PPN Community Carols

Then we moved into our rear lower primary oval with a big stage and even bigger screen! Plenty of space to lay out your picnic rug and enjoy a family picnic dinner listening to some wonderfully talented staff and students singing carols for all to join in. In case you were still feeling peckish, there was an array of various foods and treats for your enjoyment! And if that wasn’t good enough, all the proceeds went towards fundraising for the various groups helping run the stalls such as the Church Pathfinders or the PPN’s service project!

Personally my favourite part was watching the lower primary students singing their hearts out in songs of worship and praise. If for whatever reason you missed out or you just wanted to relive the wonderful evening, please enjoy some of these photos and videos that captured our special festive night.

Yr 4 STEM Excursion

Foundation Visit Road Safety Centre

On Friday, the Foundation students went to the Road and Cycle Safety Centre to put into practice the skills that we have been learning about during our Road Safety lessons at school. The children loved learning about all the road signs and especially enjoyed riding safely on the bike course. 

Yr 6 Visit Beach House - Glenelg 

The Year 6 students from Prescott Primary Northern had an unforgettable graduation excursion at the Beach House! We spent the day having an absolute blast, racing down the thrilling waterslides and laughing together in the water bumper boats. These were a huge hit—especially when we got to spray Ms. Strickland with water until she was completely soaked! 

The excitement didn’t stop there. We also took turns in the regular bumper cars, laughing and bumping into each other the whole time. The arcade was packed with fun games that kept everyone entertained as we competed for the highest scores. From the moment we arrived, the staff greeted us with warm smiles and were incredibly friendly and helpful. Whether we were buying food, drinks, or sweet treats from the café or needed assistance, their kindness made our day even more special. 

As we celebrated and enjoyed all the activities, we created so many amazing memories that we’ll cherish forever. It was a day filled with laughter, friendship, and fun—a perfect way to celebrate our time at Prescott Primary Northern. 

-Grace I. and Adelyne (6B) 

 

Yr 6 Visit AFL Max 

This Tuesday, our Year Sixes visited AFL Max as a reward for completing their work. Both the footy-mad and the not-so-mad were entertained throughout the day with fun-filled challenges, games, and activities that tested their brainpower and strength. We want to thank all the teachers and volunteers who worked together to make this experience possible. It was truly a highlight for us and will remain so for years to come. 

- Shivadhya and Jordan (6A) 

Yr 1 HASS Excursion to Thorndon Park

On Friday 29^th the Year 1 students attended a HASS excursion to Thorndon Park! We had so much fun looking at all the natural, managed and constructed places and spaces. We had fun exploring the reservoir, lakes and amazing playground facilities. 

Playdate with Prescott

Last Friday we hosted our final Playdate with Prescott for 2024. To wrap up a wonderful year of play, fun and connection we celebrated Christmas with fun crafts, paintings, and nature play. Our little friends had the opportunity to have some Christmas photos taken with a professional photographer and those moving onto big school next were honoured with a special gift.

We have had a wonderful year providing our community with the opportunity to experience the many beautiful elements of our nature play space here at PPN.

Christmas! 

As we enter the Christmas season, it is important to stop and remember the reason we celebrate this season. Jesus is the best gift that was given to us all of those years ago as a baby.

This week, the students of PPN had the opportunity to walk around and interact with the Nativity story. There were story cards set up that told the story and props to help bring the story to life. As the students moved around the nature play space, they were able to read and see different elements of the story, and end up at a stable with the baby Jesus to highlight the best gift of all. It was a wonderful opportunity for the students to see and interact with the wonderful story of Jesus Birth.

A Little Heaven Down Here

The Cambridge online dictionary defines heaven as “a place of peace, love, community, and worship.” 

As someone experiencing the Carols evening at the school for the first time, the peacefulness of the whole event on school grounds was very evident.  It was nice to watch the young people perform and observe parents, siblings, grandparents and friends sitting quietly taking it all in.  The sacrificial love of the families and staff to make the evening happen could not be taken for granted.  A lot of sweat had gone into everything that was presented; thankfully the weather was beautiful.   

In that glorious weather, families met, new acquaintances and possible friendships were made.  The food, of which there was a pleasant variety, reflected the diversity in our school community.  The songs and presentations were all forms of genuine worship to God who is central to the thriving Christ-centred learning community that our school is.  The sense of community was larger with the participation of Para Vista SDA Church, the Filipino singing group, and students and staff from Prescott College.   

It truly felt like a little heaven on the grounds.  We must wait another twelve months before we get another one of these days.  God has promised us “a place of peace, love, community and worship” Are you prepared for that place? 

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

Week 8. What can I say? We are so close to wrapping up the year, I honestly don't know where the time has gone. Over the past few weeks, as we near Christmas, we’ve been looking at what Christmas means and the tradition behind it. The students are so eager for the holidays, the presents, the time with family and the food.

But it’s very refreshing to see that they’ve already grasped the true meaning behind Christmas - the birth of Jesus Christ and the beginning of His journey here on earth.

We’ve zoomed into the different aspects of Jesus' birth, firstly looking at the Wise men. Fun Fact: many people think there were 3 wise men, but in actual fact, we’re not sure how many there were. We assume 3 because they bought 3 gifts but the Bible is never specific about how many wise men there were. Speaking of Gifts, we looked at the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus. The students and I quickly realised that we are far too poor to afford such gifts, so we brainstormed some other gifts that we could give to Jesus. Soon, the entire class realized that they all had gifts that they could give to Jesus just like the wise men! They ranged from the gift of singing, to the gift of sharing and we realised that we all had something special we could give to Jesus just like the Wise men.

