Pōhutukawa Update, Term 1, Week 5

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

We are rocketing toward the end of the term now, with our Wonder Project finishing up next week. A massive thank you to our amazing ambassadors Kate, Darren, Kylie, and Richard. The expertise and knowledge that you brought to the Wonder project were invaluable and engaging and got our students excited about a future STEM career. The project will culminate in the final launch of our bottle rockets on Monday next week. That will also enable us to switch our focus to the upcoming Living Springs Camp, and we will be unpacking that with the tamariki over the final 2 weeks of Term 1. More on our camp below, as well as some other important updates.

Living Springs Camp

As mentioned above, Living Springs Camp will be the focus for us over the last 2 weeks of the term. Next week the students will be going over the gear list, sleeping arrangements, activities, and the camp programme, amongst other things. The programme is challenging, stimulating, and safe. The activities include archery tag,  zipline, swimming (heated pool), group initiative challenges, low ropes course, bouldering wall, orienteering, animal survival and recreational activities. 
 
All children will be well supervised and all risks well managed in accordance with our Camp Safety Action Plan and the Living Springs Risk Management Strategies. It will be an exciting learning opportunity for your child, as well as a chance to live our kete values outside of the classroom. The children will be sleeping in carpeted bunk rooms, which can be heated if required. As well as regular meals, there are two snack times during the day. 

Thank you to the people who have already filled in the Health and Medical Consent Form that is required for each child to attend camp. The deadline for this form to be completed is Thursday, April 6.

ASB GetWise Financial Literacy Programme

Last week we welcomed the ASB GetWise programme to kura, which taught tamariki about how to become "cash clever". Through the workshops tamariki learned the fundamentals of money in four different stages - from identifying needs and wants and learning to save, right through to budgeting - giving them a solid foundation to build on. It would be good to reflect on what they took away from these workshops at home, too. He taonga te ako, the treasure is learning.

Kapa Haka and Te Reo Māori

It was fantastic to see Kapa Haka practice a couple of numbers for us at Celebration Assembly today. You can catch a video of the performance here. Whaea Cath Milio continues to be a fantastic kaiako for our tamariki who get so much from their kapa haka sessions both in terms of their performance skills, and also with Cath's wonderful use of "teachable moments" to teach the students some te reo Māori, or explain the purakau, stories, behind the waiata they are learning. This term we have decided use this time to teach te reo Māori tamariki who do not attend kapa haka, so that everyone gets the chance to learn about te ao Māori, the Māori world at the same time.

Term 2 Winter Sports 

Next week we will also be giving the students the options for Winter Sport, which begins in term 2. Everyone in Pōhutukawa will do a sport of their choosing next term. They can either choose to do competitive or non-competitive football, netball, or hockey. If students choose to be competitive, there will be a trialing process and teams will be selected to participate in the interschool competition. Non-competitive players will learn the basics of their chosen sport in a fun way at school with their classmates. It would be a great idea to have a chat with your tamariki at home about the sports they would like to do, and whether they would enjoy to be competitive or non-competitive. Any questions, please let us know.

Kauri Whānau Update: Weeks 6 & 7

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 In this post:

  • Wainui Camp (and lost property remnants)
  • ASB GetWise
  • Non-uniform day on Friday
  • Christchurch Schools Music Festival
  • YouthTown
  • Winter Sports and Cross Country

Wainui Camp

Teachers, parents, and students all had a wonderful time at Wainui Camp in week 6. The weather was mostly fantastic, the students all found ways to challenge and extend themselves while continually supporting and encouraging one another. It was great to see friendships develop and grow over the course of the week, and to see our learners flourish outside of the usual classroom confines.




Lost Property

We still have a small collection of lost property from our time away. Please encourage students to check carefully to make sure that nothing from our collection of assorted odds and ends belongs to them.

ASB GetWise

On Friday this week, we had Jeff from ASB GetWise come to discuss financial literacy with each homegroup. We will have a second session of this on Friday of Week 8.




Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival

Our Year 5 - 8 school choir is excited to be part of the Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival this year.  The Festival is still looking for more applications to audition for one of the Representative groups.  They are looking for the best singers for the Junior Choir (Yr 5 & 6) and Senior Choir (Yr 7 & 8), and for talented musicians (Grade 3 equivalent and above) to audition for the Orchestra and Concert Band. 

The Representative groups are on stage in the Christchurch Town Hall for every performance of the Festival (4 nights).  With more than a thousand people in the audience and children in the choir stalls watching every night, it is an amazing experience they will never forget.

To find out more information or to register your child click here: https://musicfestival.school.nz/representative-group-information/joining-a-representative-group/

Be quick, registrations close Thu 06 April.

Youthtown

Youthtown is a non-profit organization that offers sports and recreation programs for youth in Christchurch.

Every Wednesday (from 3.30pm to 6pm) they run a program called YouthHub. It is a free after school program designed for youth between 12 and 18 years old.

In April 2023 Youthtown offers a memorable holiday programme in a safe space for young people to make friends and enjoy themselves during the school holidays. Please see the April holidays program flyer via this link (in this breakaway program some days might not be free).

Non-Uniform Day

The student council have planned an animal dress up day on Friday, to raise donations for the SPCA. Donations towards the SPCA could include items such as wet pet food (cans or sachets), old blankets towels or sheets, dishwashing detergent, washing powder, pet toys in good condition, or a gold coin. More information is available to students via the daily notices.

Winter Sports and Cross Country 

Our two main sporting events which require parent help in Term 2 are Cross Country and Winter Sport.

Parent help is a key part to us being able to offer sporting events at kura. If you are able to support us in some way in Term 2, please let us know by filling in this form.

Year 5 - 8 Cross Country - Tuesday 9th of May (Beckenham Park)

We need adults to take on the position of course marshals to ensure there is adequate supervision of the children on the course and to help children know which way to go.

Year 5 - 8 Weekly Winter Sports (starts on Thursday 25th May and runs for 10 weeks at local parks and schools).

We need adults that are comfortable taking a team and managing them during their games. Ideally that adult would also be OK refereeing a game. The number of adult helpers we have directly impacts the number of children we can send to winter sport. It is also beneficial to have additional adults to help supervise children during their game.

Thank you in advance for your support.


Ngā mihi
Thomas

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 17 March 2023

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

We felt very honoured to have the new Police Pride patrol car visit school this week, with Youth Aid Officer Nic, and School Education Officer Jo. 



Some information about the car:
It is the 4th Pride vehicle in the police fleet, and the first in the South Island.
  • There are 3 “Values”  Police vehicles currently in use in NZ: Te Reo Pirihimana, Pride and the Pasifika (Va’a or boat).
  • Police are committed to Diversity and to acknowledging the important relationship between Police and our diverse communities.
  • The Pride car is a visual representation of the value of Diversity.
  • Rainbow (LGBTQI+) communities need our focus and support when it comes to Crime and victimisation:-
    • Rainbow children in school are 3 times more likely to be hurt or bullied
    • 1 in 6 Rainbow children/youth no longer feel safe at school and almost 2/3 of those surveyed thought about suicide
    • 1 in 8 Rainbow people have had to move towns or cities to feel safer
    • NZ Crime and victim survey found 68% of bisexual adults experienced crime and sexual violence compared to the National average of 28%.


