Year 5 Connects with Prescott College

While our Year 6s have been visiting Prescott College during the year, our Year 5 students have been watching on jealously. Today, they got their own chance to visit, and in many ways begin their transition to high school. Our students played soccer darts, made and decorated grass men, and went on a scavenger hunt around the school.

Year 6 Excursion to the City

On Tuesday, our three Year 6 classes ventured into the city to explore the Migration Museum and the Art Gallery of South Australia. Through a hands-on, interactive activity students learned about the experiences of people who have migrated to Australia and gained a personal insight into their stories before and after arriving. At the Art Gallery, students took in a range of Australian artwork, while reflecting on the techniques and insights, and learning new skills for their own art practice.

Hapa zome

Have you ever seen the Japanese artform of Hapa zome? It’s a beautiful print making skill that uses natural items and a rubber mallet to transfer the colours from the plants onto a piece of material. The students had a chance to try their skills of Hapa zome making this week. We had some precut triangles of calico and a rubber mallet and a beautiful selection of leaves and flowers for the students to choose from. Some with orange, yellow, pink, purple and green. They laid out their design on a board then they put a piece of material on the design, then using the rubber mallet, hammered the material into the natural pieces to print the colour onto the fabric. The students were amazed at the beautiful colours and patterns that were left and enjoyed the process of hammering the board to find the print. When they have dried, see if you can find the beautiful bunting created by our students hung around the Nature Playground Space.

Well, it's another busy week at Prescott Primary Northern his week. We have had a Prescott Nature Play play date, and some lose parts to play with for the Lower Primary on Monday, the Year 4 Zoo snoozes, SAPSASSA Athletics is tomorrow, a Bullying No Way activity, ICAS Competitions, visits to Prescott College, Connect 4 on Friday night, and some excursions as well.

I hope among the busyness you can check in with your child about what they have been up to at school.

Next week we have another highlight of our school year, Book Week. To celebrate the gift of literature and reading is a wonderful opportunity. I can honestly say that one of the highlights of my fatherhood was reading to my children as they went to sleep. To be really honest, I was often asleep before they were, and they would wake me up to finish the story. It provided us with some good time to talk about all sorts of things, and appreciate literature and a love of reading. My challenge for you next week is to take time each evening to read a book with your children for Book Week. I think you'll love it.

Below is an article with some good suggestions and some research around the value of our children reading. I hope you find it helpful.

Book Week

"For over 75 years, the Children's Book Council of Australia has promoted Children's Book Week. Book week isn't just about finding a costume for the parade (and hoping that this year your child doesn't want to dress up as Captain Underpants again), it's about celebrating books. Australian authors and illustrators are particularly celebrated, as classroom teachers and librarians in schools and public libraries create displays, run activities, and tell stories relating to each year's theme. This year, Book Week is next week (Aug 19-25), and the theme is Read, Grow, Inspire.

This article isn't about Book Week though. It's about why books and reading are so important for our kids that we should be celebrating books every day, not just one week a year. In this article I'll also describe how you can help your child to get more out of their reading. And lastly, I'll give you some tips on what to do when your kids don't seem to want to read.

The science

It is never too early to start a habit of reading with your kids. A meta-analysis (a study that synthesises the results of lots of other studies, in this case 99 other studies) found that when children are exposed to book reading from an early age, it begins a 'causal spiral'; being exposed to books stimulates language and reading development, and in turn children who are more proficient in comprehension and reading skills choose to read more. Significantly, this study looked at every age from preschool to university and found that the gap between readers and non-readers widened every year, culminating in greater academic success in university. There is also some evidence that people who read more live longer, and that reading fiction boosts social skills such as empathy.

Getting the most out of reading

Reading is good, regardless of how it's done or what is read. But there are a few things we can do to help our children enjoy the benefits and satisfaction it offers. Here are three ideas:

1. Have your child read to you. Children don't even need to be able to read to do this. Babies enjoy lifting up flaps and turning pages. Toddlers love pointing at the pictures in their favourite books. Preschoolers may even memorise the words to a well-repeated story. Then as our children learn to read independently, they tend to be really excited to read to us if we can find the time to slow down and turn reading into an activity to share.
2. Read to your child. In addition to bonding, reading to your child helps them to learn about expression, pacing, and the different ways we can experience books. Please remember, when you read to your child, to read slower than you think you should. And for younger children, pause and ask them questions about how they'd feel, what the characters are feeling, and what they're thinking about the story. (It can be hard to stay awake, I know! But it's worth it.)
3. Have FART time regularly. FART stands for Family All Reading Together. Perhaps once or twice a week, let everyone know it's FART time. Grab some treats. Have everyone select a book. And sit together in the living room while you read those books together, either aloud or in silence.

What to do when your child doesn't want to read

Not everyone loves reading. However, kids who lack motivation for reading are usually struggling with a small handful of challenges. They either (i) have a reading disorder such as dyslexia, (ii) feel disconnected and want connection with someone, (iii) don't feel competent, or (iv) are feeling controlled and want more choice in what they read. Each of these will reduce intrinsic desire to read. Our role as parents is to help them overcome those boundaries. We can do this by:

• Helping them find appropriate support. With time, patience, and the right structures in place, anyone can learn to enjoy reading. Being dyslexic doesn't prevent that; in fact, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, F. Scott Fitzgerald, is believed to have had dyslexia.
• Reading together – them to us and us to them. There are few things cosier than snuggling up together with a good book
• Finding books that are at a level that stretches them but not so much that it's demotivating, and
• Offering them as much choice as possible in terms of what they read… even if that means reading Captain Underpants again.

