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Bullying No Way!
This Friday is National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence here in Australia. To celebrate and remind us here at Prescott Primary Northern, we have had several activities going on in our classes this week. Poster Competitions, Poetry Competitions, Comic Competitions, Buddy Class activities, extra Gotcha Cards and over the next few days, Mr Harris is organising a very special art activity where every student in the school will get to leave their mark in support of Taking a Stand Together - BullyingNoWay! This whole school artwork will be displayed in the Discovery Centre in coming weeks for all to see and as a reminder for everyone that bullies can’t survive if we all take a stand together.
If you would like some extra Bullying No Way information, there are some great resources for parents of children of all ages at https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/
SAPSASSA Swimming Carnival
On Thursday 28th February, our school was represented at the Adelaide North East SAPSASA Swimming Carnival. Our five competitors were Zander Lillehagen (Yr 4), Nischal Vadla (Yr 5), Nicholas Lindsay (Yr 5), Jaiden Friend (Yr 6) and Blake Lillehagen (Yr 7). The boys swam with enthusiasm, cheered one another on with gusto and gave our school a reputable name. As a small contingency amongst 12 competing schools, we finished 8th in the lineup, which is a great effort. We would like to thank Mrs Lindsay who oversaw the boys at the carnival and reported back on their great effort and comradery.
News Flash! This week, we received confirmation that Nicholas, Zander and Blake have been placed in the State Swimming Championships to compete on Thursday, March 28th at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre. We are excited for these boys and look forward to hearing how it goes!
Well done, boys!
Mrs Isaac
I was talking recently with a parent about how they were struggling to fit in everything they needed to for their children. There was school, family commitments, church, afterschool swimming, weekend sport, homework . . . . and the list went on. Only a few days later, I was having a conversation with Mr Campbell, our PE teacher, about some research he had been reading out of Finland on the importance of “free play” breaks in improving learning outcomes for children. I had been tossing all of these thoughts around in my head when I came across this article by Dr Jodi Richardson on “Balancing Extra-curricular Activities for Flourishing Kids.” I am going to share it with you as I think it is provocative reading for us as parents and educators.
I would also like to let you know that I will be taking some long service leave for the last three weeks of this term and the first three weeks of next term to spend some time with family. Mr Davis and Miss Bernoth will steer the ship while I am gone with some assistance from our current and previous Directors of Education for Prescott Schools SA, Mr Steve Cowley and Mr Gavin Williams.
“Busyness seems to have become a way of life for modern families. It’s unlikely you’ll ever hear a parent talk of having plenty of free time on their hands. Unfortunately, that’s a statement unlikely to be heard from a lot of modern-day kids either.
The afternoons on family calendars are increasingly filling up with organised after-school activities, and in families with multiple children the logistics of keeping up with all this can be complicated. The strain of ferrying children back and forth, often in different directions, saps families of energy, resources and time.
We have great intentions
Recent research from the United Kingdom found that the desire for children to succeed is a strong driver for many parents, sometimes causing them to load their children up with extra-curricular activities. While the intentions are good, the method of keeping kids busy is probably questionable.
Other reasons for encouraging extra-curricular activities include: giving kids the best start in life, making friends, keeping fit and healthy, developing interests and preventing boredom. Anecdotal evidence suggests the findings are similar in Australia.
The cost of busyness
We live at a time where rates of mental illness, particularly anxiety, are climbing. One in seven Australian children have a diagnosed mental illness. That’s three in an average classroom. Many more go undiagnosed.
Rushing to activities, late nights and stressed parents aren’t the conditions for family members to enjoy flourishing mental health. Too many organised activities detract from time to hang out with friends, to comfortably complete homework tasks, to spend time with family, to get bored and, importantly, to simply play.
Free play is serious business
Author and research professor of psychology Dr Peter Gray attributes the rise in anxiety, depression, suicide and narcissism among children to the decline of play. Unstructured play is vital for the healthy development of children and teenagers. Through play kids learn to interact with others, develop physical skills necessary for school success and gain confidence they need to interact with peers.
How much is too much?
Some children can cope with busy schedules, while others flounder. As a rule of thumb, if your child or young person is struggling in any of these three areas: i) mental health, ii) schoolwork and studies, iii) their participation in family-life then it may be time to reduce their extra-curricular load.
Choosing the activities to omit from a schedule can be tricky, as your child or young person may have a different motivation for each. In short, each activity can be ‘the one they love.’ Here’s a good question to ask your child or young person that can make decision-making easier:
‘If all of your after-school activities were cancelled, which one(s) would you plead with me to re-enrol you in?’
