Kōwhai News Term 4 Week 9

Posted on by

Kia ora e te whānau

Welcome to the Kōwhai team's week 9 blog. We are fast approaching the end of the school year and many of our students are counting down the sleeps until Christmas.

We have planned lots of fun activities to finish off the term, including 6 football sessions, and we all very much enjoyed watching Kauri's production of, 'Oh, the Places We Will Go', this week.

Football Sessions

Our tamariki have been lucky enough to have football lessons in these last two weeks of term. They have been delivered by Kōtuitui, who support bicultural and multicultural learnings through playing football and is a free program for schools. They provide outdoor football sessions for tamariki to enjoy irrespective of their football ability levels or previous experience. This is a new program as part of the FIFA Women’s 2023 World Cup legacy.

The children have all been enjoying these lessons, getting outside and having a good runaround as well as learning valuable ball skills and working together as a team. 





Science

As you will know, our students recently had a visit from Kerry, a representative from the Department of Conservation. Kerry taught the children lots of valuable information about kea. During the visit, the children participated in a tracking exercise where they used a device to locate a toy kea in the park. This hands-on experience allowed them to connect with nature and learn more about conservation work.
Students have been very busy making kea cards for Kerry as a thank you for such an exciting lesson. Below is a photo of us searching for the toy kea hidden in the trees. It was fitted with a transmitter!
There was much hilarity involved!



Kea Cards



Sketching

Over the last few weeks, we have been learning about sketching, going out into the park and to Treemendous to sketch nature. This week and next week, some of us are sketching fruit and having a little taste of all the different fruits afterwards. Yum! We have been sampling cherries, apples, pears, kiwi fruits, mandarins, strawberries, pineapples and even lemons. The children have been loving the experience! Below are some of the sketches the children created.









Farewell to Roger

Last week, we said farewell to Roger, our ukulele and guitar teacher who is leaving at the end of the year. We enticed him over to the hub where we sang him a song and presented him with a card from the children. He has been teaching the tamariki ukulele for most of the year and we will really miss him next year. Thank you, Roger, for all your hard work and dedication!



Farewell to Kathryn

We are also farewelling Kathryn, our literacy and maths teacher, who has been working hard with all our tamariki since term 2. We thank you so much, Kathryn, for your dedication to the children and we wish you all the best in your future pursuits!


Finally, we would like to thank you for all your support throughout the year. We couldn't do this without you! We have had an action-packed and fun-filled year with your tamariki and look forward to being reunited with some of you next year. We wish the year 4's all the best on their future adventures in Pōhutukawa and wish you all a wonderful and restful summer holiday.

Ka kite ano,

From the Kōwhai team

Kauri Whānau Update: Term 4, Week 8

Posted on by

In this post:

  • Cass Bay Trip
  • Pool Party
  • Production Key Points
  • Relationships and Sexuality
  • Week 10 Overview
  • Staff vs Students Basketball

Cass Bay Trip

On Thursday December 14th (Week 10) we are hoping to go to Cass Bay. We still need more helpers for this event to go forward, and helpers who are willing to be out on the water for some of the day. If you are able, please sign up via this google form as soon as possible. These events are not possible without the support of whānau.

Pool Party

We have not had any volunteers to host the Year 8 Pool Party on Wednesday December 13th from 4pm to 6pm, and so have made the decision to take the event to Waltham Pool. Students will need to pay the cost of entry and hydroslide. We will be in touch with Waltham to confirm the price per student.

Production Overview

We had our first full run throughs of the production this week, and things are looking great! Key points for whānau to note are as follows:
  • There will be two performances, Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th of December. Both start at 7pm.
  • Entry is by gold coin donation at the door.
  • The sound and lighting team will need to be at school for setup by 6.30pm.
  • All other students need to be in the hub, in costume and having been fed by 6.40pm.
  • Please see our previous blog post for details about costumes. Most will be in black pants and a colourful top. We don't want whānau spending money on this, so please get in touch if you need assistance.
  • Our dress rehearsals are on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon this coming week. Our Thursday performance will be in front of the school. Students will need their costumes at school on Wednesday.

