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I vividly remember the “Pigeon” incident from my Year 2 class. I was seated by the window when a pigeon dropped its business on the sill right beside me. Being the sharing little chap I was, I announced this to the whole class using particularly unsavoury language. The teacher came and grabbed me by the ear lobe and took me downstairs, grabbed a cake of soap and went to give my mouth a good washing. Language is such a powerful thing and helping our children to use it responsibly, creatively and effectively can be a real challenge. However, the challenge of building people up with what is said is not confined to our children, it is something I also struggle with as an adult and must work on constantly. One of our school’s core values is Respect and I think using language positively is very much a part of this value, particularly when society’s views or family member use of what is acceptable language, is not what we would agree with. Below is an article about helping our children to speak respectfully to others. I hope you find it helpful. It has some excellent practical suggestions.
“If you’re like me, you feel decidedly uncomfortable when kids of any age turn the air blue with profanities. Swearing shows lack of respect for others, and also a lack of awareness for their surroundings.
Teaching kids to use appropriate language is trickier now than in the past. For a start, standards have changed where many words – such as the ‘F’ word – that were deemed inappropriate in the past are often heard on radio and seen in mainstream newspapers. Words that everyone agrees are inappropriate are frequently used in public forums, to the point that the boundaries of appropriateness have become blurred.
Standards may change, but the job of parents hasn’t altered. That is, to teach kids to use language that doesn’t offend others. Whether it’s teasing or swearing – it’s all the same. If a word or words are offensive, then choose other words or say nothing at all. That is the message to get across to the next generation.
Socially smart kids alter their language
Socially skilled kids of all ages will adjust their language to suit the situation they are in. They may speak one way with their friends but use a completely different vocabulary when they are with adults. They are aware that what works with their best friend just won’t cut it when they are in Grandma’s company. This awareness shows social acuity and the flexibility to adjust to different environments. It needs to be extended to all sorts of situations including where adults and younger children are present. Kids who constantly swear limit their social possibilities.
They didn’t hear that from me!
What do you do when you know your children swear despite your best intentions? Don’t over react. Try to work out its purpose. Children swear for many reasons, including: to experiment with language; to attract your attention; to make themselves appear bigger or older than they are; and even as a challenge or expression of personal power.
When swearing becomes a habit
If swearing has become a habit for kids, make up alternative words to replace the swear words. One family I know had replaced certain words with fruit. They had a fruit for every situation!
Alternatively, use a penalty or fine system to make kids aware of their poor language. When you hear a family member swear, fine them an agree amount. At the end of the week or month give the money collected to a worthy cause. Of course, this strategy is easier to implement when parents join in as well.
Take a long, hard look at, er … yourself!
It’s also helpful to examine your own choice of language to judge if it is an acceptable model for your children. Yep, sometimes kids will pick up their parents’ language and repeat it at the worst possible time, such as when relatives are over.
The job of adults is to develop a sense of social awareness in the next generation so they can easily navigate a variety of different groups and social situations. Teaching appropriate language use is at the very heart of teaching kids to be socially skilled. That’s something we all should swear by!
Things to remember when kids swear:
- Avoid over-reacting when your kids swear. Look for the reason.
- Discuss with older children the concept of matching their language with the audience.
- Nip it in the bud before it becomes habit forming.
- Use a penalty or fine system when kids swear in front of you.
- Model the language you want your kids to use.
A last word
Standards may change, but the job of parents hasn’t altered. That is, to teach kids to use language that doesn’t offend others. If it’s offensive then encourage them to choose other words, or say nothing at all. That’s the approach that socially smart kids follow.” (Grose, 2018)
As it says in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Have a great week with your kids,
Mark B
Faith…
Have you ever had that moment when you are seriously questioning what God’s plan for you in all of this is? Or if God was even there, things just seemed that strange. That was Jo. Jo had just been thrown into jail. Which is completely understandable if you had done something wrong… but Jo had done the right thing, he had literally run away from doing the wrong thing and had been thrown into jail because an important person was mad that he wouldn’t do the wrong thing.
Jo’s life seemed to be a mess, not only had he been thrown into a pit, by none other than his jealous brothers, they had then sold him into slavery. So Jo was now a slave. But he stuck by his morals, he did the right thing the whole time, and his boss put him in charge of everything he owned, because he trusted him that much. That was, until this person who shall remain unnamed tried to convince him to do the wrong thing. But he did the right thing, over and over again. And now, here he is, sitting in a jail cell, wondering why this was happening to him. Wondering why God would do this to him. And wondering what the point was.
