Frequently Asked Questions
The work on this page is still in progress. Some information will be added and/or rearranged over time.
STUDENTS
How old are the students in Nursery?
The youngest students are 3 years old. The age range is between 3 to 4 years old.
Can my child join the Nursery Class before he/she is 3 years old?
If your child is almost 3, special arrangements can be made after consultations with the Principal and the School Office. One of the main conditions is – your child should be toilet trained.
How many students are there in class?
The maximum number of students is 15. At the moment we have 8 children in the class.
What countries are the students from?
We have a diversity of nationalities in class. Currently we have students from Ireland, Japan, Korea, France, China and Hong Kong.
TEACHERS
Who is the Nursery class teacher?
Please read about the Nursery teacher Mrs. Arbon here. (This page will be added soon.)
How many teachers are there in the Nursery class?
The Nursery teacher is supported by the Teaching Assistant Ms. Tessa. Please read about her here. (This page will be added soon.) When the number of students reaches 12, the school will provide one more Teaching Assistant.
Who are the specialist teachers?
The specialist lessons are taught by the following teachers:
PE – Mr. Connoly – Tuesday
Swimming – Ms. Hackett – Thursday
Music – Ms. Bull – Friday
Chinese - Ms. Tessa
COPING WITH ENGLISH
My son/daughter doesn’t speak English or knows just few words in English. Will he/she be able to cope in class?
Yes. Obviously it will take time for him/her to get used to the English speaking environment at school. However young children learn by copying what other children are doing and as our class routine is quite repetitive the new students quickly learn what is to be expected. Teaching in Nursery involves many visual resources, songs and repetition, so the children pick up the new words and phrases quickly. It might take time before they will start using them in their own speech but their listening understanding develops quickly.
How can I help my child at home with his/her English development?
Let your child watch some good classic cartoons in English. Exposure to English audio will help your child get used to English sounds. Help him/her to follow the plot if needed.
Play English songs to enrich your child’s environment with English language even further.
When you share a book with your child point to some objects in the picture and ask him/her, “What is that called in English?” Go through the same pictures and words next time you read the same book, young children enjoy the repetition.
SCHOOL ROUTINE
What time does school start?
We begin classes at 9 am, but we recommend that parents bring their children a little earlier, at about 8:45. This will allow children to have some time to put their things away and settle before the day starts. We start each morning with circle time, except on Thursdays when we have a whole primary school assembly. On these days it is particularly important that your child comes to school on time.
Breaktimes
Children have two breaktimes during the day, morning break (10:30 - 10:50) and afternoon break (2:10 - 2:30). At each break children are supervised by the teachers on duty. Unless it is raining or the weather is too cold, children always go outside at breaktimes. Otherwise they will be supervised by myself or Ms Tessa in the classroom. It is advisable that children go outside during breaktimes so that they have a chance to play with other children, develop their gross motor skills and release all their pent up energy after an hour indoors. Please dress your children according to the weather and provide warm clothing and sun tan lotion for the appropriate season. After lunch children also spend time on the playground, however if the weather is bad, all foundation students (nursery & reception) will either be taken to the gym or the wet playroom.
Discipline in the classroom
If your child creates a safety issue in the class by pushing or hurting other children they will at first be reprimanded and a note will be sent home. If you receive such a note, please talk to your child and try to explain to them how they should behave nicely in class with other children. If this kind of behavior continues, you child will have to spend two minutes during class sitting on the naughty chair away from everybody else (supervised by the TA). The aim of this action is for your child to think about what they did wrong. Another note will be sent home. The next time this kind of incident occurs, your child will miss five minutes of breaktime and will stay in the class supervised by the teacher or TA. Your child's behavior will be brought to the attention of the KS1 coordinator, Mr. Carthew. A phone call will be made to parents inviting them for a parent - teacher meeting.
Rewards
Everyday children get awarded smiley faces for good behavior. At the beginning of each day the number of smiley faces gets tallied and added to the big total. This is very motivating to children to work hard and behave well as they are very eager to get those smiley faces. However we don't give certificates to the winners because we don't want to create unhealthy competition.
