STARTING SCHOOL AT FRANKSTON HEIGHTS P.S.

2016 Prep Teachers:Tricia Hawkesworth and Leah Sutcliffe

Feeling Happy and Confident at School

Make sure lunches and snacks are easy to unwrap and that uniforms are easy to get on and off.

Practise the lunch and dressing for school routines while on holidays.

Encourage your child to bring home uneaten lunches and snacks so you can adjust to their needs.

Use shoes with Velcro or that slip on and off until your child can manage to do up shoelaces – a very demanding cognitive skill.

Label everything – uniforms look the same and so do new bags, drink containers etc.

Put an extra pair of underwear in a plastic bag – accidents can happen.

Expect that your child will be tired at school for the first few weeks so provide some quiet time at the end of each day.Ensure sleep routines are maintained and your child has enough sleep.

Ask about their school day and learn to ask questions that require some elaboration, such as “What was your favourite thing today at school?”

Starting School

A relaxed start to the school day really helps your child to have a positive day. Prepare as much as possible the night before e.g. lunches, checking bags for permission slips, notes etc.

It is important that your child arrives on time so that they receive valuable instruction time at the start of the day. Being late to class is not only disruptive for your child but the whole class.

Our first bell rings at 8:50am– this is a great opportunity to catch up with your child’s teacher, hand in notes or clarify any communications that have been sent home.

Eating a good breakfast sets your child up for their learning day.

Provide healthy snacks, lunch and water bottle for the day. Children have a fruit break at 10:00am in their classrooms. Water bottles can be accessed throughout the day.Children eat their lunch in their classrooms from 12:50- 1:00pm. It is very important that children know not to share their food. We have a strict NO NUT policy due to nut allergies.

Ensure that the person who is picking your child up is on time.

If your child is going to be picked up late please ring the school office.

Starting School

If you have questions or concerns for your child your first point of communication should always be the class teacher.

Toilets – have your child familiar with the toilets and how to use urinals for the boys.

First aid and medication is administered from the office by trained staff. All medications need to be handed to the office with instructions for administration.

Emergency contact details should be kept up to date – if any changes please contact the office immediately.

EVERY DAY COUNTS- a written note must be provided for any absences for your child. This is a requirement by law.

In 2016 our Prep children will begin school on Monday, the 1st of February. They will come to school 4 days per week, having rest days on Friday the 5th and 12th of February. All children will be at school full time in the week beginning the 15th of February and thereafter.

Wait outside classrooms at the end of the day as this is a busy time for classes to pack up before dismissal.

INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOL

Parent helpers in rooms- we love having you in our classrooms but we will let you know when this will begin as we need to get to know the children first and allow them time to settle into their new routines.

In 2016 we will conduct parent helper programs to show you ways that you can help in the classroom to ensure that everyone has the same information.

Friends of Heights – welcome new parents for social events and to raise funds for the school.

School Council – elections held every year.

General Information

School office hours are 8.30 – 4.30.

Car park is only for staff parking. NO drop offs or pickups in car park unless previously arranged with office.

Sunsmart School – hats in Term one and four. Hats worn outside for sport, excursions etc.

School banking is conducted through the Commonwealth School banking program. See Mrs Ryan( school bursar) for details. It’s important that you talk positively about school and value what is happening. Children are likely to commit to the school experience more readily if their parents are supportive of them, their teacher and the school.

CANTEEN

The canteen is run by Mrs Linda Eames. All food is home-cooked and fresh.The canteen is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for over the counter sales and lunch orders.Lunch orders are to be placed in the box at the office in the morning.We also have ‘Special Lunch Orders’ every second Friday. Normal lunch orders still run on this day.Parent helpers are always needed to assist on canteen days, particularly special lunch days. If this interests you, please see the office or Mrs Eames at the canteen.Please see our wonderful canteen list for the delicious delights available!

OUR CURRICULUMINQUIRY

TOPIC TERM 1

• Learning to Learn

• Families

INQUIRY TOPIC TERM 2

• Day and Night

• Weather and Seasons

INQUIRY TOPIC TERM 3

INQUIRY TOPIC TERM 4

• Dinosaurs • Celebrations

Reading and Viewing

Writing Speaking & Listening

ENGLISH

• use questioning and monitoring strategies to make meaning from texts.

