Year 1 Rain Gauges

The rains are here – well, the rain gauges at least! Our Year 1 students have recently built rain guages and have them placed outside their classrooms to measure how much water falls from the sky. The project, which is part of their science unit allows them to exercies their creativity, extend their mathematic skills and grow their understanding of the world around them.

 

Year 6 Measuring in the School Yard

1. Exploring the school yard.
2. Finding 10 different objects to measure.
3. Using the trundle wheel to calculate the perimeter and area of each object.

PPN Family Play Date

 

School is normally a pretty quiet place on a Sunday morning. Things changed last Sunday when our young friends of PPN and their families joined us for the PPN Family Playdate. While our Playdates @ Prescott normally happen on a weekday morning, this months event allowed parents who may be working to join us and join in the fun.

Fizzy Water Play

This week, in the Nature Play Space, was fizztacular with a fizzy creation of bicarb soda and gelatine, and mixing it with vinegar to make it react. To make the fizzy blocks, gelatine and bicarb soda were mixed together, before some water and a touch of colour was put into the mix and mixed them together. It was then spooned into an ice cube tray, then popped them into the freezer overnight. We then had a beautiful table of containers, bowls, spoons and other mud kitchen materials to make a fizzy colourful mud kitchen play at lunch time. The students were amazed to see the fizzy bombs at work, instantly reacting with the vinegar to create a bubbly colourful volcano. There were lots of smiles and a lot of fun was had mixing the different materials together.

Will you try making fizzy bicarb soda bombs to play with at your house this week? 

My child doesn’t need counselling – or do they?

The lives of children can be quite stressful – there’s the expectations of school, friendships and family relationships, and as the child gets older personal development, peer support and self-image. Then there’s the possibility of significant life events –an illness or a death in the family, parents separating and relationship breakups.

Some of these events most people would find stressful, and some of that discomfort is a result of a feeling of being out of control.

Ideally, there will be someone in the family for the child to talk to, a parent, a grandparent, aunt or friend. What the child probably needs more than anything is the opportunity to speak, but in our busy lives, such opportunities can be hard to find.

Most parents try to create this time. There are times, however, when your child seems unable to express what they are feeling or what you notice as a change in their behaviour.

When do you know that the behaviour you are seeing in your child is a concern? When do you start to worry about a change in their behaviour?

Clearly, that can get tricky because children do change as they develop. If you are worried talk to someone about it. If you have a GP, you can talk to that can be a good start to helping you decide what kind of help you need and who to go to.

Sometimes children can benefit from seeing a counsellor – such as Ali, our school counsellor who is on campus two days a week. It may address some issues the school has told you about, attention difficulties, difficulty managing tasks and getting upset or angry.

Some of the following things may cause you to worry:

• Changes in appetite
• Moodiness
• Spending more time in their room
• Activities they previously enjoyed no longer of interest and nothing has replaced that enjoyment
• Increased periods of anxiety or sadness.

If your child does not share with you what is happening in their lives, you might find a family member they have confided in, or you could consider counselling. Attending counselling is not a cause for shame or admitting failure.

You’ll be amazed how counselling can help your child through difficult times. If you think your child may benefit from counselling please contact Braden Blyde, Acting Deputy Principal by emailing bradenblyde@ppn.sa.edu.au or by calling the school.

School Photos – Groups, Families and Catch Up      

Formal class photos were taken on Tuesday this week. Please note that next Tuesday group photos (including Choir, Student Leaders and Sports Captains), family photos and any individual catch-ups will be completed. If your child is part of these groups, is having family photos or was not present for photos this week, please ensure they were full winter uniform next Tuesday.

Dental for Schools Update

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Dental for Schools is unable to be on campus this week as planned. They will be returning to PPN in Week 2, Term 4. Families who have registered their children should have received communication from Dental for Schools. If you haven’t, please contact them directly.

ICAS and AMC Dates

We have had a large number of students sign-up for this years ICAS and AMC academic competitions. It’s great to see so many willing to take on this challenge and extend their learning into new areas.

Below are the dates students will be sitting each of the tests. If you have any questions, please contact Julie Vice via email at julievice@ppn.sa.edu.au

SUBJECT	WEEK	SITTING DATE
Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC)	3	Thursday 8th August
English	4	Friday 16th August
Science	5	Monday 19th August
Spelling Bee	5	Thursday 22nd August
Mathematics	6	Tuesday 27th August

Pyjamas & Hot Chocolate Day

ADRA Food Drive