There’s something special about Year 6 Camp at PPN. Over three days students learnt to surf, rode mountain bikes, built rafts, explored Victor Harbour by boat, built and rode billy karts and competed in beach Olympics (amongst other things). But that’s not what made camp special. 

Over the last few days our Year 6’s made life-long memories because of the people they’ve shared camp with. We couldn’t think of a better way to mark the end of primary school and the beginning of the next chapter of their lives.  

A big thanks to all the students for bringing listening ears and willing attitudes. Thanks also to Mrs Lomax for volunteering her time to make camp great. 

ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) and AMC (Australian Mathematics Competition) Certificates 

Each year students are selected to participate in the ICAS and AMC competitions. This year we had over 85 students who participated in academic competitions for Science, Mathematics, English, Digital Technologies, Spelling and Writing. Last week during Chapel they were all presented with certificates as an acknowledgement of their involvement of these challenging exams.  

In Australia, High Distinction certificates were awarded to the top 1-2% of students, Distinctions to the next 10%, Credits to the 25% following, then Merits and Participation certificates after that. We congratulate all the participants for their best efforts on these challenging academic exams. Again, Prescott academically rose to the challenge, with many Distinction certificates and a few High Distinctions awarded to students in our school. Students that received High Distinctions and Distinction awards will again be acknowledged in the Graduation ceremony in Week 9. 

Mrs. Vice 

Another week has marched by us, and here we are at Week 7 of our last term of 2022. Before the end of year gets super busy, I thought I would take this opportunity to ask you to reflect a little on the opportunity our year-end season might provide for some extra special conversations with our kids. I have likely shared with you before about a time in our family life when my three daughters and I would travel to and from school every day for an hour each way. Looking back, these have become some of my most treasured memories with my kids. The time together allowed us to have some good chats as a group, but also just one on one sometimes too. Knowing what to say to deepen a conversation can be hard with our kids, but I think it is really important. I was reading a book recently about how we can best help our kids, and the author made a really interesting observation around the difference between kids seeking attention and actually seeking connection with us. (Carrington and Mcintosh, 2021) It is an interesting distinction to think about. Good conversations with our children provide some of the best opportunities and at least starting points for us to truly connect with them. The upcoming break may provide you with some times when you are able to have such chats, so below is an article that gives some practical hints on how to make the most of these opportunities. I hope you find it helpful.

“Conversations can be challenging with every age group, young and old, and for so many different reasons. With children and teens, just getting the conversation going can be the biggest challenge. How many times have you said, “How was your day?” only to be told “Good” or asked them what they did today only to be told “Not much”! So where to start?

Eight tips for turning chit-chat in to richer conversation

1. Don’t wait for young people to ask questions or reach out. Raise discussions yourself.

2. Be open about your own experiences. In doing so, children are more likely to be open and honest.

3. Choose your timing – preferably when you are naturally together anyway in a relaxed setting, rather than setting up a stressful, anxiety provoking meeting. Side by side chats work well (e.g. while driving, walking, doing an activity together like a chore or jigsaw).

4. Be calm, prepared and genuinely ready to give your time and attention.

5. Listen in a non-judgmental and curious way. Ask, don’t assume! Remember that this is a chance for the speaker to talk through their feelings, not for you to fix their problems.

6. Acknowledge and validate their feelings. Don’t minimise their concerns or fears. Whilst they may seem trivial to you, they are real for your child and part of their current experience. Try to understand the importance of what is going on, and the impact for them. Reassure them that whatever they are feeling is okay.

7. Leading relationship research tells us that ‘understanding must precede advice’. Premature problem solving tends to shut people down. Solution finding should only begin once you feel you understand what your teen is going through, and your teen feels understood.

8. Remember that you do not need to have all of the answers. Ask young people questions like ‘what do you need?’, ‘what do you think would help?’, ‘how can I support you better?’, ‘what would make this easier for you?’. Then together you can come up with an action plan.

How to be a good listener

Great conversation requires great listening. Listening well reduces misunderstanding, eliminates conflict and allows us to understand the other person’s perspective.

Listening is the key to empathy.

