SACRED HEART COLLEGE EDUCATION WITH HEART THAT KNOWS NO BOUNDS A MARIST SCHOOL IN MELIORA CONTENDE – STRIVE FOR BETTER THINGS
2016
The Foundation Phase welcome children and their families to an exciting learning experience. ‘Education is not the piling on of learning, information, data, facts, skills, or abilities – that’s training or instruction, but rather a making visible what is hidden as a seed …’ The Thomas Moore FP Stars
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FOUNDATION PHASE TEACHERS Ms S Gair HOD Grade 1G Room number 32
Ms J King Grade 1K Room number 18
Miss Newbery Grade 1N
Ms M Trassierra Grade 2T
Room number 27
Room 19
Ms Els (Grade Coordinator) Grade 2E Room number 17
Ms P Douglas Grade 3D Room number 22
Ms M Breuer
Ms C Bacalhau
Grade 2B Near chapel
Grade 3B Room number 25
Ms J Field (Grade Coordinator) Grade 3F Room number 26
Ms L Maritz Music
Ms P Paton-Mills Director of Pastoral Care Creative Arts
Ms S Gaffar Visual Art Room 20
Ms I Marais
Ms R Basso
Library skills
Computers
Mr van der Merwe Deputy Principal Primary School Co-curricular & Facilities Ms K Dickson
Ms G Brokensha isiZulu Grades 1, 2 & 3 Foot of office stairs
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Deputy Principal Primary School Admin Mr J Lambert (HOD), Sport Grades 1, 2 & 3
Principal Ms R.Picas
WHAT WE STAND FOR Sacred Heart College is a Catholic Marist school in a caring community. It aims to serve its children by providing an education of the highest quality, founded on Catholic ethos and the five Marist pillars:
Presence Simplicity Family spirit Love of work In the way of Mary.
Sacred Heart College endeavours to serve its community by providing an excellent, wellrounded education. Every child is important, and we take pride in encouraging everyone to work to the best of their ability, academically, socially, emotionally, spiritually and physically. The College’s Vision and Mission Statement outlines the ethos that underpins all we do, the core of which includes:
Being educators in partnership with the Church, we endeavour to witness that love of God by building a community based on mutual understanding, respect, tolerance, justice, reconciliation, love and peace.
Having a child-centered approach, we believe in treating each child with respect and concern. Our authority and discipline are motivated by love for those in our care.
Working in partnership with the family, we are committed to developing the closest cooperation with parents in the education of their children.
Focusing on Pastoral Care, the College has Pastoral care structures that respond to the pastoral needs of the learners, teachers and parents at the school. This includes: a Pastoral Care Committee, counselling services, a Buddy system, and programmes which develop values and enrich social skills e.g. Kindness Week, the
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Caring Caterpillar, Bully-Busting (helpful and unhelpful behaviour), Campaign and Safety Week.
Having a pastoral approach to discipline means that we understand the child’s behaviour and encourage him/her to take responsibility, negotiate consequences, educate for resolution and restore broken relationships.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BELONG TO THE MARIST FAMILY Children attending Sacred Heart College belong to the Marist family. This family stretches to the furthest corners of the globe, including countries in the Far East, Australia, Europe, the USA, Canada, South America and Africa. In order to teach our children well, we teach them in the way St Marcellin Champagnat taught us. Children are loved equally and we expect them to treat each other with care and respect. Children are taught to be accountable for their actions. The Caring Caterpillar
To reinforce positive behaviour, children’s acts of kindness and caring are recognised in the above areas. If children are 'caught' being good, their teachers will award them a sticker for their caterpillar. Once they have 15 stickers (20 in Grade 1), they receive a butterfly to colour in, which is then handed out to them at a morning assembly.
THE RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM: The Morning Meeting: We begin our day with an assembly; thereafter, the children meet in the classroom for the Morning Meeting. This begins with the children sitting in a circle and greeting each other. The meeting can be very specific or general. Various activities are used to develop social and
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academic skills. Children are given turns to share important news and approximately two to three children do this at each meeting. Meetings end with a meaningful message.
HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY
Be happy when you get up as children are able to read your mood and this can impact negatively on their day. Develop consistency and stick to a routine. Please ensure that your child is in bed by seven o’clock at night. Breakfast is an important meal and children must have a protein and a portion of carbohydrates. Please try to avoid sugary cereals. Avoid morning TV. Please ensure that your children arrive timeously in the mornings, as it becomes distressing for them if their routine is disrupted. It is also very disturbing for the rest of the class. Important notices are read out at assemblies and can cause confusion if a child misses this information. Children must be at school by 7:30. The school day begins at 7:40 with an assembly led by a different teacher each day. Monday - main quad for Grades 1 to 6 with Ms Picas. Tuesday - line up in the Foundation Phase quad and then led off for Hymn Practice until 8:30. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - assembly in the Foundation Phase Quad. Children then make their way to class for register and the Morning Meeting. Although this is an informal part of the day, it is critically important as it sets the tone for the day and important life lessons are dealt with. Classes begin at 7:50 sharp. Classes end at 13:30 each day Break times There are 2 break sessions. First break is from 9:50 to 10:15. Second break is from 11:45 to 12:00. End of the academic day 13:30: all Grade 2 and 3 classes.
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NB: Closing time for Grade 1 classes is 12:30 until 29 January. As from the 1 February, the academic day will end at 13:30 for all Grades 1, 2 and 3 classes. Co-Curricular – please see the section, ‘Afternoon Structure.’
Healthy Lunch Water should be included; avoid juices and fizzy drinks. Sweets and sugary snacks are not to be part of their daily lunch pack. Try to make sure you include a fruit or veggie snack, as these are good for children. You might even include yoghurt. A good substantial sandwich is always important. If your child is staying after 14:15, it is advisable to pack extra food for the afternoon session especially if your child is staying for the entire afternoon. This is another reason for children to be in bed by 19:00, as tired children find it challenging to concentrate at school. Read a Bedtime Story Please read a story to your child every night – this ensures an extension and awareness of language patterns, such as rhyming words, and it also increases vocabulary and imagination.
Additional Information: Communication with teacher If you need to communicate with any of the teachers, please write a note in your child’s diary or alternatively leave a message with Ms Peters in the Primary School Office. Teachers may also be contacted via email. Absenteeism Children absent from school must be provided with a letter for the class teacher, or a note written in the diary, on their return to school. If a child is absent on a Friday or a Monday, we require a note from your doctor. A sick note from your family doctor is also required after three days of absenteeism. Tuck Shop Card If your child plans to buy food from the tuck shop, please ensure that her/his card is loaded
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with money. You may either pay using the EFT option, or you or your child may load it in the Primary School office on a Thursday morning. Tuck should be used as a treat and it is strongly advised that Grade 1 children receive tuck only once a week.
Please remember that children may not have cell phones at school. If a phone is brought to school, it will be confiscated and returned to parents at the end of term. Uniform Requirements Children must wear the correct official school uniform and be clean and neat at all times. Please check the days your child has PE during class time and ensure that they wear their PE uniforms on those days. The school hat or cap is also part of the school uniform and we follow the ‘no hat, no play’ procedures. It is very important that you LABEL YOUR CHILD’S UNIFORM and all belongings, as items may be misplaced. If clothing is clearly labelled, we are able to return lost items to the owner. All items, including bags, Tupperware and stationery, must be clearly labelled. Please use the labels provided. Weekly Newsletter Our newsletter is published and sent home each Thursday. You can opt to receive it by email or you can find all newsletters on the website. Please take the time to read it carefully as it contains vital information. We look forward to working with you and your child during his/her Foundation Phase years in the Primary School. The team works closely together and we strive to provide an interesting curriculum for the children. Each grade covers a number of new concepts as well as consolidating the basics, which are essential for building a reliable and established platform on which to further develop and extend children’s learning. Please help your children and ask to see their workbooks regularly. We encourage you to sign the homework diary daily and certain grades may require you to sign weekly assessments.
UNDERSTANDING FOUNDATION PHASE CHILDREN
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Children in this phase of the school are generally between the ages of 6 and 8 and some turn 9 by the end of Grade 3. As parents, we often struggle to understand where our children are coming from as we do not have the time between our busy schedules and organizing our families and other responsibilities to remember that our children are only 6, 7 and 8-year olds. So to give you a snapshot of where our children are emotionally and intellectually we have included Chip Wood’s insights. In this series based on Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4–14, Chip Wood focuses on the positive developmental attributes generally present in children at different ages. The "Growing Strong" series is adapted from posts on his blog: www.yardsticks4-14.com. There, you can learn about the positive attributes of other ages, and ask Chip questions about children’s growth, development, and behaviour.
