Week 8 Update

With just two weeks to go, we have a number of important reminders...

Midsummer Night's Dream: It is all finally coming together and we are very excited about performing on Thursday evening, Dec 6th. This performance involves ALL YEAR 7 & 8 STUDENTS. They need to be at school that night by 6:15 if make-up is required and everyone else by 6:45. All students should know what to wear, props children to dress in black, if your child is unsure they need to speak with their Arts Academy teacher. We are having a dress rehearsal on Monday Dec 3 in the afternoon.

Canterbury Athletic Champs: All the best to our team of talented athletes who travel to Ashburton on Wednesday Dec 5th. If you are in the team, you must meet Mrs Inwood at 6:50am outside Hillview Christian School to catch the bus.

Pool Day: We are off to Jellie Park on Friday Dec 7th, straight after the final PRIDE assembly which starts at 9am. The charge for this trip is $ .... for bus fare and pool entry, plus $...... for hydro-slide. A notice about this trip was sent home on Friday.

Technicraft: Our final tech session for the term is on Tuesday Dec 4th.

Languages: These continue until the last week of term.

Home Learning: The last home learning assignment for the year is due on Friday Dec 7th. No more maths home learning will be given this year.

Attitude Afternoon: We have been pleased with how our Year 7 & 8s have been holding their behaviour together and applying themselves to their work. As a reward for this we are holding our Attitude Afternoon on Thursday Dec 6th. The children will have a choice of watching a movie, playing games outside or playing on tech devices. By Monday Mr Rodger will have chosen a movie, if required a note will come home for you to sign giving permission for your child to watch the movie.

Celebration of Learning: On the last Monday of term, Dec 10, you are invited to drop into your child's class, with your child some time between 3 and 6pm. The purpose of this visit is for your child to share their learning with you, have a quick chat with their teacher and collect their school report. We hope you take up this opportunity. If you can't make it along, reports will be sent home later in the week.

Last week of the year:
Monday Dec 10:

• Matinee performance of Midsummer Night's Dream: 1:30 - 3:00
• Celebration of Learning: 3pm - 6pm

Tuesday Dec 11:

• Canterbury football fun afternoon for all Year 7 & 8s

Thursday Dec 13:

• Year 8 Graduation Assembly starting at 11am, followed by a lunch in the hall. You should have received an invitation about this. Please return reply slips to office ASAP. Year 8s finish school for the year after the lunch.

Friday Dec 14:

• Students meet with their 2013 teacher - 10:50
• School finishes for the year at 12:30.

Saturday Dec 15:

• Phew!

Week 7 Update

We are hurtling through the term at a great rate of knots! Lots is happening in team 7 & 8...

Midsummer Night's Dream: Excitement is building as we draw closer to our performance evening on Thursday December 6th. Most students are providing their own costumes, please ask your child if they have got themselves organised with this. In week 7 we are combining all of the academies; drama, dance, music, singing and visual art, to bring the show together. Many thanks to those who have sent along green fabric for our trees, we now have enough.

Attitude Afternoon: Last week we had a talk with the children about three things that they need to focus on as we head towards the end of the year. Making good choices about what we say to each other and not passing on rumours (coming to a teacher with concerning information rather than passing it on); staying out of classrooms at break times and maintaining a positive attitude to learning, being a responsible class member. We have introduced a points system, when all classes reach their points target we will have an 'Attitude Afternoon' to reward their good behaviour. The afternoon will include choices of; a movie, sport and outside games and playing on electronic devices. There will be a permission slip to sign in regards to the movie, this will come home the day before. The students have responded and we are pleased with how well things are ticking along in Year 7 & 8 at this time of the year. Roll on Attitude Afternoon!

Pool Day: A notice will be coming home next week about our end of  term pool day at Jellie Park. This will be on Friday Dec 7th, the day after our performance evening. The day starts with the final PRIDE assembly at 9am, then we will head off to Jelly Park at 10am, returning by 3pm. The children will have the option of hydro-sliding (extra cost). Hopefully summer temperatures have returned by then!

Year 8 Final Assembly & Prize Giving: An invitation will come home to Year 8 families about this celebration within the next week. Please send the reply back quickly as we need numbers for the lunch that follows the assembly. Thurs Dec 13, starting at 11am. Year 8 children finish for the year following the lunch.

Self Defence: Over the past two terms all of our girls have spent 5 afternoons developing self defence skills. Their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. A huge thanks to Lynda Maindonald who brings the Self Defence Project to our school free of charge. We will continue to offer this biannually to our girls. Some of the girls' feedback...