Ngā mihi nui

Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki / Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Term 1

Wed 22 Mar - PTA Meeting - All Welcome (7:30 – 9:30pm in The Green Room)
Thu 23rd Mar - Whānau Workshop - Structured Literacy 
Fri 24 Mar - Kahikatea Ferrymead Trip
Fri 24 Mar - ANIMAL DRESS-UP DAY for the SPCA
Thu 30 Mar - Board Meeting - Staffroom 5:30pm - Visitors welcome
Thu 6 Apr - Last day of Term 1
Fri 7 Apr -  School Holidays begin (School closed)

Term 2

Mon 24 Apr - Staff Only Day (School closed)
Tue 25 Apr - ANZAC Day (School closed)
Wed 26 Apr - First day of Term 2
Mon 1 - Wed 3 May - Year 5/6 Camp - Living Springs
Mon 5 Jun - King's Birthday (School closed)
Fri 30 Jun - Last day of Term 2

Citizen of the Week

Xavier Parsons - Year 6

Xavier, it has been a pleasure to witness the growth in your confidence, and progression in your learning this year. You are happily embracing learning challenges, and demonstrating an inquisitive mind. Your persistence means that anything is possible! Tino pai tō mahi, Xavier!

Student Council News 

Animal Dress-up Day for SPCA, Friday, March 24th

Beckenham tamariki love animals and so the Student Council has decided to support the SPCA. This coming Friday, 24th March, there will be a dress-up day! Your child/children can dress up as their favourite animal! We would love it if you could help your child to donate one of the following options:
  • Old newspapers
  • Towels, sheets, duvet covers, or blankets (especially polar fleece blankets) – but please NO duvet inners, pillows or pillow cases, mattresses, bean bags, or electric blankets
  • Dishwashing detergent and washing powder
  • Unopened pet food that the SPCA can give out to the community – particularly wet kitten and puppy food
  • Or a gold coin donation!
The student council will be in front of the hall before school starts on Friday, to receive your donations. We can’t wait to see your child in their costume! Thank you for your support.

Health & Safety

Gates and keeping tamariki safe

We have some new gate signage going up around our school. Please ensure that all gates are kept closed during school hours, to support the safety of all of our tamariki.

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.

School Notices

Christchurch Schools Music Festival - Representative Group Applications now open



If your child (Year 5-8) is a capable singer or instrumentalist, they may be interested in auditioning for a place in one of the special Representative Groups for this year's Christchurch Schools' Music Festival. These groups are the musical equivalent of a Canterbury Representative Sports Team

The groups are: Junior Choir (Y5/6), Senior Schoir (Y7/8), Orchestra and Concert Band. 
Applications are open now (and close on Thursday 6 April). To find out more, and to apply, click here.

Missing Helmet



This helmet was removed from the bike stand area on Sandwich Road on Wednesday - probably by someone who mistook it for their own. If this helmet has made its way to your home by mistake, please return it to the office. 

Whānau Education

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Whānau Workshop - Structured Literacy across all year groups

What: Literacy Parent Education Event on Structured Literacy from Year 1 to Year 8
Presented by: Emma Nahna (Sound Foundations for Literacy)
Where: Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Hall
When: Thursday 23rd March 2023, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Who: All whānau/ caregivers across the school are invited. 

We are fortunate to have the wonderful Emma Nahna, Speech-Language Therapist and Literacy Consultant, coming to run a whānau workshop this term. Emma is extremely knowledgeable and an engaging speaker. Her mission is to support educators and parents “...to grow every child into a successful reader and writer.”

Emma will be running a whānau workshop on Thursday 23rd March at 5:30pm for our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto whānau. The first hour and a half will cover the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of structured literacy across the school and how you can support your learner at home. The last half an hour of the session will emphasise the importance of continuing to follow a structured literacy approach into the senior levels of the school, and will delve into morphology (the study of the forms of words)  and syntax (the arrangement of words to create sentences).

Please RSVP here.

Sports News

Canterbury Triathlon

Well done to Archie Chapman, Lily Miller, Zach Guise, Isabella Guise and Lukas O'Connor who represented our Kura at the Primary Sports Canterbury Triathlon held on Tuesday 14th March.
A special mention to Lily Miller who placed first in the Year 6 girls category out of 65 participants!

