Foundation (Prep/Kinder) 2015 - Chat

[~Gee_Whizzy~]

Jamie's class is about 2/3rds boys
He did a really good job this week he didn't hurt anyone but did get in trouble for going into the senior area I get why they have areas but it's hard for him to understand and he's always like why can't I go there I want to see my buddy

DD1 loves her buddy too but knows she's not allowed to go to the 5/6 area during recess and lunch time, even though she'd love to! . Our school does scheduled buddy activities twice a week (art, early lunches together, sport activities etc) with their buddies so they still get one-on-one time with them [emoji5]

[wysiwyg]

DD's class is about 50/50 and I think the other 3 Foundation classes are pretty much the same.

First week back went well (first week of 15:30 instead of 14:30 finishes) - she was really excited to go back and still really enjoying it. We haven't really started readers yet - is this week I believe - but she is doing and requesting a lot of 'sounding out' of everything and now DS is too - it wears me out!!! School photos on Tuesday - you buy a pack before you have seen the photo - is that the way it works most places? We have a curriculum day a week tomorrow, DH job finished on Friday so at the moment she can stay home with him. Him not working means only one session OHSC for a bit too, I am looking forward to not having to wake either of them in the morning (they will probably both be up before 6 now they don't have to be though :-))

[Khaleesi]

Yes we always order packs first, we had our pics taken start of March & still waiting.
Hanging out to see the pics!

[~Gee_Whizzy~]

We only have photos coming up on the 18th of May. Apparently they alternate the uniform seasons each year so this year the pics will be with kids in their winter uniforms ☺ We get to choose our packs after we've seen the pics.

[*TripleJ*]

For kinder photos we get to see them before we pay but school is pay before you see it was like that when I went to school
We have ours on Monday and a student free day on Wednesday we already had portraits for the preps in feb but photos again this time but we could pay online which was good

[wysiwyg]

We got our photos back this week DD's is really nice. Had open evening due to education week today - DD was so excited to show us round and what she has been up to. She still seems to be loving it.

The school still irritates me somewhat not with the teaching which is most important, but just the communication stuff as normal. Each class must have about 5 kids who use before and after school care regularly - therefore meaning their parents are not picking them up or dropping them off to the classroom so putting notices for parents on the door to the classroom only is useless for the parents of those children - it isn't a difficult concept surely - everytime a notice goes on the door make sure it goes in the communication folder too - easy!.

[leckert]

No school photos yet here. First reader came home today! They had a library redevelopment so that delayed some stuff re readers but they've been learning the jolly phonics sounds & finally onto tricky words so DS1 was actually able to work out words today with DH. I was dealing with upset DS2 who didn't want to go to bed even though he was tired as. We're only just 4 weeks into term 2 here in SA.

[Khaleesi]

We got our photos back & they turned great.

DD2 is doing so well, upto blue words now & just waiting to be tested so she can move up.
She's moved up 2 levels in reading as well.
I've been told she needs to work on her handwriting but that will come as she gets older.
Otherwise she is doing great

[*TripleJ*]

Jamie is up to reading level 5 got told hat he would be up to level 8 but he needs to improve on his reading comprehension

His teacher was away the first 2 days this week and he was really out of sorts and he was hurting kids again and not concentrating on his work and not letting me go in the morning but she was back today and he did heaps better

Still waiting on school photos can't wait

[Sagres]

We haven't had photos yet, not sure when they are. DD1 is up to reading level 4 and really getting into it! For some reason she is reluctant to do her sight words but we are getting there with them.

She has been saying that one of the girls in her class has been excluding her from their games at lunchtime. There are 8 girls in her class and they all play together apparently, except her. Dunno, I have to chat to her teacher about it because when I am at school all the kids seem really warm and friendly towards her so not sure if part of it is her interpretation of things being a bit confused? Might email her teacher now actually....

