Preparing for Prep at NMPS

 Preparing for Prep at North Melbourne Primary School

From Kindergarten to Prep

Most students settle into school life quite quickly. Some of the aims we have for Prep students are for them to develop a sense of belonging, confidence and independence. You can assist your child in this area by encouraging them during the January holidays with the following: 

• Let your child practise dressing for school, packing/unpacking and carrying their school bag and using a lunch box and drink bottle.

• Explain basic classroom expectations such as putting up your hand, asking before going to the toilet, listening quietly when necessary and following teacher instructions.

• Adopt a low-key approach to the big day, initiate casual conversations about this new step in their life and share positive memories of your own school life with your child. 

• Establish and practise family routines linked to the school year, such as a bedtime routine and getting ready for school in the morning.

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

• Avoid any last-minute rushes by doing as much in advance as possible, such as labelling your child’s belongings.

• Build your child's confidence away from parents to help with separation e.g. organise a playdate or a sleepover.

• Confirm your child’s before and/or after school care arrangements, and ensure you child is aware of them.

• Enjoy your child’s excitement.

• As a family, foster a love of reading by creating a space in the home where books are read together, talk to your child about the pictures in the story, and discuss what is happening. 

• Practise recognising and recording their name.

• Encourage your child to identify alphabet letters, what letter can you see and what sound does it make?

For Your Information

• Please pack a healthy fruit break, recess and lunch for your child. A good breakfast will assist your child in making a more effective transition into the school day. Students at North Melbourne Primary are supervised to eat for ten minutes only, however Preps will have an extended eating period.

• Students are required to have a labelled bottle of water to drink from during the school day.

• Students will need a broad-brimmed hat during Term 1 and Term 4 (from September to May). Hats will also need to be worn during PE and other outdoor activities. Please ensure your child's hat is clearly labelled with their name. 

• If you wish to apply sunscreen to your child, you will need to do this at home. The school is unable to take responsibility for reapplying sunscreen during the day.

• Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for learning at school. This means safe and comfortable footwear (no thongs or sandals), no singlets or strappy dresses/tops and no dress-up costumes. 

• We ask that you please keep a full change of clothes in a plastic bag in your child’s bag in case of an accident.

• Please make sure all clothing is labelled so if it happens to get lost we can hand it back.

In the First Few Weeks

The focus in Prep during Term One is establishing the routines and expectations of being at school, in a classroom and working together. There is time spent on getting to know each other and the teachers, finding your way around the school and knowing where to play. 

Some children will be happy to share and discuss what they have done at school and others are not so forthcoming with information. Try not to compare your child with others. Children progress at different rates and this is normal. Some good questions to ask your child are ‘What book did you read today?’, ‘What did you write about today?’, ‘Did you speak to someone new today?’ and ‘Who are some of the children in your class?’.

Students with English as an Additional Language (EAL) are encouraged to have an EAL assessment to ensure they are ready to learn at North Melbourne Primary School. If students are not ready, they are advised to attend the Language School prior to commencing at NMPS.

Census Day for schools occurs on Thursday 29th Feb. Your child must attend school on this day. 

Getting to Know Your Child’s Academic Needs

During the first month of school, students will be taking part in the Early Years Interviews (English and Mathematics), which takes approximately an hour to complete. Parents will be asked, via Compass, to allocate a time and date when they are available to come in to the school for the interview, the interview dates are:

• Wednesday 31st January 2024

• Wednesday 7th February 2024

• Wednesday 14th February 2024

• Wednesday 21st February 2024

• Wednesday 28th February 2024

Please note that parents do not need to sit in on the interview with their child, however, there will be time at the end for parents to meet with the teacher. Your child only needs to attend their interview time. If your child does not have an interview on that day, they do not attend school. Full-time school attendance for Prep students begins on Monday 4th March, 2024.

Curriculum

The curriculum taught at North Melbourne Primary School is The Victorian Curriculum F–10. 

In Prep, which is the Foundation year, the main focus is on the five curriculum areas of English, Mathematics, The Arts, Health and Physical Education, and Personal and Social capability. In the early years of schooling, teaching and learning programs are structured around the five outcomes (Identity, Learning, Wellbeing, Community and Communication) of the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF): http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/earlyyears/index.aspx

As a guide the Foundation Curriculum Learning Areas include the following: 

• English - Students in Prep are taught to develop an understanding of English in an Australian context. They learn that while English is our national language, it is just one of many different languages spoken around the world. Students learn to communicate with peers, teachers, known adults and students from other classes. Students engage in various Reading, Writing and Speaking and Listening activities.

• Mathematics - Preps start learning maths by counting to and from 20 – moving from any starting point. They learn to connect the names of numbers to their quantity and numerals from zero to 10 and then beyond.

• Civics and Citizenship - Preps begin to develop a sense of belonging to the school community. They learn about classroom rules and why they are needed, as well as respect and concern for others.

• Geography - Preps begin to learn about the place they live in, including their local community. They explore places that are special to them and the community and how to look after these special places.

• History - In their first year of school, Preps learn about personal and family history. They learn about the people in their family, including where they were born and raised and how they are related to each other.

• Science - Preps are introduced to science by learning about living things and their basic needs, including food, shelter and water. They learn about the different seasons, changes in our environment and the weather.

For more detailed information on areas taught in the Foundation years, including the capabilities, please refer to The Victorian Curriculum F-10 website: http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/foundationlevel

Compass

Compass School Manager provides access to school news, events, student reports and more.   In particular, all absences, permissions and payments are to be completed via this app, which is downloadable for Smart phones. This app is designed for staff, students and parents and makes communication accessible and easy. Compass usernames and passwords will be made available to new families via email. If by the beginning of the school year you haven’t received your details, please e-mail us at north.melbourne.ps@education.vic.gov.au

SeeSaw

The Prep Team will use the app ‘SeeSaw’ to share moments in the classroom with you. They also post reminders about upcoming events, and some suggestions for home activities. Details regarding access to SeeSaw will be shared with you at the beginning of the school year.

Teacher Contact Details

Teacher contact details will be made available in the first week of school. If you would like to contact your child’s teacher, please email and they will endeavour to respond within 3-5 working days, however, please note staff are not required to respond in this timeframe during weekends and term breaks. You can also send a message to your child’s teacher via Compass. For urgent matters, we ask that parents please contact the office on: 9329 6902.

Please be aware that due to additional school commitments, teachers are generally unavailable for meetings before and after school without prior notice.  If you would like to discuss a matter in detail please e-mail them and make an appointment for a mutually convenient time. If your class teacher has any concerns about your child, you will be contacted.