Updating in Week 7

School Fair: Our school fair is just over a week away on Friday 28th March. We are in need of parents to help out at stalls on the night and to sell raffle ticket. Please pop into Room 2, Fair Headquarters, before or after school if you can help out. We will also be asking for 30 Year 7 & 8 students to volunteer to help set up after school or during the evening.

PCT Challenge: Last Friday four athletic and quick thinking Year 8s represented Beckenham at the Police Competency Test Challenge. They had a great time, learnt new skills and got through the test in 3:20! Awesome effort team!!

Camp Update: On Monday next week, March 24,  the next camp newsletter will come home. This will include gear list and an outline of the programme. In three weeks time we will be in Dunedin!

Self Defence:  Over the past six weeks all Year 8 girls have been involved in a self defence course, run by Lynda Maindonald of Self Defence NZ. The girls have loved the sessions and have gained both skill and confidence. Evaluation comments from the girls are testament to the success of the course: 

‘I think it is really important to know how to defend yourself, this course has made me confident to act.‘ 

‘I think this course has taught me to tell my parents when something happens, to be the strong girl I am. It taught me to kick and punch better than I could and it taught me a lot.‘ 

‘I used to trust strangers but now I know not to.  I have learnt that girls are strong, not weak.  I now believe in myself.’ 

Last weekend two of our girls found themselves in a situation where the needed to apply what they had learnt. Both girls commented afterwards on how empowered they felt. We look forward to Lynda’s return in 2015 to train our next group of Year 8s.