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Pyjama Day
WOW! Who doesn’t love wearing their pyjamas and enjoying a nice hot chocolate on a cool day? The staff and students at PPN had a fantastic day raising funds for ADRA. Thank you to everyone who donated. It’s heartwarming to see our school come together to help those in need.
As the Bible says, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:16). Your generosity and kindness truly reflect this spirit.
Let’s continue to support each other and make a difference in our community. Together, we can achieve great things!
Year 6 Wins Big with the Garden Grant!
We’ve been working really hard on our write-up about our garden (hours in fact!), putting in all our green thumbs and creative ideas, and it’s paid off! We’ve won $1,000 to put towards our veggie patch, and we can’t wait to keep improving that area with our produce. This grant is a huge win for our school; we’re so proud of what we’ve achieved together.
Buddy Classes Exploring God’s Wonderful World!
Nature Play
This week at Prescott, the sand and water play area got a little refresh with some new items to use in the sand pit.
The sandpit was a hive of activity this week, with many students drawn to the fresh items they could use to create and play. It was a joy to watch a big group of students work together to build a damn and then open it up for others to fill up the river they had built.
Nature Maths
Students were then challenged to write a matching number sentence to represent the numbers on the part part whole page. Students loved rotating through different positions to have a turn at writing throwing and encouraging their team mates. They had alot of fun learning in nature.
Over the past 2 weeks, we have been spectators to the world’s best athletes competing in Paris at the Olympic Games. There have been stories of success and triumph, determination and resilience, heartbreak and disappointment. We witnessed athletes as they won gold, created new records, and achieved personal bests.
I find the Olympic Games a time of inspiration as I listen to stories of athletes and their journey to compete in their chosen sport. This year, one particular story caught my attention, and the more I read, the more inspired I became.
Saya Sakakibara started BMX racing at the age of 4 after watching her brother Kai compete. Saya and Kai both achieved success in BMX racing and competed on junior circuits, quickly rising through the ranks and winning state and national titles. In 2020, just months before the Tokyo Olympic Games, Kai was involved in an accident during a race and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was in a coma for many weeks and had permanent damage to his physical abilities. His days of racing BMX had come to an abrupt, heartbreaking end.
This obviously had a significant impact on the family. Saya wanted to give up BMX racing and became anxious about the risk of injury. After some time, Saya returned to the BMX racing circuit and despite some challenges, she demonstrated grit and determination, sticking with her chosen sport. After success at the World Championships and becoming World number 1 in her sport, Saya won gold in the BMX at the Paris Olympics. As she celebrated her Olympic success, her brother Kai was there, celebrating with her. Kai was so excited for his sister, succeeding in the sport he once competed in and loved, but could no longer participate in.
Saya’s story was inspiring and heartwarming but then I heard that there was even more to the story of Saya and Kai Sakakibara. Part of Kai’s rehabilitation program after his accident saw him using a rowing machine to help build up his strength. Despite the extreme physical challenges that Kai has faced, he has set himself a new goal. Because he enjoyed rowing so much, he adjusted his Olympic dreams and is determined to compete in the 2028 Paralympics, aiming to represent Australia and achieve Olympic success in his new sport – rowing.
Recently, Kai wrote on his social media account “I am more motivated than ever to reach the level that I need to be a part of the Paralympics. Will I reach it? Who knows, but I am going to give it my absolute all.”
What an inspiration Kai is! His determination to achieve success, despite immense challenges, is amazing.
Determination can help us to overcome challenges, pursue our dreams and achieve our goals. When we show the value of determination we don’t let fear or self-doubt stop us from achieving our goals or taking on challenges. The Bible encourages us to stay the course and to rely on God to help us when things are hard, and we can find assurance that He is always there to help us, providing strength when we have nothing left to give.
Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Have a wonderful week.
Kerri Charity
Deputy Principal
Hey PPN Family,
The 2024 Summer Olympics have come and gone and I have really enjoyed watching the basketball, volleyball, and the athletics. I even viewed some sports that I don’t normally follow like golf, canoeing and track cycling because they had Kiwis (New Zealanders) chasing gold.
Overall, both the Aussies and the Kiwis had fantastic Olympics with the Australians finishing fourth with 18 gold medals, and the New Zealanders finishing eleventh with 10 gold medals. This is especially amazing when we consider that Australia only has a population of 26 million people, and New Zealand only has 5 million people.
Out of all the stories from these Olympics, one of the most fun ones was that of the Australian Breakdancer Rachael Gunn, aka B-Girl Raygun. Raygun has become world famous because of her performances with iconic moves like “the kangaroo,” “the sprinkler,” and “the slithering snake” during her dance battles at the Olympics. The poor B-Girl had to suffer the humiliation of receiving scores of zero for all of her competition dances, and to add insult to injury, she has become the centre of countless videos and memes across social media.
