Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Schoolwide Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 20th March 2026

Principal's Update

Ngā mihi e te whānau,

It has been a very busy couple of weeks at school. Students have been working hard in the classroom and engaging in a wide range of activities beyond it. At times like this, it can be difficult to keep up with everything that is happening!

Thank you to all our staff for providing these opportunities, and to our community for your ongoing support in making them possible for our students. There is some important information in this newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to read it carefully.

Join a band!

You may have seen a HERO post earlier in the week about opportunities for students to register their interest in school bands. This is a great opportunity for those learning instruments to take their practice to the next level in a highly supportive environment.

If you would like your child to take up this opportunity, please click the link below:

https://forms.gle/yQSJeg5LLUPrSaKYA

Safety on the Roads

Please note this message relates to a very small minority of our community. We are becoming increasingly concerned about some of the driving behaviours being demonstrated at pick-up and drop-off times. These include making U-turns in areas with heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic, and using designated no-parking areas for parking.

If this behaviour continues, we will seek support from external agencies to help mitigate the health and safety risks to our students.

Digital Technologies Review

As part of this year’s Annual Plan, we will be undertaking a review of how digital technologies are used in our school to support learning. This will include gathering feedback from families, reviewing current research, and considering health and safety guidelines related to digital technology use.

Our aim is to ensure that when digital technologies are used, they enhance learning experiences and outcomes, while also equipping students with the skills and attitudes they need to use these tools effectively and responsibly in the future.

Please look out at the beginning of next term for opportunities to be involved in this important review.

Turf Update

We are pleased to confirm that our new turf will be laid during September and/or October this year. The turf will be a real asset to our school and wider community.

Thank you again to the PTA for their work on this project, and to our community for their generosity through our fundraising efforts.

The turf location and design is shown below.

Update from the Chicken Palace

It is hard to believe that the tiny chicks that graced our office space at the end of last year are now on their way to maturity.

Caring for the chickens provides our students with valuable, real-life learning opportunities. Through this, they develop a strong sense of responsibility, empathy, and respect for living things, while also building patience and an understanding of animal welfare. These experiences bring our school values to life in a meaningful and authentic way, particularly in fostering care for others.

Thank you again to everyone who has played a part in making this possible at our school.

Work at School over the holiday break

Over the holiday break, work will be completed on the exterior of the Old Dental Clinic (PTA Uniform Shop), and the interiors of the Music Rooms, Pūkaki, and Kōmanawa. Please feel free to use the school grounds as usual, but take care around work areas.

Have a great weekend!

Ngā mihi

Cade

Principal / Tumuaki
Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto

Important Dates

2026 Term Dates - Linked Here

Upcoming Events Term 1
Mon 23 Mar Canterbury Hockey Sessions (Yr 7/8)
Tue 24 Mar Canterbury Hockey Sessions (Yr 5/6)
Wed 25 Mar Canterbury Swimming Event (Yr 5/6)
Wed 25 Mar - Sat 28 Mar South Island School MTB Championships
Wed 25 Mar Board of Trustees Meeting (5:30-7:30pm, Staff Room)
Thu 26 Mar Canterbury Swimming Event (Yr 7/8)
Fri 27 Mar Celebration Assembly (10:00-10:30am, Hall)
Wed 1 Apr PSC Huxster Mountain Biking Event
Wed 1 Apr PTA Meeting (7:30-9:30pm, Staff Room)
Thu 2 Apr Last Day of Term 1
Fri 3 Apr Good Friday - School Closed
Upcoming Events Term 2
Mon 20 Apr First Day of Term 2
Wed 22 Apr Ngā Puna Wai Tournament (Yr 5-8)
Mon 27 Apr ANZAC Day - School Closed

Citizen of the Week

Stella - Year 5

Stella, you are a magnificent role model in our hub. You are always positive, kind, and thoughtful towards others. You are an incredibly hardworking student, and you consistently demonstrate excellent self-management skills in all that you do. You are a star, Stella!

Kura - Year 4

Kura, you are a highly engaged student who thrives on a challenge. Your inquisitive mind and confidence allow you to make insightful connections across your learning. You embody all of the Beckenham kete values every day. Thank you for always being an outstanding role model in our team!

