A special thank you to Mrs Howard for all of her work with the costumes. The Prescott Choir wishes everyone a safe and Merry Christmas.

Christmas Nature Play

This week we had a Christmas theme in our Nature Play space. The students had recycled materials and pinecones to create Christmas decorations. Some students came up with a Christmas tree idea, and others created a mini-Christmas wreath, using a cardboard circle and natural materials. It was wonderful to see their creativity bloom once again in our nature play space for the final time in 2023. Have you tried making Christmas decorations out of natural or recycled pieces? 

Welcome to our second last Newsletter for 2024. I have to say that the Carols and Concert program last Friday evening was absolute food for my Principal Soul. As I wandered around and saw families enjoying food, conversation, the live nativity in the nature playground from our senior students, listening to the carols and items from Prescott College and our Lower Primary students, I just about walked on the clouds. I really have missed the large community get-togethers over the last couple of years, and last Friday evening was very special. A huge thank you to all involved. It was amazing.

Our year is really drawing to a close very quickly, but we still have several important events to take place. We have another orientation day for our new Foundations on Friday, and we will expand that for a session as new students from other year levels join us, and our current students move up a year level and see what next year’s classrooms will be like. There is a pancake breakfast next Wednesday morning before school, and some special pizza lunches for our students will be spread over a couple of days next week. We have our Awards Program for students on Monday and our Year 6 Graduation program next week on Wednesday evening.

If you are anything like me, your phone can sometimes rule your life. Between work, family, the newsfeed, social connections, the weather, photo memories, banking, online shopping, exercise reminders, even home security, there seems to be times when my phone never stops reminding me of things. Over the year end break may be a good time for us all to step back a little and have a good think about how we relate to our tech, and what we model for our kids. The article below gives us some really good tips and food for thought.

“We have a love/hate relationship with our devices and online activities which are complex and multifaceted. ‘Screen time’ isn’t just one thing. It’s a gazillion different things depending on the device you’re using and the content you’re consuming on various the platforms you log into (and freely hand out our data and feed our keystrokes to!).

While time spent online is an important measure – time is a non-renewable resource and you can only spend it once – there are other factors that you can consider. They will help shift your screen-based media use more into a positive and purposeful gear.

Here are my 3Ms of Digital Nutrition – apply them before you or your children choose to engage in online spaces.

MINDFUL

Being mindful in relation to your digital habits means directing your attention so that you are present to your actions, that you have moment-to-moment awareness of, and responsibility over your activities online.

Mindfulness keeps you away from time-wasting ‘digital rabbit-holes’. It helps you to avoid going online to numb out or ignore your feelings, or to cope with the discomfort of some parts of everyday life. Developing healthier coping skills than scrolling and streaming is important for you and your child.

Being mindful means pausing, and thinking more broadly about how what you do, say, click on and scroll through impacts your overall health and wellbeing (one swipe at a time). When you zoom out and think about how your use (and your kids’ use) of devices snowballs over weeks, months, and years, it can help you be more attentive and present.

Questions to ask yourself:

• How do I feel in my mind and body before I go online?

• What am I truly seeking when I go online and will I find it there?

• How does being online change my feelings or physical sensations?

• How can I get better at ‘reading’ and ‘listening’ to these cues?

• How can I remain focused and present while online?

• How can I notice when I am risk of overloading my senses and need to step back from the screen?

MEANINGFUL

As humans we often search for meaning and enjoy having things in our life of significance and interest to us. When there is so much content available online, from video games to conquer and TV series to stream across multiples services, to influencers and personalities to follow on social media, its valuable to check in with how these activities align to the things you care about.

Algorithms are designed to work hard to capture your attention. It’s easy (especially when you are not mindful) to slip into being distracted by digital fairy floss that doesn’t help advance you towards what you value.

Recently I stepped back and re-evaluated who deserves my attention. This included removing two(!) accounts of guys mowing lawns that I had become fascinated by. Given I don’t plan on a career in grass maintenance, it was time to unfollow them!

