Sunshine, green paddocks, and the Murray River flowing nearby created the perfect three days of Camp for Year 5 at El Shaddai campground in Wellington SA. Year 5 had the opportunity to try new skills while building on their ability to work together as a Team. The students mastered Rock Climbing, conquered the Vertical Challenge, powered up the Murray River in canoes, and hit the bullseye in Archery to name just a few of the activities enjoyed by all.  On the first night we continued the fun by running a Games night full of energetic and challenging new games, the second night was a little quieter with a cozy Movie night for all who could stay awake!

Doot Doot! Last week, Mayor Pectin and his assistant, Ms Phenolic Flavonoid visited the Year 4 students of PPN to taste and score the students' tomato-based dishes at the Tomato Town banquet. Tomato Town has been under attack by the dreaded Frog-Wogglers and the munchkins are all trapped inside the city walls, without the possibility of any food deliveries. During Term 3, the Year 4s were tasked with the job of trainee chefs and needed to create a recipe for a healthy dish using tomato as the main ingredient. Since Tomato Town's supermarket Wacky Warehouse had limited supplies, the students had limited ingredients... but plenty of tomatoes! Students prepared all morning before the arrival of the Mayor and his assistant. Preparation included safe food preparation lessons, banquet setup, knife skills and learning the Tomato Town National Anthem!. It was a wonderful day that was enjoyed by all, including Mayor Pectin, Phenolic Flavonoid and the teachers. Well done, trainee chefs!

Welcome to Week 2 of our last term for 2022. We are continuing our planning for 2023 and enjoying bringing together some of the lovely growth and learning we have seen in our students this year. Our Year 5s had a fantastic time away at camp last week, our Year 3s and 4s  have their concert this week, and there is much excitement around school.

Raising healthy kids is undoubtedly a goal we have in common as families and educators. I was reading a World Health Organisation piece the other day that said, “Health is more than the absence of disease.” I immediately thought of the physical health of our kids, and that made sense. I then started thinking about their social, emotional, and mental health as well in the context of this statement. I began to consider what I would see as things we can provide for our children that would give the best opportunities for our children to enjoy good emotional health.

In further reading, I came across a scale developed for research around beneficial childhood experiences. It is called the Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) Scale. It is a relatively recent development, and initial research suggests it to be helpful and reliable. While there are ten items on the scale, I would just like to look at four today, and ask you to think about how you can best support our kids with them.

The questions go like this, “During your first 18 years of life, did you:

1. Have at least one caregiver with whom you felt safe?

. . .5. Have a teacher who cared about you?

. . . 6. Have good neighbours?

. . . 7. Have an adult (not a parent/caregiver or person from Question 1) who could provide you with support or advice?” (Narayan et al, 2018)

After reading this, it occurred to me that we can help kids positively answer 30 or 40% of the questions in the scale of Benevolent Childhood Experiences if we take the time to lean in and support the children in our families, school, and community. Taking the time to invest in, encourage, support, and love our kids should never be underestimated. Our role in creating experiences for our kids that are beneficial is vital. Creating the perception (and reality) for our children that they are safe, secure, and supported gives them the foundations and stepping stones to make the journey through childhood that gives them the best opportunities for joy and fulfilment in life. It also gives them the skills and experiences to pass these things on to their own children and families.

I would encourage us as parents and educators to spend some time considering the importance of this, and to continue making intentional decisions to lean into our children - to be there for them, to make time for them and, most of all, to love them with the grace, wisdom, and insight of the God of the universe.

Have a great week with our kids,

MB

Hey PPN Family,

One of the greatest fears that I have, is for a big hairy spider to fall on my face while I’m driving causing me to crash. I thank God that it hasn’t happened yet, but I have had huge spiders running across my windscreen while I was driving, and they have caused me to make a panicked, jumpy swerve on occasion.

The reason why this is such a dread of mine, is because fear can be absolutely crippling.

King David was a man who faced many fearful situations, and yet when he was running for his life because his son Absalom was leading a rebellion against him, he writes in Psalms 3:5-6 (NLT), “I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side.”

In the middle of a very scary situation, King David was able to sleep peacefully during the night because he knew that God was with him.

In the same way, when we go through worrying and fearful situations, we can also experience the peace that comes from knowing that God loves us, and He is with us. I pray that this truth will help you to sleep peacefully at night.

