St
Olaf’s
Balally Drive,
Dundrum,
Booklet
for Parents of Infants Starting School
September 2009
Foreword
Fáilte romhat agus roimh do pháiste.
Starting school will be the first big change in the
life of your child. Up to this he has felt safe and secure with you in the home
and family but now he is facing the wider world of classroom and school. This
may seem a big step for someone so small but most children manage it without
any great fuss or stress - and in fact take to it like ducks to water.
However, it is also a time when parents and teachers
should take special care to ensure that the transition from home to school is
as smooth as possible. If the child’s first experience of school is one of
happy involvement, a very good foundation will have been laid for fruitful
school years ahead.
It is important too, particularly during the first
year, that parents understand what the aims of the school are, as many may be
expecting too much too soon in the way of academic achievement.
We know from experience that parents are very anxious
to help in any way possible. We have, therefore, included some ideas for the
home, which should stimulate the child’s interest and nurture his desire to
know more.
With these aims in mind we have put together this
little booklet as a general guide for parents. It deals briefly with the period
before your child comes to school and his introductory stage in Junior Infants.
We trust you will find it helpful and that your child
will be happy and fulfilled with us.
Getting Ready for Learning
Children are natural learners.
They have an innate curiosity and an eagerness to know more about everything –
about themselves, about others and about the world around them. And they learn
fast – but only when they are ready and their interest is aroused.
Because they come to us
so young, we must guard against putting pressure on them to learn what they are
not yet ready for. Demanding too much too soon can switch a child off
completely. At the same time we must cultivate readiness so that they can
progress as soon as possible.
The rates of progress of children can vary greatly. We try to give them
an opportunity to move ahead at their own pace or as near to it as possible.
Our first year in
school, therefore, is mainly about settling in, relating to others, making
friends, feeling happy and gradually getting used to the routine of the school.
On the learning side the emphasis is on getting children ready for learning by
–
·
Developing their oral language and expression.
·
Sharpening
their senses, especially seeing, hearing and listening
·
Developing physical co-ordination especially of hand and fingers.
·
Extending their concentration span and getting them to listen attentively.
·
Learning through play – the most enjoyable and effective way.
·
Co-operating
with the teacher and other children.
·
Performing tasks by themselves.
·
Working
with others and sharing with them.
·
Getting each child to accept the general order, which is necessary for the class to work
well.
Before Your Child Starts…
You
should ensure that he is as independent
as possible - physically, emotionally and socially. If he can look after
himself in these areas he will feel secure and confident and settle in readily.
It would help greatly if
he is able to-
·
Button
and unbutton his coat and hang it up.
·
Use
the toilet without help and manage pants buttons / zip
·
Also encourage
personal hygiene and cleanliness. Your child should know to flush the
toilet and wash his hands, without having to be told.
·
Use a tissue when necessary.
·
Share
toys and playthings with others and “take turns”.
·
Tidy
up and put away his playthings.
Preparing for the ‘Big
Day’
The
child’s first day at school is a day to remember for the rest of his life. You can help to make it a really happy one
for him.
·
Tell
him about school beforehand, casually, and talk about it as
a happy place where there will be a big welcome for him and he will meet new
friends.
·
Don’t
use school or the teacher as a threat. “If you behave like
that for teacher she’ll murder you” though said light-heartedly can make some
children very apprehensive.
·
If you feel it would help, you could take
him for a stroll to the junior classrooms and play area on an afternoon during
June when the other Infant children have gone home. He can browse around and
become familiar with his new environment. On arrival you could drop in to meet
the Principal with him and perhaps he could meet his teacher, as well.
·
He will like to have his new uniform and his new bag when he begins. These help him
identify more readily with the school and other children.
·
Please ensure that coats, hats, gloves,
Jumpers and tracksuits are clearly labelled with your child’s name.
·
Uniforms and labels are available from Schoolwear
House, Unit 1 Ballyogan Industrial Park, D.18. Tel: 292 1540) .
·
The teacher will hold on to your child’s
books until such time as they are needed. This minimises the chances of books
getting lost. All books/copies should be marked with your child’s name.
·
Your child will feel better if he has
something in his school bag, so perhaps you could have a spare copy or
colouring book for him, which he could use at home.
The
Big Day
Coming in…
When
you arrive at the classroom, be as
casual as you can. He will meet the teacher and the other children and will
be shown his chair.