Jo continued to work hard and do the right thing, despite frustration, and confusion as to why all of this had happened to him.
But what Jo didn’t know, was that God had a bigger plan for his life, but it would take time. You see while Jo was in jail, he would go on to interpret two men’s dreams who worked for the king, and one of them told him that he wouldn’t forget him.
But he did, for over two years, while Jo was still in jail. Wondering, waiting, questioning why this was happening.
And then the king had a dream, and at this point the guy who worked for the king finally remembered Jo, and told the king about him. Not only did Jo continue to put God first, even in his interactions with the king, but he also was put in charge, and went on to save the whole country from famine.
Finally, Jo got it, he understood why he had to go through everything else to get to this point.
Luckily, even when we don’t see the plan, God has the ultimate plan for us, a plan that is better than anything we could imagine…
Can we trust in God, even when we don’t understand?
I think Jo would say yes. Besides, God did create everything, knows everything, and in addition to all of that, He loves you. So I would say that we can trust that He knows best, even when we don’t understand.
Hope Born
It's Time For 6:58 Again!!!
Join us for our challenge night this Friday night, the 26th of October, doors open at 6:58pm. There will be fun for the kids, and adults are invited to stay with the kids or spend some time with just the adults.
See you there!
Summer Camps - January 2019
Last week, we talked about “Excellence" and this week we honoured several students from all the classes in our school for demonstrating this value.
Our values program this year is focused on RESPECT, INTEGRITY, SERVICE, and EXCELLENCE shown through His children and people at Prescott Northern. “Up, Up and Away says it all because with God’s values… we will rise!!!
“Rise up and shine, for your light has come.
The shining greatness of the Lord has risen upon you."
Isaiah 60:1
Uniform Shop
Please note the uniform shop will be open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3.30pm onwards. No appointments are necessary. Uniforms can also be ordered through Flexischools. This is the last week before compulsory SUMMER uniform MUST be worn.
As of Week 3 the uniform shop will ONLY be open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3.30-4pm.
Term 4 Uniform
This week is the last week that Winter Uniform is allowed to be worn at school. Just a reminder of the PPN Uniform Policy that is located on the PPN Website (https://www.prescottnorthern.com.au/policies).
Full Summer uniform is to be worn from Week 3 of Term 4.
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Boys (SUMMER) |
Girls (SUMMER) |
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School hat (Legionnaire or bucket style with emblem) |
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Blue short sleeved shirt with Prescott emblem |
Regulation Summer dress- with left-hand pocket & emblem (no belt loop) |
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Tailored SA grey school shorts (Cotton cargo shorts are not permitted) |
Plain black/navy bike shorts that do not exceed the dress may also be worn |
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Laced, buckled or Velcro polished, black leather, low-heeled regulation school shoes. Brown Sandals (Optional) – no socks to be worn with sandals* Grey over the ankle socks* |
Laced, buckled or Velcro polished, black leather, low-heeled regulation school shoes. Brown Sandals (Optional) – no socks to be worn with sandals* White over the ankle/knee high socks – no leggings |
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Royal blue V-necked school jumper/cardigan with emblem |
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Term 4- Year 7 is permitted to wear Prescott College’s short sleeve shirt |
Simple hair ties, scrunchies, ribbons or hairclips in the colours of light blue, black, maroon, red and white and match the uniform* |
Prescott Blazers
The wearing of the PPN Blazer for Years 6 and 7 is mandatory with their Formal Uniform. In 2018, Blazers are optional for Year 5. Students have a few options when wearing their blazers.
- Students can wear just the blazer over their long sleeve, white shirt or blue summer shirt or dress.
- In colder months, students may wear the blazer over the PPN school jumper.
Some other important items to note this term are-
Jewellery
The following jewellery may be worn at school-
- Functional, non-decorative watch with an inconspicuous band. Responsible use of smart watches is expected.
- 3-4mm round plain gold or silver stud in the lower lobe, 1 stud per ear (Standard Lobe, Female only)
- Medical bracelets
- Religious jewellery (after written request has been approved in writing by the PPN Administration)
- Boys are to wear no jewellery at all.
General
- Students should be in the correct uniform including footwear at all times.
- Any garments worn under the uniform should not be visible.
- Parents are requested to see that their children are correctly dressed at all times. If for any reason it is impossible for a student to be in full school uniform, a written note or SMS from their parents or guardians should be addressed to the Deputy Principal. Students wearing incorrect uniform must bring a note from home and will be issued with a uniform pass. If, for any reason a student needs permission for non-uniform items for an extended period of time, special consideration must be applied for in writing from the Deputy.
