Communication

Pre-school information is communicated via email or the children’s pigeon hole in the foyer. For sustainability the staff, committee newsletter and updates will come via email. A hard copy will be given on parent request.

Children’s clothing

• Your child should come to kinder in comfortable, sunsmart clothing. We do our best to protect clothing, but accidents do happen and outdoor play can be messy! For paint spills we recommend cold water washing.
• Include a change of clothes, including socks and underpants, in your child’s bag.
• Please make sure all clothing is clearly named.
• For safety reasons thongs, slip-on shoes, and Crocs are not permitted. 
• Suitable wet weather clothing is required during the colder months as we always find time to play outside.
• Please do not to send your child to kindergarten dressed in character costumes, e.g. Batman, Snow White. 
• Remember to check lost property regularly!

Uniforms

We have iron on Woodridge Pre-school logo transfers which can be ironed onto articles of clothing to make a kinder uniform for your child. These are available for purchase from the office for $5 each.  We also have Woodridge pre-school t-shirts for sale in a variety of colours. Please enquire with one of our staff.

Lending library

• You child will need a named bag that can be used as a library bag.
• A library day will be allocated for each group. Children can borrow each week provided they bring their library bag and return the books they currently have on loan.

Sun Protection Policy

The pre-school has a Sun Protection Policy that requires parents to apply sunscreen prior to their child attending pre-school from the start of September to the end of April. An SPF of 30+ is recommended. Sunscreen is available at the pre-school and will be applied by staff when deemed necessary or at parental request.  

In addition,  children are provided with their own kinder hat at their orientation day.  We encourage the children to decorate their hats over the holidays,  so that when they commence kinder their hat is clearly labelled and decorated.  They wear the hats in Terms 1 & 4.  It is requested that parents continually reinforce the need for their child/children to wear hats.  

Birthdays

The children enjoy celebrating their birthday at kindergarten.  We encourage you to bring along an individually wrapped item to share with all of the children in the group.   
Please note: Parents of children with food allergies will need to provide suitable foods to be kept at kinder for these occasions. 

3 year old program

Morning drop off (8:30am) and afternoon pick up (4pm)  will be conducted through the side gate leading into the garden/outdoor play area. Parents are then asked to promptly exit the yard back through the garden gate  (ensuring it closes behind you).

All late arrivals are to enter via the deck, ring the bell and wait for an educator to collect your child, this will be from 8.45am or after 4pm.

Our Educator will greet you at the door, where one of our co-educators will sign your child in. At pick up, children will wait on the mat with our educators until you arrive and then your child will be signed out, and you will then exit via the side gate.  Please ensure you hold your child’s hand upon exiting the pre-school.

Parents are asked to be patient and follow staff guidelines each morning and afternoon at drop off and pick up. 

4 year old program

Morning drop off (8.30am) and afternoon pick up (4pm) will be conducted via the deck.

In the morning, parents and children are to line up on the front deck (using markers to ensure spacing).  An educator will meet you at the front door to welcome your child into the pre-school. Parents are then to exit promptly back via the front deck. Any late arrivals are to enter via the front deck, ring the bell and wait for an educator to collect your child. 

In the afternoon, the same procedures are to be followed re lining up, you are then welcomed in to the room to collect your child, and then proceed through the front exit door to be signed out by one of our educators.   Please ensure you hold their hands as you exit the pre-school  area. 

The Kindergarten has set session times in which children are taught, supervised and cared for.

In the event of a child being picked up late BOTH the teacher and educators must remain in attendance, which would lead to the payment of overtime wages, if they are delayed beyond their normal departure time.

Collection Guidelines

1. Children must be collected as close as possible to the session finishing time.
2. If a delay of the child’s collection is going to occur, the Pre-school teacher must be notified.
3. In an emergency situation, alternative arrangements should be made and the Pre-school teacher notified of the changes.  
4. A late collection fee will be applied when:

• • If a child is collected 5 minutes late, a fee of $5 will be charged, with an additional $5 for every five minutes late thereafter​.

Volunteering

Any help you can offer is always greatly appreciated!  

Caring for our chickens

We ask local families if they are able to come and let the chickens out on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning and then come back to kinder to lock them in their coop before dark to keep them safe.  

