Beckenham School Newsletter Term 3 Tuesday 26th September

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Kia ora whānau
This is technically last Friday's newsletter which didn't get sent as I was away at the New Zealand Principal's conference.

We will send out another short newsletter this Friday on the last day of term.

Building Update:

Our hall renovation is moving along and we have been told we will have the hall back in use by the end of week 3 of next term (in time for the PTA School Disco on Friday 3rd November).

Unfortunately the renovation of the old verandah block has had significant delays, and won't be ready for the admin team and staff room to move into during these holidays. So, in order to vacate the West Hub for our returning Year 5/6 team, we are moving the admin and staffroom into the old Room 10/11 (backing onto the staff carpark). This building is currently being renovated, but we've been told we can move into that in the second week of the holidays,on Tuesday 10th October.

The exciting news that we can 100% confirm is that the Champion St teams - Year 5/6 and Y7/8, will be returning to the Beckenham site for their learning from the start of next term. The movers will be in on Wed 11th October to move all of the furniture and equipment from Champion St back to Beckenham and the teachers will be in during the second week of the holidays, preparing for the children to start in their new spaces at the beginning of next term. It's hard to believe that we have been at Champion St for a year, and that we only have three more days of busing to Champion St left! This is an appropriate time to again thank all of the parents who trusted us to make this unusual solution to our building challenges work. Our teachers and children in the Y5-8 teams have had a wonderful 12 months at Champion St and we have been very grateful to the Ministry of Education for making this site available to us.

We are really starting to see the light at the end of the building tunnel now and it is very exciting to be having all of our students back on our home site next term.

Thank you all for your continued patience as we go through the final term of building.

Ngā mihi
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Fri 29 Sep
Yr 7 & 8 - Technology at ChCh South (swapped from Tuesday)
Pohutukawa Yrs 5 & 6 - class outing
Final day of Term 3 - school finishes at 3pm.

Mon 16 Oct
Term 4 starts.  Classes begin at 8:55am.  Everyone at Sandwich Road site. HOORAY!

Term Dates

Click here to view 2017 and 2018 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Julia Cornfoot - Year 4

Julia, what an amazing role model you are! You strive to do your very best in all situations and approach every learning opportunity with a 'can do attitude'. You show our Beckenham School values of 'We Care' and 'We get there Together' by offering to help those around you, whilst being a respectful, kind and considerate friend to all. You are always willing to take on extra responsibility within the hub and we know we can count on you to do the right thing. You put excellent effort into all you do and always tackle tasks with a smile that sparkles. Thank you for making our hub an amazing place to be!

Rowan Cameron - Year 1

Rowan, you are an amazing role model who consistently demonstrates our values of We love learning and Challenge.You are kind, caring and helpful. Your self management skills are wonderful. Rowan we are all so very proud of you and love having you in our Hub. Every day you come to school with a smile.  Thank you for being you and making learning fun! Tino pai Rowan.

Aarav Kumar - Year 4

Aarav, you are such a star in the Kowhai team. You have such a generous, kind, caring and thoughtful nature and you always treat your peers and teachers with respect. You approach all of your learning with enthusiasm and a wonderful can do attitude. You are an amazing self-manager who can be relied upon at all times. We really appreciate your fantastic sense of humour, your creativity and your love of football.  You are an absolute joy. Keep up the great work Aarav, tino pai!

Sharing our Learning

Ferndale Hub


This term we have been busy with our Technology learning focus - preparing for our Ferndale School Market Day.  We have been learning about the design process with having a question (what will be a good product to sell at Market Day), planning (what will we do and how), create (make), improve (can we make it any better).  We have made soap and through the process we decided to add colour as white was a little plain.  We also made bath bombs.  Our initial batch did not work, so we had to do more research and our second batch was a success!  Our market day is being held today - fingers crossed we manage to sell all our products!