If children misbehave they either have a smiley face erased or a sad face if it is more serious.
House teams
the whole school is divided into house teams (Phoenix, dragon and Pegasus), and your child is placed into one of them at the beginning of their studies. As nursery children, they will be involved in house competitions usually only in whole school activities, but we don't have house activities in the classroom. Also, we don't give out weekly house point certificates as they do in the rest of Primary during primary school assemblies. Nursery children react very well to praise, and they don't understand the certificates much in any case. Whenever your child does well, they get a note sent home.
My child is not well
The best advice is, if you see that your child is not feeling well than keep him or her at home. If you send a sick child to school they may infect other children in the classroom and this is not fair to them or the teacher. Some parents have sent children who are unwell to school and asked that they stay inside during breaktimes. However this is not good practice as the teacher and teaching assistant use the time that children are outside to prepare for classes and may not be in the classroom at all times. Your child cannot be left in the classroom unsupervised. Therefore unless your child is well enough to go outside, please keep him or her at home.
PE AND SWIMMING LESSONS
(Will be added soon.)
PERSONAL HYGIENE
My child needs support in the bathroom, will the school staff provide it?
Children in Nursery have regular visits to the bathroom, that they call ‘pee-pee’ time (or ‘poo-poo’ if they need to go for number two). They are supervised and supported during those times by the TA or myself. However Nursery students are encouraged to be independent in this matter. It would really help if parents took special care at home to teach their children how to undress and dress themselves in the bathroom by themselves. Having several kids going at the same time makes it impossible to help everybody at once. Also please reinforce this important vocabulary of ‘pee-pee’ and ‘poo-poo’ at home.
What happens if there is an accident?
Children will be changed into their spare clothes. The wet clothes will be sent home. Please send the new set of clean clothes the following day. Also it is important that your child has a pack of baby wipes in his/her bag to help with cleaning.
If there is a major and messy accident or there are not enough spare clothes, parents will be contacted over the phone and asked to take their child home.
Changing clothes - teaching independence
As with everything else your help with teaching your child to dress and undress themselves will be greatly appreciated.
Does the school staff help the children to wash their hands?
Children are encouraged to wash their hands after each bathroom visit, after playtimes and before eating lunch. Although they are supervised and supported when necessary, it is impossible to help everybody at the same time. It takes just a few seconds for the children to get their sleeves wet while washing their hands therefore parents’ support with teaching independence in this matter is greatly appreciated.
Washing hands - teaching independen
You might presume it is easy but the children need to be taught and get enough practice during the following four steps:
1. pulling their sleeves up before washing hands (please show them how to do this)
2. using liquid soap and rubbing it between their hands
3. washing the soap off their hands
4. drying their hands
Clean hands stop germs spreading around and as the children touch the same equipment, toys, etc. it is vital that they learn how to wash their hands properly.
My child has a runny nose… Teaching independence…
We help the children to dry/blow their noses when necessary, but like with everything else your support in teaching this little but necessary skill is very much appreciated. Sometimes they get a clean tissue but don’t really know what to do with it. Young children need a lot of practice before they learn any skill and this one is not an exception. Please take care to teach your child blow his/her nose, wipe it and put the dirty tissue in the rubbish bin.
EATING
How often do children eat at school?
Nursery children have their snacks in the morning, right before their first break and lunch at about 12 pm. Sometimes children get hungry in the afternoon, especially after Swimming and PE lessons and have a 5-10 minutes snack again.
What should I send for my child’s snack?
Healthy snacks are encouraged as we learn a big deal about healthy eating during lesson times. Lots of cookies and candies fill your child with sugar that makes them hyperactive during the rest of the day, which sometimes leads to the loss of concentration and even unnecessary squabbles with their peers.
Who supervises the children during lunch time?
At lunch times children are supervised by either me or Ms. Tessa until they go to the playground. After that a teacher on duty is in charge of the supervision on the playground for the young children.
My child needs support with eating. Can he/she be supported?
Children are encouraged to eat by themselves but are helped when it is needed. Again please do your best to teach your child to eat by him/herself.
What do children have for their lunch?
