Welcome to Russell Street School

Transcription

1 Welcome to Russell Street School Tena koutou nga matua. Greetings to all parents. For each and every student (and their family), starting school represents the beginning of another important, exciting chapter in their lives. There are new challenges, opportunities and expectations. We welcome you to the Russell Street learning community and invite you to take advantage of the open door policy we have. We work hard to ensure that each child has a successful transition to school, giving them the best possible start. I am aware too, that new parents have a lot to take in when becoming involved with a new school. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any queries that you might have. I look forward to getting to know you and your child, and working together to provide the best possible education for him/her. David Reardon Principal We are pleased to welcome you and your family to our Junior Team known as Papatuanuku. We have an innovative and highly motivated team of nine junior teachers. Elly is teaching the new entrants who start school in the first part of the year. Nicole will begin a class part way through Term 1 and Carolyn in Term 3. We would like your child s start at school to be positive and exciting. We want them to feel safe and happy right from the start. Elly Warnock Julie Walkley Assistant Associate We look forward to meeting you and hope you will take Principal Principal up some of the many opportunities to become involved in the school community

2 Please feel free to come and talk with either of us if you have questions or queries. Pre-enrolment Pre-enrolling your child is quick and easy. All you need to do is contact David, Ag or Renee and ask for your child to be put on the pre-enrolment list. You will be asked for their full name, date of birth and a contact phone number. Pre-enrolling your child means that we know they are coming and can be prepared for their arrival. If your pre-enrolment is delayed we will work with you in making the move a smooth entry to school but may not have the necessary time for a full set of transition sessions. Transition Sessions Transition sessions are periods in the classroom which we encourage your child to attend before they turn five in readiness for starting school. If you are on the pre-enrolment list, about a month before your child is due to start school, the prospective classroom teacher will make contact and organise with you a series of visits. There are at least two of these the actual time and duration is arranged in negotiation with you and depends on the needs of your own child. While visiting, you and your child will be encouraged to take part in our class activities so that you can both meet the children in the classroom, become familiar with the environment, find classrooms of brothers and sisters, become familiar with lunchtime procedures and ask any questions you may have. Jumpstart Class (Four year Old Class) On Fridays we hold a class in the Library for 4-year-old children who are on our pre enrolment list and their parent/caregiver. Children usually attend in the three months leading up to their fifth birthday. The class is from 1.30 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. and is taken by one of the junior teachers. Children and their parents/whanau have the opportunity to get to know one another and are involved in emergent literacy and numeracy activities. Preschool brothers and sisters are also welcome. At each session children are able to borrow a book from the library to take home for a week. After each class, you are welcome to join the full school for either school singing or assembly in the hall.

3 We capture some of the learning experiences of children at Jumpstart and make these these available on the Jumpstart blog, which is linked to the school website. (Direct link: ) This on-line space includes learning activities, images and ideas of children attending Jumpstart and links to such things as parent information. This blog is especially for our pre-enrolled children. How are New Entrant Classes Organised? Most classes at Russell Street School are multi-level. This means that there are children from two age groups in each room. At RSS, we have three classrooms that take new entrants. Room 4 take new entrants at the start of the year (it is expected that this class will be full very early in the year). Room 10 will start up in term one and Room 1 in term three. If your child starts school and their fifth birthday is before April 1 st, they are classified as Year 1. If your child starts on April 1st or later they are classified as Year 0. All children with a birthday in April will have their progress monitored during the first three years of school to ensure that this classification is the best one for them. The First Day at School as a Five Year Old What do I need to bring and do? When your child turns five and arrives for their first day at school, you will need to fill in the school enrolment form. Ag or Renee will help you with this. It is a good idea to be at school in plenty of time for this to be completed before the bell goes at (You are able to do this prior to your child s 5 th birthday). You will need to bring a copy of your child s birth certificate or Plunket Book so we can verify the date of birth. We are also required to maintain a register of immunisation status for all children, so you will need to bring your child s immunisation certificate. If you do not have one you can get it from your GP. Ag, Renee or the classroom teacher can give you a stationery list for your child. This can be purchased at very reasonable rates through the school. It is preferable for children to have their stationery on the day that they start. Children should have their brainfood, brunch, lunch, and a drink. Meeting Other Parents and Finding Out About the School

