Lower Primary
Prep to Year 2
Choosing the right school for your child is one of the most important decisions you will make as a parent. In our entry year (Prep) this choice will be made long before your child’s abilities, interests, passion and strengths have become evident.
In choosing our Primary School, you can be confident that your child will be immersed in a Christian environment that promotes curiosity and thinking skills, a strong literacy and numeracy foundation, and develops the whole child by providing opportunities for them to grow in every way – morally, emotionally, physically, culturally and spiritually. Our staff are committed to providing programs which are innovative – focussing on learning and the value of tradition while at the same time having a vision for the future with an understanding of the 21st century world our children are growing up in.
Orientation
Prep students are welcomed at orientation with a gift bag containing a very special friend, Elliot the eagle. Elliott is a small plush toy that is the Prep Mascot. Elliot means “The Lord is my God” and students will see larger versions of their own eagle in each of the Prep classrooms. Students are also given a book called ‘My First Year at School’ in which the basics of a normal day in Prep are shown in picture form and there is room for them to write their name, stick in a photo of themselves and tick what house team they have been allocated (Mum and Dad may find this book helpful also).
Literacy and numeracy
We take very seriously our mandate “to educate for life” and Prep – Year 2 classes provide a strong literacy framework with a focus on phonemic awareness and phonics which are the building blocks for reading. Our Daily Five program in the early years of school is an exciting program which involves daily literacy blocks where students develop a love for reading and writing and build reading and writing stamina. Other core curriculum areas are delivered in an engaging learning environment which recognizes the importance of literacy and numeracy as the essential skills for all other subjects.
Technology
Our commitment to providing “cutting edge” technology from the entry point in the Preparatory classes, developing into one to one devices for our students in Year 2 is evidence of this. Technology is an integral part of daily lessons and is embedded in all planning documents. Every primary classroom has an interactive whiteboard and teachers use these regularly in the delivery of curriculum.
Specialist Lessons
Prep – Year 2 students participate in all specialist lessons including French, Physical Education, Music, Dance, Drama and Art and take part in Chapel and Assembly each week.
Partnership with Families
At Glasshouse Christian College Primary School, we are serious about nurturing the partnership between school and families and provide many opportunities to develop a strong sense of community so family members feel welcome and are actively encouraged to be a partner in their child’s education. Because we believe that parents and caregivers are so important in a child’s learning journey, regular training sessions are provided for parents to gain insight into how children learn and the way we are teaching aspects of literacy and numeracy in the classroom. These sessions for parents include skills identified by the school and also requests from families where there is a perceived need.
Christian Living
We recognise that every student is unique and in God’s eyes – special. In everything we do, staff at Glasshouse Christian College strive for understanding and empathy – caring for each other, particularly children in a genuine Christian school community where our College values are biblically based and where genuine relationships are nurtured.
Kitchen Garden
Originally based on the Stephanie Alexander model, our Kitchen Garden goes even further with its Farmer Friends’ program. The Kitchen Garden program provides children with opportunities to learn about nutrition, grow fruit and vegetables, and on a regular basis enjoy sharing the wonderful food our volunteers prepare from this harvested fresh produce. Students love their lessons in the Kitchen Garden Program and parents often comment that vegetables are sometimes seen in a new light at meal times.