THE FOUNDATION PHASE CURRICULUM This is a four-year phase, which starts with Grade R and ends with Grade 3. We cannot stress enough the importance of the “three-R’s” namely Reading, wRiting and aRithmatic. Although the basics are the same, these are the subjects we teach: English Afrikaans isiZulu Mathematics Science and Technology RELO Computers Library – Book Education Physical Education Performing Arts (Creative Art Zone) Visual Arts Class Music
We follow the CAPs documents and supplement these with Singapore Maths (the South African version) and Science curricula, as well as weaving in aspects of education, which we believe our children will need to be happy and successful in life. Please help your children by checking their homework, and encouraging them to be prepared
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for each day. Children who succeed at school are those whose parents are involved in their learning. This means that you need to be actively involved in their school life by reading to and with your child on a daily basis, helping them to prepare for assessments and plan for all school activities. Each child is different and has different needs. Please support your child and help her/him develop into an independent, hard working, compassionate, tolerant and motivated individual.
Basic Outline of English Learning Area
SINGAPORE SCIENCE
AFRIKAANS/ISIZULU
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RELIGION FIRST HOLY COMMUNION AND RECONCILIATION Catholic children in Grade 3 are prepared for the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist during religion lessons. They have their lessons with Ms I. Marais, who prepares them to receive these sacraments. The college chaplain, Father D. Dryden, will be an integral part of guiding the children during this special year.
LIFE SKILLS
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ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING SYSTEMS
Teachers carry out a variety of assessment procedures to ensure fair and authentic assessment. Assessment of children’s progress occurs throughout the term. To communicate this to you as a parent, a summary of the teacher’s observation and your child’s performance is given at regular intervals. All evaluation is based on the 7-point scale. The teacher will also write a comprehensive comment on each learning area. Please take note of the comments and avoid becoming overly concerned with the marks/levels. Please do not compare your child’s progress with his/her peers. Reports are issued at the end of each term, to allow parents time to peruse it at their leisure during the holiday. A parents’ evening is booked at the start of the second term to enable both parents and teachers to discuss their children’s progress. The last report of the year is given out on the very last school day of the year. Assessments are based on continuous class work and observations made by the relevant teachers, as well as tests and pieces of work produced independently. .
COMPUTERS AND IPADS Computers are an integral part of our daily lives and we take this subject very seriously. Children are taught computer literacy and computer citizenship focusing on email etiquette, protecting private information, staying safe online and dealing with cyber bullying. We also develop children’s creativity with programmes such as Google Sketchup 8 and the weekly class lessons – Computers for Kids. Children learn life-long computer literacy skills which link to the curriculum. Teachers work with Ms Basson and tasks are often integrated across the different learning areas. Children are given opportunities to explore a number of computer skills through a variety of packages as well as using iPads.
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LIBRARY CLASSES
All classes visit the library once a week during class time and are issued with a book for the week. Skills such as caring for books, identifying main characters and becoming aware of how stories and poems are developed through the use of descriptive language are explored during lessons.
HOMEWORK SESSIONS
(At school, non-compulsory)
Time : 14h15 to 15h00 (Monday to Thursday) NB: These sessions do not require an additional payment.
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There is no homework session on Fridays. Venue: Class teacher’s class (refer to page 2) What you can expect: (varies from grade to grade) • Phono-Graphix - a reading, writing and spelling programme •
Individual reading books - provided by the class teacher
•
Mathematics - 2 or 3 times a week (depends on grade)
•
Revision of number bonds, tables, counting skills etc.
•
Other homework will be subject and teacher dependent and will vary weekly e.g. a speech per term
•
Weekly spelling assessments (Grades 2 and 3 from the beginning of the year)
Reading Listening to your child read remains a vital responsibility of the parent. Class teachers will provide further information on how best to assist your children, appropriate to their specific stage of reading development. Children tend to develop this skill (particularly in Grade 1) at different rates to their peers and comparison is, therefore, best avoided. We follow the PhonoGraphix Read for Africa Programme which is a whole school approach and includes reading, writing and spelling. More details regarding the programme will be provided throughout the year as the necessity arises. If homework is not completed during the 45 minutes session, please assist your child at home. A guideline regarding how much time your child should be spending on homework is as follows: Grade 1 - 10 minutes Grade 2 - 15 minutes Grade 3 - 20 minutes
Homework Tips Please avoid spending hours on homework as this may well result in unnecessary stress on both you and your child, which will defeat the aim of consolidating skills and concepts covered during the school day. Please speak to the teacher concerned should you require further assistance. Certainly help your child, but do not do his/her homework for him/her! Create a space for your child to do his/her homework. Avoid any distractions such as TV, music or noisy siblings where your child is working. Sign your child’s diary daily, even if your child attends homework class. Help/remind your child to pack his/her homework away and prepare his/her bag for the next day (including items such as library book for library days, swimming kit etc.)
