Dear Parents and
Caregivers
Welcome to Nursery this
year at the Garden International School. I know that we are looking forward to
a great time of learning and fun with your children. I just want to outline
some information that may be of interest as we begin.
When your child arrives in the morning they will put their backpacks in their
cubbies and put their water bottles in their class water bottle tray so that
they can access them whenever they need to have a drink.
They can then move
to one of the open play areas.
7.30 – 8.00 The back playground and play room will
be open and monitored for your child to play in.
8.00 – 8.30 The top playground and sandpit area will
also be opened and staffed for your child to go to.
8.30 The bell will ring and all the parents
will be asked to leave promptly. The children will tidy up and come into class
to start their school day.
Please do not leave your child in the
playground if there is no one on duty. Their safety is our highest priority.
If you arrive after 8.30 am please go to the front office and they will arrange for
you to come into the Foundation area. For the children’s safety it will be
locked.
The front door of
Foundation is fitted with a swipe card access that can only be opened by staff.
So if you need access at a time inside school hours please go to the front
office. When you are want to leave there will be an internal button next to the
door. (please do not encourage the
children to push this button).
For half day children pick up time will be at 12 noon. They
stay to eat lunch but do not stay for lunch play time.
If your child is
staying for the full day program they will be resting for an
hour in the afternoons after lunch. They will need a bed roll purchased
from the front office which will be kept at school for them to use
every day and then sent home every Friday to be laundered. It
is advisable to also send a small blanket (not single bed
size) for comfort.
If your child is coming for the full day program you can pick
them up any time between 2.50pm and 3.00pm the front door will
be open and you can come straight to the classroom. The car park will be very
busy at this time so we are encouraging parents to arrive early and leave
quickly to avoid the traffic when the older children get out of school at
3.10pm.
Foundation School Day
finishes at 2.50pm
At 2.50 pm the front door
will be opened and you can collected your child anytime between 2.50pm
and 3.00pm.
If you are late Unless there is an emergency that you have contacted the school about, any child needing supervision after 3.00pm will incur a minimum supervision charge of 500 baht as a member of staff will be needed to supervise him/her.
What should my child bring to school?
- a small backpack in which they can fit an A4
piece of paper but not too big for their cubbies
- a water bottle that
is easy for them to open and use and has either a straw or a small opening at
the top. Bottles with wider openings lead to the children spilling them more
easily.
- a change of
clothes in their backpack everyday (it does not need
to be a school uniform just ordinary clothes)
- on the first day they
will get a communication book it should come back to school
every day in the plastic pocket it came in.
Please name everything
that your child brings to school. If you forget we have permanent markers and will write
their names on them.
What should my child not
bring to school?
- toys from home, they will not be allowed to play with them
at school as they may get broken and cause distress
- candy or sweets either
to eat themselves or share with others (please do not put them in the
children’s lunchboxes as we encourage healthy eating at our school
- gifts or
stickers for other children - these cause distress for those who
don’t receive them and we are engendering fair play in our children’s behavior
rather than favouritism
What to wear?
Our school has a uniform system. There is a
specific uniform for children in Foundation that can be purchased at the front
office. Your child will also need to wear closed in shoes with socks.
No flip flop, crocs or sandals are allowed. No shoes with laces unless
your child can tie them themselves. Velcro or pull on are preferable.
On PE days they will need
a PE uniform and once again closed in shoes with socks.
On Water Play days they will
need a swim suit and a towel (no small hand towels please).
Sometimes the school
has Mufti Days to raise money for special causes. On these
days the children can wear their own clothes from home and pay
50 baht that goes towards the cause designated.
Snacks and Lunches
We encourage and promote healthy eating for
our children at the school. The school provides snacks and lunches for
the children. They will get a range of meals and we will monitor their
eating habits and if there are any concerns let you know.
Library
The children will be taken to the school
Library one day in the six day cycle to select a book to take home for the
week. Please check your child’s schedule to see what day they will be going.
Then on the following week return the book so that they can check out another
book. You are welcome to use the Library read with your children after school
hours.
Communication Diaries and Communication
You will be given a Communication
Book for your child. This book is like a diary and if there is
anything that I want to communicate to you out of the ordinary I will write in
this book. If you have any concerns or want to write to me about something
please write a note on the day in the diary we check them every morning.
The book includes things
like the school calendar and other useful information.
If you want to contact
the Nursery teacher please email us on
j.vincent@gardenrayong.com
Emails are checked and
responded to on the same day.
If you want to let us
know you will be late picking your child up or that they are sick please phone
the front office or email. Please give us as much notice as possible.
We will also be running a
classroom blog where you will be able to see photos of your children and learn
about what is happening with them at school. Schedules and other information
about what and how they are learning will also be put up on the blog.
http://nursery.gardenrayong.com/
If your child is sick at
school.
If your child becomes sick or gets hurt at
school we have first-aid trained staff and a first-aid box in
Foundation for small incidents. We also have a school nurse Ms Yvonne who
will be consulted if we are concerned about your child’s well-being.
Your child will be taken
to sick bay if they are not well and Ms Yvonne will then take
care of them and if need be phone you to come and take them home if they are
too sick to stay at school.
School Trips
Later in the year we will
be taking some trips outside the school grounds to support the children’s
learning. You will be notified in plenty of time and clear details will be
given about where we are going with the children and why. These trips are not
included in the school fees and so you will be advised of the cost.
A risk assessment and
pre-trip checks are made to make sure that all eventualities are taken into
consideration to give your children a safe, fun and informative experience.
Birthday celebrations at
school
We do like to mark the children’s birthdays with their
classmates and we will sing Happy Birthday to them in class and give them a
crown to wear on the day. If you would like to come in and bring a birthday
cake to share with your child’s class on that day we would be happy to arrange
a time for you to do that that suits the classroom schedule. Please see your
classroom teacher close to the date to arrange a good time.
We ask that you provide
only cake for the child’s class. You may also bring some juice if you would
like. This is not however a birthday party so please do not bring
candy, chips or gift bags for the children. A cake is all we need. Thank
you for your help with this and we look forward to celebrating.
We are looking forward to this year of development, fun and
learning with your children. Remember if you have any concerns about your child
academically or physically in anyway please talk to your child’s teacher.
Translators can be arranged for most languages. We are happy to talk with you
as long as it is not in class time.
Many thanks.