Their answers will reveal a great deal about their commitment to each activity. Ideally, kids should be choosing extra-curricular activities that nourish them rather than cause anxiety and stress. Aim for two activity-free nights each week so that your child or young person can meet their study and family commitments.
The same principle for balance holds true for weekends. Make sure your kids enjoy some time free from structured activity, so they can refresh and recharge, ready for the week of school that lays ahead.” (Richardson, 2019)
Have a great week with your kids,
Mark B
I loved the book “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” by Judith Viorst.
It is the story of all the bad things that happen in Alexanders day that children find humorous because everything that happens to poor Alexander is relatable and relevant to the reader's life.
Have you ever wondered why bad things happen in our lives?
A year ago I had to take the sad journey to the vet with our beloved pet dog Kasey. She had been with us for 15 years as part of the family. It was one of the hardest experiences I have faced. The vet suggested it was in her best interest to be put to sleep. I would go as far as to say that I suffered deeply at her passing. Why? Why do bad things happen to good people?
This week I came across a text that I now view in a different light.
The text is found in Corinthians 1:3-4.
“All praise to God and the Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing and counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort- we get a full measure of that, too.” The Message Bible.
This text shows me that the hard times I have experienced provides a way that I can be there for others and comfort as God showed comfort to me. Will others be able to see the reflection of God through the way I serve when they are hurting? I hope so.
Chaplain Phil
Kickstart For Kids
Dental For Schools
Procedure for Parents Dropping Items to Student
We often have parents coming to the school during the day to drop off lunches/homework/jumpers etc and until now we have allowed parents to enter the school without signing in and go to their child’s class.
Parents will now need to leave the items in the office to avoid disruption of classes and also for safety reasons.
Harmony Day
Uniform Shop
Entertainment Books
Basketball
WILDCATS TAMED
Last week saw Prescott’s Wildcats contained by a cleverly combined player group - the unbeaten Bullets.
Up against a very disciplined defence, the Wildcats only managed 8 points for the game, shared amongst Jonah, Kaitlyn and Zukiah.
Kaitlyn was a dominant force in the key, winning rebounds and stifling some of the Bullets shots, and as an indication of her valiant effort, fouled out with 7 minutes remaining.
Zukiah, disguising being unwell, ran hard and assisted Wildcats for a number of open shots and in perhaps the unluckiest minute of play in Under-12’s basketball history, racked up 4 back-to-back fouls in the dwindling moments of the second half.
Scout played his usual swift and stealthy style, winning great position ahead of the ball, as well as applying good defence.
Sade showed courage and pace, and Gem’s up-court pressure helped force some turnovers - and if you ever need advice on wrapping anything up, I’d recommend you come and watch Gem, because he sure can wrap-up and protect the ball from pesky opponents…
Jonah read the court well, intercepting some Bullet passes and unleashing some Wildcat breaks.
Overall, a good team effort against a stacked squad.
Coach HATCHARD
RADIOACTIVE “SWITCH” WORKS A TREAT
With a comfortable opening to the season, Prescott’s Radioactive Cheeseballs have solidified their position atop the league-ladder, and like the flick of a switch, the Radioactive Cheeseballs can turn on or off the RADIOACTIVE POWER, just-like-that!
Playing the newest team to enter the competition, with a clear height advantage and quickly stringing together a 10+ point lead, the Cheeseballs were asked to adopt a number of restrictive challenges to help level the playing field (including our penguin defence and gift-shots).
It wasn’t until midway through the second half that, as a result of our over-effective and charitable strategy, I noticed the Shooters were within 3 points, prompting me to loosen the reigns, and in a matter of minutes the Cheeseballs blew open the game.
Simon and Nate, showing impeccable leadership and maturity, lead the way demonstrating the subdued strategies and cohesive teamwork (Nate threw in a number of cheeky fake-shots, helping throw off the Shooter defence and buy some space for Farid, who managed a basket late in the game, completing the full-team-scoring challenge).
Seth, when unleashed, carved up the court and when he wasn’t laying it in, set up Alanna for some down-low baskets, showing that he’s in strong contention for a world’s-best-brother trophy.
Winning a gaggle of rebounds, Akoul contributed to the solid win and Gawar, critically hampered by coach-induced restrictions, when permitted to “play” managed a lazy 12 points, as well as a horde of blocked shots and assists.
Coach HATCHARD
Tiger Cubs Black Belt
Over the long weekend, Isabella Gosden had her 4th Karate grading to achieve her Tiger Cubs black belt. She passed with all A's!! Congratulations on an awesome achievement.
