New prep students
We hold a number of transition days in the year prior to commencing prep at our school. We work closely with Apollo Bay Kindergarten and various community playgroups, to co-ordinate a number of on-site visits to make the transition from kindergarten to school as smooth as possible.
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We have a few tips to help get your child's first year of school off to a good start. We have also included an outline of how the first day for you looks too!
Prior to the beginning of the school year we suggest you:
- Contact the school to lodge your interest: If you think your child may be attending our school the following year, please contact our office and we will get you to fill in an Expression of Interest (EOI) form. Later in the year we will contact you to complete an official enrolment form. We ask that you provide any relevant supporting documents. If additional supports may be required to best support your child, please let us know as soon as possible, so we can do our best to accomodate these from the beginning of the school year.
- Take part in transition days: We run a number of transition days later in the year prior to commencement to familiarise your child with our school, teachers, support staff, schedules and facilities. We work closely with the nearby Apollo Bay Kindergarten to co-ordinate a number of onsite visits that start to build a positive relationship with the educational environment and their teachers. If you have recently moved to town, or your child does not attend the local kindergarten, please contact the school directly to ensure your inclusion in this valuable program.
- Download Compass: We use this app to communicate with you about your child, attendance, upcoming events and happenings at our school. Please download it on your mobile device or view on your computer.
- Uniform: Order your child's uniform through Borne Apparel Colac, either online or instore. ​​​​​​​​
​​​- Stationery: Bulk stationery orders are made to cater to your child's educational needs. Classroom resources are shared from prep to year 2.
- Voluntary Parent Payments: In Compass, you will see some Parent Payments pop-up after the first few weeks. These are voluntary payments that help support the important programs and resources our school continues to provide. Payments are accepted at any stage throughout the year at your discretion either through Compass directly, or through the school office.
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First Day of Prep overview:
Drop-off – Please bring your child to their classroom any time from 8.35am. Their teacher will be there to meet and greet you and direct you to your child’s locker and tub.Family Photo – As a tradition we take a family photo of our newly starting preps. A staff member will be outside waiting to take this before the music sounds. All family members are welcome!
What to bring – All school learning supplies are provided by the school. You will only need to bring your school bag, school hat, drink bottle and lunch box. We suggest having everything clearly labelled with your child’s name. We also recommend packing some extra cut up fruit and small healthy snacks for any brain breaks we may have throughout the day on top of their fresh cut lunch.
School shoes – Please make sure your child’s shoes are clearly labelled with their name and that they can recognise their own shoes. It also helps to practise taking shoes on and off independently. All students place their shoes on the trolleys outside of the door entrances when the music plays.
For Parents – when the music begins (8.50am) this is a sign for you to say goodbye to your child as all of the children will be heading inside for activities. We then invite you all, if possible, to stay around for a morning cuppa/breakfast meet and greet with Brian Humphries and Sam Welker. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate this wonderful milestone with other parents and share some tears and tissues. You will also get to meet our wonderful leadership team and familiarise yourself with the front office and staff. Brian and Sam will also talk about out Prep Transition Interviews and answer any questions you may have.
Attendance – Preps do not attend school on a Wednesdays until after the long weekend in March. These Wednesday are rest days and are an important time for your child to relax and reset. You will also have a time allocated for you to bring your child into school for their Prep Transition Interview. See below.
Prep Transition Interview – You will be asked to make a time to meet with your child’s teacher. This interview will take place at school and will go for about half an hour. They are designed to help facilitate a smooth transition into school from kinder. The teacher will meet one on one with your child to gather information to help them best support their academic, social and emotional needs. Parents will also have a chance to address any concerns and questions.
School finishes at 3:05pm – We ask parents kindly wait outside of the classrooms as the children are being dismissed at the end of the day. We are very much looking forward to seeing you. Any further questions, you can contact the office.
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Rest assured, if there are any issues that pop up during the day we will give you a call.