Lakes Creek State School
445 Paterson Street
North Rockhampton; Qld 4701
Telephone: (07) 4932 6333
Facsimile: (07) 4926 2139
Email:
Student Absentee Hotline: (07) 4932 6366
Term Dates 2016
Term 1 Monday 25th January 2016 to
(9 weeks) Thursday 24th March 2016
Term 2 Monday 11th April 2016 to
(11weeks) Friday 24th June 2016
Term 3 Monday 11th July 2016 to
(10 weeks) Friday 16th September 2016
Term 4 Tuesday 4th October 2016 to
(10 weeks) Friday 9th December 2016
Operating Hours
Prep hours are the same as school hours. The first bell rings at 8:30am and children can be dropped off then. Parents are welcome to stay until the school day begins when the next bell rings at 8:50am. School finishes at 3:00pm and children can be picked up from outside the classroom.
Bell times
8.30 am Warning bell
8.50 am First session
11.00 am Morning tea
11.45 am Second session
1.30 pm Lunch
2.00 pm Third session
3.00 pm End of school
Prep Aims
The children will develop at their own rate as they participate in the classroom activities planned for them. Through these activities we aim to develop in your children:
ü A good self image
ü Happy working relationships
ü Respect for others
ü Independence
ü Good working habits
They will learn to:
ü Share with others
ü Accept responsibility
ü Make their own decisions
Late Arrivals
If your child arrives after 8:50 am, you should first visit the office to collect a ‘Late Pass’ slips as the grounds are not supervised. Your child’s whereabouts must be accounted for at all times.
School Attendance
It is important that, once a child commences school, their attendance is as regular as possible. Children who are unwell should not be sent to school. Infections can spread. Please remember whenever a child is absent from school a parent is required by law to supply the school with a ‘written explanation or phone the school’. If you wish to take your child out of school prior to the end of the day you should visit the office to fill out an ‘early departure’ form.
Sun Smart / Hot Weather Policy
Skin cancer is a significant health problem in Australia. Whilst skin cancer most often occurs in adults, research is increasingly establishing a link between our childhood exposure and our risk of developing skin cancer. Our behaviour during the first fifteen years of life in Australia is critical. In teaching primary students about their skin and ways to protect it, we are not only encouraging them to develop good habits for the future, we are acting to protect them now.
Lakes Creek State School has a ‘Sun Smart’ Policy which stipulates that all children must wear a school hat outside at all times. All children are expected to wear the Lakes Creek State School hat which is available at the school uniform shop.
We strongly adhere to the school rule – No Hat, No Play!
Assessment and Reporting
Meetings between parents, teachers and students are held twice a year. The purpose of these meetings is for the exchange of information for the mutual benefit of student, parent and teacher.
However, if there is a need to speak to your child’s teacher at some other time, please contact the office so that a time can be arranged.
A written report regarding your child’s progress will be able to be viewed twice a year and parents will have the opportunity to discuss this with your child’s teacher. A portfolio of your child’s progress will be sent home in December for you to keep.
Birthdays and other Celebrations
Everyone loves a birthday and other special celebrations, as these are wonderful ways to build understanding about each other. Children are welcome to bring in a birthday cake to share with the class. Please see your child’s teacher about arrangements. Please notify the Prep teacher if your child has allergies to food that would prevent them from participating in shared food experiences.
Communication
Messages: Please check reading folders regularly to keep in touch with the children’s activities, items of interest and generally, what's happening at school. Notices sent home in newsletters need more attention.
Newsletters: Newsletters will be sent out informing you about events happening in and around the school community. Please check your child’s reading/homework folder every day.
Sharing information: Events in family life, such as illness, new babies and visitors can be a prime source of excitement or concern for young children, and so affect their behaviour at home and/or at school. It is important for the home and school to share information that may affect children, and we would appreciate it if parents would inform us of any unusual happenings of this nature.
Please feel free to discuss any problems or queries with your teacher that you may have about your child’s progress, the school or the program. We look forward to working with your child and yourself in building a supportive partnership!
Names and Labels
As young children often do not recognise their own belongings, we cannot emphasise enough the need to label absolutely everything – school bag, shoes, lunch boxes, hats, library bags, and clothing.
Preparing Your Child
Parents will need to provide:
§ a small fruit snack to eat at 10.00 a.m. – cut into bite size pieces
§ a water bottle – clearly labelled
§ lunch (wrapped separately) to eat at 11:00 a.m.
§ a snack to eat at 1:30 p.m.
(we encourage healthy food and water)
§ a spare set of clothes including underwear and socks in a labelled bag, in case of an accident. (These are to be kept in the child’s school bag.)