- Cosmetics, other than clear nail polish, may not be worn at school.
Hair
- Clean cut and kept off the eyes and face
- Hair should be a natural colour
- Extreme changes to colour/styles and multiple colours are not permitted
- No part of the hair is shaved less than Number 2 in length.
- There is no sharp line between the short and the long part, i.e. the length should be blended, so that it changes continuously from short to long.
- There are to be no lines shaved into the hair as highlights
Girls hair
- Long hair on or below the collar must be tied back at all times
- Simple hair ties, scrunchies, ribbons or hairclips in the colours of blue, black, maroon, red and white can be used (to match in with the winter/summer uniform).
Boys hair
- Long hair on or below the collar must be tied back at all times with a simple hair tie, matching hair colour
- Buns are not permitted.
Term 4 School Fees
Prompt Payment Discount date for Term 4 is Thursday 25th of October, please pay the full remaining amount in order to receive this discount.
Full fee payment is required by Thursday 8th of November, please note any outstanding fees after this date will be overdue.
Before and After School Procedures
Before school: Students arrive on campus after 8:30am and are directed to the back cover area to be seated, waiting for the 8:40 bell. After this bell, students are permitted to go to their classrooms and/or go and play on the back oval/playground with the duty teacher present. The class bell goes at 8:55am, where the students return to their classrooms for the mornings activities. These are the only places students should be in the morning.
After school: The students are all packed up and out by 3:20pm and directed to the following two areas for collection.
- The back cover area is where the majority of students will be seated, waiting for parents/guardians to come and collect them. Students are expected to sit and wait quietly for their parents to come and collect them.
- The bus line is near the library and students must be seated in their bus groups, waiting with their bus driver to complete the roll and be on their way.
In all instances, students are to remain seated, waiting for parents/guardians and drivers to take them home.
It has been noticed that some students (and parents) have been playing on the front and back playgrounds before and after school. We ask that this does not happen from a risk point of view. We have been instructed that without teacher supervision, the playgrounds shouldn't be used. I realise that sometimes it's hard to entertain young children, however, we do have signs up asking parents to refrain from allowing children to play on the equipment without a teacher present. Thank you in advance for helping us out with this.
We want our kids to be safe and hope you can help us achieve this!
Pupil Free Day
Friday 16th of November is a Pupil Free Day for all students. OSHC services will be available on this day.
Nature Play
Outdoor Classroom Day
CBCA Book Week 2019
Theme: Reading is My Secret Power
Plastic Bags
Thank you for the plastic bag donations we have received. Our school community must be very environmentally aware! We still need more bags for students who forget their library bags. We need to look after our precious library books. They are a treasure!
Book Swap Day - This Term
In Week 5 of Term 4, we will be having our final Book Swap Day of the year. The day for book swap will be Thursday, 15th of November. Have a look through your books, and swap some old favourites for a new one!
The Story Behind 'Bonnie and Ben Rhyme Again'
A companion to Good Night, Sleep Tight. Join Bonnie and Ben as they rhyme their way through the day…until a twinkle, twinkle, little star calls them home.
From Mem Fox and Judy Horacek, the team behind best-selling classics including Ducks Away!, This and That and Where is the Green Sheep?
A message from Mem Fox:
"I know. A new book at long last!
I love this book. I love the illustrations by Judy Horacek, which goes without saying, but I’m shouting it from the rooftops anyway. And regarding the text, I love in particular the repetition of the phrase: ‘without hesitation’. Pardon my appalling pride, but what a super phrase for a young child’s book—so unexpected, so apparently ’difficult’ and inappropriate for small children. Not anymore. It will trip off their tongues in kindergarten and stay with them forever. I adore lifting children’s vocabulary to giddy new heights.
In spite of my being so happy—finally —with Bonne and Ben Rhyme Again, there’s quite a story behind the story of this book, not the least of which is that I wrote a hideous few drafts and thought the final draft was good enough. It wasn’t…
Sadly, dear readers, in spite of all my knowledge and experience, I almost failed miserably with this new book. I blush to admit it. I was cavalier, satisfied too quickly, and dismissive of the work required.
