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Yr 6 Refugee Sleepover
Armed with tarps, cardboard boxes and not much else, our Year 6 students transformed the upper undercover area into a ‘refugee camp’ at the end of last term. The event, which was the culmination of their studies across subjects including English and HASS, encouraged the students to understand the experience of migrants and refugees on a more personal level. Each student group, or ‘family’, was given limited space to bring personal items and they had to plan their own food and shelters.
Every student (and staff member) left tired, but happy, having created memories that will continue to grow their empathy and compassion towards others.
Foundation Swimming
The Foundations ended Term 3 with a serious splash! As part of our annual Swim Safe Week, our youngest students visited the Clovercrest pool everyday to improve their swimming and water safety skills under the guidance of specially trained swim instructors. As we head into summer, and our beaches and pools get even more popular, these skills are vital part of becoming safe, confident swimmers and people. By the looks of it, Swim Safe Week was a lot of fun and a great success!
Year 2 Planetarium
The Year 2s had an amazing end to Term 3 with a visit from a mobile planetarium. We entered the huge, blow-up dome and explored the wonders of space together. We visited all the planets and learned about the constellations and movement patterns within the Milky Way. God's universe is truly a miracle!
Sand and Water Nature Play
What a beautiful week it has been! With the sunny weather came some new beautiful nature play pieces for our sand and water area. We are very blessed to have a wonderful nature playground and resources at our school. Many students love to play with our water pump and sand area and it is a desire to provide different tools for them to use in this space to enhance their play.
What was wonderful to see was watching how the students used the new tools in the play areas that they have created themselves. There was a chip shop, a juice shop and some tunnels and highways through the sandpit. Simple tools introduced into a play area can help to enhance children's play and creativity!
Welcome to Term 4. Can you believe that we are starting the last term of the year? It may be just me, but it feels like this year is flying by.
At the end of last year, I was gifted a small bamboo plant. I must admit, I am not much of a gardener. I certainly don’t have a green thumb. Plants don’t seem to do well when I am left to look after them. However, this year, I have managed to keep a plant not only alive, but it seems to be thriving.
I have kept it near my kitchen sink and as I look out the window, seeing the plant has prompted me to water it and care for it more often than other plants in my house. As I look at it today, I have realised that it has grown quite a bit this year and is about twice the size it was when I received it. The growth has been steady over the year, and it is not until now, as I look at it that I realize just how much it has grown. It probably grew a little bit each day, but as I looked at it each day the difference in size was not noticeable.
It reminds me of a children’s novel by Roald Dahl called Esio Trot. In the book, a lady owns a pet tortoise and is concerned that it is not growing. Without the lady knowing, her neighbour replaces the tortoise with another tortoise that looks the same, but which is only slighter bigger. This goes on for a few weeks, with the tortoise being swapped every few days for one a bit larger than the one before. The owner talks to her pet tortoise every day but doesn’t notice the change in size until one day she looks at the tortoise, thinks that it looks bigger, and decides to weigh it. It is only then that she realises just how much larger the tortoise is and how much it has grown. Of course, in this story the tortoise didn’t actually grow as quick as the owner was led to believe, but it illustrates the point that when we see things every day, we often don’t see the changes that are happening.
Term 4 is a time we begin to look back and see the immense amount of progress that students have made over the year. Teachers set work to consolidate skills and knowledge, assign more independent work and begin the process of writing end-of-year reports. We put together Learner Profile folders and watch the faces of our students as they look back over their work for the year and recall the learning experiences that they have been a part of over many months. We know that progress happens with each learning experience, but sometimes we don’t see the amount of progress until we look back at where we started and compare it to where we are now.
As I look ahead on the school calendar for Term 4, there are many wonderful events planned for our students and families. Next week, our Upper Primary students will be presenting a musical to their parents and families. After many weeks of preparation, planning, learning lines, rehearsing songs, and working together to create items, our students will be standing in front of an audience – their family and friends - showcasing their talents and presenting the product of their hard work. We will be able to see the incredible growth that these students have made over the past few months as they have worked together to prepare this exciting event for our school community.
Time seems to pass so quickly and as a parent of a student who is about to finish high school in a few weeks’ time, it is even more apparent to me how quickly our children change. You may have noticed it when your children put on their summer uniform this week and you saw how much they have grown physically since the end of Term 1.
This week, and over the course of this busy and fast-paced term, I encourage you to take time to pause, reflect, and affirm your children for the amazing things that they have achieved, and are achieving this year, and that you relish the opportunities to celebrate their learning with them.
As we stepped into the school on Monday, it was heartwarming to see the playground once again buzzing with the energy of our students. The two-week holiday break had provided them with the much-needed brain break, and as I watched them return, it was a joy to witness the excitement on their faces. They came back with renewed energy and countless stories to share, and it's always a privilege to hear those stories.
Before the holiday break, during our chaplain class time I got to pray with our students, asking 2 things. That they have lots of fun and to ensure their safe return to us. And from all the stories that I've heard over just the past three days I can't help but feel gratitude in my heart. The prayers we shared before the break have been answered. Yes, there were a few scratches and scrapes here and there, as children are bound to have some adventures that come with their share of bumps and bruises. However, for the most part, our students returned to us safe and sound, brimming with the excitement that only a memorable holiday can bring.
It's always a humbling experience to see the power of prayer at work in our lives, as it reminds us of the strength of our faith and the bonds we share as a school community. The stories they bring back are more than just anecdotes; they are a testament to the wonderful experiences and adventures that have shaped them during their time away.