Hopefully
he will be absorbed in his new surroundings. So, having assured him you will be
back to collect him, wish him goodbye and make
your getaway without delay. (Tea & tissues will be provided by the
Parents’ Association in the Hall to calm the first-day-nerves!)
Packed
Lunches
Lunch
is an important meal for school-going children.
The
traditional packed lunch of milk and
sandwiches is under attack from a range of convenience foods like crisps,
sweets, biscuits, chocolate and soft drinks. Parents and teachers are concerned
about this trend and we ask you to
encourage a healthy lunch right from the start.
·
Consequently we have a ban on crisps, nuts and
all nut-based products, popcorn & gum and we also ask that children bring
either a fruit or yoghurt snack for their first break.
·
Please, only give your child something you
feel he/she can easily manage to eat.
Start with the Basics
A healthy packed lunch
should contain bread or an alternative, a savoury filling which provides
protein, a suitable drink and some fruit and/or vegetables.
A Word about Drinks
Children may avail of
the EU Milk scheme, which provides a 189ml carton of fresh milk each day at a
subsidised rate. This should be paid for at the beginning of the school year.
Alternatively, children may bring in their own fruit juice drink. Fizzy
drinks are not allowed.
Going Home
·
Be sure to collect him on time. Children can become very upset if they feel
they are forgotten.
·
We ask parents to stay in the schoolyard
until the children are released.
·
If at any time the collecting routine has
to be changed please ensure you tell the child and the teacher.
Handling the Upset Child
In
spite of the best efforts of both teacher and parents a small number of
children will still become upset. If your child happens to be one of them don’t
panic. Patience and perseverance can work wonders.
A Word of Advice
·
Trust
the teacher. She is experienced and resourceful and is used
to coping with all kinds of starting –off problems.
·
Try
not to show any outward signs of your own distress.
Sometimes the parents are more upset than the child and are the main cause of
his anxiety.
·
When you have reassured him, leave as fast
as possible. The teacher can distract and humour him more easily when you are
not around.
·
Check back discreetly in a short while. You
will invariably find that calm has been restored.
·
You
must be firm from the start. Even if a child is upset you must insist
that he stay for a short time -even ten minutes. He must never feel that he is
winning the psychological battle of wills.
As Time Goes on…
·
School begins at 8.50a.m. To ease the child
into the school routine we have a policy where Junior Infants go home for the
first two weeks at 11.30am. (so no big lunch). After that they go home at
1.30p.m. Please make sure that your child is collected promptly at ‘going home
time’. Get him into the habit of being
in good time for school from the beginning.
·
Mid-morning break: 10.30a.m. to 10.40a.m.
·
‘Big Lunch’ break: 12.15 pm to 12.45pm
·
Children need plenty of rest after the
effort and excitement of a day at school. You should ensure that he gets to bed
early and has a good night’s sleep.
·
When he has settled in and hopefully, looks
upon school as a “home from home” do continue to show interest in his daily
adventures. Listen if he wants to tell you things - but don’t pester him with
questions.
·
Mind that you take some of his “stories”
with a pinch of salt.
·
If his progress is slow do not compare him
adversely with other children while he is listening. Loss of self-esteem can be very damaging to him.
·
Be careful too about criticising his
teacher in his presence. Remember that she is his mother figure while he is at
school and, for his own well being, it is important that he has a good positive
image of her.
·
This last caution applies to his image of
the school as well. His school is always
“the greatest”-whatever its faults.
·
He is not going to be a model of perfection
all the time-thankfully. You should try to have patience with his shortcomings
and praise for his achievements.
·
Children often “forget” or relay messages
incorrectly, so please, check your
child’s bag each night for notes.
·
Messages
are also posted on the school website regularly. (homepage.eircom.net/~olaf).
You have received a book
list outlining the books and other bits and pieces your child will need for the
year. Most parents have already paid a €100 deposit, which should cover most,
if not all, of the cost of the booklist. Any balance outstanding should be paid
at the Parents’ meeting in June.
Some
Important Areas of Early Learning
Developing his Command
of Spoken Language.
It is important that the child’s ability to
talk is as advanced as possible. It is through speech
that he communicates his thoughts and feelings, his needs and desires,
curiosity and wonder.
If he cannot express
these in words he will tend to remain silent and will often withdraw from the
learning activity of the class. This can be the first sign of failure in the
school system and must be remedied, if at all possible. That is why a lot of
attention is given to language development in the first years of school.
