What age can a child start Prep?

Queensland children are eligible to attend Prep in the year that they turn five by 30 June. There have been no changes to the eligibility age for Prep since it began in 2007.
Occasionally, schools are asked to consider allowing a child to begin Prep early. To allow this to occur, there are legal requirements which must be met. Being born in July is not a guarantee that a child will be given approval to enter Prep early, or that they are ready for school. Starting school early does not necessarily give a child a head start to schooling. For the best start to schooling, attending a quality kindergarten program remains the best educational option for all children in the year before they start Prep.
For information regarding enrolling in Prep for 2020 please contact the school enrolment officer or administration on 37126333.

Prep Chinese Immersion Program

In 2016, Calamvale Community College introduced a Chinese Immersion Program for identified students in Prep. The intention of the Immersion program is to provide a rich bi-lingual experience for the students within an integrated learning environment. Research increasingly shows that most young children are capable of learning two languages and that bilingualism affords cognitive, cultural, and economic advantages (Bialystok, 2001; Genesee, 2004; Hakuta & Pease-Alvarez, 1992)

What is an Immersion Program?

Immersion is learning in another language, not just learning the language.
Over the course of their study, students in this Immersion Program will:
• Gain a basic knowledge of Chinese language and culture
• Undertake simple communicative and interactive activities
• Gain an understanding and learn to speak words derived from Chinese characters
• Read and recognise words derived from Chinese characters
• Write words derived from Chinese characters

Traditional Model

All students from Prep –Year 6 currently learn Chinese in dedicated lessons ranging between 30 – 90 minutes per week, depending on the year level.

Extended Model

• Students in the Prep Immersion Program receive between 60-120 minutes of their schooling each day delivered in Chinese by a specialist Chinese speaking teacher.
• Reading, Writing, Letter knowledge / Spelling and some Mathematical units are delivered in English similar to all other Prep classes.
• Units of Inquiry which are Science / Humanities based are delivered in Chinese.

Benefits for Students

There are actually a number of benefits to developing fluency in a second language:

It makes them smarter

Learning a foreign language is a great way to improve their cognitive function.

Bilingual children are better able to grasp the English language as they come to the terms with the grammar of a foreign language.

A study by Illinois State University found students who study foreign languages tend to score better on standardised tests than their monolingual peers, particularly in the categories of maths, reading, and vocabulary.

They are better at problem solving and multitasking as they can comprehend different language structures and easily switch between the two, and they develop a stronger memory as they have more language rules and intricacies to remember when communicating, and more information and associations to retain and recall.

It broadens their horizons

When learning a foreign language, you don’t simply learn about vocabulary, you also learn about the country’s culture and society. Your child will have a greater appreciation for the world we live in and a more educated international outlook. Also, being able to communicate in the native language whilst abroad will be a real moment of pride and a great confidence boost.

It’s a way to challenge your child

Learning a foreign language is a great activity to challenge your child. It will keep their minds stimulated and focused, and ensures that they remain enthusiastic and continue to enjoy the learning process.

Enrolment in the Prep Immersion Class

All students enrolling in Prep undertake a short oral language screening assessment in November prior to the start of the school year. From this assessment, families are offered a place in the Chinese Immersion class. Enrolling in the Immersion class requires a commitment to the Immersion Program for a three year period (Prep- Year 2). Students in the Prep Immersion class stay together as a class group building on their language proficiency from Prep to the end of Year 2.

When student graduate from the three year immersion program, the class group moves in small friendship groups to the mainstream Year 3 student population. Their language proficiency continues to be extended during LOTE (Language other than English) classes when they come back together as a class group to participate in Chinese enrichment program.

Click on the link below to see our Prep students in our Chinese Immersion Class after 4 weeks in the Immersion program