1:30pm.  Ruapuna speedway
Fri 27 Mar - Celebration Assembly, 11 - 11:30am.  All Welcome

Term Dates

Click here to view 2020 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Niamh Wolt - Year 6

Niamh, you bring a real spark to our team. Your enthusiasm knows no bounds and you are always willing to show that you care by offering your help to others. You use initiative in your learning and you are a fantastic communicator. Tino pai to mahi, Niamh.

School Notices

Using our drop-off and pick-up zone safely

Please can we remind all families that our 3minute drop off zone on Sandwich Road is for just 3minutes. This really does mean that you don't have time to get out of your vehicle and take your child into school - if you want to do that, please park elsewhere. The purpose of the drop-off zone is to simply drop off or pick up and when everyone does this, all parents who want to use this space can easily move through and queues don't build up. This helps to keep everyone safer.

Tennyson St crossing point

As you may be aware, there have been two incidents of people being knocked over on or near the crossing point on the corner of Tennyson St and Norwood St in the past two weeks. This is an area that has had community action since at least 2015 and in 2017 a group of local families presented at the Community Board about the issue. Ester, our Board Chair, has this week shared again with the community board the survey that she and others presented in 2017 including stories of people’s experiences, concerns and requests for changes.
Ester has also written to the Community Board again this week, asking for a response from them about their plans to make this area safer.
The Spreydon-Cashmere Community Board have asked if anyone from the community wanted to go present to the Community board. If anybody is interested, please contact Faye Collins at the Council office from the Beckenham library to make a time, and, you can go without booking to talk for five minutes before each Community Board meeting.  If anybody goes to present and wants a copy of the full results of the survey, do get in touch with Ester, via the school office. The next Community Board meeting is advertised as:
Ordinary Meeting - Spreydon-Cashmere Community Board
Start: Tuesday, 3 March 2020 5:00 p.m.
Expected End: Tuesday, 3 March 2020 7:00 p.m. 
Location: Meeting Room, Cashmere Presbyterian Church
Public Meeting: Yes

After school today I also had a visit from Ken Bye, Chairman of the Christchurch South Community Patrol Inc, to discuss the Tennyson St crossing. He and his colleague Annette spent some time on ‘patrol’ there this week and were surprised at how busy, and unsafe for children, it was. They have committed to having a patrol there, from Tuesday next week, from 3:05-3:25pm to support children of the community to cross there. They will also add their perspective to the Community Board on this issue. I know you will show your appreciation to them for this, and the other wonderful work they do to support our community to be a safe place.

Ray and Annette from the Christchurch South Community Patrol team


Canterbury District Health Board Te Poari Hauora ō Waitaha Community Dental Service

Free Dental Care for Children - including special information regarding Year 8 students.
One of our Community Dental Service vans will be making a visit to your school soon.
Only the children who currently require a check-up will be seen at this visit.
Please do not be concerned if your child is not called for a check-up this time.

The dental therapist will provide a regular check-up and preventative care which may include:
  • Cleaning/Scaling (to remove plaque from teeth)
  • Dental x-rays (to check for decay in teeth, or presence and position of teeth)
  • Fluoride Varnish (painted on teeth to help prevent decay)
  • Fissure Sealants (coating put on teeth to prevent decay) if required
If your child requires any other dental care, they will bring home a ‘Care Plan’ which will explain
what dental care and appointment times are required.

When you receive the ‘Care Plan’ please contact our Call Centre as soon as possible as you will
need to arrange a time to bring your child to one of our Community Clinics for this dental care.

Please contact our Call Centre if you want further information on the Community Dental Service, to enrol your child or if you have any specific questions about your child’s dental care (a dental
therapist will call you back)

Year 8 students: all year 8 students enrolled with the Community Dental Service are transferred
from the Community Dental Service to a FREE private dentist from year 9 until their 18th birthday.
To help with this transition please ensure you have informed your child of their family dentist (not
orthodontist). This will enable us to transfer your child onto the correct dentist for year 9 onwards.
More information will be sent home after their year 8 check-up.
To contact our Call Centre: phone 0800 846 983 / email: commdental@cdhb.health.nz

Allergy Guidelines

Our full allergy policy and guidelines are available on the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto website under Policies and then search ‘allergy’.

