Principal's Patch
Kia ora koutou
We have made the decision to return to weekly newsletters. These will come out every Friday and it means that you can expect to get a school newsletter in your inbox every week. This has been made possible because we have welcomed Reihana Dougherty to our Admin Team, which is enabling us to spread the load, and build capacity. Reihana will be around the front office Monday through to Friday, with sole responsibility on Fridays as Jacky will now only be working Monday through to Thursday.
Building Update
The Ministry of Education have advised us that building will commence on Monday on the new double learning space at the Eastern Terrace end of the school.
Earthquake Memorial - 10 years on
It is hard to believe that we have just remembered the 10th anniversary of the Christchurch Earthquakes. So much has changed across our city since then, and across the schooling sector too. Post-earthquake the schooling network had a huge amount of change which also had both positive and negative impacts on different communities, depending on the changes. A number of schools were closed, some were merged, new schools built, and nearly every school in Christchurch is in the Christchurch Schools Rebuild programme. We were one of the early schools in this programme, coming out of our rebuild in mid-2018. Some schools are still waiting for this rebuild to begin.
We appreciate that, for our current students, none of them were at school when the earthquakes happened, and only our oldest students were even born.
On Monday, our staff talked with the students about the earthquake with a focus on the way that it showed how a community can pull together and demonstrate many of the values we hold important at school - in particular, We Care, We Get There Together and We Make a Difference. Our students then had the opportunity to write messages to our wider community on the footpaths on Eastern Terrace, Sandwich Road, Norwood St and within the school.
Many thanks to Karen Wyngaarden for responding to our request for someone to make slipcovers for seats and curtains. They look great and the children are able to use the seats again which is awesome!
Our Year 7/8 team are looking forward to their camp at Wainui next week.
I hope you all enjoy the weekend.
Sandy Hastings
Tumuaki - Principal
Important Dates
Upcoming Events
Week 5:Mon 1 - Fri 5 Mar - Kauri camp at Wainui YMCA
Wed 3 Mar - 4.15 - 5.45 Kiwi Volleyball at Hillview Christian School
Thu 4 Mar - 3.15 - 6.00 Miniball Grade C at Pioneer Stadium
Week 6:
Wed 10 Mar - 4.15 - 5.45 Kiwi Volleyball at Hillview Christian School
Thu 11 Mar - 3.15 - 6.00 Miniball Grade C at Pioneer Stadium
Fri 12 Mar - 12.00 - 12.30 Celebration Assembly
Week 7:
Wed 17 Mar - 4.15 - 5.45 Kiwi Volleyball at Hillview Christian School
Thu 18 Mar - 9.00 - 1.15 Zone Swimming Sports at Jellie Park
Term Dates
Click here to view 2021 term datesCitizen of the Week
Emma Reedy - Year 7
Emma, being kind, fun, loving and respectful are just some of the wonderful qualities you possess. You embrace opportunities to learn, lead and try new things. Your positive and proactive nature makes you a stunning role model to others.School Notices
Food Allergy Guidelines
Across our school, we have a number of children with different food allergies.
To support the wellbeing of these students we have the following guidelines in place which we ask you to follow:
- Whenever children bring food to school for shared kai occasions, please follow the guidelines provided by the teachers for that event.
We will inform you during the year if specific guidelines for your child’s hub change. Our full allergy policy and guidelines in this booklet, are also available on the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto website under “Information - Policies - SchoolDocs” then search ‘allergy’. If you have any questions or concerns, please discuss them in the first instance with your child’s point of contact teacher.
Mana Ake “Drop-Ins” are continuing…
A number of whānau have already made great use of the Mana Ake “drop-ins” that are available on Wednesday mornings from 8:30 – 9:30am. These drop-in sessions are here to provide parents with an opportunity to have a private, informal conversation around the well being of their child with one of our Mana Ake workers (kaimahi). If you feel like you would like to attend a drop-in session, please book in a time via the link here: Mana Ake booking The code to use is 88t39. Alternatively, you can contact Jacky in the office and she will make a booking for you.
Concerns and Complaints Process
We understand that from time to time you may have a concern that you would like to raise with someone at school. You can find a copy of our concerns and complaints process below, and you can also access this through our school website, or by using the SchoolDocs login (user: beckenham password: pride).
We always want to work with you to resolve any worries or concerns you might have.
We always want to work with you to resolve any worries or concerns you might have.
Parenting Tips
Each week we are going to put a parenting tip here that we hope will be helpful for some of you.
The Parenting Place has a great website that includes a section on "How to talk about: Making Friends (in real life)". This article acknowledges that many people now have many, many friends on social media, and may not find it easy to know how to make and keep friends with the people around them. It shares 5 simple strategies that you can talk with your child about.
Sports News
Swimming Sports Results
We had a fantastic school swimming sports with children from Years 5 to 8 at Wharenui Pool yesterday. Congratulations to all who competed. You deserve to feel very proud of yourself for getting involved and challenging yourself.
Our 2021 Swimming Champions are:
Year 5 Champions
Holly McIntosh
Jack Sayer
Year 6 Champions
Archie Arnott
Emma Vaile
Year 7 Champions
Stella Gillman
Tahere Taylor
Year 8 Champions
Fergus McMillan
Zoe Clarke
Whenever we go to sporting events, there is so much more on display than just sporting excellence. Throughout the competition it was great to see children supporting and encouraging each other. Many of our Year 7 and 8 tamariki stepped into leadership roles to support the running of the event. Wharenui Pool staff commented on how clean and tidy our tamariki left the pool area and changing rooms. Thank you everyone to the part you played in this and for the values you demonstrated.
PTA News
Weetbix Tryathlon - 28 February 2021
A matter of sleeps now until the Weetbix Tryathlon 2021 event. We hope you are all looking forward to a fabulous day. We have a number of entries this year which makes for a really fun morning. Keep an eye out for the Beckenham Flags where we’ll create a base for everyone. The PTA will pop on a sausage sizzle for every competitor. Pack a picnic and get your support crew ready for a fun fun morning. Any questions about the event don’t hesitate to make contact with Nicola – 021532996
BOT Update
Our new Board of Trustees met last night for the first time this year. Matthew Macdonald was elected by the Board to be the Chairperson for 2021. The rest of the Board are:- Sampson Karst (Ngāi Tahu iwi representative)
- Lisa Taylor
- Marcel Frei
- Jude Clarke
- Nicole Forster
- Suran Dickson
- Richard Scott
- Anna Reid (Staff Trustee)
Community Notices
(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)
Christchurch Netball Centre is running Tu Manawa Multi Sport Have A Go Day on the 27th of Feb at Hagley Park, starting at 12.15pm.
The event is completely free for children aged 5 to 18 years. Lunch is provided for free as well.
Sports participating are Netball, Futsal, Skateboarding and Ki o Rahi .
Sign up here.
Sign up here.
Coding Lessons
In today’s world, it’s essential for young people to learn how to create technology not just consume it. Coding NZ’s lessons empower students with the tools they need and help give students the best chance at being successful in our increasingly digital age. Extend your child’s awareness and horizons. Free trial lessons available now at codingnz.com/signup
In today’s world, it’s essential for young people to learn how to create technology not just consume it. Coding NZ’s lessons empower students with the tools they need and help give students the best chance at being successful in our increasingly digital age. Extend your child’s awareness and horizons. Free trial lessons available now at codingnz.com/signup