Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 8 July 2022

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

I write you this final message for the term from home, as I have been in isolation this week due to having caught Covid. Unfortunately, it was from a social situation outside of school where no masks were being worn and those kinds of situations continue to be our biggest challenge in keeping Covid numbers down. I have been fortunate to have had a relatively mild dose, however, anything that keeps you away from work is disruptive to life in general and adds to the workload of colleagues and general pressure in the workplace. With Jacky also having been away for the past two weeks, I would like to particularly thank our two Deputy Principals - Jo and Sue, and our two office staff, Reihana and Rachel, for the extra load they have carried in our absence.

I believe that we have done the best job we can at school of trying to keep everyone safe from Covid and general illness, and the continued practice of wearing masks and staying away when symptomatic of any illness is keeping our attendance pretty high under the circumstances. We will continue with mask-wearing until further notice, in a continued effort to keep everyone well.

You can see our current Covid numbers in the graph below. We had a spike in Weeks 8 and 9, however, numbers are currently tracking down again. We do hope that you are all able to stay Covid-free during the holidays. If any students do test positive during the holidays, PLEASE continue to let us know, either by texting me on 021 899 429 or by emailing principal@beckenham.school.nz
We are still reporting daily case numbers to the Ministry of Education. At this point in time, 37% of our students have reported having Covid, along with 43% of our staff.


Thank you to everyone who attended learning conferences this week. I know that it was a huge week for our teachers with two very long days on Monday and Wednesday and that they really appreciated the time to meet with you, one on one. I want to thank them all for the professional and tireless way that they undertake these conferences and the commitment that they have put in, this week in particular. For those of you who missed a conference on Wednesday due to the teacher being away, please keep an eye out in your email for a new booking option for early next term.

I wish you all a safe and healthy two weeks of school holidays. I know that our staff are very much looking forward to a break to relax and rest, and I hope that you are able to get some time as a family to do the same.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Friday 8 July - Last day of Term 2
Monday 25 July - First day of Term 3

Term Dates

Citizen of the Week

Madeleine Dougherty - Year 6

Madeleine, you are such a joy to have in our hub! You are a kind and hardworking student, always ready to help those in need, whether it be with learning or jobs around the hub. Your love of learning shines through daily and you never shy away from a challenge.  Ka rawe, Madeleine.

School Notices

Community Dental Service - July 2022 Holiday Clinics

The Community Dental Service will be providing limited appointments during the school break at;
  • Woolston Community Dental Clinic, 11, Hopkins Street, Christchurch
  • Hornby Community Dental Clinic, 2 Hei Hei Road, Christchurch
You can access these appointments by calling our Contact Centre on 0800 846 983, noting that priority is given to children with immediate dental needs.

For any dental advice please call the Contact Centre on 0800 846 983 or email commdental@cdhb.health.nz

Parent Supervision Roster

We have a wonderful group of parents who support active supervision in the junior playground each day during lunch play. If you are interested in being added to the roster for this, please email katie.mcfarlane@beckenham.school.nz

Gifted Learners News

Over the next 2 - 3 years we will be working on the next part of our Strategic Plan around our inclusive practices - diverse learners and specifically focussing on our gifted learners.

During terms 1 and 2 of 2022 Senior Leadership has been working alongside the RTLB service and have begun to explore how the NZCGE (New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education) can support us in our review and planning process.  We have been gathering information and reflecting on where we are with our programmes, understandings and knowledge.

In week 4 of term 3, we will share a survey with our school community and add the information gathered to the big picture of gifted education at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto.  During terms 3 and 4 we will look at our definition of giftedness and the way we identify our gifted learners. 
We would like to share regular updates in the school newsletters, so stay tuned.


It is widely accepted that gifted education is not just for students who need academic extension in the traditional areas of Reading, Writing and Maths. 