• This course should continue through Beckenham because it prepared girls for future happenings. I feel like I can do anything now.
• This course makes girls my age feel stronger, safer and more confident. I want to thank everyone who made this course, it made me a powerful girl.
• It was fun, I learnt heaps and now I feel more confident and aware.

Electronics Day: 12 Year 7 students had a very inspiring and exciting day on Monday as they worked with electronics ambassadors to create electronic Christmas trees that played music and flashed lights. This model of learning, provided by Future in Tech, is superb; students work in small groups with an expert in the field. They put together circuit-boards, soldered it all together and programmed their devices. There was lots of opportunity for discussions about working in the electronics industry.

Week 5 Update

Drenched yet buzzing! Top team was full of teamwork, laughter, determination and water. An awesome event, everyone was fully focused and giving their best for their team. Ka pai Year 7 & 8! A big thanks to Sport Canterbury and the senior students from Cashmere (mostly ex-Beckenham) who came along to run the events. Will post more pics in photo gallery.

 

Athletics: A big congratulations at all who competed at the Zone Athletics on Thursday. Our team excelled with over 30 qualifying for the Canterbury Athletics in December. We think this is our best achievement ever.

 

 

Midsummer Night's Dream, one evening performance only: Now that we have such a large team travelling to Ashburton for athletics on Wednesday Dec 5th, we have decided not to perform our production that evening. We will now have one evening performance on the 6th (as originally planned) and a matinee the following week for Years 1- 6 students and parents.

 

Electronics Day: 12 Year 7 students will be selected to take part in an electronics day organised by Future in Tech on Monday 19 November. Working with ambassadors from the industry, the students will put together and programme a device on a Christmas theme. Students involved will bring home a notice on Tuesday.

 

Mural Completed: It was exciting to see our cultural diversity mural go up on the library wall this week. We have heard many comments about 'how awesome' it is. Well done to all of the artists involved, and a big thanks to Ms Hastings's husband, Bruce, for putting it all together.

 

 

Week 4 Update

One of the Family: We were treated to a superb presentation on Monday by the RSPCA and Norm Hewitt. 'One of the Family' was both hilarious and poignant; looking at how we can have a dream and achieve our goals. There was also a strong message about how the cycle of domestic and animal violence needs to be broken. An extra treat was when Norm shared his dancing experiste with Mr Rodger and Mrs Inwood and later in the session they danced for us; check out the You Tube clip.

Science Interchange: This term we are spending Wednesday mornings between interval and lunch immersing ourselves in science. The bunsen burners are in action, crystals are being created and robots are being constructed and programmed.

Top Team: This coming Friday (Nov 9th) is Top Team. This is being held at Beckenham Park. All Year 7 & 8s will take part. Please ensure children come to school in uniform, but have a change of clothes suitable for physical activity.

Te Whanau Mahi Tahi will be out of school on Thursday afternoon (Nov 8th) performing at Burwood School.

School Disco is on this coming Friday (Nov 9th), seniors from 7:30 - 8:30pm, entry $2.

Week 3 Update

Athletics Day: We had a fabulous day for athletics yesterday, with many impressive performances. Great effort from everyone. This year we videoed the finals of each sprint and after school checked our results. There were a number of minor adjustments to placings, so this technology will be regularly employed in future sports days!



12 year old girls final takes off.

The start of the students vs teachers relay...

...and the student teachers are victorious!

We were impressed with the consistency of good high jump technique.

Yes that is pretty high; but even more impressive heights were jumped, with Lyle clearing 148cm!

 

 

Midsummer Night's Dream: Please make sure you have marked December 5th and 6th on your calendar. We are doing two performances of our production this year. All children need to be there on both evenings.
 

2013 Elwing Discoveries 'Year 8 Leadership Voyage': Last week I explained about this exciting opportunity (click 'Elwing' tab above). You have until Friday Nov 2nd to express your interest.
 

Inter-school sports challenge on Erin Simpson Show: Unfortunately this event has been postponed, hopefully we can be involved next year.

 

Classes for 2013: We are currently looking at our class placements for next year, please contact Ms Hastings if you see any specific needs for your child that we should take into account.

 

Top Team: On Friday Nov 9th in the afternoon Top Team is coming to Beckenham School. Last year half of our team took part in this full filled event at Opawa School. This year all our Year 7 & 8s will be involved here at Beckenham Park. Water is a key feature of several of the challenges, so a change of clothes needs to be brought to school that day. Parents are welcome to come and watch; a great opportunity to see your child in a group situation, where intiative, a proactive attitude and some persistence are necessary.

