SACRED HEART COLLEGE EDUCATION WITH HEART THAT KNOWS NO BOUNDS A MARIST SCHOOL IN MELIORA CONTENDE – STRIVE FOR BETTER THINGS
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 …’ Thomas Moore
2017
Foundation Phase Information Booklet
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FOUNDATION PHASE TEACHERS Ms J King (Gr Coordinator) Grade 1 K Room number 18 Ms T Druion Grade 1 D Room number 19
Ms K Wakefield Grade 1 W Room number 32 Ms C Thomas HOD (Ms Newbery) Grade 2 T Room number 24
Ms P Els (Gr Coordinator) Grade 2E Room number 17
Ms P Douglas Grade 3 D Room number 22
Ms M Breuer Grade 2B Near chapel
Ms C Bacalhau Gr 3B Room number 25
Ms J Field (Gr Co-Ordinator) Grade 3F Room number 26
Mr D Hutchinson Music
Ms P Paton-Mills Director of Pastoral Care Creative Arts Ms I Marais Library skills
Mr van der Merwe Deputy Principal Primary School Facilities & Discipline
Ms S Gaffar Visual Art Room 20 Ms R Basson Computers
Ms G Brokensha isiZulu Gr 1, 2 & 3 Foot of office stairs
Ms K Dickson Deputy Principal Primary School Admin Mr J Lambert (HOD), Sport Gr 1, 2 & 3
Principal Ms RPicas
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WHAT WE STAND FOR Sacred Heart College is a Catholic Marist school with a caring community. The school 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 endeavors to serve its community by providing an excellent wellrounded education. Every child is important, and we take pride in encouraging everyone to achieve 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 at the school, the core of which includes: Being educators in partnership with the Church, we endeavor 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 lobe 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, counseling services. Buddy system and programmes, which develop values and enrich social skills e.g. Kindness Week, the caring Caterpillar, Bully-Busting (helpful and unhelpful behaviour) Campaign and Safety Week.
Having a pastoral approach to disciple means that we understand the child’s behaviour and encourage him/her to take responsibility, negotiate consequences, educate for resolution and restore broken relationships.
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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 a child has 25 stickers on their caterpillar (20 in Grade 1) they receive a Butterfly to colour, 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. These can be very specific or general. Various activities are used which assist to develop social and 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 message.
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HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY
Be happy when you get up as children 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 child arrives 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 at least 7:30. The school day begins at 7:40 with an assembly and a different teacher leads these each day. Monday = Main quad for Gr 1 to Gr 6 with Ms Picas. Tuesday = line up in Foundation Phase quad and then lead off for Hymn Practice until 8:20. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday = assembly in 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 Academic Day 13:30 for all Gr 1, 2 and 3 classes. NB: Closing time for Gr 1 classes is 12:30 until the 20 January. As from the 23 February the academic day will end at 13:30 for all Gr 1, 2 and 3 classes. Co-Curricular – please see the section, ‘Afternoon Structure.’
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Healthy Lunch Water should be included and try to 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 14:00, it is advisable to pack extra food for the afternoon session especially if your child is staying for the entire afternoon. Another reminder for children to be in bed by 19:00 as tired children find it challenging to concentrate at school. Read a Bed Time 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:
Important
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 please 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 is going to buy food from the tuck shop, please ensure that their card is loaded 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 all Foundation Phase children only receive tuck once a week.
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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 please 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 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 the item 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 will also receive an electronic version. 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.
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UNDERSTANDING FOUNDATION PHASE CHILDREN 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. 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 Yardsticks blog: www.yardsticks4-14.com. Go there now to learn about the positive attributes of other ages, and to ask Chip questions about children’s growth, development, and behaviour. Questions from parents are welcome, too!
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.
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Although the basics are the same, these are the subjects, which 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 this 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 child by checking their homework, and encouraging them to be prepared 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 become involved in helping them to plan for all school activities. Each child is different and has different needs. Please support your child and help them to develop into independent hard working, compassionate, tolerant and motivated individuals.
