School Closed Thursday 22nd - Public Holiday

WOW 2022

Little Giggles Playgroup

A group of our Middle Primary students visited Little Giggles Playgroup on Monday to assist in the activities provided for the little ones attending this program. It was great to see the smiles on the faces, with our students and their new little buddies as they interacted with the families.

If you have a little one yet to start school, why not come along to Little Giggles, held in the Para Vista Adventist Church hall on Monday mornings. Collect a brochure in the Front Office to find out more!

Last week was Week of Worship here at Prescott Primary Northern. Each day, we had a special program put together by our chaplains and our guest speaker, Pr Will Moala. We had some games, some songs, prayer time and our special message about keeping our lives charged by God’s love.

One of my favourite things to do during this week is to watch the faces and body language of our children. They have an honesty and openness that I find inspiring. The way they take in new experiences, or show how amazed they are when things are shared with them intrigues me. Much of my time as a teacher has been spent in the area of religious education and so I am particularly drawn in when the amazement of students is around spiritual things. That openness and transparency I was referring to a few sentences ago is often seen as the hearts and imaginations of children capture the idea of spiritual connections and the indescribable ideas of an all-powerful, loving gracious God.

I was reading a book recently which was exploring the concepts of awe and wonder, and these readings came to mind as I watched our children. Awe can be explained as a feeling we get where we just want to stand back, observe, and take it all in. Wonder seems to have a more active element to it that makes us want to learn more and explore what we are seeing. (Brown, 2021) I know I made all sorts of efforts with my own children to share the experiences of nature, and also things that showed humanity’s amazing ability to create and innovate. I think providing experiences of wonder and awe in those arenas are something we often do quite well. My challenge to us all is to take it one step further and move into the spiritual realm - the connections we have with ourselves, each other, and with God. Interestingly, it is my observation that the step into the spiritual realm is not that big and happens very naturally for us as human beings.

If we are going to develop our children holistically, their spiritual journey is a vital component, and one that is often overlooked under the pressures of social, intellectual and physical development. I think opportunities of awe and wonder allow for spiritual development that our children need. Author Rachel Carson says it well “A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood. . . , I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantment of later years … the alienation from the sources of our strength.” (Carson, 1955)

Stopping and pondering God’s wonders is actually a command in a story in the Bible about a man who was trying to understand life. It reads like this, "Job, are you listening? Have you noticed all this? Stop in your tracks! Take in God's miracle-wonders!” Job 37:14 (MSG) It made sense back then and it makes sense now, both for our children and us as adults.

Have a great week of awe and wonder with your kids,

Mark B

Last week during Week of Worship, our theme was Recharge and how when we can recharge through God.

We live in a world where people are always busy, taking a rest can sometimes feel like a burden, and we struggle with stopping and taking time to recharge our mental, physical and spiritual batteries.

To recharge with God we need to plug ourselves into the power socket that leads us to God. Here are a few ways that we can recharge our spiritual “batteries”: We can pray, read the bible, serve, surround ourselves with spiritual people, and rest.

I hope that this week you'll take some time to Recharge your batteries - whether it be mental, physical, or spiritual - so you can function at 100%.

"Take rest in knowing you are fearfully & wonderfully made" - Psalms 139:14

Blessings,
Pr Tiana

6 Surprising Self-Care Strategies that Work

Parents, this one is for you. We all need a reminder to look after ourselves - particularly as so much of our lives as parents are devoted to caring for others. Here's six simply ideas worth considering to help get the most out of your life and be the best you can for your family.

1. Practice all of those unexciting habits

This is the stuff that real self-care is made of. If we really cared about ourselves, we’d eat, sleep, move, and take care of our body’s needs so much better. It matters. Here’s a sample of what might be an unexciting but important habit:

• floss
• get enough sleep
• eat healthy meals at consistent times
• move your body 
• get time in nature
• be mindful (or get your spiritual/religious practice in order)
• journal 
• pay off your credit cards

If you’ve ever looked after an elderly parent (or a child?), you’ll know that this is the stuff we talk about all the time. We look at them and emphasise: “You’ve got to take care of yourself.”  In case you missed it, that’s code for “eat well, exercise, sleep, do the healthy stuff.” Seems kind of obvious when you put it like that huh? 

2. Practice re-creation

Recreation is misunderstood. Broken down into two words it literally means we re-create ourselves. The word emphasises the need for renewal. When we re-create something, we build it up from scratch.  What does your re-creation time look like? If it’s time spent on Instagram or Netflix passively consuming content, you’re probably not doing much re-creation.  Re-creation means rest from the everyday distractions - but not necessarily ‘rest’ like you’re lying down in bed. It’s the kind of rest that is restorative. No phone time. But maybe a walk. Or a run. Perhaps a good book that helps you grow. Soak it in. Think. Do inner work. Be mindful. Re-create. If you swapped out one screen session each day (let’s say 20 minutes on social media or 60 minutes on Netflix) for one re-creation session of the same length, I’d guarantee you would feel more refreshed.

