Principal's Patch
Kia ora koutou
Welcome to the start of Term 2. And just like that, daylight saving is over, the mornings have a distinctly 'crisp' feel to them, and the need for gumboots and rain/warm jackets is upon us!If you have got out your children's gumboots and jackets and find that they don't fit any more, please consider donating them to the PTA second-hand clothing shop. If you need gumboots or jackets, check out the PTA second-hand clothing shop!
While we are talking about the need for gumboots, we are thrilled to be able to confirm that the drainage issue under the green slide has finally been resolved. A HUGE thanks to Hamish Denny and the team from Drainworkz for sticking with us and being the reliable contractor who came through and got this job done, after so many others had let us down. Our appreciation also goes out to Richard Scott, on our Board, who has patiently and tenaciously followed this project through to ensure it was completed. The final stage now will be the addition of a rubber surface, at the bottom of the slide and this is on order, expected by the middle of the term.
Our Year 3/4 Kōwhai team have transitioned beautifully into their new way of working across two buildings. Whilst not without some initial challenges, the extra space is being appreciated by staff and students alike.
House Murals
You will notice that four new Murals are being hung on the fence. These murals were begun last year and completed in Term 1 this year.
In 2022 a selection of possible house mascots for each House were designed and the children across the school voted on which mascots they liked the most. A Year 7/8 passion group then took the winning concepts and turned them into designs for these murals. Each mural depicts one of the four house mascots. We think they look amazing!
Union negotiations around Principal Collective Agreements.
You will have probably heard through the media that Primary Principals across the country are 'working to rule' at the moment, whilst they continue to negotiate their collective agreement. As is often the case with the news in the media, this is partially true. There are now two unions that represent principals. The union that I belong to has settled their collective agreement and we are not taking any industrial action. Principals who belong to NZEI, the other union, are the ones who are taking action as they have not yet settled their agreement.
Teacher Collective Agreement Negotiations
At the moment, NZEI (the single union for teachers) has an offer on the table that Primary Teachers around the country are considering. They will be voting on this offer in a couple of weeks.
Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Term 2
Mon 1 - Wed 3 May - Year 5/6 Camp - Living Springs
Tue 9 May - 1:30-2:40pm - Whole School Cross Country
Fri 12 May - PTA Discos - save the date!
Tue 23 May - Zone Cross-Country - Y5-8, Hansen Park
Thu 25 May - Board meeting 5:30pm Staffroom
Mon 5 Jun - School Closed - King's Birthday
Wed 14 Jun - Learning Conferences (school closing at 1pm)
Thu 15 Jun - Learning Conferences (school closing at 1pm)
Thu 21 Jun - Whānau Hui and PTA Hāngī
Wed 28 Jun - Board meeting 5:30pm Staffroom
Fri 30 Jun - Last day of Term 2
Citizen of the Week
Mietta Turnbull - Year 4
Mietta, you are such a fantastic role model in the Kōwhai hub. You show 'We Get There Together' always by lending a helping hand to both your peers and the teachers. Mietta, your enthusiasm knows no bounds and you are always willing to show that you care by offering your help to others. You use initiative in your learning and you are a fantastic communicator. Tino pai Mietta! Staff Profiles
Kahikatea Kaiako
Katie McFarlane (Team Leader)
Katie started teaching at Beckenham in 2015 after spending four years at home with her small children. She has worked in Kōwhai, Pōhutukawa, and is now the Team Leader of Kahikatea. She feels privileged to be a part of each child’s learning journey - he taonga te ako. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her husband, two children, and four fur babies.
Lisa Collier
Lisa has been teaching for 12 years and joined Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto in 2021. She is a trained speech and language therapist with a passion for literacy. Lisa is in the classroom three days a week and working in a lead literacy role for the other two. She is also doing further study in the structured literacy area. Lisa has three children, in primary and high school, and spends her spare time watching them dance!
Quynh Nguyen
Quynh started at Beckenham in 2021 and has been enjoying working with the tamariki at our kura. She was working in Masterton before coming back to Christchurch after the pandemic. When not at work, Quynh enjoys zumba dancing, swimming and doing fun activities with her friends.
Amber Donovan
Amber has been working here at BTKOP for the past 12 years. She enjoys the variety and fun of teaching the youngest children and getting to know so many fabulous people within the Beckenham community. Amber lives locally and she has a big garden which her cat and dog love to play in. Amber enjoys spending time with her family and friends and taking walks with her dog Bodhi.
Krystal Hunt
Krystal began her teaching career in 2013 in Australia. Her family moved to NZ in 2021. She began teaching at BTKOP in the Kahikatea Hub last year. Krystal is passionate about helping every child develop a love of learning and reach their full potential. She has two small children of her own and loves spending time with her family. She enjoys a good cup of tea, and crocheting amigurumi.
