Foundation (Prep/Kinder) 2015 - Chat

**Khaleesi** · November 22nd, 2014, 05:16 PM

We also have testing on the 27th or 28th.
30mins for DD2 & 1hr for DD1.

**Olive** · November 22nd, 2014, 05:21 PM

Both girls start Friday 30th, DD2 only goes until 12.30, next week is normal week with Wednesdays off, testing is done on Wednesdays,

**trishalishous** · November 23rd, 2014, 10:31 PM

Foundation (preprimary) here is 5 full days (we had kindy this year for 2.5 days a week).
My 4.5 yo will be in preprimary next year.

***TripleJ*** · November 24th, 2014, 10:16 AM

We start the 2nd of Feb and wed off for the first 5 weeks

The uniforms we are going to buy in Jan coz I have no idea wat size he's going to be in till then he'll probably shoot up if I buy him one now

**HotI** · November 24th, 2014, 01:03 PM

Ours start on the Friday, a full day. Then Wednesdays off for the entire first term.

Same as this, but wednesdays off only for first month.

**wysiwyg** · November 25th, 2014, 02:08 PM

Had second/last transition session this arvo - this one finished at same time as school - and man was it chaos - is it normal for schools to let parents hang around outside classrooms etc at end of school day? - when I was at school parents waited at the school gate and kids came to them, or we waited in lines in the playground for the school bus to arrive and then walked out to it.

**Olive** · November 25th, 2014, 05:48 PM

I wait at DD's classroom every day

**Emma09** · November 25th, 2014, 06:24 PM

We will need to pick up and drop off at the classroom- the teacher needs to physically see each parent, especially at pick up.
I assume this is different in the case of children using after and before school care.

**briggsy's girl** · November 25th, 2014, 07:02 PM

Most schools now have to have parent or (much) older sibling collect kids from classroom.
I've just had to give a friend a photo of myself and DH as authorised people to collect her son from school as we will only do it in emergency situation. there are a lot of children who are subject to intervention orders, and i guess it's been pretty widely accepted as duty of care that children not be released without having an approved parent/carer there to collect them. i imagine there would be a fairly huge uproar if a class full of children were sent out to the playground to meet their parents and one went missing/collected by someone known to the child (so child happy to go) but shouldn't be taking them....

i'm just thinking through my friends situation Her ex is to be released from prison next week - stalking charges - facing court next year for assault against her mum and threats against her sons dad - he is known to her son, and is the kind of charmer that could convince him to get in a car with him without it seeming out of place. without all parents collecting kidlets from their classroom, a child like this is an increased risk - most schools just won't risk it - and with good cause i think

ETA - on the days this kidlet uses after school care, his teacher gets him to the bus and does a hand over there. the bus driver then does handover to the child care centre. it's all very organised. a couple of weeks ago he fought going with all his might, saying his mum had said he could go to an after school activity. she received calls from both the school and the child care to get it sorted out

**Khaleesi** · November 25th, 2014, 07:22 PM

I wait at DDs class as well, they aren't allowed to meet parents at gates etc..

2 wks till we find out classes, I'm actually a little nervous.
Guess that's one downside to knowing the teachers at school....

**wysiwyg** · November 25th, 2014, 07:32 PM

Understand all of the above, but there was no apparent method of keeping track of the children (apart from the OHSC who were clearly checking children off on a roll call), just children and parents everywhere - to me it looked far more likely that someone could come into the school and do something not meant to, than parents waiting at the school gate scenario, where adults on school grounds are more of an anomaly and would be questioned, if not wearing the appropriate tag from the office.

I suppose will find out on the 15th what is expected/mandatory at this school. Some kids at this school will walk home on their own or go meet their parents at the library so I assume they probably operate something whereby you don't have to be met by a parent but if the there is a situation like you state BG then an approved parent/carer has to collect.

I was just surprised at how chaotic it all appeared. If I have my choice on the two days I pick up, DS and I will wait on the play equipment just inside the gate for DD to come out - I am far more likely to lose DS in that chaos than anything else.

**Khaleesi** · November 25th, 2014, 08:40 PM

It's crazy alright, just like school traffic.
You get use to it quickly tho.

**Olive** · November 26th, 2014, 07:19 PM

We don't have to be there, nor do parents need to be sighted for kids to be able to leave, it is busy/chaotic but it works lol

We find out prep classes/teachers tomorrow night, but have to wait til the 12th to find out my oter DS's teacher

**~Gee_Whizzy~** · November 26th, 2014, 08:55 PM

DD1 had her second transition day today and all went well ☺ today's one they were on their own for just under 2 hrs. She loved it and keeps asking when she's starting "properly"! Both her teachers seem lovely and both have been the prep teachers for the last 4 years and the parents with kids who've already had older kids go through have all spoken very highly of them. They also had a session with their mandarin teacher and the music teacher. DD1 has declared that she wants to do music and drama "all the time" Lol 😄

**leckert** · November 26th, 2014, 09:15 PM

First transition session tomorrow morning (with info session for parents at the same time). Getting a little nervous for me (used to dealing with teenagers in school setting - high school teacher)