The school cafeteria menu is published every week in the school newsletter that is sent home on Fridays. Children are encouraged to make healthy choices during lunch and have a variety of fruit and vegetables. They are discouraged from having cakes for their dessert; a variety of fruit is offered instead.
Who is cleaning after the children’s meal? Teaching independence
Children are encouraged to clean their mess after eating at all times. The table that children have their snacks at should be clean and ready for our next lesson and it is their responsibility to put the wrapping paper and other rubbish in the bin. Please support us in this matter at home by teaching them good eating manners and a habit of helping to clean after themselves.
DRINKING
Can I send any kind of drink for my child to school?
Please no sweet drinks in your child’s water bottles. Many times their drinks are spilled and it makes so much harder to clean some sticky sweet drink or juice off the table, carpet or their clothes. Only water for the day please. Their water bottles are kept in the classroom for the day and are sent back home at the end of the day. They can be refilled at the school water dispensers.
SPARE CLOTHES
What kind of spare clothes should I send with my child?
Please send a complete change of clothes. These will be kept at school or in your child’s school bag until/if needed. If your child still finds it difficult to manage his/her personal hygiene, please send 2 or more sets of spare clothes.
Coats and jackets…
In the cold weather it would be really appreciated if you checked your child’s coat/jacket to make sure ALL of them have a hanging loop that he/she can use to hang by on the hook in the classroom. If it doesn't, please sew one on. Your child will be learning to hang his/her coat by him/herself instead of throwing it on the floor because they cannot do it otherwise. Using a hood for hanging is not an option as in the small place with lots of coats next to each other, your child’s coat will bound to be pushed off the hook and end up on the floor again.
Coats on and off - teaching independence
Please teach your child to take their jackets/coats off by themselves. Learning to put them on by themselves will obviously take longer but please keep trying to teach them one little step at a time.
Labeling your child's belongings
Please make sure that all your child's clothes, bags, cups, etc. have got your child's name on them!
SHOES
Please send a change of clean shoes for the children to wear indoors. This is to ensure that our classroom floor and carpets are clean at all times. These are kept in the classroom and are sent home about once a month to be washed.
Shoes – teaching independence
It takes a while for the young children to learn to put on their shoes. Please provide enough practice for your child at home to put and take their shoes on and off by themselves.
NAP TIME
How long is the nap time?
Nap time lasts between 30 minutes to 1 hour after lunch.
My child doesn't have naps anymore, why does he/she need to have a nap at school?
Children are not required to sleep but are encouraged to lie down and listen to a calming music without talking for about 30 minutes. This gives them an opportunity to relax as generally the school day is quite long and busy for a 3 year old. A child who had a nap or just quiet time for half an hour is more ready to continue his/her day in a content mood.
Where do children sleep? Do I need to send anything special for the nap time?
Children sleep in the classroom on the carpets. It would help if you sent a little blanket, a mat and a cushion for your child to lie down. Please send these things in a bag with your child’s name on it.
OTHER
New parents - leaving your child in the morning.
We understand that for a new parent, leaving your child for the first time in a new place can be quite worrying and you may feel very anxious - not to mention your child! Nevertheless we strongly recommend that you don't drag out the first time that you part with your child in the morning, and don't look worried, as this makes your child even more worried. We also recommend you don't try to leave your child and sneak off while they are not looking, because this will make your child very insecure and the next time you try to leave it will make them even more worried because of that. It's best to wave you child goodbye, even if they cry a little, but then they will know you are gone and we can work on getting them settled. Please note that sometimes even when your child has settled down, it happens that they suddenly become very anxious once more at parting and don't want to stay. Don't worry, this happens occasionally but it will pass. Please feel reassured that we do our best to help your child settle in. Your child is in a safe environment looked after by caring professionals.
Birthdays
It is common for parents to want to celebrate their child's birthday in the class with other children. That is fine, but please let the teacher know in advance what date you want to do this, so that we can decide what time during the day is best to hold the party.
Sharing food
Sometimes parents want to personally give their child something special to eat at pick up time or even during the day. Please make sure that if you do this, you have enough to share with other kids as little children get upset when they can't have something that others do, and that creates unnecessary stress for everybody.
