Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Schoolwide Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 3 May 2024, Week 1

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Welcome to Term 3! It has been lovely catching up with everyone this week and hearing about holiday experiences.

Staffing Updates

A few staffing updates to share.

Teaching Assistant
On Monday we welcomed Tim Cleland to our staff. Tim has a background in outdoor education and has volunteered at Beckenham over the past few years. It's great to have him join the team. Tim will mostly be working in the Kauri team.

Charlotte Verity - Year 3-4
Congratulations and farewell to Charlotte! Charlotte has been appointed and has accepted a Teaching Position at another school in Christchurch. Charlotte will take up this position in Week 8 and her last day at Beckenham will be Friday 14 June.
We will be sad to see her go and we wish Charlotte all the very best with this new career adventure.

Temporary cover for Sue Leadbetter & SENCO duties
Sue is currently on sick leave after having had back surgery this week. She is feeling good all things considered, and is now in recovery mode after a successful surgery. We wish Sue all the best for her recovery and look forward to welcoming her back in a few weeks.

Whilst Sue is on leave Laura Williamson will join the SLT team in a SENCo support role. 

Team Blogs

The school newsletter and team blogs alternate each week. The team blogs are a great way to see what your child's team have been focussing on and learn about what is coming up. Sitting with your child looking at the photos and sharing the news provides a conversation starter to hear more about what your child has been learning and doing at school. We encourage you to take the time to sit with your child each fortnight and talk through the learning and events. 

Ngā mihi nui
Jo Smith - Tumuaki (Acting Principal)

Important Dates

(you can also find the Community Calendar on our website here)

Tue 14 May - School Cross Country 
Wed 22 May - BoT Meeting, 5.30-7.30PM, Staffroom
Fri 24 May - Book Character Dress Up Day
Wed 29 May - PTA Meeting, 7.30-9.30PM
Fri 31 May - Staff Only Day (kura/school closed)
Mon 3 Jun - King's Birthday (kura/school closed)
Tue 25 Jun - Matariki Evening at Kura
Wed 26 Jun - BoT Meeting, 5.30-7.30PM, Staffroom
Wed 26 Jun - PTA Meeting, 7.30-9.30PM, Staffroom
Fri 28 Jun - Matariki (kura/school closed)
Fri 5 Jul - Last day of Term 2

Term Dates: Click here to view  2024 term dates

Citizen of the Week

Ophelia Holton - Year 4

Ophelia, you are an extremely kind, caring and enthusiastic member of the team. You are self-motivated, trustworthy and a wonderful team player. You show all of our school values every single day. Thank you for always being such an outstanding role model. Well done, Ophelia!

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
  • All students should only eat lunches and snacks that have been provided by their caregivers.  
  • Bottles, other drinks, and lunch boxes provided by caregivers should be clearly labelled with the name of their child.  Home group teachers and caregivers will decide where the children’s bottles and lunch boxes will be kept during the day to ensure no cross contamination occurs.
  • Parents are asked not to bring food into school to be shared with other children.  Whilst we understand that there are times you want to celebrate special events for your children with their friends at school, e.g. birthdays or being awarded prizes, by bringing food and treats for them to share, we have a policy of children only eating the food that their whānau have prepared and sent with them.  We have a number of students with food allergies and also need to respect the wishes of some families who want to monitor what their children are eating and prefer their children just to eat food they have prepared. From time to time, there may be an event that teachers have organised that will involve food (cultural or learning activities) and they will have advised families in advance that this will be happening.  
  • At the beginning of each year caregivers will need to check the expiry dates on any medication to be held at school.  
  • On the first day of school, caregivers will need to bring their child’s medication to the school office.  Caregivers will need to sign a medicine authority form (School Docs).  The responsibility of monitoring the expiry dates of medications rests with the parent.
  • Caregivers may be asked to come and talk to staff about their child’s specific health needs and ways we can support them at school.
We will inform you during the year if specific guidelines for your child’s hub change. 

