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Foundations are Full Time!
Our Foundation students are loving their time at school. For the first three weeks they have enjoyed getting to know each other through play, and getting used to the school routine during their half-days with us.. This week was their first week as full time PPN students! This week they also started their learning of the Jolly Phonics sounds and exploring numbers in Maths. In Bible, they are learning about what God made on each of the days of His Creation, and have enjoyed making a craft to add to our Creation board each day.
Nature Play with Ice
With the temperature being quite warm, it was another opportunity to play and create with ice. Playing with ice can take on my different forms and this week, the students were able to use the coloured ice to paint a picture onto white paper. They displayed their creativity by painting animals, shapes and patterns. They were pleased with creations and were excited to try it at home.
Have you painted with coloured ice before? Why don't you freeze some coloured water and give it a try!
Last Saturday morning, our school took part in a Dedication Service at Para Vista Adventist Church. What does that mean? It meant that our students, families and staff were prayed for and our school, Prescott College and Church families were especially considered and presented before God asking for His blessing, love, grace and power be given to us all as we step into 2024. It was a beautiful time, and I would like to thank the chaplains of Prescott Primary Northern and Prescott College, as well as the Para Vista Adventist church staff for their planning and efforts. We pray God’s blessings continue to fall on us every day.
Someone shared an Instagram post with me the other day which went something like, “You cannot raise your children as your parents raised you, because your parents raised you in a world that no longer exists.” If you have time, take a moment to let that sink in. I think there are some good parenting principles that do continue across times and generations, like love, compassion, and consistency. However, times certainly have changed very quickly in recent times, and the world we are parenting and raising children in is very different. The time, media, work, financial, social expectations and relationship pressures are definitely some things that have changed. I read this article this week that I thought offered some food for thought on how we can embrace our child raising responsibilities in the hustle and bustle of family life in 2024. I hope you find it helpful.
“Low Effort, High Pay-off Parenting
Parents of today parent more intensively than any other generation of parents. Here’s what I mean by that: A thousand years ago, the question parents were asking wasn’t “Will my kids enjoy these homemade protein balls?” Instead, it was, “How do I find food to feed my family?” (Although with the current cost of living crisis, maybe we’re asking that a little more again today).
A couple of hundred years ago, the question wasn’t “Will my 9-year-old like their book week costume?” It was, “Should I send my 9-year-old to work in the local coal mine?” Now today’s parents ask, more than ever before, “How can I be a ‘good’ parent?”
Parenting entered the dictionary as a word in 1918. It’s only been a touch over 100 years. But even then, the idea of parenting being something that we “do” only began to be emphasised from around the late 1970s. Before that, you were a parent (noun), but you weren’t particularly focused on how you parented (verb). Now, there are literally hundreds of parenting books on the shelves. Parenting is intense. Fetishised. Even competitive.
Research is telling us that many parents feel overwhelmed or even burnt out. The good news is that we can scale back our efforts without it being detrimental to our kids. We can also make tiny adjustments that can have a big impact. The Pareto Principle (better known as the 80/20 rule) is how this works… although I think after this we should start calling it the Parento Principle! This principle, first observed by the economist Vilfredo Pareto, states that 80% of the outcomes stem from only 20% of the effort.
In other words, by focusing on a handful of low effort, high pay-off factors, we can prioritise our efforts and focus on what matters most.
Here are a few simple swaps you can make
These require little to no extra time or planning, and that can maximise the impact we have as parents.
- Swap out the vague and uninspiring question “How was your day?”
- You know that they only ever grunt back “fine” anyway. Instead, swap in questions that invite them to really talk about their day. You can ask them to tell you two good things and one bad thing that happened that day. Or play a guessing game where you try to guess what each other’s favourite moment of the day was.
- Swap out the guilt you have for not spending time with your kids
- Swap out the guilt you have for not spending time with your kids while you are at work or attending to other responsibilities. Guilt without action doesn’t help anyone. Instead, swap in 10 minutes of being completely present each day. Turn off your phone, put down the to-do list, and spend just 10 minutes completely engaged with your child.
- Swap out trying to enforce dozens of rules
- No one enjoys being micromanaged. Instead, swap in having a family meeting to determine a handful of general rules that address safety, respect, and other important values. Simple rules such as, “we don’t hurt people or property” and “we choose to spend time together” can capture most situations, and determining how the rules apply supports your child’s developing autonomy and competence.
- Swap out pressuring your child to do homework or study for a test
- They’ll do much better educationally if their motivation for completing these tasks comes from within. Instead, swap in reading together in the evenings. Being exposed to lots of books is one of the most impactful things we can do as parents to support our children’s learning.
