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

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:

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'

Kauri Whānau Update

 

Kauri Whānau Update: Term 3, Week 4

 

IN THIS POST:

  • Maths Parent Evening
  • Staff only day
  • Open Night
  • Cantamath
  • Speech Writing
  • Hear This

Maths Parent Evening:
A reminder that we are hosting a Maths whānau evening at school on August 28th 5:30-7:30pm.

Staff only day:
Shool will be closed on Monday 26th August for a staff only day.

Open Night:
This week we held our Open Night for Year 6 whānau. The Year 8 students who were our ambassadors on this evening did a fabulous job. We were so proud of each and every one of them. We got this feedback from a parent today: 'I was amazed by how capable, confident and articulate the kids were. They really gave me hope for stepping into life with teenager's as they were such great kids.' 

Cantamath:
On Monday we enjoyed a great competition for 9 teams from our hub along with teams from 7 other schools in our area. This was the first time this event had been run and it will become an annual event.
We are needing one more parent who can help with transporting some of our amazing projects to Wolfbrooke Arena on Tuesday 20th morning please. If you can help please email nicky.dunlop@beckenham.school.nz
We wish our teams all the best for the Cantamath problem-solving competition next Wednesday. 








We also wish the 35 people whose Cantamath projects are going through to the projects competition the best of luck. If you would like to view the projects or see the teams in action, come along to the Wolfbrook Arena on Wednesday between 3 and 6pm.

Speech Writing:
All students will be well underway writing and practising their persuasive speeches this week. For those who would like, we will have in class presentations, followed by a school Speech Competition. Two students, one Y7 and one Y8 will then be chosen to go to the Inter school competition held at St Martins School later on in the term.

Hear this:
We had Jane in to run the hear this programme with our students last week. We learnt all about our ears, safe levels of sound and how we can protect our hearing. It was eye opening and very informative!






Kahikatea News Term 3 Week 4



Nau mai haere mai

A reminder: 

There is a Staff Only Day on Monday 26th of August. 

The school will be closed that day.

______________

Maths Whanau Evening- Calendar Date




Calendar Art
check out our hub walls for our amazing calendar art on the walls

Class discussions- our tamariki have been playing an unkind game of Paper, Rock, Scissors where the winner slaps the loser's face. This is an unacceptable game and we have discussed the importance of looking after each other and keeping ourselves safe. Please feel free to bring this up with any class teachers if you are aware of this or any other unacceptable games and we can support our tamariki in making better choices. 

Uplifting our tamariki with a growth mindset




Learning Through Play with Cook Island Week- waka making and 'ei katu (flower crown or head garland) making. Fun hole digging, card playing, rock painting and a very special visitor called Mitzi.





































Cyber Safety Information

The HDCA for Parents and WhānauThe Harmful Digital Communications Act (or HDCA for short) was passed by the Government in 2015 to help people dealing with serious or repeated harmful digital communications. It covers anything digital like text, emails or social media content.

The most useful thing for parents to understand about the HDCA is the way the 10 communication principles define what is good or bad behaviour online.

If you’re ever concerned about your young person (or you just want to brush up on your knowledge!) visit Netsafe’s Guide to the HDCA. 


Ka kite koutou from Team Kahikatea: 
Amber, Sarah, Ella, Quynh & Lisa

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 3, Week 4










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

How rawe, awesome, to see our Pōhutukawa Kapa Haka rōpu giving it heaps today at our Celebration Assembly. We were also treated to a rockin' performance from the Groovy Gooses band featuring our very own Art as their lead singer. All the best for your contest  in a couple of weeks! We hope you enjoy the photos of today's performances and a couple of short movies of the kapa haka performing the waiata Toia Mai and E Minaka Ana. Please read on for news and information about some exciting upcoming events. 2 more weeks of Winter Sports! Have a great weekend everyone, kia pai ngā rā whakata.

Spring is in the Air

It's starting to feel more and more like spring, and as is always the case at this time of the year we have had a fair bit of sickness throughout the team. Thank you for your vigilance around keeping children at home if they are unwell. Also, with the variable weather at this time of the year, it's a good time to remind everyone about the importance of noticing when it gets warm that we need to look after ourselves by drinking lots of water, and taking a layer off...(and then looking after polar fleeces!), particularly in the afternoons. As always, there are many learning opportunities about managing ourselves and looking after ourselves. Thank you for your support around this, mā tātou kātoa te waka e hoe, we're all in the waka together. 

Calendar Art

The tamariki have been busy producing their Olympics-themed Calendar Art for the PTA fundraiser this year. The art is inspired by American street artist Keith Haring, who was himself inspired by artists like Walt Disney and Dr. Seuss. Keep an eye out for order forms coming your way soon.

Maths Family Whānau Evening

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

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. This workshop will be facilitated by Rob Proffitt-White. His workshops are hands on, fun an The workshop will explore: d engaging.
• The mathematical practices all students must master
• What skills and processes are needed in high school
• Ways to help with number facts and mental computation
• Games to encourage mathematical discussions (You will get to play some of these on the night).

