Starting Prep Parent Handbook 2025
Dear Parents,
It was lovely to meet you and be able to discuss your daughter’s learning through her primary years. I understand the important decisions parents must make when choosing a school their children will thank them for!
The education children receive during their primary years is crucial for their success as lifelong learners. These early learning experiences serve as the cornerstone for all future academic pursuits. In these formative years, children not only acquire essential literacy and numeracy skills but also cultivate crucial social skills, engage in sports and teamwork, develop their musical aptitude by refining their ear and exploring musical instruments, and foster a sense of self-esteem alongside the fundamental growth mindset.
Proficiency in these key areas of learning is indispensable, as it sets the groundwork for their future educational endeavours. Well-rounded development in literacy, numeracy, social skills, sports, teamwork, music, and self-esteem ensures a robust foundation, empowering girls with a broad spectrum of choices and opportunities for their futures. It is imperative these foundational elements are nurtured expertly to equip girls with the skills and confidence necessary to thrive in their academic and personal lives. Her future begins in these years!
Our teachers in Barbreck are experts in their fields, providing safe and engaging learning environments for girls to develop a love of school and learning – the recipe for successful and happy learners.
I look forward to watching your daughter enjoy her years at Barbreck and become a successful learner who engages in a wide range of academic, physical, cultural, and social pursuits.
Kind regards
Ms Karen McArdle Head of Junior School
10.00am Thursday 30 January
One day prior to the start of school, our Barbreck parents are invited to attend a Parent Information Session 10.00am to 11.00am. During this time, our teachers will provide parents with information pertaining to classroom routines, learning experiences, and a host of information to make the transition to school a smooth and enjoyable one. Parents can also drop their child’s books off at the same time.
THE FIRST WEEK
Preps should arrive before 8.20am for an 8.30am commencement. In 2025, our Preps commence on Friday 31 January. This will be a half day with girls being collected at 1.00pm. The following will be full days with the exception of Wednesday 5 February which will also be a half day. On non-half days, girls will finish school at 3.20pm. Full attendance weeks will begin 10 February.
Arriving at School on time and being ready for Homeroom at 8.20am is important. During this time, your daughter’s teacher makes announcements, discusses the plan for the day, and prepares the girls for their first lesson.
Arriving late can place unnecessary pressure on students, making them feel anxious about plans they are not aware of and impact their learning if arriving during Lesson 1.
If arriving late, we ask parents to quietly slip their daughter into the classroom and leave without disturbing the class or the learning taking place. At these times, the priority for the teacher is the class and what is being taught. Teachers cannot interrupt the lesson to speak to parents. Parents needing to leave a message are asked to leave it with Reception.
Please note, days absent and days late are officially recorded on your child’s End of Semester Reports.
DAY 1
Friday 31 January 2025
Upon arrival, please enter the Barbreck building and follow the signs to the Prep classroom.
Year 6 leaders will also be available to meet and direct you towards the classroom and your daughter’s teacher. Please help your daughter to find her named locker and feel free to have a look around and help your daughter to familiarise herself with the room.
In the first few weeks, we ask that you leave promptly once the girls are called to sit on the floor to allow all the girls to settle into their new learning environment.
If your daughter is having some difficulty settling into the classroom, you may be asked to stay for a short while. The teacher will let you know when it is appropriate to leave. The teacher is very experienced in this situation and will do everything to make the transition as smooth as possible. Please be assured that, if necessary, we will contact you if your daughter has difficulty settling. Generally, children settle very quickly after parents leave and the class begins.
REACTIONS TO SCHOOL
We aim to build a positive and happy start to Prep. Tiredness is to be expected, as starting school is emotionally and physically exhausting. Your daughter may even show a reluctance to come to School. This is usually short lived, but it is important for you to realise that allowing your daughter to stay at home will not solve the problem. Being tired can impact a seamless transition to School. If your daughter is fatigued, please discuss this with the Prep Teacher.
We encourage parents to help their daughter establish a routine of attending School regularly, as this will serve her well in the future. A quiet activity after School, early bedtime and fewer after School outings are some useful strategies. We ask that you make sure your daughter does not do too many after School activities on a regular basis, as they need their energy for learning at School.
Your daughter is an individual and may react to situations very differently to her peers and friends. Please do not compare your daughter with others in the class. It is critical that as adults, you are mindful of the need for confidentiality. Matters about other children should never be discussed.
Ultimately, any anxieties about School disappear and are usually replaced by the absolute opposite: total devotion to the teacher and a constant flow of chatter regarding School activities, things learnt, and friendships made.
If you have any concerns, please see the Prep Teacher or the Head of Junior School. It is always best to verbalise any issues early to get a balanced perspective from the teacher, allay fears and instil confidence.
A final checklist to help your daughter manage the first days of School:
• When it is time to leave, say goodbye and do not linger
Your daughter may shed a few tears when you say goodbye but will probably stop crying the moment you leave. Leave with a confident air that your daughter will be fine. (We will contact you if she is upset for an overly long time).
• Put something distinctive on your daughter’s school bag
A ribbon or large sticker will help your daughter to identify her bag (just one individualised item please).
• At the end of the day, collect your daughter on time at 3.20pm
It can be very worrying for Prep students when they cannot see their caregivers waiting for them. Being there is reassuring and builds confidence.