School Notices

Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) Parent Information Meeting

Thursday 28 September 2:15pm
Years 0-6 will be learning about ‘how to keep themselves safe’ in weeks 3&4 in term 4.
The Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS) programme focuses on helping students learn and apply a range of safety skills that they can use when interacting with others.
We will be holding a parent information meeting where Constable Ross will inform our parents of the programme and answer any questions you may have about the programme and content covered. Constable Ross will be teaching alongside our teachers and spending time in each hub.
There is also some information about the programme and a range of resources for parents on the Police website below:
http://www.police.govt.nz/advice/personal-and-community-advice/school-portal/resources/successful-relationships/keeping-1

At the same time, Constable Ross will be supporting our Years 7&8 children with DARE to make a Choice (Choice) drug education programme. There is information about this programme on the Police website below:
http://www.police.govt.nz/advice/personal-and-community-advice/school-portal/resources/healthy-body-healthy-mind/choice-year-0

Sun Hats & Sunscreen

During Term 4 students are required to wear an approved school sun hat.  Caps are not permitted.
Bucket style sun hats are available from the office for $10 each, sizes M & L.  Wide brimmed hats are available from The Warehouse for $18.
Summer is just around the corner and we're all looking forward to some warm days, barbecues, games of cricket, trips to the beach and lots of sunshine!
The Beckenham School PTA is fundraising and promoting sun safety by selling handy 50g tubes of Cancer Society SPF 30+ sunscreen.
Click on the link below to place your order and be sunsmart!
http://bit.ly/2hrlokd

Wellbeing Focus This Fortnight

Over recent weeks, we have looked at how being part of family and friendship groups supports our wellbeing. We have shared how we care for our family and our friends. We have learnt that being with family and friends requires working as a team, and using lots of communication, caring and compromise.

We have explored how good friends and family listen to each other actively. Watch this clip and practise at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWe_ogA5YCU

Each family is different, and we celebrate that difference. Many children have shared some of the special things their family do, in terms of activities or spending certain parts of the day or week together.
Ideas to reflect on or discuss at home:
What special or fun things do you do together with your family?
What matters in your family?
Who are you grateful for in your family and what do you enjoy about them? Make a point of telling them or writing a note to share your thoughts with them.

BOT News

News from the Beckenham School  Board of Trustees

Our Board of Trustees meets monthly.  This board is made up of elected representatives from the parent community, a staff representative, and Sandy, the Principal.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for governing the school and setting its direction, including curriculum, staff, property, health and safety, finance and administration. The board makes decisions that the principal and teachers then put in place.

Did you know there is a Board of Trustees page on the school website?  Beckenham School Board of Trustees

At our last meeting the Board confirmed the term dates for 2018.  These have been published in the school newsletter and on the school website.

We also discussed establishing an outdoor spaces working group.  A steering group is being formed with members of Board, PTA, teaching staff as we start planning for our outdoor spaces.  In the near future we will will be asking you and your families for your ideas and suggestions.   How do you want our outdoor spaces to work?

A process of consultation is about to embark on the naming of our fabulous new buildings.  We plan to have an official opening and blessing once all the buildings are finished.  Save the date - 15 December 2017.

Thank you to everyone who responded to the Learning Conference surveys.  Your feedback is so valuable as we look at our processes and how we respond to our learning community.

With the upcoming Board of Trustee elections, we invite parents to take this opportunity to think about standing for the Board.  It is a wonderful opportunity to work with other people who are passionate about making Beckenham School a fantastic place for our children to thrive and grow.  Feel free to look at the Beckenham school website for more information, or approach any current BOT members and we will happily share our experience with you.

PTA News

Beckenham Tea Towels


You should have received a flyer in your child's bag, about the PTA Tea towel fundraiser. These beautiful tea towels will be available by advance order only, for just $10 each. To order, click here. Orders need to be received by the end of the term, Friday 29th Sept.

