Sutherland Shire Council, in conjunction with local public schools, is hosting three free ‘Preparing your Child for School and Beyond’ seminars for local parents during August.
All local parents are welcome, irrespective of where their child will be attending school.
The directors of the council’s Early Childhood Centres will discuss the Early Years Learning Framework, share details about the Kindergarten National Curriculum and explore how parents can work with their child’s Early Childhood Educator to support their child in preparation for school.
Sutherland Shire Mayor, Carmelo Pesce said the free two hour sessions will arm parents with a host of information to help guide them as to their child's readiness for starting school.
“Many parents wonder about when to send their child to school and it can be quite a source of worry for them,” he said.
“Many parents don’t know what is academically expected of their child when starting school and also want to know what they should be doing at home to ensure their child is school ready.
“Parents will come away from the session with plenty of practical tips about things they can do at home to prepare their child for the classroom.”
Local parent, Lee-Ann Patterson of Bangor, decided to send her son Kyle to school after attending one of last year’s seminars.
“It was really informative, especially for a first time school parent. I wasn’t sure how to prepare Kyle for school and didn’t really know where to start. At the seminar I learned plenty of new information, as well as being given pointers to other helpful resources. Kyle started school this year and is doing really well, which is a great relief,” Lee-Ann said.
Bookings are essential via www.sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au/parentworkshops. Enquiries can be made via 9710 0827.
The Preparing your Child for School and Beyond Seminars will be held from 6.30pm-8.30pm on the following dates: August 3, Jannali Public School, 107-121 Sutherland Road, Jannali; August 17, Menai Primary School, 4R Hall Drive, Menai; and August 24, Caringbah North Public School, 125 Cawarra Road, Caringbah.
The schools’ principals will be present to answer questions.