Kauri Whānau Update: Term 3, Week 5

Posted on by

 In this post:

  • Choices & Keeping Ourselves Safe
  • Cybersafety
  • Cantamath
  • Ski Day
  • Duathlon
  • Speech Finalists
  • DigiFest

Choices & Keeping Ourselves Safe

Next week, we will begin teaching Choices and Keeping Ourselves Safe, two programmes from the New Zealand Police. These lessons will be taught by your child's homegroup teacher, with support from Constable Meg Moynihan, our local Police School Community Officer and will continue through to the end of Term 3.

What will children and young people learn?

1. What do I know and what do I need to know about drugs?

Students will identify what they know about drugs, what they don't know about drugs, and what they need to learn to keep themselves and their friends safe from drug misuse.

2. Drugs and the law

Students learn what a drug is, the different classes of drug and the harm caused by illegal drugs. Students explore the consequences of drug misuse and penalties.

3. The good, the bad and the ugly

Students explore the difference between drug use and misuse. They consider safe guidelines for drug use and consider the effects that bad choices about drugs may have on a positive life path.

4. Finding out about abuse

Students need to be aware of what constitutes abuse so that they can recognise if they are being abused and know how to create a safe classroom.

5. Reporting abuse

When abuse is reported, the abuser is stopped and the healing process can begin for the victim. Students learn why it is important to report abuse and to know who, and how, to tell.

What part do parents, caregivers and whānau play?

Parents and whānau are strongly encouraged to support Keeping Ourselves Safe. You can also talk with your child about what they have learnt in Keeping Ourselves Safe and help them with any KOS activities they bring home. Visit the whānau section of the NZ Police Keeping Ourselves Safe website for more information and frequently asked questions.

If you require more information about the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme or wish to discuss the learning, please speak with your child’s homegroup teacher in the first instance.

Cybersafety

During our PB4L sessions through the last couple of weeks we've spent time discussing online safety and how to respond when things go wrong. We have reiterated that with social media, the first and best thing to do is to block and report any objectionable content or accounts. Students and whānau can also make a report to Netsafe via this link who we have found have been very quick to respond to any issues.

Cantamath

The Kauri teachers have loved seeing all the completed Cantamath projects, and thank you to all the whānau who came by to see this year's exhibition. We spent a good while going through them all to make sure we were putting the best ones forward as finalists. If you're interested in viewing the finalists, they are on display at Wolfbrook Arena (formerly Christchurch Arena) on Wednesday 23rd August, from 9.00am to 8.30pm. Please note that no students are permitted at the Wolfbrook Arena on the Tuesday afternoon while judging takes place.

The Cantamath Team competition will take place on Wednesday afternoon at the Wolfbrook Arena. Good luck to our Year 7 and Year 8 teams!

Ski Day

Our trip to Mount Hutt is rapidly approaching, and this week as part of our preparations we shared this social story with students. Please make sure you go through it at home with the children, especially as some may have been away.

Duathlon

Helpers are still needed to make sure this event can go ahead. Please contact Jenny is you are able to support on afternoon of Wednesday, August 23rd.

Speech Presentations and Finalists

This week students have been presenting their persuasive speeches to teachers and peers. The Kauri Hub Final will take place on Thursday August 24th from 9.15am in the school hall, and parents are welcome to attend. After deliberating and discussing at length, the following finalists were selected:

Year 7: Bobby, Finn, Harriet, Ollie, Alex Mu.
Year 8: Christopher, Cian, Dan, Ella C, Ella T, Leo, Scarlett

We understand that some students might find the prospect of presenting their speech in this context particularly daunting, and encourage them to speak with their homegroup teacher if this is the case.

DigiFest

On Tuesday last week, three groups of four students headed to St Mark's School to participate in a learning experience which combined Aotearoa New Zealand Histories with Digital Technologies. Students were taught about the innovations of Ruapekapeka Pa, a gunfighter Pa from the musket wars. As part of this, they took a virtual tour of the site before taking on the challenge of planning and creating their own version using Minecraft Education Edition.


