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Posted on 7 June, 20247 June, 2024 by Georgia

Kia ora e te whānau,

We have made it halfway through our second term of the year! We hope you are all managing to stay clear of the winter bugs which are starting to circulate. We'd like to share a warm welcome to Bruno who started school with us on Tuesday. Bruno has a big brother in the Kōwhai team, so we welcome Bruno's family to the Koru team!

If your child started during Term 1, they will be receiving a Mid Year report. These have beem sent out today, so please check Hero to view this. We have had a busy last few weeks, and still have some exciting upcoming events. Below are the important dates:

Learning Conferences (next week); Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th June
NZ Opera; whole school performance in our Hall; Thursday 13th June
Koru trip to the Christchurch Art Gallery; Monday 24th June
Matariki Evening at school; Tuesday 25th June 5:30-7:00pm
Matariki (school closed); Friday 28th June
Hillview Cross Country Zones; Tuesday 2nd July (Anna Reid will have been in contact if this applies to your child)
Last day of Term 2: Friday 5th July
First day of Term 3: Monday 22nd July

Morning routines:

We are so proud to see the children continuing to show 'We Love Challenge' by carrying their own bags; putting their lunch box and drink bottles on the shelves; putting their Literacy folders in the group boxes and then settling down quietly into a game or activity each morning!

We thank all the Whānau for the quick and calm 'good byes' in the morning. As we get more children starting school, sometimes we notice it feeling very overwhelming and busy with so many people in the Hub before school, it is really helpful when you say goodbye and leave your child with us, leaving them to have some fun with their new school friends.

House Groups:

Our Koru children have all been allocated a 'House' to belong to: Fisher, Heathcote, Tennyson and Waimea. Children from the same family/whānau are put into the same house. Each house has its own 'chant' and tamariki learn this, so they can participate in the house chant at sports and special events, and in Celebration Assemblies, if it is their house that has won the House Points for that fortnight! You can find the House Chants here, and other are also videos that you can share with your child to help them learn their house chant. Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe! We Get There Together!

Lunchbox Reminders:

Please ensure your child is only bringing water to school (no juice or other drinks)
It is also 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 be great if you could also 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 and co-operation with this!

Word of the Week:

Each week, we have a school-wide word of the week that we discuss, watch videos about, and try to implement throughout the day. The words we have had so far this term include:

Upstander: Standing up for others in situations that aren't right, and supporting others who may need your help
Honesty: Being truthful in what we say and do
Inclusion: Making others feel a part of something and including others in your activities/games.
Kindness: The quality of being considerate, friendly, and generous.
Respect: Accepting others for who they are, even when they are different from who you are, or don't agree with you.
Resilience: Bouncing back from challenges and trying again.

Our Koru tamariki are becoming very knowledgeable about these words! Have a look at some of the awesome photos of our tamariki showing our "Word of the Week" and our school kete values:

Disco:

Today, we celebrated our school PTA Disco. Our tamariki had some awesome outfits, and showed off their amazing dance moves. Have a look at some photos showing the fun we had:

Learning Conferences:

A reminder we have Learning Conferences coming up next week. If your child started at the beginning of the year, the Learning Conferences are optional if you would like to chat with your child's homegroup teacher about their mid year reports. If your child started at the beginning of Term 2, we recommend you booking a Learning Conference time so that your child's homegroup teacher can discuss their transition with you. School will be finishing at 1:30pm. Please refer to the School-wide newsletter from last week for more information about this, and for how to book a learning conference.

Reminder - Art Gallery Trip: We are still in need of some parent helpers for our Art Gallery Trip. If you are able to be help for this trip, please email your child's home group teacher. Thank you to those who have already done this.

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.

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

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,

Georgia, Stacey, and Elizabeth

stacey.mclachlan@beckenham.school.nz

georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz

elizabethgail.drummond@beckenham.school.nz

Kōwhai News Term 2 Week 6

Posted on 7 June, 20247 June, 2024 by Anna McNeill

Kia ora e te whānau! Welcome to the Kōwhai team's Week 6 blog!

Learning Conferences

A reminder that learning conferences are taking place next week. Conferences will start at 1.45pm on both days. To support the availability of staff for these conferences, we ask for children to please be collected from school on both days at 1.30pm. Supervision will be available until 3pm for a small group of children. More information about this will come out to you via Hero next week. These conferences will be an important opportunity to connect with your child's teacher and learn more about your child's learning progress and achievement. Your child attends the learning conference with you.