Relationships and Sexuality

This week, the homegroups have been talking about intimacy and what this means within the context of different relationships (friends, family, romantic). Some groups have discussed consent and what this means. We also have had an activity which has discussed same and different gender relationships. We have also covered some discussion around communication modes and styles. As always, if you have any questions please contact the homegroup teacher in the first instance.

Week 10 Overview

Monday 11th - Production performance (7pm)
Monday 12th - Technology, Production performance (7pm)
Wednesday 13th - Victoria Park Walk, Year 8 Pool Party
Thursday 14th - Cass Bay Trip
Friday 15th - Final celebration assembly

Staff vs Students Basketball

On Wednesday this week, the students organised a game of basketball between Year 8s and willing teachers. It was a well-attended game and while both teams competed strongly, The teachers managed to steal the win on this occasion!



Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto School Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 1 December, 2023

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

It was super to see so many children taking part in celebrating our 'Culture and Diversity Day' today! Alongside a wide variety of colour, we had children and staff celebrating many different cultures and ethnicities that are meaningful to them, from every corner of the globe! We had  staff and students who shared aspects of their culture including sports and performance affiliations, and in Celebration Assembly, a wonderful presentation on Niue by Tayla Finlayson. We are incredibly lucky to have such diversity across our community and we appreciate and value the opportunity to learn about our differences and how we are all unique.

'Kaitiaki Crew' News Article

How wonderful, miharo to see the members of our hardworking and passionate Kaitiaki Crew given their 'moment in the sun' this week with the publication of an online news article on Newsline. The article, titled 'Beckenham Students Nurturing Nature' is about our ongoing partnership with the Council Community Partnerships Rangers and Community Waterways Partnership.  It's a wonderful way to promote and celebrate the taonga of our spring-fed ponds for which our school is named, and recognise the mahi of some of our dedicated 'kaitiaki'. Nā mātou he rereke te ao, the world is different because of us! You can read the article here.


Very proud of our tamariki and kaimahi (staff) as they build each year on the work around the ponds done by previous year's students. 

Ngā mihi nui

Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

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

Thu 7 Dec - BOT Meeting, 5.30pm, Staffroom
Fri 8 Dec - Celebration Assembly, 10am, in the Hall
Fri 8 Dec - 12:15-3pm, Kahikatea Team trip to Isaac Theatre Royal, Southern Ballet
Mon 11 Dec - 7-8pm Kauri Production, in the Hall
Tue 12 Dec - 7-8pm Kauri Production, in the Hall
Fri 15 Dec - Final Celebration Assembly, 9:45am, in the Hall
Mon 18 Dec - Year 8 Graduation, 11am-12pm
Mon 18 Dec - Year 8 Leavers' Lunch 12:30-1:30pm
Tue 19 Dec - Last Day of Term 4, School finishes at 12.30pm

2024
Tue 30 Jan - Learning Conferences
Wed 31 Jan - Learning Conferences
Thu 1 Feb - Classes begin

Term Dates: Click here to view 2023 & 2024 term dates

Citizen of the Week

Aine Smyth - Year 8

Aine, you are an advocate for kindness and inclusion in our Kauri whānau. You have been a committed member of our Diversity Group, putting into action your values of making a difference to others within our kura. Aine, you have a brilliant mind: synthesizing, making connections and forming questions come naturally to you, and you confidently express your ideas during group discussions. Thank you for all the wonderful qualities you bring to our kura. 

School Notices

Elmer Ōtautahi Art Trail

Last term we finished painting our Elmer Elephant sculpture. The Elmers gathered for an unveiling last Thursday before heading out on the art trail. Our Elmer, 'Rainbow Bloom', is hanging out at Tūranga for the next couple of months. They would love a visit from some Beckenham tamariki! Below is the blurb about our beautifully painted sculpture. We hope you enjoy going on the Elmer Ōtautahi Art Trail and spotting all of these fabulous works of art. The large Elmer's, painted by professional artists, are outside around the city. The baby Elmer’s, which have been school projects, are inside the many buildings that are run by the city council. Enjoy! 