School Notices

Parking Reminder - 3min area on Sandwich Road

A reminder please, that the drop off and pick up area on Sandwich Road (by the bike stands) is a 3min drop-off zone from 8:30-9:30am and 2:30-3:30pm on school days. This means drivers are not able to sit in their cars from 2:30pm waiting for children, or to park cars in this area and go into school. If you arrive early and wait for children, or if you need to get out of your car and come into school, please find an alternative place to park on the street nearby. Having this area just for drop-offs means that the traffic on Sandwich Road moves smoothly before and after school, and this is much safer for our children.

Furthermore, please do not park in or use the staff carpark entrance or exit - this is for staff and service vehicles only.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!

'EZlunch' Lunch Orders

Our school now uses Ezlunch, part of the Kindo platform, for all online lunch orders.

Ezlunch offers a simple, mobile-friendly way for families to order fresh, tasty lunches from the same local providers you already know and love. The ordering process is quick, payments are secure, and delivery to school is reliable and easy.

You can view the available menu, linked here.

Hardship Fund Contributions

We know that sometimes families, and others in our community, would like to contribute towards the costs for students whose families might be experiencing some hardship, and are not able to readily fund uniforms, stationery, or even lunches. If you, or anyone you know, would like to make a contribution to our hardship account, please email accounts@beckenham.school.nz or simply deposit funds into the school bank a/c, Beckenham Te Kura o Pūtoro Board of Trustees - 12 3148 0131641 000, with the reference "Hardship donation". We will ensure that these funds are used to support those families who need support.

Getting support from our Hardship Fund

If you are a family who would appreciate some support with uniforms, stationery, or food, please contact the office or email accounts@beckenham.school.nz, and we will do the best we can to support you. We want to ensure that all of our tamariki have everything they need to succeed at school.

Kupu Māori o te Wiki

Kia ora koutou! This year, we are embracing our te reo Māori and will be learning a new Whakataukī (phrase/proverb), Kīwaha (saying), and Kupu (word) each week. Here are the last two weeks' new te reo we have focused on:

Give these a go! Nau mai te wero - We Love Challenge! He taonga te ako - We Love Learning!

Whakataukī: Mauria te pono This means to believe in yourself!
Whakataukī: He rau ringa e oti ai This means many hands make light work. So, let’s focus on working together as a team!
Kīwaha: He reka! This means yum!
Kīwaha: Wananei This means wicked!
Kupu: Wero This means challenge.
Kupu: Ako This means to learn.

If you are unsure of the pronunciation of a word, have a look at Te Aka (the Māori dictionary) where you can hear how the word is spoken correctly.

Chicken Chat

Chicken fact ~ Did you know? Chickens are the closest living relatives to the Tyrannosaurus Rex!

The Sports Corner

Kia ora koutou,

This section of our newsletter will be dedicated to highlighting the successes and challenges our students are experiencing in sports outside of school. We love seeing our ākonga (students) showing our school values, especially We Love Challenge Nau Mau Te Wero in the community. If your child has had a sporting success that you’d like to share with our community, please email me with a short blurb and photo to: kate.mcgregor@beckenham.school.nz - We’d love to feature it in our next newsletter!

Ngā mihi nui,
Kate McGregor
Sports Coordinator
Swimming Sports Success
What a fantastic day we had for our Beckenham Te Kura Swimming Sports! It was wonderful to see our tamariki giving their best in the pool and supporting one another throughout the day. Ka mau te wehi! A huge ka pai to all of our swimmers. You should be incredibly proud of the effort, determination, and positive attitude shown throughout the day.

Results:
Year 5 Champions: Thalia & Jos
Year 5 Runner-Ups: Jessica & Mati

Year 6 Champions: Chloe & Laurence
Year 6 Runner-Ups: Laurien & James

Year 7 Champions: Harriet, Hazel & Haydn
Year 7 Runner-Ups: Clara & Harvey

Year 8 Champions: Sarah & Sebastian
Year 8 Runner-Ups: Zaria & Samson

Following our school event, a number of swimmers went on to represent Beckenham Te Kura at the South Zone Swimming Competition, where they achieved some outstanding results against strong competition from across the zone. We are very proud of all the students who represented our kura so well. This event was a fantastic example of what can be achieved through determination, resilience, and supporting one another. As the whakataukī reminds us: “Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei.” Pursue that which is precious, and if you stumble, let it be upon a lofty mountain.