God bless,
Roland Talamaivao-Amituanai

The Good Life – according to Kids

The world we are striving for is one that is better for our kids, right? But how often do we ask them for their opinions on issues that affect, or will affect them in the future?

The Lego Foundation set out to ask children how they feel about school, their families, and the future. They even asked what they’d do if they were running the country.

The findings, which I have summarised below, give an interesting insight into the things that really matter to our children and the ways that we can support them as they grow.

Perhaps, these are questions you could ask your own children around the dinner table in the coming week. Click here to read all the finding in the latest report: The Good Life, According to Children

1. A loving family is the secret to a good life

The love and support children get from their families definitely makes them feel good. And even though friends are important, children said parents topped the table as the people who mattered most for their wellbeing.

The happier the family, the happier the child’s outlook. (Children in families whose wellbeing wasn’t as strong were lonelier and worried more about the future.)

And how do you make families happy? Well, play was one ingredient. Children who had fun with their families were also happier in life overall and more optimistic about the future.

2. Friends make life after school fun, but competition doesn’t

Young children loved playing together after school, while older children talked about hanging out – whether that was to laugh and talk or play sport or computer games.

Most older children agreed that having a hobby or interest was a good thing, no matter what it was. But we have a tip for sports coaches out there: keep things fun. Lots of older children told us they dropped out of sports teams when the emphasis shifted from having fun to getting competitive. Pressure from coaches (you’ve got to ‘make the team’ to play football) took away the joy children felt when they were younger.

3. School’s more inspiring when teachers try new things

Children enjoy lessons more when they can see how they’d be useful in real life (like studying economics to understand budgeting). And they also got more from lessons when their teachers did things in different ways or let the class experiment.

When children told us about lessons in their own words, they weren’t necessarily using the word ‘play’, and many didn’t think play was a natural part of their school day. (For them, ‘school’ and ‘play’ were quite separate). But, if we look closer at the way students describe their favourite lessons, almost all of them have playful elements in there – whether that’s games, group work, experimenting or getting away from the desk.

4. Young children love play, but what happens when they turn 12?

Children under 12 told us play was important for a good life – and the children who played most also had the highest wellbeing. (That’s partly because of the fun, laughter, and close relationships children who play tended to have.)

But older children didn’t talk about play as much – and some didn’t see activities they enjoyed, like playing computer games, as play at all. Instead, they saw play as something more physical, that only happens when you’re in the same space as the other players. That might explain why older children, who are often online or gaming, told us they stopped playing around the age of 12. Over 40% of those older children said they missed play. But as they got older, other pressures in life got in the way of play.

5. If children ran the country, they’d ease the pressures put on them

When we asked children how they felt about the future, most were positive – and lots looked forward to staying in school and getting a job.

But being a child isn’t always easy, and time and again children worried they wouldn’t live up to the expectations grown-ups had for them. (Whether those grown-ups are parents, teachers, or social media influencers.)

Class Placement Considerations

We are currently working on class placements for 2023. There are many factors that go into making decisions about class placements and we use a program to try to balance the many competing demands. We are unable to guarantee requests will be granted, but if there is some extenuating circumstance you would like considered for your child, please email Mark Borresen (markborresen@ppn.sa.edu)

Speed Limits Around the School

For the safety of our students and the community, parents are reminded that speed limits apply around the school and need to be observed. This includes:

- In the school car park;

- The drive-through Drop And Go area; and,

- Through the bus zone at the front of the school

Young students, parents, and vehicles are moving in all of these areas, particularly at the beginning and end of school days. Reducing your speed ensures everyone’s safety.

Please also remember that enforceable School Zone speed limits apply on Wright Road.

Thank you for helping keep everybody day.

ADHD Awareness Month

School Bags

The Prescott School Bag is COMPULSORY as of January 2023.

Every student is required to have a Navy Blue Prescott Primary Northern bag.

HOWEVER, Year 6 students that are transitioning to Prescott College in 2024 may already purchase the maroon College Bag for 2023.  This bag costs $75

Year 6 students that are not going to attend Prescott College, still need to purchase the Navy bag.

A buy back system for these bags will be in place.

A percentage of the original purchase price will be reimbursed only for bags in good saleable condition.

Uniform Shop

Term 4 is 'Change over of Season' where students need to be in Summer Uniform.  There is a two-week grace period where they can wear either Winter or Summer Uniform.

By week 3, all students are required to be in full Summer Uniform.

Daily Health Check

Prescott College