• recall one or two events from texts with familiar topics.

• make connections between texts and their personal experience.

• read short predictable texts with familiar vocabulary and

supportive images • identify all the letters of the

English alphabet in both upper- and lower-case

CAFÉ READING

• students use familiar words and phrases and images to convey ideas.

• evidence of letter and sound knowledge

• beginning writing behaviours and experimentation with capital letters and full stops.

• correctly form all upper- and lower-case letters

VCOPBIG WRITE

TALK HOMEWORK.

• listen to and use appropriate interaction skills to respond to others.

• identify rhyme, letter patterns and sounds in words.

• identify and describe likes and dislikes about familiar texts, objects, characters and events.

• in informal group and whole-class settings, students communicate clearly.

• listen to others, take turns to speak.

• retell events and experiences with peers and known adults.

• identify and use rhyme, letter patterns and sounds in words.

DWPS Foundation CAFÉ MenuComprehension Accuracy Fluency Exploring Concepts About Print

I can tell the story from the pictures I can retell the story from the

pictures I can predict what might happen

next I can listen to and understand

stories that are read to me I can use what I already know to

help understand texts I ask questions about the text when

reading I answer questions about the text I can retell the story using text

features I can make a picture of the text in

my head I can back up and reread to help the

text make sense I notice and stop if a word doesn’t

make sense I understand and use text features I can identify important information

in the text I can sequence events in a story

I know the name of letters I know the sound each letter makes I can use the picture to help read a word I can clap the words in a sentence I can hear rhyming words I know the first sound in a word I know the last sound in a word I can match words that begin with the

same sound I can match words that end with the

same sound I can clap the syllables in a word I can read my M100 words I can blend two sounds to make a word

(onset & rime) I can blend three sounds to make a word

(onset & rime) I can chunk, blend and re-read words

I pause at a full stop I use a louder voice for an exclamation

mark I use a louder voice to read words with

bold print I use a louder voice to read words written

in Upper Case I change my voice when there are talking

marks I can read at a ‘just right’ rate

 

I know the front of a book I know the back of a book I know which way to hold a book I know where to start reading I know to start reading at the top of the

page I know to read from left to right I know what a letter is I know what a word is I know what a sentence is I can match each spoken word with each

written word I point to the words as I read I look at the pictures when I read a story

 

Reading Behaviours 

I can read quietly I can make a good choice of where to sit I can share a book with a partner I can listen to a whole class story I can share the favourite part of the story

with others I can join in the reading of a whole class

story I can read with a partner

 

 

  I can stay in one place during

Independent Reading I can take care of books I can choose and read a book

independently I can read independently for a short

period of time I can point to the words while reading

 

Number & Algebra

Measurement & Geometry

Statistics & Probability

NUMERACY

• connect number names and numerals with sets of up to 20 elements.

• estimate the size of these sets, and use counting strategies to solve problems that involve comparing, combining and separating these sets.

• match individual objects with counting sequences up to and back from 20.

• order the first 10 elements of a set. 

• represent, continue and create simple patterns.Number Fluency, Launch,

Discover, Summarise

• identify measurement attributes in practical situations and compare lengths, masses and capacities of familiar objects.

• order events, explain their duration, and match days of the week to familiar events.

• identify simple shapes in their environment and sort shapes by their common and distinctive features.

• use simple statements and gestures to describe location.

Number Fluency, Launch, Discover, Summarise

• sort familiar categorical data into sets and use these to answer yes/no questions

• make simple true/false statements about the data.

Number Fluency, Launch, Discover,

Summarise

Health & Physical Education

Each student participates in Physical Education and Sport weekly. Physical Education sessions include skill based activities, team building opportunities and fitness tasks.

Sport sessions are held on a Friday for whole school. Year 5/6s participate in Inter-School sport against schools in our local area. Prep to Year 4 have an opportunity to participate in a variety of sports.

In addition to P.E. and Sport sessions, students have the opportunity to participate in a week long intensive swimming program. From 2016, these will be held at PARC in Frankston.

During Science sessions at FHPS students are encouraged to inquire, explore, predict and question. Each year students explore the four key areas of Science; Earth and Space Science, Chemical Science, Biological Science and Physical Science.

