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Label clearly all personal articles they will bring to school: raincoats, jumpers, bags, cases, lunch-boxes, plastic bottles, storybooks, playballs, etc. Named articles rarely remained lost.
Foster good habits of punctuality and regular attendance. This assists with happy social adjustment. Late comers often feel distressed at being late, and late arrivals can disrupt the class. Have the children at school by 8.55 a.m.
Absences are a handicap to good school progress. However, home is the best place for sick children. They cannot work satisfactorily at school if ill and could spread infection. Please ring the office or send a note of explanation when your child is absent from school.
If your child develops an illness causing him/her to take medicines or drugs which will affect concentration/behaviour, e.g. causing drowsiness or frequent trips to the toilet, please inform the teacher. It is also helpful if the teacher is informed if, at any time, the child undergoes changes to his/her routines which may result on differing behaviour patterns.
Give him/her little duties to perform at home with simple initial instructions. Children need responsibility to develop their confidence and self-esteem.
When he/she starts at school, help him/her to become independent:
- to leave you at the school gate in the morning.
- to hang up his/her own clothes.
- put things back in their storage places.
- the sooner he/she learns to “do for himself” the sooner his/her school friends will respect him/her.
- select good picture books, radio, computer and television programs for your child. Discuss these with you to develop his/her social communications.
It is better that children beginning school have small lunches for the first few weeks as they are often not able to eat much at first. If play lunch is wrapped separately, it is much easier for the child. Remember young children find gladwrap difficult to unwrap.
Toys etc. brought to school are the child's own responsibility. Please ensure that expensive or potentially dangerous toys (such as knives, toy guns) are not brought to school. If he/she accidentally brings home toys etc. which do not belong to him/her, please see they are returned to school.
Make sure your child wears suitable, comfortable clothes allowing freedom of movement on P.M.P. days. For safety, children remove their socks and tights for P.M.P.
If your child has to bring money to school (for lunches, excursions, badges, etc.), please wrap and place in a secure envelope labelled with child’s name, grade and purpose.
Regularly ask your child if there are notices from school. Notices and the school newsletter are sent home with the eldest child in the family, but occasionally all children receive notices.
Do not expect to much too soon, and do not compare your child with siblings or other children. All children are individuals and each child develops mentally, physically, socially and emotionally at his/her own rate.
It is important to show interest in his/her paintings, craft work, work sheets, writing attempts, etc. and listen to his/her chatter about them. Your interest and encouragement mean much to him/her, but please do not attempt to force progress. Success at his/her own level of achievement is more encouraging than failure at forced “higher” levels.
Many parents become anxious about a child’s reading ability when they bring home borrowing books and they don’t recognise the words. These books are not readers. The children do not know the words. We use these books to promote reading enjoyment and to develop the child’s reading confidence. Please read these books together, discuss the story and then encourage the children to try by themselves.
At first they may just re-tell the story in their own words from the pictures or their memory, they will use the words that appear in the page and later they will start to connect the written words with the oral recitation they have learnt. Sometimes this connection isn’t made until grade one. Don’t be worried and don’t pressure the child, he/she will make the connection in his/her own time.
- We encourage the children to read for meaning, so the story they tell back to you should make sense and have some connection to the book.
Encourage an interest in maths through simple number rhymes and counting activities – count the apples, boxes etc; is there a plate for everyone? etc. Discuss the colours of his/her clothes. Use the language of time, e.g. breakfast time, today, yesterday morning etc. Use vocabulary such as behind, by, above, smaller, same, different, thick, thin, etc. Play games such as dominoes, snap, fish, snakes and ladders etc.
Remember, if at any time you have worries or queries about your child or his/her behaviour, progress, socialisation, etc. please do not hesitate to discuss the matter with his/her teacher. However, we would ask you to please arrange a suitable time when he/she can give you his/her full attention. It is impossible to speak to parents and cope with a class of children at the same time!