- Swap out listening to music or sitting together in silence on your drives
- While singing along to Taylor Swift together can be bonding, there’s something even better you can do on occasion. Instead, swap in having discussions about crucial topics. The car can often feel like a non-confrontational place to have discussions about what it means to be kind, how to approach bullying, and what consent means.
We don’t need to parent harder. We need to parent smarter. By balancing efficiency and effectiveness, we can be the best parents we can be, without burning ourselves out in the process.” (Coulson, 2024)
Have a great week with our kids,
Mark B
Afternoon PPN Families,
When I was younger, it wouldn’t be uncommon for me to come home from school and find my Grandma knitting or half way through a puzzle in one of her favourite magazines. Her usual puzzle of choice was either a crossword or a word search. I would then drop my school bag and run over to aid her in her mighty search of words, not that I was much help as many of them were beyond my reading level.
She would tell me how important it was to do puzzles like this as it was a sort of exercise for your brain - and her brain was amazing and quite sharp even till her age of 92. Now I’m not entirely sure if doing crosswords or a sudoku a day will keep the forgetfulness away, but I do know of one Word search that will benefit not only your mind but your whole life and the lives of those around you.
John 1 begins with, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” But what was this Word? In verse 14 it becomes a bit clearer, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
In this life it seems that we are constantly in search of something, acceptance, love, happiness. Whatever it may be, this world offers it in short or small supply. But the bible says to “Search for the Lord and for His strength; continually seek Him.” Psalms 105:4. Jesus is the living word, He came to show us how to actively live a life in service of God and to share the love God gives to all around us. In the New King James Bible there are 770,430 words, that’s a lot of words and on average people speak 6000-7000 words a day. How much of our words are used to encourage or to comfort? God uses the words in the bible to inspire and teach us how to treat one another and to prepare for Jesus’ return.
Just how my Grandma thought it was important to do puzzles, reading the bible helps to exercise and strengthen our understanding of God and His plan for our lives.
I’ve made a little word search to highlight just a couple things the bible, God’s Word, can offer us if we just search and try Him.
Play this puzzle online https://thewordsearch.com/puzzle/6750926/
Hope you enjoy the puzzle and the rest of this week,
Blessings,
Pr Andy.
APPropriate or not?
Are you aware of the apps or websites your child is accessing? Do you wonder, what exactly they are up to, who they are doing it with, and whether they should be using it in the first place?
It is difficult to keep up with the ever changing app landscape, but ensuring we understand what each app does, who and what your child might be exposed to, and what legal requirements may or may not be in place is important.
The eSafety Commissioner regularly updates The eSafety Guide, to provide families with up-to-date information about the apps our children may use or come across. A screen shot of the page is included below.
By clicking on the apps listed you can find out things including:
- What the app is
- How people use it
- Age restrictions (recommended and legal)
- How you can report abuse or ask for help
- How you can protect personal information
- Key safety links
Visit The eSafety Guide now – and make sure you save it to your bookmarks for easy access in the future.
Pupil Free Day
Playdate With Prescott
Enrolments 2026
Reverse Day
While preparing for Reverse Day, please keep in mind the following in mind regarding your costume:
- Jewellery (including ear-rings and necklaces) are not to be worn.
- Girls may choose to wear lip-gloss, but no other make-up.
- Hair may be worn down, but is not to interfere with student’s learning.
- Costumes must not contain short skirts or shorts, and cover the body to the same extent as their school uniforms.
Coordinated Naplan Practice
Next Tuesday, our Year 3 and Year 5 students will be participating in the coordinated NAPLAN practice test. This practice test is designed to test our school’s systems, processes and procedures in the lead up to NAPLAN in March. Student results are not recorded.
Traffic Notice
As you exit the rear carpark by turning left on to Wright Rd, please be careful and patient with members of our local community using the road. We have received contact from the public concerned about the actions of some parents. Please help us continue to be good neighbours by exiting the carpark patiently and safely.
Book Club
Book Club orders have now closed. Thank you to those families that placed orders. There was over $800 worth of orders placed which has earned our school library $130 in rewards points to spend on new books. Delivery of Issue 1 orders is expected in Week 6.
Premier’s Reading Challenge
This week students will begin the Premier’s Reading Challenge. The challenge, a state initiative in its 21st year, is a literacy engagement program that encourages students to read more and aims to improve literacy levels. To complete the challenge students will need to read 12 books, from a prescribed book list, and record them in their personal reading record. These reading records are kept in the library and students update them each week during their library time.
At PPN, all students in Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 complete the challenge as a class during their library time. Students in Year 3-6 complete the challenge independently, with encouragement and assistance from their teacher and the librarian.
We would love to see as many students as possible complete the challenge this year!
