We hope that everyone is enjoying the remaining week of their holiday time
We are excited about the start of school and the learning journey ahead here at Provo Primary. We have some new families joining us this year and we take this opportunity to welcome them all into our community.
Our Open House will be on Tuesday 6th September, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
Come along to meet the teachers, see your child’s new classroom, find out more about the year ahead and ask any questions you may have.
School starts Wednesday 7th September at the 8:15 AM.
Admin
School Fees are now due. The office is open so either pop down to make your payment or email us for our bank details if you wish to make a bank transfer; Please remember that all new children entering years 1-6 and existing children moving into Year 1 need to pay a book fee of $200 if you have not already paid this. All children entering the school should have already paid their $350 non-refundable application fee. If you haven’t already done so, please pay this immediately. Please note that any outstanding accounts from the previous year need to be settled in full before your child will be accepted into school.
School Lunches, After School Clubs, Tutoring and School Uniform Payments
Isle Help POS and APP – Payments for School Lunches, After School Clubs, Tutoring and School Uniform, should be made via our online Isle Help App or Point of Sale in the office.
School Lunches will begin on Monday 12th A menu will be emailed out during the first week of school at which time online payments can be made. All payments should be made by Friday 9th September.
After School Clubs will begin the first week of October.
Emergency Contact Information
Please notify us of any changes to your contact details (phone/emergency telephone numbers and email addresses).
Check Medical Requirements
- Check your child has all the required up-to-date immunizations;
- Notify us of any health problems, allergies or medications. Although we are not currently a peanut free school, you may be asked to refrain from bringing peanuts to school if you share a class with someone with a peanut allergy. We will inform you accordingly if this is the case.
- If not already done so this summer, arrange for your child’s vision and hearing to be checked.
- Check for headlice. As always, we recommend checking for those critters that may have taken up residence over the holidays and treat accordingly, if necessary. Please remember that long hair should be tied back for school. We continue to recommend that you follow the ‘Take a Peek Once a Week’ Strategy throughout the year, but that you are especially vigilant this first month back. See http://www.onceaweektakeapeek.com/ for more details;
- Sickness– Your vigilance is greatly appreciated in helping us to prevent the spread of viruses and contagious diseases. Regular handwashing is encouraged in school, the importance of which should be reinforced at home. Please inform us if your child has any virus/contagious disease and do not send him/her to school while they are knowingly contagious. As a general rule, if your child has had a fever or vomited more than once, 24 hours previously, they should be kept home. Please advise the school in writing if a doctor has given consent for your child to return to school informing us that they are no longer contagious or if they remain on medication.
School Supplies
The school provides all stationery resources for your child at school. It is a good idea to label everything that your child brings into school with their name. It helps them find their things when others have similar items, and if something gets lost, makes it much easier to find. All children will need the following items:
- Water container (adequate for the session/day – (a minimum of 1 large or two small);
- Emergency refills of water are sold at school, but it is much less expensive to provide your own.
- A snack box and ice pack.
Other things you will need are:
Toddlers – Junior Kindergarten
- A small bag to bring spare diapers, pull-ups and clothes in.
Kindergarten – Year 3
- School bookbags are available in the office. These are ideal for children to use to bring books and homework back and forth to school and all children in these classes will need one;
- PE bag – small please as space is limited. Shoe bags are ideal;
- Children in Year 3 and up should have a dictionary to help with homework.
Year 4 – 6:
- Some children in the older classes like to have their own pencil cases and items and this is perfectly fine. Suggested items include: pencils, erasers, sharpeners, a metric ruler, protractor (Yr 5/6), pencil crayons, pens and a glue stick;
- Children need to have a dictionary and basic calculator to help with homework;
- A backpack or bag to carry daily items, PE Kit/uniform and homework in. Not too big as space is limited.
Uniform
- Uniform will be on sale on Monday (subject to our shipment arriving form the US). Blue shirt /PE shirt (years K-6)/ School hats are all $20 each. We do not stock khaki/beige shorts, skorts or skirts or navy blue shorts needed for PE, so you will need to purchase these elsewhere;
- Sock colour – white;
- Comfortable shoes – no flip flops or backless shoes please. Younger children are best with shoes that are easy to take on and off and that will encourage independence with this process;
- PE sports shoes for Years K – 6.
- Please label all items with your child’s name.
Plan Healthy Meals
We have frequent drink breaks throughout the day and children are encouraged to drink regularly. Water and natural fruit juices are preferable, in plastic jugs or cartons. We do not allow glass and can containers. High sugar fizzy drinks are not allowed and high sugar drinks are discouraged. Extra water is needed on PE and clubs days.