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| Kahikatea Kaiako (Teachers) - Katie (T/L), Lisa, Quynh, Amber, Krystal |
School Notices
Dogs On Site
Please do not bring dogs onto the school site between 8:30am and 3:15pm without prior arrangement. If you have a dog outside the school site at pick-up or drop-off time, please make sure it is on a lead for both the safety of the dog, and of other children. Some children have not yet learned how to behave safely when approaching unfamiliar dogs. In addition to this please ensure your loved pets are away from the gate while waiting outside the school, to allow all children and adults to come in and out comfortably. Thank you.
Winter Wellness
As we head into winter, winter illnesses, such as colds, flu and other respiratory illnesses, along with predicted Covid waves, become more common.
As a school, we are conscious of doing all we can to support our tamariki, whānau and community to be as well as possible.
As a school, we will continue to:
- Ventilate spaces and keep them warm
- Regularly clean surfaces
- Teach/remind tamariki to cough or sneeze into their elbow
- Teach/remind tamariki to wash and dry their hands regularly, especially after blowing their nose, coughing, sneezing, and using the toilet
- Mask wearing will continue to be optional for those who would like to
- Contact whānau if a child is unwell while at school for them to be collected
As whānau, please continue to:
- Keep your child at home if they are unwell
- Encourage them to cough or sneeze into their elbow
- Encourage regular hand washing
- If someone in your home has covid, your child can still come to school as long as they are well, symptom free and have tested negative. Continue to monitor them for symptoms
For more information/tips have a look at these sites
Before School
A start of Term reminder that classrooms are open to children from 8:30 am. This is to allow teachers time to prepare for the day. Prior to 8.30am there is no supervision of children.
If you need to drop your child/ren off before 8:30 am BOSCO provides before-school care.
Please contact them for more details
Phone 027 645 6632
Email office@bosco.org.nz
General School Timetable
Hours for Students
08:30 AM – 08:55 AM Students arrive at school and prepare for the day
08:55 AM – 09:00 AM School starts at 8.55, the morning roll is taken.
09:00 AM – 10:30 AM Learning time
10:30 AM – 10:50 AM Play time
10:50 AM – 11:00 AM Kai (food) time whilst learning (e.g. listening to a story)
11:00 AM – 12:40 PM Learning time
12:40 PM – 01:20 PM Play time
01:20 PM – 01:40 PM Kai time (Lunch eating), the afternoon roll is taken.
01:40 PM – 03:00 PM Learning time
03:00 PM School ends, home time.
Office Hours
The school office is open from 8:30 AM to 3:45 PM during term time.
Food Allergy Guidelines
Across our kura, we have a number of children with different food allergies.
To support the well-being of these students we have the following guidelines in place which we ask you to follow:
- Students with severe food allergies should only eat lunches and snacks that have been provided by their caregivers. Bottles, other drinks, and lunch boxes provided by caregivers should be clearly labeled with the name of their child. Home group teachers and caregivers will decide where the children’s bottles and lunch boxes will be kept during the day to ensure no cross-contamination occurs.
- Parents are asked not to bring food into school to be shared with other children. Whilst we understand that there are times you want to celebrate special events for your children with their friends at school, e.g. birthdays or being awarded prizes, by bringing food and treats for them to share, we have a policy of children only eating the food that their whānau have prepared and sent with them. We have a number of students with food allergies and also need to respect the wishes of some families who want to monitor what their children are eating and prefer their children just to eat the food they have prepared. From time to time, there may be an event that teachers have organized that will involve food (cultural or learning activities) and they will have advised families in advance that this will be happening.
At the beginning of each year, caregivers will check the expiry dates on any medication to be held at school.
- On the first day of school, caregivers will bring their child’s medication to the school office where it will be stored in the Hauora Room. Caregivers will sign a medicine authority form (School Docs Username: beckenham Password: pride). The responsibility of monitoring the expiry dates of medications rests with the parent.
- Caregivers may be asked to come and talk to staff about their child and ways we can support them at school.
- Bottles, other drinks, and lunch boxes provided by caregivers, should be clearly labeled by the caregiver, with the name of the child.
- We will inform you during the year if specific guidelines for your child’s hub change.
Our full allergy policy and guidelines are available on the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto website under “Information - Policies - SchoolDocs” then search ‘allergy’. (
linked here)
If you have any questions or concerns, please discuss them in the first instance with your child’s point of contact teacher.
Three-point turns on Sandwich Road
Sandwich Road is a busy place on either side of the school day. To keep everyone safe please continue along the road and around the block, rather than doing three-point turns or U turns.
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
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