Pre-Prep

​Get set for Prep at Deception Bay State School

Very soon, your child will be starting Prep at Deception Bay State School. Starting school is an important time for children and their families. Children who make a positive start to school are more likely to feel:

• comfortable, relaxed and valued
• good about themselves as learners
• a strong sense of belonging to the school community

To ensure that both you and your child have a positive start to school, included in this booklet are some messages that you may find useful.

Curriculum and Learning

Our Prep year is a learning environment with exciting things to do, see, touch and experience. Your child will find friends to share these experiences with and teachers who respect them as capable and competent learners. Learning involves developing a relationship of trust. We aim to create a relaxed, secure and supportive environment where children are encouraged to investigate, explore, spark their curiosity and voice their wonderings.

Our Prep program has been developed to embed the Australian Curriculum in the learning areas of English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, The Arts, Technologies and Health and Physical Education. The Prep program actively engages learners in real life learning contexts and promotes:

• Understanding each child as an individual.
• Developing supportive partnerships with learners, families, staff and the wider community.
• Teaching and learning that takes place in a range of contexts.
• The provision of a flexible learning environment.
• Assisting children to explore the world around them and the ways in which they learn.
• Encouraging and supporting social and personal learning.
• Developing health and physical wellbeing as well as gross and fine motor skills.
• Promoting active learning processes with a focus on thinking, investigating, inquiring and problem solving.

Responsible Behaviour

All students have the right to learn in an environment where they feel safe, valued and empowered. At Deception Bay State School, a very high standard of behaviour is expected from all students.

Student Code of Conduct

The school has a strong yet supportive Student Code of Conduct in place. The code outlines the school's strategies in being pro-active in promoting positive behaviour and minimising inappropriate behaviour at school. A copy of the code is on the school website and is also available on request from the Office.

School Rules

• CARE for yourself and others
• DO the right thing
• SPEAK kindly

​Students are positively reinforced for displaying the appropriate behaviours through:

• Deception Bay 3 Awards
• Super Star Awards
• Student of the Week Awards
• Participation in Celebration Days
• And much more.

​If students have difficulty displaying positive behaviours, consequences appropriate to the behaviour will be applied. For more information, please see our Student Code of Conduct.

Arrival Procedure

Prior to the school day commencing, Prep children, parents and carers are asked to wait in the gated grass Prep area. There is no play before school for Prep children – or any learners at Deception Bay. At 8:15am we have a warning bell which encourages students to start making their way to their classroom. At 8:20am a bell will ring and parents, carers and learners can then move to the classrooms. Learning begins promptly at 8:30am. We encourage you to use this time to settle your child into class for the day. When children come in to the classroom, they are encouraged to be responsible for their own belongings. Please encourage your child to independently follow the routine outlined by the class teacher. These may vary from teacher to teacher. The routine may include:

• Putting their bag on the bag rack.
• Placing their water bottle, healthy snack and lunch box in the appropriate places.
• Going to the toilet before instruction begins.
• Being greeted at the classroom door ready to enter class and begin learning!

Encourage independence by allowing your child to carry their own bag. Encouraging your child to also pack and unpack his/her own belongings will help to develop both responsibility and independence.

When it is time to say good-bye, be cheerful, optimistic and positive. Please do not linger as sometimes the anticipation of your departure can cause your child distress.

The Prep program starts promptly at 8:30am so please ensure that your child is at school on time. This way, your child does not miss out on any of these important daily routines or valuable group learning experiences.

Daily Routine

Click link to go to our Daily Routine page:

https://deceptionbayss.eq.edu.au/our-school/class-times

• Placing their water bottle, lunch box in the correct place each morning.
• Placing their labelled healthy snack (which should be separate from their lunch box) in the appropriate place each morning.
  
• Returning their library bag and library book each week. 

Attendance

The Prep year is a full day program for 5 days a week.

