I am looking forward to a fantastic year of learning and growth!
The following 'Arrival' information applies from the second week onwards.
Teacher supervision of the students (in the undercover area) begins at 8:15am. Your child should only arrive at school after this time so that they are not unsupervised. If your child needs to be dropped off early, please make a booking with the Outside Hours Care team.
An assembly bell rings at 8:33am each morning and your child should line up with our class in the undercover area when this bell rings. They should not stay with a parent during this time. If you would like to walk your child up to the undercover area, please ensure you have said your goodbyes before they line up.
PARENTS/GUARDIANS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO WALK THEIR CHILD TO THE CLASSROOM UNLESS THEY SIGN IN AT THE OFFICE FIRST.
If your child is experiencing difficulties saying goodbye, either myself, Mrs Delaney or an administration representative will walk them to the classroom and settle them. This is an important transitional strategy so that your child does not expect you to walk them to the room each day. Additionally, I believe that it is important for Prep children to carry their own bags/belongings to the classroom so that they can learn the valuable skill of independence.
It is VERY important that your child arrives at school on-time so that they can hear any messages for the day and participate in our whole-school prayer time. Additionally, I believe that arriving at school around 8:15-8:20am will give your child more opportunities to establish social links with their classmates before the bell rings. When a child is late it can affect their whole day. Every minute in our day counts. Please have your child at school on time each and every day.
Late Arrival
If your child arrives after 8:40am, please do not drop them off in the drop-off area. Students arriving after 8:40am should be signed in at the office by their parent/guardian. Please do not bring them directly to the classroom as our attendance rolls are marked electronically and you will be redirected to the office so that adjustments to the roll can be made and your child will be issued with a late slip to give to me.
It is also a legal requirement that any parent or helper must sign in at the office if they are on the school grounds between 8:40am and 2:55pm each day. This is to ensure that requirements relating to both fire safety and student safety are met.
After School
During the first week, we ask that you collect your child from our classroom each day (unless older siblings are collecting them, or they are going to after school care).
Unless you have signed yourself in at the office (and are wearing a volunteer tag), please remain in the 'Parents Area' until 2:55pm, when the bell rings. If you see other parents entering the school grounds without a volunteer tag, please redirect them to the office.
From Week 2 onward, all Prep students will be walked to the undercover area at 2:55pm. Please ensure you have informed your child as to where you will be picking them up from in the afternoon (it may be the undercover area, the pick up zone 'white post' or after school care). If your routine changes, please let me know via email or a note in your child's KIT folder so that I can remind them. An 'A' written on their hand will remind me that they need to go to After School Care!
IF YOU ARE PICKING THEM UP FROM THE UNDERCOVER AREA AND ARE RUNNING LATE, DON'T PANIC!
I know that the school car park is a very busy place, I will walk them to the pick-up area ('white-post') and you can collect them from there.
KIT Book
Your child's KIT (Keep In Touch) book will be sent home daily. It is your child's home-school communication folder. It should be brought to school in your child's bag every day, and it returns home each afternoon. It is also used to carry important notes from the school. This book is checked each morning so that I am aware of any important information or messages from parents.
Attendance
Attendance is vital in your child's education. Each day provides valuable learning experiences that can't be missed! I understand that your child will occasionally be sick as well as have scheduled doctor's appointments. Before (if possible) or after an absence of any kind, please email me (or send me a note) explaining the reason for the absence. Please include your child's name and date of absence on the note.
Library Bags
Students MUST bring a library bag to protect borrowed books. We use a 'No Bag, No Borrow' policy. If you do not have a library bag, you could use an old pillow case or a heavy-duty plastic bag.
Birthdays
Birthdays are a special time of the year for each child! If your child would like to share a small birthday treat with the class, please let me know. Our school prefers that individual cupcakes or ice blocks are distributed on birthdays rather than large cakes (as knives are not kept in the classroom). These treats will be shared either just before our Lunch or Afternoon Tea breaks or just before the end of school.
Interviews
We will have timetabled interviews during Term 2. If you would like to request a meeting with me other than the timetabled interview, please don't hesitate to make an appointment with me via email or a note in your child's KIT book. Open communication is essential in the successful education of your child!
Munch and Crunch
Each day we will be having "Munch and Crunch". You will need to send a piece of cut up fruit or vegetable to school EVERY day each week. I ask that you send your child's fruit or vegetable in a clearly labelled, separate container, zip lock bag or paper bag (if you can't write on the fruit. e.g. banana). Munch and Crunch gives the students an opportunity to put some nutrition into their bodies and increase their energy to learn at optimum levels. Munch and Crunch should be small enough to eat in about 5/10 minutes.
I will have a Munch and Crunch container available as your child enters the classroom every day.
In Prep we encourage children to eat healthy food. Some examples of foods to bring include: fresh fruit such as apples; mandarins; cut up oranges; seasonal fruit (stone fruit in the summer months); cut up watermelon; bananas; pears; cut up kiwi fruit; grapes; cherry tomatoes – the list is endless. Vegetables such as carrot and celery sticks; snow peas; cooked pumpkin and sweet potato squares; fresh broccoli florets are just some possibilities. It is an opportunity to be inventive with food.
We ask that students not bring any packaged or processed food as we are promoting healthy, natural foods.
Lunch
Food choices impact heavily at school. What children eat will affect how they behave, how they perform at school and how they interact with others.
Diet is important not only for physical health, but also for optimal mental development and functioning.
Please avoid sending foods that contain food additives. Remember that if it comes out of a box, it will have additives - don't believe the packaging! Additives can negatively impact behaviour and general well-being. I encourage all children to eat a selection of fresh fruit (not pre-packaged pretend 'fruit') or vegetables during the day. I also recommend a sandwich and fruit yogurt. In most cases, children won't need any more than the above items. The use of containers to store fruit, yoghurt and sandwiches is an excellent (and cheap) way to role-model environmentally friendly eating habits, rather than plastic wrapping.
Children need food that they can manage. Please teach and encourage your children to open their own containers, packets and juice poppers.
Additionally, please ensure that your child brings a drink bottle of water (NEVER cordial/iced tea) to school every day. We have scheduled drink breaks during the day and access to a water bottle near the room is a lot more time-efficient than using water fountains.
Tuckshop
Our school tuckshop is open every day.
You can choose between ordering your child's lunch/afternoon tea online (before 8:30am) through the QKR app or through the old 'brown paper bag' system with cash. I highly encourage you to use the online system. If you ever forget to send your child with lunch you can order an emergency lunch through the app before 11:30am.
Please carefully consider the food that you order for your child from the school tuckshop as we aim to educate the children to make healthy choices in their lives.
Uniform
All Prep children are required to wear the correct school uniform.
All children will wear:
A school sports shirt
Shorts or culottes
Light blue ankle socks
All black leather or leather-look shoes
(if you choose to buy your child school shoes with laces rather than velcro, please make sure they know how to tie them)
A school hat EVERYDAY
No Hat No Play Policy
Neat and tidy hair, tied back if long, as per the parent handbook information
Jewellery in accordance with the parent handbook
Medicine
For the safety of all students, there are rules and regulations regarding medicines. If your child requires medication, he/she will go to the office to have it administered. Parents must personally bring all medication to the office and fill out the appropriate medication form. Medications of any nature will not be accepted or administered in the classroom.