Principal's Patch
Kia ora koutou
And we are done for 2023! Thank you to all our staff, and to all of you, for the support that is given to ensure that our children have the best opportunity we can give them for learning at Beckenham.
Year 7/8 Production - thanks for the memories!
Last week we were excited to see our Year 7 and 8 students on the stage in their unique and amazing production of "Oh, the Places You'll Go" based on the book of the same name by Dr Seuss. They each put in some amazing performances and there had clearly been lots of creative thinking and practice put in to get the performances to the final stage.
Celebrating our Year 8 Leavers
On Monday, we farewelled our 55 Year 8 students at a moving celebration of their time at Beckenham, where each student had their individual moment to be in the spotlight and to have their achievements celebrated. We are excited to see what the future holds for each of them and look forward to hearing about their journey to high schools in 2024.
Farewell to Dave - Welcome to Andrew
For the past four years, our school has been incredibly fortunate to have worked with 24/7Youth Work and The River church, to enable Dave Bisgrove to work in our Year 7/8 team, for 10 hours a week as a youth worker, supporting our young people.
Dave is moving on to new challenges in 2024, and so our 24/7 relationship with The River church has come to an end. We are very sad to see Dave leave, and wish him and his family all the best for their next adventures.
This week, we signed a new 24/7YW agreement in a partnership with The Well church, who are based in Sydenham. They will be supporting us with the provision of a new youth worker, Andrew Sinclair who will again be working from the start of next year with our senior team.
We are very grateful for the support of both of these local community churches in caring for our young people.
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| Nate (24/7YW), Clint Ussher (The Well church), Sandy Hastings & Andrew Sinclair (new 24/7 Youth Worker for Beckenham) |
2024 Home-groups and Learning Conferences
Yesterday, if your child was at school, they would have been given a letter with information in it about their home-group placement for next year, a stationery list for next year, and information on how to book a learning conference for the start of the year.
The school year begins on Tuesday 30th and Wednesday 31st January with two days of one-on-one Learning Conferences. I can see that over 130 learning conferences have already been booked, so get in quickly to get a time that suits you and your child.
If your child wasn't at school yesterday, and didn't have a sibling to bring home their letter, then Jacky has emailed their letter to you today.
Looking after our school over the holidays
We love that our community use our school grounds and help to look after them during times when school is closed. With the basketball courts, and the playgrounds and sandpits, we know that the school is well-used by many, which is awesome. Please always watch for anything that doesn't look right and, if you notice anything out of order, please let us know.
If it isn't urgent, you could email me - principal@beckenham.school.nz and I will be checking that email from time to time.
If it is urgent - eg you notice a door unlocked, or a broken window, then please call the school number and my extension which is 201. If I don't answer that you can leave a message which I should get. If it is urgent or you are very concerned, you can always contact the police.
We very much appreciate everyone looking out for, and being guardians of, our school.
Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki
Important Dates
(you can also find the Community Calendar on our website here)
Tue 30 Jan - Learning Conferences
Wed 31 Jan - Learning Conferences
Thu 1 Feb - Classes begin
Term Dates: Click here to view 2024 term dates
Citizen of the Week
Max Girvan - Year 4
Max, you are a superstar example of all our school values. You have amazed us with your ability to take on new challenges in learning. Thanks to your hard work and determined efforts, you have made leaps and bounds in so many areas and we love hearing your original and creative ideas. Caring, empathetic and with a unique ability to bring humour into situations, you are a real team player who keeps us all smiling. Thank you, Max, for the light and life you bring to our kura.
School Notices
Year 7/8 Camp - 2024
We have made the difficult decision not to have a Year 7/8 camp to Dunedin in 2024. One of the main reasons is that the cost of running a camp for 5 days has become quite prohibitive. The team and Senior Leadership Team will explore other options for Education Outside the Classroom for the Year 7/8 students during Term 1, and more information will come out about what alternative option(s) have been decided on.
Uniform Room - Opening hours 2024
The uniform room will be open from 2-3pm on Tuesday 30th and Wed 31st January (Learning Conference days)
For the rest of the term, it will be open on
Tuesdays 2:45-3:15pm
Fridays 8:45-9:15pm
Pūmanawa Gifted Learners
Kia ora koutou,
During this time at the end of the year, we reflect on programmes and professional development we have engaged in in 2023.
The Pūmanawa Gifted Learners Focus for 2023 moved from 'scoping and professional learning in 2022, to "wondering" and "case study" projects in 2023.
An update
We have been working with Cristy, our Across School Teacher from our Kahui Ako, the Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB service) and Madeline from the New Zealand Centre of Gifted Education looking at the 'why?' and 'what?' of Pūmanawa Gifted Learners.
All staff have shared professional learning with their teams around the characteristics and domains of gifted learners.
Six staff were involved in a case study of six of our gifted learners across the school. Through whānau and ākonga interviews, discussions and a whānau hui we looked at how:
- Whānau interviews are a powerful way to learn about our ākonga. This is especially important when ākonga are different at home and at school. We don't know unless we ask.
- Pūmanawa giftedness can look like rapid development through early years milestones and whānau are our best source of evidence for those early years. Faster, longer, stronger.
- Pūmanawa giftedness can feel isolating and overwhelming for whānau because it can come with challenges as well as strengths, e.g. emotional intensity.
- Pūmanawa gifted ākonga present differently and to varying degrees across the range of domains and characteristics. Whānau aspirations for ākonga pūmanwa will sound unique to each whānau and we can expect a diverse range of unique perspectives.
Our whole staff have been involved in a "Wonder Project" where teams shared wonderings and observations about children's strengths, gifts and giftedness.
Some next steps for us as a school in 2024
- Develop a definition of Pūmanawa Gifted Learners at our Kura,
- Build on our identification processes and document these
- Build on the practice we already action around our gifted learners and the way we can support them to further shine.
- Build our induction practises for staff to support sustainability of understanding and practice.
A huge thank you to all those involved in the Case Study Project - your contributions were incredibly helpful and heartfelt.
Thank you to those whānau who completed the survey at the end of last year.
We would appreciate if all whānau would complete this short survey which will support our direction for 2024. Looking forward to sharing more great news next year.
Ngā mihi nui
Sue Leadbetter
Tumuaki Tuarua / Deputy Principal
Guitar and Ukulele at Beckenham
Those of you who have children who have been learning guitar or ukulele at Beckenham over the past years, will know that Roger Hamilton has been a much-loved itinerant teacher of music here for many years - 18 in fact! Roger has decided to finish teaching and enjoy a well-deserved retirement.
We have a new tutor who will be available to take on students from the start of 2024. His name is Aron Mead and he is an experienced guitar and ukulele tutor, teaching all levels from beginner to advanced. He will be teaching here at school on Thursdays.
He can give children the opportunity to learn understand the instrument competently and confidently whether performance or just jamming with friends. He is able to teach classical guitar, steel string acoustic guitar, ukulele and electric guitar.
You can view his facebook page for my tuition videos demonstrating styles and levels of teaching and song writing examples. I have a range of techniques and styles from classical, blues, country, rock, folk, and pop.
If you wish to discuss lessons, please contact Aron through his email: meadaron@gmail.com or by calling him on 021 127 1330
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
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