Name / title: Rainbow Bloom
Inspired by: Growing to your full potential and showing your true colours.
Brief description of sculpture: Rainbow Bloom represents our school values, especially 'We Get There Together: Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe'; inclusivity and how it is OK to be different. Above 'Rainbow’s' diversity socks are a selection of flags from the nationalities at our school. Our school's cultural narrative has strong ties to the Ōpāwaho River, so we have represented this on their trunk. We want 'Rainbow Bloom' to bring a smile to people's faces, even when it is the toughest of days. 

Student Council - Celebrating Diversity and Culture Day

This term the student council planned a diversity-themed term. We have looked at different aspects of diversity including culture, LGBTQ+ and we are about to focus on disability. On Thursdays, we have had lunchtime activities such as nail painting, colouring in, and even Chilean dancing! This Friday, Dec 1st, the student council held a diversity day where children could dress up to represent a culture that is special to them or dress to support the LGBTQ+ community. Children bought a gold coin as a donation that will go to Qtopia. 

Thank you to our Student Council for their continuous mahi and inclusive advocacy!

Congratulations to...

The following special Awards were presented today in Celebration Assembly:

Grace English
Taylor Cup for Sportsmanship
Grace, you perfectly balance a fierce competitiveness with a level head and inclusivity on the sports field. You recognise and encourage the strengths of those in your team and have a gift in bringing people together and creating cohesion within your team. Grace, thank you for the way you notice and act when others need support or a vote of confidence and for the way you play with the upmost respect for your opposition and the rules of the game. In defeat, you are unshakable, positive and upbeat, while you celebrate victories with great humility. 

Kacey Pedersen
Taylor Cup for Sportsmanship
Kacey, you are a fantastic role model on the sports field. You lift others through your actions and comments, which positively contributes to the team culture. You extend your cheery personable nature to the opposition and game officials, always maintaining a balance of competitiveness and fun. Kacey, you regularly put yourself out there in sporting contexts, which inspires others to do the same. You embrace the challenges of sport with humility and grace. Whatever the sport and whatever the stakes, you play with heart and determination.

Cahlen Stace
Cross Country (Cooper Cup) Winner

Ella Coleman & Zoe Colville
Cross Country (Cooper Cup) Winners

Olivia Hurford
Athletics Senior Girl (BOT Cup) Trophy Winner

Blake Grayburn
Athletics Senior Boy (Jubilee Cup) Winner

Ashlyn Taffs
Kete Awards - Care

Blake Grayburn
Kete Awards - Together

Frida Corin, Charlie Price
Kete Awards - Learning

Ella Coleman
Kete Awards - Challenge

Hamish Zinzan
Kete Awards - Difference

Congratulations also to:

Mirren and Coleman Leitch 
Mirren and Coleman just got back from being at the Brazilian Jiu jitsu Gold Coast championships on Wednesday last week, it was their first international competition, they very proudly brought back 2 gold and 2 silver medals, after fighting some of the toughest. With Mirren even fighting an Australian champion. 


Elijah Hakeagaiki 
Last weekend, Elijah played in the Pacific Series Tournament for rugby league. His team was undefeated again and he had the best time. Here is a photo of him in the tournament. 

PTA News

A reminder that all items ordered in the recent fundraisers are able to be collected from school next Friday the 8th of December.

BOT Update

Term 4 Policy Review

Thank you to all of you who have provided feedback so far on our Term 4 Policies, listed below, that are up for review. 
  • Curriculum and Student Achievement Policy
  • Student Achievement Information/Student Assessment and Achievement,
  • Home Learning
  • Distance Learning
  • Health Education
To review these, please follow the instructions below. 

  1. Visit the website https://beckenham.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm
  2. Enter the username (beckenham) and password (pride).
  3. Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed under Term 4 Review Topics
  4. Read the policy.
  5. Click the Start your review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
  6. Select the reviewer type.
  7. Enter your name (optional).
  8. Follow the prompts to show that you've read the topic and enter your feedback if you'd like to comment.
  9. 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.

Your feedback on the content (the policy) and implementation (how we follow the policy) promotes discussion with staff and the Board and helps us to evaluate our processes and make changes as needed.

This review closes Friday 15 December.

Community Notices

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

Exciting Opportunity for Aspiring Junior Chefs!

Introducing the in person Junior Chef Holiday Programme, designed to unleash your child’s culinary potential!