· Feeling heard is very validating for young people and it helps to increase their self-esteem, confidence and independence. It also improves relationships and communication skills. So how can we do it well with young people of all ages?

· Be present, make eye contact and remove distractions – don’t be half in half out.

· Listen with the opportunity to learn, not respond.

· Play the same role for your child as a trampoline does – to bounce ideas off, amplify, energise and clarify, provide support.

· Be comfortable in silence – you don’t need to respond immediately; holding space and silence for someone; share insights.

· Have a beige face – neutral, not reacting, remain calm and listen.

· Remain curious throughout.

Becoming an active listener to further improve conversation

Active listening has 3 steps.

Hearing

What did you think you were told?

Understanding

What does this mean to you?

Assessing

Does the statement make sense to you?

Active listening includes:

· Non-verbal responses – eye contact, nodding, posture

· Encouragers – mmm, yes, right, okay, uh-huh

· Reflection of content and feelings – stating back events or emotions

· Matching young people’s language/terms – when appropriate

· Summarising – brief replay of what was said

· Noticing what is missing – gaps, conflicting information, hidden meanings

Finally, here are some effective responses to keep the conversation going while listening actively

Could you tell me more about that?

What happened next?

That must have hurt/felt ….

How have you handled things like this before?

I can see this is really troubling you.

You feel (emotion) because of (situation)?

Could you repeat that? I want to really understand.

I like how you said ……

What options might we have in this situation?

Good conversation with young people comes down to time – creating the time and space and then using that time wisely, perhaps by using the tips above. The art of good conversation teaches us all to build great communication skills, skills that improve our quality of life enabling us to express ourselves clearly and confidently through every aspect of our life.” (Snowball, 2022)

Have a great week with your kids,

Mark B

If your child struggles when trying something new, they are not alone! Trying new things can be challenging for different reasons. For example, children may feel too tired or upset to give their best effort to a new activity. Or they may worry that they won’t complete the activity perfectly the first time. Talented kids are used to achieving success, so they may feel thrown off when struggling with a new task.

One of the great opportunities that school life, and particularly school camps offer is the chance to try new things. It might be the first night away from home, learning to surf, eating new food or working with a new group of people.

Growing our kids confidence to try new things helps them tackle life in a more confident and positive way.

The five strategies for trying new things comes from the Big Life Journal, a wellbeing and resilience resource use in the upper grades at PPN. You can find more details about these strategies at: https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/strategies-for-trying-new-things

Primary School Class Placements 2023

We are currently in the process of organising classes for the new year and expect to be able to share these details with parents and carers in the next couple of weeks.  The process for placing students in class groups is a challenging task and the decisions around these placements are made based on the input of many people, including the students.  In doing this we consider the social and emotional needs of the students as well as an equitable distribution of learning needs across the class groups wherever possible.

Throughout the process our aim is to achieve the best possible outcome for all students, however, it may be the case that some children are not in their preferred class for 2023.  We appreciate your support in this process.  Situations like this can become wonderful learning opportunities for the students as they develop and refine their skills for managing their emotions and growing resilience.

Food Drive

Attention Foundation - Year 2 Parents!

Volunteer with the CEC in 2023

Events like the Fun Run, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day stalls don’t happen without the amazing work of our CEC – and they need your help!

The CEC stands for Community Events Committee and it is run by volunteers from within the school community. Our committee raises money for various school projects, whilst providing the students with activities and events that are fun and enjoyable. This year we held our annual Mother's Day and Father's Day stalls along with the Fun-Run. Pre-Covid, the CEC organised quiz nights, treat days, Carols by Candlelight, end of year concerts and many more exciting events.

It is very rewarding being part of the CEC. The opportunity to be involved in the school and to interact with the students on a different level is very special. We are always on the hunt for more volunteers, if you would like to be involved or want more information, please fill in the form below or contact the office and one of the CEC members will be in touch with you.

https://forms.office.com/r/h9XA67fx8p

Uniform Shop Appointments

Uniform Shop appointments for the new year are limited and filling fast. Please ring the front office on 8396 2577 to book your appointment as soon as possible. All appointments will need to be made by the end of term.

Daily Health Check

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

Prescott College