 

School Blog: You will see an extra blog link in the sidebar. The media team have taken over the regular updating of our school blog, worth checking regulary as it will be updated each Friday.

 

 

 

 



Week 2 Update

It's been great to welcome everyone to our final term. Athletics, science interchange and a team spelling bee have been highlights this week.

Spelling Bee: Thanks to the initiative of two of our Year 8 students, Jignasha and Maigan, we have had a series of class spelling bees following the 'Akeela and the Bee' AVAILLL unit. This culminated in the Team Bee held on Thursday. Each class was represented by 5 keen spellers. Congratulations to Grace from Room 19 who was first, Megan of Room 18 who came second and Kate also from Room 18 who was third. This will become an annual team event, a big thanks to Jignasha and Maigan for all their organisation.

Exciting Opportunity for Year 7: We have received information from Elwing Discoveries about their 'Year 8 Leadership Voyage' from Feb 3 - 6 2013, setting out from Bluff. Such an experience comes at a cost of $500 all inclusive from Bluff. We are keen to send a student (or possibly 2) on this voyage and are prepared to subsidise the trip by 50%. Please click on the 'Elwig' tab above to find out more.

Inter-School Challenge: The Erin Simpson Show is running an event to pit the fastest and most athletic Year 7 & 8 students against each other. Each team consists of 2 girls and 2 boys. We are keen to enter at least one team in this competition. Team members will be selected following Sports Day.

The following students have earned leadership awards. These will be presented at PRIDE assembly on Friday Nov 2nd at 10am. You are most welcome to attend.
Bronze: Sam Bacon, Liam de la Mare, Jessica Lange, Naquita Cross, Jack Harrison, Martina Hillman, Phoebe Kerr, Annalise Lightbourne, Alyssa Palmer, Xena Pope, Jack McMecking, Niamh Menzies, Sophie van Soest, Teille Gaines, Oscar Hooper, Henry Maude, Grace Moulin-Gower, Andrew Proud, Starleigh Simons

Silver: Leni Frampton, Saria Terry, Heidi Cooper, Claudia Hillyer, Julia Siddall, Brendon Dickens, James HanlonGold: Alexandra Limmer

Upcoming events:
Thurs Oct 25   Athletic Sports
Mon Oct 29   “One of the Family”presentation by SPCA
Fri Nov 9         Top Team Competition, based at school for all Year 7 & 8
Mon Nov 19    Electronics day (Future in Tech), GATE programme for Year 7
Wed Dec 5       Midsummer Night's Dream, involves all Year 7 & 8 students.Performance 1
Thurs Dec 6     Midsummer Night's Dream, involves all Year 7 & 8 students. Performance 2
Mon Dec 10     Open afternoon, a celebration of learning.
Thurs Dec 13   Prize-giving and Farewell for Year 8. Year 8s finish at lunchtime.
Fri Dec 14        Last day of the year.

* We are planning a fun day out at the end of term, event and date yet to be confirmed.

Sad News

Charlie, the much loved feathered student of Room 18 sadly passed away in the holidays. He became ill on Monday and despite efforts from the vet, died on Tuesday. We'll have fond memories of Charlie perched on Miss Harris's shoulder, helping students with their work and just hanging out with his mates in the classroom. What did you love about Charlie? Leave a comment on this blog...

That was term 3.

What an action packed week to finish the term...

On Tuesday we heard from Josie about Fair Trade. She left us with some key messages; Fair Trade is helping people to help themselves and it enables families to educate their children, have access to clean water, medical needs and adequate shelter. All we need to do to help is purchase Fair Trade products and now we know how to identify these by the label.

The House Captains and their helpers did a superb job of organising the House Picnic on Wednesday.

We enjoyed an afternoon of fine entertainment at the School Talent Quest. From cute magicians to stunning singers, musicians and dancers; what talent we have at Beckenham! Congratulations to Beth (first place) and Grace and Maddie (second place). I'm glad I wasn't judging - the standard was very high and it must have been a tough decision picking the winners.

Speech finals produced more superb entertainment. Topics ranged from 'How to procrastinate like a professional' to 'Ferral Children', 'Steriotyping' and 'Pop Music'. The audience was captivated for almost an hour. Brilliant work people, we loved listening to you all. Congratulations to Danielle (1st), Beth (2nd) and Anna J (3rd).

Mid- summer Night's Dream creation is in full swing. Rhythm bounces off the walls of Room 16, coordination and creation are abound in Room 17, the story is being pieced together as an original work in  Room 18 and paint, hot glue, bubbles and wire-cutters are being put to good use in Room 19. Next term we step up to two sessions a week as we work towards staging this production on Thursday November 29th.

