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Music Exam Results
Some of our students completed Music Exams earlier in the term and we are very proud of the results they achieved.
Kevin Zheng - Grade 5 Saxophone - High Distinction
Oliver Damm - Grade 2 Saxophone for Leisure - High Distinction
Monique Badea - Grade 3 Violin - Honours
Chelsea Damm - Grade 3 Flute - Credit
Marilla Maticic - Grade 2 Flute - Honours
Aidan Chong - Grade 2 Piano for Leisure - Honours
Ashton Hong - Grade 1 Violin - Honours
Aaron Kumar - Grade 1 Piano for Leisure - Honours
Brannon Chong - Preliminary Piano for Leisure - Honours
Choir at Nursing Home
Last Tuesday, the Prescott Primary Northern School Choir and Band visited a local aged care facility in Walkley Heights. It is always a joy to spread the Christmas cheer with the residents and this year was no exception. It was great to hear the old folk sing along with us as we presented a special Christmas program. Our theme was ‘Symbols of Christmas’. The carols explored the things that come to mind when we think of Christmas, like the holly, Christmas trees, lights and of course baby Jesus. A small group of students also performed a thought provoking Christmas skit. At the end of the program the students and staff enjoyed meeting the residents and gave them each a small gift. We have received many positive comments and expressions of appreciation. Thank you to everyone who was involved.
Community Christmas Carols
On Sunday, the sun came out and our school families enjoyed some food, crafts and Christmas Carols, sung by all our students. A huge thank you goes out to all involved in making the day a great success.
Lower Primary Parents Christmas Concert
Our Lower Primary students performed a Christmas Concert for their parents yesterday, in preparation for the coming Christmas season. The students performed again today for the Special Persons Christmas Concert, to show appreciation for all the special people in their lives. Our Grandparents and Special Guests thoroughly enjoyed the singing and the wonderful morning tea provided for them.
Addressing one challenge can often mean another challenge is created and wisdom, thought and flexibility is needed to strike a balance. Like the balance between reading and exercising, speed and economy, comfort and cost, recreation and income, hats/sunscreen and Vitamin D, kindness and honesty, spending and saving, protecting the values of the past and living and learning in the present, and on it goes. I would like to talk to you about one balance we have experienced challenges with in recent years in schools.
One of the difficulties in schools over the years that needed addressing (and continues to need addressing) is bullying of students. Most of us reading this experienced times when there was repeated and sustained harassment by another student – not a once or twice meanness or hurtfulness, but an ongoing and continual situation. That is what bullying is. I am glad that we have made great headway in our schools and workplaces to give voice to those who are on the receiving end and have structures, process and people in place to support those being subjected to bullying and put a stop to it. I would be the first to admit that we all still have work to do here, but we have made progress. The challenge that we are finding, at least anecdotally, is that we now have to help our children to develop independence, resilience and the skills for solving interpersonal differences. By bringing the offensiveness of bullying to the foreground and telling our children to make sure they tell an adult (which is very important to address ongoing bullying), we are finding that rather than developing skills in solving differences of opinion, children are very quick to go to an adult and expect things to be sorted for them. This may seem a little harsh at first, but if you think this through, we really need to help our children gain these important skills, or we run the risk of having them grow into teenagers and young adults without the life skills to help them enjoy the independence and maturity that comes from being able to work through differences of opinion with those around.
I’m not advocating a “put ‘em out in the playground and let ‘em sort it out approach,” but I am saying that reinforcing a “tell on them and let the teacher or parent sort it for us” approach doesn’t really work either. Adelaide author Mark Le Messurier writes, “Collective research confirms that children who engage with peers, attach to them, and feel as though they have healthy relationships have a much greater chance of happiness and well-being as they grow. Without explicitly teaching children how to successfully connect and work with differences, we run the risk of some becoming discouraged, or worse.” (Le Messurier, 2014) This is something we are working on here at school and plan to work more on in 2019, but raising independent children is something we can’t only do at school. Perhaps this week you can do some analysis of how things happen in your family and look for opportunities to increase your child’s independence, especially in being able to work through social situations. After all, independent, resilient, caring, balanced, thriving, respectful, loving young people is what we are wanting for each of our children. Building more independence doesn’t have to be a huge change to start with. Neither does it have to be confined to relationships with other students. We also need to develop independence in other life skills as well. It may be as simple as having your child pack their own bag in the morning and carry it in to school, rather than you doing it for them, and move on from there.
So here’s an idea for these Christmas holidays, have the kids solve at least one conflict situation a day with minimal input from adults. The skills they learn will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Have a great week with your kids,
Mark B
But It's Shiny!!
