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Bullying No Way 2019
Specialist PE Classes
If you were to walk past the Covered Outdoor Learning Area during the school day, you would see a whirlwind of action. Our specialist PE teacher, Mr Campbell, takes each class for 45 minutes once a week to teach our students new skills and activities. We asked a collection of our students what they enjoyed the most about Specialist PE Classes and here are some responses…
I am enjoying PE lessons with Mr Campbell. I like the game EndZone the most. - Ared 5A
I really enjoy Mr Campbell's lessons because the games are always fun to play. Kara 5A
What I really enjoy about Mr Campbell's PE lesson is that we do fun warm ups. It helps us with our skills. - Allaire 5A
Mr Campbell is very creative and has lots of games for us to play. - Ashton 5A
'The best thing about having PE classes with Mr Campbell is...
- 'playing basketball.' - Shiven FA
- 'bouncing basketballs.' - Ocean FA
'I love PE classes because...
- 'we get to run and jump and skip.' - Gracie FA
-'sometimes we play new games.' - Amreen FA
- 'we do more activities.' - Jasdeesh FA
- 'we get to act like animals and freeze.' - Aesha FA
I love the Target Game that we play for PE. It's lots of fun. Bahni 1B
I really like throwing games, where you have to throw as far as you can. I'm good at that. Charlie B 1B
PE is one of my favourite subjects because it makes you strong and I want to learn new skills so I can be a better player. - Jaskaran 3A
PE is one of my favourite subjects because we play so many games, like basketball and netball, and Mr Campbell has many games to play so we get fit. - Gem 3A
Year Level Service Projects
Years 2C and 7 completed an act of service for our school last Friday by picking up rubbish around our school and watering the Nature Playground. Each year level will take a turn at organising a service project this year. Please come by and see our "Branching Out With Jesus" service tree growing as the year goes by. It is located outside Mr L and Pr T's office.
Rearrangements during North Wing Building Project
Dear PPN Parents,
2019 is going to be a very exciting year at Prescott Primary Northern. Over the holiday break, our Nature Playground was completed and the students are making great use of the area and it has been wonderful to have more space for our students. Over the next few months, we will be undertaking a building program that will transform our undercover area outside the Year 3, 4 and Canteen area and provide us with some amazing new learning areas. As with most developments, the building project will present us with many challenges as we work around the builders and tradesmen and will impact significantly on activities that take place in the undercover area and back oval. I apologise now to students, staff and families for the interruptions and inconveniences we are going to have to endure to achieve our goals. To help school life run as smoothly and safely as possible, we would like to outline some of the changes we need to make.
1. Assembly: Starting next Monday, Assembly will be held in the covered area of the Basketball Court. There are some seats around the edge of the court by the Year 5 and 6 classrooms where parents can sit if they wish to join us.
On rainy days, we have made alternative arrangements to have an Assembly in the Discovery Centre for the Foundation, Year 1 & 2 students and anyone receiving Awards, and the Year 3s to Year 7s will have the Assembly livestreamed to a classroom for them to observe and join in.
2. Morning Drop Off: When the gates open at 8.30am and students arrive, the Year 3s to Year 7s will wait on the seats in front of the Year 3, 4 and Canteen area and will be supervised by the usual duty teacher. Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 will wait quietly under the verandah in front of the Year 2, Discovery Centre and Year 1 Rooms with an additional duty person being assigned from 8.30am to 8.40am after which, the classrooms will open as usual.
3. Before School, Recess, Lunch and P.E./Fitness Access to the Back Oval: A laneway from the double gates from the back carpark will be made to allow building personnel to access the construction site. Gates will be put in this laneway part of the way along to allow student and teacher access to the back oval. This will be a fenced laneway for safety. Access gates will be opened as required.
4. Year 3 – 7 Toilet Access: Year 3 – 7 students will only be able to access their toilets from the Music Room side of the toilet block. There will be no access to the toilets from the Back Oval side during the construction period.
