Compost is a really easy and important way to help reduce landfill and create a nutrient dense soil to help your fruits and vegetables grow. We are lucky to have our own compost system at PPN located in the back of our school. It is fed with the green and brown waste gathered from the food waste and the gardens around the school, and placed into the compost bays where Mr Isaac and team do a fantastic job at ensuring there is the right ratio of brown and green compostable waste. The final product is then used in the various garden beds around the school. This week, the Year 1’s had a composting workshop, where they learnt about what compost is and how to correctly make it. We gathered green waste from their classroom compost bin, went down to the garden and discussed why it is important to have compost, and what we can do with it. We then talked about all the amazing decomposing creatures that live in the compost, including earth worms, and we even had some for the students to see. We then made a worm café for our new worms, filling our boxes with worm base block, carboard, compost mixture and then our worm adults and egg starter box. We then put the food scraps and a compost blanket on the top and put them all together to let our new friends get used to their home. We talked about the worm juice that we can collect, along with the castings to help make our veggie garden grow. The students were so engaged in our workshop today and are excited about watching our worms do their amazing job. 

Autumn Harvest Stall

In Autumn, we see a change not only in our environment, but also in the harvest of fresh fruit and vegetables that are grown, apples, pumpkins and other yummy foods. The students at Prescott this week had a small taste of the Autumn harvest, with a produce stall set up in the nature play space. Many students took a turn at being the shop owner, while they chose from apples, pumpkins or carrots. The students were also very busy using a mixture of brown and green lentils to pour, scoop, mix and stir in a sensory activity in our space. It is always lovely to hear the excitement from the students as they discover what activity it is every week. What Autumn produce do you like to eat with your families? 

For those of us who come from a reasonably traditional perspective on family life, today’s Principal’s Remarks may seem a little off track, indulgent or unnecessary. However, the reality of life in Australia for a couple of generations now is that in many families, both parents work to be able to meet the financial demands we experience. So the topic of working mums is an extremely important one. I think most of us have been watching interest rates and the cost of living rising in the last little while, checking our balances, financial commitments and income, and then looking at how we best balance our family life and work. Many of our families have both parents working to help support our kids. This can make for some real challenges when it comes to balancing our family life and work life. One thing I have noticed in my own family is how best to negotiate returns to work after a child is added to the family. Two of my daughters have experienced this in recent times. As a dad, there were many times I would arrive home from work after my children were asleep in bed, and I would think about how little I had contributed to their lives that day. Parenting is something that I feel I can never give enough to. I read an article this week that resonated with me. Firstly, around the way that the author places such an immense value in the role a parent plays in raising a child, and secondly, around helping me understand some of the recent research on the advantages and drawbacks of working when our kids are young. We live in a world that is very different from the one my parents lived in, and yet both of my parents ended up working when the kids were still in school. Maybe I am one of the few parents who think about these things, but I have a hunch some of you do as well. The main reason I share this is that we need to be in the best place we can as parents. We need to have an understanding of, and confidence in ourselves if we are to give the best to our children. I hope you find the article helpful.

“Apparently, a stay-at-home mum should earn $184 000 a year. That’s how hard the typical stay-at-home mum works for her family, doing everything from being the head chef, to first aid provider, to dental hygienist (you can check out how much you’re “worth” here). While motherhood may be the most rewarding job on earth, the sad reality is that it’s also the lowest paying job on earth. And with increasing interest rates, increasing inflation, and an increasing cost of living, many women are faced with increasing mother’s guilt – either guilt for not contributing financially, or guilt for working and not being there for the kids.

Interestingly, mothers have always worked, right from our hunter-gatherer days. It’s only recently that mothers have felt guilt for working outside the home (thanks in part to societal pressure such as the ‘perfect 1950s housewife’). And with that guilt has come the question – “Will I ruin my kids’ lives by working too much?”

The reality is that there is some evidence for negative impacts on our kids when mothers jump into full-time work very early. However, most mums choose to delay getting back to work until after the first year or two of their child’s life – and the research supports this. While not everyone has the choice to stay home, when full-time work is commenced in the first year of the child’s life there are small negative effects on child development and the quality of the attachment relationship.

But long term, maternal employment seems to have a lot of benefits for children. A longitudinal study showed that there were better socio-emotional outcomes (such as increased prosocial behaviour and reduced conduct problems) for children whose mothers work. And an international survey of over 100 000 people showed that as adults, daughters of mothers who work are more likely to be employed and earn higher incomes, and the sons of mothers who work are more likely to spend more time caring for family members. The data definitely shows that you are benefiting your children by returning to the workforce, and that the benefits extend into adulthood!

However, while your kids may be thriving with a working mother, you may not be. In fact, while you may have increased feelings of self-worth and competence from being in employment, working mothers are twice as likely to experience high stress compared to their non-working counterparts. Balancing paid employment with all the demands of motherhood is not simple, and parental burnout often results. According to research, part-time employment seems to provide the best balance for mothers, resulting in fewer depressive symptoms and better health, more involvement in learning opportunities, and more sensitive parenting than full time employment.

If you’re a working mum, either by choice or due to financial necessity, full-time or part-time, here are 5 quick tips to improve your work/life balance and ditch the guilt:

Find your why behind working and embrace it.

It’s great to have a job you’re passionate about, but it’s also great to admit that you’re working to afford the mortgage repayments on your house. Own your reason.

Create more time by saying no to unnecessary commitments.