Koru Team News: Term 3 Week 5

Posted on by

Kia ora, e te whānau,

It's been a very busy couple of weeks for us all in the Koru team: we've been completing our Calendar Art; we've had Book Character Dress Up Day; and we've continued to have fun with our Literacy and Maths learning, all the while embracing new friends into our team.

We are very excited to have welcomed Sarah Junghen as the teacher of our third New Entrant class at the start of Week 5. Most of you will have seen Sarah this past week, in the hub, but if not, please do introduce yourselves to her. Sarah has been teaching at Beckenham te Kura o Pūroto for some years now, and we feel incredibly lucky to have her with us in the Koru team!

We also welcome the new children who have transitioned or are transitioning into the Koru team, and are in Sarah's Home Group: Iyana, Lailah, Esther, Ariella, Molly and Mason. Ngā whetu koutou katoa - you are all stars!

Calendar Art:

The children have been working incredibly hard this term on their artworks, which will eventually be available for purchase as calendars, notebooks, cards, etc. We know that you're going to absolutely love these works of art, and we do urge you to support our PTA with this fundraiser. Please keep an eye out for more information about ordering calendars, etc. We will be adding information to our daily whiteboard notices as it becomes available.

Keeping Ourselves Safe:

This term as part of our Health Curriculum, teams are teaching the programme called Keeping Ourselves Safe, in Years 0 - 6. In the units, the Koru children will be: 

- describing where they live; identifying things that make them special and explaining when they feel safe and unsafe

- learning to use the correct names for body parts and describing whether a touch is one they like, one they don’t like, or one that is confusing

- learning to say ‘no’ to touch, behaviour and words that worry or confuse them and talking about moving away and seeking help

- identifying the difference between good surprises and bad secrets

- identifying people they trust and understanding family safety rules. 

We will be starting the teaching in Week 8 (the week beginning Monday, September 4th) and over the course of the lessons we teach, there will be some information and activities which will be coming home in your child's school bag. This is for you and your child to complete at home, and does not need to be returned to school. Please keep an eye out for more information about KOS in the weeks ahead, and if you have any questions, please just ask.

Exciting outing ahead for the Koru team:

We are very excited to be letting you know that on Monday, September 18th, the Koru team children will be visiting the Christchurch Art Gallery. 

The purpose of this outing is to give the children the opportunity to engage in discovering and exploring the work of artists whose work is held by the Christchurch Public Art Gallery. Teachers will explore the Gallery with their students, discuss a range of artists’ work and explore ideas of navigation, belonging, identity and how we are connected across time and place. During the guided tour, students will use signs and symbols to create a pictorial map of their own identity and journey through the Gallery which they will then complete, using watercolours and pastels, in the Education Centre.

Please note that there will be no cost for this outing, as your school donation covers all costs involved.

We will be needing parent help, so please do email your child's Home Group teacher or teachers, if you're able to come along with us on the day. 

Elizabeth and Stacey's Home Group will be leaving school at 9:30 a.m. and arriving back at school at 12:00 noon.

Georgia and Sarah's Home groups will be leaving school at 12:00 noon and arriving back at school at 2:30 p.m.

Beckenham's Got Talent:

We are desperately seeking all budding talents out there: singers, gymnasts, dancers, ventriloquists, magicians...!

Teachers have been talking with the tamariki about this fun whole school event, being held on the last day of term in the school hall. Prior to this date (on Friday, September 8th, for us in the Koru team), each team will hold their own team event and then one 'performance' from the Koru team will be selected, to be part of the whole school show on Friday, September 22nd.

