Coronavirus Message to Whānau at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto

Coronavirus statement Thursday 30 January


Given recent developments, associated media coverage and the return of students to school, it is important to convey accurate information to our school community. We are guided by both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health.

For those of you concerned about possible infection, the Ministry of Health has provided practical information on their website which we encourage you to read
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov

If you are interested, you can also check in with the information being provided by the Ministry of Education here: http://www.education.govt.nz/school/health-safety-and-wellbeing/student-and-staff-health/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/

Beckenham Actions:


Any staff member or student who may be at risk of exposure because they or a member of their household has recently been to China or has been in close contact with someone confirmed with the virus, the staff member or the student is to delay the start of their school year for 14 days and stay away until 12 February, or two weeks after the date of their arrival into New Zealand.

Anyone who is unwell should not be at school. Please contact Healthline at 0800 611 116 or your GP for medical advice. Healthline has translators and interpreters available 24/7 in 150 languages. They have Mandarin and Cantonese speaking staff available.

We will keep you updated if and when further information comes to hand.

Sandy Hastings - Principal/Tumuaki
Ester Vallero - Board Chair

Cyber Safety and BYOD Agreements

Kia ora koutou


Last Friday, we sent out a Learning Conference newsletter that did not have the links to the cyber safety agreements. Here is the cyber safety section of that newsletter with the links attached.

Cyber safety Agreements (all students) and BYOD Agreements (Y5-8 students)

You are encouraged to take some time before the Learning Conferences to read through our cyber safety agreements so that you can bring any questions you might have about them to the Learning Conference. At the Learning Conference, you will be given a copy of these agreements to sign. 

Welcome to 2020

Nau mai, Haere Mai

Welcome to 2020 at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto!

Kia ora koutou

I trust that you all have had some time to relax over the summer with your whānau.

Important Dates

Learning Conferences - Thursday 30 and Friday 31 January
Classes begin, Monday 3 February, 8:55am
School Closed - Thursday 6 February - Waitangi Day

Learning Conferences next Thursday and Friday, 30/31 January

All of our staff are looking forward to seeing you and your children next Thursday and Friday during our start of year Learning Conferences.

If you have not yet booked your learning conference for next Thursday or Friday, NOW is the time to still do this.
To book, go to https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/

Click on "Make a Booking" and enter the event code "sa3zp"

Then you will be asked to enter your details, and after that you will be able to select the teacher who you need to make a Learning Conference time with.

If you have any trouble making a booking, please phone the office on Monday (337 1404) and Jacky will be able to help you.

Questions to think about before the Learning Conference:

 At the learning conference, your child's teacher will go through the following questions with you and your child. It would be great if you have thought about these questions, and discussed them with your child before the meeting.

Parents:

What are your child’s strengths?
What specific goals you would like your child to achieve this year?
Do you see any challenges for your child this year? 
Is there anything about your culture/religion/family that would be useful for us to know as we get to know your child?
Do you have any other questions?

Children:

I am good at…
I would like to get better at…
I like to play ...
I learn best when I … (e.g.  where I sit, people I work with, need for exercise / food / noise level)
I am wondering about…
I am involved in ....... activities after school.

Cybersafety Agreements (all students) and BYOD Agreements (Y5-8 students)

You are encouraged to take some time before the Learning Conferences to read through our Cybersafety Agreements so that you can bring any questions you might have about them to the Learning Conference. At the Learning Conference, you will be given a copy of these agreements to sign. 

Stationery

You should have received a stationery list with your child's class placement letter at the end of last year. If you need to access another copy, you can do that from the school website.
We would prefer that you DO NOT cover exercise books as the additional plastic is not necessary for the environment. You are welcome to bring your child's stationery to the Learning Conference.

Uniform and Hats

Please make sure that you have all the uniform items that you require before classes begin on Monday 3rd February. Hats are still available from the school office ($10). House Shirts are also available from the office ($25)

We look forward to seeing you all next week!

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy and the team

Main play space re-development has begun!