Science

ARTS

PERFORMING ARTS

This involves all aspects of dance, drama and music. Students cover a variety of skills from script writing, singing, dancing and performing. Performing Arts also offers extra curricular opportunities such as main parts in the Whole School Production, Wakakirri dance competition and in the past Frankston Heights has performed in the State Schools Spectacular.

VISUAL ARTSVisual Arts offers an engaging program developing a range of skills. Students learn various aspects of Art including clay work, drawing, painting and construction. They learn about various artists and aim to recreate work using similar techniques. During production times, students help design sets, costumes and props.

Italian

All students participate in the learning of Italian language and culture, once a week.

This year, Prep students have been learning the basics of Italian such as greetings, counting, colours and family. They have also explored some cultural aspects such as making Venetian masks.

Each week, every class has a library session with their class teacher. In this session, they return and borrow books, as well as learn about the set up and organisation of library books.To encourage reading, all students participated in the Premier’s Reading Challenge this year. This is a government initiative where Preps-Year 2 are to read, or have read to them, 30 books.

Library

ICTAt Frankston Heights, we have an engaging ICT curriculum. Each Homestead has a set of notebooks and an interactive whiteboard (IWB). ICT is embedded in our curriculum across all areas as well as an allocated ICT session in the classroom each week.Along with teaching the skills of ICT to our students, we also ensure there is education in cyber-safety. We believe this an important aspect of technology in order to keep our students and each other safe when working online.Frankston Heights is an e-Smart school currently working in the planning phase working towards accreditation. E-Smart is an initiative of The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, looking at behaviour change to improve cyber-safety and deal with cyberbullying.

CASSE and KidsMatterCASSE = Creating A Safe and Supportive EnvironmentF.H.P.S. commenced its involvement with the CASSE Peaceful Schools Program back in 2012. Recognising the increasing issues and effects surrounding bullying in schools, F.H.P.S. sought to be part of a program that encouraged inclusion, empathy and understanding.  This is when we commenced our participation in the CASSE Peaceful Schools Pilot Program and implemented its practises into Frankston Heights.CASSE’s Peaceful Schools Program is a community based, student driven approach to identifying understanding and intervening effectively with bullying and conflict. Leadership, staff, students and parents work together to learn conflict resolution and upstanding skills to promote an empathic and caring school environment where everyone matters.

KidsMatter Primary is a mental health and wellbeing framework for primary schools and is proven to make a positive difference to the lives of Australian children.KidsMatter Primary provides the methods, tools and support to help schools work with parents and carers, health services and the wider community, to nurture happy, balanced kids.

Reading M100W words Ninja Numbers

HOMEWORK

Reading a book to your child• You can read a book to your child, this gives

you the opportunity to ‘model’ correct reading strategies.

• Make reading an enjoyable time. Make sure that both you and your child are comfortable.

• Talk about the illustrations with your child.• Encourage your child to join in reading parts

or predict what may happen next.• After reading the story or information book,

discuss the book, ask questions and encourage feedback from your child.

The M100W words help: ◦Increase fluency ◦Develop comprehension ◦Rapidly improve reading ◦Extend word knowledge ◦Boost self-esteem and confidence.

How can students use their M100W lists at home? • play games, e.g. snap, memory,

hangman • find M100W words in their reader,

newspapers, their environment.• each night practise reading from

your list.

The Ninja Numbers were developed to: ◦Increase number fluency ◦Develop automatic recall of number facts◦Allow students to work at their point of need◦Boost self-esteem and confidence

Listen to your child read

• Talk briefly about the book before the child reads (cover, title, author, pictures, words and ideas). Ask your child to predict what the book may be about.

• Encourage them to use clues (supporting pictures, word shape, letters- (but avoid spending too much time sounding out so that the sentence meaning is lost.)

Leah and I can’t wait to help your child begin their school years and look forward to getting to know you and working closely with you next year.

Before you go, please write your name and your child’s name next to an interview/assessment time for next year. The dates are Thursday the 28th or Friday the 29th January or Friday the 5th or 12th of February.

(1 hour is needed for each child)

Leah and I will conduct thorough testing of each child in Literacy and Numeracy including memory, listening, concepts about print and number awareness.

We will chat to you to get to know your child’s strengths/interests and any physical/emotional or medical information we need to be aware of.

During this time, you will be kept busy by labelling the children’s books and pasting M100W words and Ninja Numbers into homework books.