Please book a learning conference for each of your children by clicking on this link and enter the code usvg6 and follow the instructions.

We recommend not booking time slots back-to-back, in case meetings run over the allocated time.

If you need any assistance to book a conference, please contact Jacky in the office on 03 337 1404 or office@beckenham.school.nz

Pepeha

For Inquiry this term, we are exploring our Tūrangawaewae (standing place) through pepeha.

A pepeha is a way to introduce yourself and it is an important aspect of Māori culture. It tells a story of the places and people we are connected to. In a pepeha, you explain where you come from and often make connections with a mountain, river, canoe and family. It also includes things that make us who we are such as our history, culture, and whakapapa. Creating a pepeha as part of a class activity, is also a fantastic way to allow Kōwhai students to understand this aspect of Māori culture, while introducing themselves to their classmates.

The template students will be using for their pepeha will vary depending on whether they are Māori or non-Māori. Please contact your child's homeroom teacher if you have any questions about this.

Ball Games

Our students have recently started learning exciting new ball games, including Over and Under, Tunnel Ball, Captain Ball, and Leader Ball. These activities are not only fun but also help build teamwork and coordination skills. Towards the end of the term, they will have the opportunity to showcase their skills in a friendly tournament with all the Kōwhai classes. We can't wait to see their sportsmanship in action!

Recorder

This term, the Kōwhai team have started recorder lessons on a Tuesday afternoon. So far 4 out of 5 classes have had 2 lessons. The students have been making fantastic progress! They've been learning to read music and have successfully mastered playing the notes A and B. It's wonderful to see their enthusiasm and dedication as they develop their musical skills.

Farewell to Charlotte

Next week, we will be farewelling the wonderful Charlotte Verity who is moving on to another kura (school). During her time at Beckenham Te Kura, Charlotte has made a positive difference to not only the children she has taught but to all the staff who have been fortunate to work alongside her. We will be sad to see her go and wish Charlotte all the very best with this new adventure.

Online Safety: Gaming

Eighty percent of tamariki in New Zealand aged 8-17 have played games online. Games can have many benefits: entertainment, social opportunities, coordination development, problem-solving and multitasking skills. But, most of all, gaming is popular because it’s fun.

Games, however, can be tough for parents and whānau to navigate. How much gaming is too much? How do I make sure my tamariki aren’t seeing inappropriate content or chatting in-game with strangers?

Today we’re sharing Netsafe’s Online Gaming Whānau Toolkit so you have all the resources you need to keep your kids safe.

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/rPN_ev1RSDQ

Have a great weekend!

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Schoolwide Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 31 May 2024, Week 5

Posted on 31 May, 202431 May, 2024 by Reihana Dougherty

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

A reminder that school is closed this Monday the 3rd of June, King's Birthday.

Mid Year Report and Learning Conference Information

Reports are being published at the end of next week, 7 June, and will be available to view on HERO. Following this, Learning Conferences will be held in Week 7 on Tuesday 11 June and Wednesday 12 June.

Conferences will start at 1.45pm on both days. To support the availability of staff for these conferences we ask for children to please be collected from school on both days at 1.30pm. Supervision will be available until 3pm for a small group of children. More information about this will come out to you via Hero next week. These conferences will be an important opportunity to connect with your child's teacher and learn more about your child's learning progress and achievement. Your child attends the Learning Conference with you.

Please book a Learning Conference for each of your children by clicking on this link and enter the code usvg6 and follow the instructions.

If your child is in Steve Cooke's Home Group please book by clicking on this link and enter the code 6ab6s. Steve's conferences will operate slightly differently as he has a professional commitment to facilitate learning for teachers from other schools on those days.

We recommend not booking time slots back to back, in case meetings run over the allocated time.