Greenscapes have begun the development of the main play space outside Tahaki. Over the next few weeks, they will be creating the mound, slide, pathways, the river and the balance area. As most of the work requires heavy machinery, this area has been fenced off for safety. If your child(ren) want to come to school to play unsupervised, please take some time to discuss the importance of keeping away from this area. The Junior Playground is still accessible and free to play on.  Here are the pictures of the progress so far.
 
Mound and the River Bed
 
Balance Play Area
 
The balance play area
 
Sensory Play Space
 

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter December 19th 2019

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

What a fabulous send-off we had today for our Year 8 Leavers! With 62 graduates, this is the biggest cohort we think the school has ever had in Year 8. There was laughter, singing, sharing of memories and tears on many faces, along with broad smiles. We are, as always, very proud of these young people who have grown up in our school, many for the past eight years. Our Year 8 Leavers' Graduation is one of my favourite days of the year. It is a huge celebration of the growth and achievements of these fine young people.

A huge thank you today to the PTA and 24/7 team for supporting the prizegivers by providing the Leavers' Lunch for our leavers and their whānau.

Please remember that school finishes today at 12:30pm.

Home Groups for 2020

Today the children will get told about their home groups for 2020. They will then spend some time in their hub for next year, with next year's teachers and their new home groups. EVERY child who is returning to Beckenham next year will be given a paper copy of the letter explaining who their teacher is, AND how to book a Learning Conference for the start of the year.

Please note that we are only sending home one paper copy of the above information. If you do not get the paper copy today, Jacky will be in the office until midday on Friday 20th so you can contact her there to find out who your child's teacher is. The office will open again on Monday 27 January.

Learning Conferences - Jan 30 & 31

The information about how to book the learning conference is copied below, for your reference. You just need to know the name of the teacher your child will be with before you can book.

As we have done for the past two years, we will spend the first two days of Term 1 2020 (Thursday 30th and Friday 31st January) holding Individual Learning Conferences. You need to book a 30 minute time slot where you, your child, and their home group teacher, can meet to get to know one another and to talk about your child's learning. This is your chance to share any particular information you have about your child and the way that they learn. You can share your aspirations, your worries and the challenges and successes they have experienced so far in their learning. It will also be an opportunity for their home group teacher, and the rest of the teachers in the team, to talk with you about how the team will operate.
You need to book a time for this learning conference that will work for you and your child. To do this, you need to go online to www.schoolinterviews.co.nz and enter the password sa3zp. Remember to book your learning conference with next year’s teacher.

If you need supervision for your child on the Learning Conference days, please book this with BOSCO by Wed 22 Jan at the very latest. You can contact BOSCO by emailing Yvette at manager@bosco.org.nz

Stationery for 2020

Your child will also bring home a stationery list tomorrow for next year. If you plan to use the OfficeMax online ordering, do get your order in by mid-January, so that it arrives in time for the start of term. The stationery lists are also available on our school website.

Office Hours

The office will be closed from 1pm today, then will be open again tomorrow (Friday 20th) from 8:30am - midday. It will then be closed until Monday 27 Jan.

There will be staff around school from Monday 20th -24th January, however, the office will not be staffed.

Thank you all for the support you have given to our staff and our children this year. I wish you all a very safe and relaxing holiday season and we look forward to seeing our 2020 students and whānau back in the new year!

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Thu 30 Jan - Learning Conferences
Fri 31 Jan - Learning Conferences
Mon 3 Feb - Classes begin - from 8:55am
Thu 6 Feb - School Closed - Waitangi Day
Sun 1 Mar - Outdoor Spaces Working Bee

Term Dates

Click here to view 2020 term dates.

Celebrations and Learning around the Teams...

Note that our school Facebook page has lots more photos on it, as do the team blogs that you can find on our website...
A mathematical inquiry into geometric design resulted in a new piece of equipment being created by Sammy for our Treemendous area with support from Tony and Pip. Thanks to Matthew Macdonald for the reel.

We had a wonderful farewell for Sherrilee last week - more photos on the Facebook page.

Kauri Team having fun at Corsair Bay on Friday, in spite of the easterly and cool weather.