[~Gee_Whizzy~]

We had photos last Monday, can't wait to see them 😊 although the day before we were at my sisters place and DD1 was playing basketball with her cousins and she ran straight into her cousins finger while trying to catch the ball and ended up with a nice graze and bruise under her left eye! Guess her prep photos will be a nice memory 😀

Dd1 is doing really well with her words, she's up to her violet ones. However, when it comes to reading she does struggle to recognise them!? 😑

[Olive]

Gee with her sight words, mix up the order as she does them, makes sure she's not reading them by rote, I do DD's in random order

[~Gee_Whizzy~]

Thanks hun 😊 we place all the words face down in no order then she sings the tic tac toe song they've learnt in class so she doesn't know what she's going to land on.

I just find it hard to understand she can do the game and knows the word as soon as she flips over whatever word she's landed on, but when it's the words all together in a book she sometimes struggles to recognise them. I've spoken to her teacher about it and she said she's noticed that too, so will be keeping a closer eye her.

[Olive]

Mmmmm interesting.....
Some kids find it easier to read words on coloured paper, perhaps print out a few on plain white and play that game, see how she does, my cousins DD is being tested for Erwins and she needs stuff on coloured paper or she uses see through coloured plastic sheets over books etc as it makes the words really pop out.

[~Gee_Whizzy~]

Wow, that's interesting! I don't *think* it's a paper thing though. Her indigo words were printed on plain white paper as the teacher had run out of the indigo coloured sheets at the time and she flew through learning them 😕 and a lot of her readers are printed on colour pages! my concern, which I raised with her teacher, is dyslexia. Her teacher doesn't think it's that as she said she would more likely than not, also really struggle with the sight words but she said she will be doing some extra exercises with her to see if it's just a development thing or if there's an underlying issue. As part of the prep year the school offered eye and hearing tests which she passed with flying colours.

[briggsy's girl]

Interesting that others are looming at dyslexia things - we have DS under the care of a behavioural optometrist for investigation into dyslexia or similar issues. At this point it appears that her vision is fine but her ability to process what she is seeing is delayed (due to the paws opthalmologist saying that she didn't need glasses when she was younger - and the probs she has mean she shoulda have had them long ago). Her brain and eyes have a bit of "lag" and it's causing impact at school. She is using colored paper for something's, has a colored "white" board, and has some exercises to do at home to help her brain catch up to her eyes. It is something that we need to focus on to help her out. Very frustrating seeing we actively pursued the paws opthalmologist and appear to have been given dud information- but such is life.

The colored paper and white board came about due to her fixing it easier to see on slightly colored surfaces - reduced glare etc.

[~Gee_Whizzy~]

How frustrating for you BG! Glad that you've got things in place to help your DD now 😊

We got our login details to book our parent teacher interviews yesterday (booking opens Monday 15), so we're definitely looking forward to that!

DD1 is very excited to have a lead butterfly role in the upcoming mid-year school concert in August 😁
We got our school photos back yesterday too, very happy with them and they only took 3 weeks to come back!

How is everyone else's little ones travelling?

[wysiwyg]

We got our reports today - all very good and I really liked the format - more of a portfolio with report type bit sections than what I remember of school reports.

Parent teacher interviews next week - the bookings opened on Wednesday, but they gave us no information about how it would work (typical of them) and if students are meant to attend, so I emailed and they said yes students attend - and our sessions were booked accordingly (there is 5, 1 main class teacher and then the 4 specialists - no real idea if we are meant to see them all or not or some are optional (because school don't tell you anything) but I wanted to show DD that all were important so I booked for all 5) - and then today we get a letter saying for foundation students not required because is more 'purposeful' without! DD was already expecting to go and she will have to go to a couple because no one else to look after her as I booked them before school for her to go with DH.

So DD loves school is doing well and the teaching all seems great - but the place still irritates me a lot. They keep asking for feedback about their communications and I keep giving it and am sorting out going to some meeting next week but progress is slow.