Stem Space Excursion

Have you ever wanted to walk on the surface of Mars? The PPN Rocket Crew did! And here is what happened…

As part of their Rocketry focus in STEM extension, Mr Harris, Mrs Vice and the Rocket Crew ventured out on an exhilarating excursion to Hamilton Space School, which offers a fully interactive Mars Mission simulation and bottle-rocket workshop.
There was much anticipation as the students of Team 1 donned space suits with breathing apparatus, headset, boots, and gloves. Each ‘astronaut’ was assigned a role, given their mission objectives, and ushered into the air lock in readiness for Mission 1. Meanwhile, the students of Team 2 were learning the ropes in Mission Control - where each student was assigned to a computer then given a specific role and headset to communicate with their astronaut partner. Tasks included recording an analysing data, giving instructions, or monitoring weather and vital signs.
“You may leave the airlock and enter the planet surface,” came a voice from Mission Control. Team 1 emerged slowly from the air lock onto an eerie Martian landscape, complete with rocky terrain and lighting effects. The astronauts went about their duties, constantly in discussion with their peers back in Mission Control. Some collected rock specimens for analysis, some explored with metal detectors and Geiger counters, while others reported changes to the weather on the planet surface. “SAND STORM! Evacuate to the airlock!” came the urgent command. All at once, Team 1 was safely inside the airlock, then back on Earth once more.
Teams switched places and Mission 2 ensued. We are pleased to announce that all astronauts returned safely to Earth.

After a break, students built and launched bottle rockets, resulting in an exciting, but slightly wet end to the day. We can’t promise that all the bottle rockets survived the flights.

All in all, this excursion was a very successful mission for Mr Harris, Mrs Vice and the PPN Rocket Crew.

The Wonder of Nature Play

Nature inspires creativity in a child by demanding visualisation and the full use of senses. In nature a child finds freedom, fantasy, privacy… (Richard Louve, Last Child in the Woods) This feeling of freedom, fantasy and wonder to see and experience something that is strange or new gives a feeling of surprise and joy. This joy builds confidence and a sense of playfulness that inspires the imagination. As many of us know, Covid-19 has restricted travel, however, this week at Prescott Primary Northern we have engaged in some imaginative travel that has inspired some incredible journeys to faraway places in our imaginations. With maps in hand and telescopes at the ready, students have packed their bags of dress-up clothes and ventured off into places unknown. Students wrote letters to loved ones, drew maps and played with the globe of the Earth in hand. There was no mountain too high, no challenge too tough. Some wore dress-up clothes and others laid out scenes that represented far away destinations. Places that are representative of family vacations. They negotiated and came to agreements and every step of the way they built social skills that will continue to carry them through life's journey.

Thinking critically in our everyday lives can be hard. More often than not, we quickly react to situations that may happen in our lives rather than sit back and respond. Sometimes our reactions (or overreactions) can be justified, other times, the way we are feeling can have an impact on the way we react to events. I think to my life, there are some days where I feel like everything is against me and something will happen, and I immediately think the worst. There are other times where I might be full on sleep, food and relaxed time and something may happen, and I would react a lot differently than I would have usually done if I hadn't slept well or was overtired.

I found this great cartoon by Grant Snider, where he talks about Critical Thinking and working through problems in our lives. He breaks it down into 8 steps.

1. Understanding the Problem: What is the problem that faces us?
2. Explore its Boundaries: Is the problem that big? Is it going to take over my total existence?
3. Question Assumptions: What is lying beneath the surface? What can I assume about the problem?
4. Imagine New Perspectives: What if I put myself in someone else's shoes, would I still feel the same way? Would it even be a problem for them?
5. Identify Weaknesses: We all have them, know your limitations.
6. Justify a Solution: What can we do to fix this problem that is in our life? Is the solution doable?
7. Acknowledge Limitations: Sometimes the best solution can have other problems associated with it. It's good to see those limitations and choose a solution that works.
8. Reflect on Alternatives: There is always more than one way to solve a problem. Once the solution has been discovered and enacted on, reflect on other ways. We ask our students to do the same thing, why is it so hard for adults!

