Get documents about "Preschool Information Booklet 2009
Document Sample
Stockton Public School Preschool Information
“Providing opportunity and student success through a learning community”
10 Clyde Street, Stockton 2295 T 4928 1101 F 4920 1224 E: Stockton-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: www.stockton.ps.education.nsw.gov.au
Welcome to Stockton Public School Parents in the Preschool
Preschool
In our preschool, the parents are important. To
This booklet has been prepared to give parents assist in the development of each child, it is
information about preschool. We are proud of essential that a close liaison be maintained
our educational programs, equipment and the between the school and the home. We would
service we offer. If you have ideas that you like parents to be actively involved in the
think may improve our preschool, please feel educational process. You can help by:
free to discuss them with the preschool
teacher, Mr Peter Wilson, the learning support Entering the preschool by the front door.
officer, Mrs Marilyn Billett or the Principal, Mrs
Looking at the noticeboard regularly as
Tracey Frazer. The preschool is part of the
you are sure to find something of
whole school, so is under the overall
interest.
supervision of the Principal however, most of
Reading the school newsletters sent
your contact will be with the preschool staff.
home each week to keep parents
What your child will learn at preschool advised of the whole school
happenings.
Develop skills that enables them to be Joining the P&C Association, Family
independent. and Friends, the Canteen Committee
Communicate with other children and and participating in school activities.
adults.
Develop good relationships with others. Special Occasions
Contribute to the well being of others.
Express themselves through speech, Parents will be notified of any special
music, movement and art. school or preschool activities involving the
Observe, question and organise their children e.g. Education Week, Easter and
thinking about the world. Christmas. In addition, throughout the year,
you will be invited to some informal parent
Play gatherings such as excursions.
Play is an important aspect of the preschool
Works of Art
program. “Play is the child’s work”. The
importance of play cannot be emphasised
When your child brings home something
enough. If you have any questions about any
made at preschool don’t expect it to “be”
part of your child’s preschool experiences
something. The child’s mood, familiarity
please just ask the preschool staff or the
with paint, paste and wood etc. influence
Principal.
what is done. What is important about the Enrolment
work is the process of making it (i.e. the
skill in choosing the materials, do what is Enrolments are taken from waiting lists
wanted, the concentration required, the compiled by the school and are confirmed
sharing of materials, the thinking that goes when enrolment details are recorded on the
into all, rather than the finished product). school computer. Priority is given to
Try not to say, children living within the Stockton Public
“What is it?” Probably the best way to show School zone, provided they meet the
your interest is to ask how it is made, or Department of Education age requirements.
simply to say “Tell me about what you’ve Children “out of zone” will be accepted if
made” and then display their latest work of vacancies are available. Special
art in pride of place at home, if possible consideration will be given where
(e.g. on the refrigerator). However, do not circumstances warrant variation to the
be distressed if sometimes your child has general priority statement. Opportunities
nothing to bring home. are given to visit the preschool before
enrolment occurs, e.g. “Orientation Day”.
Your child’s name is usually printed in
correct lettering in the top left corner in Proof of Age
preparation for when they go to
kindergarten. A sheet, which has the Children must turn four years of age before
lettering used, is available at preschool. 1st August in the year of enrolment. Birth
This does not mean you should be teaching Certificates and passports are acceptable
your child to write, but if the child is “proof of age” documents and must be
interested, this sheet will help you both. A sighted by the school office staff as part of
child who learns to write in capital letters the enrolment process.
only will have to learn a quite different form
when beginning kindergarten. Immunisation
Baby health books or immunisation
certificates need to be sighted by our office
staff.
Change of Address
If you change your address or change
telephone numbers, please notify our office
staff promptly.
Health Problems
If your child has any particular physical or
health problems, it is important that you let
us know.