Our full allergy policy and guidelines are available on the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto website under “Information - Policies - SchoolDocs, then search ‘allergy’. (Username: beckenham - Password: pride)

If you have any questions or concerns, please discuss them in the first instance with your child’s home group teacher.

Coffee Car Update

A message from Amber & Gyaltsen: "The Wheel Coffee car is now up for sale! We will no longer be selling coffee on Monday and Friday mornings. 
We sincerely appreciate all the support from the staff who have been regular customers and the Beckenham community. 

Kindest regards, Amber & Gyaltsen"

On that note - if anyone in our community has connections with a Coffee Van or Cart, who may wish to work with us to continue providing a school gate 'pick me up' service a couple of times each week, we would be interested in hearing from you. 

Welcome Assembly

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Welcome Assembly today. Together we welcomed new students and staff, who have joined us since our Term 1 Welcome Assembly, into our Beckenham whānau.

Reminder Period Products Available Here

Ikura | Manaakitia te whare tangata: Period products in schools, aims to provide access to free period products for children and young people in all state and state-integrated schools and kura across New Zealand.

In 2020, Ikura | Manaakitia te whare tangata started with a trial phase in 15 schools and kura across the Waikato, to understand more about providing period products in schools and kura.

In February 2021, the Government announced the expansion of the initiative to all state and state-integrated schools and kura across New Zealand on an opt-in basis. Schools and kura have been able to access products for students since June 2021 with funding secured until June 2024.

Providing free ikura products in all state and state-integrated schools and kura aims to:
  • reduce barriers to school attendance and sports involvement
  • improve child and youth wellbeing
  • reduce financial strain on families and whānau, and
  • promote positive gender norms and reduce stigmatisation of menstruation.
Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto opts in to this program. If you have any questions about the availabilty of product, please email or speak to the Office.

Scholastic Issue 3 Out Now

Issue 3 ordering closes - Friday 28 June 2024. Please click the link below to view, and place orders:


PTA News

PTA School Disco

The PTA will be running the disco(s) on the 7th June and the PTA needs you. We are running 4 x Disco (timing below) for the tamariki on the 7th June, these are based on their home groups.

We need 10 x Helper per disco to make sure the tamariki are safe.

If you can help at just one or all of the disco that great. Without your support, we can't run the disco.

The timing of the disco are:

NE - Year 1&2 2pm -2.45pm

Year 3&4 4:00-4:45

Year 5&6 5:10-6:10

Year 7&8 6:30-7:30

If you want to help please contact: Jason Orchard 027 4444-888 [PTA Chairperson] or email us at pta@beckenham.school.nz with when you can help out and some contact details.

Readathon 2024!

Look out for the readathon sponsorship forms coming home from school. This is a great opportunity to help encourage your children’s reading as well as raising some money for the school. The readathon runs for two weeks and we will be collecting forms and sponsorship money and giving out bookmarks during the week of 20th May. There will be spot prizes on Book Character day - Friday 24th of May! 

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.

PTA meeting dates can be found in the fortnightly School Newsletter, or on the school calendar - linked here. These meetings are usually held twice a term on a Wednesday night 7.30-9.30pm. 

Sports News

Cross Country

Our whole school cross-country event takes place on the afternoon of Tuesday the 14th of May. The children have been out practising this week, developing perseverance and resilience; it is wonderful to see how they encourage each other. You are invited to join us to spectate and cheer on our tamariki. We start with Year 8 races at 1:30pm. 

Children race in their year groups. 

The courses vary. The older the children, the longer the course. Years 0 to 4 have courses set on Beckenham Park. Years 5 to 8 have a course that includes Beckenham Park and a loop of Eastern Terrace, Fisher Avenue and Norwood Street. 

Children run in their house top or their school polo. Please make sure that your child wears suitable running shoes. Trainers are ideal. 

If you can help out on the Year 5 to 8 course as a marshal, please fill in this form. 