Tracy Riley, a leading scholar in Gifted Education from Massey University and an advocate for gifted learners, and her colleagues identified the following 6 areas of gifted learning:
  • Intellectual / Academic
  • Creativity- problem-solving, innovative thinkers
  • Visual and performing arts
  • Social/ Leadership- inter and intra-personal skills
  • Culture-specific abilities and qualities- traditional arts, pride in cultural heritage, language, and service to culture
  • Physical / Sport
Different cultures have different understandings of what it means to be a gifted learner. Māori believe that there is an inherent expectation that a person’s gifts and talents will be used to benefit others. 

In the next newsletter, we will share an overview of the different characteristics that a gifted learner may present with.

Congratulations to...


"Sustainable Ōtautahi Christchurch, Speaking 4 the Planet" finalist - Ashlyn Taffs

Don't Just Sit There Help!
By Ashlyn Taffs 2022

The ocean has become a tumbling commotion,
Our land has become a bland brand.
Our planet is shifting into a gadget too fragile to lose.

There are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean.
Don’t just sit there, help!

Last year, it was reported that 60 percent of Aotearoa New Zealand's rivers carry pollution above acceptable levels.
Don’t just sit there, help!

Don’t just sit there watching the news believing things are getting better.
Because they’re not. But they can.

In 2020, volunteers removed more than 2381 tonnes of plastic from beaches around the world in a single day.
Don't just sit there, help!

If all 8 billion of us picked up at least 10 pieces of rubbish a day
Then 80 billion pieces of rubbish would be gone just like that.
Is 10 pieces of rubbish really that hard to pick up?
Don't just sit there help.

Last week, when I walked my dog
I picked up a whole bag of rubbish in 25 minutes.
Don't Just sit there, help!

Don't just say I’ll start tomorrow.
Don’t just sit there watching that wrapper float away.
Don't just walk past that used face mask.
Don't just think ‘Someone else will deal with it.’
Don’t just sit there, help!

Do start today.
Do pick up that piece of rubbish.
Do pick up that used face mask.
Do be that person to deal with it.

Please. Don't just sit there, help!

Sports News

Zone Swimming

Last Monday, tamariki from our kura represented us at the South Zone Swimming Sports. Our zone is known for being a competitive one, especially when it comes to swimming. Our tamariki absolutely held their own in the water against the strong competition. For many, this is a testament to the mahi put in outside of school at swimming schools and clubs. 

The award that I personally hold most dear, is the unofficial one of Most Enthusiastic Supporters! I'm always impressed at how loudly and enthusiastically our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto tamariki cheer on their fellow competitors, and this year was no exception. There may have been a few lost voices that afternoon as a result!  

A huge congratulations to everyone who participated. 
Jenny Diggle

Canterbury Cross Country

Last Wednesday, a group of runners represented our kura at Canterbury Cross Country, held at Ngā Puna Wai. 

Congratulations to all our runners who qualified for this event. 

Lily Millar placed 10th in Year 5 Girls
Jack Sayer placed 3rd in Year 6 Boys

Cross Country Challenge Y0/4

On Tuesday the tamariki who placed within the top 6 of our school cross country event had the opportunity to participate in the cross country challenge at Hillview, involving many other neighboring kura. The children all put every effort into doing their best and were a credit to the school for their efforts and good sportsmanship.

Top 5 results:

Year 0/1 Boys
5th place - Hunter Olykan 

Year 0/1 Girls
3rd place - Freya Green 
4th place - Maeve Hurford

Team Award went to Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Y0/1 Girls 

Year 2 Boys
2nd place - Alex Pauley 

Year 2 Girls
5th place - Chloe Sayer

Year 3 Boys 
1st place - Max Olykan 
5th place - Haydn O'Connor

Team Award went to Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Y3 Boys

Year 4 Girls
1st place - Laura Stoney



PTA News

Keep in touch with the PTA

To stay up to date with the PTA, please check out our Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto PTA Facebook page, linked here. Or come along to one of our meetings - all welcome.
 
Meeting dates can be found in the weekly school Newsletter, or on the school calendar - linked here.
When they are on, these meetings are usually held on a Wednesday night 7.30-9.30pm in the Green Room at kura.

