75 mcdougall street toowoomba q 4350 phone: 46 … booklet.pdf · fairview heights prep 2018...

Fairview Heights Prep 2018 Information Booklet

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75 McDougall Street Toowoomba Q 4350 Phone: 46 592 888 Fax: 46 592 800

www.fairheigss.eq.edu.au [email protected]


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Contents Page No

Welcome 3

Session Times 4

School Terms 4

Prep Skills Checklist 4

Parent Interviews 5

1st Day of Prep 5

Prep Policy 5/6/7

Literacy Groups 8

How Can I Help My Child 9

Daily Schedule 10

Punctuality 10

Every Day Counts 11-12

Sick Children—Absences 13

Infection & Communicable Medical Conditions 14

Hygiene 14

Collection of Students at the End of the Day 15

Volunteers 16

Birthdays 16

Toys/Treasures 16

Lending Library 16

What to Wear? 17

On Our Feet 17

What Your Child Needs To Bring . . . 18

Tuckshop 18

P&C Association 19

Invoicing & Payments 19

Support Services 20

Transport Assistance for Students with a

Disability 21


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Welcome

A very warm welcome to all parents and children. We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with you and your child in 2018. We believe that education is a combined venture of the child, his/her family, the teach-ers, teacher aides, other school staff and the whole community. Prep, to a child, is a new world, full of exciting things to do. Here, your child will find new friends to share expe-riences with and adults who understand and care.

Prep Aims It is our aim: To build partnerships with students, parents and the wider community ena-

bling us the optimum opportunity for children to grow and learn To be the first link in the educative process for the young child as we par-

ticipate in appropriate activities within our school To provide a program that is both challenging and responsive to the di-

verse needs of the young child To continue to foster appropriate early childhood practices in all that we

do.


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Session Times

All Prep children attend 5 full days per week. Each day is 8.50 am – 3.00 pm Fruit Break 10.00am 1st Break (Lunch) 11.00am—11.45am 2nd Break (Snack) 1.15pm—1.45pm

2018 School Terms

Term 1: Monday 22 January – Thursday 29 March Term 2: Tuesday 17 April – Friday 29 June Term 3: Monday 16 July – Friday 21 September Term 4: Tuesday 8 October – Friday 14 December Prep Attendance is compulsory for all children turning 5 between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2013.

Prep Skills Checklist

The “Prep Skills Checklist” which was handed out at your Prep Interview with our Admin Team is due to be returned to the school office by Friday 24 November 2017 (if you haven’t already returned it to the school). This checklist will be used for us to make an informed decision when placing your child in their 2018 Prep Class. The class teacher will also use this information to get to know your child as best as they can before they begin Prep.


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Parent Interviews

Parent Interviews will be held between Wednesday 17 January and Friday 19 January 2018. You will be notified of your interview time by letter. This is an important opportunity for you and your child’s Prep Teacher to go through the “Prep Skills Checklist” and their Transition Statement (received at the end of kindergarten) and for you to share as much information as possible about your child. Please bring your Prep child with you to the interview.

1st Day of Prep

Prep Students commence full day attendance on the very first day, Monday 22 January 2018.

Prep Policy

Admission: It is essential that we see proof of date of birth of your child before they begin their attendance. Please ensure that you have provided the school administration with a copy of your child’s birth certificate.

This is required before a child can begin attending any Prep sessions.


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Safety Prep children must be brought into their

classroom and collected from their classroom by a responsible adult, known to the teacher, each day, unless alternative arrangements have been made with the Principal.

If, at any time, you arrange for someone else to collect your child, please inform the teacher of the arrangement.

Prep Classrooms open at 8.30am. Each Prep day officially begins at 8.50 a.m. We welcome you and your

child from 8.30 am onwards. You are able to leave your child in our care at this time.

Collection of students at the end of the day

In the interests of safety and consideration to our teachers and students, parents, caregivers and After School Care operators who enter the school grounds before 3.00pm in the afternoons are to wait in SHED 2. We have signs on the entrance gates that lead into our school and signs in the areas where parents/carers should not be sitting. Thank you for your cooperation.

