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More Space to Play in Nature
After much anticipation, our nature place extension is open!
Our children learn and play best in nature – and the students at PPN absolutely love it. This week we were excited to welcome students into the new extension to our nature play space.
The extension includes new climbing feature and opportunities to create and explore, including tumble bars, a net and log scramble and a meeting circle.
By the look of the photos below the kids have been enjoying themselves.
Little Giggles Storytime
On Monday morning lots of excited children from Littles Giggles Playgroup came across from the church hall to enjoy a special Storytime in our library. Mrs Blyde read a story about a dog called Arthur who lived in a pet shop and desperately wanted a loving home of his own. The children enjoyed interacting with the story, making animal noises and guessing what would happen next.
After Storytime the children had an opportunity to explore the library and read some more books with their parents and grandparents. Miss B dropped by with a very special visitor who got lots of attention, pats and cuddles! At the end of their visit the children took a special dog-themed craft activity back to playgroup to complete.
Our Playgroup Storytime was a great opportunity to strengthen our connection with our local community and share one of the many wonderful spaces that we have here at PPN. We look forward to having another Storytime with Little Giggles Playgroup again in Term 2.
Nature Play
It has been an exciting week in the Nature Play Space. Our brand new section of the Nature Playground has been opened, and the students have been very excited to test it out. It is a beautifully designed, natural space, that ties in with our existing playground. There are climbing bars, nets and an interactive climbing space where students can change how they want to ropes to interlock.
This week, our theme was Summer, to match the beautiful sunny weather. We have a beautiful new bamboo water trail that can be open ended and used in many different ways. The students had fun making little rivers, and then connecting all of the bamboo pieces together to make one big water trail. A water table with containers was also introduced to our space. Students mixed, poured and played all lunch time. Water is such an important source of life for us as humans, and a beautiful tool to use in play.
How can you use water play in your house this week?
Welcome to our second week of the school year. Things at school have started with a rush, and we are into it. We are still having some building works completed on various jobs we began last year or over the holidays, and I apologise for any inconvenience that may be causing. One of the highlights for me this week was the opening up of our Nature Playground extension. This is one part of our school we are very proud of and it provides wonderful opportunities for our children in play time, as well as for use during some of our classes.
Last night we had our parent information sessions, and it was lovely to welcome so many of our families to come and talk with teachers about the exciting learning this year holds. Thank you to our parents and teachers for their efforts to make the most of learning opportunities for our kids.
I hope your family is getting into the swing of the school year. I know for some families, getting things sorted for each school day is a pretty hectic event, and then you throw Swimming Week for Year 1s to Year 6s into the mix, and it can be next level. I read an article earlier this week with some helpful suggestions on how to help make things work a little more smoothly. While some of these ideas may seem a little different from what you normally do, I would encourage you to put structures, routines, and conversations in place, as they will definitely help in the long run. I hope you find the article helpful.
“Starting the year right
If you’re like most parents, you really wanted to start things off well, but it’s been a little rocky. Getting back into a routine, being on time, sorting out school lunches… it’s a bit tricky. Best laid plans haven’t quite been as smooth as you might have liked. To dial in your morning and evening routines, I’m going to suggest a few principles to help.
- Get clear on what ‘getting it right’ actually means
You might know what you want the morning to look like. But is it clear to you? Can you write it down? Can you put it on the fridge? Can you explain it to your kids and help them to buy into why it matters? Clearly explaining what you want and why is going to be a critical first step.
- Set up a system
Author, James Clear, says that “you do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” So what does your system look like for making things happen? Can you create a system that will facilitate a smooth morning for every member of the family?
- Workshop it
Setting up a system when you’re a parent is pretty easy. But bringing the family along can be trickier. By having a meeting and developing the system with input from your kids, you get to be clear, establish the system, and create buy-in. Ask your children to make suggestions and design the morning based on their ideas. Fashion it with your expert knowledge. And watch the results improve because your children have been part of it. Involvement is a central success pillar when it comes to developing a system that works in any family.
- Curate competence
The real secret to successful routines is helping the kids become self-sufficient. It takes time, but teaching them to toast their bread or crumpets, fry or scramble some egg, or organise their cereal or yogurt, or even blend a smoothie means that there is less friction with your routine. They feel good about doing what needs to be done because they know how to do it. And while it’s slow at first, it becomes wonderfully efficient over time.
