Independence

Fostering independence your children is really important to us at all year levels. Some ways that we encourage this across the school are:

• Kiss and drop - either use the designated ‘kiss and drop’ lanes on McCulloch St and Gillies St or walk them to their classroom, however they go in on their own. Teachers are busy preparing for the day so to assist them in focusing on that, we ask parents to not enter the classrooms in the morning. Encourage independence and responsibility by saying goodbye at the gate or classroom door. 
• Carrying their school bag out of school- set an expectation that they carry their own bag at least in to school from the gate, or out to the street in the afternoon.
• Walking independently – students are old enough now to walk in and out of school themselves (without being carried or in a pusher). Again, set an expectation for them to do this independently. 
• Routines at home- unpacking their bag at the end of the day and preparing for tomorrow. Establish routines that promote taking responsibility to get their own lunch boxes out of their bags, filling their water bottles and putting reading satchels in their bags after they do home reading.

These are all good strategies from Foundation to Year Six. Remember, this is what they are expected to do throughout the day in their classrooms, and they can do it, so reinforcing at home really helps.