Information for Prep 1 Parents

Prep 1F	Prep 1M

Welcome to Prep 1 .
This booklet contains some helpful information to enable you and your child to have an enjoyable and productive first year with us at Dollar Academy.

The Staff
This year the Prep 1 teachers are Miss Macmillan and Miss Foster. Our teacher’s assistants, Mrs Ramsay, Mrs Bunyan and Mrs Davis help the class teachers by escorting children to the Senior School, supervising the playground at break times and looking after the children’s well-being.

Mrs Robertson who is Head of the Prep and Junior School and Mrs Adamson who is Head of the Preparatory Department are available to deal with any issues involving the education of your child.

Reading
We use the Ginn Reading Scheme with other books for reinforcement work. Words in the word packets are learnt by the “look and say” method. These words should be practised daily until they are secure. Matching games and sentence-making help to reinforce the words and make it fun. You may encourage your child to recognise the complete words, and to sound out in Ginn Readers, but in all other books do provide the unknown words they hesitate over.

Initialling the marker encourages children to share their reading with you every night. Apart from reading the words, your child will enjoy talking about the pictures, predicting what might happen next and extending their vocabulary. Your child will really enjoy making up their own sentences using words from their word pocket and reading them to you. Above all reading should be fun!

On Fridays the children may bring home a library book from the school selection. These books should be returned on Monday.

Jolly Phonics
The scheme we use introduces one new sound each day. From the beginning we will be encouraging the children to blend sounds together to make words. With the ability to blend, the children are able to read simple unfamiliar words. Playing “I Spy”, alliteration games and rhyming words helps to develop your child’s awareness of sounds.

Number
During Prep 1 we will be covering a wide range of concepts with the children who will learn through a diverse range of practical, mental and written activities.

Handwriting
Children are taught how to write the lower case letters in Prep 1. The letters have “flicks” which make it easier for when the children start to join their letters. A separate sheet is provided showing the recommended formation of each letter.

Environmental Studies topics
Our topics this year will include:
Colours, Homes, Autumn, Christmas, My Body, Birds, People who help us and Materials. They will involve practical activities, discussion and some written work, as well as some trips out and about! We are glad to receive objects brought from home, which are related to our various topics.

Other areas of the curriculum covered in the classroom are Religious and Moral Education, Personal, social and health education and Information and Communication Technology.

Specialist teachers
The children will have music with Mrs Nelson, and in the latter part of this term, they will prepare a Christmas musical production. Mrs Borrowman takes the children for physical education and swimming. Art is taken by Mrs MacLean and Miss Croft and the children’s work is regularly displayed in the department.

Homework
Homework should be fun and enjoyable for everyone. A clear, flat work surface, a quiet environment and sharp pencils all help to establish good habits for the future. Throughout Prep 1, homework should take no longer than 20 minutes.

Lunches
We try to encourage the children to eat their healthy packed lunch each day. We return uneaten food in the lunchbox to help you estimate the quantities your child is able to eat. A napkin in their box helps to provide a clean surface, and non-spill cups or containers are a great help to the staff.

Birthdays
We are happy to distribute party invitations within the classroom as long as there is one for every child.

Being Independent
We will encourage your child to dress and undress themselves for P.E. and swimming so that they will learn to carry out these tasks independently. By the end of Prep 1, we would be delighted if the children were able to tie their own shoelaces, zip up zippers and do all their own buttons.

Some points that apply to all children at Dollar Academy.
All items belonging to your child should be named clearly and in full. Initials alone are sometimes not enough to return a piece of lost property to the rightful owner.

When your child is attending any Dollar Academy event, school uniform must be worn, unless permission to wear other clothing is given by the Rector.

If your child is absent for any reason, please telephone the School Office, or send a letter stating the reason for the absence when your child returns. Any medication that has to be administered during the school day should be clearly labelled in its original container and given to the class teacher with a signed letter from a parent detailing the correct dose to be given.

And finally…
We hope that you have found this booklet useful. If there are any other points or problems you wish to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact the class teacher at the end of the school day.

We look forward to sharing a very special first year at school with your child.

Prep School
The Support for Learning Department