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Welcome back to Term 2 at Prescott Primary Northern. The last couple of weeks have seen further change in our lives, and planning, organising and deciding what should happen and what is best for our children seems to be a constantly moving target. I would just like to say a big thank you to our school family for the way people have been so flexible, accommodating and understanding of each other and the situation we are in. Thanks to our families who are loving, caring for and providing security to our children. Thank you to our teachers and staff who have been thrown changing scenarios for teaching and learning and so readily rise to the challenges, go the extra mile, learn new ways and skills in different ways of teaching, all at the same time as caring for their own families. Also, a big thank you to our children who constantly make me smile with the warmth of their appreciation for each other and those around. I have smiled so hard in the last couple of days with the interactions with children who are back at school.
Mr Davis shared an old saying with us in Staff Worship this morning which I thought was great and has helped me with my perspective. “Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.” I know some of you will wonder whether sending children back to learning at school is the right thing to do and some families are continuing to go with learning from home, and still others were very grateful to drop the kids off this morning (I did notice some of the huge smiles, and sighs of relief at Drop off Zone duty this morning) but whatever your choice, we are working hard to provide the best help we can for our children and their learning. Our teachers worked hard in the week before Easter to prepare learning from home tasks and resources and we will be able to use these for this week and next week as we need. However, unless there is a significant change in our situations, we will have to significantly reduce the Learning at Home support we are providing families at the end of Week 2. We simply don’t have personnel to continue to make and collate the learning from home resources as well as run our normal program.
Another challenge we are facing that we need your help with is patience at pick up time in the afternoon. The regulations require us to minimise as much as possible, adult traffic on the School campus. This means we are not able to let families come on campus to pick up children and this slows the Pick Up process. Add to that the rainy weather and we have an even more challenging situation at pick up time. Please be patient, follow the instructions for the drive through zone (No Right Turn off Nelson Road in to the Church Car Park, No Parking on Nelson Road in front of Para Vista Adventist Church, Turn left on to Nelson Road when exiting the Drive Though) We will add a further 15 minutes to drive through Pick Up time in the afternoon – It will now be staffed until 4pm Monday to Thursday and 3.15pm Friday. If you can come a little later than 3.15pm, say 3.45pm, it will help spread the load.
Finally, we really need families to be extremely vigilant in not sending children to school if they have any cold or flu like symptoms. Understandably, many of our families are very concerned about transfer of infection and if a child is showing any flu like symptoms, please keep them home. Please also remember that this time of year, we usually have several students a day who go home with cold and flu like symptoms and the likelihood of it being something more sinister, like COVID – 19, is very low. We have protocols in place that we follow for such cases.
Have a great week with your kids,
Mark B
Missing U
What have you missed lately during lockdown? What have you learnt during lockdown?
I have learnt that people are resilient, they are resourceful and they need to feel connected.
Have you managed to connect with family and friends over the last few months?
My family is spread all around Australia and even the world. I have 8 siblings - 4 live in Queensland, 1 in Melbourne, 1 in Tasmania, 1 in Western Australia and 1 in United Arab Emirates. It is a funny thing, but we have managed to connect more during this lockdown that we ever have, simply because we have made the effort. Each Saturday afternoon, we have held family ‘Zoom’ sessions. We chat about how everyone’s week has gone, reminisce about the past, play games, catch up on the latest family news and even have a meal together. Although we are not all in the same room physically, or even in the same State or Country, we can spend valuable time together which keeps our relationships strong and helps to stop everyone missing each other as much.
On the wall outside our Chaplain office is this sign.
What’s missing?
Jesus is missing U.
Just as you may miss your regular connection with your family and friends, so Jesus misses you, when you don’t connect with Him regularly.
Although He isn’t with you physically and can sometimes feel like He is far away, He is always just a prayer away.
Don’t forget to reach out to Him and stay connected.
Are U missing Jesus? Is Jesus missing U?
Phillip Lillehagen
PPN Chaplain
Term 2 Staffing Update
We would like to welcome Mrs Tara Watson back from her maternity leave. Mrs Watson will be working with our lower primary students in our SWAN department one day a week.
Mrs Chelsea Daian has gone on maternity leave for the remainder of the year. We look forward to hearing the good news of the arrival of her little one in the upcoming months!
Mrs Renee Possingham is teaching for Mrs Daian for the remainder of the year in Foundation C. We welcome Mrs Possingham back on staff and we know she will love the little ones in her care and have a wonderful year of learning and growing with the children in FC.
A message from Ali Friedrich School counsellor
Social Distancing: What You’re Feeling Is Grief
COVID-19 and the coronavirus has caused us to rethink our lives as we know it. It is asking us to shift our very instincts as social beings by self- isolating and so protecting our community. Despite these warnings from Government some of us are still fighting the need to isolate but instead feel a strong desire to hold onto our lifestyles.
We are finding it hard to get our minds to adjust to the new way of living at least for the moment. Our instinct to gather for protection is being challenged by the new ideas of how to protect ourselves, which is to separate.
With separation comes loss, and with loss comes grief. That growing anxiety we feel in the night is the haunting presence of grief. You have lost something. Only you know what "that" is for you, but it is gone, and you’re grieving it.
We have lost or been forced to give up in the face of the growing pandemic—our lives as we know them. We have been forced to change so much, so quickly. For many of us, 9/11 was a similar experience. It was a personal reckoning, forcing us to re-evaluate our lives, our values, what we held dear. Our current situation is 9/11—on a slow burn.
As with any loss or grief experience, it is hard while you’re going through it to be able to see clearly what the future will hold. After that storm of life passes your heart and mind will be open to new hopes and dreams. When you look back on what you’ve lost you will see the new opportunities, experiences, and relationships have come into your life.