Please see the attached flyer for more information.

Margaret Mahy Playground Trip

The Pōhutukawa hub are planning a trip to Margaret Mahy on Wednesday 4th September!

If you are available to help us on the trip please email your child's home group teacher, by Wednesday 21st August.

We require 16 adults to help all children who are going. We will need you at school by 10:30 am for a debrief and we will return to school around 2:30 pm. All adults helpers will need to ride on the bus with the students.

We look forward to hearing from you if you are able to help.

Ngā mihi nui.

  • Steve - steve.cooke@beckenham.school.nz
  • Megan - megan.culver@beckenham.school.nz 
  • Mikyla - mikyla.campbell@beckenham.school.nz
  • Gayle - gayle.mcnaughton@beckenham.school.nz

Koru Team News: Term 3, Week 4 (16/08/2024)

 Kia ora e te whānau,

Wow time is really flying by!! As we come into Week 4 of Term 3, we would like to say a massive well done to our Koru tamariki for a positive transition back into the term over these last few weeks, as well as to our new tamariki who have successfully started school! We welcome Gray and Hannah who have started during the last two weeks! We are so excited to have you and your whānau in our Koru team! 

Reminders:

  • Staff Only Day: On Monday 26th August, staff will be having a Staff Only Day. School will be closed on this day. 
  • Kiss and Drop: As we have more children starting in the Koru team, our hub can start to feel a little overwhelming at drop off times. Please ensure you are "kissing and dropping" your child off at the door, rather than entering the hub with them. This will help set your child up for a calm, quiet and successful transition in the morning. We also have separate doors for home groups to use when entering in the morning, as well as separate lunchbox/drink bottle shelves. Thank you for your support with this! 
  • Literacy folders: We have our small Literacy group times throughout the day from Monday to Thursday. Please ensure the Literacy folders are at school for these days. We know during the week it can be a busy time, and trying to fit in Literacy practice can be tricky! We are more than happy for you to keep your child's Literacy folder over the weekend, to give your child more time to practice! Please make sure the Literacy Folders are back on the Monday, so that your child's Literacy teacher has these ready for group time. 
  • Lunchboxes: Please ensure your child is only bringing water to school (no juice or other drinks). We would also love if we can refrain from having lollies/candy in your child's lunchboxes as well. It is important to help teach your child how to open and close their lunch boxes, so they can do this independently at the start and end of eating times. It would also be amazing if you could either pre-cut or teach your child how to open packets in their lunchboxes (for example potato sticks, chip bags, twisty yoghurt pouches, muesli bars etc.) Thank you for your help in this!

Literacy:

This weeks blog post is on Literacy! At Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto, we follow a Structured Literacy approach. Sounds are broken into stages, and these stages have heart words and books that align with each stage. As children move up through the stages, they will receive different letter sounds, heart words and Pip and Tim books that use the sounds currently being learnt. Below are some photos of the wonderful Literacy learning that is taking place:























How can you help your child at home?

The emphasis in teaching spelling is to focus on the sound, as opposed to the letter name. Making the phoneme (sound) - grapheme (letter shape) connection is the first step in literacy learning.

Ensure that both you and your child are saying the ‘pure’ sound without an ‘uh’ sound on the end, for example, ‘lllll’ rather than ‘luh’. Please refer to this Youtube clip, The Sounds of New Zealand English, for more information on the sound that matches each of the letters.

Here are some ideas about ways you might use the letter cards/heart words at home with your child: 

Speed Sounds: use the cards as flash cards - your child can look at each letter card and say the sound it represents. See if your child can do this at speed.

I Spy’: You can play games such as ‘I Spy’, using the letter sound (not the name).

Stepping Stones: Place the cards on the floor with the letter facing up, as if they are stepping stones across the river. Explain to your child that they have to cross the ‘river’ without falling in the water. Your child steps on each card and says the corresponding sound.

Fish or Memory: You could make up a matching set of letter cards, and use both sets to play Fish or Memory together, by placing both sets of cards face down on the table or floor. Each player has to be able to say the sound, if they are to keep a matching pair of cards.

Writing the graphemes: you might make the letter sound and ask your child to write the matching grapheme (support your child as much as is needed with this activity)


Cyber Safety

The HDCA for Parents and Whānau

The Harmful Digital Communications Act (or HDCA for short) is an act passed by the Government back in 2015 to help people dealing with serious or repeated harmful digital communications. It covers anything digital like text, emails or social media content.


The most useful thing for parents to understand about the HDCA is the way the 10 communication principles define what is good or bad behaviour online.


If you’re ever concerned about your young person (or you just want to brush up on your knowledge!) visit Netsafe’s Guide to the HDCA



It's NZ Maths Week this week!

We have a Maths Fanily Whānau Evening coming up soon. Information below:




We hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and stay warm!


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

stacey.mclachlan@beckenham.school.nz
georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz
elizabethgail.drummond@beckenham.school.nz
nicola.reddecliffe@beckenham.school.nz