Course Details:
Duration: 5 days
Start Date: 18 – 22 December 2023
Time: 9am – 12pm (8 – 16 year old)
Total Cost: $300 per student.
Book online at: https://www.internationalculinarystudio.com/events/junior-chef-holiday-programme-8-16-year-old-2/
         
Course Details:
Duration: 5 days
Start Date: 22 – 26 January 2024
Time: 9am – 12pm (8 – 16 year old)
Total Cost: $300 per student.
Book online at: https://www.internationalculinarystudio.com/events/junior-chef-holiday-programme-8-16-year-old-3/

Location: International Culinary Studio Training Kitchen, 1/57 Warrington St, Christchurch.

Give your child the gift of being self-sufficient in the kitchen! They’ll learn essential culinary skills, techniques, and gain hands-on experience under the guidance of experienced chefs.

Bring your own electronic device, such as a laptop or tablet, to fully engage with digital resources and take our learning to the next level.

Chef Pat will be teaching the kids a great set of skills. Empower your child with culinary expertise that will last a lifetime. Whether they aspire to be the next MasterChef or simply want to enhance their
cooking skills, this course is a stepping stone to their culinary dreams. This course will also help them with their mathematics, reading and social skills.

Enroll today and ignite their passion for the Culinary Arts!

We will only run the course if more than 8 people register. Maximum class of 14 people.

All attendees will receive a certificate of attendance.

AKOTECH CodeCamps Summer School Holidays - FREE PRIZE & EARLY DISCOUNTS

Our holiday camp allows children from the ages of 7-12 to develop 21st century skills in a fun and action packed environment. Create and train your own AI Avatars, make games, code drones & go to work for a simulated Tech Gaming Studio to build games for a big pretend client.  

Develop confidence & initiative through design, creativity, solving problems, presenting & collaboration. Create your own games, worlds and apps to make our world a better place.

We also have Literati Lab just for girls

Venues: Canterbury Uni & St Andrews College
Dates: 8th - 11th & 15th - 18th January 
Book Now at www.akotech.nz
Enter our competition to win a FREE 4 day pass to one of our CodeCamps
Competition: www.codecamp.co.nz/competition

EarlyBird Save Up to 21% Until 14th December
Siblings Save 6%


Looking for another way to support the school with your Christmas shopping? Check out these amazing products for everyone in the family at School Fundraising Shop. 

School Fundraising Shop will donate 10% of each purchase back to our school when you select Beckenham at check out. Happy shopping!





Koru Team News: Term 4, Week 8

Posted on by

 Kia ora, e te whānau,

Some important dates:

  • Celebrate Diversity and Culture Dress Up day: Friday 1st December
  • House Games: Monday 4th December, you can wear your house top if you wish
  • Koru Kapa Haka performance: Friday 8th December 2.45pm at Hangere (our classroom)
  • Tamariki meet their 2024 teacher and final day for the school year: Tuesday 19th December (school finishes 12.30pm)

End of Year Reports 

The end of year summary reports are now available through the Hero portal for children who are in Georgia, Elizabeth and Stacey's Home Groups. The end of year report reflects aspects of your child's learning for the second part of the year. Please take the time to sit with your child and share their report with them, celebrating their learning. 

To find your child's report; open Hero, click on their name, then click '2023 report'. If you need any help accessing the report through Hero, please contact your child's Home Group teacher.

Koru Waiata performance for families

We would like to invite our Koru families and Whānau to come and watch our Koru tamariki (children) perform the waiata we have been learning with Whaea Cath. 

  • Friday 8th of December, 2.45pm; outside our classroom (Hangere)
Helpers

We would love the help of any whānau with sorting resources, cleaning whiteboards, tidying shelves and cupboards. If you are available to help, we would love to hear from you! 'We Get There Together'

We would also love your help to check at home for any Library books and Literacy books to return to school. We appreciate your help with this.

Library
Every Friday, we visit our school Library. This is a time to sit and enjoy some fabulous books, listen to stories and get two books out each week to take home.


Our word of the week is: Determination. Determination is never giving up, no matter what! A determined person decides to do something, and then does it! How have you shown determination today by trying again and again? 