That might mean saying no to taking on another project at work, but it also might mean saying no to your child joining the soccer team. When time is limited, you don’t want to squander it. Spending time together doing nothing much at all is one of the most valuable gifts you can give your kids.

Implement rituals of connection.

Make time for daily family dinner. Or cuddle your kids and read them a story before bed. Just make sure that there are predictable moments throughout your day where you will put away distractions and focus on connections.

Start family traditions that you can all look forward to.

It can be as simple as a weekly movie night, or as elaborate as a yearly holiday to an exotic location. The enjoyment comes from looking forward to the tradition.

Take time to meet your own mental and emotional health needs.

You can’t be there for your kids if you’re burnt out. Taking time to look after you is the first and most important step in being able to look after anyone else.

You’re definitely not going to ruin your kids by working. In fact, they’ll probably benefit from it.

But I don’t think anyone, at the end of their lives, has ever said, “Gee, I wish I’d given more time to my work. I sure regret spending so much time with my family.”

Make the most of the time you have.

It doesn’t matter if you only have 10 minutes a day with your kids, make it the best 10 minutes of your whole day.

You will never regret it.” (Coulson, 2023)

Have a great week with our kids.

Mark B

Hello Prescott Family,

Rest, we all want it, especially after a long day at work or at school. But sometimes it can feel that we can never get enough. It can be random thoughts that keep us up, worries we have for our family, or work that doesn't seem to end. We may even get that sweet 8 hours of sleep, but still feel exhausted. 

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus encourages us to lean on Him and let Him take all our burdens. No matter what we’ve gone through or the stresses that we have right now, we can leave it in His hands.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

So I want to encourage you to lean on and lean into Jesus and be refreshed.

Many Blessings,

Anderina Manners

Discipline vs Punishment

I’ll admit, that one of the most difficult aspects of parenting is dealing with the poor choices our children make in regards to the things they say or do (or, maybe don’t do…)

Often we find ourselves thinking back to our response and wondering, ‘Did I handle that ok? Did my words and actions make things better, or simply make me feel better?’

I recently read an article by one of my favourite child and family-focused psychologists, Dr Justin Coulson. In response to a parent’s question regarding discipline he writes:

‘One of the things I emphasise time and again is that discipline is instruction, teaching, and guiding. Punishment, on the other hand, means “to inflict a penalty”, or “to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault.” And consequences? Well, the dictionary says they are “the result of something occurring earlier.”

This is a powerful and challenging concept to grasp as parents. Fortunately, Dr Coulson outlines a three-step approach to tackling discipline from a teaching and guiding lens:

Explain – Under normal circumstances, the best approach is to stay calm and kind, and then explain what behaviour, or change you’re after and why. We get the best results when we actually provide a reason for what we’re asking.

Explore – Ask your child to tell you what occurred and why it happened from their perspective. Don’t ask for answers that you already know – just explain the things you already have knowledge of. By the time you have explained and explored, everyone should be feeling understood. At this point, we empower.

Empower – Give your child a chance to think of appropriate ‘next steps’. When they share "dumb" ideas, ask for more ideas or for explanations. Problem-solve. If they get stuck, tell them to go and have a think and come back to you when they’re ready. We want our kids to come up with the way forward. They do so much better when we get them engaged in the process.

To learn more about the Three E’s, and what to do if the problem keeps happening, I would encourage you to read the full article by clicking here.

20 Book Challenge

This year 2023, the Premier’s Reading Challenge turns 20!
To commemorate this milestone, the PRC (Premier s Reading Challenge) are running an additional Challenge where students can challenge themselves to read 20 books instead of 12. (Extra challenge is optional). The extra 8 books challenge can be any book of their own choice.
All students who complete the PRC will receive their award at the end of the year. Students who also complete the 20 Book Challenge will receive a bonus certificate.

Book of the Year Shortlist

The Children’s Book Council of Australia have announced the 2023 CBCA Book of the Year Award Shortlist. You can check the Shortlist at cbca.org.au/shortlist-2023

Book of the Week

Hope is The Thing
Author: Johanna Bell and Erica Wagner

Hope is a Kookaburra singing the sun
Hope is the Emu learning to run…

Let your imagination soar in this joyful ode to the world of birds and the healing power of nature.

Inspire by a classic Emily Dickinson poem, with a unique, collage-esque art style, this creative picture book is wonderful for story time, with bright colours and engaging rhymes to enthrall readers of all ages.

Year 3-6 Middle/Upper Sports Day

This is a reminder that we are just around the corner from our Middle/Upper Year 3-6 Sports Day on the 12^th of April 2023 (Wednesday, Week 11)! This will once again be held at Bridgestone Athletics Centre. Below is the program for the day.

Students will need to bring their school hat, enough water for the day, plenty of food/snacks and come dressed in their school sport uniform. Students will be provided with a coloured band to match their Sport House. No face paint, coloured hairspray, streamers etc.

Parents are invited to attend, but must remain on the outside of the field behind the fence. Please stay at home if you are unwell.

Please note that Sports Day is an official school day, therefore your child will be in the care of their teacher for the entirety of the day and must stay with their class. If you selected to transport your child to or from the Athletics Centre, you will need to sign them in with their teacher once they arrive and sign out with the teacher at the conclusion of the program.

If your child is catching the bus from school to the Athletics Centre, please make sure they are at school on time, so we can leave as soon as possible.

We look forward to a fantastic Sports Day together!!

OSHC