When you have clarity with your values (and live aligned to them) you have a greater sense of purpose. This contributes to you being the person you want to be (both online and IRL, in real life).

Questions to reflect on:

• How is what I am viewing/reading/playing relevant to or aligned to my goals?

• How does this action/activity contribute in a positive way to my life and overall sense of wellbeing and satisfaction?

• Have I made time to clarify my values and think about what I care about and what gives me purpose?

• Am I following people, celebrities and influencers that contribute meaningfully to my life?

• How might I curate the accounts I follow so they align more to the stuff I care about?

• What deserves my attention?

MODERATE

We all only have 24 hours in a day, so how you choose to spend our time is something that you can control and develop discipline around (especially when you have switched on your mindful awareness and are clear on what is meaningful to you!).

Moderating yourself online doesn’t just meaning keeping an eye on the clock and being able to regulate your usage. It’s your ability to show restraint when engaging with other people (often from

behind a screen or keyboard) in digital spaces. Being able to moderate what you (or your children) say and how you react in situations matters.

Questions to reflect on:

• How can I tell if I am over-reacting to a situation online?

• What would happen if I did not respond to that tweet/comment/post/message or ‘slept on it’ before replying?

• What strategies or digital hacks can I use to moderate my time online and ensure I don’t overdo it?

• How can I notice and listen to body and mind signals about when it’s time to logoff/take a break?

You might notice that these three principles all connect and inter-relate. Teach your kids to switch onto these ways of being online – and try it yourself. I predict the quality of your use of technology and online habits will improve!” (Coulson, 2023)

Greetings PPN families, 

Can you believe that there are only a few days left of school!? It seems as if this year has just flown by. But I am excited, just as you might be, because it means Christmas is right around the corner. It might be cliche, but it is definitely my favourite holiday. Not only is it a time that we get to spend with family and friends, giving one another gifts and sharing meals around the table (eating maybe a little too much), it's a time we all come together to celebrate the amazing gift of Jesus’ birth.

I've definitely been enjoying the Christmas feelings in the air, with the amazing Christmas Carols Concert we had last Friday, where our wonderful community gathered to sing, eat, and fellowship together. Personally, for the past couple of nights I have been sitting on the floor of my lounge wrapping gifts, I get excited imagining their faces as they see what I’ve gotten them. But imagine the faces of Mary and Joseph as they greeted their little gift. 

Picture being a young girl who gets visited by an angel to then be told she will have a son, a son that will bring life, joy, and salvation to the world. That’s a lot for someone to take in during an afternoon. I just get stressed just trying to get my subway order out. But I believe for that reason she was chosen to carry this gift for the world. Mary and Joseph waited 9 months for their little gift, but little did they know, countless generations would be waiting for Him also. 

Now let’s skip ahead a bit. At the beginning of John 14 we see Jesus comforting His disciples. 

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.” John 14:1 NLT

He spent 40 days with them after His resurrection, encouraging and preparing them to be witnesses for Him throughout the world, because He knew that He would be leaving once more. The disciples no doubt needed that pep talk, having Jesus back to only say goodbye again must not have been easy. But Jesus didn’t leave them emptied handed.

“I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 NLT

This gift was not only for the disciples but also something we can claim, for aren’t we also called to be witnesses for Him? 

So, this Christmas as we celebrate together, let us be reminded of the many heavenly gifts we receive and how we can use them to be amazing witnesses of Jesus’ love.

Wishing you the very best for Christmas and I look forward to seeing you all in the new year.

Blessings,

Pr Andy. 

Defusing explosive children

In 1998 Dr Ross Greene wrote a bestselling book titled "The Explosive Child".

His philosophy: kids do well if they can.

In my words: competence.

A challenging situation presents itself. Capable kids navigate it – often with confidence. If they’re not quite there but believe they can do it, they’ll go for it. But if they’re incompetent, they pull back. Feeling incompetent can lead to withdrawal – or explosions. And they don’t do well… because they “can’t”.

Greene describes incompetence in a gentler way: lagging skills.

