EYFS Parents' Handbook

International School of Bucharest Parents’ Handbook Early Years Foundation Stage 2012/13 www.isb.ro

2

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13

Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................... 2 EYFS COORDINATOR’S MESSAGE ................................................................................................................. 3 PHILOSOPHY & OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................................................... 4 ACCREDITATION .......................................................................................................................................... 5 SCHOOL ORGANISATION ............................................................................................................................. 5 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ..................................................................................................................... 6 EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE .............................................................................................................. 6 ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT ................................................................................................................ 6 ACADEMIC CALENDAR 2012/2013 ............................................................................................................... 7 THE SCHOOL DAY ........................................................................................................................................ 8 STUDENT ATTENDANCE AND RESPONSIBILITIES ........................................................................................... 9 PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES......................................................................................................................... 11 STUDENT WELFARE AND SAFETY ............................................................................................................... 11 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME AND ORGANISATION.................................................................................... 12 EARLY YEARS CLASSROOMS....................................................................................................................... 13 RECORDS AND ACHIEVEMENT ................................................................................................................... 16 PARENTS AT ISB ........................................................................................................................................ 16

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13 3

EYFS Coordinator’s Message Dear Parents, The best education for children is achieved through a partnership with parents, staff and students. Collaboration by all partners is vital to success.

We hope the following handbook will answer many of the questions you have about the daily routines of our school. However, the contents of the handbook do not cover every possible occurrence in the school, only the daily and general ones are mentioned.

The ISB, Parents’ Handbook 2012 - 2013 provides convenient information on school regulations, roles and responsibilities, and the expectations we have for everyone attending “The International School of Bucharest.”

This handbook underlines our commitment to working closely with students and families in achieving academic excellence and inspiring the growth of well-rounded students prepared to take on the responsibilities and challenges of living in the 21st Century.

It is mandatory for every parent to read through this handbook and acknowledge that they understand and agree to comply with the school’s policies and regulations.

If you have further inquiries to make, please do not hesitate to approach the administration staff, which will do their best to provide you with the information you require.

Tel: +4021 306 9530 and/or primary.office@isb.ro or secondary.office@isb.ro May each person in ISB school community have a wonderful school year!

Catherine Low EYFS Deputy Principal

4

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13

Philosophy & Objectives Mission Statement Our goal is to provide the students of International School of Bucharest with the best possible programme of academic and personal development in a challenging and supportive environment.

Philosophy At the International School of Bucharest:  We believe that all our pupils and staff are unique human beings, capable of spiritual, moral, intellectual and physical growth and development.  We value truth, freedom, justice, human rights, the law and collective effort for the common good.  We believe that pupils need to be taught to learn and build on new skills and develop socially.  We value families as sources of love and support for all their members, and as the basis of a society in which people care for others. We believe we should respect the people, places and environment around us.  We also wholly believe that pupils learn to value and treat others with respect, not only for what they have but also for what we can do for them.  We recognise and celebrate achievement.  We believe relationships are fundamental to the development and fulfilment of others, and ourselves and for the good of both the local and wider international community.

Objectives At the International School of Bucharest:  We aim to develop a love of learning, which will remain with the individual long after the process of formal education has finished.  We will provide a balanced and broad curriculum, which will include all pupils of different abilities and needs, from the Early Years Foundation Stage to Secondary.  We offer a range of extracurricular activities and trips to broaden the experience of school for our pupils and to enrich their learning of academic and social skills.  We will encourage cross –curricular learning, supported by advancements in technology wherever possible to enhance the learning of our pupils.  We will provide our pupils with a stimulating and caring environment to learn within, where the development of the whole child is a priority. We also encourage our pupils to develop as independent learners who can make positive choices for their own learning and development.  We fully encourage parents to take an active role in their child’s education and development.  We aim to reward achievement of all members of our school community for their successes.  Our pupils are members of their local community and of our host country, Romania. We recognise our students come from a multitude of cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds. We therefore seek to provide a secular education that reflects and draws from this diversity by embracing the ideals of international understanding and responsible citizenship.