We wouldn’t do this for every event or problem in our life, but sometimes, a bit of critical thinking could help solve a lot of problems in our lives, rather than just reacting. As we break for our 2 weeks of holidays, I hope you'll have some deserved time off with your families and come back refreshed for Term 2. Stay safe and we'll see you next term.

Back To Basics 

I have enjoyed Term 1 and the connections I have made with many of the students and families this term.  As the end of Term 1 holidays are approaching, I encourage you to take the opportunity to develop stronger connections with your children over the term break, through spending quality time interacting with them. If we want our children to be positive and healthy individuals, then we as parents must take an active role in this space.

The following article by Victoria Prooday, highlights the decline in the emotional state of children in the past 15 years. She explains that families have to get back to basics and recommends some very useful strategies to assist and guide families in this process. 

I hope you each have a safe and rewarding break with your children. 

Enjoy the article,

Chaplain Phil

A Silent Tragedy

By Victoria Prooday, a registered Occupational Therapist, Psychotherapist, founder and clinical director of a multidisciplinary clinic for children and parents.

Victoria is an internationally-known educator, motivational speaker and a popular blogger on modern-day parenting and high-tech lifestyle’s impact on a child nervous system.

There is a silent tragedy that is unfolding today in our homes and concerns our most precious jewels: our children. Our children are in a devastating emotional state! In the last 15 years, researchers have given us increasingly alarming statistics on a sharp and steady increase in childhood mental illness that is now reaching epidemic proportions:

Statistics do not lie:

• 1 in 5 children have mental health problems
• A 43% increase in ADHD has been noted
• A 37% increase in adolescent depression has been noted
• There has been a 200% increase in the suicide rate in children aged 10 to 14

Today's children are being over-stimulated, over indulged and over-gifted with material objects, but they are deprived of the fundamentals of a healthy childhood, such as:

• Emotionally available parents
• Clearly defined limits
• Responsibilities
• Balanced nutrition and adequate sleep
• Movement in general but especially OUTDOORS
• Creative play, social interaction, unstructured game opportunities and boredom spaces
• Instead, in recent years, children have been filled with:
• Digitally distracted parents
• Indulgent and permissive parents who let children "rule the world" and whoever sets the rules
• A sense of right, of deserving everything without earning it or being responsible for obtaining it
• Inadequate sleep and unbalanced nutrition
• A sedentary lifestyle
• Endless stimulation, technological nannies, instant gratification and absence of boring moments.

What to do

If we want our children to be happy and healthy individuals, we have to wake up and get back to basics. It is still possible! Many families see immediate improvements after weeks of implementing the following recommendations:

• Set limits and remember that you are the captain of the ship. Your children will feel more confident knowing that you have control of the helm.
• Offer children a balanced lifestyle full of what children NEED, not just what they WANT. Don't be afraid to say "no" to your children if what they want is not what they need.
• Provide nutritious food and limit junk food.
• Spend at least one hour a day outdoors doing activities such as: cycling, walking, fishing, bird / insect watching.
• Enjoy a daily family dinner without smartphones or distracting technology.
• Play board games as a family or if children are very small for board games, get carried away by their interests and allow them to rule in the game.
• Involve your children in some homework or household chores according to their age (folding clothes, ordering toys, hanging clothes, unpacking food, setting the table, feeding the dog etc.)
• Implement a consistent sleep routine to ensure your child gets enough sleep. The schedules will be even more important for school-age children.
• Teach responsibility and independence. Do not overprotect them against all frustration or mistakes. Misunderstanding will help them build resilience and learn to overcome life's challenges.
• Do not carry your children's backpack, do not carry their backpacks, do not carry the homework they forgot, do not peel bananas or peel oranges if they can do it on their own (4-5 years). Instead of giving them the fish, teach them to fish.
• Teach them to wait and delay gratification.
• Provide opportunities for "boredom", since boredom is the moment when creativity awakens. Do not feel responsible for always keeping children entertained.
• Do not use technology as a cure for boredom, nor offer it at the first second of inactivity.
• Avoid using technology during meals, in cars, restaurants, shopping centers. Use these moments as opportunities to socialize by training the brains to know how to work when they are in mode: "boredom".
• Help them create a "bottle of boredom" with activity ideas for when they are bored.
• Be emotionally available to connect with children and teach them self-regulation and social skills:
• Turn off the phones at night when children have to go to bed to avoid digital distraction.
• Become a regulator or emotional trainer for your children. Teach them to recognize and manage their own frustrations and anger.
• Teach them to greet, to take turns, to share without running out of anything, to say thank you and please, to acknowledge the error and apologize (do not force them), be a model of all those values ​​you instil.
• Connect emotionally - smile, hug, kiss, tickle, read, dance, jump, play or crawl with them.

