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PE Week
Our Lower Primary students had a great time on Monday, throwing soaking wet sponges at some Year 7 students!
Our Upper Primary students enjoyed a game of cricket with some other Year 7 students too!
Even our staff have enjoyed participating in the PE Week activities!
The end of a school year often throws up interesting challenges. One of them is helping children with relationships and growing and maturing as they grow more tired as the year goes by. When you think about it, the changes that a person goes through between the ages of 5 and 15 are some of the greatest we ever experience, especially in a short period of time. As we work with children, one of the things we really strive to do is get them to see things from other’s perspectives, particularly in times of conflict. This is a very important emotional skill to develop as empathy provides a depth to relationships that nothing else can. I sat with a young person during the last week and asked the question several times about how the other person might be feeling, what must it be like to be in that person’s position, what do you think the person might see in the next few weeks. Empathy is about seeing and feeling situations from another’s perspective, not just feeling sorry for them and that is something we can all really benefit from developing.
I read this article a week or two ago about the importance of developing empathy in our children. I thought you might find it helpful.
“Parenting is a socialisation process during which parents develop in their children and teenagers the skills and attitudes that will enable them to fit into the different groups they encounter. These groups will exist inside the classroom, in friendship groups, during sports and leisure activities and elsewhere.
This socialisation process needs to begin from a young age.
Initially, most kids believe that their world and everyone in it revolves around them. “I want” is their mantra. Patient, firm parents will continually remind children that they need to think of others. “It’s your brother’s turn.” ”Nana doesn’t feel comfortable listening to that language.” “Think about how your behaviour affects others.” These are the types of appeal to a less self-centred approach that many parents make.
The socialisation process operates on two levels. On one level its focus is on teaching and helping kids to follow social rules or conventions that exist to help them get along with each other. At a deeper level successful socialisation develops empathy in a child or young person.
Empathy – the ability to understand how another person is feeling or how they respond to a behaviour or an event – is the basis of all respectful relationships. Without empathy it’s impossible for someone to enjoy a relationship based on respect and equality. It’s easy for a person who doesn’t practise empathy to reject, bully, intimidate or hurt someone else.
Empathy learned in childhood carries on to adult life
Empathetic adults enjoy better personal relationships and experience less stress. They also make better leaders who are more likely to get the best out of people than self-centred, result-focused leaders.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that empathy, if neglected in childhood, can be difficult to develop in adulthood. In some adults it takes a traumatic event or a ‘road-to-Damascus’ moment for them to adopt an empathetic perspective.
So, rather than wait until adulthood, let’s focus on developing empathy in your children and adolescents. There is a good chance they will benefit very soon in terms of enjoying better friendships, improved wellbeing and more success at school. Here are four ideas to get you started:
- Model empathetic behaviour. Be kind even though the person in front of you in that queue is slow.
- Praise kind and compassionate behaviours. The behaviours that parents focus on, even with teenagers, are those that tend to expand, so bring their empathetic behaviours to the fore.
- Validate your child’s feelings. When a child shares difficult stories or emotions let them know you understand, without offering solutions or advice.
- Invite your child to walk in someone else’s shoes. Occasionally ask your child a question like, “What would it be like to be feel tall like Tanya?”
Empathy is too important to wait until adulthood so make it a priority to develop a sense of ‘other’ in your child from an early age.” (Grose, 2018)
Galatians 6:2 encourages us to “Share one another’s burdens . . .” This is another way of asking us to be empathetic and what a wonderful thing to share with our children.
Have a great week with your kids,
Mark B
God is The Answer
Corrie Ten Boom, went through so much in her life. When her and her sister were put into a concentration camp, they led Bible studies in their room at night. Luckily, their hay filled room was also filled with fleas. Which meant they didn’t have to worry about the guards coming around and catching them studying the Bible.
But I want to tell you about one of the more difficult things Corrie went through. She had just given a talk on how God forgives, speaking about how God throws our sins into the depths of the ocean (Micah 7:19). She saw a man making his way up to the stage, as soon as she saw him, she recognised him as being one of the cruellest guards. He had a part to play in the death of her sister.
She froze…
He told her about how he was now a Christian, and how He believed that God had forgiven him for everything he had done. And he proceeded to ask Connie for forgiveness.
All she could see in her mind was the picture of her frail sister. She loved her. And this man had been part of harming her. She hated this man. How could she not, after everything he had done?
Then she was reminded of Romans 5:5 “God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us” (NIV).
At that moment, she realised that she could not forgive this man by herself. She thanked God for how much He loved her, and then he thanked Him that His love is stronger than any hatred that she felt.
It was only because of God’s incredible, perfect love that forgiveness was possible in that moment.
Connie finished by saying,
“Can you forgive?”
“No.”
“I can’t either.”
“But He can!”
Only with God, are we able to truly forgive…
In the same way, have you ever heard the quote, “time heals”? I know many times in my life I have been told, “just give it time”, which is usually followed by the comment of “then you will be okay.”