You Can Help….
·
Talk to your child naturally and casually
about things of interest that you or he may be doing-at home, in the shop, in
the car, etc. Remember that he is constantly absorbing the language he hears
about him. It takes him a while to make it his own and to use it for his own
needs.
·
Try to make time to listen when he wants to
tell you something that is important to him. But don’t always make him the
centre of attention.
·
Answer his genuine questions with patience
and in an adequate way. Always nurture his sense of curiosity and wonder.
·
Introduce him gently to the ideas of why?
How? When? Where? If? etc. These demand more advanced language structures.
·
He will have his own particular favourite
stories that he never tires of hearing. Repeat them over and over again and
gradually get him to tell them to you.
First Steps in
Ability to read is the
foundation for all future progress in our school system. However, learning to
read is a gradual process and a lot of preparatory work must be done before a
child is introduced to his first reader.
We very deliberately do
not rush or push children into reading. We get them ready for it over an
extended period.
You can Help.
·
Have
attractive colourful books in the home.
·
Read
him a variety of stories from time to time. He will get to associate these
wonderful tales with books and reading.
·
You
must convey to him gradually that books are precious things. They must be
minded and handled carefully and put away safely.
·
Look
at the pictures with him and talk to him about what they say.
·
Read
him nursery rhymes. He will learn them off in his own way. Don’t try to push
him.
·
Above
all, don’t force him with his early reading. You may turn him against it for
evermore.
·
Remember
that the teacher is probably the best judge of what rate of progress is best
suited to each child.
·
Sing
the alphabet song with your child, so that he at has at least heard of the letters. If he
knows what each one looks like, all the better.
Understanding Maths
…………First a Word of Warning
Maths for the small child has nothing to do with
“sums” or figures or tables or adding and subtracting. These will all come much
later. Maths is really part of the language he uses in understanding and
talking about certain things in his daily experience e.g.
·
He
associates certain numbers with particular things – two hands, four
wheels, five fingers etc.
·
Counting – one, two, three, four, etc.
·
Colours
– black, white, red,
green, etc.
·
Prepositions (telling position) and their opposites: over/under,
before/after, inside/outside etc.
·
Matching/Sorting – objects of the same size/colour/texture/shape etc.
·
Odd
One Out – difference in
size/colour etc.
Understanding of these concepts comes very quickly for
some children. For others it takes a long time. Be patient. You cannot force
Maths understanding on a child.
But You Can Help…
·
In the course of your ordinary daily
routine in the home, in the shop, in the neighbourhood you should use suitable
opportunities to casually introduce the maths vocabulary referred to above.
E.g. How many cakes? The glass is full/empty. We turn left at the lights.
·
The child gets to understand Maths best by
handling and investigating and using real objects. This has been his natural
method of learning since he was a baby.
·
This at times can be a nuisance but if it
allows him to do the learning himself the final result is well worth it.
Gaeilge
All children enjoy learning another language besides
their own language. They have no difficulty in picking it up because it fascinates
them as another code of communication.
They are free of any hang-ups about Irish unless they
become aware that the home attitude towards it is not good. So please be careful that anything you say
does not give a negative attitude to your child.
We would want parents to give every encouragement and
help to the small ones in their efforts to acquire Irish. If they learn new
words in school encourage them to use them at home. Use little Irish phrases or
words now and again.
Children are delighted to find out that their parents
are into their new code as well. If they must learn Irish, let them enjoy it
and master it to the best of their ability.
Getting Ready For Writing
Making letters on paper is not easy for the small
child. He must learn to hold the pencil properly and make regular shapes. His
hand and finger muscles are only gradually developing at this stage.
You Can Help…
·
He
must develop the ability to get the hand and eye working together. This is very
important. Get him to manipulate toys like:
(a)
Jigsaws, Lego, beads to thread etc
(b) Plasticine
(Marla) to make his own shapes
(c)
A colouring book and thick crayons
(d) Sheets of paper, which he can cut with a safe
scissors
·
When
he begins to use a pencil make sure that he holds it correctly at the start. It
will be more difficult to correct the grip later.
·
He
may be making block letters at home even before he comes to school. This is
fine. But when he starts making lower case letters at school you could try to
get him to discontinue the blocks and practise his new system whenever he feels
like it. Consult the teacher about this.
·
Don’t
discourage left-handedness. If that is his definite natural inclination, don’t
attempt to change him.