Mana Ake “Drop-Ins” are continuing…

We welcome our new Mana Ake kaimahi to our kura.  Leanne will be running our drop in sessions and acting as a liaison for our school.  A number of whānau have already made great use of the Mana Ake “drop-ins” that are available on alternate Wednesday mornings 4 March 2020 from 8:30 – 9:10am. 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.

LunchOnline - change of delivery days

Please note that LunchOnline will only be available on Wednesdays (Subway) and Fridays (Sushi Factory) this year as Pita Pit are no longer part of the scheme.

Sports News

Parent Help

Please, follow this link to indicate if you are able to help out with sport this term.

Extra-Curricular Sports - Mountain Biking

There are two mountain biking relays that have been very popular in previous years. While these events are promoted by Beckenham te Kura O Pūroto and we are proud for the children to represent our kura, the responsibility of the transport and supervision of children at both events is with the caregiver. Entry for both of these events is done by the caregiver on the event’s website. Follow the link below. Please contact Jenny if you have any questions about either of these events. Email confirmation of your entry to Jenny.

Huxster Mountain Bike Relay - 4th March

Held at Mclean’s Island, this event is a super fun event where children strive to complete as many laps of the course as they can in the time, (1.5 hours for Year 5/6 and 3 hours for Year 7/8). Year 5/6 children must compete in a team of two, while Year 7/8 have the option of doing the event as an individual or in a pair. Children should be confident controlling the speed and direction of their bike on beginner level singletrack.

Note: This event is much earlier in the term than it previously has been.
Due to its popularity, this event is now being held over two days. Children from Beckenham should enter the South and Mid Canterbury zoned event on the 4th of March.

Hanmer 4 Hour Mountain Bike Relay - 21st March

This event features a variety of options for many age groups. The Super Juniors (6 to 11 years) do a very friendly course through the Heritage Forest. This incorporates a green level single track. Every child must have their own tail end charlie, (an adult riding with them) on every lap. This is a fantastic entry into mountain bike racing for those children who are comfortable controlling their speed and direction on trails similar to those at McLean’s Island and Bottle Lake. Children aged 11 years plus ride the same course as the adults, (and at the same time). This course has more climbing and more technical riding, (think Loess Rider or an easy blue level trail). Children should be confident mountain bikers on easy blue trails. Children compete in a team of up to 4 children. 

PTA News

First PTA Meeting in 2020

If you would like to join the PTA or just offer some help with events when you can, please come along to our first meeting of the year - Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto PTA Meeting on Wednesday 26th February at 7.30 pm in the school Staff room or take a moment to fill in the PTA Survey. Supporting your school's parent teacher association need not be a chore. Get involved, help out at a school fundraiser and have some fun!. You do not have to be a PTA member to attend and there is no pressure to feel like you need to join just because you attend a meeting (There is often good food and always good chat!).

Twilight Fair Headquarters

The countdown to the Twilight Fair is well underway! Fair HQ will Open on Monday 24th February. Located in the Green room, just besides Hall foyer, we will open every morning before school & every afternoon after school leading up to the Fair.

This will be your opportunity to sign up to help on the day, donate quality second hand clothes, books & toys (we set up cut off date to a week before the Fair), drop off prizes/vouchers & sign up for the various competitions on offer. Please NO White Elephant!

Fair Organising Committee is currently running with a small group of dedicated people, but to be able to continue with enough sleep and organise a great Fair we require your support & help. If you can commit to be there during time when HQ is opened, on the day of the Fair or in another way please register @Fair Helpers or email us at pta@beckenham.school.nz.

Looking forward to meeting you all down at HQ next Monday!

Twilight Fair Newsletter #Four weeks


Four weeks to go! In 2018 we raised a fantastic $17,400.00. We aim to smash the 2018 fundraising total and to have great fun! We will publish a regular news-letter to keep you informed so Welcome to our first issue! This newsletter will inform you on a weekly basis with all things Fair: fun activities, raffle, auctions and sponsors. Read on Twilight Fair Newsletter Issue 1.