4 Once a term we have a gathering where we invite new entrants parents/whanau and parents of prospective children to meet socially for an hour or so. Elly, Assistant Principal, the new entrant teacher, a Board of Trustees rep and a rep from the Supporters Club, will talk about our school and our community. There will be an opportunity for you to ask questions and to get to know each other. Frequently Asked Questions Are there school fees? Yes. These help cover the shortfall between the Ministry of Education funds and the actual cost of providing a quality education. For 2012, the voluntary fee (donation) is set at $50 a child per term with a maximum of $87.50 per family a term. You can pay it all at once or smaller amounts more regularly if that suits, and we ve got EFTPOS for your convenience. A tax rebate certificate will be issued from the Office. We also have an Activity Fee. This covers all class and school events each term. The rate is set at $40 a child a year (or $10 a term). What are the school hours? School starts at 8.55am. Children can come into class from 8.30 to get organised for the day. Interval (Brunch) is from to 11.25am with the first ten minutes being a supervised eating time. Lunchtime is to 1.45, once again with the first ten minutes being a supervised eating time. School finishes at 3.00pm. What do most children eat for lunch? Most new entrants come to school with too much food or are too excited to eat it independently. Try giving your child a balance of healthy and enjoyable snacks and include a drink of water. Can I buy lunches for my child at school? The Supporters Club arrange sausage sizzles once a month, details of which are provided in the weekly newsletter. How are children looked after in the playground? There are always two teachers on duty in the playground and one in the staffroom for First Aid. Each class has a buddy class they work with at different times of the week and older children are buddied up with younger ones. Buddies look out for each other in the playground and often play or help each other. We are also fortunate to have senior children who are on duty as Peer Mediators. They are available to help solve any problems the children may have.

5 What do I do if my child is sick or is going to be absent? It is important that we know if your child is sick/away. Please phone Ag or Renee in the office by Children are on duty in the office in the mornings before school so you can leave a message with them from 8.15 am, or leave a message on the answer phone if before this. We will make contact with the parents of all unexplained absences by 9.30am. Can I stay with my child during the transition visits? Students under the age of five must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver when attending any transition visits. However, we do encourage parents/caregivers to retreat to the staffroom (perhaps with a good book?) giving new children a chance to become independent as soon as possible. Discuss with the teacher and decide together what is best for your child. When is the best time to talk to a teacher? Before school is fine, but it can be quite busy. It is a good idea to arrange an interview when the teacher has plenty of time to spend with you. Just ask. What do I do if I have a concern about how my child is settling into school? Talk to the classroom teacher. All teachers are committed to making the transition as smooth as possible for children. What I Need to Bring When I Enrol My Child Up to date immunisation certificate Birth certificate What I Receive at Enrolment Cybersafety Policy and User Agreement Christian Religious Education pamphlet Blood Borne Policy Statement Stationery List School Sunhat

6 Ideas for Helping with Reading and Writing at Home Read to your child as often as you can and discuss the pictures, story, characters, cover, rhyming and repetition. Enrol your child at the local library. Take time to choose books together. Talk about and read everyday print e.g. signs, shop names, recipes, labels, shopping lists. Play games with alphabet letters, flash cards, letter scavenger hunts, fridge magnets, I spy etc, learn alphabet jingles and songs, look at alphabet books together. Talk and write about shared experiences and daily events, encouraging questions and descriptions, include family names and pets. Ask your child s help when you write a shopping list or letter. Surround your child with books and posters. Share with them different types of books e.g. poetry, fairy tales, joke books, non fiction. Use books and cd s in the car, at home (can be borrowed from the library) Listen to your child reading books regularly at home encouraging and praising their efforts. Have a home message board where you can write messages to each other. Provide a writing area and a variety of materials e.g. pens, pencils, felts, chalk, brushes, envelopes, postcards, stencils, greeting cards, notebooks, coloured paper, computer, ipad, whiteboard Encourage children to 'have a go at writing and get them to read it to you.

7 Ideas For Helping with Maths at Home Counting potatoes for tea, cutlery/plates to lay the table, sorting the washing, toys as you put them away Counting and recognising numbers Looking for numbers when you go for a walk Playing games o e.g. snakes and ladmagnet numbers on the fridge Number charts what comes before or after a number Number flash cards play memory, fish Writing numbers Reading telephone numbers Reading letter box numbers Count for fun forwards and backwards Colours I spy using colours Folding the washing can you pass me the blue t-shirt? Painting/crayons talk about the colours while drawing, colouring Counting cars of the same colour Sorting objects around the home. Shapes

8 Make objects from everyday junk, then talk about the shapes used in the construction On a walk, spot different shapes and sizes e.g. stop signs, letter boxes, houses, street signs At the park or playground practise being on, over, between, behind, in, near, above, below playground equipment Sorting Shoes are great laces, colour, buckles, Velcro, slip-on, boots, types etc Buttons, toy animals, vehicles, toy box, books, pens Height tallest, shortest Boys/girls, adults/children, Mums/Dads etc