Information

​Please find below some useful information about the procedures at our school.

Arrival

First Day of School

On the first day of school, students can be dropped off at our Prep Navy classroom from 8:15am. Please bring all booklist items on this day and place them on the bench under your child's name. Outside our classroom you will find containers for lunchboxes, water bottles, Munch and Crunch and KIT folders. Please assist your child to place these items in the labelled containers. 

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Please ensure that morning goodbyes are kept short and sweet to enable your child to transition into a successful day. We will ensure that your child is fully supported as they become comfortable with their new routine. 

Weeks 1 and 2

Students can be brought to our classroom at 8.30am.

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From Week 3

Teacher supervision of the students (in the undercover area) begins at 8.15am by Admin. 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 Outside Hours Care. An assembly bell rings at 8.33am each morning. Your child should be sitting down in the Prep Navy line at this time with their bag on their back. They should not stay with a parent. If you would like to walk your child to the undercover area please ensure you say your goodbyes before they line up.

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Please note, parents/guardians are not permitted to walk their child to the classroom unless they have signed in at the office first.

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If your child is experiencing any difficulties saying goodbye, either myself, Mrs Holland or a member of administration will walk them to the classroom and settle them. This is a very important. Additionally, 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. Arriving at school from 8:15 or 8:20am will give your child more opportunities to interact 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. Children 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. Your child will be issued with a late slip which they will give to me upon arrival at the classroom.

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

Beginning of the Year
During the first two weeks, 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). In Weeks 1 and 2 you can collect your child from 2.45pm at our classroom. While you are waiting for your child outside our classroom, I kindly ask you to not look through the windows or doors as this unsettles the children and can make them upset.

From Week 3
From Week 3 onwards, all Prep children will be walked to the undercover area at 2:55pm. Our pick up spot is in front of the tuck shop. We will be waiting in this area every afternoon this year. Please ensure you have told your child 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. 

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. In this case, I will walk your child to the pick-up area ('white-post') and you can collect them from there.

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KIT Folder

On the first day of school we will prepare your child’s KIT (Keep in Touch) folder. This folder will be sent home daily in your child’s bag. It should be checked daily for any important notes or messages. It is your child’s home to school communication folder. Inside the folder you will find a KIT book. If you have any quick questions of messages fro me, please write them in this book. I seek to reply to any notes or messages daily. Notes that are placed in this folder will be taken to the office. 

Attendance
Attendance is vital for 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. Please advise me of absences of any kind via email or KIT book, explaining the reason for the absence, ideally before the absence. If your child is unwell, please notify the office in the morning.​

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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. Our library borrowing day is a Tuesday. Please remember to pack your child’s library bag on this day.

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Birthdays

We love birthdays! You are welcome to send in a small, individual treat (such as cupcakes or ice-blocks) for the class to share so we can help your child celebrate their special day. If your child has an allergy, it would be helpful for you to provide an alternate treat (to be kept in our Prep kitchen during the year) so that they are able to join in celebrations. 

Interviews
We will have timetabled interviews this year in Prep. More information will be provided closer to the time. If you would like to meet with me in the meantime, please don't hesitate to make an appointment with me via email or a note in your child's KIT folder. Open communication is essential to the successful education of your child!

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Munch and Crunch
Each day we will be having a "Munch and Crunch" break at approximately 9:45am.  You will need to send a piece fruit or cut-up vegetables 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 children 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.

In Prep we encourage the children to eat healthy food. Some examples of foods to bring for Munch and Crunch include: fresh fruit - apples, mandarins, cut up oranges, stone fruit, 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 or corn are just some possibilities. I ask that students do not bring any packaged or processed food where possible as we are promoting healthy, natural foods.

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Lunch
Food choices impact heavily on learning 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 mange. 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. 

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Tuckshop
Our school tuckshop is open every day. Food can be ordered online (before 8:30am) using the QKR app. 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.

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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

• Neat and tidy hair, tied back if long, as per the parent handbook information

• Jewellery in accordance with the parent handbook
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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.