UN Declaration of Human Rights International School of Bucharest believes that its mission, aims and objectives are consistent with the spirit of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that the school operates within this spirit. We hope that all members of our community will support this, in principle as well as through their actions.

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13 5

Accreditation International School of Bucharest and its curriculum is authorized by the Ministry of Education, Research, Youth and Sports, Romania.

Our School is also a regular member of the Council of International Schools (CIS). We are proud of their recognition of the quality of our programme. The School is now seeking full accreditation with the CIS. The School is accredited as a Cambridge University International Exam Centre for IGCSE and A Level Programmes, which are recognised by universities and colleges throughout the world, as well as Romania.

School Organisation The Structure of ISB International School of Bucharest is a not-for-profit private international school registered as a subsidiary of SC Lumina Educational Institutions Inc, under Romanian Law. Board of Directors The board is composed of ten members who are appointed to a one-year term during the annual general meeting of the Lumina Educational Institutions, the legal entity of the school.

Director The board appoints a Director whose prime responsibility is to oversee the smooth running of the school.

Director of Studies Activities Coordinator (ACO) The Activities Co-ordinator has overall responsibility for the implementation and smooth running of the activities and excursions programme, assisted by all Year Leaders, Teachers and Group Leaders. An outlined social programme is prepared by division principals and co-ordinated by the Activities Co-ordinator.

The ACO is required to work closely with the SMT, ECA Coordinator and Projects & Olympiads Coordinator.

Senior Management Team (SMT) The Director, the division principals and deputy principals comprise the SMT. The director is the head of the SMT and reports to board.

Full Name Faruk Erduran Kerry Harris Catherine Low

Roles Director Director of Studies EYFS Deputy Principal

Table 1 - ISB SMT

Extra Curricular Activities Coordinator Plans and implements the after school activities and reports to ACO and relevant division principals.

Gifted and Talented (G&T) Programme Coordinator Plans and implements the G&T Programme

Full Name Ingrid Sanciu Mihaela Hapenciuc

Roles ECA Coordinator Gifted and Talented Programme Coordinator

Table 2 - ECA and G&T Coordinators

6

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13

Roles and Responsibilities Early Years Foundation Stage Deputy Principal The Principal appoints a deputy principal for Early Years Foundation. They have delegated management responsibilities following their job description. Together they are responsible for the academic programme and pastoral care of the children.

Year Leaders Year leaders are appointed for each year group and have delegated management responsibilities following their job description.

Teachers Teachers are responsible for the day-to-day education and pastoral care of the children in their class following their job specification.

Teaching Assistants Teaching assistants assist the teachers in the education and pastoral care of the children following their job specification.

Administration and Support Financial Manager The Financial manager is responsible for all financial matters, services to the school and the work of the support staff. He is supported by two bookkeepers.

Admissions Officer The Admissions officer is responsible for all matters concerning the admission of new children to the school following their job specification.

Secretariat Secretaries maintain the front offices and reception and provide administration back up to the school.

Resources Manager The Resources Manager is responsible for the efficient and effective deployment of school resources when they are needed.

Campus Manager The Campus Manager is responsible for campus security and maintenance following their job specification.

Health and Safety Officer Health and safety officer helps and oversees the health and safety issues and report to campus manager.

Doctor/Nurse The school has a fulltime medical professional on call at all times. They are responsible for the well being of children under their care following their job specification.

IT Manager The IT Manager is responsible for providing technical support to staff. He may provide general IT support, or specialist technical help in particular areas.

