Kōwhai News Term 2 Week 3

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Kia ora whānau,

We are now well into Term 2 and we are quickly getting used to being spread over two venues. We are really enjoying the space and the children are adapting brilliantly to the new routines involved in this change.

We welcome Kathryn to the team this term. She is teaching maths and literacy for the rest of the year so we are better able to cater to the rising number of children in Kōwhai.

Inquiry

This term, our inquiry focus is on migration and specifically the migration to Aotearoa, learning about how Kupe and his people navigated their way to New Zealand using the stars and the ocean currents as their guides. This will culminate in the children creating a model waka of their own using a choice of media.

Percussion Concert

On Monday, there will be a Strike To Schools percussion performance at the school and in preparation for this, we have been watching lots of clips of various percussion performances and joining in with some of them too. The children have been very enagaged with this and are all very excited about the upcoming event.


Cross Country

Unfortunately, Cross Country had to be postponed last minute on Tuesday as there was a sudden downpour of rain! Our postponement date is next Tuesday 16th May, starting at 2:15 with the Year 4 children going first, followed by the Year 3 children. You are welcome to come along and support your child in this event. Fingers crossed that the weather holds out!

Covid

We have had a rise in the number of Covid cases at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto so if you would like your child to wear a mask at school, please feel free to encourage this. We continue to ensure that the classrooms are well ventilated and that the children are washing their hands regularly. If your child is at all unwell, we do advise that you keep them at home. Thank you so much for your support with this.

Polar Fleeces

Please make sure your child brings a named polar fleece to school. If your child does happen to bring the wrong fleece home, can you please return it to the homegroup teacher as soon as possible. Thank you!

Discovery

We are in search of construction material for Discovery. Smaller boxes such as toothpaste boxes and cereal boxes would be ideal. If you have anything else that you think would be suitable for creating, please do bring it in.





Coronation Tree Planting Ceremony

Today we had a tree planting ceremony in honour of the coronation of King Charles. The youngest and the oldest child at Beckenham planted a Kōwhai tree in the junior playground and everyone at the school attended. It will be exciting to see it grow over the years!






Have a great weekend!

Ngā mihi, 

The Kōwhai Team

Koru Team news, Term 2 Week 3

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Kia ora, e te whānau,

Koru Team: 

This year Elizabeth and Stacey are co-Team Leaders for the Koru team. We currently have two home groups, Elizabeth and Stacey share a home group and Georgia is the teacher of the other home group. You will see Elizabeth at school; Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. You will see Stacey at school; Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Sonya is the Teaching Assistant for our Koru team. You also might see Megan and Nicola teaching in Koru too.

Elizabeth              Stacey               Georgia

Sonya                Megan               Nicola

Postponement of events: 
Our tamariki have been putting so much effort into our Cross Country training and we know how much they were looking forward to showing us their dance moves at the Disco. Unfortunately, these events were postponed due to the weather and sickness at school. We will update you on new dates for our Junior Park Explorers trip and Disco as soon as we have them.  
We do know that the new Cross Country date is next Tuesday, 16th May, from 2 - 2:50pm.

Cross Country training

Nau mai te wero! We Love Challenge!

Carpark: 
To keep everyone safe when arriving and leaving school, do not walk through the carpark. This area is for staff cars, taxis and accessibility parking only. Thanks to everyone who is using the pedestrian gates onto the park, near the flagpole, on Sandwich Road by the PTA uniform room, or onto Eastern Terrace.

Sickness at school: 
We do have a few cases of Covid-19 in the school again, among staff, students and the wider whānau. We also seem to have had a number of children with tummy bugs. Please do keep children away if they are feeling unwell and do test if Covid symptoms are present. At school, we remind tamariki to cough/sneeze into their elbow and wash their hands regularly, especially after blowing their nose, coughing, sneezing and using the toilet.

Coronation tree planting: 
We have been invited by the Christchurch City Council to plant a commemorative Coronation Tree to mark the Coronation of King Charles III. We have received a kōwhai tree, which was planted by the junior playground with the help from the oldest and youngest child at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto. You did a fabulous job planting the tree Sylvia!