Community Notices

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

Kids Connect

KidsConnect is an exciting and inspiring programme for students aged between 9 - 13 years who want to be the best versions of themselves. We incorporate a variety of play-based and creative art techniques to facilitate engaging groups that teach children how to have confidence in themselves and how to get along with and enjoy others. Within our groups we promote opportunities for building friendships and developing a growth mindset, as well as developing skills for co-operative play and conflict resolution. To maximise each student’s learning potential and opportunity to engage, we run small groups (six students per group). We will be running the Air/Hau group in Beckenham (please visit our website for more information). All groups are facilitated by a Registered Child & Family Psychologist.

The Term 1 group will start on Monday 2nd March, and will run each Monday for the rest of the Term in the Green Room (attached to the school hall). The group time is 3:10pm – 4pm. Depending on numbers, we may be able to offer other groups on different days after school. The cost of the programme is $25 per student, per week ($150 in total for six weeks during Term 1). Please register your interest for the Term 1 groups by Friday 28th February by emailing us at info@positiverelationships.co.nz
Lee & Corina Hooper


Sunday 8th March - Run to Remember

Support the wellbeing of all the family, and Life Education and join in the Run to Remember on Sunday 8th March - a 2.5km or 10km option

The 10km course was originally chosen in 2012 for the opportunity it extends to all ages and abilities to run, walk and remember. Following an initial ascent from Victoria Park, the course meanders along the scenic Summit Road, concluding with a descent down Rapaki Track and ending in the event village at Hansen Park. We encourage participants to commit to the event several months in advance, to allow time to get accustomed to the Port Hills terrain.

Sign up by clicking on this link.









Kōwhai News Week 3

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Hi everyone,

What a busy first three weeks we have had. It has been great to see the children so happy and growing their friendships across the hub. Here are the essentials for this week.


Life Education - Inquiry into IDENTITY

Next week, each home group will have two lessons with 'Harold' in the Life Education truck. Our focus during these lessons will about friendships and how to care for our body. These lessons will help the children to learn more about their identity and how our actions impact on others as well as the importance of looking after ourselves.

As part of our inquiry learning into identity, the children have been making connections with each other through games and activities looking for similarities and differences. Here are some examples of their learning using art and wordle.






Literacy- Reading

This term we are teaching in teams for literacy, with Rowe and Paulette's homegroup working together and Nick and Laura's homegroup working together. We have begun to introduce the routines for our reading programme with the children now having reading lessons during the week with a teacher.
The children reading level 21 and below will bring a book home from their browsing box to read each night. The aim of these books is for the children to develop their reading fluency and expression. They should be fun and easy for the children to read.
If your child is reading level 22 and above, they should be reading a self-chosen chapter book.
Each night, we would like the children to record the book or chapter(s) they have read in their home book (this is kept in their home learning folder) and for you to sign that they have read at night. Daily reading is so important for children to become proficient readers, so your support is greatly appreciated!


Water- Drink bottles

It is really important that each child have a water bottle at school EVERY day to enable them to stay hydrated.  Kathleen Liberty' s research has shown that it is important to drink water because...
1. Water helps you to think
2. Water helps your body to grow
3. Water helps you to learn
4. Water helps you to stay calm.

We actively encourage the children to drink water throughout the day. You can support us by making sure your child has their named drink bottle at school.

DMIC- Maths

We have begun our DMIC (maths) programme and have been very impressed with the mathematical conversations the children have been having so far. This week we have begun to set up student access to a study ladder account. Next week, the children will bring home their login and password details for them to be able to access their account from home. This will be found in their home school book. The purpose of using this online took is for the children to develop their mathematical fluency.  Please note: this is an optional activity for home learning.

Discovery- Learning through Play

Learning through play is a pedagogical and neurological approach to learning – where children can explore, experiment, discover, and solve problems in imaginative, playful and agentic ways.
Each day, we provide the children with the opportunity to learn through play. It is one way we are able to meet the requirements of the New Zealand Curriculum by developing confident, connected, actively involved, lifelong learners. Almost all of the values and key competencies in The New Zealand Curriculum can be developed by learning through play regardless of the age of students.  Connections across learning areas and to the wider world are able to be explored.