On Friday we said a fond farewell to Mrs Radcliffe. We will miss her calm and reassuring manner and her style and grace.

Next term we have lots to look forward to:

• Team Spelling Bee on Thursday Oct 18th
• Athletic Sports on Thursday Oct 25th
• Weekly self defence for girls in Rooms 18 and 19 on Wednesday afternoons.
• Football Literacy for Year 8s
• Top Team competition on November 9th
• Mid-summer Night's Dream on November 29th
• and much more...

Week 11 Update

Year 8 Camp: What a fabulous two days we had of action packed leadership development. We kicked off with an inspiring session run by 'Full On' and followed this with a raft of practical activities, Gemma - our guest speaker from What Now, lots of opportunities to 'Sharpen the Saw' and brief reflections on how we were applying the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. As teachers we were hugely impressed with how all of the Year 8s responded. By the end we were all shattered, but still smiling. Check the photo gallery for more pictures, we have heaps more on the server at school.

The last week of term is a busy one...

Class Speeches: All Year 7 & 8 children should have finished or nearly finished writing their speech. These will be delivered to the class early in the week, with the Team Speech Finals on Thursday at 11am in the Hall. Parents are most welcome.

Fair Trade: We are hoping our quest speaker has recovered from illness and will be with us on Tuesday afternoon.

No technology at South this week.

We are taking part in the national wide Shake Out earthquake drill on Wednesday morning.

House Picnic is on Wednesday from 11:30. Children are to come in House colours and are encouraged to arrange a shared picnic with friends in their House. House Captains and their deputies are arranging games for Year 1 - 8.

The finals of the School Talent Quest are on Wednesday afternoon in the Hall starting at 1:30. Parents are welcome.

On Friday we farewell Caroline Radcliffe, our much loved receptionist, with a special assembly starting at 9:30. A number of children are performing at this assembly, including the Drama Club and Te Whanau Mahi Tahi.

Week 10 Update

With just two weeks to go, we are hitting the end of term busy season.

Year 8 families should have received a second camp notice this week, check out the Camp Page on this blog.

Well done to those who qualified for the school talent quest this week. We were impressed by the talent on show at our Year 7 & 8 Team heats. Finals are on the afternoon of Wednesday Sept 26.

Our team team speech finals will take place on Sept 27 at 11am. There is quite a bit of speech writing to do between now and then!

Next week we have a guest speaker from Trade Aid coming to talk with our classes as part of our Fair Trade study.

Please encourage your child to get their Spellathon money in and card returned ASAP.

Wek 9 Update

What an action packed week we have had. A huge congratulations to all of the children involved in the Band and Te Whanau Mahi Tahi; you all performed superbly this week. We oozed with pride in the audience!

The combined bands conducted by Anna

Art Mural: Much progress was made with the Cultural Diversity mural this week. We will require a couple to Friday sessions to complete it. If your child is in this group, please ensure paint clothes are packed on Fridays.

Flags, greeting and faces at various stages of completion.

Extra Technology: In week 11 this term there will be no Tuesday technology. To make up for this lost session there will be two technology mornings in week 9, Tuesday and Friday.

Speeches: All classes are now underway with speech writing. Discussion at home to develop ideas and check up on progress would help to support your child. The writing happens at school.

Thursday Cashmere Testing: A reminder that children who will attend Cashmere High School in 2013 have a testing morning at Cashmere on Thursday Sept 13. They are responsible for getting themselves there and back to school by 1:30pm.

Forms to return: There are a small number of spellathon and Year 8 camp forms to return. Please ensure these come back to school on Monday.

A big thanks to all those who have returned sports uniforms, again a few are still outstanding, please get these washed and returned to school on Monday.

Week 8 Update

Year 8 Camp forms were due back on Friday Aug, 31st. Please send any remaining forms to school on Monday. We had wonderful support for our PJ day, raising over $400. We were also given money to cover swimming and bus hire from Rotary. So this money along with some funding from the PTA has reduced our camp fee down to $10 per child, this will be charged to your account.

After a dramatic start to the day, with a bus accident (everyone was OK), the Year 7 & 8 Hockey, Rugby and Football teams displayed impressive resiliency to go on and perform admirably at the Canterbury Winter Sports Tournament.  A fabulous attitude was seen in all teams. We were particularly impressed with the Football team who we think were placed 5th.

Winter Sport has now finished and next Friday we will be underway with athletics.

We have spoken with the children about ensuring they are dressed in correct uniform and that their nails are polish free. If there is a valid reason why your child is not wearing correct uniform (black pants and red school top), please write a brief note for them to carry that day. Nail polish is fine for weekends, but please remind your daughters to remove it on Sunday evening.