House Groups: 
Our Koru children have all been allocated a 'House' to belong to: Fisher, Heathcote, Tennyson and Waimea. Children from the same family/whānau are put into the same house. Each house has its own 'chant' and tamariki learn this so they can participate in the house chant at sports and special events, and in Celebration Assemblies, it is their house that has won the House Points for that fortnight. You can find the House Chants here, and there are also videos that you can share with your child to help them learn their house chant. Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe! We Get There Together!


Heathcote, Fisher, Waimea and Tennyson

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








Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 5 May 2023

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

It was a pleasure to be able to go out to Living Springs this week and visit the Year 5/6 team on Camp. So much fun was being had and everyone looked as though they had made the most of their time at camp to build relationships and stretch their capabilities. A huge thanks to the staff who did all of the organisation and to the parents who attended as support. 

The early campers catch the sunrise at Living Springs

Covid and other illnesses

We do have a few cases of Covid-19 in the school again, among staff, students and wider whānau. We also seem to have had a number of children with tummy bugs. Please do keep children at home if they are feeling unwell and do test if Covid symptoms are present. If you need Covid tests, we still have packs at school that you can pick up.

Coronation Tree Planting - Friday 12 May, 10am

We have been invited by the Christchurch City Council to plant a commemorative Coronation Tree to mark the Coronation of King Charles III. There is a tree in Beckenham Park that was planted for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. We have received a (very small) kōwhai tree, and we plan to have a ceremonial planting of this on Friday 12th May at 10am. All are welcome!

Ngā mihi nui

Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Term 2

Tue 9 May - 1:30-2:40pm - Whole School Cross Country
Fri 12 May - Coronation Tree Planting - all welcome
Fri 12 May - PTA Discos - see below for more information
Fri 19 May - Celebration Assembly, 10-10.30am
Tue 23 May - Zone Cross-Country - Y5-8, Hansen Park
Wed 24 May - School Photos
Thu 25 May - Board meeting 5:30pm Staffroom
Mon 5 Jun - School Closed - King's Birthday
Thu 21 Jun - Whānau Hui and PTA Matariki Hāngī
Wed 28 Jun - Board meeting 5:30pm Staffroom
Fri 30 Jun - Last day of Term 2

Citizen of the Week

Frida Beumelburg - Year 6

Frida, you are such a diligent, proactive and hard worker. You display our school values, We Love Challange and We Love Learning every day by persevering to improve your learning and complete tasks to the best of your ability. You are a kind and caring student in the Pōhutukawa hub and are willing to help when needed. You are extremely personable, Frida which makes you fun to be around. Ka pai!

School Notices

Earthquake Drill

On Monday we have an earthquake drill. The bell will be rung continuously for a few seconds to signal the start of the drill, a pause to allow time to practice drop, cover, hold, and then a continuous bell to signal the end of the drill. Everyone then heads out to the field for the normal evacuation check.

Teachers will take time before the drill to talk with tamariki about what to do in an earthquake, and to practise drop, cover, hold.

40 Hour Challenge

Grace, Stella, Scarlett and Alyssa attended the World Vision Junior Youth Conference on Thursday. The girls had a great day learning about the amazing work that World Vision does and came back feeling very inspired. The 40 Hour Challenge is coming up so stay tuned to hear from our leaders in the coming weeks about this great cause. 


Staff Profiles

Kauri Team (Year 7/8)

Thomas Woodfield (Team Leader)
Thomas has joined Beckenham this year as the Kauri Team Leader. He loves teaching because of the opportunity to connect with students and support them towards becoming the best they can be. Thomas and his wife are kept very busy with their one-year-old daughter, but in any spare time that he can find he enjoys reading, singing in and conducting choirs, and cheering on his favourite American Football team, the New England Patriots.

Nicky Dunlop
Nicky has been lucky to have taught at BTKOP for 14 years now, all in Years 7 & 8.  After leading the team for around 10 years, she is enjoying a slightly less hectic pace of life this year, working four days a week. Total years teaching is now on the other side of 30!
The wide range of experiences across the arts, in sport and outdoor education is a great foundation for forming strong relationships with our tamariki in their intermediate years. We have a blast! Nicky lives locally with her husband, Grant; 20 year old, Tim, who enjoys helping at school (the other 20 year old, Jack, has flown the coop); and the delightful Yoda (the cat). Sewing and general creativity fill her bucket.