After a suitable time of adjustment for the Prep student to the Prep routine, if a parent wishes for an older sibling to walk the child in and collect them in the afternoon, a written letter needs to be given to the Principal for approval.

Prep Students may use the “Lookout Program” after a suitable time of adjustment. A written letter requesting that your child use this program, needs to be given to the school office and a copy will be sent to your child’s teacher. The students will be walked to “Lookout” by a Teacher Aide and left in the care of School Staff on Lookout Duty.

Further information regarding the Lookout Program can be found in the Fairview Heights State School Prospectus.


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Prep Year Program The learning experiences in Prep will help your child to: Take on responsibilities Become more independent Respect other people Co-operate with others Make sensible choices about their health

and safety Develop their physical skills Learn about their environment Develop their oral and written language Develop their numeracy skills Learn how to be thinkers and problem

solvers Use their imagination and creativity And much more….

What will I see my child doing? Investigating interests Making choices Talking with teachers and other children Learning to Reading Learning to Write Designing and making things Singing, dancing and painting Listening to stories Climbing, balancing, jumping outdoors Planning & sharing in make-believe play Using digital Technology Taking part in everyday experiences like

gardening, cooking and tidying up Learning Mathematical concepts and

skills Developing an understanding of their

family’s history through story telling Learning about their environment

around them through geography and science experiences.

Learning about Australia’s indigenous culture, art and traditions

Taking part in off-campus activities such as swimming and visiting Amaroo Environmental Education Centre


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Literacy Groups

Prep students participate in Literacy Groups three times a week . These groups are based on each student's learning needs in reading, writing, speaking and listening. It allows the class teacher to ability group students in order to differen-tiate teaching and learning in the area of literacy. An adult (teacher/teacher aide) facilitates the learning in each group.


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How Can I Help My

Child? Share information about your child with the

teacher. This is important regarding Medical appointments and Therapist Sessions eg. Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapist. This information is always confidential.

Chat with your child about what they’re doing at school.

Visit the classroom for a brief chat or to take part in daily activities and/or special events.

Encourage your child to experiment with a range of materials and equipment.

Encourage your child to explore different ways to organise areas (for example, their bedroom, play area, cubby).

Read together and talk about a range of everyday items such as signs, notices, letters, catalogues, magazines, TV guides, food packaging and bills.

Read and talk frequently about storybooks, factual books and rhymes.

Make available a variety of containers and materials for measuring, such as water, grain and sand.

Involve your child in family activities that investigate mathematical ideas – such as cooking, setting the table, matching socks, sharing a meal.

Provide ‘recycled’ materials for drawing, making patterns and building things.

Celebrate ALL learning and achievements—big or small! Attend Pre-Prep Playgroup and our schools Prep Information Evening.


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Daily Schedule

All Prep children will be involved in similar daily activ-ities. Most days will include:

A large block of activity time indoors Outdoor time – some free time, some structured

activities Whole group time sessions – literacy, numera-

cy, science, history, geography, digital technology. Oral language activities and story time Music and movement time Fruit Break, 1st Break (Lunch), 2nd Break (Snack) Social skilling activities Using pencils, crayons, scissors, glue, paint and paper Using ICT Interactive Whiteboard and iPads Using classroom materials for counting, sorting, group-

ing games and language activities A Specialist Music, PE or Media Arts lesson

This list is not exhaustive. Please encourage your child to talk to you about their day.

Punctuality is Essential

Children need to be brought to Prep on time in order to take full advantage of the program planned. Punctuality in collecting your child is very important as children worry if they are left behind or are the last to leave. It is also important to remember that staff members have other duties to perform at the close of each day. Children will be supervised at the office if you are more than 10 minutes late.