School Notices

HELP Mini Ball Coach Needed

We are in the need of some wonderful parents who would be interested in coaching a Year 3-4 mini ball team in Term 1. There would only be 8-9 children in a team and practises could take place with before school, lunchtime or after school. We have 26 keen and enthusiastic players, however only one coach. It would be a shame to only provide this opportunity to one team.

If you are able to coach a team in Term 1, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Paulette Newton at paulette.newton@beckenham.school.nz

Outdoor Spaces Celebration!

This week, we have met with Greenscapes who have successfully won the tender to redevelop the main play space. At this stage, the landscaping of stage 1 is likely to begin early January. This will involve the creation of the river, the hill with slide and the pathways in the main play space.
As this is a large area being redeveloped, it will be fenced off while construction takes place. Feel free to pop in to take a look.

We are really thankful to the PTA for the fundraising they have done to make this happen and are aware that this has been a long time in the making.  Here is the play space plan.

We will have our first working bee on Sunday 1st March where we will construct the smaller huts for this area. We will send out a form early in Term 1 asking for assistance with the construction of these. 
The children will be excited to see the changes in the current playground over the holidays. Have a wonderful and safe Christmas!

Beckenham Outdoor Spaces Team

Keeping it cool for our Tamariki!!

Over the holidays we will have a large group of workers installing air cooling units into Tahaki and Parenga ready for the summer heatwave. If you are playing at school, please be aware there may be several areas closed off.

SUPPORTING YOU OVER THE HOLIDAY PERIOD

Please be aware of the following organisations who can provide support over the holiday period if required:

Parent Helpline 0800 568 856

Healthline Call 0800 611 116

1737 Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor.

Kapa Haka Uniforms

Please return these to the office by Thursday.

PTA News

Uniform Shop hours - January

The uniform shop will be open on Thurs 30th Jan between 10am - 11:30am & 5pm - 6:30pm (the first day of the Learning Conferences).

Congratulations to...

Well done to the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto students who took part in Southern Cross Irish Dance's Christmas show - Sean Pettigrew, Alex Pettigrew, Liv Wilson, Sophie Redmile, and Jayme Scott. You all put on an amazing show!


Community Notices

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

Huntsbury Hill Celebrations


Fri 14th – Sun 16th February 2020
In January 1920, the first sections were sold on Huntsbury Hill. Now, 100 years later, we are celebrating our unique Huntsbury Hill community with a weekend of events for young and old, past and present residents. Come and join us!

* Wine and cheese evening at Community Centre
Friday 14th 6.30-9.30pm
Meet your neighbours, Entertainment, history & photo displays

* Garden party at the Reservoir
Saturday 15th 1pm – 5pm
Market stalls, Performances, food trucks, bouncy castle, zorb balls & mini jeeps.

* Devonshire Teas at Community Centre
Saturday 15th Feb 11am – 4pm
Photo & History displays

* Walking History tour, hosted by Mike Yardley
Saturday 15th Feb 4-6pm & Sunday 16th Feb 10am–12pm
Learn the fascinating history of development on the hill

Huntsbury Residents we need your help!
Can you assist us with Donations, sponsorship/prizes, volunteering your time, ideas or historical knowledge, & contacting past residents?

Registrations for market stalls, performers or walking tours please email Anna: huntsburyevents@gmail.com<mailto:huntsburyevents@gmail.com>
Event details: www.facebook.com/groups/HuntsburyNeighbourhood<http://www.facebook.com/groups/HuntsburyNeighbourhood/>

Play Football throughout 2020 at Halswell United AFC.

The registrations for the Winter Season 2020 are now OPEN for all members
Club Trials dates for Juniors and Youths are also set (starting January/February)

Just head to our website for more information and to register: http://www.hawkfootball.org.nz/Register

Skills Centre+ Registrations (for kids aged 8-12) & First Kicks/Fun Football Registrations (for kids aged 4-8) are open for Summer Term 1
http://www.hawkfootball.org.nz/Programmes/Summer-Programmes

Starfish Swim School Bookings for the January Holiday Program are now open!

Week One: Monday 20 th January to Friday 24th January
Email: info@starfishswimschool.co.nz
Or phone us at: 03 3381795
2 Nash Road, Aidanfield

Come swim in our intensive week to refresh your skills!