Week 9, Term 3 | 20 September 2024

In Mosman Prep’s 120th year, it is worth being reminded that the School has always highly valued adventure in the outdoors, and has been committed to going ‘above and beyond’ in providing boys with challenging outdoor pursuits.

The 4th Headmaster of Mosman Prep, Mr Allan H Bradley (1962) initiated far reaching camps, adventures, and father and son weekends. He took students to several different states in Australia, providing them not only with wonderful knowledge, but also with the opportunity to develop far more intensely than they could do during normal ‘classroom days’.

No doubt, his aim was to ‘stretch and bend’ the boys, taking them out of their comfort zone, so they could return even better versions of themselves in character, confidence, connection, skill, and wisdom.

Outdoor education is much more than simply learning outdoor skills, it’s also about developing social and other life skills, such as teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, and communication. It can strengthen a student’s sense of community and belonging, which is critical for overall wellbeing and academic development.

Numerous studies have shown that outdoor education has a positive impact on student wellbeing, as it provides students with a break from the stressors of everyday life and from technology use. Being in nature has a calming effect on the mind and body and can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.

Several studies have clearly established increased school performance through outdoor education. Research has documented improved standardised test scores, enhanced attitude about school, improved in-school behaviour, improved attendance, and overall enhanced student achievement when students learn in and about nature. In addition, outdoor education effectively employs a greater range of children’s intelligences.

Many researchers attribute the increase in performance to increased relevance and the ‘hands-on’ and experiential learning and challenges, which are particularly powerful for boys.

Our boys are blessed with the opportunities provided to them through our Outdoor Education Program, and the outstanding commitment of the Mosman Prep Staff, who are second to none in their positive engagement with the boys on these camps.

They are determined to ensure the boys receive the maximum benefit possible.

Mr Peter Grimes | Headmaster


Mosman Prep Outdoor Adventures in 2024

Year 3 and 4 Crusader Camp - Lake Macquarie (3 days)
Bushwalking, climbing, wide games, archery, group challenges and initiative activities, orienteering, sailing, rafting, canoeing, navigation, low ropes, reptile show, bush cooking, catapults, and Christian discovery.

Year 5 Coffs Harbour Adventure (5 days)
Adventure course, surfing, canoeing, Aboriginal preschool visit, and cultural tour with local indigenous students participating. The students raised money to buy big books, sporting gear, painting easels, high chairs for dolls, Australian themed toys, Aboriginal themed wooden puzzles, a worm farm, and sand toys for the Kulai Aboriginal preschool in the area.
Apart from being a great deal of fun, the trip had the aim of developing: community amongst the Year 5 team; powerful life skills, values and attitudes in students; positive connections with an Aboriginal community (Gumbaynggirr) and heritage; and an awareness of the Coffs Harbour environment.

Year 6 Camp Koloona - AYD Shoalhaven Conference Centre (5 days)
Abseiling, initiative activities, billy cart building, archery, “2 day Pack & Paddle” - 10-15km hike, 10-13km canoe, tent camp out, jetty jumping, Christian discovery, and a day trip to Jamberoo.

Year 6 Japan Trip (10 days)
Year 6 boys and many family members enjoyed a very special tour of Japan, including experiencing the people, culture, and landmarks in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Osaka. Our boys also had the privilege of playing football and rugby against Japanese teams.


References:

The Importance of Outdoor Learning - What are the benefits of outdoor learning for primary school children? - Dr Kumaree Padayichie - Structural Learning (2022)

The Benefits of Outdoor Education on Student Wellbeing - Beyond the Classroom - Skills for Life (2024)

Outdoor Education Australia

We are so excited about our upcoming Prep Family Fun Day for 2024, in our 120th year!

Along with a free reptile show, there will be games, face painting, a sausage sizzle, balloon twisting, snow cones, icecream, cakes, and super fun basketball competitions. There will even be the opportunity to water dunk a teacher or two!

The day will be held at the Mosman Prep basketball courts and surrounding areas and in the School Hall from 1:00pm to 4:00pm on Saturday 16 November. All fundraising will go towards our new basketball court and play equipment for the School. 

Make sure you buy your tickets via the LINK - Trybooking.

P&F Committee

Christ is exactly like God, who cannot be seen. He is the first-born Son, superior to all creation. (Colossians 1:15)

In the game of "Scissors, Paper, Rock," each object has its own strength, yet each can be beaten by another. Scissors cut paper, paper covers rock, and rock breaks scissors. It's a fun, simple game of strategy, but it also holds a deeper lesson about power, humility, and Jesus.

When we think of Jesus, we often picture Him as powerful—healing the sick, calming storms, even raising the dead. Yet, Jesus didn’t always show His strength in the way we might expect. In fact, He often chose humility over power, much like how paper covers rock, not by force but by gentle covering.