If you need any assistance to book a conference, please contact Jacky in the office on 03 337 1404 or office@beckenham.school.nz

Ngā mihi nui
Jo Smith - Tumuaki (Acting Principal)

Important Dates

(you can also find the Community Calendar on our website here)

Fri 31 May - Staff Only Day (kura/school closed)
Mon 3 Jun - King's Birthday (kura/school closed)
Fri 7 Jun - Celebration Assembly, 10:00 - 10:30am, in the Hall
Fri 7 Jun - School Disco (details below)
Tue 11 Jun - Learning Conferences
Wed 12 Jun - Learning Conferences
Fri 21 Jun - Celebration Assembly, 10:00 - 10:30am, in the Hall
Tue 25 Jun - Matariki Evening at Kura, 5.30-7pm
Wed 26 Jun - BoT Meeting, 5.30-7.30PM, Staff Room
Wed 26 Jun - PTA Meeting, 7.30-9.30PM, Green Room
Fri 28 Jun - Matariki (kura/school closed)
Fri 5 Jul - Celebration Assembly, 10:00 - 10:30am, in the Hall
Fri 5 Jul - Last day of Term 2
Mon 22 Jul - First day of Term 3

Term Dates: Click here to view 2024 term dates

Citizen of the Week (W4)

Caoimhe Ryan - Year 6

Caoimhe, we love your cheery greetings to the teachers each day, and you are always willing to lend a helping hand to your team. You have a love of learning that is an inspiration to others, and you're always determined to do your very best work. When you put your heart and mind to something, Caoimhe, you are unstoppable! Kei runga noa atu koe.

Citizen of the Week (W5)

Lewis Potter - Year 8

Lewis you are such an enthusiatic and focussed learner, you have a hunger and thirst for knowledge which translates across all curriculum areas. You are an excellent example of someone who pushes and challenges themselves constantly. You are an awesome role model and problem solver. We love having you in our Kauri team!

School Notices

Uniforms

Our school uniform has been designed so that many items are easy wear and available to be purchased at most clothing stores where cost and quality is your choice. We appreciate your support in ensuring tamariki are wearing the correct uniform items to school.

The full uniform can be found on our website, linked here.

Please would you also check the names on your child's jerseys as we have a few missing but named uniform items that may have accidentally been collected and taken to the wrong one home.

Spare Uniform

As we head into winter we are noticing the inevitable increase of muddy shoes and clothes as students come back from play and lunch, having played sports and games on the Park (or in the puddles!). If your child is coming home with very muddy or wet clothes, please consider supplying them with a spare pair of school shorts and a spare school top for them to change into once they finish their play.

PTA School Disco (held in the School Hall)

We’re looking forward to the PTA School Disco taking place on Friday 7th of June in the School Hall... get your dancing shoes and a gold coin ready! The PTA will have chips and popcorn to buy. A named drink bottle of water is recommended.

N/E, Year 1 & 2 2:00-2:45PM

Year 3 & Year 4 4:00-4:45PM

Year 5 & Year 6 5:10-6:10PM

Year 7 & Year 8 6:30-7:30PM

Thank you Lilly-Ann for our awesome Disco posters!

Cyber Safety Information

As our tamariki spend more time online, it’s important parents and whānau help them stay safe. Now is a great time to talk to your tamariki about how we use the internet and digital technology safely.

Netsafe has created the Online Safety Parent Toolkit so parents and whānau have all the information they need to talk about online safety.

If you or anyone in your whānau needs support, or expert incident advice, you can contact Netsafe through the options below:

Email help@netsafe.org.nz
Call toll free on 0508 NETSAFE (0508 638 723)
Online report at netsafe.org.nz/report
Text ‘Netsafe’ to 4282

Book Character Dress Up Day

Book Character Dress Up Day last Friday marked the end of our Readathon. Book Character Day is highly anticipated and enjoyed right throughout the school, with staff and tamariki invited to dress up as their favourite book character. The costumes did not disappoint!

Our colourful Kōwhai crayons!

PTA News

Thank you for getting involved in this year’s Readathon. It has been wonderful to see the tamariki proudly bringing back their forms and sponsorship. I hope some good reading habits have been embedded! We raised a grand total of $4557.30 which will help us towards our fundraising goals of supporting school bus trips and updating the kapa haka uniforms. Thank you to Paper Tree St Martins for helping out with the voucher draw.

The PTA meet monthly and our next meeting is on Wednesday 26th June so if you think you would like to get involved in helping with fundraising and other fun events around the school then get in touch at pta@beckenham.school.nz

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto PTA

An insight into the PTA experience from the PTA Chairperson

"In 2016, when my daughter started school, I joined the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) with the aim of giving back to the school community that had been so warm and welcoming to our family.

