Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Newsletter 31st May 2019

Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou 

It has been an exciting fortnight including a visit from the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern and her entourage.  Jacinda's visit lasted 30 minutes and she delighted us all.  The children showed a real interest in the information on climate change that was shared and provided some funny moments when answering some questions that Jacinda posed.

Jacinda -  "Who knows what I do for a job?"
New Entrant - "You are the President of New Zealand."
Jacinda - "Great guess, I work with some other politicians in the Beehive in Wellington. What do you think we do there?"
New Entrant - "Make honey!"
Jacinda - "Well I do have 2 beehives at my home and we get honey from those.  Does anyone else know what we do in the beehive?"
Year 4 child - "You make the rules!"

Lucy Gray and her Climate Change team shared 15 minutes with the Prime Minister sharing ideas, discussing the government's intentions and asking questions.  What an incredible opportunity.

 The other excitement has been the installation of our new signage around the school.  If you haven't already, please come into the office and see our wonderful values wall that has been delighting visitors all week.  The Logos on the back of the hall and on the front of the school show very clearly "this is our place."



This week we say farewell to Cath Barrie who has won a position working with the RTLB (Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour) service. Cath has worked at Beckenham for the past 12 years. We have valued the contributions, expertise and leadership that Cath has shared through teaching across the school, in our  Learning Support programmes and with our diverse learners.   Thank you for everything.  All the very best for a wonderful opportunity for professional growth Cath.


We welcome Georgie Jones who is going to work in Cath's position in the Kauri team from next week. We know that Georgie’s great skills and teaching experience will be well utilised and she will be a wonderful addition to the team.



Have a very happy and relaxing Queens Birthday break.  We look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday.

Nga mihi nui
Sue, Nigel and Paulette

Citizen of the Week

Daniel Smith - Year 8

Daniel, you have stepped up to the responsibility of being a Year 8 leader and role model in our kura. You are perceptive and empathetic towards the needs of others and you demonstrate inclusivity in your actions. Daniel, we regularly see you embracing challenge, be it during academic learning, during sports or by putting yourself outside of your comfort zone and learning a new skill. It is fantastic to see your developing confidence, and the fine upstanding young man you are becoming.

Emma Vaile - Year 4

Emma, you are a superstar! You consistently demonstrate a warm, positive and caring attitude and are a great friend to others. You have excellent self-management skills and are an outstanding role model. You are extremely reliable and are always willing to lend a helping hand. We love having you in our team. Well done!

School Notices

ICAS Assessments 

The University of New South Wales is offering your child to take part in the ICAS assessment programme.

ICAS is an independent, skills-based assessment program which recognises and rewards student achievement. ICAS is unique, being the most comprehensive generally available suite of academic assessments for primary and secondary school students.

Entries are administered at school. For further information, please consult the ICAS website - https://www.eaa.unsw.edu.au/icas/about. Each participant will receive a certificate and a detailed report of their performance.

This year, we will be offering Digital Technologies, Science, English, and Maths assessments.

Each assessment costs $15.00 to enter (please note that this has increased from previous years, due to the transition from paper-based assessments to an online test). Payment for these competition fees will need to be paid in full by Friday 2 August 2019. You can pay with EFTPOS at the school office or online school's bank account (ASB 12-3148-0131641-000) with the reference ‘ICAS’ and child’s name as the code. If you wish to enter your child, please fill out the form here.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email - hannah.elliott@beckenham.school.nz.

Ferndale News

As part of our regular programme, we develop skills around accessing resources in the community.  Currently, we are focusing on leisure skills and are visiting Pioneer Pools for a weekly swim session.

Sports News

Cross Country

We had a fantastic day of participation at our whole school cross country event. The sportsmanship and leadership displayed by our children were outstanding. Thank you to everyone who came along to support the children, it certainly added to the atmosphere.

Year 1 Champions: Laura Stoney and Ben Stoney
Year 2 Champions: Eadie Jenkins and Ollie Karst
Year 3 Champions: Cameron Inglis and Spencer Ingram
Year 4 Champions: Jade Inglis and Archie Arnott
Year 5 Champions: Torun Joergenson and Billy Murfin
Year 6 Champions: Mahli Boreham and Josh Breitmeyer
Year 7 Champions: Ruby McNiven and Erik Cassels-Brown
Year 8 Champions: Roxy Murfin and Ben Evans

We recognise the achievement of every child who participated in this event; all the competitors who ran their hearts out, those who supported others and those who took on important responsibilities to assist with the running of the event.

Since then, the top six students from each race have competed at zone level. The event, which took place at Halswell Quarry this week, adds an extra layer of challenge, which our tamariki all took in their stride. All children ran a race to be proud of. The following children have qualified to represent our Kura at Canterbury level on the 19th of June, Ben Evans, Erik Cassels-Brown, Lucky Lasiyal, Josh Breitmeyer and Kever Thorley.

Winter Sport

Today was our first day of winter sport. Some children in Years 5-8 travelled to Hagley and Nunweek Park for competitive games of hockey, football and netball, while other children had an introductory session to school-based winter sport. We also have 5 Year 7 and 8 boys who are joining St Martins to play rugby in a combined team on Thursdays.

Our first games were fantastic. The atmosphere on the bus home was buzzing as the children regaled the highlights of their game.

