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together we learn me ako ngàtahi tatou

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welcome to westbrook primary school turning 5 is very special we are looking forward to an enjoyable time with you and your child/children we have many interesting and varied activities planned and we hope you can share in some of them with us please remember that communication is a vital tool and to ask if there is anything you are unsure of or wish to know please also remember that we cater better for your child if we are aware of any health problems or learning difficulties your child already has you can communicate with us by visiting 362 malfroy rd rotorua emailing office@westbrook.school.nz or phone 3476512 text 021 157 3756 fax 3476445

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the westbrook way whanaungatanga we are family respect i care about myself other people and our world responsibility i am responsible for all that i say and do initiative i think for myself and take positive actions excellence i will be the best me i can be!

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transition from home to school pre-school information when you meet your child s teacher it would be extremely useful if they could receive as much pre-school information as possible they would love to see the children s portfolios if they have one any other information which would assist with a good start for your child would be very helpful pre-school visits we recommend two morning visits on a thursday for your child during the 2 weeks leading up to their first day at school this gives your child the opportunity to meet the teacher become familiar with the environment and socialise with peers a parent/caregiver must remain with the child at all times as legally a child cannot be at school until they are 5 years of age your child may or may not like to join in with the tasks with the class ­ this is fine do not expect them to `produce anything during these visits familiarisation and feeling secure is the aim please remember the classroom teacher is very busy if you wish to speak with them about your child this needs to be outside of class time and you may need to make a time with him/her.

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p. 5

transition from home to school enrolment procedures when enrolling your child at the office for the first time the school is required to view a birth certificate as proof of age a plunket book or passport can also be used for this purpose you also need to bring their immunisation card details of medical information or problems which may affect learning as well as parental/caregiver custody arrangements need to be noted this can be done in conjunction with a pre-school visit on your child s first day at school please go to the office with your child to confirm enrolment parents as first teachers children learn by example they need to be involved and converse with adults who are interested and prepared to share ideas and experiences with them everyday happenings are an invaluable basis for learning at home and in the wider community talking with your child during these events help build their language and understanding at school we encourage the development of independence as you provide invaluable opportunities for language and skill development remember it is important that you encourage your child to do as much as possible for themselves.

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school routines personal belongings please make sure that your child has a large school bag that is named and can be easily opened by the child please name any item of clothing/footwear that your child is likely to take off unless an item is required for a specific reason/study or it is a toy day we actively discourage toys at school absences if your child is away it is a requirement that you either phone email or text the school you can tell your child s teacher or write a note to your child s teacher prior to planned absences it is helpful to let us know in advance if you re going to be away for any length of time so we can arrange some work for your child lucky books abc and lucky book club books can be ordered from school regularly order forms are sent home to assist our teacher aide with book club orders please take note of the following full name not first name only class ­ room number mark the book/books required clearly place the correct amount for the cost of the books and the order form in a sealed envelope family orders maybe sent in one envelope when paying by cheque please make it payable to westbrook school or scholastic order forms will be returned if incorrect stationery your child s teacher will give you a stationery list you can purchase these through the school office.

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play time and lunch times playtime and lunchtime the children have a twenty minute break from 10.30am ­ 10.50 am to eat their play lunch the children sit for the first 5 minutes to eat they then go to play lunchtime is from 12.30 pm ­ 1.25pm children are required to sit down and eat their lunch for the first 15 minutes until being dismissed from the area by the teacher on duty lunches may also be purchased through the school lunch ordering system where orders are placed in a container in the classroom and they are delivered to the room just before 12.30 pm on the last friday of each month there are no lunch orders available instead our friends of the school fots run a sausage sizzle children s lunch boxes lids and drink bottles all need to be named to avoid confusion with many children having exactly the same items separating lunch food helps them to realise they have two lots of food for the day please give considerations to the quality of food your child has in their lunch box and if they can eat it unaided e.g is there a spoon to use with their yoghurt is the kiwifruit/orange peeled or cut can your child undo their own drink/container can your child open snack bars you may like to cut the top off for them please avoid highly sugared food and drinks and include some sort of sandwich roll pita bread muffin etc that is more substantial cutting food up into small sections makes it more appealing.