Ideas for performances might include:

  • a dance
  • a song
  • a gymnastics performance (with accompanying music)
  • a hula hooping display to music
  • a set of magical tricks
If you would like your child to participate, do let us know. 
Please note that practices will need to take place at home and if there is to be accompanying music, it would be great if you could pass a copy on to us, or let us know exactly what it is and where we can find it.
Also, please don't feel constrained by the list above. Your child may have a talent well outside of this list, and if they feel enthusiastic and confident enough, we'd love to have them participate.

Literacy and Library Folders:

We have noticed, and many of you will have as well, that the children's folders, purchased when they first started school, are not 'hanging together' very well at all. We have noticed that the light blue folders, in particular, have been breaking down and deteriorating really quickly. We contacted Qizzle and sent photos to illustrate our concerns, and they immediately responded by saying that they were going to change their supplier, and asked how many folders did we need to replace those affected. Some folders (yellow ones, purple, red, orange, etc.) have not deteriorated as quickly but generally look as if they will, soon enough, so Qizzle told us that they just wanted to replace them all! We shall be sending home the replacement folders in the children's schoolbags next week. We thank Qizzle for responding so quickly and positively on our behalf.

Fun with Maths (we love numbers!):









...and one or two other items of interest for you:
  • click on these links and join in as your children sing one of their favourite songs, Sprinkle a Little Sunshine (here with the lyrics, and here, without, but with very cute images instead!)
  • for those new families to the Koru team, a link through to the National Anthem which we sing each morning - your children are doing an awesome job with this, participating and trying their very best each morning
  • clicking here will take you to a variety of links for those of you who would like to read more about The Science of Reading and Structured Literacy.
In the meantime, you do hope that you've had a lovely day today, and that it's an equally lovely weekend ahead for you all!

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



Kōwhai News Term 3 Week 5

Posted on by

Kia ora whānau,

We have had another very busy fortnight completing our calendar art and many more activities.

Keeping Ourselves Safe

We have started teaching Keeping Ourselves Safe (KOS), a safety programme from the New Zealand Police. These lessons will be taught by your child’s homegroup teacher, with support from Constable Meg Moynihan, our local Police School Community Officer. As Anna Reid is away, her homegroup will start the KOS programme at a slightly later date.

What will children and young people learn?

  • to work out when their safety is at risk
  • how to keep safe when they meet and mix with other people
  • who and how to ask for help if they, or someone they know, is being abused
  • to go on asking for help until someone does something to stop the abuse
  • that it is important to make and follow personal, family and school safety rules

What part do parents, caregivers and whānau play?

Parents and whānau are strongly encouraged to support Keeping Ourselves Safe. You can also talk with your child about what they have learnt in Keeping Ourselves Safe and help them with any KOS activities they bring home. Visit the whānau section of the NZ Police Keeping Ourselves Safe website for more information and frequently asked questions.

If you require more information about the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme or wish to discuss the learning, please speak with your child’s homegroup teacher in the first instance.

This programme is divided into focus areas and this week we have discussed the following:

Focus area 1: I am unique, He taonga ahau

For safety reasons, students need to know their name, where they live, and the names of the people they live with. When they can verbalise their feelings confidently, they can report times when they feel safe and unsafe. We also discussed online safety so the students have an understanding of what personal information should not be shared on line.

PB4L and Wellbeing 

Our school uses the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) schoolwide framework, to help our students understand and grow positive behaviours such as kindness, responsibility, respect and positive attitudes towards learning. We have a school-wide Word of the Week, and this week's is respect! Our students loved this song. We also have a learning focus, and this week's is mindset. You might enjoy watching this short video at home.

Gymnastics 

We loved our second trip to the Christchurch School of Gymnastics last week! The students were once more engaged in a variety of activities including swing ropes, trampolining, swing bars, balance beams, rolling, foam pit, rock crawl and more. The instructors were fabulous and were very impressed by the positive behaviour and listening skills of our students. We were all captivated by the dusting of snow on the hills on our ride home in the bus. 

The Christchurch School of Gymnastics offers after school and weekend classes if you wish to pursue this for your child.












