Infants
- Overview
- The Infants department (Prep to Year 2) at SHCS is a fun place to be, with a special family feel, working in partnership with parents. Children are immersed in the knowledge of the love and power of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His plan for our lives.
Stimulating and nurturing each child’s uniqueness, we foster a love of learning in the early years of your child’s education. With a strong phonics approach using THRASS, and a structured maths program incorporating hands-on activities, we encourage children to work at their own level.
The children work in a class group with their own teacher. They benefit from being exposed to the experience of the gifts and talents of all the teachers in the department. We value and encourage the involvement of parents in many ways throughout the school, and appreciate the teamwork nature of this practice.
- Firm Foundations
- The infants and primary departments of the school share a number of common aims and experiences.
Bible
All classes begin each day with a short devotion time where the Bible is read and students and teachers pray for the day, fellow students and world events.
Assemblies
A short opening assembly is held at the beginning of each week with the entire school. Infants and Primary classes meet again on Thursday afternoons to share work that has been done during the week, with each class taking turns to present the assembly. This gives the students the opportunity to experience public speaking and drama. Parents are encouraged to attend these assemblies, your class teacher will inform you when it is time for your child's class to present assembly.
Our Buddy Program
To provide opportunities for our students to make friends across all Years, our Buddy Program groups students from Kindergarten to Year 6 and gives opportunities to visit their 'Buddy' in their class room. Older students are encouraged to look after their younger 'Buddies' in the playground.
Homework
The homework policy at SHCS is designed to encourage independent study habits and strong work ethics. Each class teacher assigns homework in their preferred manner. If homework expectations seem unrealistic parents are encouraged to speak with the class teacher.
Assessment and reporting
Assessment of student progress is made using observation, analysis of student work and testing. Records are kept of student development. Written reports are provided to parents twice a year at the end of each semester along with parent/teacher interviews.
Parent involvement
Parents are encouraged to be involved with their children's lives at school as much as possible. Commitments like this can be in the form of regular help in the classrooms, canteen, library or helping on excursions and camps. For the parents who are unable to visit the school, some activities, such as covering books and preparing craft items can easily be done at home. SHCS has a service policy where each family commits to a minimum eight hours service per year. This time is especially appreciated and valued as without volunteer help our school could not offer the services it does and we enjoy the team nature of this practice
Specialist teachers
The children work in a class group with their own teacher, but also benefit from being exposed to the experience of the gifts and talents of all the teachers in the department. Along with regular weekly visits to the library, students are taught basic music skills. Our Southern Highlands Individual Program (SHIP) run by our Special Education teacher is available to students who may need a little extra help. This can be in the form of help within the classroom environment or withdrawal from the classroom for one-on-one assistance.
Beyond The Classroom
Music tuition conducted by on site, private tutors is available to all students wishing to play a particular instrument, these may include: piano, guitar, or violin and are provided at an additional cost. Leadership opportunities arise through the Student Representative Council (SRC) for Years 3-6 and School Captaincy in Year 6.
The Infants Department at SHCS is a fun place to be, with a special family feel, working in partnership with parents. Children are given a foundation in the knowledge, love and power of the Lord Jesus Christ and his plan for their lives.
- Literacy and Numeracy
- Stimulating and nurturing each child's uniqueness, we foster a love of learning in the early years of your child's education. Teaching the skills of reading, writing, spelling and mathematics is a major focus for the Infant School and therefore deserves a substantial amount of time be allocated. We accept that students develop at different rates and learn in different ways, and our teaching is therefore geared to meet individual needs as much as possible.With a strong phonics approach using THRASS (Teaching Handwriting Reading and Spelling Skills), and a structured maths program incorporating many hands-on activities, we encourage children to learn at their own level. All Infants children are encouraged to participate in the MS Read-a-thon and the Premiers' Reading Challenge.
- Outdoor Learning and Excursions
- Excursions are included as part of the core study program to provide first-hand experiences for students. These excursions are always exciting and educational and are based on the particular part of the curriculum being studied at the time. 'Mud Day' and 'Dancing With The Stars' are two highlights of the year. Infants also have the opportunity to participate in our annual athletics and swimming carnivals taking part in a variety of age and skill appropriate activities.
- Further Details
- I truly believe Southern Highlands Christian School is a great place for your child to grow!
Katrina Broadbent
Infants Coordinator