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reading at school reading books enrich children s thinking and well prepared children have had quality pre-school time and experience sharing books with their parents children learn to read by reading · initially your child s reading will consist of saying the alphabet learning the alphabet names sounds and learning poems and rhymes · reading `books are not necessarily brought home every night reading maybe a poem a story written by your child a worksheet or a library book for you to read and share with your child · eventually your child will progress towards 1 and 2 lines of text per page in their readers at times a book will come home more than once to establish fluency reinforce a necessary skill or for pure enjoyment.

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p. 9

reading most of you will have been reading to your child regularly re-reading books many times is important encourage your child to join in the repetitive parts hopping your finger under each word along the lines and down to the next line this assists with the establishment of left to right reading and return sweep when you are out make the most of opportunities to read signs packets names etc these activities introduce your child to reading and help them to realise that words tell a story by discussing pictures and questioning your child he/she will be able to take part in predicting outcomes and retelling stories ways to help your child become a better reader 1 continue alphabet and sounds learning and basic words 2 listen to your child read regularly approximately 5-10 minutes per day is a help 3 give your child your undivided attention in a warm and supportive atmosphere 4 select a time when your child is not tired or hungry 5 if for some reason your child forgets their homework take the opportunity to read to him her a new or favourite story reading at home before reading look through the book and discuss the pictures.

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reading reading at home what to do when your child makes a mistake 1 wait 2 encourage him/her to read from the start of the sentence again have another try 3 tell him/her the word books taken home should be easy enough for your child to read independently however if you feel the book is too difficult say i think this is a book for me to share with you above all make sure that the time spent reading is enjoyable and relaxing and contains lots of praise and positive encouragement.

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maths maths at school your child will cover a variety of topics most of which will be revisited throughout their schooling maths can include the use of number puzzles blocks rods lego computer calculator scales clocks phones money and playground equipment and may cover shape size of objects matching and measuring patterns position time number counting problem solving and predicting through the use of equipment language and following role models children develop their maths knowledge skills and processes.

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p. 12

maths maths you can encourage the development of mathematical concepts through various activities some examples time encourage your child to read the clock as often as possible in five minutes i want to can you let me know when it s 5.30pm so i can come in and put the potatoes on to cook together mark birthdays and special events on a calendar estimating let your child help with wrapping parcels and estimating the area of material needed to cover something sorting/classifying choose two objects ask your child to tell you all about the differences they can find between the objects it could be differences in colour shape texture length or weight capacity children are always keen to mix up fruit drinks etc if necessary outside they can be encouraged to use the correct measurements in cups millilitres and litres money have the children count out the money to buy the bread etc distance when going on long trips children can keep count of how far is travelled by using the kilometre counter on the dashboard how many steps to the letter box from the front door?

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additional information other areas of the curriculum such as science health social studies phys ed art and taha maori are taken regularly throughout the term and often integrated into other areas to assist with the continuity of learning and teaching we are always keen to have parents involved in our programmes and will endeavour to inform you of upcoming units of work so if you have an interest or expertise in these areas you can be involved at the appropriate times concerns ­ queries please if you have any concerns or queries regarding any facet of your child s schooling ­ contact us we are happy to be of assistance in any way we can we do ask though that if you wish to speak to your child s teacher that you do so before or after school it also helps if you can arrange a time in advance library children visit the school library once a week each child will have purchased a special westbrook school library bag on starting school on library day the children have the opportunity to take a book out from the school library to take home and share however your child must have returned the previous week s library book and have their library bag with them to take out a new book please check with your child s teacher which day is their library day sun smart at westbrook children are taught to be sun smart we need support from you to ensure your child has a named sunhat to bring to school in terms 1 and 4 to wear in the playground.

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additional information dental therapist our dental therapist is mrs ngaire holden if the clinic is closed there is a note on her door notification is also given in the newsletter the phone number is 347 6242 newsletters the school newsletter comes home every wednesday please check your child s bag for this at times there may be other special newsletters/notices that come home so we advise regularly checking school hours 8.55 am school starts 10.30 am play time 12.30 pm lunchtime 1.25 pm afternoon starts 3.00 pm school finishes it is really helpful for your child if they can arrive between 8.30 am and 8.50am this gives them time to unpack their bags complete other before school classroom activities and have a short play.

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