Infant School welcome guide 2020/2021 Dover Campus 1 Welcome to the Contents UWCSEA Dover Infant School Welcome to the UWCSEA Dover Infant School.......................1 We wish you a warm welcome to the UWCSEA community and in Infant School ethos ........................................................................2 particular to the Infant School. It is Infant School team .........................................................................2 an incredibly exciting place in which 4–7 year-olds learn and grow in an Website and communications ......................................................3 environment that is welcoming, Contacting/notifying the school .................................................4 safe and appropriately challenging. School day ........................................................................................5 These early years are an important stage of schooling—arguably the Transport ...........................................................................................5 most important stage—as our Uniforms ...........................................................................................6 students develop a love of learning that will serve as a firm foundation Meals at school ................................................................................7 throughout their education. All the Primary School staff look Health and well-being of students ..............................................8 forward to getting to know you and your family over the next few years. School policies .................................................................................9 The following pages represent a quick reference to get you Parental involvement .....................................................................9 started for the year. This information can also be found on Dover Infant School contacts .......................................................11 the website: www.uwcsea.edu.sg. The start of anything new is exciting and challenging at the same time. We want to make your start at UWCSEA as smooth as possible, and this booklet aims to make a start at achieving that. However, it will be your questions that arise from reading through it that will give you the most clarity so please don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of us. We know that children are most successful at school when there is a strong partnership between home and school. We look forward to developing this relationship with you over the next few years. Please take some time to read through this booklet so that you have an understanding of our day to day procedures as well as our beliefs about young children’s learning and how we effectively support this. Brian Ó Maoileoin Primary School Principal 2 Infant School ethos Infant School team The Infant School is dedicated to providing a range of diverse and creative learning opportunities within a happy, safe and welcoming environment. We believe that by cultivating and maintaining strong home-school partnerships, we will maximise learning outcomes for our students. We want to nurture the natural curiosity of every child and grow their capacity for learning while taking into Brian Ó Vikki Wright account individual personalities, talents and interests. Play Maoileoin Vice Principal and children’s predisposition to wonder lead logically into Primary School (K1–G1) an inquiry-based approach to learning, where academic Principal understandings develop in harmony with a full range of social, emotional, creative and physical skills. The Infant School secretaries are also happy to help you with UWCSEA is different to other schools in that our learning any enquiries. programme reaches far beyond academics. Along with our stimulating inquiry-based academic programme, our Activities, Outdoor Education, Personal and Social Education and Service programmes are central to each child’s education. These are delivered in a carefully structured, developmentally appropriate framework. Our Infant School has distinct structures in place to support the needs of students in their first years of school. Classroom routines support Infant School children in developing the Margaret Lee Pamela mindset and attitudes of a learner. Students love coming to Senior Secretary Sandanasamy school each day and through the programme build curiosity, Secretary develop resilience and embrace challenge. At all levels of the school, the College provides exceptional Your first point of contact will be your child’s class teacher. opportunities for students to develop independence and You will be advised of your child’s class teacher prior to the leadership skills. At the heart of our educational philosophy start of the school year. is the belief that we prepare students not just for university, but for life, and it is the skills and qualities students develop, A list of key Infant School contacts is on the back page of as much as the knowledge and understanding they gain, that this brochure. Contact details for individual staff are in the will define the quality of the life they live. For our youngest online staff directory, and administrative departments such students, this involves growing in independence and taking as Finance can also be found on the website. responsibility for their activities, their friendships and their daily actions. ‘Mistakes’ are viewed as opportunities for Supporting your child learning instead of as errors to correct. If you have any concerns regarding your child, whether they are academic or related to their social and emotional needs, the first person to talk to is the class teacher. The next person in the support chain is the Head of Grade, Andrea Strachan (Head of K1), Robert Adcock (Interim Head of K2) and Angela Turner (Head of Grade 1), who is also available to support if your child is experiencing any challenges. 3 Website and communications A close partnership between home and school is very eBrief important, and clear, effective communication facilitates this. This weekly email consolidates key information into an easy- Parents are welcome in school, and during the year you will to-read format for parents. Considered essential reading, be invited to come on trips, attend activity days and help in eBrief is sent to all parents every Friday during the school your child’s classroom. term. It contains information for parents on the upcoming We try to limit the amount of paper sent home, and therefore two weeks. You can expect the first eBrief the Friday before have other ways to communicate. To keep up-to-date with school commences to help you get ready for the start of the events, please read the weekly eBrief newsletter, class teacher year. It is not sent during school holidays. blogs, check your email and keep an eye on the online notices Workshops for parents are offered to help familiarise you and calendar. To help you navigate these systems, there are with the features of the website portal and calendars. workshops for parents scheduled during Term 1. Online calendar Email communication There is an up-to-date online calendar on the school website. Please use email to communicate non-urgent messages to your child’s teacher. Teachers are unable to check their emails The College uses Google Calendar, and, depending on the regularly throughout the day. Any urgent messages for the calendar system you use, you can import all or some of these teachers should be by a phone call to the Infant School office events from Google Calendar to your own to help you keep (6419 9323) . Our secretary will then pass this message to the on top of what’s happening! If setting this up in advance, class teacher. please make sure you include the Infant School, Dover Campus and UWCSEA (College) calendars—you can also Website portal include other school sections and the Parents’ Association Each parent is issued with a login to the parent portal via calendar. our website where you can view information tailored to your family and about your child(ren). Access to a number of UWCSEA App key systems as well as daily updated notices and the online The UWCSEA App is available for iOS and Android devices via calendar are located here, including: the app stores. Search for UWCSEA and download the app • online medical information system (for review and to access eBrief, the calendar, notices, a campus map, your updating) child(ren)’s timetable (including their activities for each day), the staff directory and more. • contact information update system (for review and updating) You will need your login details to access the App, as the • student record system (timetable, attendance records, information is customised to each user. reports and assessments) • notices for parents The logins are issued in the weeks prior to orientation and will be emailed to all parents. Parents have individual logins; Infant School student logins are also provided to parents on behalf of their child. Updating your contact information If there is any change in contact information (i.e., telephone, address or email), it is very important that parents amend the details the school holds on file. This can be done by logging in to the portal. 4 Contacting/notifying the school Sharing student learning progress Absence – students We value your role as being an important catalyst for learning Please telephone the Infant School office if your child is sick outside of school. Our aim is to ensure that the frequency, and will not be coming to school (see back cover for contact content and medium of information we share support