Spellathon




Tip Top A & P Show Fundraiser

Spring is in the air & it is nearly that magical time again to shift some ice cream! In just TWO months time the PTA will undertake the annual Tip Top A & P Show Fundraiser.
For the last FIVE years we have been lucky enough to sell Tip Top packaged ice creams at the A & P Show across the three days it is open. This year the dates are: Wed 15th- Fri 17th NOV (Canterbury Anniversary, Public Holiday)
We provide the labour & in exchange we keep the profit on every ice cream sold. Over one hot Show Week we have managed to raise $13,000 profit. Last year the weather gods were unkind but we still managed to raise a profit of $7,500.
We have had an amazing Tip Top TEAM full of enthusiastic helpers but need to replace those whose children have left for high school or are not available this year.
We can’t do this alone- there's lots of ways you can help, we NEED YOU. Click on this link: https://goo.gl/forms/Bpl7IC7CwoFg0WLz1

You may be lucky enough to mix with the ‘rich & famous’ OR simply enjoy some fun in the sun! We look forward to working with you this year. THANKS-Funds raised will go into the 'Outdoor Spaces' pot!

THANKS

Thanks to AIR RESCUE COMMUNITY SERVICES for approving our grant application for the installation & replacement of one Basketball System & three Netball Systems.
The Basketball Hoop has been installed, BIG thanks to Wayne, Jeremy, Joe, Mike, Phil & Shaun  for assisting with the installation- it was a mission.
All ready for our Senior students return next term- watch out Steve Adams!



Register here for Weetbix Tryathlon

Community Notices

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

BOSCO

BOSCO currently has two positions available - please view the full job details HERE. Some hours are negotiable, please contact Yvette on 027 645 6632 or via email manager@bosco.org.nz.

Mental Health Awareness Week 9 - 15 October

Mark it in your calendar: Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) is on 9-15 October and the theme is Nature is Key!
MHAW is during the school holidays so our colouring competition is the perfect activity to download, print and give to your child to help them experience the joy and wonder of being in nature.
How to enter the competition:
Download and print copies of our colouring competition to give your child.
Ask them to head outside and draw what they see, smell and hear in the keyhole.
Ask them to write down what their favourite thing to do outside is, and why.
Post entries to: Mental Health Foundation, PO Box 10051, Dominion Road, Auckland 1446.
Or scan and email entries to: MHAW17@mentalhealth.org.nz with the subject line "Colouring Competition Entry".

Science Alive School Holiday Programme

Get Connected!
A fun two hour holiday programme about electricity.
"Get Connected" to Christchurch city centre and the rebuild.
Then "Get Connected" to electricity through circuit building and design.
When: 3rd, 4th and 5th of October.
Price: $18 per child
Click the link below to book for the programme.
Get Connected for 7-9 year olds.
https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2017/get-connected-juniors/christchurch
Get Connected for 10-13 year olds.
https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2017/get-connected-seniors/christchurch
Presented by Science Alive in partnership with Ōtākaro.

Spanish Language & Culture Week

Everyone is invited to enjoy a week of language, dance and cooking workshops, games, talks on Latin American culture, Story telling and Movie night in Spanish.
Get ready to enjoy the Spanish  Language and Culture Week this month.
For more information, contact us: aha.canterbury@gmail.com

American Football Canterbury

WHERE: Marshland Domain, Prestons Road (Prestons Subdivision)
WHEN:   Term 4, October 20th - December 8th | 8 Week Competition
AGES:    10 - 14
REGISTRATIONS DUE: Before October 1st, 2017
How can I register? Either by form attached or fill out this digital form here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QciCHh6m2sbQvXnZulzOoqjbFcBhsKAKYHmQ30AQAMA/edit
Or simply email American Football Canterbury: americanfootballcanterbury@gmail.com or
Contact our Junior Football Manager: Mason Shaw 0273913287
Teams/Players can be registered separately! Get in quick as interest is high. The competition will be capped at 12 Teams.
Subs are $20 per player for the entire 8 Week tournament

