Parent Guide to PNPS 2014 | Page 18

SNACK BREAK Children tend to get hungry between breaks, which often affects concentration. We allow the children the opportunity to have a mid-morning snack. The children can bring a “healthy” snack that will be brought into the classroom in the morning and kept under their desk. This snack could be fruit or vegetables (cut up and prepared beforehand), nuts, biltong or dried fruit. Pack this snack in a small plastic lunch box. Please do not send yoghurts, or any food items that could be messy. Chips, sweet biscuits, processed cereals, sweets and chocolates are not suitable for the ‘Get-up-and-go’ snack break. OTHER HEALTH ISSUES Sport: Please encourage your child to take part in as many sporting activities as possible. Encouraging an active lifestyle will benefit each child for a whole life time. Exercise is a great stress reliever, besides all the physical benefits that it has. Outside summer activities: Get your child into the habit of using sun block every day. We want each PNPS pupil to wear a hat or cap when they are out in the playground. Water: We allow children to drink water in class, as this helps them to concentrate. We do request that it is sent in a bottle with a pop up lid. Sleep: A tired child cannot learn. Please ensure that you have a good night time routine and that your child gets enough sleep. Tuckshop: Our tuckshop serves healthy food, but make sure your child uses it wisely. On Fridays the children from the Early Act Club run a charity tuckshop. On these days, special treats are available. MUSIC Music is a wonderful way to exercise the brain. Studies have shown that it enhances sensitivity to speech sounds and improves memory. It can even raise your IQ! At PNPS, music is an integral part of the curriculum. In class music lessons, pupils sing, create rhythms and sounds and reflect on music that they have experienced. These lessons, which include South African music, are taught by the Head of Music. All pupils experience the joy of singing at community singing lessons which are scheduled into our timetable. During these lessons, the children sing songs from various genres and watch interesting videos, instrumental demonstrations and performances. INSTRUMENT TUITION With our Head of Music managing several itinerant music teachers, PNPS offers a wide range of instrument tuition: Piano, Vocal training, Recorder, Guitar, Drums and Violin. 18 Pinelands North Primary School