As I reflect on Raygun’s experience, I really hope that she knows Jesus and believes in God, because then she would know that her worth and value is not based on her breakdancing scores, or on what people say about her on social media, but on the fact that she is a daughter of God and that He loves her so much that He sent Jesus to die for her.
And the same thing goes for us. We have all had failures and times when we were not at our best, but this does not change the fact that we are still valuable, and precious and worthy because we are God’s children. Peter highlights just how valuable we all are in 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV) where he writes, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
We are valuable, precious and worthy because God loves us and Jesus gave His life for us. May this truth help us to face our failures with a smile, and a joy that comes from knowing that our failures do not define us – God does.
God bless,
Roland Talamaivao-Amituanai
Book Week
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Competition entries are due this Friday August 16
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Bring a new, or like new book or gold coin to donate to Backpacks 4 Kids SA at chapel on Thursday next week (August 22)
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The Book Week Parade is happening on Friday (August 23) at 9.30am on the back oval (we will use the church hall if it is wet).
Did you know we’re a Happy Families School?
Dr Justin Coulson is the co-host and parenting expert on Channel Nine’s “Parental Guidance” and the founder of happyfamilies.com.au. He holds a PhD in Psychology and is one of Australia’s most trusted parenting experts.
Many Australian parent’s pay to access his resources and webinars – but as a PPN family, you get it for free!
As a Happy Families school, PPN families have access to a range of resources available on the Happy Families website, including an upcoming Webinar.
To access this webinar and other resources please login at https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/login/ppn
Password: happyppn
Championing Neurodiversity
Helping Your Child Thrive in a Neurotypical World
Monday 19 August | 7pm AEST
Life for a neurodivergent child is a journey of highs and lows, marked by the joy of mastering new skills and the challenges of setbacks. As their parent or teacher, your support is crucial.
Educators, parents, and carers of children who are diagnosed as neurodivergent, are undergoing assessment, or are suspected to be neurodivergent are invited to join us for Championing Neurodiversity. This empowering webinar is designed to equip you with practical insights and strategies to help children with autism, ADHD, and other neurodivergent conditions flourish.
Dr. Justin Coulson will help you:
- Celebrate the unique strengths of your neurodivergent child
- Support your child’s individual needs
- Provide better behavioral and emotional support
- Improve communication and social skills
- Build resilience in your neurodivergent child
- Encourage collaboration and advocacy
This webinar will provide the knowledge, encouragement, and community support needed to help neurodivergent children thrive in a neurotypical world. Join us to make a positive impact on their lives, helping them grow, succeed, and find joy in their journey.
Simply login via the details above and navigate to the Webinar page, or go directly to: https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/championing-neurodiversity/
2024 Census Data Collection Notice
Applying for a Religious Jewellery Exemption
While the Prescott Primary Northern uniform policy outlines a limited list of jewellery that is allowed to be worn at school, we support the rights of all students to wear appropriate jewellery that is a mandatory part of the religious practice of their family.
The process of applying for a Religious Jewellery Exemption is designed to ensure all students can practice their faith through the wearing of mandatory jewellery while at school. If the jewellery is not mandatory, but rather a desirable item that is not directly required for 24-hour wearing, we would ask that the item not be worn during school time.
To apply for a Religious Jewellery Exemption, families are asked to provide the school with a letter from the clergyman/priest/religious leader of the family’s place of worship containing the following details:
- Name of students applying for exemption (note: each letter will cover all immediate family members attending PPN at the time the letter was written. If the younger sibling of a child attending PPN joins the school and wishes to wear the same type of item for which a Religious Jewellery Exemption has already been given, the children’s parents are required to email the school principal and request that the exemption letter also be extended to the younger sibling.)
- Name of the Jewellery item
- The religious purpose or significance of the item
- Confirmation that the family is part of the belief community
- Official letter head and/or name and signature of the religious leader.
- Date
These details not only ensure exemptions are issued in an equitable manner but allow the school to increase its understanding of the faith practices of our students, and therefore support them while at school.
For more information, or for examples of letters that can be used for applying for an exemption please contact the school.
Uniform Returns
Some families may be preparing for the warmer weather, replacing old winter uniform pieces or up-sizing uniforms for growing students. To avoid disappointment and frustration, it is important to remember our Uniforms Returns Policy. A copy of this policy is below.
UNIFORM RETURNS POLICY
Under the Australian Consumer Law, the customer is only entitled to a refund or replacement for a major problem with a product.
New items purchased from our Uniform Shop that are faulty, will be replaced with a new item of the same type and size.
Items ordered online through Flexischools, that are the wrong size, will be replaced for correct size if the item is returned to the Uniform Shop or Front Office in the original packaging, unworn and with a note stating the required size.
Worn items cannot be refunded or replaced but can be sold through our second-hand items sale. Once the item has been sold, a refund will be organised.
Broadband Initiative
Prescott College Campus Tours
