Starting School For Prep Children

• On the first day of school, Wednesday January 31, all Prep children will meet in the Junior School Hall at 9.15am and will be met by the Prep teachers.
  
  
• Until the week beginning Monday the 26th of February, Prep children will attend school from 9.00 ~ 3.30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
  
  
• Prep children will not attend school on Wednesdays during the month of February.
  
  
• Your child’s teacher will make assessment appointments with you, for a Wednesday in February.
  
  
• From the 26th of February to December the Preps will attend school Monday to Friday, 9 ~ 3.30pm.

Preparation for School

         These points may help with preparation for school:

What is the school entry age?

• A child must be five years old by April 30 in the year of admission to school. The Regional Director can only grant early entry exemptions.

Socially - can your child do the following?

• Listen to teachers, other children
• Do what is asked
• Make his/her needs known
• Share and co-operate
• Know how to take turns
• Cope in the care of other adults

Emotionally - does your child do the following?

• Cope with separation from you
• Have self-control
• Have independence
• Have a sense of responsibility
• Have persistence in completing a set task

Physically - can your child do the following?

• Take care of his/herself
• Undo a lunchbox
• Unscrew and screw up a drink container
• Drink with a straw
• Manage a drinking tap
• Manage to turn a tap on and off
• Manage a soap dispenser
• Manage independently when going to the toilet
• Manage zips, underwear
• Flush the toilet
• Use a handkerchief or tissue correctly
• Manage packing a school bag
• Manage peeling a banana, orange
• Manage a Prima type drink
• Undo a food packet
• Apply sunscreen, avoiding eyes
• Dress him/herself
• Put things away after using them
• Recognise his/her name
• Manage his/her own asthma medication

SCHOOL ROUTINES

Becoming Familiar

As time gets closer to actually starting school, there are a number of things you can do to help your child settle into school happily.

• Have a picnic at the school during the January break to familiarise your child with the junior adventure playground.
• Get to know the school and its routines and expectations.
• Visit the school with your child and make an appointment for a tour.
• Talk about the school day - ‘play time’ and ‘lunch time’.
• Show your child his/her lunch box, drink container.
• Practice opening/ unwrapping snack and lunch items
• Discuss and show how their snack is wrapped separately from lunch. Some parents write a big “S” on their child’s snack for a few days.

Collecting Children After School
Please collect your child promptly from the classroom at 3.30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in February and every day thereafter. Wednesdays will be devoted to conducting interviews to assess the Prep students during February. Your child’s teacher will inform you of your child’s interview/ time/s.
Your child will be tired and may not feel like talking about school. This is very natural! Don’t feel upset if you ask your child “What did you do at school today?” and he/she says “Nothing!” Your child will tell you about his/her day when they are ready.

Leaving Your Child on the First Day
Smile, cheerfully say “goodbye” and “have a great day, I’ll see you this afternoon” and leave straight away. Please tell your child beforehand that this will happen. Your child may shed a tear, but will very quickly become absorbed in the many activities prepared by the teachers. Very few children are upset, as many are used to childcare environments. You may shed a tear too! The Principal would love to have a “cuppa” with you and is great for a shoulder to cry on!

The First Five Weeks At School
Show by your word and attitude that you are sure school is a happy place. Help your child to develop positive “good” feelings about going to school.
When you arrive at school, take your child to the classroom where a name badge will be ready for your child to wear. Name badges help teachers to quickly identify the children and are usually worn for the first few weeks. Please make sure your child’s name badge is left in the classroom at the end of the day.
You are asked to take your child out to the school ground to wait for the music to begin at 8.55am, which is a sign for all children to go to line.  Children line up in a different place for Monday assemblies. The bell rings at 9.00am.
As the days pass encourage your child to play on the equipment in the junior adventure playground. This helps them to settle in and have fun at the start of the day. If it is raining all the children may go straight to the Junior Hall from 8.45am.

Toilet Routine
Preps are taken to the toilet at frequent intervals during the first few days. As they become used to the routine, they are then permitted to go during school time, but they must always go with a partner for safety. Junior toilets are located inside the junior building.