On Tuesday's long hair needs to be tied back, for safety reasons, at technology. Most children come prepared with hair ties, but a number still need to remember this. Again, a reminder from home would be appreciated.

A big congratulations to the following sports stars...

• Latham Kelly-Foleni will captain the Under 65kg Canterbury Rugby Team in the South Island Tournament.
• Annalise Lightbourne, has been selected for the Canterbury 11 a-side development team. She will be attending the Festival of Hockey in Ashburton in October.
• We have four Canterbury reps who have been selected for Mainland Football this week; Henry Mabin has made the 12^th Grade Canterbury Red Team travelling to Blenheim, Callum Riley has made the 13^th Grade Canterbury Red Team travelling to Queenstown, Lyle Matthysen  has made the 14^th Grade Canterbury Black team travelling to Dunedin and Beth Elliott has made the 14^th Grade Canterbury Red Team who will compete here in Christchurch.

Wow! These are fabulous achievements, we wish you all well with your games.

Week 8 is a big cultural week. All the best to the band and te Whanau Mahitahi, who will preform on Tuesday and Wednesday nights this week.

We hope there has been a lot of spelling going on in your house over the past few weeks. Spellathon cards need to be returned on Monday with testing day on Friday Sept 7th. I have added the Spellathon words to the Spelling Page on this blog, so words are still available to practise, once the cards have been returned.

In week 9, our Year 8 students who are going to Cashmere High School next year will be attending a testing morning on Thursday September 13th. On that day they make their own way to Cashmere in the morning and need to be back at school before 1:30pm.

Week 7 Update

Things are ticking along nicely in the Year 7 & 8 team. Today (Friday) our Hagley Sports teams headed off to Pioneer Park to welcome home our Olympians.

The final round of Hagley Sport will take place on Friday Sept 31st. Basketball is also wrapping up for the year; the white team play their final game today and the red team have their last game on Monday 27th at 5:30.

Self defence is underway for Room 16 and 17 girls; this will run every Tuesday afternoon until Sept 18.

If your child is one of the 18 artists who will be working on the cultural diversity mural, please ensure they come to school dressed in old clothes for painting on Monday (Aug 27 & Sept 3).

Spellathon Cards have all been sent out. Please encourage your child to keep learning these words. Little and often is the best approach; just 3 words a day and they will have them mastered in no time. They also need to be gathering sponsors.

The first notice for Year 8 Camp is being sent home today. You will see we have a new page on this blog for Year 8 Camp, please check this weekly.

If your child is involved in the Music Festival Choir, you should have recieved a notice about their massed rehearsal on Friday August 31st

Week 6 Update

Self defence sessions will start for the girls of Rooms 16 and 17 on Tuesday August 21st, after lunch. This course will run for five weeks. Next term, Rooms 18 and 19 will have their turn.

Special art project: On Monday Aug 27 and Sept 3, four children from each Year 7 & 8 class will be working with Miss Dunlop on the creation of a mural, to celebrate the cultural diversity of our school. This mural will be attached to the wall of the library which faces Sandwich Rd.

ICAS tests: This week we received results for the ICAS science tests. Beckenham students performed very well with a number of distinction certificates being awarded. Special congratulations to Briana Steven achieving a High Distinction.

Spellathon: Spellathon cards will come home in the next day or two. Please read instructions carefully and encourage the children to gather sponsors and learn their words.

Winter Sport: Aug 24th will be the final day at Hagley Park. Students will leave school at 11:00, as we have been asked to join other selected schools to welcome home our Olympians in Hagley Park. Sport will follow after this welcome.
Unfortunately the South Zone Winter Tournament was cancelled due to ground conditions. On Thursday Aug 30th, our A football, hockey and rugby teams will be competing in the Canterbury Winter Sport Tournament. Teams we will be leaving school at 11am and returning by approx. 3pm.

Mid Summer Night's Dream: We are having lots of fun on Thursday afternoons as we create drama, music, dance and art. Below are some pictures taken from this week's props making session.

 The kind fairy Queen's flower garland is coming together, next step ... how do we make flower buds?

Large fruit take shape, next step ... papier mache.

3D trees under construction. We have a few attachment issues to be worked through.

Tissue flowers by the dozen!

Week 5 Update

It's time to keep your fingers crossed and do some fine weather dances, we need a good day on Wednesday 15th Aug for the South Zone Winter Tournament to go ahead.
Leadership Camp: We are currently finalising the costs for our Year 8 Leadership Camp which will take place on Sept 20 and 21. A letter will be coming out in Week 5 with details about this camp.

