Pōhutukawa Living Springs Camp Term 4 2020 - It's All Go!

 Kia ora e te whānau,

Thanks so much for responding to the questionnaire that Sandy and Anne sent out on Monday. We've had an overwhelmingly positive response from you in support of our Year 5/6 learners attending camp in Week 7 next term. Living Springs has confirmed that we will go ahead as long as the Covid alert level stays at Level One or Level Two.

We have also been overwhelmed by the number of you who put yourselves forward to be available for parent help at our camp from November 25th to 27th. Thank you. We are sorry that we can't take everyone who volunteered.  The people who will be coming with us are:

Colleen Eason                      Koleighne Ford                    Rebecca Carr

Evan McLaughlan                Nicole Forster                      Brett Cooper

Paula Adams-Stace              Chris Hunt                            Jonathan Pooch

Mike Grantham                    Linda Hakeagaiki                 Mami Mori

Simon Scott                          Michelle Boyle                     Michael de Clifford

If your name is listed above and you are no longer available to attend our camp, please email anne.batchelor@beckenham.school.nz as soon as possible, and we will offer your place to another parent volunteer on the list.

The Covid Pandemic situation has made this term (and year!) more challenging than most. Sandy and the team have discussed the options in terms of fundraising for camp, whilst also trying not to overload our school community.  We have decided not to fundraise as a result. If you have any concerns about paying for your child's camp costs and you have not yet communicated this with us, please let Anne Batchelor know.

Early next term we will send out more information about the camp programme of activities and what to bring etc. 

We hope you have a restful holiday break, see you in Term 4.

Rāpaki Marae Trip

18 September 2020


Pōhutukawa Team Rāpaki Marae Trip

Tēnā koutou e te whānau,

We are excited to be able to provide our students with a visit to Rāpaki marae in Term 4. This is a wonderful opportunity to be able to put into practice what we have been learning this year with Te Reo Māori language, customs (tikanga), games (kēmu) and songs (waiata). We will also be learning about the history of Rāpaki Marae and the ecology of Horomaka, Banks Peninsula.


We are heading to Rāpaki Marae on Wednesday 21st of October and Thursday 22nd October, from 9.30am-2.45pm.


As we are such a large team we are required to visit the marae in two groups. On Wednesday Anne’s home group, Rae’s home group and half of Steve’s home group will visit the marae. On Thursday Anna’s home group, Gayle’s home group and the other half of Steve’s home group will visit the marae.


We will need the help of some adults to enable us to go on this trip. We will be leaving school at 9.00am via bus and we will have an emergency vehicle. If you are interested in assisting us on this trip as an adult supervisor, please email your child’s home group teacher before Friday September 25th. We will contact all adults who have kindly volunteered to help, to confirm whether your help is required.


The cost of this trip will be covered by your annual donation.


For the trip, your child will need to be in comfortable footwear and in school uniform. They should bring a jacket in case of inclement weather. If your child suffers from asthma, please ensure they have their medication with them in a named plastic bag, with instructions about administration. Your child needs to give this to their class teacher prior to departure.


On the day, students will need to wear school uniform and bring:



A water bottle


A substantial morning tea and lunch


A warm layer of clothing (especially a windproof jacket)


Please note there will be no postponement day if the weather is unsuitable. An email message will be sent out at 8am on the day, if the trip is being cancelled.


Many thanks for the help and support, and we look forward to an amazing trip.


Ngā mihi nui,


Anne, Rae, Katie, Gayle, and Steve

Planting Day This Wednesday!

Kia ora whānau,

Thanks to all of our parent help volunteers! Below is a timetable of who is helping when.  We will head straight to the ponds as a hub after we have completed the roll (approximately 9 am).   

9-9.45am: Group 1 Rachael, Chontelle, Bel, Kathie and Mike with River

9.45-10.30am: Group 2 Chontelle, Bel and Kathie with Beach

10.30 - 10.50 break time (whole school)

11- 11.45am: Group 3 Stephanie and Chontelle with Lake

11.45am - 12.30pm: Group 4 Stephanie, Nicola and Chontelle with Forest


Alpine will be split into 4 groups and join the other groups.

Please note that if your child has gumboots or gardening gloves then we suggest that they bring them along on Wednesday. 

We look forward to seeing you there, here's hoping for fine weather!

Cyber safety in Pōhutukawa

 Kia ora e te whānau,

There has been a lot of discussion among the children this morning about the viral Tik Tok video that has been in circulation online and that Sandy alluded to in her email to you this morning. Sandy came in and talked to all of the children after morning tea and reminded them of the importance of keeping safe online.  We reiterated to them that talking to their peers about this isn't a healthy thing, and that talking to their parents is important. We encouraged them to talk to you if they have any concerns about anything they may have seen, or heard other children talking about. 

We are always monitoring the searches and material that the children are accessing using their school accounts, and will continue to do so. If your child is bringing a phone to school, please remind them to drop it at the office before school starts, and to collect it again at the end of the day.

This is a timely reminder to us all that the minimum age for most of these platforms is at least 13 years old.

We know there are a number of you who have said to your children that they are too young for a phone and / or any of these online social media accounts. Please do not think that you are alone in taking a firm stand on this, many parents in the Pōhutukawa Hub have told us that their children do not have a phone or social media accounts, even though your child may tell you otherwise!

 As always, please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any concerns or would like to discuss anything further.

Ngā mihi,

Sandy and Anne

Planting Day at the Beckenham Park Ponds

Kia ora whānau,

Sally Airey (our Healthy Ōpāwaho faciltator) has organised and invited Pōhutakawa to complete planting at the ponds on Wednesday September 16th, supported by local CCC rangers and a river volunteer (and expert). It'll be an awesome opportunity to make a difference to our local environment, and is being held as part of our annual Clean Up Week at Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto.

Groups of 30 children and their teacher will attend the ponds, listen to a local plant expert, and undertake planting at these intervals: 

9-9.45am: Group 1
9.45-10.30am: Group 2
10.30 - 10.50 break time (whole school)
11- 11.45am: Group 3
11.45am - 12.30pm: Group 4

We would be very grateful if we could have some parent help volunteers for some or all of this time. At least two parents per time slot would be very much appreciated. Please can you email Anne at anne.batchelor@beckenham.school.nz if you are available for some or all of this time. Thanks very much for your support.