Zones Swimming

Last Friday 10th March a group of students represented Beckenham te Kura O Pūroto at the South Zones Swimming sports. This was held at Whārenui Aquatic centre. The group represented the school with pride, they were supportive of one another, gave it their best shot and most of all had fun!
Congratulations to Izzy Clarke, Lilly-Anne Bone, Lily Miller, Olivia Yeates and Emma Vaile who will continue onto the Canterbury Competition to be held on March 30th at the Selwyn Aquatic Centre.

Community Notices

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

Unity Picnic & Peace Train



Sunday 19 March
11:30 am  2:00 pm
Botanic Gardens
Lay your picnic mat on the grass and mingle with others around you, while the kids jump on the peace train. There will be storytelling, music, crafts, and, most importantly, FREE Popsicles for the first 51 kids!
Organised by CCC and Sakinah Community Trust

Canterbury Polyfest



After a two-year COVID-19 induced hiatus, Canterbury Polyfest returns. This celebration of Pacific language, culture and identity through song and dance is the largest in the South Island is on this Saturday. There are 26 secondary schools ready to take to the stage at North Hagley Park’s events area. There will also be 60 stalls including wonderful pacific food. The performance order and any updates can be found here.
DATE: 18 March 2023
Venue: Special Events Area, North Hagley Park, Christchurch
Time: 8.3am to 5.30pm 
GOLD COIN ENTRY

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








Kahikatea News Term 1 Week 7

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Ferrymead Social Story

We encourage you to read through this Social Story before our trip next Friday. 

Toys/Bag Toys and Lanyards 

We have noticed a proliferation of bag toys, toys on lanyards and soft toys generally. Please remind your child/children that toys like these do not need to come to school. When they go missing children can become very upset and it can impact their ability to focus on their school day. 

Thank you for supporting us with this request. 


Learning Through Play 

Our learning through play sessions are held on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and after morning tea on Fridays. 

The amazing tamariki in team Kahiaktea have been demonstrating: 

Friendliness

Resilience

Respect 






















Wall Displays in Team Kahikatea 
Here are some of the display in our hub - come on in and check them out the next time you are at school! 






Arohanui,  

Team Kahikatea 







Kōwhai News Term 1 Week 7

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Kia ora everyone,

Here is the latest news from the Kōwhai hub.

GetWise Visit

This week we learnt about financial literacy with Jeff, a guest educator from ASB Bank.

Jeff was lots of fun and used interactive activities and practical examples to teach the children about important financial concepts such as saving, budgeting, and managing money. The students were actively engaged, asked questions, and participated with great enthusiasm in the lessons.

Emma Nahna Visit

We are fortunate to have the wonderful Emma Nahna, Speech-Language Therapist and Literacy Consultant, coming to run a whānau workshop this term. Emma is extremely knowledgeable and an engaging speaker. Her mission is to support educators and parents “...to grow every child into a successful reader and writer.”

Emma will be running a whānau workshop on Thursday 23rd March at 5:30pm for our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto whānau. The first hour and a half will cover the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of structured literacy across the school and how you can support your learner at home. The last half an hour of the session will emphasise the importance of continuing to follow a structured literacy approach into the senior levels of the school, and will delve into morphology (the study of the forms of words) and syntax (the arrangement of words to create sentences).

Photo credit: Sound Foundations for Literacy Website
https://soundfoundations.co.nz/about/

Literacy Home Learning

We recently sent home a home learning pack containing spelling booklets and information about our literacy home learning programme. An online version of this information can be found here.

If your child is bringing home Pip and Tim books then they are working through the structured literacy programme. We have recorded some videos to support your understanding of what our structured literacy stages look like and to explain what you can do to support your learner at home. You can access the videos from the links below:

Reading & Library Folders

Finally, we ask that you ensure that your child brings a reading folder to school every day so they can take their literacy books home to read. The folders help to protect our precious books from damage so that we have them in use for longer. Also, your child will need to have a library folder if they want to issue any library books as Anne, our librarian, has a strict policy of only issuing books to those who have a folder. If you are not sure which day is library day for your child, please ask your homegroup teacher.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

Have a lovely weekend. 

Ngā mihi, 

The Kōwhai Team