As a member of the PTA, I quickly became involved and was soon elected as the Chairperson of the organization. Working alongside a fabulous group of like-minded and passionate parents, we dedicated our time to volunteering and providing support to our school whānau.

As the Chairperson, I led the PTA in developing and implementing initiatives that would benefit our school community, such as fundraising events, community programs.

Through my involvement in the PTA, I gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of community involvement in education and the positive impact it can have on everyone involved." Jason Orchard, PTA Chairperson

BOT Update

In Term 2 we are reviewing topics in the Employer Responsibility Policy section. If you would like to review these policies, and give feedback on the content or implementation, please follow the instructions below.

Visit the website https://beckenham.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm
Enter the username (beckenham) and password (pride).
Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
Read the policy.
Click the Start your review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
Select the reviewer type.
Enter your name (optional).
Follow the prompts to show that you've read the topic and enter your feedback if you'd like to comment.
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 July 5th 2024, please get your feedback in before this date.

Community Notices

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

Andrea's Sewing, Alterations and Repairs

School Uniform Fittings and Alterations, Repairs

Full Suits and Formal Dresses Fittings and Alterations

Enquiries Welcome

My contact details are Ph 0274665646

I am located at 37 Mathers Road Hoon Hay

My current hours are 8am till 5.30pm Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri. (Closed Wednesday)

FREE Event for Students: Swimming Have-a-Go Carnival

Canterbury West Coast is excited to announce our second dedicated "Have-a-Go Carnival" event for 2024 on the 16th June at Taiora QEII Recreation & Sport Centre.

The event is open to any swimmer (of any age) who is not currently registered as a club or competitive swimmer with Swimming New Zealand and is capable of swimming 25m without assistance.

Participation is free, and registration is available on our website. Swimmers are welcome to swim in 25m, 50m, kick, and relay races!

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 2, Week 4

Posted on 24 May, 202415 December, 2024 by Steve Cooke

Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all on this chilly Friday. The grey day was certainly made more colourful with all of the creative Book Day costumes! The Media Team has been busy today taking photos of the array of characters, so keep an eye on Hero for those. Thank you for reading on as we have a lot of news to share, as well as some upcoming events.

Food for Thought update... and a "Super" Special Guest

As we posted on Hero earlier in the week, the Food for Thought program that we had planned to do this week was unfortunately cancelled due to their instructor being unwell. We are looking to rebook the program for later in the term, and will keep you all posted. Thank you again to the parents who had initially given up their time to come and support the trip. We do hope you can come along if it goes ahead next month.

As it turned out there was a silver lining to this cloud, as we were lucky to have a visit from Jon Nabbs - a self-described 'life enthusiast' who came to talk to us all about his incredible endeavours. Jon enthralled the students (and teachers too) with stories of running across Canada from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, a journey of approximately 8,000Km (around 195 marathons), with winter temperatures as low as -50 degrees Celsius!

Jon also shared that the motivation for his journey is to raise money in support of child cancer patients across New Zealand and Canada to have access to services so they can continue to feel in his words "they have some control as they fight a fight they shouldn't have to fight". His talk was a wonderful example of our 'We Make a Difference' value for the kids, and we're sure they will remember the story of the muesli bar and the grizzly bear for the rest of their lives!

Jon is currently attempting a Guinness World Record for the fastest person to run the length of Aotearoa, and is again using this as a chance to raise money and awareness for children fighting cancer. We will be following his journey, and we wish him all the very best! Nau mai te wero, Jon.

You can find out more, donate, and follow his journey on his website https://www.jonnabbs.com/ and also watch the clip that he shared with the students by clicking here.

Winter Sports

Starting next week, we will be running our winter sports programme on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. The tamariki will be either participating in non-competitive or competitive hockey, netball, or football.

Non-competitive sports will take place at school on Tuesday afternoons and will be supported by the Year 8 Sport Leaders.

Competitive sports teams will play in the South Zone Winter Sports competition on Thursday afternoons. If your child is on one of these teams, you will soon receive a Hero post with all of the information you need to know. Students who are not on a competitive team will be doing alternative sports programme here at school.

Cross Country

We were blessed with beautiful weather for this year's Cross Country, and it was so great to see the students out there giving it heaps! Amazing also to have the chance to send 24 of our keen bean runners to the Zones. A huge congratulations to all of our students who embraced the chilly challenge on Wednesday morning at the Zone Cross Country. It's a big achievement to qualify for this race, and the nervous excitement that accompanies the build-up is such a great opportunity to live our value 'We Love Challenge'. Well done to all of the competitors for representing Beckenham so admirably, and a special congratulations to Laura, Lily, Jayme, Max, and Haydn, who will be representing our kura at the Canterbury Cross Country next month. A massive achievement! Watch this space...

