Upper Sports Day

It was all running, jumping, tugging and throwing for our Middle and Upper students yesterday. Bridgestone Stadium once again played host to our Sports Day under perfect weather.

We are proud of every student's efforts and their passionate support of their friends. 

In the end Flinders came out on top with final scores being - Flinders: 591, Flinders 598, Eyre:583 and Murray: 541. Congratulations to Flinders!

Congratulations to our staff for once again winnng the Staff vs Students vs Parents relay race.

A big thanks to Ms Pfeiffer for organising such a great event!

Harmony Day

We certainly had a colourful campus last Thursday as we celebrated the strength and vibrancy that diversity brings to our school and our country. 

It was amazing to see such a wide variety of dress and a sea of orange here at PPN. Check out some of the highlights - including the incredible chalk art completed on Friday - in the video below.

A big thanks to Ms Strickland for leading and organising our Harmony celebrations!

Interschool Chess Competition

On March 25th, eleven students from Prescott Primary Northern left school to participate in an Interschool Chess Tournament. The day commenced with a bus ride, and we arrived at Tyndale Christian College by 9:30 a.m. The event took place in their school library, with seven schools, both primary and high, participating in total. For a couple of students, it marked their first experience attending such an event, so they were understandably a little nervous at the outset.

Each student engaged in seven matches, and points were tallied and displayed on the screen. Our school secured second place among the five primary schools. Congratulations to all the students who attended; they exemplified the finest qualities of Prescott Primary Northern students, displaying admirable sportsmanship throughout.

Based on the rankings, the following students received medals: Anthony F, Atharv K, Jaedon W, Japjeet S, and Jordan O. Additionally, Maahi M was awarded the Good Sportsperson medal. The event provided a wonderful opportunity for students to connect with fellow chess enthusiasts and showcase their talents. A great team effort - well done everyone.

Easter Walk

Easter is a time to celebrate with family and friends, it is the heart of the Biblical Gospel that centres around the gift of life that Jesus gave to us on the cross. This week, students at Prescott Primary Northern have participated in the Easter Walk, through the Nature Playground, interacting with the story of Jesus and displays to bring a deeper understanding of the beautiful gift of grace.

The students were led through the nature play space and were told the amazing story of the first easter, interacting with the props as their teachers shared each part of the story. Students paused to write short messages to represent their thankfulness for the gift of life that Jesus provided for us. They then rolled up the messages and placed them on the cross. The blessed hope that Jesus is alive gives us purpose for the future.

It was a blessing to see each teacher share the powerful story of Jesus, and the true meaning behind Easter. May you and your family be blessed this easter, remembering when we gather the amazing gift of grace that Jesus gave us on the cross.

We have had a busy week or so at school with Harmony Week celebrations and Sports Day for our Middle and Upper students yesterday. A huge thank you to Mrs Strickland (Harmony Week) and Miss Pfeiffer (Sports Day) for their leading out and huge efforts.

We still have plenty of highlights to come this term, but it is also great to have a time to celebrate Easter his weekend. Not only does it provide an opportunity to catch our collective breath after a busy start to the year, it also gives us a chance to reflect on the incredible sacrifice made by the God of the Universe for us all.

A few years ago, I watched a series about decluttering and simplifying your house. I was encouraged to pick something up, contemplate for a little while, and then decide whether the item brings joy and if it doesn’t, it could go. I have to admit, I had trouble really taking the program seriously, but it did change how I store my socks and towels.

Going through our “things” and simplifying life can be a very important and rewarding process. I find that Easter provides me an opportunity for such reflection.

I read a helpful piece recently about the value of spending time in reflecting on the things, particularly from a spiritual perspective. The author wrote, “(God) wants us to focus our time and energy on the things He knows will bring us fulfilling lives and eternal rewards. Stacking up and storing material possessions won’t do that. It's amazing how clearing out and minimizing even one area of our homes or our lives can make us feel lighter, both physically and mentally.

A lighter heart and mind leaves more room for God to work through our lives. Nothing on this earth matters more. We aren’t here long, and there are a lot of people longing to see the love of God. Let’s pray for the chance to show them today.” (Dayspring , 2021)

I pray this Easter will provide a special time of personal reflection for you.

Have a great long weekend and week with our kids,

Mark B

Hey PPN Family,

Have you ever noticed how we never have to teach children how to be selfish? It is something that comes naturally to them, and to all of us, because of sin. We see this in life when a bigger, stronger, kid takes something off the smaller, weaker, one. Or we can see this play out on a global scale when a “Super Power” nation bullies a “Super Powerless” one.

But an amazing miracle happens when we experience God’s love for us. God’s love transforms us from selfish individuals into people who want to bless others.

We see this in Acts 4:32-34 (NIV) where it is recorded that:

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them.

The reason why this community of people were able to live so selflessly, was because they had been so impacted by God’s love and grace for them, that they were empowered to bless others.

It is this amazing love of God that we will celebrate this Easter weekend. As Jesus said in John 15:12-13 (NIV) “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus loves us and He proved it by dying for us so that we could spend eternity with Him in heaven.

Imagine how much better our world would be, if we were all filled with God’s unconditional love and grace. God would give us the power to love others, to share with those in need, to forgive our enemies, and to bless people who needed help.

I pray that this Easter Weekend, God will help us to know how much He really loves us so that we will be empowered to share His love with others.

God bless,

Roland Talamaivao-Amituanai

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 what I said and did 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.

Easter Break

Year 5 Camp Next Week

Our Year 5 students are heading off to Ballarat on Tuesday next week. We wish them a safe and enjoyable trip – and look forward to seeing what they’ve been up to when they return.

Pots and Pans Needed

We have a wonderful creative group of children that love to make amazing cubbies and dens in our Nature Play Space during recess and lunch. There are often little kitchens set up all over the playground after a play session.

We are wondering if you have any spare pots, pans, spoons, baking trays, or any unbreakable kitchen utensils that you don’t need, we would love to take them off your hands. If you do have any items you can donate to our Nature Play Space, please bring them into the office when you can. Please ensure it is nothing sharp, or unsafe to use for our children if you are kindly donating. Thank you in advance, we greatly appreciate any help in this area.

Parent Teacher Interviews and Half-day: Week 1, Term 2

Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Week 1 next term (April 30 – May 1). To help facilitate these discussions, Wednesday (May 1) will be a half-day for all students. The school day will end at 12:45pm.If your child normally catches a school bus home, they will leave school at approximately 1:00pm and be returned home earlier than usual. We are unable to provide supervision for students after 1:15pm. Please ensure arrangements for your children are in place.

Additional information, including bookings for Parent-Teacher Interviews will be sent home in the coming weeks.

Uniform Shop

Playdate With Prescott

Our next Playdate with Prescott is coming up soon! On Wednesday, April 3rd we will be exploring the theme of 'Living Creatures' with some fun crafts, activities, and nature play. We look forward to spending this fun morning with the families in our community. Please RSVP to join us for a fun morning!

OSHC School Holiday Program