Book Character Day

Last Friday was our Book Character Day and numerous book characters came to life.










Thank you so much for your continued support.

Have a lovely weekend. 

Ngā mihi, 

The Kōwhai Team

Pōhutukawa Update, Term 3, Week 6

Posted on by



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

It's been great to see us starting to get back to our usual numbers here at kura after a few weeks of unwellness throughout the team. Thank you again, whānau, for keeping tamariki at home who are unwell during this season of coughs and colds. It was just wonderful to see the sun out last Thursday and have everyone outside being active and playing sports. We have our final round of hockey, netball, and football this week both for the South Zone competition, as well as for the non-competitive teams. Let's hope for some more sunshine! We also have the Duathlon coming up this Wednesday. You can read the Hero Community post: School Duathlon for all the information regarding this exciting, optional event.

Please read on for some updates from the team, as well as some very important information regarding Keeping Ourselves Safe a comprehensive child abuse prevention programme for schools, which we begin teaching this week. There is a homework activity from the programme below that we would strongly encourage you to complete with your tamariki.

Our Amazing Teaching Assistants

Last week the Pōhutukawa team bid a fond farewell to Charmaine Pedersen, who has won a full-time position and finished up her time here at Beckenham. All the very best, Charmaine - we will all miss the care and devotion you gave our tamariki every day. In Charmaine's place, we welcome Matt Hastings to the team in a Learning Support role, nau mai haere mai, Matt!

Calendar Art

The students have been working diligently on their Calendar Art over the past month or so, and it has been wonderful guiding them through the creative process from preparation to production. Our concept this year was for akonga to use Van Gogh's Starry Night as inspiration to incorporate what we have learned about the Matariki cluster of stars (te iwa o Matariki) in a landscape that was significant to them. We hope you enjoy the end product as much as the students have enjoyed creating them. Keep an eye out for order forms, which will be available soon!

Keeping Ourselves Safe

Keeping Ourselves Safe is a comprehensive child abuse prevention programme for schools, which is delivered collaboratively with Constable Meg Moynihan, our Police Education Officer.

We had our first lessons with Constable Meg today, in which students learned: to understand what abuse is and know that any abuse is wrong, should be reported, and is not their fault. This week we will also be covering how to verbalise feelings confidently and practise a decision-making process that will help them to make safe decisions for themselves and others.

Homework activity: About abuse

In Keeping Ourselves Safe we have been talking about abuse. We worked with the following
definition:
Abuse is when anybody uses power over another person and causes them harm. This could include:
● hurting them physically
● ill-treating them
● not taking care of their everyday needs
● touching them in sexual ways
● showing them sexual materials
● hurting their feelings and their sense of wellbeing.
It also includes violence that happens in families.
Abuse can harm a child’s health, their dignity and may make it hard for them to learn and develop. 
● No one deserves to be abused.
● All abuse is against the law and should be reported.
● Abuse is never the victim’s fault.
Work with your child to come up with one example of each of the following types of abuse. Then for
each example, discuss how the child could use Stop, Walk, Talk – Who could they talk to? What could
they say?

Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Emotional abuse
Family harm
Neglect
Cyber abuse

Over the next two weeks, we will be sharing the focus areas that we cover here at school with you, so that you can also continue these very important conversations at home, as well. Mā tātou kātoa, te waka a e hoe - we get there together.

Have a great week, everyone, kia pai te wiki.

The Pōhutukawa Team

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 11 Aug 2023

Posted on by

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Whilst it was still frosty, it was lovely to see the sun yesterday, to lift the experience of Book Character Day! I know that teams are likely to share photos through their team newsletters... below are three Witches in a Cherry Tree...! it was really great to see so many children and families engaging with the fun of Book Character Day, and I know that the PTA collected in lots of fundraising forms from the Readathon yesterday too. Please keep these coming in over the next two weeks. The PTA will have a prize draw for each year level, at Celebration Assembly in two weeks, so you have until 9am Friday 25th August to get that fundraising back in.

