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Wednesday, December 8, will be our last day of school for 2021. Finishing time will be at 3.15 pm as normal. OSHC Vacation care will be available after that date. Please see the details of the OSHC program in the Newsletter and call 0402737051 to book in.
Year 1 Visit Thorndon Park
Last Friday, the Year 1 students went on an excursion to Thorndon Park Reserve as part of their Geography unit on ‘Places and Spaces’. The students enjoyed exploring the park in their small groups, and made lots of new and interesting discoveries. After their explorations, all three classes came together to discuss the natural, constructed and managed features of Thorndon Park. The highlight of the excursion, however, was playing on the playground before returning to school.
A big thank you to all the parents and bus drivers who helped supervise on the day. It was a wonderful excursion that was enjoyed by all!
Joyful and Triumphant
There are many reasons to be joyful and triumphant at this time of year. For some of us, it is because our child is graduating from primary school. For others of us, we are celebrating significant achievements. One of the most significant celebrations of the year is Christmas day. The day where we celebrate Jesus’ birth – the opening chapter of a life that was lived with conviction and wisdom. Through Jesus ministry and His message of grace, we have hope for the future. We know that He has a plan for us and that He has triumphed. We shared the story of Christmas with the students at Prescott Primary Northern this week in our Nature Playspace. Students walked, talked, and shared the story of Jesus birth as they moved through the Nature Playspace. Some interacted with the nativity scene. Others read stories while others participated in the Readers Theatre based on the story of Christmas. Jesus is the reason we celebrate at this time of year. May the gift of grace bring you peace and hope this week as you share joy with those you meet.
Next week will be the final week of primary school for our Year 6 students. One chapter ends for them, and another one opens. Yesterday as I watched the Lower Primary Christmas concert out on the playground lawn, I saw children beginning their primary school life. As I reflected on the efforts of our Foundations, Year 1s and Year 2s yesterday, I thought there were lessons for our Year 6s, but also for us all. I just loved the way our little ones gave it everything in their performances. Nothing was left as a half-hearted attempt. It led me to think about the second part of Martin Luther King Junior's speech I mentioned in last week's remarks.
As he spoke to those high school graduates in Philadelphia in 1967 he said, “Secondly, in your life’s blueprint, you must have as a basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor....If it falls to your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures. Sweep streets like Beethoven composed music. Sweep streets like Leontyne Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera. And sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of Heaven and Earth will have to pause and say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.’” (King, 1967)
A determination to do the very best in all we do, despite how it may compare to the efforts of others, is certainly something we want to develop in our children as well as ourselves. How many times do we find ourselves casting envious glances at other people's abilities to do something better than us, then allowing that comparison to rob us of the joy of achieving our very best. Striving for excellence and doing our very best along the way, is something we should encourage and model to our children. It is my challenge to us all this week, student, parent, family and staff to do, and be, the very that we can be at whatever task we find ourselves doing.
Earlier in my life I lived in New Zealand and during our five years there I grew a respect for the traditional Maori culture of that beautiful country. There is a traditional Maori saying that is very appropriate as we consider encouraging our children and ourselves to do our very best. It says, “Aim for the highest cloud, so if you miss it, you will hit a high mountain.”
Our first school value is Respect, the fourth is Excellence. It is interesting that these values line up closely with the first two principles of Dr King's Blueprint speech.
The Bible puts it very simply for us, Ecclesiastes 9:10 MSG "Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!”
Have a great week with your kids,
Mark B
In Matthew 13, Jesus tells the story of a man who finds a treasure hidden in a field, and he is so excited that he sells everything that he has to buy the field, and to get the treasure. Stories of hidden treasure were popular in Jesus’ time, and this guy hits the jackpot.
On the surface, it seems like the point of this parable is that having a relationship with God is the greatest treasure, so we need to be willing to give up everything to get it. But in the story, the man who found the treasure was actually Jesus himself. And the treasure that he found was all of us, including every other person who has ever lived. And so just like the man in the parable, Jesus was willing to give up everything that he had, to get that treasure. This is exactly what Jesus did, when He came down from heaven and gave His life for us on the cross.
Friend, you are the greatest treasure who God gave up everything for. You are precious and valuable to God, and He loves you. In the words of the well known verse:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
God bless,
Roland Talamaivao-Amituanai
Chaplain
Yr 6 Graduation Program Next Week
We will be celebrating the Year 6 Graduation in a similar fashion to last year, hosting a casual evening around the oval/Yr 4 undercover area for Year 6 students and families.