Table 3 - Administration and Support Staff

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13 7

Academic Calendar 2012/2013

1st TERM: 3 September - 21 December 2012 New Students’ Orientation Day First Day of School Half-term holiday Classes resume Sf.Andrei holiday Winter break

Friday 31 August Monday 3 September Monday 22 October through Friday 26 October Monday 29 October Friday 30 November Monday 24 December through Tuesday 8 January

2nd TERM: 9 January – 5 April 2013 Classes resume Half-term holiday Classes resume Classes end Spring break

Wednesday 9 January Thursday 28 February through Friday 1 March Monday 4 March Friday 5 April Monday 8 April through Monday 19 April 3rd TERM: 22 April - 19 June 2013

Classes resume Labour Day holiday Classes end

Monday 22 April Wednesday 1 May Wednesday 19 June (at 12 noon)

8

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13

The School Day Daily Schedule Table 4 - Nursery Daily Schedule

08:30 – 09:00 09:00 – 09:30 09:30 – 09:50 09:50 – 10:10 10:10 – 11:10 11:10 – 11:50 11:50 – 12:20 12:20 – 13:50 13:50 – 14:10 14:10 – 14:25 14:25 – 15:00

Arrival /Structured Play Snack and Toilet Circle Time/PE/Music/Dance Circle Time/PE/Music/Dance Structured Play Outside Play Lunch and Toilet Structured Play /Quiet Time Story Time Snack and Toilet Outside Play

Table 5 - Reception Daily Schedule

08:30 – 09:30 09:30 – 09:50 09:50 – 10:50 10:50 – 11:50 11:50 – 12:10 12:10 – 13:00 13:00 – 14:00 14:00 – 14:30 14:30 – 15:00

Communication, Language and Literacy Snack and Toilet KUW/Creative Development PE/Music/ICT Story Time Lunchtime/Outside Play Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy Structured Play/PSE/Dance/Assembly Snack, Toilet and Get Ready to Go Home

Emergency Closing In the event of emergency or adverse weather conditions the Director is empowered to close the school if they believe that the safety or well being of the students and staff is at risk.

After School Hours The school does not accept responsibility for students who are in the care of their parents at the start and finish of the school day. Parents are asked to supervise their children at all times when visiting the school.

Services Transportation A bus service is available and covers the whole of Bucharest. The service is run by Theo Trans Network – TTN. The cost of the service depends on the capacity of the bus and the location. All buses are operated by an independent company whose standards are monitored by ISB. In the event of a problem with the service you should in the first instance contact the company representative. If you are unable to resolve the problem you may contact the nominated school liaison officer. All buses will be equipped with seat belts. All kindergarten buses will have a bus assistant.

For general enquiries contact the Transport Department on 021 306 9548 or email to trans_t@ymail.com.

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13 9 Food and Snacks ISB has excellent canteen facilities. Children are offered a hot, healthy, nutritious, well-balanced meal. The food is freshly prepared and cooked in our kitchen. The meal consists of a starter, a hot main course and a dessert/fruit.

If parents wish, children can bring in their own packed lunch. However, the school does not offer facilities to heat any food that is brought in. The packed lunch must be healthy and not full of junk food or a meal purchased from a fast food outlet.

Children should not bring other food, sweets or sugary drinks to school. However, children are welcome to bring a birthday cake to share with their class on their birthday.

Please speak directly to your child’s teacher to arrange a convenient time for you to bring in the cake.

If your child has a food allergy or there is a kind of food you would prefer that they do not eat please inform your child’s form teacher and school nurse.

Student Attendance and Responsibilities Uniform and Dress Code The school has a school uniform, which the children are expected to wear at all times unless notified to the contrary.

The uniform is as follows.

Table 6 - Uniforms

Boys Navy blue trousers White long sleeved school shirt Navy blue school jumper Black closed leather shoes

Navy blue trousers White short sleeved school shirt Navy blue school jumper Black/brown sandals with heel strap Blue jogging pants White T shirt with school logo

Girls Winter Navy blue trousers (or a skirt in primary) White long sleeved school shirt Navy blue school jumper Black closed leather shoes (heel no higher than 2 cm) Summer Navy blue trousers (or a skirt in primary) White short sleeved school shirt Navy blue school jumper Black/brown sandals with heel strap P.E Kit Blue jogging pants White T shirt with school logo

Clothing – Early Years Foundation Children in EYFS do not need a school PE kit.