Latin American and Pasifika Musical Extravaganza

Yesterday the students were treated to an eclectic performance of Latin American Music by a visiting musician, supported wonderfully by our very own budding musicians Ben and Noah . The concert ebbed and flowed as the audience listened to, and sometimes participated in musical numbers from Chile, Brazil, Samoa, Aotearoa... and more. What a wonderful way to show 'We Love Challenge' for Ben and Noah who embraced the challenge of getting up in front of their peers with very little preparation to perform. Tau ke, awesome.

Muddy Months

As we head into winter we are noticing the inevitable increase of muddy shoes and clothes as students come back from play and lunch, having played sports and games on the Park. We will be asking students to take off muddy shoes before entering the Hub and lining them up neatly outside the door. We are lucky to have wonderful underfloor heating in the classrooms, so feet stay nice and warm, and as an added benefit our carpet stays mud-free! In addition to this, we suggest that if your child is coming home with very muddy clothes, please consider supplying them with a spare pair of school shorts and a spare school top for them to change into once they finish their games. We appreciate your support with this.

Have a great weekend everyone, whatever you get up to. Kia pai tō rā whakatā.

Koru Team News: Term 2 Week 4

Posted on 24 May, 202424 May, 2024 by Unknown

Kia ora e te whānau,

We hope this finds you all well and managing to stay clear of the winter bugs which are starting to circulate. We'd like to officially welcome Callia and her family to Beckenham to Kura o Pūroto. Callia started school with us on Monday this week. A warm welcome also goes out to Ehsan who is going to be starting with us on Monday next week. Ehsan has a big sister in the Kōwhai team, so we welcome Ehsan's family back to the Koru team!

We've had a very busy couple of weeks since our last Blog post. Activities have included:

Pink Shirt Day last Friday (emphasising the value of 'kindness')
the school Cross Country on Tuesday last week
learning how to play charades
learning some new waiata and playing Te Reo (emotions) Bingo
Book Character Dress Up Day today...
... and of course lots of lovely Learning Through Play, with 'Inclusion' and 'Kindness' being our Words of the Week, and therefore a big area of focus for us all.

Cross Country:

Leading up to the school Cross Country, the tamariki, with the help of their kaiako, set themselves goals, which day by day they worked hard to achieve. They talked about 'pacing themselves', stamina and doing their best to have enough energy to continue to the end of the run. The children all worked very hard towards achieving their daily goals and we feel very proud of the effort they all put in on the day.

Well done, children, and hopefully, families, you have all seen the Cross Country participation certificates which the children brought home this week.

Literacy:

Your children are doing so well in their Literacy learning. We just love the eager and excited attitude which they bring to their small group learning each day!

Please follow these links for information about what we are focusing on at Stages 1 and 2 in our Structured Literacy programme, and also learn about ways in which you are able to help at home, at each of these stages:

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 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)

Some of the above ideas can also be used with the heart words that your child either is, or will be, bringing home in their literacy folder.

Look out for more information about our Structured Literacy programme in future Blog posts.

...and now just a few more fun photos from the past fortnight!

Cyber Safety Information for Whānau:

Staying Safe Online...

As our tamariki spend more time online, it’s important parents and whānau help them stay safe. Now is a great time to talk to them about how we use the internet and digital technology.

Netsafe has created an Online Safety Parent Toolkit so parents, families and whānau have all the information they need to talk about online safety.

If you or anyone in your whānau needs support, you can contact Netsafe.

All You Need to Know About TikTok:

Tiktok is one of the fastest growing social media apps. It’s a platform for creating, sharing and discovering short videos – and many young people love it! From new dance crazes to funny clips to animal videos, Tiktok can inspire creativity and bring joy.

But it’s important that parents and whānau help their tamariki navigate Tiktok safely. Today we’re sharing the Netsafe Tiktok Family Safety Toolkit so you can help guide your whānau to a fun and safe digital experience.

We wish you all the best for a lovely weekend, everyone, and we look forward to seeing all of those beautiful, wide smiles at school again on Monday.