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Preparing for Foundation

Updated February 2024

Foundation School Times

In 2024, Foundation students starts the day at 8.20am and dismissal time will be 3.35pm. The College has an early finish on Fridays, at 2pm.

Foundation Curriculum

English
During the year students will be developing their speaking and listening skills through a variety of oral presentations in their ‘show and tell’ focus topics. They will be introduced to various punctuation concepts like capital letters, full stops and how to write a complete sentence. In Grammar they will become aware of simple nouns, verbs and adjectives. While reading they will be exposed to various authors such as, Eric Carle, Pamela Allen, Mem Fox and Margaret Wilde and will develop various comprehension strategies such as making connections, finding the main idea, sequencing text and identifying characters. Students will use the THRASS chart to develop their letter, sound knowledge and use this when attempting to spell and write words.

Mathematics
Students will cover the following strands: – Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry and Statistics and Probability during the year. In Number the students will work to make connections between the numbers, names, numerals and quantities up to 20 and develop their knowledge of Addition, Division (Sharing) and Subtraction. They will develop the skills of recognising and classifying 2D and 3D shapes and learn to compare objects using, mass, length and capacity. They will be able to explain the order and duration of events and become aware of o’clock time. Students will be aware of language or vocabulary used when exploring the mathematical concepts.

Inquiry Learning
During the year students will be exploring the Inquiry Unit: “All about Me,†where they will be learning about their five senses, healthy eating, families and feelings. In the Inquiry Unit “Mini Beasts,†students will investigate their lifecycles, habitats, body parts and needs. Students will develop an understanding of the various people who help them in their daily lives in the Inquiry Unit ‘People in our Community’ and â€From Farm to the Supermarketâ€, students will be exploring on the process it takes to get food to their home. They will learn how to appreciate the wide variety of choices we have today. Students will participate in a wide variety of fun activities, incursions and excursions that will support their inquiry learning in this area.

Things your child should know about school

Check that your child knows:

  • The general layout of the school
  • The Homegroup teacher’s name
  • Location of toilets and classrooms
  • Where you will meet them at the end of each day (from week 3 onwards.)

Lunch – your child should know the difference between play lunch or snack and lunch and how to feed themselves, e.g.:

  • Unwrap a food packet
  • Open a lunch box and unpacked them in their bag
  • Unscrew a drink container
  • Drink from a tap/bubbler
  • Peel a piece of fruit.

Encourage your child to be independent in:

  • Dressing – especially buttons and shoelaces
  • Toileting – eg: washing hands, flushing the toilet
  • Blowing their nose.

Getting prepared – CHECKLIST of things you need before school starts:

  • School uniform
  • School socks and shoes (preferably shoes with Velcro.)
  • School bag (No trolley bags) – Ensure it large enough to accommodate all items required each day including lunch box, drink bottle, hat, jumper in winter, etc.
  • School hat (for outside play only – “No hat – no play/ Sport†is in effect in Terms 1 and 4)
  • Lunch box
  • Clearly label all items of clothing, lunchbox, and all bags
  • Place a change of clothes and underwear in a plastic bag, left permanently in their school bag, in case of any toilet accidents (or getting wet whilst drinking water or playing outside etc.)