BOT Update

School Board of Trustee Elections 2022

Nomination round

Our kura will be undertaking a parent election for 3 School Board vacancies. This process will start with the issuing of nomination papers to our caregiver community by Friday 15th July 2022. 

We have employed CES to undertake the election process on our behalf. This year with legislative change, our nomination form and full instruction on how to place your nomination into our own School’s Election website will be emailed to you if we have your email address in our database or you will receive it by post if we don’t have your email in our database.

Nomination papers will also be available at the school office. The school will send those on to CES for processing upon receipt from candidates. 

Nominations close on Wednesday 3rd August at 12 noon.
Election day is Wednesday 7th September.

We look forward to your participation in this process. If you are considering applying yourself, and have any questions or wonderings, please feel free to email our Board Secretary, Reihana, at pa@beckenham.school.nz with any queries you may have!

Community Notices

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

Studio One Performing Arts, your local dance school, is currently giving Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary and Acro lessons in your area. The school’s director is teacher, choreographer & ex-ballet dancer Patricia Paul A.R.A.D. (London). Ballet lessons from 3 years through to Advanced, and all levels in Jazz and Contemporary starting from age 7. For all enquiries please phone 372-9191 or email info@studioone.co.nz

From Bellies, Babies to Tweens market is for families to buy and sell pre-loved maternity, baby, kids & tweens (up to 13yrs) items all in one place. Families coming to buy can score huge savings on items needed for growing babies and kids, while families selling can earn a bit of extra cash. Families buying or selling are also doing their bit for the environment by recycling these items rather than letting them go to landfill.

Market Day: Sunday 24th July, 9am-12noon at Pioneer Stadium.
Follow us on Facebook & Instagram or email fbbtmarket@gmail.com


Kauri Whānau: End of term 2

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 In this post:

  • Cantamath projects
  • Getting ready for ski day
  • Celebrations

Cantamath

We are entering Cantamath season at the start of next term. This includes every child in the hub creating a Cantamath project. In Kauri Google Classroom there is a slideshow that explains each of the math projects and has lots of photos of past projects. This is a project that is done at home. Teachers can help with ideas and materials where needed. It would be great to look through the slideshow (I will put it at the end of this post), with your child over the holidays and start doing some brainstorming. They can even get stuck into the project now if they wish. The finished project is due at school on August 11th, the third Thursday of the term.

Ski Day: Sept 1st

We are excited about taking the children up Mt Hutt on Sept 1st. The parents are sorted, the transport is sorted and we are all booked in. The cost of this trip is covered by your activity donation and our generous PTA who are covering the cost of the buses. As part of the package at Mt Hutt, each child gets a lift pass (for lifts at their level), skis, boots, poles (if needed) and a helmet, as well as a 90-minute lesson. 

Please fill in this form to give us information about your child and to indicate if you need help with suitable clothing. We have built up a collection of clothing that we can lend to children and some children also hire clothing.  

There will be more information about how the day runs closer to the time.

Celebrations

We were enormously proud of our ShowQuest Team who competed at the Canterbury competition recently and took out first place in the junior section, as well as Best Choreography and Best Theme! Fergus Macdonald was also recognised for his superb performance with the Outstanding Rangatahi award. 


Our cheese roll-making day was a huge success. The children worked so well and were full of enthusiasm. We had a small and dedicated group of parents who made a fabulous contribution. Over 500 dozen rolls were created and we will know within the next week how much profit was made to contribute towards our outdoor education experiences this year. 

We have four more weeks of winter sport next term. The children are giving their best and enjoying the competition. 










Koru Team News, Term 2, Week 9

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 Kia ora, e te whanau,

Wow, can you believe we have just finished our second to last week of Term 2, and now only one more week until the holidays? I'm sure you are all looking forward to spending some relaxing days with your little ones at home.

A very warm welcome to our new children, and their whanau, who have joined us in the last few weeks - Julia, Amani, Beau, Sailor, and Harriet. It is so lovely to have them in the hub with us. They have all settled in beautifully and our 'golden oldies' have been wonderful in making them feel very welcome.