5. Afternoon Pick Up: This will be the trickiest and most inconvenient time of the school day during the construction. There are 4 groups that our students fall into at the end of school each day. 1) Students picked up from their classrooms by parents, 2) Students who go to myOSHC, 3) Bus Students, and 4) Students who are taken/go to the Back Cover area to be picked up by parents.
Adjusted plans for each group
1) Students picked up from their room by parents - will continue as it is currently.
2) myOSHC Students – Mondays to Thursday afternoons myOSHC students will go to, or teachers drop off at the Discovery Centre in the area by the main entry door and they will wait INSIDE that room with myOSHC staff member and then be taken over to myOSHC in the hall. Fridays, students go to Discovery Centre as normal.
3) Bus Students – Bus students will continue to wait in their bus places as normal.
4) Students to be picked up by families – Students will remain in classes until 3.30pm to be picked up. A bell will go at 3.30pm and the remaining students will go/be taken to the area outside the Year 4/Canteen/Yr 3 classrooms to be picked up. This will mean more students will be collected from classrooms, rather than out the back of the school allowing a smaller group to go out to wait at 3.30pm. F, Yr 1,Yr 2 to wait near the Canteen/4B Room, older students to wait down by 4A, 3B, 3A.
6. Other ways to make things easier – Families picking up F,1,2, students who park out the back to come through the court rather than by the main back gate by the Year 6 rooms.
7. The gate by the shed near the Basketball Court will open at 3.10pm to allow another exit/ entry point and duty teacher will lock it up at 3.45pm.
8. If you are unsure of any of these plans, please just check with the Duty Teacher and they will help you out.
Through my teen years, three of my mates and I formed an acapella quartet and learned a bunch of songs including some good old Gospel spirituals. We would sing at churches and concerts and then one day we entered a competition. I still remember the afternoon very clearly. We went to a concert hall at Queensland Uni to compete. There were practice rooms around and we found one to go and warm up our voices. The song we sang was “Steal Away”, an old spiritual. The acoustics in the practice room were amazing. As we sang together, I remember getting lost in the harmonies, feeling the sound and the song. I think it was the first time in my life I truly had an insight in to what true harmony is. When we all hit our notes well, loose items in the room would rattle and I could literally feel the sounds in my chest.
One of the interesting things about quartet singing (and lots of other music as well, I think) is that there are times when there are intentional dischords. These are times in the song when the notes don’t always fit together as we would expect or even prefer, and yet they add to the richness, challenge and pleasure of the music. It is quite hard to sing these “clashing” notes at first, but as time goes by and we realise harmony doesn’t mean unison, or sameness or even the expected, it becomes easier and eventually something to look forward to, both as a challenge and as a satisfying exercise.
Why am I babbling on about singing, acoustics and dischords? Well, tomorrow we will celebrate Harmony Day at Prescott Primary Northern, and as I reflect on the events in Christchurch last week, I feel compelled to write about what it means for us to live together in “Harmony.” The thing that I think I need reminding of most, is that Harmony cannot exist if everyone and everything is the same. It is not “Unison Day”, it is Harmony day. It is about appreciating our differences, even the dischords, and coming to the place we live in appreciation and allow the harmony to be acknowledged as challenging, satisfying. We have a school family which is very multicultural and varied and I really admire the way our children, families and staff work so hard at “Harmony.”
Thankyou – I feel it my chest.
Oh yeah. How did the quartet go in the competition? We won our category! We were the only ones in it.
Have a great and harmonious week with your kids,
Mark B
Average…. Is It Good Enough?
No one wants average anymore. Society seems to be in regular pursuit of perfectionism. Driving around Adelaide each day, we are constantly bombarded with messages that we are not good enough. If you have this new car, you will be good enough in society. You should use this amazing age defying makeup, so your face looks perfect. Join the gym, because there you will find an acceptable looking body. Update your phone to the most recent model. Buy your child the latest toy so you are a great parent, and so it continues. We are expected to be the perfect parent, perfect employee, or have the perfect children. No wonder many of us are left feeling that we are average, or not good enough.
