Kindergarten students' first day

Start dates for Kindergarten 2023

Best Start testing

Literacy/Numeracy assessment will take place in the first couple weeks of the children commencing Kindergarten. This will assist the teachers in observing the learning needs of each individual child. The children’s progress will be tracked all through Kindergarten. A Best Start report will be sent home later in Term One so that you can see where your child is placed, and it also has ideas on how you can help your child at home.

School begins for all Kindergarten children on Wednesday 1st February 2023 at 9.30am. Please bring your child to the school hall.

Please pick your child up at 2:30pm for the first couple of weeks (Wednesday 1st February to Friday 17th February). They will be walked to the fenced safety area (Sparkle’s Yard) at the front of the school. From Monday 20th February, Kindergarten will finish with the rest of the school at 2:55pm. From this date, the children will be picked up from either the front or back gate. Please ensure you pick up your child from the designated areas and not their classroom or from walkways. This ensures teachers can closely monitor each child as they are picked up.

School starts at 8:55 am from Thursday, 2 February 2023

For the first few weeks the Kindergarten teachers and senior students will meet your children at the front of the school from 8:40am. We ask that you say goodbye to your child at the front of the school and allow the teachers and senior students to walk your child to the infants play area. This decreases separation anxiety and helps them get into school routines more quickly.

Allocation of classes

Your child may not be allocated a set class or class teacher for the first week. We are going to focus on play-based learning and readiness skills for the first week, where the children will all have an opportunity to socialise together and work with all of the Kindergarten teachers. This will enable the teachers to observe the student’s interactions so that we can form classes that will best meet your child’s needs.

Lunch and recess

Your child will need a lunchbox and drink bottle. Please ensure that all your child’s items are clearly labelled with their name. Please don’t pack too much food. Let your child know what is packed for lunch (sandwich and snack), fruit break and recess (snack). During the holidays practise unwrapping cling wrap, opening containers, drink bottles and packets of food etc.

Clothing

Please ensure your child’s clothing is clearly labelled with their name. This will save your child and their teacher a great deal of confusion.

Separate playtimes

For the first 2 weeks, Kindergarten will have different playtimes to the rest of the school. This helps children to socialise with their classmates without being overwhelmed by the rest of the school.

Canteen

we ask that Kindergarten children DO NOT order from the canteen for the first 2 weeks due to their separate eating and playtimes. After this time, they will be able to order their lunch and buy from the canteen during playtime. A price list and details for online ordering are in the Orientation Pack.

Helpful information

If your child has attended Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, a Paediatrician or any other specialist service could you please provide the school copies of any reports. This will assist us in best meeting your child’s learning needs. We know at Thomas Acres Public School that some students receive NDIS funding and have access to specialist therapies. In most cases it is encouraged that these continue at home or after school. On the rare occasion that this needs to occur during school hours you will need to consult the ‘Requesting an NDIS service at school pamphlet’.

Communication

Please keep an eye out for further updates and information regarding Kindergarten 2023 via our school’s:

• School's website
• School's Facebook

We look forward to seeing you in 2023!