Toilet Training
Birthdays
All children should be toilet trained before
Birthdays are a very special time. It is your they come to preschool. Please discuss
responsibility to provide a cake for the any problems relating to this matter with us.
children to share if you wish however, it is
essential that you discuss this with the Attendance
preschool staff, especially as some children We run two sessions each week:
may have allergies that have to be taken Session 1 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
into consideration. Session 2 Thursday, Friday
Times: Term 1 9 am to 2.30 pm
Terms 2, 3 & 4 9 am to 3.00 pm
Children must be collected from the money is to be handed in at the school
preschool by a responsible adult who is office located in the cottage. The money is
known to the preschool staff. In the event to be placed in an envelope with your
of any variation from this person, some child’s name and the amount enclosed
identification by way of letter or phone call clearly marked on the front.
needs to be provided. This is to provide
protection for your child. The parent contribution provides:
Milk
Parents and other responsible adults must Ingredients for cooking
sign the in/out book each day. Purchase of consumable materials –
paper, paint etc.
Parking It also assists in the purchase and
replacement of equipment that the
Parents are asked to ensure that cars are children use.
parked legally at drop off and pick up times,
they do not obstruct houses and the public
and is absolutely safe for children. Take
care using the lane, but please do not park
there and remember, obey the traffic signs.
Absences
A phone call to the school notifying
absences would be appreciated, especially
if absences extend past three days.
Excursions
These are undertaken throughout the year.
If we plan to travel away from Stockton, Toys and Games
both sessions may combine. Parents are
encouraged to participate. As toys/games can be easily lost or broken,
we recommend that children do not bring
Emergency Numbers their own toys to preschool. Birthday
presents may be an exception – we would
We ask you to nominate someone who can love to see them…. However, like “show
be contacted in an emergency (e.g. child and tell” items, they will be kept in lockers
not picked up at the end of a session, or a until the appropriate time. Guns and
sick child) if parents are not available. swords are inappropriate items for “show
However, sometimes in the past, we have and tell” and must not be brought to
found that in contacting the “emergency preschool.
helpers”, they had not been advised that
their names and phone numbers had been Clothes
given to the school. As an act of courtesy,
and to avoid confusion, please only Children are asked to wear sturdy play
nominate an emergency contact who gives clothes suitable for playing and climbing.
approval for this to occur. We suggest shorts, t-shirts and sandals
with a hat for outdoors in the summer, jeans
Parent Contribution or slacks with a sloppy joe or jumper etc. for
the cooler weather.
It is helpful if the parent contribution of
$15.00 for session 1 or $10 for session 2 All clothes must be labelled!
can be paid weekly or fortnightly in
advance, or some choose to pay the whole Please send along a spare pair of “undies”
term in advance. Contributions are to be in a plastic bag in case of accidents. For
paid whether your child attends or not. All
your child’s safety, the following restrictions nutrition, we ask parents not to send lollies,
also apply: cakes, packets of salted snacks or bottled fizzy
drinks. An exception is made for birthdays.
No thongs or “party shoes”. Lunchtime 11.00 am to 11.50 am
No frilly or long dresses. Recess 1.50 pm to 2.10 pm
No flowing articles e.g. scarves.
If earrings are worn they should be Appropriate ideas include:
plain studs. Sao biscuits and cheese
Costumes (e.g. super heroes) are Buttered milk arrowroot biscuits
not considered appropriate. Cheese slices
Raw vegetables e.g. carrot sticks,
Clearly label all your child’s belongings e.g. beans, celery
clothing, school bag, shoes, lunch box Fruit (fresh or dried)
etc.Thank you. Muesli bars (soft ones preferably)
As children at this school suffer from
peanut allergy, we ask that you do not
send peanut butter sandwiches or
peanut products to school.
Immunisation for Preschool
Parents of a child who attends a childcare
centre, playgroup or preschool will need to
show their child’s immunisation record. If there
is an outbreak of disease in the centre then
children who are not immunised will have to
stay at home during the outbreak.
Some questions you may have about
immunisation:
How important is immunisation?
Immunisation is extremely important. It is a
simple, safe and effective way of protecting
children from disease.
Hats
Which immunisation should children
The school has a policy – “no hat, no play”. attending preschools have received?
Children must bring a hat to preschool every
day. These children should have received the Triple
Antigen (DTP) and Sabin (Polio) vaccine at 2,
Rest Time 4 and 6 months of age, and a booster dose of
DTP at 18 months of age.
Children are required to bring a sheet for rest
time (terms 1 and 2). A fitted cot sheet is an What if my child was given combined
ideal size or the school office has sheet sets Diptheria/Tetanus (CDT) vaccine instead of
for sale. Children may bring a pillow if they Triple Antigen (DTP)?
wish.