But it wasn’t until recently that I realised how wrong that was. Time doesn’t help us heal. There isn’t a certain amount of time for each event, that once passed we will feel healed.
Time may fog things over, and help you forget for a little while, it may even give you the opportunity to bury it deep inside and pretend it isn’t there. Although if you still have the feeling in the pit of your stomach, or that anger, or hurt when the topic comes up again, you haven’t healed. You have simply put it out of your mind.
After all,
Time doesn’t heal.
God heals.
Psalm 147:2 (NLT), “He heals the broken hearted and bandages their wounds.”
My challenge this week is to give whatever you are holding onto, to God. Let go of the past, forgive, and let God heal.
Miss Born
Community Christmas Carols - November 25th
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
Change in Chapel Times for Week 5
Chapel times have been swapped for this week only.
Lower Primary Chapel will be at 9am. Middle/Upper Primary Chapel will be at 10am.
Pupil Free Day - 16th November
Please note, this Friday 16th of November is a Pupil Free Day for all students. OSHC services are available on this day.
Fee Payments Now OVERDUE
Full School Fee payments were due on Thursday 8th November 2018.
If you have not paid your school account for 2018 in full, it is now overdue.
Please make your payment immediately. As you can appreciate, the school has to pay the wages and educational expenses that form your child’s experience at Prescott Primary Northern.
Outstanding accounts will be passed into the debt recovery process.
Uniform Checks
As we near the end of the year we ask that you please check each item of your child/ren's uniform to ensure it has their own name on it. If you have accidentally picked up another child's uniform item we ask that you please return it back to the school, so it can be returned to its correct owner.
Uniform Shop January School Holiday Operating Hours
Please note that the Uniform Shop is open Monday 21st, Thursday 24th, Friday 25th and Monday 28th of January 2019. Opening hours are between 9am and 3:30pm.
Appointments are required and can be made by contacting the Front Office on 8396 2577.
Uniform Shop Reimbursements
Any parents who have given second-hand uniforms to the uniform shop are now able to collect their reimbursements from the uniform shop.
Please also note any funds not collected by end of Term 4 will be donated to the school fund.
Nature Play Development
Keep an eye on our developing Nature Play Area...
Library Technician Position 2019
Prescott Primary Northern is currently seeking applications for a Library Technician for 2019. This is an 8.15am to 4pm Monday – Thursday and 8.15am to 3.00pm Friday, 41 weeks position, beginning in mid-January. The applicant should be a committed Christian and willing to uphold our Adventist ethos.
The Role: The Library Technician will ultimately be responsible for the library services, materials and resources offered to students, staff and parents. They will need to develop and maintain a positive working relationship in this area and promote, develop and protect the school’s Christian vision, beliefs and educational tradition in all aspects of school life. To request a detailed job description, please email markborresen@ppn.sa.edu.au
PE Week
Our PE week has been up and running with our Staff taking part in an Office Olympics on Monday afternoon and a week-long step challenge. So far, our students have enjoyed extra Jump Jam sessions with Mr Fabello at lunchtime, along with a range of awesome activities run by our Sport House Captains at lunchtimes. Our Foundation - Year 2s had a great day on Tuesday, participating in a "Mini Olympics" and our Year 3-7s will follow on on Wednesday. We look forward to an awesome end to what has already been a fantastic "Jump To It" PE week.
Hornets Sting Pandas
Last week after a tied first half Prescott's Red Pandas lost to the Highbury Hornets.
Suffering from the early-game absentees and with Farid still on the mend from injury, the Red Pandas started the game with an empty bench, before Tanner arrived taking the court had an instant impact at both ends.
Despite enjoying the height advantage, the Red Pandas found themselves being swarmed by the Hornets' full-court scrambling press, and initially found it hard to advance the ball. But some great long passes opened up the game and forced the Hornets into a hasty retreat.
Scout, serving up some Red Panda pressure, found himself in foul trouble early, but with the discipline, maturity and wit of a seasoned veteran, adjusted his game, dropped off the ball and extending his defensive coverage helped close down the Hornets' passing lanes, as well as working his way into superb offensive positions.
Alana scored early and capitalised on her ability to read and win offensive rebounds, while Seth displayed his signature "stutter-step" move confounding the Hornets on one or two of his coast-to-coast trips, added some Panda points and used his voice, offering support to team-mates in distress.
Savannah, possibly the politest, most well mannered and gracious player to have ever donned the Red Panda uniform, got pinged in the paint before a quick Q & A remedied her understanding of the 3-second rule, also made good from the foul line and sent some Pandas packing, lobbing some well placed fast break passes.
While Jonah plays a solid game practically every week and shows great leadership on and off the court.
Thanks, Mrs Hatchard for scoring and collecting the game monies.
We have the early game again this week, so bring your kit to school and make haste to the stadium.
Coach Hatchard
