Welcome Prep 2017 2016
THE YEAR AHEAD Welcome to Prep at Cornish College. This is where the chaos and MAGIC happens! Thanks so much for coming tonight I will explain the routines of our class and chat about some of the important things you will need to know Working Together Our partnership between home and school NB: We have staff meetings Mon/Thurs after school and whole school briefing every morning at 8.30 2
MORNING ROUTINES Being on time is very important please aim to be at school by 8.45am so we can start our day at 8.50am Being on time helps children feel secure Supporting children to become increasingly independent is a big part of Prep such as tying shoelaces (VELCRO PLEASE), unwrapping lunch, tidying up after themselves and applying sunscreen (spray on is great) Children will be encouraged to line up on their own in the mornings and walk into the classroom independently It is important for children to carry in their own school bags and unpack them independently
What a day might look like The children will line up outside in their designated area Children will come into classrooms and commence in Open-ended tasks (Morning Time) or transition straight into our Literacy block Morning Check in (taking the roll), discuss daily schedules and activities The formal part of the day begins, usually with Literacy activities 4
Term 1 Developing friendships through Circle Time activities, morning time explorations & picture story books Building resilience We are aiming to let the children sort out their issues as much as possible, teachers will offer support when required through a Restorative Practice conversation...but as much as possible we are hoping for the children to build their own social skills and capacity When a child comes home and tells you something, please be mindful that you are only hearing one side and there is often a much bigger story or situation Learning to play outside Yard duty teachers wear orange vests NOTE: Prep playground and monkey bars installed and completed by the end of next week 5
Food at School The children are given plenty of supervised eating time before recess and lunch Children are encouraged to drink water throughout the day (drink bottles go on top of bag lockers) Canteen lunches are available for lunch but not at recess (Fridays) No nut products at school peanut butter, Nutella, some muesli bars etc Please come and chat before bringing in food to share e.g. birthday food 6
Hats and Sunscreen Hats need to be worn every day in Term 1 and Please apply sunscreen before school Labelled, roll/spray on sunscreen is a good idea in lockers or school bags. Please teach the children to apply the sunscreen themselves 7
Morning Time Morning Time is a session of Open-Ended tasks that the students participate in up to three times per week. Activities include drawing, construction, sorting tasks, imaginative play and dress ups amongst a range of other structured and unstructured tasks. Opportunities for students to explore areas of interest, develop social skills and participate in creative thinking activities in a less structured environment. Allows students to work at their own level on interest, ability and challenge. Donations for our Construction Zone 8
Friday Fossick Every Friday we go out on the property for our Friday Fossicks. Parents are welcome join us on odd weeks (Week 3, Friday 17 Feb will be the first session). Please check for Friday Fossick dates. It is an exploration of our beautiful property usually goes for 40 mins but may be longer sometimes. Children are expected to wear gumboots for safety and protection. All welcome no obligation 9
Buddies Preps are buddied with children in year 5T. The session takes place on Mondays. Includes fortnightly chook duty. 10
Numeracy Number - Embedded into everything! 1-10 (and beyond) extension for individual abilities Reading, recording and collecting different amounts 1 to 1 correspondence Subitising (instantly recognising an amount without having to count) Counting forwards and backwards from various points Measurement Using every day items to measure various objects e.g. My foot is 7 counters long, I am taller than 11
Statistics and probability Answering simple yes/no questions Numeracy Collecting data relevant to the child and our class Sorting this data into simple picture graphs Geometry (shape, pattern and location) Naming and describing common 2D shapes Finding and sorting shapes depending on various characteristics (curved edges, straight edges, 3 sides, 4 sides etc) Recognising, creating and continuing patterns Using location language to describe position (beside, between, under, over etc)
International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) It is an internationally recognised model of excellence and encourages an inquiry based approach to teaching and learning. It promotes the development of a learner profile where students are actively encouraged to be inquirers, communicators, thinkers, open minded, balanced, risk takers, knowledgeable, International principled, Baccalaureate caring Primary and reflective. Years Students are involved in six major Programme inquiries (PYP) each year, where they investigate big ideas and understandings which are relevant to all communities and societies locally and globally. Through these units, students are taught about and through the disciplines of science, technology, health and humanities. 13
Units of Inquiry The Units of Inquiry are designed to encompass the six transdisciplinary themes of the PYP: Who we are, Where we are in place and time, How we express ourselves, How the world works, How we organize ourselves and Sharing the planet Lots of opportunities for students to develop research, inquiry, presentation, social and communication skills. Students learn to apply these skills to other situations outside of class. Big, open ended questions 14
UNITS OF INQUIRY 2017 Our current unit of inquiry is Healthy, happy and safe with the central idea: We can all make choices that keep us healthy, happy and safe in our community. We explore the attributes of the learner profile and attitudes through our units of inquiry. If you have an interest in any area or can share a skill related to our unit please let us know! We love to have our community share their expertise.