If you do Arrive Late (after 9.00am) or need to Leave School

Early (before 3pm):

If arriving late in the morning, parents must bring your child

to the office to sign them in and collect a Late Slip to give to

the Class Teacher. FOR PREP ONLY If leaving early,

parents sign your child out at the office first and collect an

Early Slip to take to the classroom to collect your child.

(Year 1-6 Students—Classrooms are rung and students come to meet

parents at the office)

We know we can rely on your co-operation.


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Every Day Counts

As Prep is compulsory, parents are reminded of the importance of sending chil-dren to school on every school day unless there is a reasonable excuse for the student to be away, such as illness.

Research shows that students who have a good attendance record are more likely to achieve high results. Going shopping, visiting family, staying up late, be-ing tired or extending school holidays are not acceptable reasons to be away from school. Being at school every day counts, with one day absent each week quickly adding up to two months of missed lessons in a year. Please read the statistics on page 12.

Unless your child is ill, it is expected that your child will be at school learning every day of the school year.

As part of our schools Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) students are not able to participate in the end of Term Celebration if they have unexplained ab-sences.

More information on the importance of regular school attendance is available at http://education.qld.gov.au/everydaycounts/index.html

Attendance

Good attendance and success at school go hand in hand.

Absences from school are notified regularly to Education Queensland. Parents

are asked to please comply with the following when students are absent:

Please notify the school – A Separate Entry for Each Child containing

Name of Child / Class / Date of Absence / Reason for Absence VIA

Text Message SMS 0429 392 102 OR

School App OR

A Written Letter

If your child is absent for 3 continuous days without contact from a parent/

guardian, the school will make every effort to contact you.

http://education.qld.gov.au/everydaycounts/index.html


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1 or 2 days a week doesn’t seem much but ...

If your child misses…

that equals … which is … and over 13 years of school that’s ….

1 day a fortnight 20 days per year 4 weeks per year Nearly 1.5 years

1 day a week 40 days per year 8 weeks per year Over 2.5 years

2 day a week 80 days per year 16 weeks per year Over 5 years

3 day a week 120 days per year 24 weeks per year Over 8 years

The effect of absence on progress

A whole year has 365 days; a school year has 190 days. That leaves 175 days to spend on family time, visits, holidays, shopping and other appointments.

No Absence 10 days Absence

12 days Absence

19 days Absence

29 days Absence

39 days Absence

190 days of education

180 days of Education




152 days of education

100% 95% 94% 90% 85% 80%

Very Good

Best chance of success. Gets your child off to a flying start

Worrying Less chance of success. Makes it harder for your child to make progress

Serious Concern Your child will find it very difficult to make progress. May result in court action!

How about 10 minutes late a day? Surely that won’t affect my child?


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Sick Children—Absences

Even though the child may want to come, school is not the place for your child when they are sick. Runny noses, temperatures, cold sores, open sores or discharge from ears or eyes are all indi-cators of possible infectious conditions. As well as risking the health of others, your own child is placed at risk of further infection at a time when immunity is low. Please keep your child at home during such times and notify the school.

TEXT ABSENCES to SMS—0429 392 102

This function is available for reporting student absences.

Our school is using the ID Attend computer program for Ab-

sences. We now send a text message by 10.00am to

parent/carers of students who have not arrived at school

and not notified the school of a reason for their absence.

Rolls are marked at 9:00am, if you receive a text message

from FHSS simply reply by text with your child’s name and

the reason for their absence. So save this number in your

phones as FHSS Absences!!

OR FHSS SCHOOL APP ABSENTEE NOTE

Download the FHSS FREE APP for Smart Phones and

IPADS. In the PARENT Eforms section there is an

ABSENTEE NOTE which you can complete. This is then

emailed directly to Admin.

You may still choose to send a note directly to your child’s

class teacher instead of using these other options.