JUNIOR TRIATHLON TRAINING TERM 4

Do you have children or students that are keen on triathlon? Canterbury Triathlon run a triathlon programme for 10 years+ children over the summer terms. There are two coached sessions per week (Thursday afternoon & Sunday morning) teaching kids specific triathlon skills and building fitness over all three sports.
The programme will include sessions at Pegasus so is an ideal preparation for the Primary Schools Triathlon at the end of November.
For more details visit http://www.canterburytriclub.co.nz/junior-programme/ 

YMCA After School Recreation Programmes

Term 4 Enrol now!
The YMCA Christchurch offers a wide range of after school recreational activities to cater for those of all ages and abilities, during school term time.
Miniball & Basketball
Get your child involved and see them develop skills, friendships and a team spirit while also staying fit and healthy.
Gymnastics & Dance
Both programmes are designed to help children develop their motor skills, confidence, balance and body awareness.
 All programmes are $95 a term.  To enrol pop in and see us at 13a Bishopdale Court, Bishopdale Mall, or for further information and online booking go to www.ymcachch.org.nz/children/recreation/

Aquagym

459 Cashel Street, Ph: 3810299.  Learn to Swim & Coaching.  Book now for October Holidays and Term 4.  Leaders in Aquatic Education.  info@aquagym.co.nz


rockitCHCH

My name is Danial Neale and I am the owner of rockitCHCH, a local private musical tuition school.
I specialise in teaching Guitar, Drums, Bass and Ukulele .
I currently have some time slots available and I am looking for new students of any level, beginner to advanced.
My lessons generally run for 20 or 40 mins but I am flexible with times and pricing.
If you are interested in learning a musical instrument, from a contemporary perspective in a fun, safe and relaxing home environment, contact me now!
For more information please check out:
Website: www.rockitchch.com

Celebration of New Zealand Chinese Language

Since 2014 , New Zealand Chinese Language Teachers Association Canterbury and the Confucius Institute at the University of Canterbury in cooperation with Rewi Alley Chinese School and the Confucius Classroom at Christchurch Boys’ High School have organised the Chinese Immersion Day/Celebration of New Zealand Chinese Language Week every year, in order to lift the profile of Chinese language and culture in Christchurch.
We warmly welcome you and your family to attend this year’s event to enjoy the Chinese lion dance, music performances, followed by a variety of  Chinese language and cultural activities including martial arts, calligraphy, paper cutting, Chinese painting, Chinese folk dance, and fun language workshops etc.
The event will be held on Sunday 29 October, 2017 at 1.30pm at Christchurch Boys High School/School Hall.
Please find the attached poster for more details. Please RSVP by Thursday 19 October 2017. There are two ways to register. You can EITHER:
Click the below link to register through EventBrite:
https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/chinese-immersion-day-tickets-37906519420
 OR RSVP to MS Feng: FengH@staff.cbhs.school.nz

DIVA RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS

Rhythmic Gymnastics is a combination of ballet, dance and gymnastics that uses handheld apparatus like the ribbon, hoop, clubs and ball.
 It is great for confidence, strength and flexibility. We emphasise fun and fitness it is fantastic for developing co-ordination. We have classes for girls ages 4 and above for recreational and competitive classes.
We run classes for nationals levels 1-10, group pre-international, junior and senior international grades where gymnasts can compete for club, Canterbury and New Zealand teams. There is a high level of coaching available to all, I am the head coach and teach all levels from recreational through to world cup rep senior international.
So if you are looking for fun, friends and fitness or a shot at top level gymnastics Diva RG is the place to attend.
We are based at The NZ Institute of Sport building in the main gymnasium at 66b Wharenui Road, Riccarton. Please contact Bianca for more information at
divargc@gmail.com
or call/text 027 521 7220.
We currently have spaces in recreational, pre-comp classes, group and competition grades, both national and international.



Girls' Cricket

Calling all girls interested in CRICKET this summer.  St Albans Cricket Club have all girl's teams available for years 4-8 and are looking now for players for the 2017 -2018 season.
For more information email tegan@stalbanscricket.co.nz or call/text 0273391340

Kowhai Leaders

Zoe and Petra have been running a colouring in competition for Kowhai and Koru this term. We had three different colouring in pictures that we drew that the children could chose from. We had first, second and third place for each colouring in competition. The chidlren coloured in the pictures at lunchtime in the Kowhai hub. They had a great time!