In hot weather your child must bring a sunhat to school. In cold weather, they will need a warm coat, hat and gloves. We like to go outside to play every day so please make sure your child is appropriately dressed.

Children will need to have indoor and outdoor shoes. Please choose shoes with buckles or Velcro as these are much easier for your child to change independently. Jewellery should not be worn to school, with the exception of small stud earrings.

Young children often have spills and accidents so please make sure these events are stress free for your child by ensuring they have a full change of clothing (underwear, socks, jumper, t-shirt and trousers) at school every day. A child’s change of clothes does not have to be school uniform.

1 0

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13

Absence If a child is absent for any reason, the school should be informed on the morning of the first day of absence (by telephone, note or verbal message to the teacher) so that an authorized absence can be recorded.

Requests for absence other than illness should be made to the Principal in advance of the proposed absence on a form available from the office. The Principal reserves the right to refuse such requests.

Pupils returning after an absence for medical reasons must present a medical certificate within 5 days of the student’s return to school.

Unless the school is informed of a pupil’s absence and there is good reason for the absence, the absence will be recorded as unauthorized and can be regarded as truancy.

An attendance of 90% both at school and for individual subjects is a condition for promotion to the next year group.

Absence for a test must be covered by a medical certificate before a pupil is permitted to take the test; otherwise the pupil will be deemed to have failed and receive the minimum mark of 10%.

Lateness Pupils who arrive late to school must report to the office and sign in. A late slip must then be presented to the form teacher, who will record the lateness, or to the subject teacher of period 1 before a pupil can be admitted to class.

Students who arrive late and between lessons, who do not report their arrival at school to the school secretary, will be recorded as absent and that absence will count towards the number of unauthorized absences.

In the event of a fire or other emergencies, the morning registration is used to check that all students have been safely evacuated. If a student has failed to register their attendance at school, the result could be fatal.

Repeated lateness will be monitored and reported to parents by the Deputy Principals.

After three late arrivals for registration, a pupil will serve a detention. A pupil arriving late to lessons will serve a detention.

NB: Late arrival of school buses will be reported to form teachers. Pupils on those buses will not be recorded as late.

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13 1 1

Parent Responsibilities Your Childs First Day – Early Years Foundation Please talk to your child about starting school. One parent or familiar adult is welcome to stay in the classroom for the first half an hour, we would then ask that you either go home or wait out of sight of your child. Every child is different and your child’s teacher will advise you on the best way to support your child on subsequent days.

Dropping Off and Collecting Your Child - Early Years Foundation Children travelling home by school bus will be collected from the Early Years area by their bus assistant, where available, or taken to their appropriate bus by Early Years staff.

Appointments – Whole School As far as possible, medical or dental appointments must please be made after school hours. In case of emergency, children may be excused from school for medical or dental appointments. Parents who desire to pick-up their child during the school day need to send a note to their child’s teacher prior to the appointment.

The child will meet the parent in the school office.

School Uniform Children are expected to wear both their school and sports uniform at all appropriate times. Please make sure that your child has their uniform to wear and that any washing is done at the weekends. If your child needs a piece of new uniform for any reason you are able to buy replacements by contacting the school office.

Changing Address/Phone Parents must notify the school when they move and give us their new address. The school must be notified when there is a change of home or mobile telephone number, or emergency contact. This information is very important in case of an emergency situation.

Withdrawal from school Any parent withdrawing a student from school must bring or send a written request (a copy of withdrawal from can be obtained from the school office) giving as much advance notice as possible (4 weeks minimum).

Upon request, a copy of the student’s records will be provided to the parent on the student’s last day of attendance.

Early Withdrawal The provision of permitting the early withdrawal of students with full credit was based on careful consideration of the unique circumstances.

Student Welfare and Safety Nurse ISB employs a fulltime. She is on hand in case of medical emergencies and also for periodic health checks.

Medical Information Parents are expected to submit an up-to-date medical form, which will be sent out at the start of the year. This information is kept in a confidential file.

Allergies If your child has any allergies or suffers from any particular condition such as asthma, please ensure you contact the class teacher and school nurse and discuss it with them directly. This information should also be submitted on the school medical form.