The following week we had a closer look at the shepherds in the story. We discovered that back in those days, shepherds had such boring jobs, that they would often embellish their stories to appear more interesting. Everybody back then knew not to trust the full story of a shepherd. So why did God entrust the shepherds with the good news that a new king was born? Wouldn't entrusting the task of spreading the message be better suited to someone more reputable? We realised that God doesn't use the perfect. God doesn’t only want to work with the best. But God uses anyone and everyone to help spread His message, so we should never be ashamed to share Jesus' love with others. The class understood that they are more than enough to be entrusted with sharing Jesus to others, just like the shepherds. 

This Christmas season, as much as presents under the tree are fun, let's remember the gifts we have that we can give to Jesus just like the wise men. And it doesn't matter who you are, what you’ve done or where you’re from, Jesus came to earth for you. But not only you, everyone around you too! So let's be like the shepherds and not be discouraged, but shamelessly share the love of Jesus with others. 

Merry Christmas!

Building Wellbeing at Home This Summer

The school holidays are a unique opportunity to cultivate deep family bonds, healthy habits, and a sense of freedom and self-expression in your family. And they’re nearly here!

Instead of rushing through endless activities or striving for perfection, the following five principles will help you create a balanced and joyful summer holiday experience for your family.

5 Ideas to Help Your Family Make the Most of School Holidays

1. Prioritise Presence Over Perfection

The school holidays are a rare opportunity to spend uninterrupted time with your children. While it can be tempting to fill every day with perfect plans or carefully curated activities, the real benefit comes from your presence. Children don’t remember the specific outings or events as much as they remember how their parents made them feel.

Set aside distractions (like phones, emails, or work) during your time together. Engage in open-ended conversations, delight in the simplicity of everyday moments with your child, and enjoy the shared experiences that only come when you’re truly present.

2. Cultivate Slow, Mindful Days

In our fast-paced world, we often forget the value of slowing down. The school holidays provide the perfect opportunity to create a rhythm that’s more relaxed. There’s no rush to get from one scheduled event to the next. Encourage your family to embrace the unstructured moments—whether it’s reading a book slowly, taking a walk, or simply doing nothing at all.

Mindful moments aren’t just about relaxation; they promote emotional resilience. When children see their parents embrace stillness, they learn to value time with themselves and discover that joy doesn’t always come from being busy.

3. Encourage Autonomy and Agency

Holidays are an ideal time for children to explore their independence. Instead of micromanaging every detail of the day, let your children take the lead on certain activities. Allow them to make decisions about what to do, what to eat, or where to go. This sense of autonomy fosters confidence and helps build important life skills.

Trust your children’s judgement and allow them to make their own decisions—this builds self-esteem and resilience.

4. Build Routines That Foster Stability

While the holidays offer a break from the structure of school, children thrive on routine. Rather than having completely open-ended days, create a loose structure to your time. Regular meals, consistent bedtime routines, and predictable pockets of activity can help children feel safe, secure, and emotionally balanced. Routines don’t have to be rigid, but the repetition of positive habits—whether it’s morning walks, family time, or even quiet moments—helps ground everyone during a time of potential upheaval.

5. Foster Play and Creativity Over Achievement

The holidays should be a time to step back from the need to perform and instead embrace the freedom to play and create without any external pressure. Encourage your children to explore new forms of creative expression: drawing, building, writing, or just daydreaming. Let them roam freely in their imagination. This unstructured creative time not only boosts their emotional health, but it also develops their problem-solving abilities, enhances their adaptability, and helps them learn through trial and error in a low-stakes environment.

The Wellbeing Effect of Balanced Holidays

If you’re the kind of family that pushes for progress, achievement, and success, this is particularly important for you.

Know that the best “holiday” is not based upon the number of activities you can fit in or the milestones you can tick off. It’s about creating space for growth, connection, and rest. If you must do something academically oriented, keep it simple by encouraging your kids to read. It’s the one activity that is good for academic achievement without feeling like it’s focused on academic achievement.

These holidays, use your family time wisely—not by being everywhere and doing everything but by simply being together and giving everyone in the family the chance to pause, reflect, and enjoy the richness of life.

Whole School Transition Day

This Friday we are holding our Whole School Transition Day. For 1.5 hours (between recess and lunch) students will have the opportunity to meet teachers from the year-level above, visit their classrooms and take part in a number of fun learning activities.

This transition will give your child a head-start for next year, while also allowing our teachers to begin getting to know their students. This transition is not designed to give students or parents an indication of which teacher they will have in 2025. Class placements will be released next week.

Year End Reports

By early next week you will receive an email containing a link to view your child’s Year End Report. By clicking the link you will be able to access the report on the SEQTA Engage portal or app.

Those that have not used SEQTA Engage in the past should have recently received an email with instructions for setting it up. If you have forgotten your password please use the ‘Forgotten Password’ button to reset it.

These reports provide insight into your child’s academic progress, along with the engagement and effort they display the classroom. Please remember that in alignment with the Australian National Curriculum, which we report against, a C Grade means a student is performing at the standard expected for their grade. In other words, a C Grade is a good grade. Receiving an A or B means a student is operating at a level above what is expected for them in that year level.

Term 4 SAPSASA Events

This term we have had some superstar athletes selected for SAPSASA State teams. Congratulations to Layla Monks who was selected for the Adelaide North East District Tennis Team and helped her team finish in 1^st and undefeated in their Division. They will now go up into Division 2, where the team that Miss Pfeiffer was coaching finished 2^nd, so we might get to see these two teams play off next year!  Congratulations also goes to Amolakbir and Divit for being selected in the Adelaide North East District Cricket Team. These boys played great over the three day carnival!

My OSHC Vacation Care

My OSHC Christmas Closure Times

Playstart Soccer