Elizabeth and Nicola's home groups were lucky to be able to rebook their Junior Park Explorers outing to the ponds, after their initial trip was postponed. Our educator, Pete, did a fabulous job of being both captivating and informative with our group. We learnt lots about our native birds, the role trees play in our ecosystem, and where bugs like to live.

Making our bird call to find our friends with the same bird call.
Yay, we've found our bird friends and linked 'wings'.
Searching for birds around the ponds with Pete.
We had to be really quiet on our bird search. When we spotted a bird we used this signal to point it out.
"I've found one."
Using magnifying glasses to search for bugs under the trees.
"Look, I've found a bug!"
We played a fun game where we learnt about what happens to birds and bugs when they lose their homes.
We enjoyed dressing up!
Each bird and bug had to go home to their tree each night.
Oh no!! This home, to many birds and bugs, is being cut down!

Some children have since returned to the ponds area to place some logs of wood on the ground in order to create some new bug habitats. We are looking forward to checking on them next week to see if any bugs have moved into the new homes.
Using a rake to scrap back the fauna to find an ideal place for the log.
Covering up the log.
I wonder who will adopt this home?
"This looks like a good place."
Using the leaf matter to cover the log up.
Using his bird signal to show he has spotted a bird.
"I've found one, too."

We have been very lucky, the last couple of Fridays, to have Whaea Cath joining us in the morning. The children have loved her bringing her guitar in, and we have been singing some of our favourites waiata, and learning some new ones with her. What a treat!
Singing the action song, 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' in Te Reo Māori.
Learning the Matariki song.
Singing the Baby Shark song in Te Reo Māori!!

Our school-wide PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning) focus this week has been on cooperation. We have been practising this skill in a variety of ways during our Learning Through Play time.
This group has been showing cooperation in building this 'guinea pig enclosure'.
Cute little guinea pigs!
We loved the cooperation they showed when designing and building the enclosure! 

Each day, after our little play time we join in with an interoception activity. Simply put, interoception is the sense that allows us to answer the question, "How do I feel?" at any moment. This is a great chance to calm and reset as we prepare for the next learning block.
In this activity, we lay down, breathed in and scrunched our toes, then breathed out and relaxed our toes.
We then identified, by pointing to where we felt the stretch in our bodies.

As our numbers continue to grow, Nicola's Home Group has begun to use Kōmanawa in the afternoons. From next week, Nicola's Home Group will be starting their mornings in Kōmanawa too. The children can still unpack their bags and use the cubby holes outside Hangere. Their lunchboxes, drink bottles and literacy folders can still be stored in Hangere. The children can then go over to Kōmanawa to find an activity to start off their day. Teachers will be outside Hangere before 8:55 a.m., to help children, by reminding them about this.

A reminder:

  • During the week ahead, school will close at 2:00 p.m., both tomorrow, Monday, 4th and again on Wednesday, 6th July, for Learning Conferences. If you haven't yet booked your child's learning conference, it's not too late! Please click on this link to find a time that suits
  • Please note that if your child started school this term, you will have had, or will be having (about 6 weeks after your child started school), a transition to school meeting with your child's Home Group teacher, in place of a Learning Conference.

We hope you have had a lovely relaxing weekend together. Keep warm, and we'll see all your little ones back tomorrow, for our final week of Term 2. 

Ngā mihi mahana, and take care,

Georgia, Elizabeth, Nicola, Stacey, and Jeanette












Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter Rāmere (Friday) 1 July 2022

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

One more week of school to go before the July holidays. Next week is a big week with school finishing at the early time of 2pm on Monday 4th and Wednesday 6th July, for Learning Conferences.

Please would EVERY family fill out this form before Monday, to let us know what the plans for your children are at 2pm on Monday and Wednesday. If you need your child to be supervised at school between 2 and 3pm, we need to know.