Please collect any eggs for your family and check that there is plenty of water and food in their coop.

You will be given a set of keys to let you in the side gate and open up the chickens coop.

During the school holidays, we have a roster with staff and local families, so that the chickens can continue to be let out during the day.

Fundraising

We have several fundraising functions/events during the year, so need our families support to volunteer at such events.  Fundraising helps to fund the purchase of extra educational resources and equipment, which can help to enhance the quality of the Woodridge program and environment.

Sweeping Roster

To help ensure our playground is clean and safe for our children, there is a yard roster for the parents of children in the four-year-old program. Each weekend a different family will be responsible for coming to kinder and sweeping/blowing in and around the sheltered areas. You will only need to do this once for the year.

If your child shows any signs of illness or infection, please keep them at home.  ​If your child has or has had diarrhea in the last 48 hours or a fever, temperature or vomiting – please do not send them to kinder.

If your child has a contagious or more serious condition/illness, please notify staff.

Parents MUST be contactable and come immediately, if contacted by educators notifying them that their child is sick at preschool.  There will be a lower threshold of tolerance for children with any cold/flu like symptoms than under normal operating processes due to COVID-19.

Children will wash hands before and after eating, after coughing, sneezing, blowing/wiping nose and as required (frequently) and/or noticed by staff.

There will be regular intentional teaching about hygiene and COVID-19 through stories, demonstrations, songs etc. 

Extra soap will be available and children and staff will use it more frequently than usual.

Hygiene habits will be specifically taught and will be a focus of the Pre-school program each week.

Parents are responsible for notifying their child’s teacher of any absences due to illness. Please text your class group mobile;

4yo Blue and Navy – 0409 889 080
4yo Red and 3yo Green – 0480 206 428

We want to ensure we provide a safe and healthy environment for all children, staff and any other people visiting the pre-school.

For information about illness exclusion periods please visit the Victorian Goverment Health Website.

• If you are going away on holidays please let us know
• Please keep the kindergarten doors and gates closed at all times
• We like to discourage children from bringing their own toys in from home, please explain that it is best they remain at home where they will not be possibly lost or broken. 
• Non-kindergarten children (babies, toddlers, and older children) are your responsibility. Please ensure that they are not left unattended in cars, in the playroom, or playground (unless staff are aware and have agreed to it).
• Remember to notify us if someone other than yourself is to collect your child from kindergarten. We will need a description of the person should you telephone us during the session. They will also need to provide us with a valid ID upon arrival.
• No lollies or chewing gum, makeup or lip gloss please.
• Please inform us if you change address, email or  telephone numbers etc,  as we will need to update our records.
• We are always looking for parents to help us with specific jobs or tasks. If you have a skill, or hobby, please don’t be shy….let us know…….

Most children will settle easily into the pre-school routine, however, some children may need more time than others to feel comfortable about staying without a parent.  We have an Orientation Day for both our three and four year old groups plus we offer a transition period at the beginning of the year that will help with developing your child’s confidence within smaller groups of children.

If your child is hesitant, please speak to your teachers and educators – they will work together with you to develop a plan that supports your child through their transition.  ​ A helpful website link is ​Separation anxiety in children | Raising Children Network

The pre-school has a Sun Protection Policy that requires parents to apply sunscreen prior to their child attending pre-school from the start of September to the end of April. We then follow the advise from the Sunsmart app – in respect to the UV ratings and guidelines for when sun protection is required outside of the September/April.

An SPF of 50+ is recommended. Sunscreen is available at the pre-school and will be applied by staff when deemed necessary or at parental request.

In addition, children are required to wear a hat in Terms 1 & 4. Woodridge provides all children with their very own Woodridge Pre-school hat at their orientation in December of the previous year.  Children will have the opportunity to take the hat home to decorate and add their name before returning the hat to pre-school for their first day.  Hats will remain at the centre throughout the year to ensure all children have a hat during outdoor play. 

Sunsmart clothing ie. clothing that covers shoulders and back is also encouraged to avoid unnecessary exposure and to protect our precious little ones as much as we can. We appreciate your co-operation in ensuring we remain as Sun Smart as we possibly can.