In Philippians 2:5-8, we see the ultimate example of Jesus' humility. Although He is God, with all power and authority, He “did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant.” Jesus, the Rock of our salvation, chose to humble Himself even to death on a cross.

In the same way, in the game of Scissors, Paper, Rock, we see that no one option always wins. Each has a weakness, just as we do. But Jesus teaches us that embracing humility is not weakness—it’s strength. In John 13, when Jesus washes His disciples' feet, He shows us that true leadership and strength come through serving others.

So next time you play this game, think about how Jesus, the strongest of all, chose humility. Whether you are scissors, paper, or rock, remember that it’s not about winning or being the most powerful. It’s about being willing to serve and love others, just as Jesus did. In a world that often values power and winning, Jesus shows us a different way—the way of humility and service.

Rev. Daryl Diener | School Chaplain & Deputy of Pastoral Care

Enter an epic world of fantasy and adventure with knights, castles and adventurous quests at our one-day Village Kids Holiday Club on the final Friday of spring school holidays (11 October).

Your child will enjoy a creative and imaginative day of fantasy and adventure themed activities, games, crafts and stories from the Bible.

9:00am – 3:00pm on Friday, 11 October 2024

Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea are fully provided.

Just $25 per child

Register online at: https://www.mosmanvillage.church/holidays

Mosman Village Church

📚 Mosman Prep Boys are GOLD Medal Readers 📚 🏅 Competition Ending Soon 🏅

Congratulations to those students who have already completed the Olympic Reading Challenge and become Gold Medal Readers. This competition will conclude at the end of Week 9 of this term.

Senior Primary boys have been busy completing 5 different challenges -one for each Olympic ring! Including:

• A Marathon reading challenge -read 20 books of different genres
• A Synchronised reading challenge -read the same book as a buddy and discuss
  
• A Triathlon challenge -read 3 books in any series
  
• A Coach Time challenge -read to a sibling or parent
  
• An Athlete Focus challenge -read a biography/autobiography about an athlete
  

🏅To be awarded the Gold Medal award, all 5 challenges must be completed.

Silver Medal awards will be given to those who complete 4 challenges and Bronze Medal awards will be given to those who complete 3 challenges.

Junior Primary students need to read 9 different picture or chapter books associated with a particular Olympic event or theme. eg. Nations -a book set in another country or Equestrian -a book that has any animal(s).

All book titles and authors need to be recorded and have a coach (that is Mum or Dad) sign off once it’s completed.

🏅To be awarded the Gold Medal award, all 9 challenges must be completed.

There is also a competition amongst Junior Primary to see which class wins the most gold medals.

Good luck to all our Olympic Reading athletes.

Keep reading boys!

Dora Kazamias | Teacher Librarian

Exciting news! We're offering a fun-filled Vacation Care program during the September/October school holidays, 30 September - 3 October, for children aged 4-12. See below for all the details:

Program Details:

• Dates: Monday 30 September - Thursday 3 October
• Time: 8:00am - 4:00pm
• Age: 4-12 years old
• Who can attend: Current Mosman Prep students (Early Entry & Primary) and children from other schools (boys & girls) within the age range.

Activities:

• Workshops: Each workshop morning features engaging workshops (subject to change due to COVID). Afternoons are for organised sports, games, cooking, and free play.
• Excursions: Full-day programs are also planned for our excursion days.

Booking & Enrolment:

• Limited spots available, so book early!
• Booking: https://www.trybooking.com/CUQQD
• Enrolment: If your child is not already enrolled in ASC through HubWorks, complete the form here: https://mosmanchurchprep.hubworks.com.au/

Cancellation Policy:

• All bookings are final due to workshop planning.
• For COVID-related cancellations, contact lwestenberg@mosmanprep.nsw.edu.au

We can't wait to make your child's school holidays unforgettable!

Contact us:
Leonie Westenberg | Director ASC & Vacation Care lwestenberg@mosmanprep.nsw.edu.au
Phone during Vacation Care & ASC: 0412 229 164

Last Friday, Mosman Prep hosted The Southport School from the Gold Coast who were visiting as part of their annual sports tour. Fixtures were played at our Terrey Hills Campus and involved 1sts Rugby, Football and Basketball games. The games were played in fantastic spirit and the highlight of the day was the opportunity to meet and compete against new friends.

A huge thank you to all the staff involved and also all the Year 6 parents who gave up their time to organise delicious food and drinks throughout the day for all involved!

Some Year 6 student reports below:

1sts Rugby- The day has finally come. After a long week of school, Mosman Prep goes to Terrey Hills to play TSS in a rugby game. Before the game started, Mosman Prep and TSS made a tunnel for the rugby boys, it was awesome. The game started and TSS scored with a quick try to take the early lead. But after that Mosman Prep did not look back. Try after try, it was a try fest for Mosman in the first half.