Here are some photos of Koru children showing their determination when learning new things!











Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou,

Stacey, Elizabeth, Georgia, Sarah and Denise

stacey.mclachlan@beckenham.school.nz
elizabethgail.drummond@beckenham.school.nz
georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz
sarah.junghenn@beckenham.school.nz



Pōhutukawa Update, Term 4, Week 8

Posted on by


 

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

We are now racing towards the end of the school year with 3 and a half weeks to go until the finish line! In keeping with that analogy we are just one week away from our trip to the  MASH Tough Kid Challenge fun run on Wednesday, December 6. Thank you very much to those parents who have offered to join us on the trip. We will be speaking to the tamariki more about the trip this week, and also sending out more information in a separate post. Please read on for some very important updates for you to discuss with your tamariki. We hope you also enjoy some photos, and a link to a news article featuring some of our akonga that is just awesome, tau ke!

Road Patrol

For our Year 6's, being a member of the Road Patrol is one of the key ways they can show leadership in our senior school. It is also a wonderful way to hone time-management skills, and perform a valuable service for both our kura and the community; rain, hail, or shine! It was great to have our Year 5 patrollers out completing their training with Constable Meg last week, and they are now on patrol before and after school until the end of the year. Thank you for your support in ensuring they are aware of their days on patrol.

We would also like to take this chance to acknowledge our Year 6 Road Patrol members for their service this year in keeping everyone safe at the crossing. Ngā mihi ki a koutou mo tō mahi, thank you all for your hard work.

Cycle Safe and Homelink Road Safety

It's been rawe, awesome to see our Year 6 tamariki out there on their bikes and embracing challenges with the Cycle Safe team from the CCC. Nau mai te wero!

It's always such a beneficial programme for our Year 6's to learn the benefits of cycling and how to ride with confidence and be road-wise. This year they were lucky to have the additional opportunity to sit in the cab of a large truck to get a front-seat view of a driver's blind spots when driving a large vehicle, and thinking about the implications of that when they are on a bike; a very cool experience!

In addition to Cycle Safe, all students have also been working through a Homelink Road Safety book in class. Home Link Road Safety introduced this programme for teachers to use in schools. The major emphasis of the programme is the pedestrian area, which accounts for approximately 50% of injuries to children on our roads. The following is a message to whānau from Homelink:

"It is unfortunately still true that road crashes are the number one killer of children in New Zealand. The Traffic environment was designed by and for adults. It is an adult responsibility to keep children safe. For that reason, Homesafe Educational Resources Ltd. and local sponsors are enabling the message to be taken from the schools into homes. Homelink will assist parents and caregivers in the development of safe road practices. Together we make a difference."

It would be a great idea to follow up on these important lessons with your tamariki at home as well to ask them what they learned and what they might need to remember about road safety.

Transition Visits

As busy as it is at the end of the year, we are also preparing our students for next year with 'Transition Visits'. For the past few weeks, we have been giving our incoming 2024 Year 5's a chance to be with the 2024 Year 6's as a cohort and have some Learning Through Play sessions together. This week our outgoing Year 6's will be spending the afternoon with next year's Year 8 students to get a taste of life in the intermediate Hub. These visits are a really valuable chance for the tamariki to get a feel for the learning environment, reconnect with some of their friends, and also get answers to some questions they may have about 2024. We encourage you to talk with your tamariki about these visits and start the conversations about 2024 if you feel they're ready. Any momentum we can build now to set everyone up for a successful start to next year is valuable indeed. Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe, we are all rowing the waka together.

Kaitiaki Crew News Article

How wonderful, miharo to see the members of our hardworking and passionate Kaitiaki Crew given their 'moment in the sun' this week with the publication of an online news article on Newsline. The article, titled 'Beckenham Students Nurturing Nature' is about our ongoing partnership with the Council Community Partnerships Rangers and Community Waterways Partnership.  It's a wonderful way to promote and celebrate the taonga of our spring-fed ponds for which our school is named, and recognise the mahi of some of our dedicated 'kaitiaki'. Nā mātou he rereke te ao, the world is different because of us! You can read the article here.

Kia pai te wīki,

The Pōhutukawa Team