When: Wednesday 8th December (last day of school)
Time: 6pm - 8pm
Year 6 families should have booked in already. If you haven’t, please contact the Front Office as soon as possible.
New Teaching Staff for 2022
Kaden Pepper
Hello! I'm Kaden Pepper. I've been at one of our other Prescott schools, Prescott College Southern, for the last eight years. I'm a past student at PPN. I enjoy outdoors and sports. I have a passion for sharing Christ to people. I'm married to Amy and we have two children, Hugo (3) and Robbie (1). I'm really looking forward to returning to PPN as the new Deputy Principal and becoming part of the school community.
Emily Ksiazkiewicz
My name is Mrs. Ksiazkiewicz, and I will be teaching in the new Year 5 classroom. I look forward to joining the Prescott Primary Nothern staff for 2022. I am excited to meet my Year 5 students and work with them over the coming year. We will have many adventures, fun events, and activities to participate in. With God as the center of our classroom, we will accomplish great things together.
Kate Larwood
My name is Kate Larwood and I am so excited to be a part of the Year 4 teaching team at Prescott Primary Northern and being able to create chances for engaging learning. I'm a Mum of 2 boys and a teenage stepdaughter. I love spending time with my family and watching them experience the world. I'm looking forward to a fun filled and purposeful 2022 and seeing where our educational journeys take us.
Jasmin Lim
Staffing Changes
Phil Lillehagen will be moving to Queensland with his family at the end of this year. We would like to wish Phil, Shelisa and the boys all the best in their new location and roles. Thank you, Phil, for the difference you have made at PPN in your role as chaplain over the past three years.
Applications for Canteen Manager at Prescott Primary Northern
Prescott Primary Northern is currently seeking applications for a Canteen Manager for 2022. This is a position of 5 days a week (hours to be negotiated), beginning early 2022. This is a contract position until the end of 2022, with a three-month probationary period, with the possibility of continued employment into 2023. The applicant should be a committed Christian and willing to uphold our Adventist ethos. Applicants should submit their resume to markborresen@ppn.sa.edu.au. If you have any questions 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 9th December 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. Applicants must follow current vaccination guidelines for schools. This means that applicants must be double vaccinated before the commencement of work in 2022.
Applications for Canteen Assistant at Prescott Primary Northern
Prescott Primary Northern is currently seeking applications for a Canteen Assistant for 2022. This is a position of 5 days a week (4 hours a day - total of 20 hours a week), beginning early 2022. This is a contract position until the end of 2022, with a three-month probationary period, with the possibility of continued employment into 2023. The applicant should be a committed Christian and willing to uphold our Adventist ethos. Applicants should submit their resume to markborresen@ppn.sa.edu.au. If you have any questions 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 9th December 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. Applicants must follow current vaccination guidelines for schools. This means that applicants must be double vaccinated before the commencement of work in 2022.
Applications for Student Services Officer at Prescott Primary Northern
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. Applicants must follow current vaccination guidelines for schools. This means that applicants must be double vaccinated before the commencement of work in 2022.
Applications for SSO Position at Prescott Primary Northern
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. Applicants must follow current vaccination guidelines for schools. This means that applicants must be double vaccinated before the commencement of work in 2022.
Challenges in Delivering School Services 2022
The State Government recently mandated compulsory vaccination for all volunteers and workers in an Educational setting. The breadth and timing of this mandate is providing challenges for Prescott Primary Northern leadership in being able to staff all of our usual programs for our students in 2022. We ask for your patience and understanding as we do all we can to put things in place. We will certainly have our main teaching program in place, but some of our extracurricular programs may be impacted by the mandate. We are doing our very best to plan and provide to minimise any impact, but thank you for your patience in advance.
School Holiday Office Hours
Holiday hours will apply to our Front Office 8.30am - 3.30pm Mon - Thurs, and 8.30am - 3.00pm Fri. The Front Office will be closed between Monday, 20 December 2021, and reopen Monday, 17 January 2022.
Food Drive
Do's & Dont's of Dropping Your Kids to School
Daily Health Check
Prescott Basketball Uniform Return
- Students may bring their washed basketball singlet to the Front Office to return. If a student does this, the student will receive the $10 refund in a sealed envelope to take home.
- Parents may return the washed basketball singlet on Monday of Week 9 in between 3:15pm-3:45pm to Miss Thomas in the Front Office to receive the $10 refund.
Prescott College
OSHC Vacation Program
Pooraka Football Club
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