If you haven't yet booked a Learning Conference, you can still do that by clicking here. (Year 7/8 whānau - please allow half an hour for your learning conference.) This will be an opportunity for you to meet with your child's home group teacher and discuss their progress and next steps.

Reports went live this afternoon on HERO. To view your child report, log into HERO on your smartphone, computer or tablet, and click on the 2022 report option. You will also see a summary of their attendance for 2022.

ShowQuest Success!

In Term 1, a group of tamariki from the Kauri team started work conceptualising and choreographing our ShowQuest performance. The group wanted to explore how gender stereotypes and societal expectations can impact our well-being. After many creative ideas were proposed and discussed, the group settled on telling the story of a young boy who opens the wrong present on Christmas morning. The present, that was meant for his sister, is a doll. It's the gift he's always wanted, but society tells us that boys play with trucks and super heros, not dolls. The boy hides the doll in his toy box and goes to sleep. Once he is fast asleep, the toys come to life...

The group have worked incredibly hard creating this performance and they have done everything from choreographing, designing costumes, creating the backdrop, editing the music and video wall, and making props. Two weeks ago, their hard work came to fruition as they performed their dance at the Town Hall. Two students received training so that they could work in the lighting booth. The dance was professionally filmed and a digital showing went live on 27th of June. 

They put on an outstanding performance that was full of energy and expression. We are very proud of them all. 

A huge thank you to Jenny Diggle for supporting our rangitahi with this performance and to the caregivers who provided transport, did hair and make up and supervised the children the day they went to perform.  




Hopefully, you will be able to watch our school's performance through this link (their segment starts at 1:11:40 into the two-and-a-half-hour show.) or through this link (just the Beckenham segment)

As you can see below - the results that they achieved were outstanding! Our huge congratulations go out to them all.



Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal

Important Dates

Monday 4 July - school closes at 2pm for Learning Conferences
Wednesday 6 July - school closes at 2pm for Learning Conferences
Friday 8 July - Last day of Term 2
Monday 25 July - First day of Term 3

Citizen of the Week

Bryn Smithson  - Year 4

Bryn, you are a superstar in our team. You persistently demonstrate a positive and enthusiastic attitude in all areas of learning and you are a fantastic role model to other students. You are a self-motivated learner and constantly strive to improve yourself. You are very thoughtful, friendly and polite. Well done for always putting 100% into your learning. Keep up the outstanding work, Bryn!

School Notices

Road Works UPDATE -  starting on Monday 4th July

From SIEPP:
We have some upcoming changes to the areas where we are doing road works, which will have an impact on the school and community traffic. Currently, we have two work fronts in the area – one on Eastern Tce at the Fisher Ave intersection, and one on Norwood Street between Fisher Ave and Tennyson St. The next stage of these works require closures that will result in some longer detour routes for people travelling to and from the school form Tennyson Street direction. I have attached a copy of our start works notice that has been delivered to affected residents in the area. To summarise what is happening: 

  • Norwood St/Fisher Ave intersection will be closed from 04/07/22 for aprox. 2 weeks
  • Eastern Terrace will be closed between Fisher Ave and Tennyson St from 04/07/22 for aprox. 4 weeks.
  • While both of these areas are closed traffic that would usually travel down Norwood Street or Eastern Terrace will need to follow the detour route down Colombo Street
  • Once the Norwood St/Fisher Ave intersection is re-opened, traffic will be able to detour down Norwood Street

Please allow plenty of time for drop-off and pick up, and extra time to get to learning conferences. If it is at all possible, please walk or cycle with children.

Tuning Into Kids - Parenting programme

Mana Ake are offering a 6 session parenting programme during Term 3 called "Tuning into Kids - Emotionally Intelligent Parenting"
Details are shown below. To register, email the facilitator of the course that you wish to attend.
If you are interested in attending a "Tuning in to Kids" course, but these dates or locations don't suit please email: manaakefeedback@cdhb.health.nz. You will be emailed with the details of new courses as they are released. 

Congratulations to...