Winter Sport

We are still looking for adults to help with winter sport. 
We are in particular need of adults to help with Year 5/6 and Year 7/8 football and Year 5/6 and 7/8 hockey. 
If you can help out on Thursday afternoons starting on Thursday 30th May, please fill out this form. If there are people within your whānau who have the time and enthusiasm to help, please pass on the invitation. 

BOT Update

Dear Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto School Community,

We have an update to share with you regarding our school leadership. As you know, at the start of this year, our Principal Sandy Hastings, entered a secondment as Leadership Advisor with the Ministry of Education. Sandy has decided that the time is now right to step away from her permanent role at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto.

Since joining us in May 2011, Sandy has played a pivotal role in guiding our kura through numerous challenges and achievements. Her dedication and leadership have left a lasting impact on our community, and we are incredibly grateful for her years of service.

We will find a special moment to bid farewell to Sandy, celebrate her contributions and wish her all the best for the future. In the meantime, as a Board, our attention will now turn to the process of recruiting a new Principal before the end of the school year.

Thank you for your continued support.

Regards,

Marcel Frei
Presiding Member of the Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Board of Trustees

A message from Sandy Hastings:

Having started as principal at Beckenham in May 2011, just after the major February earthquakes, the role has included much more significant change management than I could have ever anticipated. The first two years included managing our way through aftershocks. We experienced the loss of the school library through a fire (2012), and have gone through several years of rebuilding (2015-2018) including the addition of two new roll-growth classrooms (2021) and significant landscaping and playground improvements. Alongside this physical change, I have had the privilege of working with 33 Trustees including seven Board Chairs (Presiding Members), seven Deputy Principals, and over 145 staff. It has always been a privilege to work alongside and lead with these people and our community through changes that also included 13 years of pedagogical shift and changes in government educational priorities. During 2018 our staff supported one another and our ākonga through the tragedy that was the Mosque shootings, and then, in 2020, changed gear to navigate our way through a pandemic. In 2015, we also celebrated the Centenary of the school which was an important milestone.

At the end of last year, the opportunity to take up a secondment in the Ministry of Education as a Leadership Advisor felt like a timely and appropriate opportunity for me, to share much of the learning that I have had over nearly 19 years of principalship with my colleagues in the wider Canterbury and Chatham Islands region. I have now been in the role for a term, and I have been given the opportunity to continue this role for another year, which I have accepted. At the end of that time, I will review what my next steps might be. In the meantime, I am also about to become a grandmother for the first time, to twins who are due to be born sometime in the next eight weeks, and will be coming to live in our home. This has also contributed to my decision to formally step away from the role of principal, to allow me to be more present and available in my new family role.

I have enjoyed, appreciated and loved my time at Beckenham, serving the school community and working with the most amazing people to try and always put our tamariki at the very centre of our decisions, and ensure that each of them achieve the very best possible outcomes. I would like to thank every one of our Board members, staff past and present, and the whānau of the hundreds and hundreds of children who have been through Beckenham during my tenure there, for their support, and for the challenges and opportunities, that have enabled me to grow both professionally and personally. I wish all of you, every success for the future.

Ngā mihi nui
Sandy Hastings

Community Notices

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






Kōwhai News Term 1 Week 11

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Kia ora koutou,

What an amazing term we have had! The Kōwhai team are extremely proud of the hard work and effort that each of our students have put into their learning, as well as the awesome things they have achieved!

For the holidays....some simple spelling word practise 

Heart words are frequent words that we read or write. These are not words we can 'sound out' (e.g., c-a-t = cat) or use known spelling patterns for, but they are ones we learn by memory.

Click here to view our Heart Word list. Feel free to practise reading and writing these at home. You could read the words, make flash cards or ask your child to spell aloud or write them. We focus on stages 1-4 until the children are really confident and fluent with these. After that, they can also work on the stage 4+ words.