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STATIONERY AND TEXT BOOKS Discover Maths and Singapore Science Workbooks. Parents received information regarding payment of the workbooks last year in August. The school ordered these books once payment had been made and the children work in these books during class. Additional Textbooks (order forms provided last year from our supplier, Pinnacle) Payments were made directly to Pinnacle and the collection of these books occurred on Orientation Day at the end of November last year or on the first day of the New Year. Textbooks vary from grade to grade but generally include an Afrikaans workbook for Grade 2 and 3. A dictionary (wordbook) for Grade 1, which is used again in Grade 2 and 3, is a onceoff payment. Bonds and problem-solving books may also be a requirement. Please refer to the list for each grade if you are still uncertain of these requirements. Stationery: HB pencils, erasers, rulers etc. Grades 1, 2 and 3 teachers provided a specific list of stationery which was sent home/emailed towards the end of last year. Parents had the choice to use either the school’s stationery supplier or obtain the items from other suppliers. Each grade teacher ordered stationery in bulk and included specific items such as lined exercise books and pencil grips. These are charged to each school account. NB: Any school reading book or textbook must be well looked after and, if these are damaged or lost, a fee of R120 is charged.
AFTERNOON CO-CURRICULAR STRUCTURES All children are encouraged to take part in the co-curricular programme, which is designed to develop their sporting and cultural skills and interests. Each child receives two co-curricular forms at the beginning of each season and children (staff may well assist) make their choices and return one of the forms to school. The other form is to be kept by parents for reference purposes.
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Times: 13h30 to 14h15 (Monday to Thursday) Friday - match days or galas. The Sports Department will provide information when your child is involved in these events. Venues – Please refer to the co-curricular forms.
After Care This takes place in the Orchard from 15:00 till 17:30. Please collect the After Care booklet from the Primary School Office. Teacher in charge - Mr Zondo
BIRTHDAYS
Birthdays are always special occasions and, as we all love to celebrate, we ask that you help the teachers by sending in cupcakes for these special events. Serviettes/paper plates are also most useful. Please do not send party packs or fizzy drinks.
SACRED HEART COLLEGE AND ADDITIONAL SUPPORT/THERAPIES We offer private Speech and Language Therapy (Ms Dawber) and Occupational Therapy on the property. These therapies provide support and guidance to our children. If children require the assistance of such therapies, early detection is vital to their academic progress. Occupational Therapy assists in many areas, such as helping children to establish their laterality, fine and gross-motor skills, and sensory integration skills, which is very important for maintaining concentration. Speech and Language Therapy assists children develop their auditory processing skills, spelling, and reading and comprehension skills. We are fortunate to have these highly skilled therapists on the property.
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COMMUNICATION WITH TEACHERS If you do have any queries, please remember that your child’s class teacher should be your first point of contact. If it is a subject-related issue, please communicate with the specific teacher. Remember that the best way to do this is to use your child’s diary. If you need further assistance, you should contact the HOD, Ms Gair, via email (shonag@sacredheart.co.za). Ms Peters (office) may also be contacted to arrange either a telephonic conversation or a meeting with your child’s teacher. Following this, you need to make an appointment with the Deputy Principal, Ms Dickson and, lastly, with the Principal, Ms Picas. Again these appointments are to be set up by Ms Peters or Ms Naidoo.
WHAT IS COMING UP… Join the Parents’ Association. Volunteer to listen to reading, donate scrap paper, sew costumes for productions etc. Swim-a-thon – please support us. Red and White Day and the Rollerblade Disco – these are charity fundraisers (First term). Savoury and Sweet Sales– each month a grade is responsible for organizing, bringing ‘healthy’ treats in order to raise funds for various curricular class resources. Textbook and stationery payments are to be made in the second and third terms respectively. Big Walk – this is another charity fundraiser.
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PLEASE NOTE that, although this booklet has been prepared with care, there may be some information that is subject to change. We trust that you will find this booklet useful and that you will refer to it as often as necessary. Please would you let us know if you have any suggestions on how we can improve this booklet. Thank you for your support.