1 2

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13

Medication Children should not be in possession of any kind of medication either in school or on a school trip. Medication is not administered to students without written consent and instructions from the parents. The school Doctor or Nurse is responsible for administering any medicine. (Unless on a school trip where the class teacher will take responsibility).

Any medicine coming into school must also be clearly labelled with the child’s name and prescribed dosage; no responsibility can be accepted if a dose is missed.

Illness Pupils who are sick should not be sent to school. The best place for them to recover is at home. Sick children also risk infecting other healthy children.

Examples of this would be if a child has been vomiting in the last 12 hours, has diarrhea, a fever or a contagious illness. In the case of communicable diseases, the school should be notified immediately, so that other parents can be informed.

Further examples for keeping a child at home would be;  Temperature of 38˚C or above  Nausea, vomiting or severe abdominal pain  Drowsiness  Acute cold, sore throat and persistent cough  Red or inflamed discharging eyes  Acute skin rashes  Suspected scabies or impetigo  Swollen glands around the jaws, ears or neck  Earache  Head Lice  Other symptoms suggestive of acute illness.

First-Aid and Accident Procedures The health and safety of each child is of paramount importance to the school.

However, occasionally accidents may occur, or children may fall ill during the school day. The school will administer whatever first aid measures seem necessary if a child is sick or injured at school. If necessary, the school will telephone the parents.

However, please note that the school does not give medication for minor or passing complaints such as headache, stomach-ache or a sore throat.

Please see school website www.isb.ro for health and safety policy

Educational Programme and Organisation Class Placement and Size - Primary The school does its utmost to maintain a good balance of students within different year group classes.

Considerations include; child’s personality and learning style; friendship patterns; learning support needs, gender, language and cultural balance. The school aims to keep enrolment to 14 children in Nursery and 18 Reception classes. The school reserves the right to determine student placement.

Curriculum – Early years Foundation What will my Child Learn?

At ISB, we believe in educating the whole child, focusing on intellectual, social, emotional, physical and creative growth, valuing the rich diversity of culture the children bring to the classroom. The curriculum is

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13 1 3 carefully structured and planned with children learning through a combination of teacher-pupil initiated activities and play. We consider play to be an important educational activity enabling children to practice and consolidate a variety of skills.

We teach from the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework for England and Wales and the curriculum is split into the following six areas: 1.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSE) 2.

Communication, Language and Literacy (CLL) 3.

Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy 4.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World (KUW) 5.

Physical Development 6.

Creative Development

Early Years Classrooms A Book Corner: Allows for children to develop reading and listening skills. They have the opportunity to share knowledge and understanding of the world through many forms of literature and they practice socialisation skills as they share stories and books with their peers and teachers. All of this is done in a relaxed manner and in an area that encourages spontaneous language as well as an area that children can seek some quiet and solitude.

A Malleable Area: Enables children to actively challenge and develop their fine motor skills through hands on manipulation of materials, as well as providing opportunities for children to talk about what they are making and how they do it as well as using expressive language to describe the feeling and sensation in their hands.

A Role – Play Area: A place where children communicate and interact with their peers in a social setting that allows for varied play situations the children initiate. An area that enables children to make links with prior knowledge, engage in their own problem solving, communicate and take a risk.

Small World and Construction Area: As well as enabling problem solving, social development, physical and creative skill work these areas allow the children to talk, listen, instruct, describe and respond to their peers and teachers. They get to use these skills in small and larger groups as they design and build their creations and use materials large and small as they engage in make believe and pretend play.

Sand and Water Play: An area that develops science and mathematical language as well as providing opportunities to use language to help solve problems, express ideas, listen to others, instruct and follow instructions. Sand and Water play also enable children to make links with other areas of learning, such as problem solving and it develops their observational skills, especially as you add other elements to sand or water. Sand and Water play provide ample opportunities to explore thinking, social and physical skills as well.