Science - Forensic Unit

All of Kōwhai have had a blast with our Science unit this term. Our focus has been forensics and the students participated in a 'Who did it?' type of scenario as they worked their way through a series of lessons about different aspects of forensic science.

One of the staff members had been brainwashed by a corporation called "Evil" and it was the students' responsibility to figure out who this staff member was and to save them before it was too late. The students received secret video messages and had to find hidden packages in different locations around the school and used these to test chemicals, explore footprints, learn about fingerprints, understand the properties of different fibres and materials, and crack codes. It was so much fun.

For those who missed out on our final lessons..... Reihana was the staff member who was brainwashed and we were successful in saving her!






Making a Difference

During the past few weeks, some of our students have been working hard to make a difference 'Nā mātou he rerekē te ao' by picking up rubbish around our school. When we make sure that rubbish ends up in the bin and we collect rubbish that we see floating around, we are not only ensuring that we have a clean and tidy school, we are protecting our environment. 

Kapa Haka and Te Reo Māori

Next term, we will be commencing our 'opt-in' Kapa Haka sessions. The students who were interested in participating in Kapa Haka have expressed their interest this week and signed up. All students will be part of te reo lessons and those who have chosen not to be part of Kapa Haka will do extra te reo Māori during this time. 

Feel free to chat to your child's homegroup teacher if you would like more information about this.

Communication

A reminder to all our whānau that the homegroup teachers are always happy to be contacted throughout the year if there is anything you would like to share or discuss about your child. The home/school relationship is important and communication plays a large part in this. So please see your child's homegroup teacher in the first instance.

Notice, Think, Wonder - Have you got your maths eyes?

As a warm-up to some of our maths lessons, students are looking at every day images and discussing what they notice, think and wonder about the picture. They are then coming up with different mathematical ideas that are evident in the picture or ideas that they would love to explore further. 

Above are two photos that some groups have looked at.

Holiday challenge - if you are keen, take a picture (or multiple pictures) of some maths that you have seen in your day-to-day activities and ask yourself 'What do you notice? Think? Wonder? Where is the maths?'

Feel free to send your photos to krystal.hunt@beckenham.school.nz with the subject line 'Notice, Think, Wonder.' Krystal would love to see what you have come up with!


Have a great holiday! From team Kōwhai

Koru News: Term 1 Week 11 10/04/2024

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Kia ora e te whānau,

Wow, what a term it has been! Our Koru children have completed their first term at school - what an awesome achievement! There has been so much learning take place throughout this term, and we have noticed all our tamariki making great progress. We have learnt about: our Solar System, our sounds and how to decode to read words, counting and equations, problem solving in Maths, different cultures and traditions within our hub, waiata during our Kapa Haka sessions, and exploring different aspects of Art. Our tamariki have also learnt about our school-wide "Word of the Week", our daily routines, our expectations at school, and have continued to grow their social skills both within our hub and throughout the school. We are so proud of our tamariki!

We are also very excited to welcome Elizabeth back to the Koru team in term 2! She will be taking the second class. 

Word of the Week:

Over the last two weeks, we have had a focus on the words RESPONSIBILITY and KINDNESS. We have some ideas to korero to your your tamariki about over the holidays: How can we show responsibility and kindness both at home and at school? What are some examples of showing responsibility? What are some examples of showing kindness? How can we show responsibility and kindness in the school holidays?

Maths: Notice, Think, Wonder

A challenge over the holidays: What do you notice? What do you think? What do you Wonder?

Reminders:

  • Literacy folders are staying at school over the holidays and will be handed back out next term. 
  • If library books are at home over the holidays, please make sure these come back in the first week of term 2 so your child can get new ones. 
  • Our tamariki won't be needing hats for Term 2 and 3 so these can stay at home, ready to be brought back for Term 4.
  • The school term finishes at the end of this week and Term 2 will begin on Monday 29th April.
  • Lunchboxes next term: Can you please ensure your children have minimal wrappers in their lunchboxes. This makes it more accessible for your child and easier for them to eat. If there are wrappers or yoghurt pouches, could these please be slightly cut/ripped so your child can independently open these. Thanks for all your support with this. 