Through play children develop;
* cognitive skills such as creativity, problem-solving, deep and variable thinking, mathematics, and language (oral, written )skills
* social capabilities, establishing and fostering relationships, regulating emotions, and control their own behaviours
* fine and gross motor skills

We actively ask what the children are learning at this time to encourage them to take their thinking to the next level. Here are some of the children in action this week.
Making miniature food out of playdough for a cafe

Learning how to signal

Constructing and replicating castles

Learning to draw by following instructions in books


Well, that's all for now. Have a wonderful weekend ahead!
Kōwhai teaching team









Kauri Whānau Weekly Update: Term 1 Week 3

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This week we are full on into our regular programme, having spent the first two weeks running workshops to set up for the year ahead. We were so impressed to see that so many of the children are keeping up to date with timeframes for completing tasks.

Life Education

You will have noticed the Life Education trailer in our car park. Year 7 & 8 home-groups will have four sessions each at Life Ed over this week and next, learning about the impacts of the things that we put into our bodies, with a focus on food, drugs and alcohol.

Maths Whizz

This year we will continue using the online programme Maths Whizz to help students consolidate their maths skills. This is an excellent tutorial programme that will enable students fill any gaps and progress further in their maths learning. As this is new to Year 7's, we want to share the following information so that you can understand how Maths Whizz works. On the link below, you will find several important resources to help you support your child with the curriculum when used at home. Students will get time to use Maths Whizz at school and will most likely earn the required 4 progressions, but some students may choose to continue their progress at home. Please see Megan if you have any queries. Thank you in advance for your support with this.
Maths Whizz Parent Resources

Leadership Week

Our leadership week is just around the corner.

For Year 7 this is a full day of leadership activities on the Monday (March 2) and a day leading in a junior hub on the Thursday or Friday. Year 7 can wear mufti on the Monday.

For Year 8 this is a two day leadership camp on the Thursday and Friday (March 5 and 6). The children sleep over at school on the Thursday night. We will send out a gear list next week. On the Thursday evening we head into town on the public bus. Each child needs to have $2.40 in coins for their bus fare (we will add this to the gear list). We also ask for a food donation:
Te Maunga (Nicky's home-group): a packet of breakfast cereal
Te Awa (Megan's home-group): a bag of fruit
Te Tai and Te Ngahere (Jenny and Hannah's home-groups) some baking

Dunedin Camp

Many thanks to those who indicated they could help out on camp if we were short on numbers. Turns out we have just the right number. The following parents will be joining us on camp: Karen M, Nicola R, Damion T, Miranda K, Belinda M, Juliet L, Katey G, Ewan C and one more to confirm.

Writing

Our current writing topic is to write a description about someone in your Whakapapa. Most children are well underway with this assignment. Over the weekend we will be checking their progress and emailing children (parents will be copied in) who need to catch up. A conversation at home about what to include in their description could be helpful for some.

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto PTA Newsletter #1 2020

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Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto PTA Beginning of the Year Bulletin 2020

Who is the PTA?

We are a group of caregivers and teachers who meet on the 4th Wednesday every month. Our main
purpose is to support the school. We try to do this not only by fundraising, so we can financially
support the school, but also by organising events that bring us together as a school community. We
have an extraordinary community at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto and because of this, the PTA can
do a great job at supporting the school.
We would love new people to come along & see how we work. Why not pop along to our first
meeting in 2020: Wednesday 26th February at 7:30 pm in the staffroom & check the PTA out? You do not have to be a PTA member to attend and there is no pressure to feel like you need to join just because you attend a meeting (There is often good food and always good chat!).
If you do want to help, rest assured you only have to do as little or as much as you have capacity for.
We are all busy parents with other commitments: jobs, preschoolers, our own sports (even partners
get a look in sometimes), and if we all do a little bit, it is amazing what can be achieved. Having a
broad range of skills and ideas is key to making the PTA work, so don’t be shy, come and say hi :).
Please click on the link Meet your PTA for a breakdown on who we are & what we do. We have a variety of roles, some that can even be done at home.

How does our PTA work?