Speeches: We will be holding our annual speech competition in week 10 (class) and 11 (team) this term. In Year 7 & 8 the students write their speeches at school on a topic of their own choice. Most classes will get getting underway with this writing topic within the next two or three weeks. How you can help at home is to discuss with your child a suitable topic and encourage them to start researching their topic and gathering ideas.

Mid Summer Night's Dream: Thursday afternoons are turning into a highlight for our team as we work towards the creation of our production. The props and set design group would appreciate the donation of:

• Green fabric, any shade or size would be appreciated.
• Chicken wire, if you have any lying around your garage that you no longer need.
• Beads (dark colours ... purple, blue, black, green) or chains (necklace)
• Large boxes or sheets of card.

Please send any donations to Room 19.

Cantamath Success: I've been talking about Cantamath a lot over the past few weeks; well the event finally came and we had reason to be proud of our students. Both teams finished in the top 50% of the schools competing; the Year 7 team scored 65/100 and the Year 8 team 60/100. In the displays section over half of our entries gained awards, which is pretty impressive as the majority of work on display wasn't awarded anything.

• A big congratulations to Gabrielle Gray (game), Jack Ryan (model) and Room 19 maths class (project redesigning Waltham Pool) for their Excellence Awards.
• Well done to Ties Prins (publicity motif), Jimmy King (publicity motif), Briana Steven (model), Hannah Lawson (model), Oscar Hooper (poster), Claudia Hillyer (model) and .... for their Highly Commended awards.

Week 4 Update

On Thursday night we held our open evening for Year 5 & 6 families, and again today we talked with all Year 5 & 6 children at school. I was very proud of our stage band and the five Year 8 presenters who spoke, they did a fabulous job.

On Tuesday we displayed all of the Canatmath display projects that were completed for home learning. Wow, we were blown away by the number of top quality pieces of work that were created. This year we will be putting more entries into Cantamath than we ever have before. Visit our photo gallery to see the selected projects.

Wednesday of week four is a big day. Most of our students will be off to Hagley Park late morning to compete in the South Zone Winter Sports Tournament. No lunch orders for those children please. We wish them well and know they will do us proud.

After school on Wednesday it's Cantamath Time. Our teams would love some supporters. The competition is at the CSB Canterbury Area, starting at 3:30 with the Year 7 team. It is a great afternoon at attend; as well as the problem solving competition, it is also a chance to view all of the wonderful projects on display. The Year 8 competition will be finished by 5:30pm.
Good luck to our teams:
Year 7: Jack R, Briana, Jessica L, Oscar and Jimmy as reserve.
Year 8: Maigan, Beth, Joseph, Anna J and Henry as reserve.

Week 3 Update

Leadership Awards: It was fabulous to be able to award so many leadership certificates and badges at PRIDE assembly on Friday. Well done to...

• Bronze (100 points): Leni Frampton, Salem Sutherland, Briea Thomson, Callum Bass, Justine Bennett, Thomas Flynn, Maddie Howe, Jimmy King, Jessica Ownsworth, Jack Ryan, Liam Scarlett, Julia Siddall, Emily Bell, Sanine Grey, James Hanlon, Joe Leech, Briana Steven and Iona Taylor
• Silver (200 points):  Thomas Smy, Olivia Selwood, Megan Brown, Lachie Worthington, Anna Joughin, Jake Tomlinson, Barry Stace, Jignasha Solanki and Sam Dunbar
• Gold (400 points): Angus Milner. Angus has done extremely well to achieve this award so early in the year. He is always a keen volunteer and diligent worker. Tu meke Angus!

The NED show. On Tuesday we were treated to an afternoon of stimulating entertainment and positive messages in the form of the NED show. Yoyos are quickly becoming a regular feature in the playground. These will be on sale for 2 more days, Monday and Tuesday, in the library at 1pm.
The key messages ...

• Never give up
• Eencourage others
• Do your best

... tie in nicely with our PRIDE Vision.


On Thursday August 2nd starting at 7pm we will be holding our Year 7 and 8 Open Evening for Year 6 students and their families.

Cantamath: It was exciting to see so many high quality Cantamath Projects arriving at school on Friday. If your child is still to complete this home learning, please encourage them to do so over the weekend and hand it in on Monday. We will be displaying all projects in the Hall early on Tuesday and will select the best to go through to the Cantamath Competition in week 4.
Our Canatmath squad are practising regularly at lunchtime, teams will be announced on Friday Aug 3rd. Cantamath Competition day is Wednesday Aug 8th. Year 7 teams start at 3:30 and Year 8 at 4:45.