§ label all clothing clearly
Australian Curriculum
The Australian Curriculum was introduced across all schools in Queensland in the curriculum areas of English, Mathematics and Science from Prep - Year 10. In 2013, History was introduced and Geography introduced in 2014. Education Queensland has provided a wealth of materials to support this transition through a web-based Curriculum to the Classroom (C2C) resource for all teachers.
Specialists
Prep students attend a Music lesson and a Physical Education lesson each week with specialist teachers. Prep classes visit the Library on a weekly basis for borrowing with their class teacher.
The Early Years Curriculum Guidelines
- provides the basis for our Prep programme incorporating the following:
® Supporting play as a context for learning
® Understanding each child as an individual
® Developing supportive partnerships
® Providing flexible learning environments
® Assisting children in exploring the world around them and in the ways by which they learn.
Young children construct personal understandings through active exploration of their environment and interactions with people, objects and representations, hence the emphasis in Prep on play and interactions.
Learning in Prep occurs in five contexts
ü Play
ü Real-life situations
ü Routines and Transitions
ü Focused learning and teaching
ü Investigations
And across five learning areas
§ Social and personal learning
§ Health and physical learning
§ Language learning and communication
§ Early mathematical understandings
§ Active thinking processes
The Prep year allows your child to develop all the abilities, skills and dispositions needed for a successful transition into Year 1.
What will my child do at school?
Your child will have many new experiences and learn many new skills. For example he/she will learn to: -
Get along with others. Be cheerful, polite, fair and well-mannered / Be safe – by taking part in safety activities: personal, fire, road and playground / Spot differences – in colours, sizes, shapes and sounds / Care for living things and the environment- by putting rubbish in the correct bin and looking out for plants and animalsExplore – new things and ideas / Share – things like toys, games – by experiences with others / Care for self and belongings. Develop independence in toileting, personal hygiene and classroom routine. / Plan ahead – ask questions and anticipate future events
And when ready, your child will learn to…
Express self – with words, clay, crayons, music etc. / Play fair by – following rules and taking turns during games / Protect self – know when and where to go for protection
Use new words - Learned from people, experiences, books, videos / Listen – to stories, to directions, to others
Water Bottle
Particularly during the very hot summer months, it is important that children have an adequate intake of fluid throughout the day. For this reason, each child will need to bring a water bottle marked with his/her name every day. Children can place this on the tray in the room. They will then be able to access their water bottle at most times during the day.
Treasures from Home
Toys and trinkets from home often become lost or broken at school, so it saves a lot of time and heartache if these are left at home. Any toys that find their way to school will be cared for by the teacher until the end of the day. Staff cannot assume responsibility for any loss or breakage.
Please check with the classroom teacher about show and tell arrangements.
Behaviour
Prep should be a safe, friendly environment for the children and staff. We have a time-out area for children having difficulty following Prep rules. Parents may be contacted if behaviour becomes disruptive or unsafe for others.
Queensland Print ~ Beginner’s Alphabet
a A b B c C d D e E f F
g G h H i I j J k K l L
m M n N o O p P q Q
r R s S t T u U v V
w W x X y Y z Z
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
*Show your child how to write and recognise their name. Write with both upper and lower case eg. Mary not MARY
Lakes Creek State School’s Prep curriculum caters towards different learning styles and children of different ages.
Literacy
Every morning Preps complete a two hour Literacy block that covers the three English domains of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. At Lakes Creek School, Preps begin to take home readers for reading at home from week two, enabling children to become confident with reading and books.
The Early Numeracy Program
We focus on your child’s active participation in mathematical experiences using concrete materials. Over the school year the students will explore assorted material to count, sort, classify, group, measure, weigh, add and subtract, and solve simple problems. Sorting, grouping and classifying activities lead to an understanding of the relationship between qualities. The children will learn to count in a meaningful way.
Information Communication Technology
All children have access to computers in the classrooms. All are networked and linked to the Internet to allow maximum student access. All children are issued with their own personal login name and password. Emphasis will continue to be placed on increasing the use of technology by the students in their day to day activities at school. Interactive whiteboards are used to model concepts taught, build ICT skills and to engage students during whole class discussions.
Library
Every WEDNESDAY afternoon, students attend the school library, where they are given time to select picture story books to borrow. The books can stay home for the week and returned the following Wednesday.
Homework
Lakes Creek State School believes that a strong and positive home school relationship is integral to educational success for your child. Homework underpins the learning that takes place in class.
Breakfast Club
Breakfast club starts at 8.10am and continues until 8.50am on Tuesdays. This is a free service and is open to any student at Lakes Creek State School. It provides a healthy start to the day with juices, cereal and toast.
Prep. Information Booklet 2016Page 10