2021 Connect4 Events

Please keep the following dates in your calendars for our upcoming Connect4 events this year:

TERM 2

• Saturday - 15^th May
• Saturday - 26^th June

TERM 3

• Saturday 7^th August
• Saturday – 4^th September

TERM 4

• Friday – 5^th November

Change of Access to the Front of the School

The access is changing for parents in the mornings and afternoons for drop off and pick up. The single gate at the front of the school will now be closed from now on.

If parents are walking onto the grounds, you must either-

• Walk up the driveway next to the administration block entrance, or
• Walk in the back gate entrance.

If you are driving, your options are -

• Use the drive-through zone and let the teachers help your child/ren in and out of the car,
• Park in the back car park and walk your child/ren to and from their classroom
• Park on a local street and walk your child/ren to and from their classroom

 Please check the email that has been sent today for further clarification. 

Thanks - PPN Leadership

Casual Day—Friday April 9

On the last day of each term, students may come to school in casual clothes only if they bring a gold coin donation. Please note that students need to remember as they choose which clothes they would like to wear for casual day that they need to dress appropriately. Their clothes should cover their bodies in the same way that their uniform does and their shoes should be appropriate for running and playing.

The money raised this way is allocated to either a sister school project or to Asian Aid.

This term’s funds will be set aside for Asian Aid.

Due to the COVID situation the money donated will go towards the health, welfare and safety of the children we sponsor in any way possible under the country’s government guidelines. Asian Aid is working at improving the school environments, increase teacher training and support materials, so that once students can return to school, they return to a better environment than they had when they left. Most importantly the aim is to channel funds to where the needs are most required and where the children would be benefitted the best. Thank you so much for your ongoing generosity towards these projects.

Applications for SSO Position at Prescott Primary Northern

Prescott Primary Northern is looking for a SSO to assist in one of the Foundation classes to help with extra student and teacher assistance at Prescott Primary Northern. The position would be permanent, 5 days per week during the school term from 8.15am to 4pm (Mon – Thurs) and 8.15 to 3pm on Friday. Applicants would need to have Working With  Children clearances, First Aid, and Responding to Abuse and Neglect training or be able to complete those requirements. Experience working with children in an educational setting and a minimum of Certificate 3 in Education Support would also be preferred. Applicants should submit their resume to: The Principal. Prescott Primary Northern, 354 Wright Road, Para Vista SA. 5093 or email to tamarabernoth@ppn.sa.edu.au. If you have any questions or would like a Job Description, please call the school on 8396 2577 and speak with either Tamara Bernoth or Jason Davis or email to tamarabernoth@ppn.sa.edu.au or jasondavis@ppn.sa.edu.au . Applications close on April 30 2021.

Applicants for the above position will need to be a committed follower of the Christian faith, support the philosophy of Christian Education and be in regular church attendance.

Enrolments for 2022

If you have a child due to start here at PPN in 2022, please complete and return your Application form asap to avoid missing out on a position.  If you need an Application form, please contact the Front Office.

Uniform Shop

The Uniform Shop has appointments available during the school holidays for Winter Uniform fittings but they are filling fast. Please book your appointment through the Front Office as soon as possible. 

Uniform Shop Holiday Opening Hours
12th April - 23rd April 2021
Weekdays Only 9:00am - 3:30pm 
Appointments  Only

The new Sport Uniform is compulsory for all students from the beginning of Term 2.  Also a reminder that blazers are compulsory for all Year 5 and 6 students.

Do's & Dont's of Dropping Your Kids to School

Entertainment Book

Daily Health Check

Valley View Tennis Club