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THE LAKES COLLEGE

PREP

We welcome you and your child to The Lakes College. We believe that

education should be a partnership with families and the school and we look

forward to sharing a happy, rewarding Prep year with you and your family.

The “Preparatory Year” (PREP) provides an important means of establishing

the foundations for a child’s educational development. Our Prep year is a

new learning environment with exciting things to do, see, touch and

experience. Your child will find friends to share with and teachers who

respect them as capable and competent learners. We aim to create a

relaxed, secure and supportive environment where children are

encouraged to investigate, explore and achieve their individual potential.

We hope you will have an enjoyable year with us. We look forward to

working closely with you to ensure the best possible educational start for

your child. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the

College.

WELCOME TO THE LAKES COLLEGE

Mrs Lisa Curtis Head of Primary

STARTING PREP @ TLC

The beginning of Prep is often a more difficult time for parents than for

students. Most students settle into school life quite quickly. One of our

priorities we have for Prep students is for them to develop confidence and

independence from their first day.

We aim to make the first day at Prep a happy one for your child. We will be

working hard to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. Our

routine will be simple and consistent, allowing your child to feel confident

and happy.

• Children who are talked to, listened to, read to, accepted and loved,

rarely have difficulty starting school. As parents, you are your child’s first

teachers and there are hundreds of ways you can stimulate their

interest in learning, discovering, experimenting and solving problems

including – reading to your child, encouraging your child to cut/paste/

sort objects and pictures, encouraging your child to do things for him/

herself to become independent, sharing activities together such as

cooking/gardening/building and so on.

• Confident children see themselves as generally being successful and

will be better prepared to meet new challenges such as starting school.

Encouraging your child to have a go and giving praise for effort and

success will increase a child’s confidence and self-esteem. It’s also ok

for them to make mistakes and even fail at something as it is during

these times that the greatest Learning occurs.

• Children need to be given the opportunity to mix with other children

and adults, make friends, share, take turns, cooperate with others and

be patient. When children can listen to others, do what is asked of them

and make their needs and requests known, it is easier for them to learn

and be happy at school.

• Fine motor skills are important for things such as writing, cutting, drawing

and ball games. Activities such as drawing, building, throwing and

catching, modelling playdough and completing jigsaws all help

develop these skills.

There may be some anxious moments during the year. Please be assured

that we are sensitive to the needs of all children and welcome any input

that parents may be able to offer. We want to work closely with you to

provide the best possible start of your child’s educational journey.

PREPARING YOUR CHILD There are various things parents can do to help their child prepare for Prep,

such as helping them to:

• Recognise their written first name

• Write their first name using a capital letter followed by lower case letters

• Listen when a story is being read to them

• Hold a book the right way, turning the pages

• Name common colours

• Name common shapes

• Follow a direction

• Ask for help

• Go to the toilet independently

• Independently dress themselves.

PRIOR TO BEGINNING SCHOOL: • Let your child practise dressing for school, using a lunch box and drink

bottle and packing their school bag.

• Explain the basic school requirements, such as putting up your hand,

asking before going to the toilet, listening quietly when necessary and

following instruction.

• Adopt a low-key approach to the big day, initiating casual

conversations with your child about this new step in life and sharing

positive memories of your own school life.

• Establish family routines linked to the school year, such as consistent

bedtime and getting ready for school in the morning.

• Encourage the efforts your child makes in doing things for themselves and

others.

• Confirm your child’s before school and/or after school care arrangements.

• Enjoy your child’s excitement!

Here are just a few hints to make the first day go smoothly:

• You will be notified by email of your child’s class, teacher and room

prior to the beginning of the school year so please advise us of any

changed contact details between now and then.

• Familiarise children with staff names. Here at The Lakes College we

address staff by Mr, Mrs or Miss.

• Please help to dress your child in the correct school uniform for their first

day of school. Make sure your child has the school sun-safe play hat to

wear in the playground.

• Please pack food for morning tea and lunch for your child as well as a

fruit snack for the morning.

• Students are encouraged to have a bottle of water to drink in the

classroom.

• Please bring your child to their classroom.

• Help your child unpack their school bag and place it at their named

space on the rack outside the room.