One more important point: never bribe your kids to read, unless the bribe for reading one book is the chance to choose another one!

Reading isn't just about academics, just as Book Week isn't just about winning the award for Best Dressed. Books provide a doorway to the world; through them our kids can climb mountains, experience new cultures, and travel through time and space. As Barack Obama once said, "Reading is important. If you know how to read, then the whole world opens up to you." (Coulson, 2023)

Have a great week, travelling through stories with our kids,

Mark B

In Matthew 24 of the Bible, the writer, Matthew, paints a beautiful image for us of the disciples walking with Jesus, in awe of the marvellous architectural feat that was the Jewish temple. After they have been excitedly raving about its beauty and splendour, you can imagine their surprise when Jesus tells them that it’s all going to be destroyed. This sparks an intense conversation, Jesus’ faithful followers have questions coming out of their ears! Knowing that Jesus would one day depart from them, the conversation funnels itself into a simple question, How will we know when you’re coming back?

Jesus takes this time to share with His disciples the truths of the future. This future telling has a term known as “Prophecy”. Jesus Says in Matthew 24:29 that these things will happen before he comes again:  

“The sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light. The stars will fall from the sky…” 

Lets keep this in mind as we explore 2 world events. The first happened on May 19 1780. England, Canada, America and most of the western world all unexpectedly fell into darkness. The sun rose but quickly disappeared at noon, not returning until past noon the following day. People at the time believed that it was the end of the world, the day of judgment. This “day of darkness” sounds exactly like what Jesus was talking about in verse 29. The second event that I’d like to share with you happened during the 1800’s. A meteor shower lit up the sky beyond anything ever imagined. As the meteors surged out of the constellation of Leo, the Leonids shower provided so much light that in the middle of the night, in the middle of a paddock, one could clearly read their newspaper. There was estimated over 200,000 meteors visible over a 9 hour period. 

So what should we do with this information? 

Well Jesus put it quite simply in verse 32, “Now when you look at a fig tree, and you see that it’s budding and its leaves are sprouting, you know that summer is near. You know the signs.” Imagine you’re visiting Grandma's place interstate, as you drive past the large green signs and white text saying “Melbourne 799 km” and then the next sign says “540 km” and so on. The signs don't tell you exactly where Grandma's house is. The signs tell you that Grandmas house is coming up. The purpose of prophecy isn’t to know when, not to be afraid or to scare you into believing. The purpose of prophecy is to be ready. 

Mark 13:36-37

Jesus says in reference to the signs - “Lest, coming suddenly, He finds you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

Take me to the Green Zone

As highlighted in last week’s newsletter, The Zones of Regulation framework is a tool we use at school to students understand their emotions and develop skills that help them self-regulate, or return to a more productive controlled state (but it can also be just as useful for adults).

The Zones are divided into four colour-coded areas, each representing a different. Today, we want to focus on ‘The Green Zone’

The Green Zone is often referred to as the "Ready to Learn" or "Good to Go" zone. When a child is in the Green Zone, they are typically experiencing feelings such as contentment, happiness, and relaxation. Their attention and focus are optimal, allowing them to engage effectively in various activities, learn new things, and maintain positive relationships.

When in the Green Zone, our kids are able to manage stressors and challenges with a clear and rational mindset. They are more likely to make thoughtful decisions, handle conflicts peacefully, and navigate social interactions successfully.

Transitioning into the Green Zone requires the use of effective self-regulation strategies. Some of the strategies you can discuss and practice with your children include:

· Deep Breathing and Relaxation: TBreathing deeply and slowly can help calm the nervous system and shift them back to the Green Zone. For instance, practice the "Balloon Breaths" technique: Inhale slowly through the nose, imagining you're filling up a balloon in your belly, and then exhale slowly through the mouth as you deflate the balloon.

· Emotion Identification: Sometimes, children might not have the words to express how they're feeling. Provide them with a feelings chart or visual aids to help them recognize and name their emotions. This can promote self-awareness and make it easier to regulate their feelings.

· Positive Self-Talk: Encourage your kids to use positive self-talk to reframe their thoughts and emotions. Teach them to challenge negative or anxious thoughts by replacing them with positive affirmations. For instance, if they are worried about a test, they can tell themselves, "I've studied and I'll do my best."

· Movement and Physical Activity: Demonstrate how they can use short movement breaks into the day to release excess energy and stress. Engage in simple exercises or stretches. Physical activity can help shift students from the Yellow or Red Zones to the Green Zone by promoting relaxation and focus.

· Sensory Activities: Guided exercises or sensory tools like stress balls can be used to redirect attention and reduce anxiety. Encourage your children to focus on the present moment, which can help regulate their emotions.

Book Week is Next Week!

The library team and our amazing Book Week planning team are excited about all the fun activities we have planned. Have a look at the overview of the week to see what will be happening.

Dioramas will be displayed and judged on Wednesday in the Discovery Centre. Please bring your diorama to the Discovery Centre on Wednesday morning.

The Scholastic Book Fair will run at lunch time from Tuesday to Friday in the Discovery Centre as well as after school on Wednesday and Thursday for our school community.

Our Book Week Parade will happen on Friday morning in the church hall across the carpark. The lower school parade (Foundation –Year 2) will be at 9.15-10am and the upper school parade (Year 3 –Year 6) will be at 10.15-11am. Parents are welcome to come and watch, but please keep in mind that parent photography is not allowed. Don’t worry though, our teachers will be taking lots of photos throughout the day and there will also be a Book Week photo wall located on the basketball court on Friday morning where you can take photos of your child in their Book Week costume.

We can’t wait for a fun week of activities and events that celebrate books and reading!

OSHC - Show Day

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