Week 1 Update

What an exciting end to Week 1 of Term 3! We have just had our Becamath problem solving competition. Energy, ideas, equations and tension were bouncing off the walls of the School Hall. A fabulous effort from everyone.

Special congratulations to:
Year 8
First Equal:Room 16: Maigan, Jignasha, Angus and Salem
                   Room 17: Beth, Ben, Brent and Charissa

Year 7
First: Room 19: Briana, India, Andrew and Henry
Second: Room 16: Jessica, Thomas, Emily and Liam

...more photos in the gallery

A big thanks to Mr Bruce and his fabulous computerised scoring system and to his wonderful class for marking. They loved it!

Early next week Mr Rodger and I will meet with a shortlisted group of students so that we can work towards selecting teams for Cantamath on Wednesday August 8th. This competition involves 4 Year 7s and 4 Year 8s plus reserves. It takes place from 3:30pm.

August 8th is a busy day ... it is also the date for the Winter Sports Tournament which most of our students will be involved in.

Cashmere High School: On Thursday Mark Wilson visited the students and parents to talk about what lies ahead at Cashmere High School. Enrolment forms are due on Friday June 27th.

You may have seen signs around the community advertising our Year 7 & 8 Open Evening on Thursday Aug 2nd. This involves Year 7 & 8 staff and a small group of senior students. If you know of anyone who may be interested in looking at Beckenham for Year 7 & 8 in the next year or two, please encourage them to come along. 7pm start.

Self Defence: This year all of our Year 7 & 8 girls will be taking part in a five hour self defence course on Tuesday afternoons. This will take place in the second half of terms 3 and 4. Rooms 16 and 17 this term and Rooms 18 and 19 next term. This course is run free of charge by the NZ Girls Self Defence Project. We have been involved in the past and it is fabulous.

As you can see we are having a busy start to term 3... and there is more, including Leadership Camp for Year 8. Check in every Friday for Year 7 & 8 updates.

Happy Holidays

Here we are half way through the year, the last few weeks have zoomed by.

Reports and Conferences: It was wonderful to meet with so many of you for learning conferences this week. If you were unable to make it this week please contact your child's teacher to arrange for your learning conference to happen early next term. Reports will come home today with those children who did not have learning conferences.

Dates for Term 3 so far:
Thurs July 9:15 @ 7:30pm: Year 8 talk in the Hall re Cashmere High School
Wed Aug 8 @ 12 noon - 2:45pm: Winter Sports Tournament
Aug 20 - Sept 7: Spellathon
Sept 20 - 21: Leadership Camp for Year 8

Stationery: Please check with your child that they have still got the following, in working order, at school:

• gluestick
• pencils (3)
• ruler
• rubber
• red pen

If any of these stationery items need replacing, please arrange to do so over the holidays.

Have a safe and enjoyable two weeks. We look forward to seeing our Year 7 and 8s refreshed and keen to learn on Monday July 16.

Cashmere High School Information Evening

On Thursday July 19, Mark Wilson, principal of Cashmere High School will be coming to Beckenham School during the day to talk with our Year 8 students and in the evening from 7:30pm till 8:30pm to talk with Year 8 families. This is a great opportunity to hear about Cashmere first hand and ask any questions you may have about the school.

Key dates in 2012 for Cashmere High School student enrolments for 2013:

• 19 July – 7:30 – 8:30pm information evening at Beckenham School
• 27 July - Year 9 Enrolments close
• 27 July - Closing date for ALL Scholarship Applications (Including Academic)
• 31 July - Year 9 Ballot Held (Out of Zone Students)
• 3 August - Notify Ballot results for Yr 9 Out of Zone Students
• 10 September - Yr 8 Entrant Testing Morning

Week 10 Update

We are looking forward to Friday and a well deserved break for all. A few important messages before then...

By now your learning conference should be booked for Tuesday or Wednesday this week. Please contact the office ASAP if you are yet to book. Make sure you visit the Hall before or after your conference. A huge range of wonderful science and technology will be on display.

If you are yet to return Famine money, please get it to Miss D by Thursday this week at the latest.

Congratulations to the basketballers who played at last week's Primary Schools Basketball Tournament. The boys team were placed 4th and the girls team were very competitive.

This week we will be talking to the children about our plan for arts academies next term. They will be selecting the area of the arts that they would like to focus on.

Leadership Points are being tallied this week. Awards will be presented at the first PRIDE assembly next term.

There is no home learning this week.

