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Tips & Advice
BEFORE STARTING SCHOOL
BEFORE STARTING SCHOOL
Ask your child what they think about starting school.
Encourage your child to ask questions about going to school.
Encourage your child to do things independently. This could include dressing, going to the toilet, washing their hands, unwrapping their food and opening and closing their water bottle and lunchbox.
Talk to friends and other families about what school is like.
Talk to your child’s early childhood educator about things you can do at home to help your child.
Have your child practise: writing their name, cutting and gluing.
DURING THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
DURING THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
Show your child where the school is and talk about how you will get there.
Arrange play times with other families whose children will be going to Bourke Street Public School. It can help if your child knows another child at their school at the start of Kindergarten.
Practise the things your child will need to do to get ready for school (e.g. opening and closing their lunchbox, putting things in their bag, zipping and unzipping their bag remembering to take a hat, filling their water bottle).
Make sure your child’s uniform, lunch box, water bottle, school bag and library bag are all clearly labelled with their full name.
Confirm your before and/or after-school care arrangements and talk about these with your child.
Read books with your child about starting school. We have a great list of quality books you can read on the Resource List page.
Be positive about starting school and enjoy your child’s excitement!
THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Make sure your child knows who will take them to school and pick them up on the first day.
Help your child to organise their clothes, hat, socks and shoes the night before.
Help your child to pack their school bag.
Pack a spare pair of underpants and a change of clothes inside your child's school bag. Let them know these clothes are in their bag in case of any accidents at school.
Show your child where you will meet them at the end of the school day.
When saying goodbye to your child, give a quick hug and kiss, reassure them that you'll be back to pick them up and then leave swiftly. The teachers and support staff will be available to take over and support if needed. We find students settle very quickly once this has happened. As hard as it is, try not to come back and peek through windows etc.
At the end of the day, talk to your child about what happened at school and keep things as positive as possible.
WHAT TO PACK
WHAT TO PACK
Crunch & Sip - A small container with cut fruit and/or vegetables.
Lunch and recess - Choose a lunch box that has an easy-to-open lid and have your child practise opening and closing it before school. It can be a good idea to pack a small amount of food in a separate container for recess.
We have several students at Bourke Street with severe nut allergies. We kindly ask that you refrain from packing nuts or nut products in your child's lunch.
Please note that the sharing of food is not permitted.
Water bottle - Show your child how to refill their drink bottle in case they need to throughout the school day.
School Hat - Students must wear a broadbrim school hat whenever outside.
Spare underwear and socks
Raincoat (optional)
Sunscreen (optional)
Library Bag - The bag given to your child on their first orientation day is their library book bag. Once your child has been placed in their 2025 class, their teacher will let you know the class library day.
No stationery, pencil cases or classroom supplies are needed.
Kindy students enjoying their crunch and sip!
TOILETING
TOILETING
For the first few weeks of school, students are escorted to the toilets by their teacher as a class throughout the day. They are always reminded to flush the toilet and wash their hands. Students can also go to the toilet whenever they need to during lunch and recess. If they need to go during class time, they will be escorted by a friend.
From time to time, ‘accidents’ happen – all the excitement of school means that some children just forget to go to the toilet in time. Please provide a spare pair of underwear in your child’s school bag each day. We also keep spare underpants, socks and uniform items in the office – just in case!
AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Children tend to be very tired at the end of the day during the beginning of Kindergarten. There's a lot to adjust to! Try not to organise too many after school activities, especially in Term 1.
Depending on your child’s energy levels after school, you might want to let your child rest and play at home for a few weeks until you think they're ready for play dates and after-school activities.
E-NEWSLETTER AND SENTRAL
E-NEWSLETTER AND SENTRAL
In order to stay up to date with important announcements, events and last-minute changes within the school, parents and carers must download Sentral. We use this platform exclusively to send out our Friday e-newsletter and important school information.
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