In the second half as well, Mosman still scored try after try, and TSS scored one in the last second. The final score of the game was 15 to 50 with Mosman Prep winning. Mosman player of the game was Josh Yates who scored two tries, one of them was a miraculous whole field try! And the TSS fly-half.

Even though Mosman came out with the victory it was a great game for both teams and we would love to do it again.   By Charlie Frankel

1sts Football- The game kicked off with an intense atmosphere from the start. The first few chances flew by but still no goals. Finally after about eight minutes, Prep scored the opening goal. The celebrations were gathered to a halt as we knew we couldn’t get complacent as the job was not done. The first half ended 2-0 to Prep, but the game was still pretty even. TSS were fighting very hard and luck was what was keeping us ahead.

The second half started with The Southport School leading the attack. A few chances flew by and then the opposition scored. They were back in the game. Only fifteen minutes later Prep had bagged three and were up with ten minutes remaining. The last couple minutes saw TSS fighting for a goal, but Mosman were able to score getting two more.

Overall, the game was full of passion and the desire to win. Both the Prep boys and the TSS students in the stands were cheering for their team in a very entertaining and exciting match. Prep snatched victory winning 6-1 but the score line did not reflect how the game played out.   By Jakob Stalley

1sts Basketball- The game started with a bang. Immediately, the Mosman Prep crowd started chanting, the hype was so high. We began racking up the points, and soon we had 10. By the end of the first quarter, the team was tired but they were also excited about doing so well. Going through the game, we knew it was in our hands. Ed Timmins and Adam Shih had an amazing game, with Ed getting 28 points. While TSS had put up a good fight, the whites brought home the win.   By Miles Brown

Best of luck to our Year 6 boys who will be representing the school at the NBA Prep School Hoops Tournament at Cranbrook this Saturday.

1sts Basketball Squad: 1sts- Miles Brown, Will Dixon, Charlie Frankel, Adam Shih, Tristan Skulina, Jakob Stalley, Ed Timmins, George Yorston
Coach: Mr Tom Giles

Steve Riddett | Director of Sport 

Please find links below to further information regarding our October School Holiday Basketball and Cricket Clinics and Term 4 Sport. We are again delighted to be able to offer Basketball and Cricket (in conjunction with Cricket Appeal) Clinics in the second week of the October School Holidays. Please note these clinics are open to both boys and girls, and also to children attending other schools.

Link: October School Holiday Basketball and Cricket Clinics

Link: Term 4 Summer Sport Information

Link: Term 4 IPSHA Saturday Sport Fixture List

Steve Riddett | Director of Sport 

As part of the MCEPS Physical Education Program, Early Entry to Year 2 boys will be doing the BlueFit Swim Safety and Stroke Program at Mosman Swim Centre each day from Monday to Thursday inclusively in both Weeks 9 and 10 (eight sessions in total) at the end of this term. Session dates are as follows:

Week 9: Monday 16 - Thursday 19 September
Week 10: Monday 23 - Thursday 26 September 

All Junior Primary boys will need to wear their sports uniform to school on these swimming days and bring swimming costumes (no board shorts), towel and goggles clearly labelled in a bag. All boys will be given swimming caps from the organisers. All classes will be transported to and from Mosman Swim Centre via the School buses.

Steve Riddett | Director of Sport 

Saturdays: On Saturdays the MCEPS Information Line will be updated between 6:30 and 7:00am. This number has the most up-to-date information the School can provide regarding matters of sport and excursions. Parents are to call this number and not the School Office. After heavy rain, Mosman Council often closes its grounds, so please check with this number for all school sport and excursion cancellations.

Weekdays: In case of inclement weather, please ring the Prep Information Line, which will be updated from 1:00pm. Ovals might be closed by Mosman Council on fine days, if the preceding days have been wet. It is therefore advised that parents should ring the School’s Information Line on training days if there has been recent rain. 

PLEASE NOTE:  if the message has not been updated, Sport is ON as scheduled.

Steve Riddett | Director of Sport

Mosman Prep prides itself on its service to community, guided by our motto, Non Nobis Solum – Not for Ourselves Alone. In this spirit, in partnership with the P&F, we are pleased to be able to launch a new school community initiative called ‘Meals with Love’. 

This service will provide home cooked evening meals for Mosman Prep families in times of need. All meals are cooked by parent and teacher volunteers and are available for as many evenings as required. This service is anonymous, so meals cooked by volunteers will be delivered to the office for collection by the family as coordinated by the School. If your family has a need for this service, please contact Julie Shortland at the School Office at ea@mosmanprep.nsw.edu.au.

If you are also interested in being a volunteer and cooking the occasional meal for a family in need, please contact our Meals with Love Coordinator, Rachel Johnson-Kelly at racheljk@bigpond.com. 

Rachel Joshnson-Kelly | Meals with Love Coordinator

The Recycled Uniform Shop is open on Tuesdays 7:45-8:15am.

For the schedule of school events, please refer to the online calendar, which can be found HERE.