Bridie Zarifeh
Bridie is in her 7th year of teaching. She has taught in Auckland and in New Plymouth and has just moved to Christchurch with her husband, Andrew. They have a cat called Pickle who was not very impressed with the Cook Strait crossing! She is very excited to be working at BTKOP and to be back in her home town city. Bridie loves working with children and has a passion for science, sport and te reo Māori. She loves mountain biking and loves spending time outdoors with friends and family. 

Sarah Junghenn
Sarah has been teaching for over 20 years. She joined the BTKOP whānau in 2021, teaching in the Kahikatea hub. Last year she began working in the Kauri hub, where she is currently. Sarah is passionate about fostering positive relationships with our tamariki and their whānau. She has two small children and two large dogs. When not at work Sarah enjoys spending time with friends and family and loves a good book!
Clockwise from top left: Thomas, Nicky, Bridie & Sarah

PTA News

We need your help! Volunteers for school disco needed!

The PTA are looking for any whānau who would be interested in volunteering their time to help with  school disco this coming week. Please email pta@beckenham.school.nz, or contact the PTA via the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Facebook page.

Community Notices

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




Pōhutukawa Update, Term 2, Week 2

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



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

What an amazing time we spent at Living Springs. We hope the tamariki have somewhat recovered from their exhaustion, and that they've been able to tell you about some of the highs, lows, challenges, and triumphs, which they experienced over the 3 days at camp. Thankfully, the weather played its part; we experienced a lot of sunshine, a bit of rain, some mist, and pretty mild temperatures throughout, which meant most of the time was spent outside in the stunning surroundings that our corner of the world has to offer.

As teachers, we want to pass on that it was a pleasure, and a privilege to be able to offer this experience of camp to your tamariki. The values we talk about so often at school: We Care, We Get There Together, We Make a Difference, We Love Challenge, and We Love Learning, were all on display at camp, and hopefully the students will now have memories that will last many of them their whole lives.

Over the next little while, we will be unpacking the whole experience of camp with the tamariki at school, and reflecting on how camp ties into our kete values. We certainly took a lot of photos, which will be put together for you and the students to enjoy in the coming days. Watch this space!

Finally, we would like to give a special shout-out to the whānau who joined us on camp. Without you giving up your own time to give your tautoko (support), your awhi (help), and your aroha (care) the camp simply could not, and would not, have happened. Mā tātou katoa te waka e hoe, we all row this waka together. Kia pai nga rā whakatā ki a tātou, enjoy a lovely weekend, everyone.

The Pōhutukawa team

Kauri Whānau Update: Term 2, Week 1

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Welcome back to Term 2! While we had a shortened first week, it was great to get back into the swing of things after the break.

In this post:

  • Maths Clubs
  • Writing extension opportunities
  • Sports news
  • High School info

Maths Clubs

There will be two Maths Clubs this term, (an increase of 100% from Term 1!) both taking place on Thursdays from 8.20 to 8.50am. Nicky will be running an extension club in the Breakout Space, and Bridie will be running a Times Tables club in Kōmanawa for those who want to improve their multiplication facts knowledge. All students are welcome.

Writing Extension opportunities

Write On School for Young Writers

The Write On 2023 Masterclass Series for Year 7-13 is offering the following for young writers in Term 2:

  • World Building with Karen Healey, 
  • Stranger Things with Desna Wallace, 
  • Kickstart Your Fantasy Novel with Heather McQuillan 
  • Speaking 4 The Planet speechwriting with Karen Healey
  • Speaking 4 The Planet spoken word poetry with Ray Shipley. 

Do you have a young writer who would love to spend two hours every Saturday exercising their imagination and honing their craft? Write On have spaces still available. Find out more here.

Speaking for the Planet

The partnership of Sustainable Ōtautahi Christchurch and The New Zealand Association for Environmental Education is bringing the 2023 S4P competition to the schools and students of Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand. This competition is for school students from Years 7-13 and young people up to the age of 24.

