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• ELC Orientation: Welcome to ELC 3

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ELC3 Staff

ELC3 Bilby

Class Teacher – Sally Paddington

ELC3 Wombat

Class Teacher – Cecilia Chen

Specialist Teacher – Sandra Ellich

Specialist Teacher – Katherine Zachest

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Food recommendations

Healthy food = Brain food

We aim to encourage our boys and families to make healthy choices, promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle, and provide opportunities for active play.

The foods we eat provide our body with the nutrients needed to stay healthy. Good nutrition is eating a variety of foods and is especially important for young children to provide extra nutrients for growth and development. It is important to give preschool children a good start to healthy eating to form lifelong eating habits by school age.

We discuss healthy choices with the boys and introduce the concept of ‘brain food’, ‘everyday’ foods and ‘sometimes’ foods. We will encourage the boys to eat their “brain food” (fruit) first, drink water and participate in a healthy snack time.

What to pack for your son?

• For morning tea we ask that you provide your son with a healthy snack of fruit &/or vegetables, along with a bottle of water.
• For lunchtime we encourage a healthy option such as a sandwich (2 slices of bread with cheese, vegemite, sliced meat, salad), a roll, wrap, sushi, rice dishes etc., with at least 2 other options (fruit, vegetables, slice of cake, crackers, cheese, dairy snack, biscuit, a treat).

We encourage families to reduce the amount of packaging in lunchboxes and ask that we work together in providing a package free environment.

*Intolerances, allergies and religious beliefs will be respected and supported. We have children enrolled who have anaphylaxis to all nuts and nut products. Please do not provide these in your son’s lunches.

We are required to store all food items such as dairy products, cold meat or processed meat, and items at risk of food poisoning in the refrigerator. These items are in the “danger zone” of food poisoning after 4 hours of being removed from the refrigerator from your home. This relates to your son’s lunch transferred from home (not including morning tea).

We implement the following process:

• Parents are asked each day to place all named items for refrigeration in the Cooler Bag outside your son’s classroom. Do not place the whole lunchbox in the bag, only refrigerated food.
• At 9.15am the Cooler Bags will be placed in the ELC refrigerator
• At lunch time the Cooler Bags will be collected and your son’s lunch will be distributed

What items need to be refrigerated?

• Cheese, yoghurt, milk, egg
• Sandwiches with processed meat, and cooked meat such as chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, etc.
• Cold prepared meals or leftovers such as pizza, pasta dishes, omelette, quiche etc.

*Please note that if your son has a hot lunch in a thermos we cannot be responsible for the food being served at the safe temperature of 60 degrees and above. We do not reheat food due to our regulations.

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Toilet training and Spare Clothes

We encourage boys to be toilet trained upon entrance to the ELC. We understand they may have ‘accidents’ throughout the year, therefore we require a spare full set of your son’s uniform in his school bag for accidents and experimental play! With our exciting program, sometimes it is impossible to stay clean and dry.

 

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Medical Information for students with a health condition

If your son has a health condition, please complete and return the General Medical Advice Form and return it to the Junior School Student Medical Officer.

 

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Parent/Guardian involvement

The ELC recognises the limits on parents/guardians time but we do encourage a partnership between yourself and the staff members caring for your child. Your involvement in your child’s life at the ELC creates wonderful benefits for you, your son and the Centre. Parents/guardians are most welcome to participate in parent activities, but please note you will require a Working with Children Check – volunteer basis. Please let your son’s teacher know if you are interested in participating in an activity.

Every year the ELC hosts exciting events in which we invite you to join your son. These dates will be given to you at the beginning of each Term. Other opportunities for parents/guardians involvement include assisting with excursions, attending parent meetings and information evenings, and becoming involved in the JPG events. We also ask for continual feedback on your and your son’s experience, in writing or verbally. We will email policy updates, procedural changes, health alerts, DEECD parent information and QIP progress to you and ask for your feedback.

At the beginning of the year, staff will host a Parent information evening and discuss ways in which you can be involved in your son’s learning.

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Parent / Teacher communication

We strongly encourage parents to make an appointment with the teacher, if there are any concerns or matters to discuss about your son. We are always happy to chat, but please understand that drop off and pick up times do not provide you with a professional and confidential environment, therefore a private appointment would better suit your needs. Parent/Teacher Discussions will be scheduled for each Term to discuss your son’s development and set his learning goals across each developmental area.

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Junior Parents’ Group

The Parents’ Group for Junior School is known as the JPG. It provides a formal structure and support network for parents to participate in the activities and decision making processes of the School.

Involvement in the JPG is facilitated by a volunteer group of parents known as year-level representatives. These reps are fundamental to the sense of belonging and community spirit for which BGS is renowned. They arrange coffee mornings and other social gatherings, and communicate with you throughout the year about what is going on in your son’s year level.

The JPG warmly invites ALL parents to attend the regular JPG meetings and encourages parents to become involved and participate actively in the life of the School. All parents’ contributions DO make a difference!

Should you have any queries concerning the JPG or wish to find out any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the JPG Parent Liaison via email.

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Celebrating Sons and Grandsons of Old Boys

When Old Boys enrol their sons at BGS, the School also takes much pleasure in celebrating this multi-generational link. To assist us, we ask parents of our multi-generational BGS boys to complete the ‘BGS Generations form’ so that the School can acknowledge our current second-, third- and fourth-generation BGS boys. If you have already completed this form, there is no need to complete it again.