Mrs Deborah Fontana                                      Mrs Carol Cameron

                Mrs Lyndel Lane                                           Mrs Sue Blennerhassett

Welcome to Pre-Primary!

The Pre-Primary classes at Cornerstone are in the extremely capable hands of an exciting team.  Two teachers, Mrs Carol Cameron and Mrs Deborah Fontana are responsible for the class, and they are ably assisted by their teacher’s aides, Mrs Sue Blennerhasset and Mrs Lyndel Lane. 

Carol and Deborah each come to the College with a unique set of skills that unite to give your child the very best start to their education.

Carol Cameron has an enormous wealth of teaching experience behind her, and has been at Cornerstone for a number years.  Carol’s delightful and gentle nature make her a popular teacher amongst parents and students – and the College benefits from the creativity and expertise that she brings.  

Deborah is fairly new to the teaching profession, having obtained her Bachelor of Education from Murdoch University.  She has held a position since her graduation at another school, and commenced with Cornerstone at the beginning of the 2010 College year.  Deborah thoroughly enjoys the students she has the privilege of teaching, and particularly the willingness they have to learn.  She desires to immerse her class in a multi-sensory program which particularly emphasis the development of phonological awareness and visual skills.  She believes it is essential for the learning environment to be fun and for children to enjoy the start of their education. 

What days does Pre-Primary operate?

The Pre-Primary currently operates 4 full days at the following times:

• Monday 8:45am – 3:15pm
• Tuesday 8:45am – 3:15pm
• Thursday 8:45am – 3:15pm
• Friday 8:45am – 3:15pm

The College has continued to provide a 4 day per week program in response to the direction provided by parents in recent years.  Whilst the Leadership Team has been prepared to provide a 5 day program, parents have consistently indicated a preference to transition from 2 days of kindergarten, to 4 days in pre-primary and 5 days in year 1 and beyond.  The standardised testing conducted to measure the literacy and numeracy development of students during the pre-primary year of schooling has consistently shown that our students are not disadvantaged by having each Wednesday as a rest day.  In fact, it is possible that this is producing significant benefits for our students and their academic growth and development. 

How does Pre-Primary benefit my child?

The Kindergarten and Pre-Primary program provides initial learning experiences in:

• Language development
• Number Concepts
• Creative skills
• Social and physical growth

Using concrete experiences, pupils are given the building blocks for perceiving, thinking and problem solving.  Educational experiences are planned to provide balance and variety among the spiritual, physical, mental and social activities as the child’s world of awareness is extended from the home to the classroom.

It is a developmental program aimed at assisting the child to achieve and progress at a rate that is appropriate to them individually.

The program aims to foster enjoyment for learning and children’s natural curiosity is encouraged.  There will be opportunities for children to observe, ask questions, experiment with freedom – within a ’structured’ stable setting.  Your child will PLAY.  Do not dismiss this lightly; the play ‘learning environment’ provides opportunities for discovery.