As we move forward into this new week, I encourage all of us to take a moment to appreciate the joy that the return of our students brings and to continue cherishing the stories they share (no matter how many countless times you've heard it before). Let's keep our faith and trust in the power of prayer, knowing that it connects us not only with our beliefs but also with one another.
May the week ahead be filled with continued learning, growth, and memorable moments for all our students. And, as always, let us keep the faith and pray for their safety and well-being, both in their daily school lives and their future journeys.
Wishing you all a wonderful and blessed week ahead.
In faith and gratitude,
Toby Ackland
School Chaplain
What to do with distressing content
Conflict and war has been dominating news headlines for what seems forever. Recent events surrounding Israel and Gaza have only increased this. As a result, the risk of coming across disturbing content online (particularly on social media) is heightened.
As always, it’s important we stay tuned into the content that our children are accessing – this includes putting appropriate restrictions in place, sitting with them and engaging with the media they are consuming, and having constructive conversations about the content they watch.
As adults we should also be mindful of what we are exposing ourselves to.
The eSafety Commissioner’s Office (a national body established to promote, support and advocate for safe online experiences for everyone, but particularly children) has recently provided some information about steps to take response to the evolving situation in the middle east.
· eSafety has contacted social media companies about this content and will continue working with them to identify and remove illegal and restricted material wherever possible.
· Avoid drawing attention to any disturbing content. Asking about it, even such as, ‘I hope you haven’t seen…’ may cause unnecessary worry or distress and increase exposure.
· If a child is showing signs of distress, it’s important to enquire and support them. These signs may look like emotional outbursts, changes in sleep, play that involves more violence or withdrawing from friends and family.
The eSafety Commissioner has a range of useful material online for both parents and children around distressing content online. Please see links below:
Resources for children:Distressing or violent content | How to get help | eSafety Commissioner Resources for parents: Distressing or violent content | How to get help | eSafety Commissioner
If you do come across distressing content the information sheet below provides guidance on steps that you can take. As always, if your child needs additional emotional support please speak with their classroom teacher about seeing our school counsellor.
Additional support services are also available for anyone who may be at risk or experiencing emotional distress, including worried family and friends:
- Kids Helpline, for 5–25-year-olds, on 1800 55 1800 or kidshelpline.com.au (webchat is also available).
- headspace support for young people, professionals, educators and families
- Lifeline on 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au
- Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au
More support services, including state-based services aimed at parents and carers, are listed on esafety.gov.au/counselling-support-services.
Upper Concert: What’s the crime Mr Wolf?
Our Year 5 and Year 6 classes have been practicing for weeks for this moment. The upper primary concert is next week!
Join us on Thursday 26 October for the presentation of the hilariously though provoking What’s the crime Mr Wolf?
Two performances:
- 12noon Matinee show
- 6.30pm Evening performance
Science Week Competitions
As we celebrate science week ALL students are encouraged to be creative and innovative through our two Science Week Competitions.
Keep an eye out for a poster coming home later this week!
Middle and Upper Student Competition
Innovation challenge: Make Life Easier!
Your job is to make life easier for humans by inventing a new product OR improving an existing product. Whatever it takes to make life easier.
Here’s some examples to get your thinking:
- A mop that refills itself with water
- A lawnmower that automatically creates compost from the clippings
- A device that ties my shoes for me
- A moving petrol station on the back of a truck that drives down the highways.
Success Criteria
- Build a model of your product OR create a labelled A3 poster of your product.
- Submit your creation by Tuesday Week 3 Term 4 (31st October) to the Library
- Fill out the entry form in the Library on submission
- Strictly 1 submission per person
- Open to students in Years 3-6
Your creations will be displayed in the library. They must be collected and taken home by Monday 6th November (Week 4).
Students will view and vote on their favourites using tokens!
Lower Student Competition
Science themed colouring competition. Class teachers will distribute these shortly!
ADHD Awareness Month
Notification of Enrollment Changes
Please note that Prescott Primary Norther requires at least one terms notice when a family is leaving the school or a terms fees will apply. You recently received an email asking you to indicate if you are planning to re-enrol your child/ren in 2024. Please respond to this email by the end of this week to assist in our planning for the new year. If you are planning to withdraw your child for 2024, please notify the school.
Class Placement Considerations
We are currently working on class placements for 2024. There are many factors that go into making decisions about class placements and we use a program to try to balance the many competing demands. We are unable to guarantee requests will be granted, but if there is some extenuating circumstance you would like considered for your child, please email Mark Borresen (markborresen@ppn.sa.edu.au)
Uniform Shop
Term 4 is 'Change over of Season' where students need to be in Summer Uniform. There is a two-week grace period where they can wear either Winter or Summer Uniform.
By week 3, all students are required to be in full Summer Uniform.
Summer Uniform Reminder
As we transition to full summer uniform, please take note of the following:
- Students must wear either full winter, or full summer uniform until the end of week 2. They should not mix and match winter and summer uniforms. From week 3 all students must be in FULL summer uniform.
- For boys, summer uniform includes:
Short-sleeved blue Prescott shirt and tailored SA grey school shorts (not cotton cargo shorts)
Grey over the ankle socks - For girls, summer uniform includes:
Prescott summer dress, which touch the knee or below when standing upright.
Plain black/navy bike shorts may also be worn.
White over the ankle socks (no leggings) - All shoes must be laced, buckled or velcro polished black leader school shoes OR brown sandals (worn without socks)
Cricket Blast Program
Yesterday, some of our PE classes got to participate in the Cricket Blast Program run by SACA. This was a great day of learning a variety of cricket skills including catching, batting and bowling. Thank you to James and Darcy for running these sessions!