For now, whenever possible, hold on to hope/faith and while you do this remind yourself that it is normal to also feel the presence of uncertainty and grief.
When we don’t know what’s going to happen, we don’t know what to do and may find ourselves reacting to our stressors and that can lead to feeding our fears. As human being we cope better with structure, routine, and ritual as it gives us a sense of control over our lives.
Currently, our world feels like we have little control. We are not only concerned about what will happen, but again, what we will lose —connection, community, home, position, status, and money.
Without a physical connection to loss or a traumatic event it is hard for some of use to make sense of why we need these changes in our lives or community. Some of us may still be fighting the very thing that may, quite literally, save their lives because our nature is to be with others not just virtually but in person (to embrace, touch or be near).
Suggestions in how to look after yourself doing this season of loss and change:
This is a trying and unprecedented time. Let us be gentle with ourselves and practice self-compassion. Let’s allow ourselves to grieve missed time with loved ones, travel plans, celebrations, and stability. We likely won’t be as productive as we would normally; we can preemptively decrease our workloads when possible before feelings of exhaustion overwhelm us.
Our families will come out of this with greater personal strength and resilience as we practice self-care, rely on others, and connect with the those in need around us:
1. Structure your day
2. Have family meals
3. Limit media exposure
4. Exercise (morning or afternoon)
5. Reach out: physically distant but emotionally connected
6. Help others: look after the distressed and vulnerable
7. Practice good sleep hygiene: exercise during day, do calming activities at night
8. Stay positive and future -focused: anxiety/panic is contagious, but so is being calm.
The above information reflects the thoughts and works of Dr Bruce Perry, Michael J Formica (Psychotherapist) and Ali Friedrich (Prescott Primary Northern school counsellor)
PPN Pick-Up Zone
The increased pressure with our current weather and limited access for parents on campus has intensified our Pick-Up Zone. This document outlines ways in which you can assist us with this. Thanks for your patience! PPN Admin
Term 2 School Uniform
We have extended our usual 2-week changeover between summer and winter uniforms. There will now be a 4-week changeover. That means students can wear either summer or winter uniform to school (even PE uniform if needed) until the start of Week 5. We understand that things are up in the air at the moment and the fact that our uniform shop has been closed to face to face appointments has made the usual uniform transition impossible.
Daily Health Check
Term 2 Canteen Menu
Please note there will be no pizza on the menu in Term 2, it has been replaced with minestrone soup.
Art Competition
One of the companies that we source art supplies for school, ZART Art, is running an art competition for school students.
To enter: Create an artwork celebrating our theme: HOME is where the ART Is.
Artwork can be 2D (e.g. drawing, painting, sidewalk chalk drawing etc.) or 3D (e.g. sculpture, construction).
Email a photo of your artwork to zartart@zartart.com.au with your:
- Name
- Email Address
- Phone Number
- Year Level
- Category section
- School Name
For privacy reasons, student's FIRST NAME & SCHOOL NAME will be published only. Winners will receive art supplies for themselves, plus art supplies for the school.
All other details can be found on their website: https://www.zartart.com.au/zartstatic/page/home-art-competition
Autism Awareness
COVID-19 - Emergency Assistance Contacts for Vulnerable Individuals and Families
We are very excited to have so many of our students back at school this term!
Our School Library Team strives to accomplish key goals throughout the year, sponsoring special events like:
- The Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) - we are overjoyed that many of our students have already completed the PRC by returning the form with evidence of 12 books read so far this year;
- The Author visit during the annual Book Week (August 2020) - your children really ‘love’ this time of the year, where we focus their attention on activities in the Discovery Centre (look out more information later this term);
- Scholastic Book Fair – this is when your children come with their classes and are able to enjoy the new book releases and even purchase books that appeal to them. With your generous support, proceeds from the book sales are able to be reinvested into our library and allows us to purchase books for our loan catalogue.
A reminder about our Library Borrowing Rules:
- each class has a regular, scheduled weekly Library time;
- all books are due back to the Library one week after they were borrowed;
- students from Foundation to Year 1 can borrow 2 books per week;
- students from Years 2 and 3 may borrow up to 4 books per week;
- students from Years 4 and 5 are permitted to borrow up to 6 books per week; and finally,
- students in Year 6 are encouraged to borrow up to 8 books per week;
- if any child requires more time to finish reading the books they have borrowed, you can receive an extension by:
- the child coming to the Library Desk;
- the parent/caregiver sending an email request to victoriacowley@ppn.sa.edu.au or karenblyde@ppn.sa.edu.au;
- the parent/caregiver calling the School Reception Office and asking to speak to Mrs Cowley or Mrs Blyde.
We will send a courtesy reminder email to parents/caregivers when your child/s books are overdue. Kindly return borrowed books on time to the Library so that they are available for other students to borrow and enjoy the pleasure of reading them.
Book Hygiene
In alignment with current advice and the recommended practice across other libraries in South Australia, we have implemented a process of cleaning down books when they are returned to the Library.
Once the books are returned, the covers are thoroughly cleaned with hygienic wipes and then they are set aside for 24 hours before being placed back onto the shelves for borrowing. When students come into the Discovery Centre, there are a range of stations that contain hand sanitizer for the children to use. We are supporting these hygiene measures throughout our Library with verbal reminders and prominently placed posters. Please know that we will continue to review and update our processes in line with medical advice as required.
Prescott College
Due to the current social gathering restrictions, we won't be holding any Open Days until such time the restrictions are lifted. However, we are offering private appointments for those who are wanting to visit the College for a campus tour. If you would like to book yourself (and one other person) in for a tour, please contact Julie Imbrogno on 8269 1655 or email jimbrogno@prescottcollege.sa.edu.au to arrange a time convenient to you. Enrolment packs are available from PPN front office
