Year 5 Visit to Prescott College

Sometimes, I find parenting and teaching really confusing. Probably not want you want to hear from the Principal of your child’s school, but bear with me. I really want the best for my kids – my home ones and my school ones. I don’t want them to have to endure anything that might be upsetting, troublesome or difficult. On the other hand, I want to prepare them for all that life might throw their way, and let’s face it, life isn’t always comfortable. It reminds me of a time when my girls were much younger. We lived down near Willunga, on the edge of my wife’s sister’s dairy farm. Much of our life was spent feeding, raising and caring for dairy cows. To do this requires good gumboots. There is lots of mud and slush on a dairy farm and so gumboots are the go.

I remember walking with one of my girls one day and she said to me, “Dad, I have a stone in my gumboot.” My first reaction, as you can imagine, was to say, “Come over here and I’ll take it out for you.” Instead, for some reason or another, I asked, “How much does it hurt?” She replied, “Only a bit, it’s not too bad.” So I said, “Let’s walk a bit further so we are in a better place to stop.” As I reflect on that incident, I think I accidently stumbled on a great lesson for my daughter. Sometimes in life, we have to put up with the uncomfortable and push through if we are going to be resilient. I’m not talking about needless danger or recklessness, I am talking about pushing on, even though it’s not particularly pleasant or preferable, to be able to reach a goal. That life lesson is a really important one for us to share with our children, especially if we want them to be resilient.

Below is a recent article from Michael Grose of Parenting Ideas that says it far more eloquently than I. I hope you find it helpful.

“Few right-minded people want children or young people to experience hardships or difficulty. However, growing up generally means that kids will experience their fair share of hardships, frustrations and challenges which lead to uncomfortable feelings.

Tolerating discomfort is an important resilience skill. It refers to an ability to sit with an uncomfortable or emotionally painful feeling such as disappointment, apprehension, nervousness or fear. These emotions can be brought about as a result of not being picked for a team; getting lower than expected marks for an assignment; or going into new, unfamiliar situation such as school camp. These are the sorts of everyday situations that can make some kids feel uncomfortable. It’s helpful to think of discomfort as a ‘muscle’ that gets stronger with training. Each time a child or teen successfully tolerates discomfort they’re reinforcing their ability to do so and cementing the knowledge that they can overcome emotional challenges.

Opportunities for practice are plentiful and are found in common situations such as when a child or teen is: feeling hungry; wanting something they can’t have; having to end screen time; contributing to household chores when they don’t feel like it; missing out on a job interview; asking someone on a date or not receiving a party invitation.

Tolerating discomfort doesn’t mean toughing out an unbearable situation. It’s teaching your anxious child to notice how they’re feeling, naming their emotions, and practising acceptance of difficult feelings as they occur. This is done in the knowledge that what they’re experiencing is temporary and that they’re lovingly supported by a warm and comforting adult. Couple tolerating discomfort with social rewards (such as words of praise or shared fun activity) for coping behaviours and you’re helping to build their personal resilience.” Grose, 2019

Have a great week with “our” kids,
Mark B

1 Peter 1:7 “Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.”

What If We Treated Our Bibles Like Mobile Phones?

I was listening to the radio while driving my boys to basketball this week and the announcer was talking about how many people are developing an ever-increasing dependent relationship with their mobile phones.

Did you know studies have shown that:

• 35% of Australians check their mobile within 5 minutes of waking up.
• 12% say it is that last thing they check or do before they fall asleep at night.
• 30% of people check their mobile phone in the middle of the night.
• 31% of Australians admitted to using their phone while on the toilet. It has even been given its own title - ‘toilet IT’. 
• 70% of people indicated that they use their phones during meal times with family or friends.
• More disturbing is that 32 percent of people admitted to checking their phones while driving and a survey of 9000 Australians showed that 45% said that they couldn’t live without their mobile phones - Nomophobia

Nomophobia, a term originally coined by the UK Post Office refers to people who suffer from “no mo(bile) phone phobia”. This is when you feel anxious about not being able use your phone for some reason whether it’s because you’re low on battery or there’s minimal signal.

What if we began to use and treat our Bibles the way we treat our mobile phones?

What if…..

• we carried it with us everywhere?
• it was the first thing we reached for and read when we woke up and the last thing we used before we went to sleep?
• we turned back to get it if we left it at home?
• we used it in case of an emergency?
• our children got excited when the newest version came?
• we spent an hour or more using it each day?
• we promised our kids they could have 30min reading it as a reward?
• we ‘liked’ or ‘shared’ our favourite parts of the bible (the same as we ‘like’ or ‘share’ things we find online)?

Are you connecting with Jesus through your Bible?  One great thing with the Bible is that unlike our mobile phones, we don't ever have to worry about our Bible being disconnected, because Jesus already paid the bill!

Chaplain Phil

Scholastic orders are to be in by this Friday, 21st June.

ICAS Competitions

If your child has received an ICAS form and is wishing to participate in the competitions this year, please submit your form and payment by the 21st of June.

Music Recital

2019 CBCA Picture Books of the Year

Girl On Wire is a sublime, beautiful book, written by Lucy Estela and illustrated by Elise Hurts. It's about a girl who steps out on a high wire and has to find the courage to continue. The book is a metaphor for over-coming fear and anxiety. Cleverly presented through the text and the illustrations are stunning.

Chalk Boy by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Mandy Ord.
A soulful and heartwarming story about what happens when a pavement artist's drawing comes to life.
"Barnaby is a pavement artist, this morning he started drawing me. I have a head that can think, eyes that can see, ears that can hear and legs that can run. Best of all, I have a heart that can feel. Thank you, Barnaby."

Cicada by Shaun Tan
This book is an absolutely brilliant book about Cicada who works in an office, dutifully toiling day after day for unappreciative bosses and being bullied by his coworkers. But one day, Cicada goes to the roof of the building, and something truly extraordinary happens ...

A story for anyone who has ever felt unappreciated, overlooked or overworked, from Australia's most acclaimed picture book creator. This book provides an opportunity for discussion on many subjects.

Soccer Coaching

Do you love soccer or coaching? If so, I need your help!

Students at Prescott Primary Northern now have the opportunity to participate in the South Australian Christian Schools Association (SACSA) sporting competition. This is a trial year where we are looking to send students to represent PPN in the soccer competition held at Barratt Reserve, West Beach at the end of Term 3.

There is the possibility of entering a boy's and girl's team in Years 4/5 and 6/7. For this to happen we would need volunteers to help train the teams on a weekly basis leading up to the event.

Please contact myself in person or email me at joshuacampbell@ppn.sa.edu.au if you would be able to volunteer some time to coach a team.

Auskick Term 3

Prescott College