Book Week Parade

What an amazing week Book Week was! As always, we ended the week on  real high with our Book Week Parade.

A huge thanks to all families who obviously spent considerable time and effort help all our students shine (despite the overcast weather).

Thanks too to Mrs Blyde and all the staff who helped make Book Week happen. 

Year 4 Zoo Snooze

Last week, our fearless Year 4's swapped their school desks for sleeping bags and headed off on a wild overnight adventure at the Adelaide Zoo for our Zoo Snooze Camp! With the zoo all to ourselves overnight, we explored the animal kingdom like true zoologists-in-training. During our night walk, we tiptoed past a snoozing tiger, watched the serval pacing like it had a secret mission, and got barked at by dingoes who clearly had strong opinions about us being there at bedtime. A highlight? Discovering that the binturong smells exactly like popcorn. Who knew wild animals could smell like a tasty snack? We learned all about how different animals survive in the wild, what they eat, and made unforgettable memories together. It was a roaring success!

Students Prepare to Shine on Stage  

The count down is on as our Year 5 and Year 6 students prepare for their upcoming presentation of Madagascar: The Musical.

There’s a lot to do for a show like this: lines to be learned, movements to be remembered, costumes and props to source and create, sound and lighting to put in place. A huge thanks to our Upper teaching and support team, along with all of our students for working so hard to prepare. We can’t wait to see the final result in Week 9!

STEM Year 5

Part 1: Assemble a team

Part 2: Test shock absorption

Part 3: Test Stabilization

Part 4: Stay tuned…….

Can you guess what our STEM 5 team are up to?
Here’s a clue: It involves structure, height and fragility.

Going on an Adventure in Nature

Book Week flowed into the gardens continuing the theme of “Going on an Adventure” where our young people went on a hunt for hidden hot air ballons scattered throughout the nature play space. Curiostity and reporting what they find engages these young minds on a daily basis. As a grown up, we can take the smallest of things for granted at times, but youth invites a new approach and understanding of the world around us.

When next out in the natural world around us, throw these questions out and see what discoveries your little one makes… what can you see, hear, smell, touch and be amazed by?

“This little light of mine.”

In the complex environment of a school community, the work of School Support Officers—front office workers, bus drivers, grounds people, and classroom SSOs—is often the unseen thread that holds everything together. While teachers and administrators are rightly celebrated, it is essential to pause and reflect on those whose work behind the scenes, or at the edges, makes daily life at school safe, welcoming, and productive. This week at PPN we are celebrating this tireless army of workers who contribute so much to our school.

Our front office people do more than just answer phones or questions when people come in face to face. They are the faces and the voices that most people first meet before they connect with our school. We are so thankful for their smiles and all the help they give to new people, staff and students. The bus drivers get the children to school on time and safely every school day. The grounds people, as one of the students said, “take care of all the beautiful plants we have around the school.” The classroom SSOs also do so much to help with the students’ learning and give so much support to the teachers as well.

The joy of celebrating all our support staff reminded me of a song by Ina Mae Duley Ogdon, “Brighten the Corner Where You Are” which has the words: “Brighten the corner where you are/Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar/ Brighten the corner where you are.”

We are blessed and surrounded by people who each “brighten the corner where they are” everyday to support the values and the goals of PPN. For these awesome people, we are grateful to God every day and ask that God will continue to bless them and make them a blessing to our school community.

THANK YOU, NON-TEACHING STAFF.

Are you brightening your corner?

Hey PPN Family,

I’ve been reading some books lately that highlight how the latest neuroscience research shows our brains thrive when fuelled by joy. As humans, we can sometimes be driven by negative emotions like fear, anger, or shame, but it’s hard to function at our best when that happens. When our brains are powered by joy, however, they perform at their very best.

On the night before Jesus was crucified, He told His disciples:

John 15:11 (NLT)

“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”

It’s almost ironic that Jesus spoke about joy while His disciples were about to face the darkest night of their lives. Yet this reminds us that the joy Jesus offers is not dependent on circumstances—it’s available even in the toughest times.

Paul understood this deeply. While in prison, he wrote to the Philippians:

Philippians 4:4 (NLT)

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!”

Imagine that—Paul, locked up in chains, encouraging those who were free to be filled with joy. Where did he find such joy? Just a few verses later, he tells us:

Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Jesus was the source of Paul’s joy.

PE Week is Next Week

PE Week is next week and we are super excited to get outside and moving! Throughout the week we will have lots of activities for the students to participate in, including a visit from Valley View Tennis Club to participate in a lesson run by the coaches and a visit by SACA for some cricket lessons.

If your student is in FA, FC, Year 3, and Year 5, they will have their lesson on Monday. Students in FB, Year 1, and Year 2  will have their lesson on Tuesday. We are especially excited for our Blind Tennis Lesson with our Year 6s this Thursday (4^th September), and the Hot Shots Tennis Carnival for our Year 4s on Wednesday (Week 8 - 10^th September).

Students can wear PE uniform every day next week! 

SAPSASA Athletics

Prescott College