Lest We Forget

Early Sunday morning, I stood alongside hundreds of others, beside "The Semaphore Angel" (The Semaphore War Memorial Clock Tower) at the ANZAC Day Dawn Service and reflected upon the great service and sacrifice made by so many in a horrific time of war. I listened to the descriptions of soldiers, some who never made it back home, some who made it home but lived in turmoil for what they had witnessed and experienced, men who were remembered for their utmost courage and dedication to their family and country. Honouring those that have served our country, past and present, is incredibly important to me, and coming together as a community to pause and reflect is just one way, one tradition to act upon this. Many courageously fought for their country and their family in these wars, to build a better world. A world of freedom, of peace and of love.

As I walked away along the beach at the conclusion of this particular dawn service, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude: Gratitude for the country we live in and the many blessings that God has poured upon my life over the years and a grateful heart for the people in my life and the ability we have to serve others. Expressing gratitude can often have a flow on effect. Displaying genuine gratitude can often inspire others to do the same. This can be said for acts of service as well. We may not be sent overseas to fight for our country in a war, but we can find many ways in our local community, in our family and in our school in which we can serve others. Like these soldiers, we can also be courageous in building a better world: a world where love and peace reign, where caring for others and building one another up and serving one another becomes our default reaction.

Service is one of our RISE values at Prescott Primary Northern, a core value in which we believe can make a significant difference in the world around us. As we embark on a new term together, let's be encouraged by the service and dedication shown by those that have gone before us and be grateful for the new opportunities we will have to serve those around us.

May we live, speak and act upon the value of service and always remember: Jesus is the ultimate example of SERVICE to others. The King of the universe took human form and lived a life of selfless service and compassion. At Prescott Primary Northern, we endeavour to treat each other, our families and our community with compassion, through acts of SERVICE. 

Have a wonderful first week of term. Lest We Forget.

Blessings,

Tamara

Port Augusta was our first stop for the night. As we neared the town, a very occasional flash of all the dash lights appeared and then disappeared.  As we left Port Augusta the next day, the same thing happened, but it became more frequent. I worked out that if I revved the car higher the dash lights would disappear, so I kept driving keeping the revs up high.   

My research suggested that the alternator may be dying, which would not be great in the middle of nowhere! We pulled into Kimba, a remote town which claims to be the centre of Australia from East to West.  They have a pink Big Galah, some beautify silo art and a handful of shops that all seemed to be closed.  The friendly man at the petrol station had a quick look under the bonnet and pointed in the direction of a large shed where I could get some country advice.  The guy in the shed sent me across town and down a dirt road to an auto-electrician who predominately worked on trucks.  As I entered his disorganised workshop, I held out little hope that he would be able to help us in our predicament. The gentleman came out and asked what I needed before disappearing out the back for a while. He returned with a brand-new alternator for my car.  How fortunate we were.

This is where I should have just fitted it then and there. I decided to try and drive the remaining 250km to the caravan park at Streaky Bay so the family would be more comfortable while I fixed the car. A dying alternator shouldn’t do too much harm I thought, so we continued our journey. 20 mins out from Streaky Bay my wife started to complain about a gas smell. It got stronger and stronger and smelt just like rotten eggs. I pulled the car over and looked under the bonnet only to discover that our car battery was swollen and venting acid out each side.  The dying alternator was over-charging the battery which caused all the problems.  The battery could have exploded or started a fire.  Fortunately, I had a second battery, so I prayed hard before lifting the bulging battery out of the car and swapping it with the good battery.  We drove slowly and carefully for the last 10 minutes to town, each of us hoping and praying that we would get their safely.

We arrived safely and thanked God for not only helping us get to our destination, but for keeping each of us safe along the way. How easy is it to forget on uneventful journeys that God is there with us?

God promises to be with us in Proverbs 3:26. It says “God will be right there with you; He’ll keep you safe and sound.” (Message Bible) 

Chaplain Phil 

Parent Teacher Interviews – next week

Parent Teacher Interviews are scheduled to go ahead in Week 2 on the 4th and 5th of May. This is an opportunity for parents and guardians to meet with their child/ren's teacher and discuss their learning progress so far. School will finish at normal time on the 4th of May, however, we have a half day (pupil-free) on Wednesday the 5th of May to allow for the majority of these interview times. Students will finish school at 12:45pm. Buses and OSHC will run earlier on this day. Students catching the school bus or attending OSHC will need to bring lunch.

Parents who will attend these interviews on campus will need to book via Parent Teacher Online (PTO) and use our QR Code on entry. PTO will be available to parents tomorrow. We encourage our parents not to mingle before or after interviews on campus, as we have a number of restrictions in relation to visitors on campus, and must respect the timeframe of the interview slots.

Mother's Day Stall