3. Limit exposure to high cost relationships 

Some people are “energy vampires”. Being around them drags us down. But, I’ve read too many articles about how we should dump people who leave us feeling like that. This is unrealistic. And it’s bad advice because sometimes it’s someone close, like family!  Two points here. 

1. Understand the difference between someone having a hard time (like your ADHD or ASD child) and someone who is toxic (like the Negative Nelly who is always making everything about her, or blaming you for all of her problems). 
2. When you have to be around people who are challenging, find ways to practice compassion towards them. Don’t be condescending about it. Just realise that their life is probably pretty tough and find ways to see them through soft, kind eyes. It will elevate you, them, the relationship, and your wellbeing.

4. Multiply your positive experiences

Science suggests that the sum of many small positive events will matter more than one big thing. Multiply and savour those many moments each day and life will feel less of a grind. For real self-care, make sure you find joy in lots of small things.

5. Learn to tolerate moderate discomfort

No one likes being uncomfortable. And it seems strange that an article about self-care would encourage being uncomfortable. After all, isn’t that why people clamour for #selfcare? Because they don’t want to be uncomfortable? Here’s what’s strange: when we learn to tolerate discomfort, we find our capacity for it increases. What was once uncomfortable ceases to be so.  Exercise is the perfect example. If you haven’t tried running for a while then a 200m run will hurt. But do it daily, tolerate the pain, and within a month you’ll be running 1km, and then 2km, and then 5km. The challenge, the opportunity for relationships, the positive experience, and the re-creation it generates will be a powerful form of self-care.

6. Challenge yourself

This is my favourite self-care strategy of all.  Think about those you love the most: your children. You instinctively know that for them to find joy in life, they have to do hard things. They have to push through barriers, develop resilience, be strong, and accomplish what they thought was impossible. It’s the very process of doing hard things that brings a sense of purpose.  Those we care about most, we push the hardest to grow and be better versions of themselves. Doing something hard is precisely the opposite of the Instagrammable #selfcare relaxation vision that is promoted to us. And let’s acknowledge lots of us don’t feel energetic enough to pursue a challenge when we are already weary and walloped by our workload. Yet… doing a self-chosen hard activity over a period of time gives us focus, growth, and purpose.  If we truly want to care about ourselves, we’ll find ways to push ourselves to greater heights. And relationships in family life may be one area that gives us that opportunity more than any other.

Read more about self-care for parents at: https://www.happyfamilies.com.au/articles/self-care-strategies

Last Day of Term 3

Make a difference - School Survey closing soon

Have you had your say? Complete the 2022 PPN School Survey, because your voice really does matter.

The survey will close soon - watch this video to see the difference you can make. 

Year 4 Narrative Writing Challenge

Music Recital

Casual Day Friday September 30

On the last day of each term, students may come to school in casual clothes only if they bring a gold coin donation. Please note that students need to remember as they choose which clothes they would like to wear for casual day that they need to dress appropriately. Their clothes should cover their bodies in the same way that their uniform does and their shoes should be appropriate for running and playing.

The money raised this way is allocated to either a sister school project or to the sponsorship of a student through Asian Aid.

This term’s funds will be set aside for Asian Aid.

We are currently sponsoring Sumit Boarder who has completed Year 12 this year and would like to go on with further studies, as well as Josan who is a new sponsor child for us. Josan is 5 years old and lives in Bangladesh.

We appreciate your continuing support of these precious students. If your family might like to sponsor your own child why not check out the Asian Aid website.

We also have a sponsorship container in the office, so if you have that extra change in your pocket, why not consider dropping it into that container.

Notification of Enrollment Changes

Please note that the school requires a terms notice when a family is leaving the school or a terms fees will apply.

Child Starting School in 2024

Will your child be starting school in 2024? Places are filling fast, enroll now to secure your child's future at Prescott Primary Northern.

Daily Health Check

Do's & Dont's of Dropping Your Kids to School

SAPSASA Division 2 State Championships

For our students to earn selection in this event, they had to win their event at the Adelaide North East carnival. It is a massive achievement to compete at this event to represent not only PPN, but all the schools in our district. We had some brilliant individual results, and the Adelaide North East district won the event against 10 other Division 2 districts around South Australia! 

Prescott Student Participates in City to Bay Fun Run

One of our Year 3 students, Lucas Hoare, has braved the cold and windy Sunday morning (September 18) to join the annual City to Bay Fun Run in Adelaide.  He run 6 kilometres (Kurralta Centre to Glenelg) without stopping and finished with a time of 00:39:03 - well done Lucas!!!

Prescott College

OSHC School Holidays