The great thing is, even if we are not good enough for society, we are always good enough for God. He has no expectations, no requirements and no pre-requisites. Jesus says, you are enough, come to Me as you are.
Kickstart For Kids
Responding Constructively to the Christchurch Shooting
Last Friday’s shooting of innocent people in two Christchurch mosques is an event that has shaken people to the core worldwide.
While we’d like to protect our children from such events, in reality it’s impossible, as the news coverage is so widespread and the event itself has impacted so many people. The personal nature of this particular tragedy makes it even harder to stomach than some recent natural disasters that have made the news, as awful as they have been.
So how do you approach this with your children? There is no easy answer, but be assured that your child will benefit from talking to you. These ideas may help:
Be available
Let your child or young person know that it is okay to talk about the events in Christchurch. Listen to what they think and feel. By listening, you can find out if they have misunderstandings, and you can learn more about the support that they need. You do not need to explain more than they are ready to hear, but be willing to answer their questions.
Filter the news
While we don’t advocate censorship, we do suggest that you take particular care about your child’s exposure to news events. The consistency of images can be frightening for young children who don’t understand the notion of distance and have difficulty distinguishing between reality and fiction. Older children and teenagers will probably be interested in the news events, but they probably need an adult available to answer their questions and reassure them.
Engage in the news with older children
Many issues are now arising from this event that may be of significant interest to older primary-aged children and teenagers. Be prepared to engage in discussions about political leadership, gun laws, the coverage of the event itself by the media and other issues that will emerge. Increasingly, young people are demonstrating that they want to have a voice in shaping the world they live in. Give them a chance to air their concerns and formulate their ideas in the safe confines of home.
Manage emotions raised
The Christchurch tragedy may raise many emotions for children and young people including sadness over the loss of life, confusion over how such an event could happen, and outrage over injustice. Take your cues from your children and follow the threads that emerge. Demonstrate that you understand how that they may be upset and clarify their emotions if possible: “It’s understandable to be angry when you hear news like this.”
Moderate your language
Currently, we live in very divisive times. The fact that this shooting was carried out on one particular group demonstrates just the extent of the divisiveness of our community. Encourage kids to be inclusive, steering clear of valued-laden, extreme language such as ‘terrorists’, ‘evil’ and ‘horrors’ when describing the events and the alleged perpetrators. Not only does this type of language encourage children and young people to take a position rather than focus on the problems, it risks desensitising them to the reality of the impact of this event. The use of more sedate, yet descriptive language such as ‘gunman’, ‘awful’ and ‘tragedy’ can take remove the emotional sting, while demonstrating the enormity of the event’s impact.
Keep to a normal routine
Your child may feel powerless. You may feel the same way as that’s what events like the Christchurch shooting does to us. Maintaining the same sleeping, eating and daily routines can help to restore a sense of control over our daily lives.
Show them how to change the world
Arguably, these are the worst of times in terms of social divisiveness. Our children in many ways are letting us know that they don’t want to continue living this way. So how can they have an impact? Recently a timely clue came my way in the form of a notification from Facebook. Over the weekend, a parent shared an existing message to her Muslim friends as a message of hope. The quote reads:
“Don’t become too pre-occupied with your child’s academic ability, but instead teach them to sit with those sitting alone. Teach them to be kind. Teach them to offer help. Teach them to be a friend to the lonely. Teach them to encourage others. Teach them to think about other people. Teach them to share. Teach them to look for the good. This is how they will change the world.”
We get that power back when we start to impact the people around us in small ways, making positive changes for the better.