Other Areas of the Curriculum
The child in junior Infants learns a lot through many
other activities, which do not need any elaboration here. His general
development is enhanced through Art & Craft, P.E., Music, Nature and of
course through Religious Education.
In regard to the last area, its moral and social
aspects are covered right through the school day e.g. kindness to others,
sharing with them, saying we are sorry, being aware of God through the beauty
of nature etc.
The children learn their prayers and Bible stories
gradually. Again, as in the other areas we referred to earlier, the child will
benefit from practising at home what he has learned at school. He can then make
his own contribution to the usual family prayers.
Social skills are very important. We encourage good manners at all
times, please/thank you, addressing teachers properly, being courteous to
fellow students and teachers. It is important to ask your child whom he played
with at school and to ensure he isn’t alone, also encourage mixing rather than
being dependent on one friend only. Rough
behaviour is totally discouraged in the playground.
Computers
The school is fortunate to have over 40 multimedia
computers and your child will work on these after the initial month or so.
These are located in our modern dedicated Computer Room, which is fully
networked. Each classroom also has a computer which the children may use each
day. It is our intention that every pupil would be familiar with
Word Processing and general Information Technology by the end of Sixth class.
We have broadband Internet access available in each
classroom and the entire school is fully networked.
Parting
Thoughts
Who is the Boss?
Bit by bit the child will get used to the general
discipline of the classroom. He will get to understand very quickly that in
certain important matters an instruction from the teacher must be obeyed
promptly and without question.
Teacher and Parent
At the early stages some parents meet the teacher
almost daily and this is a very desirable thing. However, if there is something
in particular that you would like to discuss you can arrange to meet her at a
time when you both can have a little peace and quiet.
Easy Does It
There are lots of ideas and suggestions in this little
book as to how you can help your child. We
are not advocating that you do ALL of these with him in a systematic way.
But if you find from time to time that he enjoys a fun approach to certain
aspects of learning then we would say – give it a go – but remember don’t overdo it.
Our Hope
We are offering this Guide to Parents as a little
practical help in dealing with the education of their children at the very
early stages. We will be very happy if you dip into it from time to time and
find something in it of value to you and your child.
“Mol an óige, agus tiocfaidh sí”
Summary
Summary
Preparation:
·
Name tags on coats, tops, hats etc.
· Lunch
- a simple lunch,( sandwich, fruit, maybe a biscuit for first break ) with easy
to open lids on plastic containers;
Bainne is available through the school Milk Scheme in September if required; No
crisps /nuts /popcorn /gum allowed.
· School
bag - large enough for books, artwork, lunchbox etc. Note: Please check bag
regularly for notices / newsletters etc., which are sent, home regularly.
First
Day in school:
·
Come to school at time appointed on card – Note
: Monday, Sept. 1st 2008
· Baptismal
certificate will be required on first day if not already provided. PPS Number
is also required.
· Children
will go home early for the first two weeks, so please make arrangements to
collect them at 11.30 a.m. during this settling - in period.
· Parents
are asked to note that the school authorities will not be responsible for
children left on school grounds outside of these hours. Children should be
collected promptly and brought to school at the proper time.
Normal
School Hours for Infants:
·
Doors open at 8.50 a.m. to receive all
children
· Infants
will go home at 1.30 p.m. after their initial settling - in period.
Parents are asked to
remain outside the school doors when collecting their children, as the
corridors are only large enough to accommodate the 4 coat racks and the
children themselves. The alternative would lead to congestion and confusion and
possible distress for the children.
Problems / Special Needs:
If there are any
particular difficulties / special instructions regarding toilets, eyesight,
hearing or speech problems etc. please write
a note rather than telling the class teacher on the First day.
A short note of
explanation must be provided if a child is absent from school . Booklists have
been issued and €100 deposit is deductible in most cases
Assistance towards the
cost of books may apply in certain circumstances – please contact Paula or
myself for further details.
School Uniform & Tracksuits
Available from The Schoolwear House, Unit 1
Tel:292
1540. or sales@schoolwearhouse.ie
Extra-Curricular activities for Junior & Senior Infants
- Irish Dancing – Wednesday (1.30 –
2.30pm)
- Little Singers – Music class –Tuesday
/ Thursday (1.30 – 2.30pm)
- Ballet – Friday (1.30 – 2.30pm)
- Speech & Drama Classes – Monday /
Tuesday during school hours
- Spanish Classes?