Creative Areas: Exploring their imaginative skills through art, music and dance. Whilst playing with other children, they develop listening and communication skills. Children get to explore a variety of materials and create with these, they practice their writing, cutting, threading, tearing and marking skills. Creative play allows for children to think independently as well as engage in language play with teachers and peers.

1 4

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13

ICT Areas: Through interactive whiteboards, educational game sites, using and becoming more familiar with computers children in Nursery and Reception increase and develop their expressive and receptive language skills. This is one area that would be teacher driven and is a source of engaging children who are reluctant to verbalise their findings and experiences.

The activities and lessons planned are varied throughout the year and are designed for optimal learning. These activities consolidate and challenge skills and will be adapted to meet the individual needs of the children in class. In Nursery we meet the goals for the six main areas of the Early Years Curriculum in our structured play and circle time sessions. Some of these activities may include but are not inclusive of: - painting - pasting/collage - drawing - cooking - gardening - number and other math area games - shared story time - science investigations - music - dance - puppets In Reception the above learning activities can also been seen as well as the more formal learning that takes place as they progress through the six key areas of the EYFS Curriculum.

We also use the Outside Area to develop physical skills by climbing, swinging, sliding, negotiating space, running and jumping. Staff initiates conversations with children about the games they are playing, inviting them into games with their friends and giving specific instructional language. Children have the opportunities to engage in language play with their peers as they use their socialisation skills in the games that they become involved in.

What if my Child does not have English?

Regardless of your child’s English language skills, all children are welcomed and become part of our classes.

We strive to make each child feel comfortable no matter what language they can or cannot speak and we encourage all forms of communication. Through the play based curriculum we offer, exposing Non English Speakers to English on a daily basis and the unique capabilities that children have with each other in being able to talk when a shared language is not present, our Early Years classes are a place where all children are able to participate fully in all areas of learning with increasing confidence.

Assessment in the Early Years At ISB we implement the Early Years Assessment Student Profile for all students in our classrooms. The profile gives an overview of a child’s skill achievements and development and is carried out by careful observations and assessments taken whilst they are engaged in their daily lessons and activities. There are 13 assessment scales across the six areas of Learning and Development, it is these scales that the observations are based on which creates an accurate developmental profile of your child.

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13 1 5 Teachers also compile written reports for parents twice a year based on the observations we take of your children during assessment periods and their overall attitude and behaviour in the school environment and class.

Parent/Teacher Conferences Twice a year we have scheduled parent/teacher conferences where parents are invited to come and discuss with the teacher their child’s academic and developmental achievements. We further encourage our parents to come in and discuss their child’s progress at any mutually agreeable time, at any point in the school year.

You do not have to wait until the conferences roll around on the calendar.

Day Trips and Community Visits Each class usually goes on a day trip each half term that supports the learning within the classroom. There is usually a nominal charge and the children return to school and go home at the normal time. These trips are compulsory as is the wearing of school uniform unless otherwise indicated.

Library The library is a central resource that children are actively encouraged to use and borrow books from. The school has a full time school Librarian. We also ask you to make sure that the children look after their books and return them in the condition they borrowed them. Damaged or lost books will be charged to the parent.

After School Clubs Children have access to a comprehensive program of clubs. They operate from Monday to Friday throughout most of the school year. The clubs are largely free to children unless the school brings in an outside expert such as for karate, where a nominal payment will be required. Clubs usually run from 3.15 until 4.15pm.

Questions related to clubs should be directed to ECA Coordinator Mrs Ingrid Stanciu.

Special Educational Needs The school employs a Special Educational Needs Coordinator. (SENCO) International School of Bucharest recognises that each child is unique and has individual needs. They learn at different rates and reach milestones at different times and this process continues throughout lifelong learning.

In every class at school there will be children who may at some time during their school years have special educational needs (SEN) identified. These learning difficulties could be short or long term. If we identify a need in a child, ISB will work in partnership with parents to monitor their child’s development and take steps to help them learn more effectively to maximise their progress. (See Website www.isb.ro for Special Educational Needs Policy).