As a child with big, open and wondering eyes, when your Mum tells you not to touch that big shiny object, it doesn’t make sense. “Why wouldn’t she want me to touch that pretty shiny silver thing?” Now, as a child you have two options… Number one, trust that your Mother knows best. Or number two, decide that you as a child know what is best, and are much wiser than your Mother, so you touch the silver shiny thing.
Of course, you go with number two, because you know best. When Mum isn’t looking, you reach up, and touch the shiny object. It takes a moment, but you all of a sudden realise that this shiny object, is extremely hot. You pull your hand away as quickly as you can. Then you proceed to run back to Mum with a burnt hand from touching the boiling kettle, realising that she does in fact know best.
I don’t know about you, but there have been so many times in my life when I fixate on this silver shiny thing, reasoning to myself, it doesn’t look that bad, in fact, it looks shiny and pretty, how could God not want this in my life? I mean, He does want the best for my life, right? This must be something that He would want me to have! I ignore all the obvious signs, I ignore the fact that God so clearly knows so much better than I do. That He knows everything. He knows the consequences that I cannot see, and haven’t even considered. I forget that I can trust Him, and that I should trust Him.
I was talking to the Year 7’s last week about sin. How sin begins by us focusing on ourselves, and what we want or what feels best right now. Which, of course, results in us losing sight of the bigger picture. We lose sight of God, the people around us and what is best in the long run.
I wonder if, for Judas, it started that simply. If one day, he was thinking about finances, and thought about how much he had given up to follow Jesus. Maybe he began thinking that he deserved more, that he should be rewarded financially for what he was doing. But he missed the part where the reward is a heavenly reward; eternal life with God, in a perfect world is such an amazing reward. There is nothing in this world that can even come close to comparing! In losing sight of the long run and focusing on the here and now, maybe Judas decided when turning Jesus in, that he was simply getting the financial reward he felt he deserved.
My encouragement for you this week is to know, throughout everything that is happening in your life this week, God cares, He loves you, and He can’t wait until we all get to be together forever. With no more death, pain, or tears.
This world is temporary, but our friendship with God, that is eternal! God is literally the definition of a best friend for life, and He has your best interests at heart! Focus on him, and not the shiny silver distractions.
Miss Born
6:58
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
Nurleen, Charlie, Ryan K, Harnoor, Amelia, Patrick, Ryan B, Achiro, Luciana, Levi, Aryan, Diya, Keerat, Kunwar, David and Atap.
OVERDUE SCHOOL FEES
Please note that all oustanding fees are now overdue. Please pay the remainder of your school fees immediately. Outstanding accounts will be passed into the debt recovery process.
Outstanding Monies
Please bring all outstanding monies owing to the Canteen and Student Services to the school before the end of Term.
Borrowed Uniforms
As we come to the end of the year please make sure that all borrowed uniforms are washed and returned to Student Services.
Musical Recital
Some of our students are performing a Music Recital on Thursday December 6 at 1:30pm in the church hall. Feel free to come along and support our music students.
Last Day Casual Day
The last day of Term 4 is a casual day for all students. A gold coin donation is required and the proceeds will go to our South Pacific Sister School.
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.
Parking
Please be mindful of our neighbours when parking your car outside the school property. Parking is not permitted in the bus lane, driveways or private carparking areas surrounding the school.
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.
Developing Nature Play Area
Keep an eye on our developments happening in the Nature Playground...
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.
Red Pandas Red Faced
With three players absent due to injury, and a further two unable to make it to the game due to family commitments or car issues, the Red Pandas fielded only four players (from a roster of nine) for the start of last week’s game, as a result were run ragged and red-faced with no subs.
Of the four present, Tanner, nursing a knee injury (on crutches only a week prior) managed two points, two fouls and like a moth-to-the-flame, took the initiative to extend the Red Pandas Zone-defence out to the half way line.
Scout, demonstrating highly disciplined defence, managed possibly his first-ever-foul-free game, also scored and once again stealthily worked his way into some awesome offensive positions.
Seth, sacrificing his athletics training commitments to play, equal top scored for the Red Pandas and was a great support to trapped Pandas all over the court (incidentally the other equal top Red Panda scorer was Flynn, a 2nd half fill-in from the Ardtornish Allstars, who upon seeing the Red Pandas facing a 20 point deficit at half time felt a sufficient tinge of sympathy to empty their bench and switch teams).
Adopting a primarily defensive approach, Jonah, also missing athletics relay team training, did his best to hold down our back line, fighting for defensive real-estate, rebounds and had great effect unleashing team mates for fast breaks.
With our finals campaign starting this week, we hope to see key players return to the court – so parents, please wrap your kids in cotton wool and call me if your child needs a lift to the game!!!
Coach HATCHARD