SMS - 0429 392 102

John

Smith

3F


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Infection & Communicable Medical

Conditions

These can occur from time to time and par-ents are asked to immediately contact the school if your child has a contagious condi-tion. Medical recommendations would then follow. The official Department of Health exclusion policies to prevent the spread of infectious diseases among staff and children can be found at www.health.qld.gov.au/ph/documents/cdb/timeout_poster.pdf

Hygiene

Viruses and bacteria spread very quickly and easily amongst children in close contact. To minimize cross in-fection: Children will be encouraged to wash hands before

eating and after toileting; Children will be sent home if they are unwell.

Chicken Pox


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Collection of Students at the End of

the Day

In the interests of safety and consideration to our teachers and students, Parents/Caregivers and After School Care Operators who enter the school grounds before 3.00pm in the afternoons are to wait in SHED 2. We have signs on the entrance gates that lead into our school to Shed 2.

Younger siblings ARE NOT PERMITTED on the playground equipment while waiting for the 3.00pm bell as this is very distracting for students and teachers. (As per the signs on display in the playground areas)


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Volunteers

You are very welcome to join in our Prep program. Talk to your child’s classroom teacher to negotiate a suitable time. Parent/carers are encouraged to volunteer for one of our three sessions throughout the day. All volunteers MUST sign in and out at the office. (See School Prospectus for further information)

Birthdays

We celebrate each child’s birthday at school. You are most welcome to send along on your child’s birthday (or closest day to it) the appropriate number of cupcakes to share with their friends.

Toys / Treasures

It is best to leave toys and special things at home, as upsets occur when they are lost, damaged or “misplaced”. Special toys may be brought on the day of their birthday celebration and Positive Behaviour “Bring a Toy from Home“ reward. We do encourage children to bring environmental objects, or nature treasures to show, observe, talk about and learn from.

Lending Library

Books may be borrowed on a weekly basis from the Library. The children must have a library bag to protect the book. Please ensure your child keeps the book in the bag, when it is not being read. Always keep it in a special place, so it is easy to find. Any lost or damaged books must be replaced or paid for.


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What to Wear?

At school, children use paint, clay, sand, water, soil, dough and other messy mediums. Such activities are essential to meet the creative, intellectual, emotional, social and physical needs of young children. For these reasons, please dress your child in your child’s school uniform. It is advisable to keep a full spare set of clothes in your child’s bag in case they need to change. Please: Only the Fairview polo shirt with a skirt, shorts, or skorts – the Fairview dress is awkward for the girls to play and climb in, when outside.

On Our Feet

At Prep, we sometimes remove our shoes when outdoors, for safety on equipment and to promote healthy feet. It is important, however, that ALL Prep children come to class in shoes. Closed in shoes with Velcro are the preferred option – shoelaces are difficult for children to cope with at Prep.

Fairview Heights SS

2nd Hand Uniform Shop

Tuckshop Days (Mon, Thurs & Fri 9am-1.30pm Last day of Tuckshop Thursday 30 November)

Friday 19 January 2018 9.00—11.00am

Monday 22 January 2018 8.00—9.00am


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What Your Child Needs to Bring…

A shady hat – broad brimmed, legionnaires or school bucket hat

A large school bag – NO smaller than 45 cm x 30 cm

A water bottle – to be brought each day

Lunch box

Fruit Break - fruit or raw vegetables is preferable

First Break—sandwiches, cheese, yoghurt, vegetables, muffins or other healthy snacks

Second Break—a healthy snack

A library bag Please ensure that lunches are easy to open. If your child requires a spoon for certain foods, please provide one in their lunchbox. Please do not send lollies, chips, soft drink, rollups or chocolate bars.

Prep Tuckshop

Prep Tuckshop will be available for Prep students one day per week from the beginning of the school year. Tuckshop is at first break (the longer eating time). Our Tuckshop Convenor, Monica Collins, needs volunteers. Please consider helping in Tuckshop.