- Support autonomy
Kids love to have choices. They appreciate being able to make their own decisions. Support them in that while ensuring they know what the guidelines and boundaries are for making things happen well.
Here are the golden rules of a magic morning (from a dad of six who has talked with thousands of parents about getting this right):
Your morning begins the night before. Get the prep done for tomorrow at bedtime so uniforms are ready, bags are packed, and library books or sports gear is sorted.
Create margin by waking up a little early, and getting the kids up (gently) a little early too. Room to breathe makes everything work better.
Create the structure so everyone knows what needs to be done.
Keep the kids accountable in a supportive way.
In spite of your best efforts, things will go pear-shaped now and then. When this happens, stay calm (remember: emotions are contagious), don’t sweat the small stuff, be flexible for the morning… but get it back on track the next day by having a calm conversation in the evening, reinforcing the system, and working together on making it work.
Whether it’s magic mornings or excellent evenings, the process is the same. Work as a team, and watch the magic happen… at least sometimes.” Coulson, 2023
Have a great week with our kids,
Mark B
Hey Team,
Week 2 already!
This week at Prescott Primary Northern has been a meaningful and insightful one. As a new chaplain, I have had the privilege of working alongside Pr Roland and Pr Andy in guiding the staff and students towards spiritual growth. Our morning staff devotions have focused on the genealogy of Jesus found in Matthew and it has been a powerful reminder of God's transformative power. Despite the flaws and failures of the individuals in Jesus' lineage, God still chose to work through them and accomplish amazing things. This has impacted how I view my experiences and has given me a greater understanding of God's grace and redemption. We as a staff have gained a deeper appreciation for God's sovereignty and the importance of recognizing His hand in all things. It has been a privilege to be welcomed into the PPN community and I look forward to continuing to grow and serve alongside everyone.
In addition to our morning devotions, getting to know the students at PPN has been one of the highlights of my week. Interacting with the students in the playground and in the classroom has been a fun and rewarding experience. Coming off a long break, the students are full of energy and curiosity, and it has been wonderful to see them grow and learn through our time together. I have been struck by their kindness and generosity as they help this new face navigate their school. It’s a privilege to be a part of their lives and there isn’t a better group of kids to be the “new guy” around than the students here.
I am looking forward to the year and to see the students reach their full potential through their education and spiritual growth.
God bless,
Toby Ackland
Not school… again!
It can happen at any time of the year, but particularly during the transition back into school…
“I don’t want to go to school today.”
“My tummy hurts.”
“School is boring!”
“I have a headache.”
“They tease me about how I look.”
“I don’t need to know this stuff, I’m going to be a YouTuber/Twitch Streamer.”
“I already know everything.”
A small percentage of children really, really like school. The rest experience it with everything ranging from mild indifference to deep disdain. And some kids are, frankly, terrified of it.
Below is a summary of a few powerful ideas to help build resilience in children who may be reluctant to go to school. You can read the full article published on HappyFamilies.com.au by clicking here.
Help build solid relationships
Relationships are at the heart of education. In fact they’re at the heart of life. When our children complain that “I don’t have any friends”, or “I hate my teacher”, the stage is set for school to be difficult.
Dr Gordon Neufeld and Dr Gabor Maté write extensively about the pitfalls of peer orientation in their book, Hold On to Your Kids. When children look to peers for validation of self-worth, they will never be satisfied. Our kids benefit much more from being embedded in a vertical social network with strong attachments to older caregivers.
Since schools aren’t structured for optimal identity development and psychological growth, the next best thing we can do is build school belonging. Dr Kelly Allen, a researcher at several prominent Victorian universities, has shown that children who feel they belong to the school (through friendships, strong relationships with teachers, involvement with organisations and extra-curricular activities, and a sense of being a part of something) thrive!
Help them see their progress
As humans, we are designed to improve. We’re collectively driven to make things smaller, build things higher, run faster, go further. We have an innate curiosity that leads us to try new things, to progress, to grow. We want to master things. Not every thing. But some thing.
School is supposed to push children to explore learning, to make progress on understanding, and to simulate development and curiosity. Anyone who has spent time at school (including teachers) knows, however, that for some children it feels to them like it was designed to stymie their progress.
