Choir News

On Thursday, July 28th the school Choir took Combined Worship for both the Lower and Upper Chapel programs. The theme was 'The Fruits of the Spirit'. They presented a lively skit and sang several songs which encouraged everyone to show the fruits of the Spirit. We celebrated our first performance for the year with a pizza lunch at school on Tuesday. Thank you for all of your hard work, drama and choir members.

Nature Play Journaling

As the nature play coordinator at PPN I get to interact with the students outside in a fun and exciting environment. One of the perks of the role is chatting with the students about what they would like to see in their nature play space each week for the activities. A suggestion from one of the students was a drawing table! Have you had a chance to be immersed in nature, and just sit and enjoy the surrounds, listen to the sounds, or even have a try at drawing some items from nature?

The benefits of journaling alone have been widely studied, and – according to research from the University of Rochester Medical Center – include decreased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. It is also a good way to reduce screen time and connect with and deeply observe nature.

This week, our students braved the wild and wooly weather to connect with and observe nature. Students were given the opportunity to sit and draw, using journal prompts. If you are feeling the pressures of life, why not take a notebook, a cushion and a pencil, and spend some time deeply connecting with nature, through Nature Journaling. 

Tara Watson

I got just a little bit excited yesterday. We had our first Learning Expo in a long time.

I know there are some families who haven’t been into our school classrooms for a couple of years. If you asked me what I saw as some of the biggest challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic over the last couple of years, I would have to answer providing something constant for our students, families, and staff here at school; restrictions around activities, travel and accessing medical assistance; and, the impact it has had on our sense of community and belonging. I know there continues to be the threat of restricting activities if our case numbers increase, but I have to say that our program of having families in classrooms on Tuesday did something for my soul.

As I wandered around the school, I saw parents, grandparents, aunties. and other family watching students learn in Maths, Reading, Health and French classes, just to name a few.

I know we have a long way to go to rebuild our sense of school community and belonging, but I felt like today was a start. As I walked some parents to their child’s classroom, the excitement for them was so obvious. One even said something like, “I am so excited to be able to do this!”

For those who attended, you will have noticed that most of the activities the students were taking part in were everyday things they do in class. It was designed to give families a window into the classroom learning lives of our kids. I hope those who were able to attend were warmed by their time.

Thank you to the leaders, teachers, and support staff who helped make things work.

I know I often shout out the virtues of community and helping our kids to feel as if they belong, but Tuesday’s event confirmed this for me even more.

It also reminded me of something I read in an article recently by Madara, “Sense of belonging includes community support, cooperation, unity and solidarity with others. It involves seeing community as a symbol of certain values, norms and practices shared among members of a particular group of people.” (2019)

That is what I saw yesterday.

I want to thank and encourage you as we work together to continue to create this sense of belonging for our children at Prescott Primary Northern.

Have a great week with your kids,

Mark B

Changing gears for the teenage years – Webinar

Many parents discover that the approaches they successfully used when their children were young don’t stand up during the turbulent teenage years.

Well-intentioned advice receives eye rolls and groans. Previous approaches to discipline no longer work, and enjoyable conversations are replaced with conflict, or worse, silence.

In this webinar, Michael Grose discusses the importance of changing parenting gears during, and in the lead up to, the teenage years. He shares the critical shifts parents need to make when raising teenagers.

Given many Prescott families also include teenagers, we thought this would be a useful opportunity to share. Particularly given you can attend FREE of charge (usually $39)

Key learning and discussion points include:

• why giving teenagers information to keep them safe doesn’t work and what to do instead

• how to talk to teens about hard topics so that they take ideas on board

• how to support young people when they are experiencing friendship and other challenges

• why mistakes are an essential part of growing up and what parents can do to minimise harm

• the three stages of adolescence and the parenting approaches that each requires

As a member of the Prescott Primary Northern community you can access this webinar FREE (usually $39). Please see instructions in the document below.

Join 31 August 2022 at 7:30-8:30 PM (For families that cannot make it, post event recording is available if you've registered.)

Hello PPN families. We hope you've all settled into the term so far and are keeping warm!

We at MK catering wanted to remind you all that the Canteen is now open for service Monday through to Friday and the return of drinks and snacks has commenced. In the next few weeks students will be able to start purchasing items at the canteen and we thank you for your patience while we continue working to set this up.

An exciting addition to our week is Food Fact Friday. Some of you may have noticed last Friday that every order placed had a Food Fact label, these are a great way for our students to learn about foods and the role it plays in nourishing our bodies. 

We thank you for your continued support and hope that the term ahead is a great one for you all. 

With Gratitude 

Margarita and Karen

Book Week 2022

Prescott College