• Let your child know you will settle him/her into an activity, and then

when the session begins at 8.30am it will be time for you to go.

• Don’t ‘sneak’ away. Always tell your child when you are leaving and

that you will be back at the end of the day when all the other parents

return.

• Once leaving, go as quickly as possible - the few upset children

invariably settle down after that initial departure of Mum or Dad. Your

child may show emotion at the initial break, but prolonging your

departure is harder for both your child and yourself.

• If you feel a little sad, wait until you are around the corner before you

show your feelings. If your child senses something is wrong, he/she might

think, “Gee, if Mum thinks it’s bad, it must be terrible”.

• It might not be wise to tell your child that you are taking a young sibling

to the beach or the park or to some other familiar place. Sometimes

such an announcement can bring on a sudden case of “I don’t want to

go to school”.

• Be positive. Talk about new things in a happy way.

BEGINNING SCHOOL

DAILY PROGRAM The Prep class is where children can continue their learning in a safe,

nurturing and stimulating environment. The Prep year is designed to provide

the foundations that children need for later success in schooling. The Prep

classroom is a friendly and interesting place where children learn through

investigation and inquiry, about themselves and other people in their world.

DAILY ROUTINE: The daily routine may commence with your child:

• putting their bag on the bag racks

• placing their library bag in the library box

• placing their water bottle in the water bottle box

• placing their fruit snack in the fruit snack box

• placing their diary and homework in the diary box

• placing their play hat and zippy bag in their tidy tray

• going to the toilet before the starting bell rings at 8:30am

• self-registration in the classroom

• moving to commence an activity set up in the classroom

DAILY REQUIREMENTS: • Everything brought to the Prep class must be clearly named. Please help us

by making your child aware of his/her belongings. Encouraging your child to

pack and unpack his/her belongings helps to develop responsibility and

independence.

• Your child’s school bag is available from the uniform shop. This may be

individualised with detachable name tags and key rings to make it

distinguishable to your child.

• Each child will receive an individual zippy bag: This will carry the diary/

communication book, weekly notes and other class related work to learn at

home.

• Your child’s sun safe School hat for outdoor play will be required each day at

school.

• In case of an accident, a spare uniform in a named plastic bag left in their

school bag is required.

• Lunch - suitably wrapped in a lunch box. A bottle of water is also required.

Please note: no nuts, lollies, soft drinks, glass bottles or ring-pull cans. The lunch

box is kept in the child’s bag.

• Fruit Snack - fresh fruit, vegetables or dried fruit are suitable.

CURRICULUM

There are five key components

teachers consider when teaching

children in the Prep year:

• Understanding children

• Building partnerships

• Flexible learning

environments

• Contexts for learning

• What children learn

Everything your child does within our College has a purpose for learning. If

you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask us. The

following factors have been identified to contribute to success in learning:

• Social and emotional competence with a focus on social and personal

learning.

• Health and physical wellbeing, particularly in making healthy choices,

gross-motor and fine-motor development.

• Language learning and communication focusing on oral language and

early literacy.

• Early mathematical understandings with an emphasis on early

numeracy.

• Active learning processes with a focus on thinking,

investigating, imagining and responding.

• Positive dispositions to learning.

WALKER LEARNING APPROACH

We believe in a rigorous investigation based approach to learning in the Early

Years through the Walker Learning Approach (WLA). This is a developmental

investigation based approach which was developed and designed to engage

children in authentic and meaningful learning experiences.

The approach allows children to develop a deep love of learning. It draws upon

evidence from neuroscience and human development and reflects and respects

the uniqueness of culture, family and relationships. It uses investigation based and

personalised learning theories as its basis and retains explicit instruction of English

and Mathematics.

There is a strong emphasis on Literacy and Numeracy, based on outcomes

selected from the Australian National curriculum documents, and social skills

through the Developmental Domains:

• Social - Interact and develop relationships with teacher and peers

• Emotional - Feel secure and connected with the people, environment and

routine

• Cognitive - Explore the classroom environment throughout investigations and

explicit teaching, linked to learning goals from student interests and the

Australian Curriculum

• Physical - Movement around indoor and outdoor environments

• Language - Expression through language

We strive to foster a love of literature, an understanding of the early mathematical

concepts, and encourage confident expression and excellent personal

management skills.

