Young Leaders Day

It’s not often students get to meet an AFLW player, an award-winning author, breakfast radio presenters and Australia’s most famous life-guard in one day, but that’s exactly what our four Student Leaders were able to do last Friday.

As part of the National Young Leaders Day program, Rudra, Savya, Harleen and Sienna spent the day at the Adelaide Convention Centre being inspired by and learning from Australian’s that have achieved great success. But the lessons weren’t about how to be successful – but rather, how to lead successfully so others can experience a better life inside and outside of school.

The presenters on the day included:

- Anthony ‘Harries’ Carrol, life saver and star of Bondi Rescue

- Gemma Houghton, Port Power AFLW player

- Jodie Oddy and Andrew Hayes, Nova 919 Breakfast radio presenters

- Nathan Luff, author of the Nerd Herd series

If you see them around the school you might like to ask them who their favourite presenter was.

Sno-Cones for Harmony Day

We don’t really need an excuse for sno-cones, but on Tuesday we took the opportunity to celebrate Harmony Day and raise money to support the school in the Philippines some of our teachers will be visiting and serving in during the upcoming school holidays. Thank you PPN Community for your support!

Harmony in Nature Play

Happy Harmony week! We are so fortunate to have so many amazing cultures represented at our school with each beautiful and vibrant culture coming together to represent our own school culture at PPN. It is a celebration of harmony, peace, love, acceptance and appreciation for everyone.

This week we had words used to describe harmony week written and decorated onto rocks and hid around the playground for students to find. As the bell rang, I heard a flurry of feet and saw students scurry all over the playground, looking under rocks, in tree forks, under bushes, in the sandpit and everywhere to find the hidden rocks. Squeals of glee and smiles from delighted faces appeared as they came and showed me their collection of harmony rocks. The students were encouraged to collect some, and then hide the rest so others got the chance to find them too.

Other students decided to create their own messages of harmony, which was a very popular task. They wrote messages of love, kindness and hope onto the rock, decorated them beautifully, and told me they are going to hide them in their local parks and playgrounds so others can share in the harmony message. How will you be remembering harmony week as a family this week? 

Foundation Living and Non-Living Workshop 

The beauty of having such a wonderful nature play space, is taking our learning outside to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. The Foundation classes had that chance today to come and participate in a nature play workshop. In science, they have been learning about living and non-living things, which was the inspiration for our workshop. The students got to make a rock creature using paint sticks, create a habitat and food for their creature using natural resources supplied and found on the ground near the Nature Play Space, and they used their detective skills to find any living creatures in and around the play space using their magnifying glass with the help of a poster to identify some of our local creatures.

The students were so engaged, painting rock creatures, and building some incredible habitats for the animals. They loved searching for living things in the playground, scurrying around the sandpit and garden beds to follow the ants and discovering a bush full of very interesting bugs. It was wonderful learning outside with the Foundations this week! 

Those of you who know me know I am firmly in favour of healthy technology use among adults and our kids. I am also one who is an advocate for thoughtful technology exposure for our children. Our world has changed significantly in the last couple of years, and we are all wanting to do our best to help our kids and our families adapt and move into our somewhat “adjusted” society post covid.

I thought you might be interested in an article I read this week that tapped into a Camp Australia study that referenced information from a survey of 130 principals and 150 families from across Australia about what were key concerns. The lockdown challenges of the last couple of years have definitely impacted the lifestyle habits of many of us, especially our children. I think it is important that we look at how our kids interact with technology and have the courage to make changes if needed to best support our families, while enjoying the benefits of technology. I hope you find the article helpful.

"Excessive screen time and a decline in emotional stability are among principals' top concerns for their students in 2023, according to new research.

This year's Child Impact Survey from Camp Australia drew insight from 130 principals and over 5,000 families in Australia.

It found that in the aftermath of lockdowns and Covid-19, children appeared be more easily overwhelmed, anxious and sensitive.

Almost one quarter of parents reported that their children's emotional patterns had worsened in 2022, with 62 per cent of principals sharing similar concerns.

Parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson said the results indicate lingering negative effects of the pandemic on children. "When children have too much unproductive screen time or avoid making new friends they can be at increased risk of mental ill-health including experiencing social difficulties, poor academic results and even developing physical health concerns," Dr Coulson said.

"While we can't entirely avoid the use of screens in our work and study lives, we need to be aware children are growing up with new ways of working where technology is universal. This is all the more reason to develop a healthy relationship with technology and socialising offline as early as possible to counteract these impacts and become more resilient in the long term."

The survey, which was conducted December and is now in its third year, found over 40 per cent of parents were concerned about children's screen time and its effects on socialisation.

Furthermore, one in five school leaders said too much screen time and problems making new friends were significant issues facing students.