Each event has a ‘coordinator’ who manages that event with the assistance from other PTA
members & volunteers from our school community. Volunteers are sourced either via the PTA
Survey (which gets sent out at least once a term via the newsletter) or from Google forms sent out
via social media. Please click on the link if you would like to complete the survey: PTA Survey.

How do we decide what to fundraise for?

We listen to your suggestions made via the PTA Survey. We also ask the staff to create a “Wish List”.
This year PTA is organising its largest fundraiser - The Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Twilight Fair,
which will be held on Fri 20th March 2020. Money raised from the Twilight Fair will be used to
replenish our school sports uniform collection (which is badly needed for the smaller students at
school!) and for funds the school can use to update our digital technology. A new digital curriculum
has been introduced nationwide: children need to learn coding concepts and how to program robots
so that they can become creators of digital technology, not just users. To do this requires expensive
equipment. As a PTA and a community, we are striving to assist the school with this expense.
Planning for the Fair is well underway and we would love new people to join the Fair Team and help us crack the $20k mark!!

What did we get up to last year?

Last year we enjoyed hosting the New Whānau Morning Tea each term, the Kids Masquerade Disco
& co-hosting, with the Student Council, the Shared Breakfast on the Shortest Day.
We ran the Clubbercise classes, which were a huge success – “whoop whoop”!

We organised a Cheese Roll-a-thon and sold some scrumptious Cheese Rolls!
On the last Sunday of each month, the PTA hosted a car boot sale in the school car park, the
Beckenham Booty. This was a great way to clear out cupboards and meet new members of the
community as people hawked their wares.


We co-ordinated our annual fundraisers the Read-a-thon, Calendar Art & the Back in 1969 Quiz.
Our last event of the year was the Annual Leavers lunch, a beautiful way to send off the year 8’s on
their next adventure!
With the money we raised last year, a new Beckenham Te Kura o Puroto Gazebo was purchased to
be used at community events where our tamariki are participating. Another exciting item bought
with fundraising money was the very flash Outdoor Portable Sound System, which was just fantastic
to see in use at athletic sports - goodbye squeaky bullhorn!
As well as this we funded each child to go on a class trip and contributed to the annual Kauri ski trip.
A real highlight has been seeing the new Outdoor Spaces take shape, as all the money generously
given by the community has enabled the Outdoor Spaces Committee to finalise the design stage and
begin to build some fabulous play spaces for our tamariki.

What is coming up in 2020?

As usual we have lots of things planned for the year ahead! There is no expectation for families to
participate in all the events we provide, anything contributed is always gratefully received. We aim
to offer our families a variety of events to participate in & hope you can enjoy some of them this
year.
Besides our main event the Twilight Fair, we will bring you back the Kids Disco, the Read-a-thon,
Calendar Art, the Quiz, a Top Team Family Fun Day and more!
One of our less known activities is mobilising pastoral care for families who need it. (We always keep
the family anonymous). A helping hand when a family is having a tough time is always so
appreciated. If you think you could cook a meal or bake a cake when we put a shout out, fill in the
PTA survey link.

We Care Range
We love our ‘We Care’ range, products that help us care for our environment & provide practical
assistance in our daily lives. We have Jute Bags, String Veggie Bags & Beeswax Wraps to assist you with your war on plastic. We also have a few Beckenham Tea Towels & Aprons left along with the Beckenham Grid A2 Canvas.


We are excited to be working in conjunction with our local Eatery, The Birdwood, to offer the
following Deal – purchase a $17 Reusable Takeaway Cup from The Birdwood & your first coffee is free. Every time you refill that cup you will receive an 80c discount. Let’s help keep those disposable cups out of the Landfill. These ‘Ideal Cups’ are NZ Made, BPA Free, Leak-Proof, Robust & Barista- friendly.
Contact us to order from our We Care Range at pta@beckenham.school.nz.


Thank you!
Thank you for your ongoing support
Remember to always check the PTA Facebook Page & the PTA Website for up to date information.
Regards
Jody Smith and Liz May (Co Chairs) and the PTA team
https://www.facebook.com/ptabeckenhamschool/
https://sites.google.com/view/beckenham-school-pta-nz/home