"Sustainable Ōtautahi Christchurch, Speakng 4 the Planet" finalist - Ashlyn Taffs 


Speaking 4 the Planet (S4P) is a public speaking, spoken word and visual arts competition. It provides opportunities for students to express their ideas for a better world. Today our very own Ashlyn Taffs took part as a finalist in Speaking 4 The Planet 2022.

PB4L - Word of the Week

This term, as part of our PB4L School-Wide programme, we have introduced 'Word of the Week'. The word of the week is shared in the daily notices across all teams and explored in home groups. Our word of the week this week has been COOPERATION. 

In Kahikatea, we spent our Friday morning home group time discussing what cooperation looks like, sounds like, and feels like. We did a spider web activity, in which each person had a chance to speak, and then pass the yarn to someone else. We saw how when we worked together, we created a strong web. This showed us that cooperation makes us stronger, and helps us to achieve a common goal.

Community Dental Service - July 2022 Holiday Clinics

The Community Dental Service will be providing limited appointments during the school break at;
  • Woolston Community Dental Clinic, 11, Hopkins Street, Christchurch
  • Hornby Community Dental Clinic, 2 Hei Hei Road, Christchurch
You can access these appointments by calling our Contact Centre on 0800 846 983, noting that priority is given to children with immediate dental needs.

For any dental advice please call the Contact Centre on 0800 846 983 or email commdental@cdhb.health.nz

BOT Update

School Board of Trustee Elections 2022

Nomination round

Our kura will be undertaking a parent election for 3 School Board vacancies. This process will start with the issuing of nomination papers to our caregiver community by Friday 15th July 2022.

We have employed CES to undertake the election process on our behalf. This year with legislative change, our nomination form and full instruction on how to place your nomination into our own School’s Election website will be emailed to you if we have your email address in our database or you will receive it by post if we don’t have your email in our database.

Nomination papers will also be available at the school office. The school will send those on to CES for processing upon receipt from candidates. 

Nominations close on Wednesday 3rd August at 12 noon.
Election day is Wednesday 7th September.

We look forward to your participation in this process.

Community Notices

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

St Peters School - part-time cleaner needed



2 hours per day, Mon-Fri after 3pm (start time negotiable) during school term time
1 week each school holiday.
Call Denise at Total Property Sevices on 228 99033 or 027 455 3218
Immediate start - full training given.

Hagley Year 9 Enrolments for 2023 Closing Soon

Enrolment applications for Hagley College Year 9 2023 close next week (Friday 8th July - the last day of Term 2).

Our close-off date is firm and we will not be able to receive any new applications after this date. We are aware that our closing date is a little earlier than for some of the other high schools, so I am just hoping to avoid anyone missing out.

If any of you are keen but haven't put an application in yet, you need to go to https://www.hagley.school.nz/enrolment/year-9-enrolment/ and click the button to start a new enrolment application as soon as possible.

Paper copies of the enrolment form are here for families who are unable to apply online.


Huntsbury Community Preschool has an enviable natural outdoor play area and is currently offering FREE FEES for two-year-olds. Conditions apply, phone 03 332 6001 or email: info@huntsbury-preschool.org.nz for more details if you'd like to secure a place in this limited-availability promotion!

Kahikatea News Week 9 Term 2

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Kia ora kōutou,

It is amazing to think that we are halfway through the year! We are looking forward to meeting with you all next week at our mid-year learning conferences. 

We had an incredible trip to the International Antarctic Centre last week and learning about Antarctica, its climate, and the animals that live there. Thank you so much to our amazing whānau helpers for coming along and supporting us with our trip - we couldn't do it without you. 






































Learning Conferences

We are looking forward to meeting with you and your child/ren at learning conferences on either Monday or Wednesday next week. Please remember that school finishes at 2 pm. Please go ahead and book a learning conference with your child's home group teacher if you haven't already... it's not too late.

Belongings

We have noticed that there is quite a collection of belongings that are being left behind at the end of each day, including jackets, hats, scarves, gloves, etc. Please feel free to pop in and collect these items the next time you are on site.