These kids are interested in things. Just not the things they’re supposed to be learning at school. Or not in the way they’re being told to learn it. Or not with the people who are trying to help them learn it. Etc. You get the picture?
If your child feels like they’re not progressing; if they feel like it’s all too hard; if your child feels incompetent, a dummy, a loser, an idiot… school can be really difficult.
As a parent, however, the best thing we can do, other than helping our children feel that they belong, is to help our children feel that they can learn, progress, and make tiny wins. Feeling connected at school is critical. Feeling competent at school is just as vital.
Help them see the purpose in learning
While many children are content with learning for learning’s sake, there will be some who complain that school is pointless because they just want to be a tennis player, actress, hairdresser, or tractor driver.
For these kids, it can be beneficial to work with them to identify their purpose in going to school. Maybe they do want to be a tennis player and travel the international circuit, so focusing on their chosen language of French would be useful. Maybe they do want to be an actress, so they need to go to school daily to be involved in rehearsals for the school production. Their purpose doesn’t have to align with what you think the ideal purpose is for going to school, but if they have a reason for getting to school, they’re more likely to find other things they also enjoy once they’re there.
Attitude is everything
The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, or the frequency illusion, explains how if you notice something once, and ascribe meaning to it, suddenly that thing appears to pop up everywhere (like a song that suddenly seems to be playing on every radio). The actual frequency of the event hasn’t changed but our brain is primed to notice it now. Consequently, if your child has noticed something negative about school, their attention is now subconsciously biased to keep noticing similar negative things.
On the flip side, having a positive outlook or optimistic attitude has been linked with better health outcomes and improved quality of life.
(Source: Justin Coulson, How to Help when School Sucks, 18 Jan 2023, happyfamilies.com.au)
Term Dates
Chess Club
Music Tuition Update
Earlier this week all students should have received forms to indicate their interest in receiving music tuition at school. Both beginning and continuing students need to return this form to Miss Smith by the end of Week 2.
Lessons for all instruments, except for Drums and Singing will begin next week (Week 3). Drum and Singing lessons will commence in Week 9.
The tutors attending PPN in 2023 are:
Violin: Amy Suebewicha
Guitar: James Rawley
Piano: Hsiao-Ting Chen
Flute & Piano: Cindy Cheng
Drums & Singing: Juan Alvear
Clarinet, Saxophone & Piano: Joy Stackelroth
Please note that these lessons are not included in your school fees and cost between $30 and $45 per half hour.
If you have any questions or would like another copy of the sign-up form, please see Miss Smith or email caitlinsmith@ppn.sa.ed.au
Turn Left When Exiting the School
Accompanying your child to school
Service Project 2023
Picture books will be collected until the end of Week 6, Friday 10th of March
Charity Concert
Daily Health Check
We are very excited to have so many of our students and new ones at school this year!
Our School Library Team strives to accomplish key goals throughout the year, sponsoring special events like:
· The Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) - we are overjoyed that many of our students have already completed the PRC by returning the form with evidence of 12 books read so far this year;
· The Author visit during the annual Book Week (August 2023) - your children really ‘love’ this time of the year, where we focus their attention on activities in the Discovery Centre (look out more information later in the year)!
· Scholastic Book Fair – this is when your children come with their classes and are able to enjoy the new book releases and even purchase books that appeal to them. With your generous support, proceeds from the book sales can be reinvested into our library and allows us to purchase books for our loan catalogue.
A reminder about our Library Borrowing Rules:
· each class has a regular, scheduled weekly Library time;
· all books are due back to the Library one week after they were borrowed;
· students from Foundation to Year 2 can borrow 2 books per week;
· students from Years 3 and 4 can borrow 4 books per week;
· students from Years 5 and 6 are permitted to borrow up to 6 books per week; and finally,
· if any child requires more time to finish reading the books they have borrowed, you can receive an extension by:
o the child coming to the Library Desk;
o the parent/caregiver sending an email request to victoriacowley@ppn.sa.edu.au or karenblyde@ppn.sa.edu.au;
o the parent/caregiver calling the School Office and asking to speak to Mrs Cowley or Mrs Blyde.
We will send a courtesy reminder email to parents/caregivers when your child/s books are overdue. Kindly return borrowed books on time to the Library so that they are available for other students to borrow and enjoy the pleasure of reading them.
Prescott College