(More information will be added with time.)
How old are the students in Nursery?
The youngest students are 3 years old. The age range is between 3 to 4 years old.
Can my child join the Nursery Class before he/she is 3 years old?
If your child is almost 3, special arrangements can be made after consultations with the Principal and the School Office. One of the main conditions is – your child should be toilet trained.
How many students are there in class?
The maximum number of students is 15. At the moment we have 8 children in the class.
What countries are the students from?
We have a diversity of nationalities in class. Currently we have students from Ireland, Japan, Korea, France, China and Hong Kong.
TEACHERS
Who is the Nursery class teacher?
Please read about the Nursery teacher Mrs. Arbon here. (This page will be added soon.)
How many teachers are there in the Nursery class?
The Nursery teacher is supported by the Teaching Assistant Ms. Tessa. Please read about her here. (This page will be added soon.) When the number of students reaches 12, the school will provide one more Teaching Assistant.
Who are the specialist teachers?
The specialist lessons are taught by the following teachers:
PE – Mr. Connoly – Tuesday
Swimming – Ms. Hackett – Thursday
Music – Ms. Bull – Friday
Chinese - Ms. Tessa
COPING WITH ENGLISH
My son/daughter doesn’t speak English or knows just few words in English. Will he/she be able to cope in class?
Yes. Obviously it will take time for him/her to get used to the English speaking environment at school. However young children learn by copying what other children are doing and as our class routine is quite repetitive the new students quickly learn what is to be expected. Teaching in Nursery involves many visual resources, songs and repetition, so the children pick up the new words and phrases quickly. It might take time before they will start using them in their own speech but their listening understanding develops quickly.
How can I help my child at home with his/her English development?
Let your child watch some good classic cartoons in English. Exposure to English audio will help your child get used to English sounds. Help him/her to follow the plot if needed.
Play English songs to enrich your child’s environment with English language even further.
When you share a book with your child point to some objects in the picture and ask him/her, “What is that called in English?” Go through the same pictures and words next time you read the same book, young children enjoy the repetition.
SCHOOL ROUTINE
What time does school start?
We begin classes at 9 am, but we recommend that parents bring their children a little earlier, at about 8:45. This will allow children to have some time to put their things away and settle before the day starts. We start each morning with circle time, except on Thursdays when we have a whole primary school assembly. On these days it is particularly important that your child comes to school on time.
Breaktimes
Children have two breaktimes during the day, morning break (10:30 - 10:50) and afternoon break (2:10 - 2:30). At each break children are supervised by the teachers on duty. Unless it is raining or the weather is too cold, children always go outside at breaktimes. Otherwise they will be supervised by myself or Ms Tessa in the classroom. It is advisable that children go outside during breaktimes so that they have a chance to play with other children, develop their gross motor skills and release all their pent up energy after an hour indoors. Please dress your children according to the weather and provide warm clothing and sun tan lotion for the appropriate season. After lunch children also spend time on the playground, however if the weather is bad, all foundation students (nursery & reception) will either be taken to the gym or the wet playroom.
Discipline in the classroom
If your child creates a safety issue in the class by pushing or hurting other children they will at first be reprimanded and a note will be sent home. If you receive such a note, please talk to your child and try to explain to them how they should behave nicely in class with other children. If this kind of behavior continues, you child will have to spend two minutes during class sitting on the naughty chair away from everybody else (supervised by the TA). The aim of this action is for your child to think about what they did wrong. Another note will be sent home. The next time this kind of incident occurs, your child will miss five minutes of breaktime and will stay in the class supervised by the teacher or TA. Your child's behavior will be brought to the attention of the KS1 coordinator, Mr. Carthew. A phone call will be made to parents inviting them for a parent - teacher meeting.
Rewards
Everyday children get awarded smiley faces for good behavior. At the beginning of each day the number of smiley faces gets tallied and added to the big total. This is very motivating to children to work hard and behave well as they are very eager to get those smiley faces. However we don't give certificates to the winners because we don't want to create unhealthy competition.
If children misbehave they either have a smiley face erased or a sad face if it is more serious.