Touch Team

We have the opportunity for two girls in our team to join a touch rugby team on a Thursday afternoon between 4-4.30pm. It is $30 for the term and the term runs from 19th October-7th December. If your daughter is interested, please contact Leone Scott, ph 0274571282

Pohutukawa Team Newsletter Term 3 Week 8

Kia Ora Whanau

We are rapidly nearing the end of a fantastic Term 3 and looking forward to being back at Beckenham School next term.

Ferrymead Trip 

We had two amazing trips to Ferrymead where we did lots of learning about how much change has affected our lives over the past 100 years.
   
When we arrived, we dressed up in the school uniforms children used to wear each day. Even the teachers had to wear fancy frocks! 

We explored some of Ferrymead Park before heading off to our lessons.



  

 




 





We had a lesson in the school room with Miss Black who was very strict about us lining up silently, sitting up in our seats with straight backs, following instructions without talking, reciting our timetables and doing our handwriting perfectly in ink. We also did some housework where we washed clothing on the washboards, used the wringer, made beds, cleaned tables and ironed clothing using an iron heated on the coal fire. Then we went to explore the old printing station where we used the embossing machine, stapled wee booklets and printed our own posters. We also learned a lot about how phones used to work by having a turn at connecting calls between two people, dialing the old rotary dial phones and figuring out how to hold the phones so we could listen and talk at the same time! 

Challenges 

Last term, we put out a survey asking our children about their use and understanding of our values, their learning within the curriculum areas and what they wanted more of at school. From this survey, 'Challenge' time was started earlier this term.

The challenges focussed on exploring our Key Competencies:

  • thinking
  • relating to others
  • understanding language, symbols and text
  • managing self 
  • participating and contributing

Here are some of our challenges:








 


Drama

During this term, our Arts focus has been on learning different techniques to create a performance based on a well-known story. We developed our understanding around role, action, space, expression, and voice then worked collaboratively to create and present a play to show our learning. We needed to work together as a team, listening to each others' ideas respectfully and making decisions fairly.


Here we are, learning about freeze frames and thought tracking by creating a scene in 10 seconds from The 3 Little Pigs. 

Special Achievement 

Maria arrived at Beckenham School from Brazil in May with very little English. This week, she completed her speech in English and Portuguese. She has also been learning Te Reo. The determination and persistence required to achieve this is outstanding. What an amazing achievement! 

Here is Maria's speech in both languages:  

Fast food 

Hello my name is Maria and I’m going to tell you what fast food can do to your health and the many things it can do to your body.

Quickly made, quickly served, quickly eaten. That’s fast food. Perhaps badly made, poorly served, quickly eaten is more appropriate.

But fast food can taste so good. Some people don’t stop to eat fast food and the bad thing in all this is fast food can have a lot of  fat stuff and this is not good for our health.

Fast food can be really good to eat with your friends but can make you sick with diabetes because it is not prepared properly. Some fast foods just throw things in the recipes and cook. It’s so bad for our health because they put bad ingredients in it.

So now I am going to tell you in Portuguese (my original language) what fast food can do for your health. 

Feito rápido servido rápido e comido rápido.esse é o fast food possivelmente não feito muito bem,mau servido,e comido rápido isso é mais apropriado 

Mas fast food pode ter o gosto muito bom.mas algumas pessoas não conseguem parar de comer fast food e a pior coisa nisso e que fast food pode ter muita gordura e isso não é bom  para nossa saúde. 

Fast food pode ser muito bom para comer com os amigos mas pode fazer você ficar doente com diabetes porque nao e feito apropriadamente. Alguns fast food só jogam as coisas na panela e cozinham isso não é bom para nossa saúde porque eles podem ter colocado os ingredientes errados.