‘Kindness’, ‘helping others’, ‘encouraging’, ‘sharing’ and similar concepts don’t make great political slogans but they form the basis of every strong community- which is precisely what kids need. – Michael Grose. Parenting Ideas (2019)
Important Health Information
The cold and flu season is upon us. We have had a confirmed case of Influenza A at our school. To prevent widespread flu in the school, we recommend that your child stay home from school if experiencing flu or cold symptoms. To decide whether or not to send your child to school, please consider the following guidelines:
Consider keeping your child at home for an extra day of rest and observation if he or she has any of the following symptoms:
- Very stuffy or runny nose and/or cough
- Mild sore throat (no fever, no known exposure to strep)
- Headache
- Mild stomach ache
Definitely keep your child at home for treatment and observation if he or she has any of these symptoms:
- Fever (greater than 37.7 degrees and your child may return to school only after his or her temperature has been consistently below 37.7 degrees, for a minimum of 24 hours)
- Vomiting (even once)
- Diarrhea
- Chills
- General malaise or feelings of fatigue, discomfort, weakness or muscle aches
- Frequent congested (wet) or croupy cough
- Lots of nasal congestion with frequent blowing of nose
To help prevent the flu and other colds, teach your children good hygiene habits:
- Wash hands frequently
- Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth
- Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, use a paper tissue, throw it away and then wash hands
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Colds are the most contagious during the first 48 hours. A child who has a fever should remain at home until "fever free" for a minimum of 24 hours. A child who has started antibiotics needs to be on the medication for 48 hours before considered non-contagious and able to return to school. Often when a child awakens with vague complaints (the way colds and flu begin), it is wise to observe your child at home for an hour or two before deciding whether or not to bring to school. Your child should be physically able to participate in all school activities on return to school. Keeping a sick child at home will minimize the spread of infections and viruses in the classroom.
Thank you in advance for helping make this year at school as healthy as possible.
Healthy Food - Party Items
We are currently working on updating our Food Policy at Prescott Primary Northern. In the meantime, if your child is having a birthday, we would like for families to minimise the amount of sugary snacks and gifts that are brought to school for the class. Please look for smaller, healthy options, like fruit, to share with the class in celebration.
Scholastic Orders
Scholastic orders must be in by this Thursday 21 March.
Sponsor Children & Casual Day
Uniform Shop
Early Bird Special Finishing Soon
Information About Dyslexia
Premier's Reading Challenge
http://www.premiersreadingchallenge.sa.edu.au/prc/pages/home/home/?reFlag=1
Basketball
Radioactive Cheeseballs Toppled
Ahead of the Radioactive Cheeseballs’ title defence last week, the Wildcats game was cancelled last-minute, due to a late forfeiting opponent.
The Main Event, though, was a “1 V 2” top-of-the-ladder showdown, with Prescott’s own league leading Radioactive Cheeseballs up against 2nd on the ladder, Ardtornish Allstars (led by Mrs Nairn’s son, Hayden - and you thought SHE was tall...).
With teams so evenly matched, the lead changed hands several times in the first half, and the Radioactive Cheeseballs went into the main break with the slimmest of leads - 1 point.
In a true battle of the giants, Gawar, hindered by his share of bench-time, when on court helped bring all Cheeseballs into play, and managed to score-out first for the
game (followed by the Allstars’ Hayden).
Simon stepped up his role as a dependable leader and defender, adopting a back-court position and slowing the Allstars’ offence, and Akoul was challenged under the ring for effort for the first time this season.
Seth snuck in his signature coast-to-coast, shake-up drive and was the Cheeseballs’ second highest scorer, while Alanna and Farid gave the Allstars good hustle, turning over the ball.
Peggy-Lee, obviously not intimidated playing against bigger boys, shone, and an injured Nate was sorely missed.
The second half saw the Allstars up the ante, restricting the Cheeseballs to just 8-second-half points, and run away to win the game comfortably, with
the net result being that the Radioactive Cheeseballs have been bumped out of top spot on the ladder by a worthy opponent.
Coach HATCHARD
Prescott College
Jump Into Health
School Holiday OHSC Program
School Holiday Sport Clinics