Each day in Prep, the children will be provided with opportunities to practice their

Mathematics and literacy skills in a highly engaging environment. Each classroom

is setup with nine stations, specifically designed to enhance these literacy and

numeracy skills through role play, Mathematics resources, reading, writing,

sensory, tinkering, collage and construction.

The rest of the day includes explicit teaching in areas of English, Mathematics,

Science and HaSS as well as participation in our various specialist lessons. This

curriculum comes directly from the Australian Curriculum documents.

LEARNING TASKS: Through engaging our Prep students in exciting and meaningful learning

tasks we will help your child to:

• Develop a LOVE FOR LEARNING

• Take on responsibilities

• Become more independent

• Respect other people

• Co-operate with others

• Make sensible choices

• Develop their physical skills

• Learn about their environment

• Develop their oral language

• Learn how to be thinkers and problem solvers

• Use their imagination and creativity

• Speak to a variety of audiences and listen when others speak

• Read and write

• Master mathematical ideas and skills

• Express themselves through drama, art and music

• Participate in regular exercise and develop good health habits

• Learn about their world and how to be part of a community

• Use computers as a tool for learning

• Be active learners

• Make honest attempts and learn that making a mistake is nothing to be

afraid of and is an important part of the learning process

• Reflect on what they learn.

LEARNING TASKS

The Prep class is part of the whole school campus. Children attending Prep

at TLC will have access to:

• Music with the Music teacher

• Mandarin Chinese with the Chinese teacher

• Physical Education with the PE teacher

• Visual Art with the Art teacher

• Dance and Drama with the Performing Arts teacher

• Library borrowing and lesson with the Librarian

• Religious Education with the RE Teacher

• Weekly assembly and Chapel services

• ICT lessons

SPECIALIST LESSONS

IMPORTANT INFORMATION Attendance: For the first week of school the day will commence at 8:30am

and finish at 1:00pm. From Week 2, the Prep year is a full day program for 5

days a week. The day begins at 8:30am and ends at 3:00pm.

Before and After School Care and Vacation Care: A facility is conducted in

the school grounds. During school terms, College Care is open from 6:30am

until 8:30am for Before College Care and from 3:00pm until 6:30pm for After

College Care. Vacation Care hours are from 7:00am to 6:00pm.

Vacation Care is very popular and places are limited. Phone 3491 5512 for

more information.

Break periods: Children will have their first break at 10:25am. Children will

spend 10 minutes eating and have 10 minutes of play time. Their second

break is at 1:00pm. At this break they will have 15 minutes eating time and

25 minutes play. Children will also have a short fruit break at approximately

9:00am in the classroom.

Café: Wunya Café orders may be purchased through the online booking

system. Please register at www.flexischools.com.au. Café orders are delivered

to the Prep classrooms at morning tea and lunch. More information including

Wunya’s seasonal menu is available on the College website.

Healthy eating habits: To encourage healthy eating habits, we ask you to

send along healthy foods. (eg fresh fruit, dried fruit, cheese, boiled eggs,

salad items, sandwiches, savoury biscuits, yoghurt, muffins, carrot and celery

sticks). Please place your child’s morning tea and lunch in a named lunch

box. There will not be a fridge to put lunch boxes in, so we encourage the use

of ice packs in the lunchbox. Do not send any item which requires heating up.

Please also send a spoon if required. We discourage the inclusion of chips,

cakes, sweets or roll ups. The Lakes College is a nut free school.

Links within the College: Prep students will participate in many learning

activities while they are at school. Each week the students will participate in

specialist lessons, which are delivered by specialist teachers. Other activities

that students may be involved in include assembly performances, end of

term/unit celebrations, extra-curricular activities such as singing club, sports

carnivals and the annual Prep - Year 3 Christmas Celebration.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION Messages: Please read any notes / emails / newsletters to keep in touch

with your child’s activities, items of interest and generally, what's

happening at school. Please check your child’s diary daily for notes from

the class teacher. The College social media pages and website are also a

great source of up to date information. There is also a Communication Day

email sent on a Friday from the College with all College correspondence.