Então eu acho que pessoas não podem comer muitos fast food porque pode fazer mal para nossa saúde.

End of term outing 

We are off for a visit to Wharenui Pools and Margaret Mahy Playground on Friday 29th September. We will depart from Beckenham School at Eastern Tce at 8:40am and arrive back at Beckenham School by 3:00pm. Thank you for the wonderful offers of support from our parent helpers. We are looking forward to an exciting day out! 

Kauri Whānau Update: Term 3 Week 9

We are becoming surrounded by packing boxes as the end of term is approaching with rapid speed! Despite the approaching move back to Beckenham, interesting and exciting learning opportunities continue in our hub.

Trip to the University of Canterbury, Wednesday September 27th:

As an extension of the learning our children have been going about chemical and physical change, we will be taking our team to the University of Canterbury on Wednesday morning next week, to visit the science department. To make the most of the trip, we will also be visiting the geography dept. The morning will involve a science experiment, learning more about the periodic table, exploring career pathways, soaking in the vibe of a university and more. Many thanks to Jenni Adams and Simon Kingham for helping to put this exciting morning together for our students. We would like to have three parents join us on this trip. As we will be leaving from Beckenham and returning to Champion Street for lunch, you would need to meet us at the university. Please send an email to nicky.dunlop@beckenham.school.nz if you can join us. There will be no cost to families for this trip. For those who usually drop their children to Champion Street in the morning, please have them at Beckenham on Wednesday.

Sexuality Education:

Our Sexuality Road unit has begun, welcomed by cheers from Year 8 and slightly more caution from Year 7. It would be good to open discussions at home about what is being talked about in class. This topic will run for the rest of this term and into term 4. 

Sports News:

Congratulations to our Year 7 and 8 orienteering team who placed 1st at the Canterbury School's Orienteering Festival last weekend. The children navigated their way successfully through courses at Ferrymead and Spencer Park in the two-day festival. Tino pai, Rosie, Daisy, Mitchel, Kaia and Sadie. Many thanks to Jenni Adams for managing and coaching the team. 

Next week, Alex, Millie and Kaia travel to Timaru to complete in the Inter-Regional Cross Country Race. We wish them all the best for a successful run. Thank you, again, to Jenni Adams for managing this team.  

Good luck to our korfball team who will be competing in an all day tournament on Monday at Pioneer Stadium. 

Athletics day is coming up early next term on October 26th. If you are able to help with the running of events, please send an email to jenny.diggle@beckenham.school.nz

Passion Friday:

Once again the children have been loving their learning during passion time this term. The board game group are off to The Fab Lab to design and make game pieces using a 3D printer, this Friday. The monster softies group have been very creative and can take pride in the very cool toys they have created. A big thanks to Sue Kingham and Annette Bone who have been supporting the children with their sewing. Great gales of laughter can be heard coming from the breakout space, as the children experience theatre sports. A team has been put together for the Year 7 & 8 theatre sports competition next term. The code club continue to develop their coding skills. We are very grateful to Ivo Gorny and Bruce Peters who work with this group on projects that are personalised to each child's skill level. 

Next week passion Friday will happen on Tuesday, as our technology day has been switched to Friday, due to events at South. Our final day at Champion Street will be next Thursday.

Monster softie creations.

Speech Competition:

Well done to our speech finalists who presented last Wednesday. We were impressed by the breadth of topics, impressive writing, and confident delivery. It was definitely an entertaining afternoon. Lisa McGonigle, who has a PHD in literature, judged the speeches. She was very impressed by the quality of the speeches and the skill displayed in delivery. Congratulations to the place-getters:
Year 7: 1st Thom (why I should be king); 2nd equal, Georgina (gender equality), Sophia (animal rights) and Tilly (smoking)
Year 8: 1st Amelia (women's rights), 2nd Daisy (car free zone by school) and 3rd equal Jordan H (dad jokes) and Sadie (LGBT rights)

We were very proud of Thom and Amelia when they presented their speeches at the South Zone Rotary Speech Competition last night.