A combined Diptheria and Tetanus (CDT)
Lunch and Recess vaccine may have been given instead of DTP
to some children. This means that children are
A sandwich is appropriate for lunch and fruit for not immunised against whooping cough.
recess. Milk or water is provided at snack Parents of children who have received CDT
time. As we are trying to develop concepts of must realise that in the event of an outbreak of
whooping cough (pertussis) their child will be Make sure your child knows in advance that
excluded from attending their respective you will be back to pick them up. Build up your
preschool. child’s confidence by telling them how they
Is it necessary for my child to have been have grown and so on. Help them to feel good
given Hib vaccine? about themselves and confident that they will
easily fit into the new environment.
The National Health and Medical Research
Council (NHMRC) has recommended that When you have signed your child in and it is
Haemophilus influenza type b vaccine (Hib) be indicated that it is time for you to leave, please
included in the routine childhood immunisation do so promptly. No matter how tempted you
schedule from 1 July 1993. This means that are, it is best not to linger or watch from a
children born after 1 May 1993 will need to be distance. This will only increase your child’s
vaccinated with Hib vaccine from two months anxiety. If they cry or throw a tantrum, do not
of age. Evidence of Hib vaccine will only be worry, as this is quite normal and expected.
required for a complete immunisation They soon stop when mum, dad or the
certificate to be issued when these children are caregiver is gone.
ready to start school.
Parents and younger siblings may wait for their
What immunisation requirements are child by the seats through the main door.
necessary for my child going to school next Parents have to sign their children in and out
year? each day.
Parents with children starting school in the
preschool from 1994 onwards must present an
immunisation certificate at the time of
enrolment.
Does this mean my child has to be
immunised?
No, you will always have a choice. However, if
there is an outbreak of an infectious disease,
such as measles or whooping cough in the
school, children who are not immunised will
have to stay home during the outbreak. This is
for their own protection and the protection of
family and friends. When you pick your child up from their first day
try not to bombard them with questions or keep
Starting Preschool asking if they were happy. Remember that
they will very likely be exhausted and could
Talk to your child in positive terms about easily burst into tears at the first sight of you.
coming to preschool. Avoid saying things like Give them time to unwind. After all, they have
“You won’t be afraid” as this has the reverse used a lot of emotional and physical energy
effect and alerts the child to the possibility that this first day, trying hard to do the right thing
there may indeed be something to be afraid of and to remember all they have been told and
when this thought hasn’t occurred to them shown.
before. Talk about all the good things to be
experienced – new friends to be made, new Do try to wait until comments about preschool
toys to play with and new games to be learned. are offered and the child is ready to talk.
Sound happy and excited yourself, your tone of Naturally, you are eager to learn about your
voice carries just as strong a message as the child’s day. Some parents become concerned
actual words you say. Assume your child will when their child tells them only negative things
have a happy time, say so, and the chances that happened – stories about getting into
that he/she will be happy are much increased. trouble or not having anyone to play with. It’s
best to give stories like this only perfunctory
attention at first. It could be that your child is
testing your response, especially if you have
shown anxiety by asking questions like “Tell
me what you learnt today.”
Do not take little ups and downs seriously (or
be too judgemental about staff). Do not
overreact to these little tales of woe that might
come home in the early weeks. Be calm and
remember, if your child knows that you expect
problems, he/she will make sure you get them!
Sometimes after a few days (or even weeks),
your child may have decided they have had
enough and want to stay at home. This is not
unusual. Many children are not used to this
routine and are tired, and the excitement and
novelty has worn off. If you wish your child to
continue at preschool it is best to be firm and
keep on bringing them. If you relent and keep
them home, you will only get the same reaction
(or worse) when you bring them back. Be
assured, tears and tantrums soon stop when
you leave (as hard as it may seem for you to
leave them when they are so unhappy). If,
when you get home, you are concerned,
please phone and we will let you know how
they are. You can either phone the school
number (4928 1101) and ask to be put through
to the preschool or phone the preschool
directly on 4920 1547.
Be positive and they will soon settle down. If,
at any time, you have any concerns about your
child, please feel free to discuss them with the
preschool staff. Our aim is to provide a
positive and rewarding experience for your
child whilst attending our preschool.