Judy Horacek and I were on tour with our publicist Sarah Hatton, for Goodnight,
Sleep Tight! on a long drive between two events. Sarah suggested, almost as a joke, that we start writing a sequel as we drove along. She pointed out that there were dozens of nursery rhymes we hadn’t used in Goodnight, Sleep Tight. She also pointed out that I’m always ranting on about the purpose and importance of nursery rhymes in helping children to learn to read early and with ease. It’s hard for the children who don’t know any. So, said Sarah, why not write another, similar book with the same characters and another six or seven different nursery rhymes? (You may have noticed that Bonnie and Ben Rhyme Again is dedicated to Sarah Hatton, who started it all. Thank you so much, Sarah!)
We made a list and recited the rhymes together, to pass the time. The whole thing was a giggle. I didn’t really take it seriously. I knew that a series of books—companion books, rather than sequels—sells well, so I should have been more conscientious. But my mind wasn’t fully on the job.
Anyway, we chose the rhymes, and over the next few months I wrote several drafts that could have passed as a perfectly adequate. But can ‘adequate’ really be good enough? Judy did some superb illustrations, which made me feel guilty, but I was so busy—this was in 2017, one of my busiest years on record, that I didn’t care. I was tired and madly otherwise occupied.
One weekend, when I thought I had finally nailed it, I read the text to my husband, expecting to receive the usual warmth and praise at the end of it. Instead, he was shocked. He said there was nothing of the usual Mem Fox magic in it, not a single exciting word to set kids alight. I was murderous with rage—maddened. I knew he was right. I had known all along that it wasn’t good enough but had been too hot and bothered to admit it.
So, over the next three days I re-wrote it almost entirely. (Fortunately, no one had said: ‘Good grief, you can’t change the text at this late stage! Are you crazy?’) Judy had already finished her perfect pictures, and the page design was set, none of which could be changed. I had to write the new words and repetitive phrases in such a way that they would fit snugly into the current design. It was hard work.
The fresh text was a huge surprise to my husband, to Judy, and to my agent, Jenny Darling. Their reaction? Applause, applause! Thank God. My brain had been on fire for three days and nights, and once again, thank heaven, I had finally arrived at a ‘Mem Fox’ kind of story.
So, there you have it: the long story, with a happy ending, about what appears to be ‘a simple little text.’ Hah, hah!
Now where will Bonnie and Ben go next? Hmmmm.”
Kids Who Read Succeed
From the very first day of life, babies learn by looking and listening. Childhood, particularly the first few years of a child's life, is a very important period for the development of language skills. Parents and carers can play a unique role in this development by talking and singing to their children and sharing books, songs and rhymes in a happy, loving environment.As children grow, reading remains a crucial factor in their success in education and life. It's important that parents continue to demonstrate the value and enjoyment of reading by encouraging regular reading times, and allowing children to see them reading too. A love of reading can also be encouraged through regular visits to the library where children can browse a huge range of books and choose their own to borrow.
You're never too young to join the library
Children can join the library at any age. Libraries provide a range of resources suitable for very young children and their parents including:
- Board books - durable books, often with thick cardboard pages, intended for handling by very young children
- Picture books
- Music
- Resources for parents - the parenting collection, in particular, has a variety of books and DVDs to help parents understand subjects like child development and parenting issues
Library resources to entertain and support children as they grow and move through the various stages of reading development include:
- Picture books
- Early readers
- Chapter books
- Audio books
- eBooks
Join your local library! Enjoy your school community library!
Red Pandas - Banana Split!
Last week Prescott's Red Panadas were missing Farid, due to injury, as we faced off against the Pedare All Stars.
Knowing that the Pedare All Stars have had a tough first season, suffering some sizable defeats, from the get-go the Red Pandas adopted some "modified" game strategies, including a mission to get ever single player present, on both teams, to score...
To this aim, and with an opposing player still scoreless with only 14 seconds of the game remaining, Zukiah, the GREAT sport, handed this particular Pedare All Star a rebound and gimme buzzer-beater-basket, much to the jubilation of all.
Before that though...the Red Pandas welcomed Savannah, who also scored, on her debut basketball game, and further to that, with a changed-up player bye rotation, Jonah volunteered to split and fill-in for almost the entire game playing for Pedare, which made for some fun match-ups against his usual team-mates, and gave him an opportunity to help mentor a novice player group.
Scout and Simon scored early, and, with Tanner, pressed up the court on defence, while Seth and Alanna both played and listened particularly well...
This week's game should be EPIC, in a PRESCOTT V PRESCOTT match-up, with the Red Pandas eager to settle the score against fellow class mates, the Titans.
Hope to see you at the game.
Coach HATCHARD.