• Term 1 – Wait for her outside Barbreck Reception
• Term 2 – Wait for her outside the Gate
• Talk with your daughter about what happened at School each day
Listen to your daughter when she is ready to talk and feeling relaxed. Use her timetable to help prompt her about what she did each day. This can be found at the back of your daughter’s Record Book. Their days are so busy, and they can find it hard to remember what happened only a few hours prior.
• Display your daughter’s work
Have a prominent place to display your daughter’s work at home and be positive about all her efforts.
• Anticipate Tiredness
Your daughter may be very tired after School for the first few weeks.
HOW CAN I PREPARE MY DAUGHTER FOR SCHOOL?
Reading
• Read to your daughter as often as you can, developing a daily routine is best.
• Encourage your daughter to choose the books you read together and help her to tell the story from pictures in the book.
• Talk about the books you read and the people, things, and animals in them.
• Draw attention to the illustrations when reading to your child.
• Enrol your daughter in the local library.
• Select books that describe familiar experiences, concepts and objects, as well as fairy tales and fantasy stories.
• Make sure your daughter sees members of the family reading.
• Buy books as presents. Let your daughter help you choose them.
• Keep audio books of favourite stories and songs in the car to play on long journeys.
• Help your daughter to recognise her own name. Write simple dedications inside your daughter’s own books and encourage her to start building her own book collection. Please use case, e.g., Frances, and not all capital letters.
• Teach your daughter nursery rhymes and songs.
• Make use of quality books and audiobooks during busy times in the daily schedule.
• Select books that use repetition to capture the rhythm of language, e.g. The Three Billy Goats Gruff.
• Tell stories on the way to School, at bath time or at bedtime.
• Always keep a selection of books in your bag.
• Place labels around the home, e.g. ‘These are Kim’s favourite books’.
• Hold the book so your daughter can see the pictures and writing.
• Let your daughter hold the book and turn the pages. Teach her to take care of books.
• Encourage your daughter to join in and ‘read’ too.
• Leave the book handy for ‘private readings’ to teddy.
• Talk about everyday print, e.g. ‘We are going in here to get a hamburger. See the sign. It says, ‘Harry’s Hamburgers.’
• Sometimes point to the words as you read.
• Talk about your plans, e.g. ‘Today I am going to make a cake, let’s look at the recipe.’
• Before beginning to read, settle your daughter down and talk a little about the book, e.g. ‘This looks as if it is going to be a funny story.’
• Accept and praise your daughter’s attempts at reading.
• Visit the local bookshop.
• Fill your daughter’s room with posters, books, pictures, and mobiles of book characters.
• Make or buy a cloth book bag to take books with you wherever you go.
Writing
• Find time to show your daughter that you value reading and writing and share reading and writing with them. Reading teaches your daughter many things about writing. Experimenting with writing helps your daughter to develop her understanding about reading.
• Show your daughter how you use writing. Write messages, shopping lists, telephone messages, letters and greeting cards in front of your daughter and talk about what you are doing.
• Provide a special place for your daughter to write. Equipment such as a small table or desk, an easeltype blackboard and a notice board for displaying writing plus a range of writing materials such as scrap paper (lined, coloured or plain), used greeting cards, crayons, bank forms, mail order forms, envelopes and little notebooks provide excellent opportunities for your daughter to experiment with writing.
• Find opportunities to display your daughter’s name.
• When your daughter asks about letters of the alphabet, call the letters by their sounds, not the names of the letter. She can learn that letters have a sound and a name.
• Talk about alphabet books and answer your daughter’s questions.
• Provide magnetic or plastic letter tiles for your daughter’s play.
• Allow your daughter to use a Word document to play with and write messages. They may discover some letters from their name.
• Write messages for your daughter to read, e.g. ‘Please feed the cat, Kim’ or ‘Please phone Nana.’
• Drawing lines, curves and other fine motor activities help.
• Respond positively to the message in your child’s writing rather than the letter formations or spelling.
• Celebrate your daughter’s efforts and encourage her to ‘have a go’ at writing.
Mathematics
We all need an understanding of mathematical concepts to manage everyday life. Telling the time, cooking, building, sewing and many other activities require an understanding of measurement. Handling money requires an understanding of mathematical calculations. An understanding of space is needed for driving cars, planning a garden, organising furniture in a room, and so on. Your daughter can learn many of these mathematical concepts through play.
The more of these activities your daughter can do, the better prepared she will be for the more formal Mathematics at School.
The following activities will assist in her preparation:
• Buy some magnetic numbers for her to play with. Count with her and do not always start with one. Talk about the numbers that come before and after.
• Count objects – spoons on the table, apples in the bowl, buttons on her shirt etc. This teaches her to match the number words with the correct number of objects.
• Teach her to count from one to 10 and to recognise the numbers. Point out numbers on houses, the telephone, television channels, the calendar and so on.
• Sort different objects into groups – paper clips, beads, toy cars etc.
• Sort by colour, size and shape.
• Use blocks, buttons, counters etc.
• Set the table – one knife, one fork, one spoon for each person.
• When cooking, measure the flour and other ingredients and set the cooking time together.
• Build with blocks.
• Talk about time, e.g., bedtime, mealtime, time to leave for School. Also talk about the days, weekend days and grocery days. Teach her how to tell the time if she is keen to learn.
• Compare things, e.g. ‘There are more knives than forks on the table.’
• Introduce measurement terms, e.g., tall, small, light, heavy, full, and empty.
• Read stories with numbers, e.g. The Three Little Pigs, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and the Dr Seuss books.
• Teach her counting songs and rhymes.
• Play with water using measuring jugs and containers.
• Play games such as dominoes and other dice games.