All children need a healthy morning snack (fruit / veg are encouraged);
Packed lunches need to be healthy. We do not allow chocolate or candy in school. Healthy snacks help give energy and focus throughout the day;
The school will continue its hot lunch programme on Monday 12th September for children in Kindergarten and up (and full day younger children). Payment should be made in advance using the online “Isle Help” app at home, or in the office (see School Lunches, After School Clubs, Tutoring and School Uniform Payments section above.) The cut off for ordering lunches is Friday 9th September. If you child is having school hot lunch the will need a suitable container with a lid and cutlery to eat a school hot lunch;
Birthdays
Please note that we are unable to hold parties at school, with balloons, party food and party bags.
We are, however happy to celebrate children’s birthdays at school by singing ‘happy birthday’ either in class, in assemblies or at the lunch tables. If you would like to bring in something special to eat or drink on your child’s birthday, please tell us a few days beforehand. We ask that these items are mindful of our healthy eating awareness. As we recognise that some parents wish to monitor the food their child may be eating, we ask that you bring a small individually wrapped item. These will then be distributed and taken home at the end of the school day. If it is table-ready fruit, then we are happy to share this out during snack or lunch time.
If you are sending items to school to be shared out, we ask that they do not contain peanuts.
If you wish to distribute private party invitations at school, please ensure that all children in the class are invited, otherwise please distribute these out of school.
Make After-School Plans
Our after-school programme will start during the first week of October. Details of these will go out in the first couple of weeks of school. Many children do lots of external after-school clubs so do pass on any schedules you have that will help us to arrange our clubs not to clash, if possible.
Know the Calendar and Plan to be Involved
- Print off the school calendar and add dates to your own calendars;
- Come to the Open House;
- When more information is sent home, mark school events on the family calendar, attend parent-teacher conferences and become involved in our PTA;
- Let us know if you are available to come in and volunteer in some way. We really appreciate parental support in the school and the valuable contribution this makes.
Help Your Child Prepare for School
- If possible, arrange for your child to play with others in his/her age group before classes start;
Look through the school yearbook, blog or website and talk about school starting up again; - Discuss your child’s feelings about starting school and talk over any concerns;
- Talk about friendships with your child and discuss treating all children as they would like to be treated;
- Tour the school with your child at the Open House so he/she can find his/her classrooms and the restrooms and allow your child to meet his/her new teachers before the first day
- After the Open House, talk with your child about his/her daily school schedule.
- Talk about the school expectations:
- Care for myself and others
- Be honest
- Work hard
- Listen
- Look after things
Lay the Ground Rules
Re-establish a firm bedtime routine before school starts. This is often difficult when children are travelling close to the start of school, but the sooner a routine is established the better. Ensuring your child has sufficient sleep can play a great role in their success in school. Each child is different and has different sleep needs. This chart presents recommended hours of sleep, including naps for children up to five years of age (Data from USA National Sleep Foundation):
Age Hours of Sleep
1- 3 years 12 – 14
3 – 5 years 11 – 13
6 – 12 years 10 – 11
Determine where and when your child will do homework and figure out a plan for balancing homework and play time;
Set rules for the time spent on TV, video games, and computer use for non-school projects.
Drop off, Pick Up and Car Parking
Our school day begins at the new time of 8.15a.m. (Any child coming to school early must remain in the walkway and be supervised by a parent until they have access to their class at 8.10a.m.).
The school day ends at 3.00p.m. (unless clubs are being attended). Children should be collected on time – after 15 minutes, a ‘late fee’ will be charged as teachers have other responsibilities from 3.15p.m.
To ensure the safety of everyone and to keep traffic flow at its optimum, we have specific parking recommendations. Cones and a no parking sign are there to remind you that no parking/stopping should take place in the area opposite the school gate as you enter the car park or in front of the school gate. Remember also that we have a gated entrance around the back of the school (between the school and the container). This entrance is especially ideal for families in the classroom near this entrance. Also, families with younger children may find this parking area to be less busy than the main school entrance, along with parents wishing to ‘stop and drop’ older students.
We hope you find this helpful; full details can be referred to in our School Handbook, available on our website. Teachers are currently updating their 2016/17 class information booklets with curriculum details for this year and they will be available online next week. In the meantime, please feel welcome to look at last year’s booklet to get a feel for the expectations for your child’s new class and age group.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns or other helpful comments to pass on.
We look forward to seeing you all soon and welcoming returning students and new families to our community.