Congratulations to our players of the day who impressed their coach with their technical skills and sportsmanship.
Roxy Murfin, Cooper Reddecliffe, Eli McGuigan, Zoe Winsor, Helena Caunter, Zara McIvor, Sophia Brown and Charlotte Grey.

Congratulations also to players of the day from week two:

Bianka Cain, Keanna Hakeagaiki, Olive Morel, Grace Howard, Jonty Mitchell, William Pooch, James Stoney, Daniel Smith, Walter McLoughlin, Kever Thorley, Fergus McMillan.

PTA News

Kids' Disco

Polish those shoes & practice those moves, the KIDS' DISCO is coming back to town.
Mark the date NOW in your calendar- FRIDAY 14th JUNE in the HALL
NE -Yr 3: 4:30-5:30pm
Yr 4 -Yr 6: 6-7pm
Yr 7-Yr 8: 7:30-8:30pm
GOLD Coin entry fee.
If you are able to help out at ONE of these DISCOs please email amandawolt6@gmail.com

Clubbercise

We listened -YOU said NO to the ADULT DISCO..... So the PTA, in conjunction with Clubbercise Christchurch NZ with Chloé will be trialling a ONCE a TERM class on a Wednesday Night in the Hall.
What is Clubbercise??- Clubbercise classes are run in a darkened room with disco lights & branded LED glow sticks to a soundtrack of old & new club hits!
Come along, dance, get fit & let's glow!  - follow https://www.facebook.com/ptabeckenhamschool for more detailed information on this upcoming event- 1st class will be held this term, date to be confirmed!!

Beckenham Booty

Bookings are NOW Open for the Sunday 30th JUNE Car Boot Sale, located in the staff car park.
LIKE https://www.facebook.com/beckenhambooty  for the latest updates
Book NOW: https://forms.gle/WyierMvY94zHcaDK6

BOT Update

It’s time to vote!!
By now you should have received your voting papers in the post. There is a tight turnaround, so please return them to school by the 7th of June. You can drop them off at the school office or place them in the self-addressed envelope, or send them directly to CES School Trustees Elections. Late votes cannot be counted.

Every eligible voter should vote to ensure that elected boards represent the community, have a good mix of gender, ethnicity, and skills and bring a variety of experiences to the board table. This can make a positive difference to your children’s learning.

If you have any questions please contact Nigel Easson at school.
nigel.easson@beckenham.school.nz

Community Notices

Forest Run Fest

The Forest Run Fest is a morning for all levels of walkers and runners to get out there, compete and breathe in the fresh winter forest air with family and friends.
We offer four events including a half marathon, 10km, 5km and 2 km courses, the latter being staged especially for children 10 years and under.
We are offering a $10 discount to any parent or family member if their child registers for the Half Marathon, 10km or 5km distances using code SCHOOLS2019. The website for the event is www.forestrunfest.co.nz

Girl Guiding Community Programme

My name is Meg Walley I am the Girl Experience Manager for our Community Programme held here in Christchurch with GirlGuiding New Zealand.

The aim of the programme is to provide pop up adventures & experiences for girls, aged 5-17 in the Christchurch community who are not members of GirlGuiding New Zealand. We aim to give girls amazing experiences in a range of industries, leaving them feeling inspired, empowered and ready to take the world by storm. We love working with experts in the field so that girls get an informative and educational experience.

This initiative was started in Auckland at the beginning of 2018 and due to its success, we have bought it to Christchurch.

We would love to give your girls an opportunity to take part in these amazing weekend adventures to discover new skills, make new friends and most importantly have fun.  Last month our events included:
Stem in the Park:  An afternoon of challenging and exciting STEM activities using the world around us to experiment, design, build and test our creative ideas.
Robotics: A collaboration with Animation Station giving the girls a chance to create their own robot warrior and battle them against each other.

The calendar for June includes:
Operation Animation: A collaboration with Animation Station allowing girls to become a director for the day as they learn stop motion animation.
Shred the Slopes: The ultimate girls day at the mountain!  A behind the scenes look at how Mt Hutt is run, gear hire, lift pass and lesson with a professional to bring out your inner adventurer.  This experience is for beginners and girls aged 10 – 18.

In the pipeline we also have collaborations with:
Ethique Beauty: A workshop and talk from the CEO Brianne and her entrepreneurial journey.
Woman in Construction: A workshop from Woman in Construction and a speaker who is dominating this male dominated field.
Christchurch Adventure Park: Get ready to learn how to mountain bike like a pro with this beginner’s guide to Mountain Biking.

For more info check out https://girlguidingnz.org.nz/community-programme/.

Starfish Swim School

Bookings for the July Holiday Programme are now open!
Week one: Mon 8th July - Fri 12th July
Week two: Mon 15th July - Fri 19th July
Email: info@starfishswimschool.co.nz or ph us at 033381705.  2 Nash Road Aidanfield.

Parenting Together- Our Kids and Anxiety  

On the 12th of June, there is a parenting workshop focusing on supporting parents who have children with anxiety.  Sessions will start at 9.30am at Linwood Union Church, 378 Linwood Ave
Morning tea will be provided
On the 26th of June “overcoming Bedtime routines”.
Link to the flyer