A Tuckshop Menu will be distributed early in Term 1. Prep Classes will have tuckshop on Thursdays. Orders need to be written on a brown paper bag and placed into the Tuckshop

box/basket in the classroom on arrival. OR

Orders can be placed and paid for through flexischools, which is an online ordering system which allows the parents to order and pay for tuckshop on your mobile or desktop. This system does not involve sending a paper bag or cash to school with your child. The orders are made up and put in brown bags and sent to the classroom at first break. Take advantage of the convenient service by going to flexischools.com.au and click register.

A flyer is included in the School Info Pack regarding this method.

These items need to be

clearly named

First Break

John Smith PF Ham & Cheese Sandwich $3.30

Choc Milk $2.00

Total $5.30


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P&C Association

Families of Prep children are invited to be part of the school P&C Association.

The P&C Association usually meet on the second Tuesday of each month.

INVOICING & PAYMENTS

When there is a Class Excursion planned, you will receive an Excursion Permission Letter via your child and an INVOICE for the excursion via EMAIL. The EXCURSION PERMISSION FORM needs to be signed and returned with payment through the School Office payment slot by the due date. The signed permission form still needs to be returned to the office even if you have paid by BPoint.

If we don’t have your email address you will only receive a paper copy of the invoice if the amount is $20 or above. Please contact the school if you need to update your email address.

Payment for Excursions can be made by using the BPOINT feature which is detailed on your School Invoice. This feature accepts Credit Card Payments and issues a receipt immediately. Just remember to use the correct CRN number, which is detailed on the School Invoice.

Any money sent to the school for activities, other than

Tuckshop, should be placed in a well sealed envelope

labelled with the child’s name, class and what the money is

for – eg. visiting groups, excursions, camps, swimming

lessons etc. and placed in the CASH COLLECTION

LETTER BOX (pictured) at the back of the Administration

Building BEFORE SCHOOL. No money is to go to the class

teachers.

If your child does not attend the excursion, your account will be credited after the activity and you will receive an ADJUSTMENT NOTE via your email address. This credit can be used for the next activity/excursion.

All monies MUST be paid by the DUE DATE indicated on the letter you receive regarding the excursion/activity. This allows up to date reports to be run for teachers and enables administration to finalise accounting processes.

The Admin Staff process payments and then send receipts to the teachers. Receipts are placed into the Prep Students POCKET for Parents/Carers.


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Support Services

We are passionate about creating supportive programs in the most appropriate environment for each individual child. Our support structures are flexible over time and change depending on student needs. For example some students need a small class environment initially to flourish, others may need to be in a larger class when they start then move into a small class with more support. Other students need visits in either a smaller or larger class. Through offering a range of support options we feel we can assist students to access their learning environment and their potential. Other support services that may be available include our:

Guidance Officer Advisory Visiting Teachers Therapists—Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist Learning Support Teacher and Teacher Aides School Chaplain


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Transport Assistance

—for students with a disability

As a parent, you have responsibility for providing or arranging your child's transport between school and home. If you are experiencing difficulty in getting your child with a disability to school, you are able to request that an assessment be undertaken to determine eligibility for transport assistance. This is a formal assessment undertaken at the school by a trained school transport assessor. To be eligible, a student must have a disability that necessitates the provision of transport assistance. The factors that are taken into account in de-termining eligibility for this assistance are:

attendance at the nearest school or the nearest school with a

specialised program in the area of the student's disability/disabilities

the student's ability to travel independently between school and home

your capacity to provide transport for your child.

The School Transport Assessor will explain the assessment to you as

you go through the process with them. If your child is eligible for transport assistance, the school transport assessor will recommend one of two types of assistance: Category 1 transport assistance which includes either:

an allowance which may be paid if you drive your child to school;

passes for public transport.

Category 2 transport assistance involves:

contracted taxi or minibus services. This may be available

if your child is unable to use public transport and you have

no means of driving your child

to school. You will need to com-plete a parent application form

for this type of assistance.


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We welcome your visits and your interest. Please feel free to discuss your child’s progress with us at any time.

75 mcdougall street toowoomba q 4350 phone: 46 … booklet.pdf · fairview heights prep 2018...

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