Lagging skills are the missing pieces in a child’s skill set, hindering their ability to meet the demands of the moment. These lagging skills are flexibility and adaptability, frustration tolerance, problem-solving, and emotion regulation.

Let’s break them down:

Flexibility and Adaptability

A disrupted routine or inadequate time to prepare for a transition to a new activity (leaving the park, taking a bath, switching off a screen) requires this skill. So does a change in plans. But it’s a skill that takes time, practice, and support to develop. Its opposite: rigidity and tunnel vision.

Frustration Tolerance

When the bottom drops out, expectations are unmet, or delayed gratification are required, frustration tolerance is what stops an emotional outburst. It’s recognising things didn’t work out according to my agenda, and managing the frustration, expressing it appropriately, and thinking clearly.

Frustration tolerance keeps emotions level and stable, and allows us (or our child) to sit in that emotion without acting rashly.

Problem Solving

Unpredictability, randomness, and volatility are inescapable realities of most of our lives. Being flexible and adaptable and having frustration tolerance keep emotions stable and facilitate creative, broad thinking so we (and our kids) can solve problems effectively.

A parent’s fundamental job, besides keeping their child safe, is to help them learn to solve problems. How do they resolve a problem with a sibling? How do they navigate a friendship challenge at school? What is the best way forward with an academic question?

Emotion Regulation

Frustration tolerance is a crucial component of a much larger challenge: emotion regulation, which means expressing and suppressing emotions appropriately.

Our words matter. They shape our perceptions and build the world we live in. Remember:

· Your child isn’t ‘naughty’. They have some lagging skills that we can develop.

· Your child isn’t trying to ruin your life. Kids do well if they can.

· Your child isn’t an idiot or a pain. Your child doesn’t have the competence to get it right… yet.

Even if they’ve done it right before. Even if they’re laughing about it and you sense they’re being malicious. Even if they’re being disrespectful. Even if they’re insisting that they ‘can’t’.

When they’re stuck:

1. Soften your eyes. Look on them with compassion and kindness. Remember that kids do well if they can, so if they can’t right now, there’s something going on. Hungry? Angry? Lonely/Disconnected? Tired? Stressed? Sick? Overstimulated?

2. Say what you see. If you can name it you can tame it.

3. Ask if they want you with them or if they want space.

4. As emotions subside, explore their world and their challenge. Explain what you are looking for. And empower them through problem-solving. Support those skills of flexibility and adaptability, frustration tolerance, problem-solving, and emotion regulation.

5. Make a plan so they can try to do better next time.

(Source: Justin Coulson, happyfamilies.com.au)

Casual Day Wednesday 13th

Pizza Lunch

To celebrate a great year together, PPN is throwing a free pizza lunch for all students. 

Foundation to Year 2 students will be provided with pizza on Monday, December 11.

Year 3 to Year 6 students will be provided with pizza on Tuesday, December 12.

Though your child won't need lunch on the day, please remember to send recess and a healthy brain-food snack.

Pancake Breakfast

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Canteen News

It has been a joy to serve the PPN Community lunches throughout the 2023 school year and we sincerely thank you for your support! Please note, you will start to notice some menu items showing as "out of stock" as we exhaust the last of our supplies.

The MK Catering Team would like to wish you all a joyful and safe holiday season. We look forward to serving you again in 2024!

SSO Position Available

Uniform Shop

The Unform shop will be closed from the 8th December 2023 until the 15th of January 2024.  Uniform fitting appointments can be made from the 15th of January.

PPN 50th Birthday Celebrations

In the ACBA Basketball competition, we have had all three Year 4/5 teams make it to the semi-finals. The games took place last week, involving Prescott Lakers versing St David's Kings and a good old showdown between Prescott Wolves and Prescott Pride.

Sportsmanship, skill and heart are three words that describe these three teams. 

OSHC School Holidays 

Jan wk 1 & 2

Jan wk 1 &amp 615.93 KB

Jan wk 3 & 4

Jan wk 3 &amp 656.71 KB

Valley View Tennis Club