There are five competition categories:

  1. Prepared Speech – prepared speech, solo entries only.
  2. Spoken Word – prepared poem, solo or duo entries.
  3. Visual Art – prepared artwork, solo entries.
  4. Impromptu Drama – 1 hour to prepare, maximum number of ten students per team.
  5. Short Video – prepared video, no team number limit.

Speaking 4 the Planet is an opportunity for students to express their ideas for a better world. Participants are invited to prepare and deliver punchy, quirky, creative, and pointed submissions. Each competition category is divided into three age categories: Years 7-8, Years 9-11, and Open (Year 12 - Age 24). Registration is a requirement. There will be an environmental theme that all competitors must incorporate in their entries. Schools or individual senior students (Years 12+) will need to register by Friday 2 June by contacting Jocelyn Papprill at chchnzaee@gmail.com. Participation in the competition is free.

The Prepared Speech and Spoken Word heats will take place by video submission. Entries will be submitted by Monday 17 July, 5pm. The six finalists from each age division will be asked to perform on Finals Day. Visual Art entries must be submitted by Friday 30 June. Entries for Impromptu Drama close on Wednesday 26 July. Short Video entries must be submitted by Wednesday 19 July. The finals day will be held on Friday 11 August from 9am-5pm at Tūranga, 60 Cathedral Square, Christchurch Central City.

Participants are to produce or present items that are original. They are also invited to make their work quirky. There are great prizes sponsored by sustainable businesses up for grabs!


Sports News

Winter Sports trials have taken place for competitive sports, and the teams have been chosen. Games will start in Week 5, but practices will start on Monday of Week 3 (if they haven't already). If your child isn't sure whether they're in a team or not, get them to check with one of the Kauri teachers. Non-competitive sports groups will be announced in the coming weeks.

Cross Country will be taking place in Week 3, on Tuesday. Pleas make sure students have suitable footwear on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week for our Cross Country training sessions.

High School info

At this time of the year, High School applications can start kicking into gear for Year 8s. If you need a report for you child, please get in touch with their homeroom teacher:

  • Thomas: thomas.woodfield@beckenham.school.nz
  • Nicky: nicky.dunlop@beckenham.school.nz
  • Sarah: sarah.junghenn@beckenham.school.nz
  • Bridie: bridie.zarifeh@beckenham.school.nz

Each year in Term 2, high schools share information for us to pass on to you. Now is a good time to look on the website of the schools you are interested in for your Year 8 child next year. Check out if they have an Open Day / Evening, check the enrollment procedures and you may like to check out scholarship information. We have received the following from Hagley College:

Thinking about Hagley for Year 9 2024? 10 key points about us:

  • We're a Designated Character School. To join us, you must agree to engage with our culture and our values of Whakamarumaru (Responsibility), Mana (Respect), Whakawhirinaki (Trust) and Tika (Integrity). We also need to be confident that Hagley has the resources to support you in your learning, that there is a programme that will meet your needs, and that there is a place for you in that programme.
  • We are a restorative school.
  • We have an inclusive and diverse learning environment.
  • We offer a connected curriculum.
  • All Year 9 students have two hours of Te Reo Māori, two hours of Health and three hours of PE each week. They also all take English, Maths, Social Sciences and Science. Students also choose from a wide range of Kete Wana courses to complete their programmes.
  • Social action and student leadership are actively promoted and celebrated.
  • Our Targeted Learning class is very small. Only 2-3 places will be available for new students in 2024 due to returning students.
  • GATE students are able to excel in their specialty fields.
  • Enrolment for Year 9 2024 opens on 15 May 2023 and closes on 23 June 2023 at midday. It is essential to apply during this time.
  • A ballot is usually required and will occur in early August 2023. Criteria for priority enrolment for those with family/whānau links to Hagley is on our website www.hagley.school.nz.

We have an Open Evening coming up on Wednesday 24 May with rolling starts at either 4.30 pm or 5.30 pm. Please see the attached flyer below.

Applications for Year 9 2024 will open online from 15 May, and close at midday on 23 June. Important information for students and whānau is available on our website here.

Our 2024 Junior College Lookbook is also available to download here.

For any other queries, or for those unable to complete an application online, parents/caregivers should contact Lisa Amer on lisa.amer@staff.hagley.school.nz or (03) 364 5134.