We hope you have an awesome, safe and restful holiday break, and we look forward to seeing our tamariki back refreshed and ready for Term 2. 

Ngā mihi nui,
Georgia, Stacey and Paul

georgia.mckenna@beckenham.school.nz
stacey.mclachlan@beckenham.school.nz

Kahikatea News Term 1 Week 11

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Kia ora e te whānau,

What a fantastic term we have had in the Kahikatea team! Ngā ākonga have settled in beautifully with their 2024 home groups, and it has been wonderful to see friendships grow and rich learning taking place. Thank you for your ongoing support as we 'fill our kete for the journey.'

Katie and Amber have enjoyed co-leading the Kahikatea team during Term 1. Amber will be the Acting Team Leader from the beginning of Term 2. She is very excited to be stepping back into this role for 2024 while Katie continues working in her Acting Deputy Principal role for the remainder of the year.

Identity

Our concept-based inquiry this year is Identity. This term, we have worked really hard to learn new kupu (words) and rerenga kupu (phrases) by learning our pepeha (introduction) in Te Reo Māori.

Pepeha is a way for all of us to express to others who we are and where we come from. In Te Ao Māori it builds whanaungatanga (relationship/connection).

For Maōri (tangata whenua), pepeha is a set form of words that is recited. Pepeha is about places and people that Māori are connected to through their whakapapa (genealogy).

Non-Māori (tauiwi/tangata tītiri) can have a pepeha if they think about some rules (tikanga Māori). They can express their connection to the places and people they connect to through their own whakapapa.

Each child planned their pepeha, similar to the one below. They then practiced and practiced their pepeha. We are so proud of how well everyone has done! You can look forward to seeing your child's pepeha in their mid-year report learning post.



Teddy Bears Picnic

It was such a treat to come to school in our pyjamas with our favourite teddy bear yesterday! We did a range of fun teddy bear related activities. Here are some photos of the fun!
















Wishing you all a wonderful holiday! We look forward to seeing you and your child back at school on Monday the 29th of April.

Team Kahikatea

amber.donovan@beckenham.school.nz
ella.rainbow@beckenham.school.nz
lisa.collier@beckenham.school.nz
quynh.nguyen@beckenham.school.nz
sarah.angelo@beckenham.school.nz

Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto Schoolwide Newsletter, Rāmere (Friday) 5 April 2024, Week 10

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

Staffing update
Congratulations and thanks to Amber Donovan. Amber will be the Acting Team Leader for the Kahikatea team for the remainder of 2024, while Katie McFarlane is the Acting Deputy Principal. Amber is excited to support the team in this role.

Next week is the last week of Term 1 and then it is the April school holidays (2 weeks). The Beckenham team wish all the tamariki and their whānau a safe and restful holiday ready for the start of Term 2 on Monday 29th April. 

Ngā mihi nui
Jo Smith - Tumuaki (Acting Principal)

Important Dates

(you can also find the Community Calendar on our website here)

Fri 12 Apr - Last day of Term 1
Mon 29 Apr - First day of Term 2
Fri 3 May - Welcome Assembly, 9.15-9.30am, Hall
Tue 14 May - School Cross Country TBC
Wed 22 May - PTA Meeting, 7.30-9.30PM
Wed 29 May - BoT Meeting, 5.30-7.30PM, Staffroom
Fri 31 May - Staff Only Day (kura/school closed)
Mon 3 Jun - King's Birthday (kura/school closed)
Tue 25 Jun - Matariki Evening at Kura
Wed 26 Jun - BoT Meeting, 5.30-7.30PM, Staffroom
Wed 26 Jun - PTA Meeting, 7.30-9.30PM, Staffroom
Fri 28 Jun - Matariki (kura/school closed)
Fri 5 Jul - Last day of Term 2

Term Dates: Click here to view  2024 term dates

Citizen of the Week

Jensen Greig - Year 6 

Jensen, your kind and caring nature is noticed on a daily basis. You have a love for learning new things and for sharing your vast array of awesome knowledge. You bring laughter and fun to the Pōhutukawa hub. Your ability to talk things through sensibly is admirable. Ka mau te wehi!