Literacy Program Wide variety of reading Big books Speaking and listening skills including phonological awareness skills Writing for a range of purposes Handwriting will focus on letter formations, pencil grip and posture 16
Literacy - Reading Modelled reading Big books, concepts of print, punctuation, predictions, author & illustrators Independent reading Just right books & partner reading Interactive reading Interactive white boards & i-pad apps Guided reading Small teacher lead groups based on reading levels 17
Literacy - Writing Wide variety of strategies for writing - modelled writing, shared writing, scribed writing, copied writing High frequency words Popcorn/Magic words Word families (early spelling patterns) Handwriting will focus on letter formations, pencil grip and posture 18
Literacy Speaking and Listening Developing confidence to speak in the classroom Developing good listening skills Developing and using new vocabulary
Reading and writing float on a sea of talk Use the diary/ record book as a communication tool, important dates & recording of home reading. Parents sign please! Readers brought home nightly. Children are matched with books that should be easy to allow for success. Children will most often rely on the pictures, rhyme and repetition. Children may keep the same book for more than one night (to experience success and for pleasure). Reading each night. Continue to read to your child -you are excellent models. Don t forget to share the enjoyment and love of books with your child! 20
Classroom helpers Helpers are needed for the following: Reading Program Perceptual Motor Program (PMP) - 2 helpers needed each week Excursions Experts to share/teach/work in class Friday Fossick a fortnightly walk on the property all welcome and no commitment required 21
Lunch orders Just a few things Magic 5 Star of the Week Big Ted s Adventures Mindfulness As part of the school s commitment to mindfulness and well being students will participate short meditation sessions. Our mindful time will vary depending on the children s schedule and needs 22
IPADS ipad session for parents 17th Feb 9-10am Year 5 classroom ICT agreement (see office) Classroom teacher supervision ipads need to be charged daily at home & regularly backed up (just in case!) Apps list sent home via email and on the HIVE soon Please place apps used at home in a separate folder
Communication Feel free to email us at any time but please be aware that we do not always check our emails before school. If we need to know something urgently, please come and see us or contact us via the office. We will usually respond to emails within 24 hours (during school hours). 24
COMMUNICATION Academic Care meetings Mon 20th and Thurs 23 Feb The Hive Our new Learning Management System Email addresses: james.dixon@cornishcollege.vic.edu.au jessica.cook@cornishcollege.vic.edu.au
Reminders Please name everything even shoes! If something is lost, we have a lost property locker on the decking so much easier to retrieve things if they are named. If you are worried about anything at any time, please get in touch or come and see us. 26
COLLABORATION WITH SPECIALISTS Music Ms Nadine Hill Religious Education Ms Nadine Hill Physical Education Mr Michael Davis Library Mrs Triesha Hueneke Art Mrs. Bex Hinton Japanese Sensei Donna Saville
Thank you! Any questions, please see me