School Closed - Friday 18 August

Remember that SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED this coming Friday, 18th August for a Staff Only Day. Our staff will be undertaking two pieces of Professional Development with support from staff from the Ministry of Education. The first part of the day will be UBRS training - Understanding Behaviour and Responding Safely. The second part of the day will be looking at the new Curriculum Refresh document 'Te Mātaiaho' and unpacking this together. 

Te Mātaiaho | the refreshed NZ curriculum is designed to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and be inclusive, clear, and easy to use.

It has been developed over the last two years in collaboration with the education sector, ākonga and their whānau, communities, and a wide range of interested organisations and communities.

The final draft of Te Mātaiaho is expected to be released in Term 3, 2023, and it will include the three refreshed learning areas which have been released so far: te ao tangata | social sciences, English, and mathematics and statistics.

The other five learning areas are being refreshed, and will be released in 2024 and 2025. Schools and kura have until 2027 to begin using the complete refreshed curriculum.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

NB: You can find our Community Calendar on our school website. You can embed this calendar into your own digital calendar and stay up-to-date with events and information.

Mon 14 - Thu 17 Aug - Cantamath Display viewing in Kōmanawa - from 3-3:30pm
Fri 18 Aug - School Closed - Staff Only Day
Wed 23 Aug - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Wed 23 Aug - 7:30pm - PTA meeting - Staffroom
Fri 25 Aug - Final day for returning Readathon Money
Fri 25 Aug - 10am Celebration Assembly 
Mon 28 Aug - Year 7/8 Ski Trip
Fri 8 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Thu 14 Sep - am - Year 8 entrance testing at Cashmere High
Fri 15 Sep - School Photos
Wed 20 Sep - 5:30pm - BOT Meeting - Staffroom
Fri 22 Sep - 10am Celebration Assembly
Fri 22 Sep - 1:45pm Beckenham's Got Talent!
Fri 22 Sep - Final day of Term 3

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

Citizen of the Week

Finn Breitmeyer - Year 7

Finn, you exemplify our school values in your daily actions at kura. You bring such enthusiasm towards your learning through inquiring questions, insightful contributions and focused mahi. You are a strong team player on the sports field and a loyal friend to many. You bring reliability to your leadership positions and earn the respect of peers and staff alike. 

School Notices

Student Council Talent Show...

On Friday22nd September, the the last Friday of this term, the Student Council will be hosting "Beckenham's Got Talent!" Leading up to this, each hub will hold a mini-final, where 2 finalists will go through to the school event on the last day of term! Since Kowhai have more children than the other hubs, they will have 3 finalists. Only 5 people per performing group. Please encourage your children to practice an act with their friends. Let the talent begin!!!

A big thank you... 

... to all the whānau who completed our recent science survey. We had an amazing 84 responses! Your thoughts, along with the student surveys, staff surveys, observations of student learning and analysis of teacher planning, will help inform our current review and development of science learning at our school.
Charlotte Verity

School Duathlon

Our school duathlon will be on Wednesday the 23rd of August. It will take place in the afternoon. 

This is an optional event for Year 5 to 8 students. It involves both running and cycling and is considered an endurance event. If your child has an interest in these kinds of events and is looking for a challenge, they can enter the event through a Google form, which will be shared next week. 

The running component is approximately 2 km and the cycling is approximately 1 km. 

Each year we ask for parent help to support us with the running of the event. This usually involves marshalling on the course. There will be a Google form going out via Hero to gather the names of people who can help out. 

Learning across the Teams

DigiFest - engaging with Aotearoa NZ Histories through Technology...

Our Kāhui Āko (local cluster of schools) have put together an opportunity for groups of learners and staff to engage with new parts of our curriculum using technology. This week, groups of Year 5-8 learners went to St Mark's School with teachers and worked with digital technology facilitator, Wilj Dekkers, from ImpactEd.