South Zone - Individual Results:
Sebastian: 2nd in 50 m Freestyle, 3rd in 50 m Backstroke, 2nd in 50 m Breaststroke
Samson Nuttall: 2nd in 50 m Butterfly
Sarah: 2nd in 50 m Freestyle, 1st in 50 m Backstroke, 1st in 100 IM
Haydn: 2nd in 50 m Freestyle, 2nd in 50 m Backstroke, 2nd in 50 m Breaststroke
Hazel: 2nd in 50 m Freestyle, 3rd in 50 m Backstroke
Clara: 3rd in 50 m Freestyle
Harriet: 2nd in 50 m Breaststroke, 1st in 50 m Butterfly
Chloe: 2nd in 50 m Backstroke, 2nd in 50 m Breaststroke
Jos: 2nd in 50 m Freestyle, 2nd in 50 m Backstroke, 1st in 50 m Breaststroke
Mati: 1st in 50 m Backstroke
Thalia: 1st in 50 m Breaststroke, 2nd in 50 m Butterfly
South Zone - Relay Results (4 x 50 m Mixed Freestyle):
Year 8 (Sebastian, Vinnie, Sarah & Harriet): 2nd
Year 7 (Haydn, Harvey, Hazel & Clara): 1st
Year 6 (Laurence, James, Chloe & Laurien): 2nd
Year 5 (Jos, Mati, Amelia & Jessica): 2nd
Year 3/4 Miniball - A successful start to the season
Our Year 3/4 Miniball teams, the Breakers, Ballers, and Boppers, have had a fantastic start to the season. It has been great to see our players developing their skills, working together as a team, and growing in confidence on the court each week.

Miniball is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn the fundamentals of basketball, and our teams have been doing a great job of supporting one another, showing determination, and giving things a go. Ka pai to all of our players for the effort and enthusiasm they are bringing to each game!
Touch Rugby - Fun for all year levels!
It’s been great to see the continued fun and success across our teams! The photos this week feature our Year 0–2 Fire and our Year 7/8 Eels and Pumas, who have been showing fantastic teamwork, effort, and enthusiasm in their games. Ka pai to all of our players for representing Beckenham Te Kura so well!

PTA News

Easter Raffle

Our Easter Raffle is up and running! Thank you for all the donations, and any last-minute donations can be dropped off at the office next week. You should all have a raffle sheet now, with 20 tickets to sell to family, friends, neighbours & workmates. Tickets are $2 each with a range of hampers to be won. Extra sheets are available at the office.

Please return all raffle sheets (sold and unsold) to the office by 3pm on Friday, 27 March.

Payment options:

Cash - place in an envelope with the raffles sheet in the box in the office.
Kindo app - download the Kindo app and pay online (and don't forget to bring your raffle sheet back to the office!).

All returned raffle sheets will go in a draw to win one of three Easter treats.

MoveX Fundraiser

Thank you to all those who supported our MoveX fundraiser last week! It was a great night, and we raised $660 towards the new shade sails.

Uniform Shop

We're always on the lookout for fleeces at the uniform shop, so if your child is growing out of theirs, we would love to have it. Donations can be dropped off at the office at any time, or come to the shop on Mondays from 2:45pm to 3:15pm or on Fridays from 8:45am to 9:15am.

BOT Update

Term 1 Policy Review - SchoolDocs

Visit the website https://beckenham.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm
Enter the username (beckenham) and password (pride).
Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
Read the policy.
Click the Start your review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
Select the reviewer type.
Enter your name (optional).
Follow the prompts to show that you've read the topic and enter your feedback if you'd like to comment.
Agree to the privacy statement and click “Submit review”.

If you don't have internet access, our school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form.