Week 9 Update

On Friday we had a special PRIDE assembly to kick off our school wide focus on cultural diversity and the Olympic Games. As part of the festivities, each class drew a country out of a bucket. All of the countries represent nationalities of children at Beckenham School. During the build up to the Games we will be finding out more about and supporting our selected country.
Room 16: Great Britain
Room 17: China
Room 18: Netherlands
Room 19: Japan

Music Groups: Beckenham groups performed superbly on Tuesday and Wednesday evening at the South Music Festival. Both the Band and the Senior Chorale group shone, we were all very proud!

Learning Conferences: If you haven't yet done so, please visit School Links or ring Caroline in the office to book your learning conference on either Tues 26th or Wed 27th of June (2pm finish these days). Reports will be discussed and handed over at conferences. This will also give you a chance to visit the hall and see the Science and Technology Expo.

Cross Country: We were very proud of our children who ran at the Canterbury Primary Schools Cross Country. All came in the top half of their fields. Special congratulations to Emily for her 12th placing in the 11 year old girls race.

Basketball: We have a boys and a girls team entered in the Indoor Tournament on Tuesday. A notice with final reminders has been sent home on Friday.

Hot milo: Please support the Student Council who are selling hot milo on Fridays at morning tea.

Week 8 Update

To say it's been a disruptive week of learning would be a bit of an understatement. Thanks for your understanding and flexibility as we coped with the powers of mother nature. Great to see so many children back on Friday and totally focused on their learning.
Staff are currently writing mid year reports. Please visit School Links or call Caroline to book your learning conference on June 26 or 27. Reports will be discussed and handed out at these conferences.

We are entering two basketball teams (1 boys, 1 girls) in the Primary Schools Indoor Tournament on June 19th. Please return slips ASAP if your child is involved in this tournament.

The Senior Chorale Group and the Band are performing in the South Music Festival at the Aurora Centre on Tues 12 and 13 (band only) of June. Pre-ordered tickets are now available for collection from the office.

Classes are busy working on their special projects about endangered species for display at the Science and Tech Expo in the last week of term. This will be a 'must see' when you come to school for your learning conferences.

The Avonside Open Night has been rescheduled to Monday June 11 from 5pm - 7pm.

Seek peek... Last year the Year 8's thoroughly enjoyed their two day Leadership Camp experience based at the Papanui Youth Centre. Based on it's success we are keen to offer a similar yet different experience this year. We have pencilled in September 20th and 21st for our 2012 Year 8 Leadership Camp. This will be based at school, with marae style sleeping in the hall and hall foyer on the Thursday night. Amongst other activities, we are looking at including a / some motivational guest speaker(s) and a community service component to this camp. We are looking for A) contacts with community groups who would appreciate some support and B) suggestions for inspirational speakers for this age group. Please contact us with any suggestions.

Week 7 Update

Orana Park: We had a fabulous day at Orana Park on Thursday and came home with some key messages about how we can make a difference to species undergoing change.

Student Council: The Student Council have been busy lately. Look out for the flagpole flying flags that represent the diverse nationalities of our Beckenham students. This initiative has been driven and organised by the council. They are also selling milo at morning tea on Fridays.

Reports: Many of you will currently be putting together applications for high schools. These usually request the inclusion of the latest school report. We are about to start writing reports. These will be given out at learning conferences on Tues June 26 and Wed June 27. Those who don't come to learning conferences will get their reports on the last day of term. Information on how to book conferences will be in the next school newsletter.

Week 6 Update

It's been a busy week in the Year 7 & 8 team, especially for the Football team. Congratulations on your wins over Queenspark School (7,0) and over the staff (4,1).

On Thursday we enjoyed a most informative talk from Belinda Whyte, a scientist working in the field of possum control.

Thursday also saw some very impressive wacky hairstyles, in support of the Student Council's fund raising venture for The Westpac Rescue Helicopter. Check out the photo gallery.

A notice has been sent home re our field trip to Orana Park on Thursday May 31st. Children are to wear warm tidy mufti with sturdy footwear. No lunch orders on this day and please remember a water bottle. As we will be doing lots of walking, a day pack would be preferable.

Adolescent Boys: Releasing the Hero Within. This is a free seminar by Shirley Boys High Headmaster, John Laurenson. Wednesday June 13 from 6:45 - 8:30pm. No charge. Venue: Spartan Room, 2nd floor, Sports Complex (off North Parade). To book a place phone Kirsten 3757075 ext 213 or email kdh@shirley.school.nz

Shirley Boys High School: We have been sent several copies of the Shirley Boys' prospectus. If you would like a copy please see Nicky Dunlop in Room 19.