To enquire about our excellent five-day Pre-Prep Program, please call Jodi Fisher-Grimshaw today on (07) 3862 0838 or email jfisher-grimshaw@stmargarets.qld.edu.au. You'll love our spacious Advent Centre, plus we access the big school facilities as well!
*Please note, if you wish to make an application for a Pre-Prep place at the school commencing in 2024, 2025 or 2026, we recommend that you firstly speak with Jodi Fisher-Grimshaw (see contact phone number and email above) prior to making an application to check availability and the likelihood of gaining a place.
St Margaret’s Pre-Prep is a co-educational, five-day program that engages and extends students through problem solving, exploration, creativity and hypothesising. The program operates during the school term between the hours of 8:20am and 2:30pm and provides a safe, nurturing environment for girls and boys turning four by 30 June of the year of enrolment.
The St Margaret's Pre-Prep facility offers:
- a sand and mud pit for little adventurers
- organic gardens for little green thumbs
- a natural play area for little outdoor explorers
- colourful play equipment for little climbers
- consistent teacher and teacher aide for little learners
- air-conditioned building and fridge for packed lunches.
The Pre-Prep curriculum can be best described as a child-centred approach balanced with structured inquiry learning into literacy and numeracy development. The program is inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy and based on the principles outlined in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines (QKLG).
The EYLF describes the principles, practice and outcomes essential to support and enhance young children’s learning from birth to five years of age, as well as their transition to school. The EYLF has a strong emphasis on play-based learning and recognises the importance of communication and language (including early literacy and numeracy), and social and emotional development.
St Margaret’s Pre-Prep has been rated Exceeding National Quality Standard under the National Quality Framework (NQF) across all seven quality areas that are important outcomes for children.
The QKLG identifies learning and development areas which are used in programming and planning. These are underpinned by the elements of thinking and communicating:
- Identity – building a confident self-identity through independence, perseverance and trust.
- Connectedness – building relationships respecting diversity and environments
- Wellbeing – building a sense of physical, social and emotional wellbeing
Active Learning – engaging and exploring learning
- Communicating – exploring and engaging in numeracy and literacy in personally meaningful ways.
Children have the opportunities to learn within each of the five contexts in both indoor and outdoor environments. Longer blocks of time for engaging and active learning through play, real-life situations and investigations are interspersed within meaningful routines and transitions and focused learning and teaching.
Outdoor Classroom Day enables the adventurous Pre-Preps to spend longer blocks of time exploring and learning in the natural environment surrounding their indoor classroom. Outdoor learning helps to develop the students’ connection to the natural world, teach sustainable practices and instils a lifelong sense of environmental stewardship.
One of the unique benefits of St Margaret’s Pre-Prep program is the student’s access to specialist teachers and the big school’s facilities including a state-of-the-art sports precinct.
Music
Specialist music educators support students to develop their musicality through beat and movement and to develop their listening skills. Students learn to identify a variety of music elements including fast/slow, high/low, loud/soft and show these changes by reacting through body movement, identifying them in listening excerpts and playing them on instruments.
Languages
Learning a language in early childhood education helps to develop students’ problem solving and critical thinking skills as well as develop an awareness and appreciation of cultural differences. Students in Pre-Prep at St Margaret’s learn to communicate in Japanese including greeting one another, introducing themselves, naming their favourite things, games, stories and songs.
STEM Learning
STEM learning is highly valued at St Margaret’s for the skills of the future it develops. The Pre-Prep STEM learning experience is stewarded by a specialist teacher within a dedicated STEM hub in the primary school. Within the Atelier, students can tinker, explore, discover, invent and create, becoming inquirers as they wonder and discover why things happen and how things work.
Wellbeing
Nurturing a safe culture of care and support is of great importance at St Margaret’s and Pre-Prep students are supported with age-appropriate strategies to build their sense of physical, social and emotional wellbeing. They also benefit from being a member of the wider school community, promoting a connectedness and sense of belonging.
Pre-Prep students can access the school’s OSHC (before and after school care and vacation care) located in the primary school. More information about our OSHC service and fees involved are available at this link.
Kindergarten Fees
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
St Margaret's Anglican Girls School has a number of policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety and privacy of students and staff, as well as to protect the school equipment and facilities. These policies are available to download below:
Complaints Management in Anglican Education & Care Services Policy
Complaints Management in Anglican Education & Care Services Procedure
Policy - Protecting Children and Young People in Anglican Education V1.1
Procedure - Protecting Children and Young People in Anglican Education V1.1
Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy 2022 - Advent Centre