Prescott Primary Northern eNewsletter

School Highlights

Year 5 Camp - El Shaddai

Sunshine, green paddocks, and the Murray River flowing nearby created the perfect three days of Camp for Year 5 at El Shaddai campground in Wellington SA. Year 5 had the opportunity to try new skills while building on their ability to work together as a Team. The students mastered Rock Climbing, conquered the Vertical Challenge, powered up the Murray River in canoes, and hit the bullseye in Archery to name just a few of the activities enjoyed by all. On the first night we continued the fun by running a Games night full of energetic and challenging new games, the second night was a little quieter with a cozy Movie night for all who could stay awake!

Year 5 Camp was an exciting time for students to develop new skills, friendships, and greater independence.

Year 3's HASS Excursion to the Old Adelaide Goal

Last week, the Year 3 students visited the old Adelaide Gaol for a HASS excursion. The students are learning about different aspects of the past, and comparing how our community has changed and remained the same over time. They explored the old cells, prison yards, visitor rooms, games room, and towers, giving them an interesting glimpse into how a prison was run and looked in the 1800's compared to the 1980's.

The students also experienced what it was like visiting a family member in the Sally Port, and having to push and yell at one another through the bars, compared to the more contemporary visitor rooms. The students had lots of really thoughtful questions and we had some really engaging conversations about the legal system, what the term guilty means and how people were treated in prison in the past versus now.

Tomato Town Banquet

Doot Doot! Last week, Mayor Pectin and his assistant, Ms Phenolic Flavonoid visited the Year 4 students of PPN to taste and score the students' tomato-based dishes at the Tomato Town banquet. Tomato Town has been under attack by the dreaded Frog-Wogglers and the munchkins are all trapped inside the city walls, without the possibility of any food deliveries. During Term 3, the Year 4s were tasked with the job of trainee chefs and needed to create a recipe for a healthy dish using tomato as the main ingredient. Since Tomato Town's supermarket Wacky Warehouse had limited supplies, the students had limited ingredients... but plenty of tomatoes! Students prepared all morning before the arrival of the Mayor and his assistant. Preparation included safe food preparation lessons, banquet setup, knife skills and learning the Tomato Town National Anthem!. It was a wonderful day that was enjoyed by all, including Mayor Pectin, Phenolic Flavonoid and the teachers. Well done, trainee chefs!

Warmest regards,
Year 4 champions

Nature Play - Bee & Butterfly Garden

I love Spring and watching all of the native bee and butterfly activity going on in my Mum’s beautiful garden. Over the next two weeks the Year 5’s will be planning and planting a bee and butterfly garden. This is part of a grant that we were successful with earlier in the year. Part of the grant was to encourage students to plant a veggie garden or create a biodiverse bee and butterfly garden to help attract vital bees and butterfly life to our school.

This week I visited the Year 5 classrooms to ask for their assistance in planting a native bee and butterfly garden in garden beds. Before we could get outside and plant a garden, we had to do a bit of research to ensure that we were attracting the right bees and butterflies to our garden. The Year 5’s discovered the local butterflies and bees that are usually found in our area, then made a list of plants that we need to buy and plant in our space to create a hub of bee and butterfly activity. We made a note of special bits of information needed to create a safe and inviting space for the bees and butterflies, and started to design a simple garden bed for them. Next week, the students will get a chance to plant the selected plants into our garden space.

Do you have flowers that attract local native bees and butterflies? What plants can you plant at your house to help our pollinators do their important work?