Transcript
Section 1: You will hear a conversation between a man who’s finding out about a preschool for his young daughter and a woman who works there.
Sally: Good morning Riverdale Preschool, Sally speaking.
Robert: Hello, my name’s Robert. I’ve got a four-year-old daughter called Susie and I’d like to get some information about your preschool please.
Sally: Sure Robert. Well Susie’s the right age. We take three and four year olds in classes of 20 students.
Sally: The number of children in a class is 20, so 20 has been written in the space.
Sally: Now we shall begin.
Sally: You should answer the questions as you listen because you will not hear the recording a second time.
Sally: Listen carefully and answer questions 1 to 5.
Sally: Good morning Riverdale Preschool, Sally speaking.
Robert: Hello, my name’s Robert. I’ve got a four-year-old daughter called Susie and I’d like to get some information about your preschool please.
Sally: Sure Robert, well Susie’s the right age, we take three and four year olds in classes of 20 students.
Robert: Oh great. And how many teachers do you have?
Sally: We have two. The first group is taught by Mrs Oliver and the second group is taken by Mrs Keogh.
Robert: Just a moment, I’ll write that down. Could you spell the last name, please? It’s an unusual one, isn’t it?
Sally: Yes, it’s K-E-O-G-H.
Robert: Okay, I’ve got that. Now, I know that children attend for two or three days a week.
Sally: That’s right. The older ones, like Susie, are here for three days, which means 15 hours a week. The younger ones, the three-year-olds, attend two days a week. That’s a total of 10 hours.
Robert: And what do they do during that time?
Sally: Well, half the day is spent outside and the children can run around and play games with their friends or do a calmer activity, like painting for example. We have a great outside play area that we’re improving all the time.
Robert: Yes, we were walking past the other day and Susie noticed. You’ve recently put in a new slide, haven’t you?
Sally: Yes, we’re really pleased with it. It’s a big one and the children love it.
Robert: And are you thinking of adding anything else outdoors?
Sally: Well, we were hoping to build a playhouse but that was too expensive, so we’re now making plans for a garden where the children will be able to grow flowers and vegetables.
Robert: Lovely. And what else do the children do?
Sally: Well, the other half of the day is spent indoors. This year, the children seem to be very interested in music, so the teachers are doing a lot of activities related to that. Last year, there seemed to be more of an interest in dancing.
Robert: Well, Susie would love either of those.
Sally: The teachers may sometimes play quiet games with the children, but we always make time for a story each day. It’s a very important part of the program here.
Robert: Yes, of course.
Sally: Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 6-10 on page 2.
Sally: Now listen and answer questions 6 to 10.
Robert: Now, I’d like to ask you about the fees, if that’s okay.
Sally: Sure, we actually had to put them up this term, I’m afraid.
Robert: Yes, I heard from a friend of mine that it used to be $420 for the term, but it’s just gone up to $470. Is that right?
Sally: Yes, we had to add the extra $50 to cover costs. Things got a lot more expensive last year.
Robert: Hmm, I understand. And I think the fees are still quite reasonable. Another school I’ve spoken to charges $500 per term.
Sally: Oh, really?
Robert: My friend also told me that his daughter went on a trip to the local zoo and that the cost of that was covered in the fees, is that right?
Sally: Yes, we did that last year, but we’ll be going to a farm this year instead. We vary it, so, for example, we may go to the theatre next year.
Robert: Okay, it sounds like fun.
Sally: Also included in the price is membership of a special library. Children can borrow a toy and keep it for a week and choose a different one the following week. It’s very popular.
Robert: What a great idea. We would certainly make use of that system if we enroll. Now, is there anything else I should know?
Sally: Well, the children have a rest here during the day and we make up a little bed for them with sheets and blankets, but we advise parents to pack a pillow in the child’s bag as we don’t provide one.
Robert: Okay, I’ll make a note of that.
Robert: So, what should I do if I want to come and look around the school during the day and meet the staff?
Sally: The best thing is to call the teacher on the classroom mobile and she’ll tell you which time is best to visit.
Sally: Shall I give you the number?
Robert: Yes, please.
Sally: Okay, it’s 0914 638 520.
Robert: Thanks for all your help Sally, and we hope to see you soon.
Sally: No problem. Bye for now.
Sally: That is the end of section 1.
Sally: You now have half a minute to check your answers.
Sally: Now turn to section 2 on page 3.