• Try to establish a home routine for the ‘main’ toilet visit for the day.
• Remind your child to go to the toilet at recess or lunchtime. The teacher also reminds them. Washing of hands after the toilet is always emphasized.
• In the event of ‘an accident’ parents will be notified immediately to bring a change of clothes or to take your child home.
• Pack a change of clothing in your child’s bag

FOOD AT SCHOOL

Play Lunch
Morning recess begins at 11.00am. Preps do start a little earlier than the other children to provide them with longer eating time. We suggest you provide a healthy snack such as a small piece of fruit, cheese, carrot, yoghurt or health bar. In hot weather a small fruit juice, frozen drink or bottled water is a good idea too.

Drinks
Drinks of any kind in cans and glass containers are NOT permitted at school. We would appreciate your cooperation in observing this rule. We suggest “prima” type drinks or a clearly labeled plastic bottle that can be taken home daily and refilled. Please use a permanent marker pen so your child’s name will not wash off. Water containers are encouraged for use in classrooms at any time and especially during hot weather.

Lunch
Lunch is eaten under supervision of the class teacher. Lunch for Preps commences at about 12.50pm. When the children are finished they go out into the playground with the other children. On wet days all classes remain inside and a wet day staff duty roster is implemented.
Please keep your child’s lunch simple and small. Our experience shows that many little children have difficulty eating a big lunch. Teachers try to make sure that any food not eaten is returned home so that parents can gauge the correct amount needed.

Lunch Orders
The school provides a lunch order service on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. We prefer that your child does not have a lunch order until the beginning of Term 2. The children will feel more comfortable learning to manage the class lunch routine if they bring a lunch from home.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Prep Transition/Orientation
Children enrolled at St Kilda Primary School take part in three orientation sessions during November and December. Sessions build in time from one hour up to two hours in duration. Children are engaged in literacy and numeracy based activities during their orientation, and they are invited to watch a Junior School Assembly with their parents.
Orientation is an important time for your child/ren to become familiar with the school and some school routines. It is an important that you leave your child during these sessions. We find that a quick goodbye and an affirmation that you will be back to collect your child/ren at the end of the session is the most effective. If your child seems upset they will usually settle quickly after you have left (don’t worry, our teachers are trained to deal with this and will talk to you if they have any concerns.)

Contact Phone Numbers
It is vitally important that we have at least one or two contact people we can phone if an emergency arises. These people must be available to come to collect your child immediately from school. Please ensure that the office is notified of any changes in phone numbers or contact details.

Notices Sent Home
Make a point of reading all newsletters and circulars carefully. The teachers will be ensuring that any notices are given to the children for them to put into their bags, so it would be a good idea to check your child’s bag each night so that you do not miss receiving any important information. A weekly newsletter is distributed each Thursday to the eldest child in the family.

Questionnaires/Surveys
From time to time the children bring home questionnaires and/or surveys to be completed by parents and returned to school by a specified date. Your involvement in these matters is of vital importance in helping make decisions at school and your cooperation is always appreciated.
Regular Attendance
Regular attendance is vital to the building of your child’s foundations for future success. Some Preps in the early months of the New Year at school find that they get very tired, especially on very hot days. The teachers are trained to be aware of your child’s needs and they will contact you if they feel that your child needs to go home at any time. Please do not arrive early to collect your child on hot days.

The only reason your child should be absent from school is illness and special appointments such as dentist, doctors etc. that are unable to be made outside of school hours. From time to time other important family events take place and we understand this. Please communicate with your child’s class teacher about these matters.
If your child is absent for any lengthy period of time without a written note, the Principal will contact you to have a chat. The Principal is the Student Welfare Coordinator and she oversees the well being of all children in the school.

Please send a written note when your child returns after an absence even if you have given a verbal explanation. If your child arrives late at school in the morning, or is being collected from school before 3.30pm dismissal please sign the Register book at the Office.

SEE ALSO: download latest Parent Information Booklet (230Kb, PDF)