House teams
the whole school is divided into house teams (Phoenix, dragon and Pegasus), and your child is placed into one of them at the beginning of their studies. As nursery children, they will be involved in house competitions usually only in whole school activities, but we don't have house activities in the classroom. Also, we don't give out weekly house point certificates as they do in the rest of Primary during primary school assemblies. Nursery children react very well to praise, and they don't understand the certificates much in any case. Whenever your child does well, they get a note sent home.
My child is not well
The best advice is, if you see that your child is not feeling well than keep him or her at home. If you send a sick child to school they may infect other children in the classroom and this is not fair to them or the teacher. Some parents have sent children who are unwell to school and asked that they stay inside during breaktimes. However this is not good practice as the teacher and teaching assistant use the time that children are outside to prepare for classes and may not be in the classroom at all times. Your child cannot be left in the classroom unsupervised. Therefore unless your child is well enough to go outside, please keep him or her at home.
PE AND SWIMMING LESSONS
(Will be added soon.)
PERSONAL HYGIENE
My child needs support in the bathroom, will the school staff provide it?
Children in Nursery have regular visits to the bathroom, that they call ‘pee-pee’ time (or ‘poo-poo’ if they need to go for number two). They are supervised and supported during those times by the TA or myself. However Nursery students are encouraged to be independent in this matter. It would really help if parents took special care at home to teach their children how to undress and dress themselves in the bathroom by themselves. Having several kids going at the same time makes it impossible to help everybody at once. Also please reinforce this important vocabulary of ‘pee-pee’ and ‘poo-poo’ at home.
What happens if there is an accident?
Children will be changed into their spare clothes. The wet clothes will be sent home. Please send the new set of clean clothes the following day. Also it is important that your child has a pack of baby wipes in his/her bag to help with cleaning.
If there is a major and messy accident or there are not enough spare clothes, parents will be contacted over the phone and asked to take their child home.
Changing clothes - teaching independence
As with everything else your help with teaching your child to dress and undress themselves will be greatly appreciated.
Does the school staff help the children to wash their hands?
Children are encouraged to wash their hands after each bathroom visit, after playtimes and before eating lunch. Although they are supervised and supported when necessary, it is impossible to help everybody at the same time. It takes just a few seconds for the children to get their sleeves wet while washing their hands therefore parents’ support with teaching independence in this matter is greatly appreciated.
Washing hands - teaching independen
You might presume it is easy but the children need to be taught and get enough practice during the following four steps:
1. pulling their sleeves up before washing hands (please show them how to do this)
2. using liquid soap and rubbing it between their hands
3. washing the soap off their hands
4. drying their hands
Clean hands stop germs spreading around and as the children touch the same equipment, toys, etc. it is vital that they learn how to wash their hands properly.
My child has a runny nose… Teaching independence…
We help the children to dry/blow their noses when necessary, but like with everything else your support in teaching this little but necessary skill is very much appreciated. Sometimes they get a clean tissue but don’t really know what to do with it. Young children need a lot of practice before they learn any skill and this one is not an exception. Please take care to teach your child blow his/her nose, wipe it and put the dirty tissue in the rubbish bin.
EATING
How often do children eat at school?
Nursery children have their snacks in the morning, right before their first break and lunch at about 12 pm. Sometimes children get hungry in the afternoon, especially after Swimming and PE lessons and have a 5-10 minutes snack again.
What should I send for my child’s snack?
Healthy snacks are encouraged as we learn a big deal about healthy eating during lesson times. Lots of cookies and candies fill your child with sugar that makes them hyperactive during the rest of the day, which sometimes leads to the loss of concentration and even unnecessary squabbles with their peers.
Who supervises the children during lunch time?
At lunch times children are supervised by either me or Ms. Tessa until they go to the playground. After that a teacher on duty is in charge of the supervision on the playground for the young children.
My child needs support with eating. Can he/she be supported?
Children are encouraged to eat by themselves but are helped when it is needed. Again please do your best to teach your child to eat by him/herself.
What do children have for their lunch?
