{"id":14407,"date":"2026-02-05T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beckenham.school.nz\/?guid=519908ddee25ffb9eedf3acfab13069d"},"modified":"2026-02-05T13:18:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T01:18:56","slug":"beckenham-te-kura-o-puroto-final-schoolwide-newsletter-rapare-thursday-5th-february-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beckenham.school.nz\/index.php\/newsletters\/beckenham-te-kura-o-puroto-final-schoolwide-newsletter-rapare-thursday-5th-february-2026\/14407","title":{"rendered":"Beckenham Te Kura o P\u016broto Final Schoolwide Newsletter, R\u0101pare (Thursday) 5th February 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Principal's Update<\/h2><\/div>

Ng\u0101 mihi e te wh\u0101nau,<\/h3>
We have experienced a wonderfully settled beginning to the 2026 school year. This year we are starting the school year with a new organisation of our learning spaces, and our students and staff have adapted extremely well to this new way of working together.<\/div>

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A heartfelt thank you to our staff who did so much work in the lead-up to students arriving, and to our wh\u0101nau for ensuring your children were so well prepared to return to school.<\/div>

Waitangi Day 2026<\/h3>
As we acknowledge Waitangi Day, we take time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand and to reflect on what it means for us as a school community. At Beckenham Te Kura o P\u016broto, our commitment to Te Tiriti is reflected in how we value partnership, protection and participation in our everyday practice - through culturally responsive teaching, the growing use of te reo M\u0101ori, strong connections with wh\u0101nau, and learning environments where all \u0101konga feel seen, respected and able to succeed.<\/div>

Welcome to Our New Staff Members for 2026!<\/h3>
We are excited to introduce the newest members of our team for the upcoming year:<\/div>

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Sarah Spence - Kahikatea Team<\/div>
Kate Meder - P\u014dhutukawa Team<\/div>

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Sarah and Kate have shared a brief bio in this newsletter, so you can get to know them a little better.<\/div>

Welcome Assembly<\/h3>
We are looking forward to welcoming our new \u0101konga (students) and their wh\u0101nau (families) to our school next Friday. It is always inspiring to see the many cultures and countries represented in our flag ceremony.<\/div>

Staff Only Days<\/h3>
In the lead-up to the start of the school year, staff spent three days engaged in professional learning and preparation. One of these days was facilitated by Autism New Zealand, where staff completed the Tilting the Seesaw<\/i> course.<\/div>

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The remaining days were spent together focusing on Setting Up for Success<\/i>, with key themes of ensuring consistent approaches across the school, building strong relationships, and maintaining high expectations to support every student\u2019s success.<\/div>

Learning Conferences<\/h3>
Thank you for taking the time to meet with your child\u2019s homeroom teacher, either last Friday or Monday of this week. We see these conferences as a fundamental step in developing strong learning partnerships that will support your child to thrive throughout the year. If, for any reason, you were unable to attend, please contact your child\u2019s homeroom teacher so that an opportunity to connect can be arranged.<\/div>

Attendance<\/h3>
As you may know, one of the government\u2019s key education targets is for 80% of students to attend school for more than 90% of the term. This is a goal we are committed to achieving as we start the school year, and we are committed to supporting all of our students in maintaining regular attendance.<\/div>

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In 2023, the Education Review Office (ERO) published Attendance: Getting Back to School - A Guide for Parents and Wh\u0101nau. Overall, ERO reported that \u2018We found lots of evidence that regular attendance has a big impact: the more often children attend school, the better they do at school, the happier they are, and the better they are set up for life.\u2019<\/div>
This guide also offers practical tips for wh\u0101nau to help support their child\u2019s regular attendance, many of which you may find useful to implement at home:<\/div>