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Basic Outline of English Learning Area
Comprehension and Grammar
Handwriting Skills
Creative Writing
ENGLISH Spelling and Phonics = Phono-Graphix (Read for Africa)
Graded Reading (individual reading)
Speaking and Listening (speeches and poetry)
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Discover Mathematics (SA version) Text books *Class Workbooks Structured
Scaffolded from Grade R
Concrete - Pictorial -
to Grade 3
Abstract
Caters for all levels
Model Drawings
SINGAPORE SCIENCE Engagement
Analyse
Communicate
Exploration
Process Skills
Predict
Explanation
Elaboration
Evaluation
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AFRIKAANS/ISIZULU LISTENING Stories, poems, songs( Cultural awareness)
Tapes, CD's, Radio, TV
SPEAKING Vocabulary Building
Confidence
READING Incidental (iPads in Gr 3 for isiZulu)
Sentence Structures
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RELIGION
Other Religions
St Marcellin
Mary as a role
Champagnat
model
Bible stories Liturgiical Calender
Old and New Testament
Order of the Mass
Saints
Feast
Regular School
Days
Masses
First Holy
First
Communion
Reconcilliation
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LIFE SKILLS Social Skills
Values
Personal Development
Attitudes
Physical Development
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, the summary of the teacher’s observation and your child’s performance is reported 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.
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Reports are issued at the end of each term, to allow the parent’s 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.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION AND RECONCILIATION The Catholic children are prepared for the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist. During religion lessons the Catholic children 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. .
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 how to deal 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 links 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: There is no homework session on a Friday Venue: Class teacher’s class (refer to page 2)
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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 dependant and will vary weekly e.g a speech per term
Weekly spelling assessments (Gr 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 you child, appropriate to their specific stage of reading development. Children tend to develop this skill (particularly in Gr 1) at different rates to their peers and comparison is therefore best to be 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: Gr 1 = 10 minutes Gr 2 = 15 minutes Gr 3 = 20 minutes Homework Tips Please avoid spending hours on homework as this may well cause unnecessary stress and strain 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 their homework for them! Create a space for your child to do their homework. Avoid any distractions such as TV, music, noisy siblings where your child is working. Sign your child’s diary daily – even if your child attends homework class. Listen to your child’s reading daily and sign their reading record card. Help/remind your child to pack their homework away and prepare their 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 PNA) Payments were made directly to PNA and collection of these books is the parents’ responsibility. Textbooks vary from Grade to Grade but generally include an Afrikaans workbook for Gr 3. A dictionary (Wordbook) for Gr 1 which is used again in Gr 2 and 3 – a once off 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 (e.g. HB pencils, erasers, rulers etc.) Gr 1, 2 and 3 classes provided a specific list of stationery which was sent home/emailed towards the end of last year. Parents had the choice to either use the school’s stationery supplier or to source the items from other suppliers. Each grade teacher ordered bulk Stationery Orders and included specific items such as lined exercise books and pencil grips. The amount for these exercise books etc. is levied accordingly on 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.
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AFTERNOON CO-CURRICULAR STRUCTURES All children are encouraged to take part in the programme, which is designed to develop children’s 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. Parents please keep the other form for reference. Times: 13h30 to 14h15 (Monday to Thursday) Friday = match days or galas. The Sports Department provides information regarding when your child may be involved in these events. Venues – Please refer to the co-curricular forms.
After Care In the Orchard – from 15:00 till 17:30. Please request the After Care booklet available 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 your child’s academic progress. Occupational Therapy assists with 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.
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Speech and Language therapy assists children with developing their auditory processing skills, spelling, reading and comprehension skills. We are fortunate to have these highly skilled therapists on the property.
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 Thomas via email (carolt@sacredheart.co.za) – from the 2nd term, Ms Peters (office or veronicap@sacredheart.co.za) 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 to meet 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. Thank you for your support. Please would you let us know if you have any suggestions regarding how we can improve on the information in this booklet.