Citizen of the Week

Briana Kokkinidis - Year 8

Bree, you are such a deep thinker and we so appreciate the richness you add to discussions in our hub. You are full of sparkle and creativity. Organisation, empathy and courage shape you into the wonderful person you are. Ka rawe, Bree!

School Notices

Cheese Rolls

Thank you to everyone who ordered cheese rolls! This fundraiser supports the various Education Outside the Classroom activities planned for Year 7 and 8 this year. Thank you also to the high functioning team who made the rolls, a tremendous effort! We hope you enjoy eating them.

Parking

3min area on Sandwich Road

A reminder please, that the stretch of road adjacent to the Admin building on Sandwich Road is a 3 minute 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. 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.

Eastern Terrace

Please be considerate to bus drivers, and other road users by ensuring you are not parking in the signposted areas that are reserved for bus parking during certain hours. 

BOSCO School Holiday programme

Monday 15th April – Friday 26th April

Closed for ANZAC Day

For all bookings, please follow the steps on bosco.aimyplus.com
New families will need to register as a new parent following the simple steps.
Any issues or questions please don’t hesitate to call or email.

To see an enlarged version of the above Holiday Programme Schedule, please click here.

Remembering the ANZACs

Next week the student council will be selling ANZAC biscuits, with all money going to the RSA. Children bring a gold coin donation on Thursday morning to order their ANZAC biscuit from in front of the hall before school. They will receive their biscuit on Friday in time for morning tea. A lot of fun was had deciding on the perfect recipe! A gluten free option will be available to order. There will also be a poppy badge making activity at lunchtime on Thursday for those who would like to take part.

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 fortnightly School Newsletter, or on the school calendar - linked here.
These meetings are usually held on a Wednesday night 7.30-9.30pm.

Community Notices

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

ACTT's Mandarin Parenting Seminar

Arts Centre April School Holiday Fun Programme

Methven Scarecrow Trail: Saturday April 13 – Sunday April 28, 2024

The Methven Scarecrow Trail is a hugely popular and fun family event run in the April school holidays. It is suitable for all ages!

Every year, members of the Methven community build scarecrows to a particular theme and these scarecrows, usually around 30+ in number, are scattered around the town for families to find and try to identify the name of the character.  This year's theme is Children's Movie - Animated Characters. Families or small groups purchase a Trail Map/Entry form from the iHub Information Centre and there are sponsored prizes for the most correct entries and for the most popular scarecrows.

Don't forget to like the Scarecrow Trail FB page if possible - this is where we post messages and the results - https://www.facebook.com/MethvenScarecrowTrail/

Starting May 1 free bus fares for 5-12 year olds no longer available

Upcoming fare changes mean 5–12 year olds need to top up their Metro card.

As of 1 May, 5-12-year-old's will no longer travel for free on the bus following the government’s changes to its Community Connect concessions scheme. This is a nationwide change, decided by the new government. Children 4 years old and under will continue to travel for free without a Metrocard. 

Children 5-12 will now need to top up their Metro cards in order to pay the $1 bus and $2 ferry concessions as part of the half-price Under 25 concession from May 1. The Council had already planned for the continuation of the Under 25 concession in its 2022/23 Annual Plan, as part of its flat fare trial.   

All other Metro concessions for Greater Christchurch will remain the same including Community Services Card holders, tertiary students, and Total Mobility customers.

All Greater Christchurch Metro fares can be viewed here.   


April School Holiday program being run by 'Thrive in Sport'

Here is the registration link for people interested in attending.
https://form.jotform.com/Bell_Matt_matt/SHPApril24