This coming week, on Tuesday and Wednesday,,. groups of children from Years 1-4 across our Kāhui Āko will be engaging with digital technology at Beckenham in our hall, again supported by Wilj. This is a wonderful opportunity for our teachers to engage in professional learning with other teachers, and to learn alongside our tamariki.

Cantamaths - Year 7&8

This term, as part of their Mathematics learning, our Year 7&8 students have been engaging with Cantamath individual challenges. These were all completed this week, and have been set up in Kōmanawa for viewing next week. There are some AMAZING investigations, games, mathematical artworks and explanations of complex mathematical thinking that have been produced. 

All whānau are welcome to visit Kōmanawa, with their children, to enjoy the display over the coming week, after school each day from Monday to Thursday. If you have children in Year 5 & 6 this year, we particularly encourage you to visit with them as they will be participating in this programme next year.

PTA News

Congratulations on all the great reading that’s been going on over the past two weeks.  Come and choose a bookmark to reward your hard work! The PTA will be at school on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings before the bell to collect sponsorship money and give out bookmarks. You can also pay sponsorship money directly into the PTA account.    

Helplines: 

1737 - free text and phone counselling 24/7 
Youthline – 0800 376 633 or free text 234 
Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 or free text 4202
Anxiety New Zealand - 0800 269 4389
What's Up – 0800 942 8787 (5–18 year olds).
thelowdown.co.nz –or email team@thelowdown.co.nz or free text 5626

Community Notices

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

Chinese Art competition 2023

This art competition is a joint venture by the Christchurch branch of the NZ China Friendship Society and Harcourts Gold Spitfire. It follows on from the highly successful initial competition last year. The theme of this year’s competition is ‘Happy Chinese New Year’. We are running the same competition this year but with more sections and more prizes (see the poster above). 

AKOTECH CodeCamps October 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 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, which includes AI Art & Animation. 
Enter our competition to win a FREE 4 day pass to one of our CodeCamps

St Margarets College: 25th - 28th September & 5th - 8th October
Book Now at www.akotech.nz
Competition: www.codecamp.co.nz/competition
EarlyBird Save Up to 21% Until 25th Aug
Siblings Save 6%


Seeking orchestra musicians - Luminaires Charitable Trust

We are on the search for great volunteer musicians to play in our orchestra.
Luminaires Charitable Trust is a fairly new entity in which we focus on supporting young people in the performing arts. Our shows to date have been Spamalot Young@Part (July 2022) and Heathers the Musical, Teen Edition (April 2023). We are currently in rehearsal for an original children’s show, Beauty Within the Beast, which plays October 5-8th at the McCombs Performing Arts Centre at
Cashmere High School.
The story tells of a battle between the fairies of winter and spring, in which a young non-binary princess gets caught up in their war and is transformed into a beast. And so the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast is told with many twists along the way.
The score is an original score written 25 years ago for a predominantly youth orchestra. Therefore we are open to a mix of young players as well as adult musicians.

The orchestra is comprised of Flutes I&II, Oboe, Clarinets B flat I&II, Bassoon, Trumpets B flat I&II, Trombone, Tuba, Percussion (chimes, triangle, tambourine, cymbal, woodblock, maracas), drum kit, tuned percussion (xylophone, glockenspiel, tubular bells, chime bars), piano and strings.

We would sincerely appreciate you passing this onto anyone you think may be interested.
We ask that interested musicians please email luminairescharitabletrust@gmail.com outlining your preferred instruments and a brief outline of your experience by Sunday 20th August.

Nga mihi nui,
Franc Bol (Producer / Director)
021666921


The General Election is on 14 October 2023. To vote, you need to be enrolled and your details need to be up to date.

It's easy to enrol, check or update your details online: vote.nz/enrol

More information and additional resources are available on the Electoral Commission's website here: https://vote.nz/2023-general-election/resources/resources-to-share-with-your-community