Sports Day

The Lower and Upper Sports Day was held on Thursday May 23rd at the SA Athletics Stadium. A team of helpers assembled at the Stadium at 8:30am to begin setting up the equipment for the soon arrival of excited students. The Lower Primary participated in a Mini Olympics program while the Year 2-7 students represented their House teams Flinders, Yorke, Murray and Eyre in a variety of track and field events.
In following tradition, the Sport House Competition was once again very competitive throughout the day. Well done to all the teams and congratulations to Eyre for being the House Champions for 2019. We are very proud of all students for their fantastic effort, enthusiastic participation and encouraging attitude towards their team mates and others.
A special mention to all the parent helpers that volunteered their time to assist wherever needed. Thank you for your support, as we couldn’t have run the day so successfully without you.

Reconcilliation Week

The 27th of May to the 3rd of June is National Reconciliation Week. National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. This year, at Prescott Primary Northern we have had the pleasure of hosting two different events. 

The Foundation to Year 5 classes have enjoyed a play called Like Me, Like You. It is an interactive performance introducing children to the idea of diversity, exploring all of the different people, cultures, and stories that make up Australia today – from the First Nations people who have been here for thousands of years, to the new migrants who have just arrived! Students met three characters who took them through a series of short scenes with songs, dance, puppets and stories about what makes you, like me, like you. 

On Thursday, the Year six and seven classes will join to hear from Gary Passmore, an Indigenous man from Western Australia. He will be sharing Aboriginal culture and history through stories and artefacts. 

Individual classes have been involved in activities such a rock painting, listening to Dreaming stories and Aboriginal music, viewing Aboriginal documentaries and exploring Aboriginal puzzles. Our Library has a rich display of Aboriginal resources for the children to access. 

A big thank you to two of our Aboriginal students, Sienna Abdullah and Charlie Wood who joined to do the Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country at Monday’s assembly. 

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Nature Play Items

Thank you to our PPN families for your kind donations of items for our Nature Play Space. We have received lots of exciting items, such as seed pods, sticks, pine cones and shells. Keep them coming….we are having a wonderful time using them during play and learning time!

North Wing Project Update

This week is Reconciliation Week. This idea of reconciliation with indigenous people in our country was one I experienced very early on in my life. I grew up in North Queensland and there were quite a few Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people in our community and I was fortunate enough to have several as my friends. I may have mentioned to you before that my mum was not a well educated person as far as formal education is concerned (finished at Year 6, I think), but she was very insightful in so many ways. She shared one of those insights with me one day as I was growing up. Part of my heritage is Scandinavian – Norwegian to be precise, hence the name Borresen. As a youngster, I was fair skinned with bright blonde hair. I had a friend named Robert who was far darker than I in complexion and hair colour. I came inside from playing one day and I had found black dirt and rubbed it all over me, and ground it deeply into my hair to make me dark. Mum asked what I was doing and I told her that I needed to be like Robert so we could play together and so I had made the colour of my skin and hair like his. My mum carefully explained to me that we didn’t have to be the same colour or look the same to be able to play together. We could be different and still enjoy being with one another. 

That experience has stuck with me for my whole life. We don’t have to all be the same, but we do all have to be respectful of what we hold in common as well as our differences. Our students have several opportunities this week, through in-class activities and visiting guests, to focus on that idea. It would do each of us as adults to do the same, I think. 

The Bible writer Paul wrote in a letter to a Christian Church in Galatia in the first century, “ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Gal 3:28. We are all children of God, regardless of our birthplace, skin colour, race or gender. I hope this week brings us a fresh realisation of that and helps us to build bridges to others who may not share things in common with us and, in particular, find ways to build bridges to our indigenous Australian peoples.. 

Have a great week with your kids, 

Mark B 

Run the Good Race

Everybody likes a winner. It is not just the fact that they are winners, but it’s the way they secure the win, the near-heroic feats that allow them to come out on top.  They are the ones we look up to.

In the last few weeks, I have had the privilege to attend three athletics carnivals.  Our whole school athletics carnival, the SAPSASA District athletics carnival and SA State athletics championships. 

Two of our PPN school students secured places at the SA State Athletics Championships – Ashton Hong (Yr 5) and Zander Lillehagen (Yr 4).  As they lined up on the start line of the running track, you could see their focus and determination.  They knew they were competing against the best of the best in South Australia and that only one person from their race would win the gold medal.  Despite their odds they ran an amazing race and won!  Did they win the gold?…… no, but they ‘won’ because they embraced the challenge before them and did their utmost best.

In our lives we have the opportunity to run the race of faith. We don’t strive for the crown that only one can receive. We strive to finish strong in our faith. When we finish this life, the crown of eternal life awaits us because of Jesus Christ. We are all winners when we cross the line. We get God! Forever!

Are you running the race?

Radioactive Cheeseballs Down Titans

Playing against school mates is always fun, and last Thursday’s Cheeseballs V TITANS match-up was no exception. Players from both teams were beaming from the outset.

With Gawar out on his scheduled player-bye for the Cheeseballs the game started very evenly matched, with scores tied at half time, Cheseball scorers; Nate, Alanna, Seth and Peggy-Lee, and for the TITANS; Jola, Mia and Nicholas.

Alanna, for the Cheeseballs, showed some flair, driving coast to coast, and Alex, playing like a champ, made some deft drives. Farid, shaking things up, tried his luck putting the ball (and the pedal) to the floor.

Solid on rebounds was Akoul, while Nate hit bomb after bomb from long range to blow the second half apart.

Six of the seven Cheeseballs scored (4 equal top scoring on 6 apiece).

Ethan, for the TITANS feeling confident, took on the Cheeseballs for a decent dribble, and Ayden adopted a defensive role for much of the game

Top scoring for the TITANS was Nicholas, supported with baskets from Jola, Mia and Maddison.

Thanks Scarlett for scoring for the Cheeseballs.

Wildcats Blow 10 Point lead

With Jonah out injured, and Simon a last minute withdrawal, Scout was recalled to the starting roster, and Gawar stepped in last minute to lend a hand.

The Wildcats started the game with ferocious intensity, scrapping for the ball, fighting to contain it in their front half,and pulled ahead managing a 16 to 6 half time lead against the Ardtornish Allstars (lead by Mrs Nairn’s super-star son, Hayden).

Tanner brought his A-Game, and Kaitlyn dominated in the lanes, with Sade and Gem giving great on-ball hustle. Zukiah helped transition the ball, and connected on some long-range bombs. Scout played with an elevated intensity and his usual pace.

With minutes to go and Zukiah and Gawar on foul trouble, the Allstars capitalised on our slightly subdued defence, chipping away at the Wildcats buffer, eventually edging ahead and winning the game by two shots.

Thanks again to Scarlett for scoring, and Gawar, big sis Agoum and their extended family for hanging around for a second game.

Coach HATCHARD