Click on each staff member for their name and days of work at Prep.

Faith is at the heart of who we are and what we do. Christ is at the centre of Prep - shaping our words, actions, and relationships each day. We seek to integrate Jesus into every moment, allowing his love and truth to shine through all aspects of our teaching and care. Through daily devotions, prayer, singing, dancing, and meaningful conversations, we invite children to experience God’ s love and develop their own curiosity about faith. We encourage them to wonder, ask questions, and trust that God listens and cares for them deeply.

At Prep, we believe each child is a unique and precious gift from God. Our shared space is one where children, families, and educators come together to nurture belonging, identity, and faith in a Christ-centred environment filled with love and safety. We value play as the foundation for learning - through play and time in nature, children imagine, explore, problem-solve, and discover. Their voices are heard, their ideas respected, and their joy celebrated. We encourage children to trust God, show kindness, and grow in confidence, patience, and resilience. Together, we uplold the Child Safe Standards and support every child to reach their God-given potential and develop a lifelong love of learning.

Our teachers are dedicated Christian professionals who provide a safe, loving, and nurturing environment where children grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We are committed to serving and honouring God in all that we do, recognising that our work is both a calling and a ministry. We understand the vital role of early childhood education and are deliberate and thoughtful in every interaction and decision. We value kindness, compassion, open communication, and building strong, respectful partnerships with families. We aim to be another trusted, caring presence in each child’ s life, supporting their sense of security and belonging. Together, we grow through honesty, teamwork, and ongoing professional learning - striving always to create a place of care, excellence, and joy that reflects God’ s love.

We acknowledge the Dharawal people, traditional custodians of the land on which we learn and play, and value the wisdom found in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. We see families as a child’s first and most important teachers and seek to build honest, respectful, and open relationships that create a safe and welcoming community. Together, we share ideas, faith, and life so children feel valued and connected. In partnership with families and the wider ICS community, we reflect the ICS vision - to be a Christ-centred learning community where children grow to be curious, courageous, and compassionate, ready to make a difference in the world.

We are committed to providing a safe environment for all children, families and staff. We promote a culture of creating safe spaces. The prevention and reporting of abuse is encouraged and supported. We will provide a space where children feel safe, empowered, happy and heard. All staff, volunteers and wider ICS staff are responsible for promoting and creating safe spaces.

We are committed to embedding the Child Safe Standards across our service, to drive a child-safe service, where the interests of the children are put first, to keep them safe from harm.

You can help us keep our environment safe by:

• not entering the children’s toilet
• not lingering in the locker rooms
• discouraging other children from entering the locker room with you
• refraining from hugging children other than your own (offer a high-5 instead!)
• not taking photos at Prep or at Prep events. We will take photos on our school-issued devices and share them with you.
• only entering and exiting Prep via the front gate

As per the Start Strong Funding guidelines, we prioritise the enrolments of 4-year-olds. This means we cannot place all our 4-year-olds in one class, as there would then be a small group who would not be with the majority.

Our classes also include a balanced mix of new and returning students, creating a supportive environment that eases the transition for new children. This arrangement allows new students to observe and learn from those already familiar with the classroom routines, helping them adjust smoothly.

The benefits of our mixed-age setup extend beyond the initial adjustment period. Older children in each room naturally take on supportive roles, demonstrating skills and guiding their younger peers. This setup fosters peer learning, where children of different ages interact, learn from each other, and develop social bonds.

Older students strengthen their own understanding by teaching and assisting younger ones, building their confidence and leadership skills along the way.

While the children will have their base classroom and the same locker each day, during our routine we spend all our play periods and meal times together. We split into our own classes for music, devotions, and our end of day group/movement time.

Through this model, children also benefit from observational and social learning. Younger students gain confidence by watching and interacting with their older classmates, while older children develop qualities like empathy, patience, and responsibility. This dynamic creates a family-like atmosphere in the classroom, where students learn to communicate, collaborate, and share responsibilities, further enriching their learning experience.

There are lots of helpful resources available to you when thinking about what to pack in your child's lunchbox, including the following:

• Low-waste lunches
• No pressure lunchboxes

ICS has a food truck on site which operates Monday-Friday. The food truck is operated by Made Fresh. Lunch items can be ordered daily, by 8.30am on the morning required.

For further information about the food truck, including how to download and order using the Flexischools app, please click here.

Please bring a library bag each week and your child may borrow two books at a time. You will need to return your library books the following week to borrow new ones.

To ensure food safety and be mindful of allergies, we ask that no items from home are brought in for birthdays. We celebrate by singing to the birthday child and providing iceblocks to all the children. This way, everyone gets to join in the fun, creating a special moment for each child without anyone feeling left out or concerned about food.

We appreciate your understanding in helping us make birthdays a joyful and safe experience for all!

A child must not return to Prep until they remain temperature free for 24 hours.

Children will also be excluded from Prep if they are vomiting or have diarrhoea. We follow exclusion periods listed in “Staying Healthy in Childcare” or as directed by the Public Health Unit.

If you are absent with an infectious disease, please let us know. If your child has asthma or an allergy we will need you to provide their action plan and we will complete a Risk Minimisation Plan together.

If your child requires prescribed medication whilst at Prep you will need to complete a medication form and provide it to us in its original packaging.

If your child has an injury whilst at Prep we will complete an incident report which will be sent to you on OWNA.

You must send us your child’s immunisation statement promptly when they have had any new vaccinations.

We have so much fun here at Prep learning through play. Our experiences are planned based off observations gathered by our teachers and information from families. This learning is documented on our OWNA app.

We use the Early Years Learning Framework to guide our curriculum decisions, to assess and analyse children's learning, and to develop goals for them, in collaboration with families.

Due to privacy concerns, any photo shared to OWNA must not be shared outside of your immediate family. Please do not share photos from OWNA on social media.

Click here for a guide to using OWNA.

To contact our Regulatory Authority please see the following details.

Illawarra Association for Christian Parent-Controlled Education

• Elizabeth Manns (Nominated Supervisor/Director)
• Abbie Buckley
• Cynthia Crow
• Lucy Cuckson
• Claire Harris
• Candice Holden
• Amanda Kiely
• Emma McPherson
• Liz Monson
• Amanda Moosavian