The school cafeteria menu is published every week in the school newsletter that is sent home on Fridays. Children are encouraged to make healthy choices during lunch and have a variety of fruit and vegetables. They are discouraged from having cakes for their dessert; a variety of fruit is offered instead.
Who is cleaning after the children’s meal? Teaching independence
Children are encouraged to clean their mess after eating at all times. The table that children have their snacks at should be clean and ready for our next lesson and it is their responsibility to put the wrapping paper and other rubbish in the bin. Please support us in this matter at home by teaching them good eating manners and a habit of helping to clean after themselves.
DRINKING
Can I send any kind of drink for my child to school?
Please no sweet drinks in your child’s water bottles. Many times their drinks are spilled and it makes so much harder to clean some sticky sweet drink or juice off the table, carpet or their clothes. Only water for the day please. Their water bottles are kept in the classroom for the day and are sent back home at the end of the day. They can be refilled at the school water dispensers.
SPARE CLOTHES
What kind of spare clothes should I send with my child?
Please send a complete change of clothes. These will be kept at school or in your child’s school bag until/if needed. If your child still finds it difficult to manage his/her personal hygiene, please send 2 or more sets of spare clothes.
Coats and jackets…
In the cold weather it would be really appreciated if you checked your child’s coat/jacket to make sure ALL of them have a hanging loop that he/she can use to hang by on the hook in the classroom. If it doesn't, please sew one on. Your child will be learning to hang his/her coat by him/herself instead of throwing it on the floor because they cannot do it otherwise. Using a hood for hanging is not an option as in the small place with lots of coats next to each other, your child’s coat will bound to be pushed off the hook and end up on the floor again.
Coats on and off - teaching independence
Please teach your child to take their jackets/coats off by themselves. Learning to put them on by themselves will obviously take longer but please keep trying to teach them one little step at a time.
Labeling your child's belongings
Please make sure that all your child's clothes, bags, cups, etc. have got your child's name on them!
SHOES
Please send a change of clean shoes for the children to wear indoors. This is to ensure that our classroom floor and carpets are clean at all times. These are kept in the classroom and are sent home about once a month to be washed.
Shoes – teaching independence
It takes a while for the young children to learn to put on their shoes. Please provide enough practice for your child at home to put and take their shoes on and off by themselves.
NAP TIME
How long is the nap time?
Nap time lasts between 30 minutes to 1 hour after lunch.
My child doesn't have naps anymore, why does he/she need to have a nap at school?
Children are not required to sleep but are encouraged to lie down and listen to a calming music without talking for about 30 minutes. This gives them an opportunity to relax as generally the school day is quite long and busy for a 3 year old. A child who had a nap or just quiet time for half an hour is more ready to continue his/her day in a content mood.
Where do children sleep? Do I need to send anything special for the nap time?
Children sleep in the classroom on the carpets. It would help if you sent a little blanket, a mat and a cushion for your child to lie down. Please send these things in a bag with your child’s name on it.
OTHER
New parents - leaving your child in the morning.
We understand that for a new parent, leaving your child for the first time in a new place can be quite worrying and you may feel very anxious - not to mention your child! Nevertheless we strongly recommend that you don't drag out the first time that you part with your child in the morning, and don't look worried, as this makes your child even more worried. We also recommend you don't try to leave your child and sneak off while they are not looking, because this will make your child very insecure and the next time you try to leave it will make them even more worried because of that. It's best to wave you child goodbye, even if they cry a little, but then they will know you are gone and we can work on getting them settled. Please note that sometimes even when your child has settled down, it happens that they suddenly become very anxious once more at parting and don't want to stay. Don't worry, this happens occasionally but it will pass. Please feel reassured that we do our best to help your child settle in. Your child is in a safe environment looked after by caring professionals.
Birthdays
It is common for parents to want to celebrate their child's birthday in the class with other children. That is fine, but please let the teacher know in advance what date you want to do this, so that we can decide what time during the day is best to hold the party.
Sharing food
Sometimes parents want to personally give their child something special to eat at pick up time or even during the day. Please make sure that if you do this, you have enough to share with other kids as little children get upset when they can't have something that others do, and that creates unnecessary stress for everybody.
(More information will be added with time.)