CEO of Camp Australia Warren Jacobson said kids' sense of disconnection and isolation needs to be addressed into the 2023 school year.

"We know socialisation skills are critical for all aspects of a child's growth, but these insights reveal excessive time in front of screens continues, and children are more erratic and feel less connected despite the end of lockdowns," said Jacobson.

"Whilst concern was expressed regarding unproductive screen time, the survey outcomes also raise the issue of e-safety and the influence of social media on children and whether they are educated to deal with this.

Providing opportunities for social interaction outside the structure of learning in the classroom is one of the ways we can help address these concerns." (Campbell, 2023)

Have a great week with your kids.

Mark B

PPN began this week with an awesome celebration. On Sunday evening families from both PPN and Para Vista SDA Church came together to Waterworld for this year's first CONNECT 4. Waterworld is a local aquatic centre that hosted a place for dinner and an array of activities. The smell of the sausage sizzle, the sound of cackling laughter and the sight of smiles all around created a night worth remembering.

The evening started with a delicious sausage sizzle, where everyone got to know each other and bond over great food. As the evening progressed, we made our way to the pool for some relay races! They were a huge hit, as teams battled it out to see who was the fastest in the pool. Afterwards we opened the waterslides, where kids and adults alike screamed with joy as they slid down the twisting slides making a gigantic splash at the end. With Christ centred music playing through the speakers of the centre for all ears to hear, everyone was enjoying their time in and out of the water.

But perhaps the most memorable part of the day was the sense of community that was created. People from all walks of life came together to enjoy the activities, and the atmosphere was one of unity and friendship. We are proud to have such a beautiful community that makes running these successful events possible. Events that bring people together in a positive and uplifting way. CONNECT 4 was truly an amazing experience that I hope the community will never forget.

A Bible verse that comes to mind when thinking about our community coming together is Romans 12:5, which says: "so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other." This verse reminds me that as a part of PPN, we are not alone but part of a larger community, the body of Christ. It emphasizes the importance of unity and interconnectedness among our school, each member belonging to and serving the others.

This verse speaks to the sense of community and togetherness that was created at CONNECT 4. Although we came from different backgrounds and walks of life, we were able to form a bond and enjoy each other's company. It serves as a reminder that when we come together in the spirit of unity, we can achieve great things and experience the love and grace of Christ in a powerful way.

Blessings

Toby Ackland

Raising resilient kids

Over the last couple of weeks, we have shared a range of information, tips and resources about resilience – what it is, how to grow in resilience as a parent, and what we can do to help our children develop resilience that will set them up for success.

The reason is this - life isn’t always an easy ride. Every person on the planet will experience struggles, challenges and just plain bad days.

Being resilient doesn’t mean our kids won’t have to go through stormy weather. It just means that our kids will be able to bounce back from life’s hard knocks and return to normal, healthy functioning more quickly and with less lingering effects. 

Instead of drowning in negative emotions, they’ll have the ability to explore new ways forward to get to where they want to be. So their developmental progress isn’t thwarted by some difficult circumstances. 

Sounds great! But how on earth do we do it when we’re strapped for time and mental energy?

The Happy Families Summit is on next week and is focused squarely on Raising Resilient Kids. This is your invitation to attend this wonderful online event.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist the school in meeting the cost of the Canberra Camp, the Australian Government is contributing funding of $90 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the camp.

We wish the Year 6 students well as they set off on a unique and unforgettable adventure!  

Position Vacant - Student Services Friday's

Prescott Primary Northern invites applications for a First Aid/Student Services Attendant - attending to students in Student Services Room, administering first aid and completing the necessary documentation. 

This role would be for 1 day per week, Friday's, 8.20am to 3:00pm during the school terms. Please email tamarabernoth@ppn.sa.edu.au for further details. Applications close 29 March. 

Uniform Shop 

Please book your appointment for your child’s Winter Fittings through the Front Office now.

These fittings are from Week 7, including the first term holidays.

Uniform Shop opening times:
Monday - Thursday 2:30pm to 4pm
However, fittings still need to be by appointment ONLY. 
Please call the office to make your appointment for a fitting: 8396 2577

Welcome To Our New Sports Captains

Amazing Athletes

Over the weekend three of our students had medals hung around their necks after a successful day at the Little Athletics State Challenge. The event brings together some of the fittest and strongest young athletes from across the state.

A big congratulations to Phoebe Isaac who received two gold medals for Discus and Shotput in the Under-8 Girls category. Grace Isaac received a bronze medal in the Under-11 Girls Javelin, and Guaransh Brar received a bronze in the Under-11 Boys Triple Jump.

Pheobe, Grace and Guaransh, the PPN Community is proud of your efforts. Well done!