Homework – Early Years; Home/School Links (Homework) When your child is settled and ready their teacher will begin to send home fun and simple homework tasks, which are related to the work, your child is covering in their normal lessons. The tasks will follow the timetable below: Nursery Monday: Song or Nursery Rhyme Tuesday/Friday: Pre-reading Thursday: Numeracy Reception Monday/Wednesday/Friday: Reading Books Tuesday: Literacy Wednesday: Numeracy

1 6

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13

Nursery and Reception children should normally spend 15 minutes each night on their homework.

In Reception, when your child is ready they will bring home a levelled ‘Reading book’ every day. Please discuss the pictures with your child, encourage them to ‘read’ the text, and talk about the story and similar experiences in their own life.

Other ways to support the reading process include:  Taking your child shopping and asking them to pick items for you  Discussing shop and street signs as you travel around the city  Modelling reading by looking at books and magazines  Cooking together with your child  Asking older brother or sisters to read to your child  Visiting website pages for children  Playing board games and completing puzzles together If a parent feels that particular circumstances (e.g. prolonged absence from school) warrant additional homework this should be discussed with the class teacher. Additional homework will not normally be set simply because a child is being taken out of school for a family holiday.

Homework will be followed up in class with the clear expectation that all homework tasks should be completed. Teachers will record the homework and the outcome achieved.

(See website www.isb.ro for Homework Policy).

Records and Achievement Pupil Profiles All children have what is known as a Pupil Profile. The Pupil profile is a record of your child’s progress and contains examples of their work, records of achievement and other data connected to their education and pastoral care.

Progress Reports Results of formal tests are made known to the parents through their written reports in December and the end of year report in June.

Parent Conferences There are two formal parent conferences throughout the school year. These offer a valuable opportunity for parents to learn about their child’s progress and find out how they can help their child at home. It is the schools expectation that all parents should attend these conferences.

Parents at ISB Parents and School Communication ISB values and indeed expects there to be a very open and constructive relationship between parents, their child’s teacher and the school in general.

Communication takes several forms and includes;  Regular newsletters from the school  Home-school contact book  The website (http://www.isb.ro)  Social Networks o Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/isb.romania o Twitter: http://twitter.com/isbro  Curriculum information evening for parents  Parent teacher conferences  Appointments between teacher and parents to discuss a child’s progress.

PARENTS’ HANDBOOK EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE 2012/13 1 7 Day to Day Communication Your child will have a Home/School contact book. Feel free to address questions to the teacher by writing notes and comments in these books (your child’s teacher will examine these books every day). They will write a reply to your questions and sign the book to show they have seen it.

However, if you want to come in and see someone, please; Contact the Right Person - Primary If at any time you wish to come and see a member of staff it is very important that you speak to the person who can best help you. There is nothing more frustrating than spending time talking to someone who cannot really resolve or best help you with your concern. Below you will find some guidelines that should enable you to sort out your problem as quickly and efficiently as possible.

If your concern is academic, you should make an appointment through the secretary to see the class teacher or specialist teacher.

If the matter is not resolved to your satisfaction you should contact the Secretary to arrange a meeting with the Deputy Principal and the teacher concerned or contact the Deputy Principal; If a further meeting is necessary please contact the Principal through the school secretary to arrange a meeting or contact the Principal directly If your concern is pastoral, you should make an appointment through the secretary to see the class teacher.

If the concern relates to more general issues please contact the secretary who will advise the correct person to meet and make an appointment for you.

Parent Teacher Association (PTA) This is a group of parents and teachers of ISB who meet regularly and plan events for the school community like children’s parties, a salsa night for parents and a summer carnival which raised over €5000 to create a climbing wall at the school, help improve the reception area of the Pediatric Department of the Bucharest Institute of Oncology and purchase musical instruments so we can have an orchestra at ISB. It is also a great way to meet other parents. Whether you have lots of time to spare or just an hour or two every few months, you are welcome to join. To find out more please contact the PTA secretary at ptasecretary@isb.ro

www.isb.ro