Each class will have a Class Parent Representative (CPR) who may also

communicate messages either via email or through a private message

group.

Newsletters: Our fortnightly newsletter, Tidings, will inform you about events

happening in and around the school community. It will be emailed to

families every second Wednesday and is also available on our website at

www.thelakescollege.com.au.

Open Door Policy: The Prep classroom doors will open at 8:15am. We

encourage you to use this time to settle your child into the class day. When

children come into the classroom they are expected to be responsible for

their own belongings. Please encourage your child to follow the routine

outlined by the teacher.

Parent / Volunteer Helpers: As parents, you play a vital role in the

education of your children and therefore, we welcome you to become

involved in our classrooms. There are many ways parents can be involved,

such as:

• Visiting your child’s class and joining in the program after talking to

teachers

• Making classroom resources, doing small jobs at home (e.g. cutting up

collage materials)

• Being a Class Parent Representative (CPR)

• Attending The Lakes College Community Association meetings (TLCCA)

and assisting with community events/fundraising

• Reading the notices and newsletters

• Collecting “junk” materials to use in collage

• Taking small groups of children in literacy/maths activities and assisting

with art activities

• Discussing any problems or concerns with the teachers

• Supporting and encouraging your child to feel proud about what they

try and what they accomplish

• Offering to share hobbies, interests and expertise/skills with the children

• Working with teachers to change student behaviours where necessary

• Attending concerts, assemblies and celebrations.

If you wish to help out with any of these please talk with your child’s teacher.

Reporting: Student progress and achievement

is communicated to parents frequently

throughout the Prep year.

Children in the Prep year will receive two

formal reports:

1. A comprehensive report at the end of

Semester 1 and the end of Semester 2.

2. Formal Parent and Teacher Interviews at

the end of Term 1 and the beginning of

Term 3.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION IMPORTANT INFORMATION

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 may 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 that you may

have about your child’s progress, the school or the program.

Uniforms: The reputation and standards of The Lakes College are reflected

in the presentation of our students.

The wearing of correct uniform is important for a number of reasons;

1. It encourages self-discipline within the students.

2. It helps the College and therefore the students, to develop a unique

sense of identity.

3. It enables the College to develop an appropriate image within the

wider community, especially when students are on excursions and in

the public view.

Uniform Shop: The College Uniform Shop is open on the following days

during term time:

Tuesday 8:00am – 9:30am

Wednesday 8:00am – 9:30am

Friday 8:00am – 9:30am

All uniform items and accessories other than shoes should be purchased

from the Uniform Shop. So that we can ensure each child has the right

uniform, a fitting time is recommended. Please make an appointment at the

Uniform Shop, located in the top carpark of the College. TLCCA also run a

Second Hand Uniform Shop that is adjacent to the Uniform Shop.

SCHOOL BAG

• Navy Blue specified College bag with Crest and Motto

EXCURSION BAG

• Navy Blue with Crest and Motto

GIRL’S FORMAL - Prep

• Formal pinafore

• Formal blouse

• Formal jumper

• Formal dress hat

• Black leather lace-up school shoes, flat heel

• Students in Prep are permitted to wear velcro leather school shoes

• Specified ribbed navy tights or College socks

• Specified navy or white ribbons, College scrunchies or hair accessories.

BOY’S FORMAL - Prep

• Formal Jack shirt

• Formal jumper

• Formal navy shorts

• Formal dress hat

• Black leather lace-up school shoes

• Students in Prep are permitted to wear velcro leather school shoes

• Formal navy socks

SPORT:

• Unisex sports polo shirt

• Unisex sports shorts

• Unisex sports tracksuit

• Specified white sports ankle socks

• White sport shoes / white shoelaces or velcro

• Sports hat

• Girls: TLC swimming togs / TLC rashie

• Girls: Specified navy or white ribbons, College scrunchies or hair

accessories.

• Boys: TLC swimming trunks / TLC rashie

THE LAKES COLLEGE

College Street North Lakes QLD 4509

PO Box 888 North Lakes QLD 4509

P 07 3491 5555 | E [email protected]

www.thelakescollege.com.au