Regular attendance is very important. Making sure your child has every opportunity to engage in a successful start to school includes them attending school regularly. Attending school regularly not only builds on skills and content of learning outcomes, it also helps to develop and maintain friendships. If your child will be absent from school, it is vital that you follow communication procedures to inform the school of your child's absence.

Late Arrivals, Early Departures and Absences

If your child is unwell in the morning it is advisable to keep them at home. A sick child is better at home with their parents rather than at school feeling unhappy and unwell. A child who is not well cannot learn properly and may infect others. Please advise the office each day that your child will be absent from school. You can telephone the school absence line on 3897 2466 to advise of an absence. Should your child become ill during the day, he/she can rest in the sick room and parents or other contacts listed on the enrolment will be notified. Please ensure that your contact details are always up to date and notify the office of any changes to contacts or numbers.

Late arrivals must report to the office upon arrival at school (prior to going to the classroom) to obtain a 'Late Arrival' slip.

If you need to collect your child before the end of the school day, you must visit the office and obtain an 'Early Departure' slip. This slip advises the classroom teacher that you have signed your child out at the office.  

When the Prep day finishes, please ensure that you or whoever is collecting your child is waiting on time. A child can quickly become distressed when it's time to go home and no one is waiting to collect them. If you know that you are going to be late, please contact the school office and notify them of your delay. Please notify your classroom teacher personally or in writing when someone other than your listed emergency contacts will be collecting your child from school.

​Healthy Snack

The healthy snack is in addition to the two designated eating times and is eaten whilst the children are working or listening. It is a time when learners are encouraged to eat small amounts of brain-healthy food. Learners bring bite size pieces of fresh fruit and/or vegetables to eat.

Please name your child's healthy snack or snack container. Processed and packaged foods are not appropriate choices for this snack break.

We really appreciate healthy lunches each school day. To encourage healthy eating habits, we ask you to send along healthy foods (e.g. fresh fruit, dried fruit, cheese, salad items, sandwiches, yoghurt, carrot and celery sticks, etc.) It would be appreciated if you did not pack food in tins as these can be very dangerous for young children. Please ensure that you provide all necessary cutlery, such as a fork or spoon. Knives of any kind including plastic, and metal tins are not permitted. It would help if you could show your child how to open their food themselves. Please be aware that many children do not eat much during eating times when they first commence school, even though they are encouraged and monitored at this time, due to excitement and socialising with their new friends. This is completely normal and as your child becomes more familiar with these routines they should eat more.  See your class teacher if you have any concerns in this area.                                      

Please take some time, before school starts, to show your child how to open their lunch boxes, containers and packets so they are able to be independent during lunch time. Please also ensure that all lunch containers are labelled.   

​Please limit chips, cakes, sweets, etc. as part of your child's lunch.

Food items containing nuts are respectfully requested not to come to school due to learners with severe allergies resulting in anaphylaxis.

Tips for Parents

• The best way to get your child to eat lunch at school is to pack what you know they like; even then they may be too excited or busy to eat all of their lunch.
• Encourage your child  to bring home uneaten food so you can monitor whether they are getting a balanced diet and adjust their food intake at home if necessary.
• Make sure that your child can open containers and unwrap their food.
• It usually works best not to make a fuss over what your child eats, even if you notice that they have not eaten much of the lunch. Providing a sandwich and a piece of fruit after school is a healthy solution.

Water Bottles

It is essential that your child brings a labelled water bottle to school each day. Please remember these water bottles are for water only (no juice or cordial). It is important that children drink plenty of fluids especially during the warmer months. Please name your child's water bottle.

​Sun Safety Policy

The outdoor learning environment is perfect for children to explore their large muscle skills of running and climbing. It also promotes body strength, balance, coordination and supports growth in thinking processes and social learning.

We are very conscious of sun safety at our school. We are a SunSmart school, therefore children MUST have a broad brimmed hat (no caps permitted) to be able to play and do outdoor activities. These are available to be purchased from our school uniform shop.

