1. Welcome to the Pre-school Meet the Teachers Afternoon !! Our Mission “ OSC develops the whole person as a responsible learner striving for personal excellence within a culturally diverse school.” Wednesday 1 st September, 2010 A very warm welcome to all – we are glad you could join us!  1600 – 1645Grade level session 1  1645 – 1730Grade level session 2  1600 – 1730Specialists in PLRC for consultation

2. The Pre-school TEAM Mrs. Nirmalee Perera Ms. Kithmini Mrs. Shemo Gani Ms. RushdhaMs. Shahira

3.  Monday – Friday - 7:30 am to 1:30 pm  User Pays Afterschool Care will run from 1:30 pm – 2:40 pm.  EVERY Wednesday school finishes at 1:30 pm (There will be NO Afterschool Care facilities offered on a Wednesday) Please ensure you pick up your child at the designated times; as the teachers/ assistants attend meetings and workshops in the afternoons.

4. Specialist Classes and Teachers Role of the Assistant Teachers: The class Assistant Teachers will support the learning needs of the children. They will also co- teach the Host Culture Programme. PE/ Swimming – Mrs. Klaudia Chapell Performing Arts - Mrs. Heidi Dean Visual Arts – Homeroom Teachers Information Technology – Homeroom Teachers Library - Mrs. Priyani Keenawinna

5. Everything labeled! All PE/swimming items should be clearly marked with your child’s name and stored in a separate bag. We encourage your child to wear sandals with a back strap on swimming and PE days. A healthy snack A complete change of clothes in the bag. Water bottle Read home school message book No hat - No play Packed Lunches- NO canteen food Wednesday assemblies – approximately 7:45 – 8:15 am Picking up at end of day Leaving early What do your children need?

6. How do children Learn? At the heart of the programme’s philosophy is a commitment to structured, purposeful inquiry and play as the leading vehicle for learning. The PYP is a Curriculum Framework which: encourages a positive attitude to learning by engaging students in inquiries and developing their awareness of the process of learning so that they become lifelong learners. reflects real life by encouraging learning beyond the traditional subjects with meaningful, in-depth inquiries. emphasizes, through the learner profile, the development of the whole child physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically.

7. O VERVIEW OF THE UNITS OF INQUIRY In Pre-school students study four PYP units of inquiry during the course of the year. All units are taught in a transdisciplinary way, incorporating all disciplines and relevant skills and concepts.

8. P RE - SCHOOL U NITS OF I NQUIRY For more details about what we will be doing in the classroom – please check the –re-school newsletters & Hotlinks Page.

9. O VERVIEW OF L ANGUAGE AND M ATHEMATICS At OSC we believe …that language is fundamental to all learning, thinking and communicating. It transcends all the disciplines and is learnt in context at every opportunity.  Language Strands: oral, written, visual  Sub strands: Listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and presenting.  Mathematics Strands: Number, Patterns & Function, Data Handling, Measurement, Shape & Space. (Math will be incorporated into the Units of Inquiry where appropriate and taught as stand-alone when necessary.)  We believe in a ‘child centered’ and ‘activity oriented’ philosophy towards mathematics which will encourage students to propose ideas, test their hypotheses, generalize their findings and search for alternate solutions.

10. Help in Pre-school As parents, you will be given many opportunities to become actively involved in your child’s learning. OSC aims to provide opportunities to create a valuable partnership between parents/ carers and ourselves. Newsletters will be sent home via your child/via e-mail or will be available on the schools hotlinks page, explaining and informing you of their learning, class and school events. We welcome parents to share their knowledge, experiences, special skills and talents with the class, if these are linked to the Units of Inquiry covered in Pre-school. Each class will have two support parents. The role of the support parent is to assist the teacher with school and class events. The Primary Principal will be meeting with ALL primary support parents early in the year. Thereafter, the homeroom teachers will meet the class support parents.

11. Communication (email, communication book, face to face) Communication: We encourage regular contact and communication. This can be done via notes or e-mail. Each student has a message book. We encourage you to use this to write to your homeroom teacher. We would appreciate if we are informed of any special events that occur in your child’s life which may impact their routine. (eg: Parents leaving the country, grandparents/ family friends visiting, accidents or demise within the family etc.)

12. And finally…any questions?

13. Thank you for coming Enjoy the rest of your evening!