We strongly adhere to the school expectation – NO HAT, NO PLAY – this policy is enforced throughout the school.  Children without hats need to stay in the covered PREP play area to be supervised out of the sun.

The application of sunscreen at home before departing for school is encouraged, as is the application of insect repellent.

Names and Labels

As young children often do not recognise their own belongings, we cannot emphasise enough the need to label EVERYTHING – bags, uniforms, lunch boxes, water bottles, hats, winter jumpers and track suit pants, library bags, homework bags, etc.

School Activities

A whole school assembly

Assembly is held every week ay 1:50pm in the library. Family and friends are welcome to celebrate student achievement each week.

Library Borrowing

Your child will be able to borrow library books each week, once school borrowing commences in Term One. Parents will be notified by the classroom teacher when this has been timetabled.    

Excursions and Incursions

During the year, learners may have the opportunity to participate in special school-based events and/or outside school excursions. These events may incur additional costs. Parents/carers will be notified prior to the event.    

Communication

Building a partnership with your child's teacher and the school helps your child settle in, supports their learning and provides a foundation for discussing anything that you may need to address.  

Please feel free to ask a quick question before or after school, however, if you have any specific concerns that you would like to discuss with your child's teacher, please ask them if they are able to arrange a mutually suitable meeting time. Without a pre-booked meeting time, teachers will be unable to provide you the time you may require, especially in the morning when the school day is about to commence and the children are beginning to settle into the morning classroom routine. By asking for an appointment time, the teacher will then ensure that there will be minimal disruptions and will be able to address your concerns will full attention. The wellbeing of your child is of utmost importance to us. We share a common goal of wanting what is best for your child and helping them to be successful at school.   

Please join our Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/DeceptionBayStateSchool to get all the up-to-date information about what is happening in and around the school community.

Newsletters and Messages                                                                                    

The school's newsletter is emailed out each fortnight (even weeks) and informs you about events happening in and around the school community, keeping you in touch with the school's activities, items of interest and important upcoming events. The newsletter is distributed electronically via email and on our website. All other information such as class newsletters, incursion or excursion letters, class messages etc. will be sent home with your child. Please visit our newsletter page by clicking on https://deceptionbayss.eq.edu.au/

​Sharing Information

Sometimes events in family life, such as a trip, a new baby, moving house, an illness, a visit from grandparents or other relatives or an accident, can be a source of excitement or concern for young children and so affect their behaviour at home and/or at school. The sharing of information can help us understand your child better and respond to him/her sensitively. If something is happening in your family that may affect your child's participation at school, please let their teacher know.

Medication

Education Queensland has strict guidelines concerning the administration of medication to learners.

These guidelines state that medication can only be given to a learner when it is:

• accompanied by a completed medication administration form by the parent and handed with the medication to the office
• prescribed by a doctor
• is in the container issued by the pharmacist with the instructions printed on the container, stating the time the medication should be given and the quantity of the medication to be administered.

School staff cannot give children non-prescribed medication such as cough medicine or cough lollies, paracetamol, etc.

All prescribed medication is administered through the staff in the front office. Medication is registered and signed off for each child and their dosage noted. Please do not hand medication to class teachers or teacher aides– this can only be accepted at the school office.

Treasures from Home

Toys, trinkets and treasures from home very 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 into school will be cared for by class teachers until the end of the day. Staff cannot assume any responsibility for loss or breakages. Please explain to your child that toys are NOT to be brought to school.

First Day

Talk to your child before school. Be upbeat and positive about how wonderful school will be. You will know your child's teacher's name before school starts. Please remind them of their name. Explain some things that you remember from school that you really enjoyed.

Let your child know you will settle him/her into an activity and when the session begins it will be time for you to go. Reassure them that you will return at the end of the school day and leave promptly. He/she may show emotion for the initial break, but prolonging your departure is harder for both child and parent.

Please be assured that we are sensitive to the needs of all children. We look forward to working closely with you to provide the best possible learning opportunities to ensure the best start in education for your child.

We are looking forward to sharing a wonderful year with your child!

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