St Mary’s goes above and beyond for smooth transition

BEGINNING school is a very exciting time for children and their parents and St Mary’s Primary School in Swan Hill prides itself on its extensive School Readiness Program.

This includes offering an array of events to introduce families to school life and preparing pre-schoolers for the big transition to primary school.

“Our current Foundation students have had a very smooth start to the year,” Principal Kate Quin said.

“Our Flying Start preschool to school transition program gets children and parents familiar with school facilities.

They meet the Foundation teachers and experience fun, engaging learning activities that introduce them to the environment and structure of school.

“We know happy, connected kids learn, and they thrive at school.”

The school’s readiness program starts in Term 1 with a series of Open Days on weekends and Schools In Action Tours on school days to introduce families to the school.

“Throughout Terms 2 and 3, we run regular tours for families with preschool aged children,” Ms Quin said.

The most recent Open Day was held on Sunday May 22, however if you missed out there is a School In Action Tour coming up on Wednesday June 8 and Thursday, June 9 between 9.30 and 10.30am.

If you are looking for something a little more interactive to get an idea of how your child will enjoy life at St Mary’s, there are Come and Try Days.

These offer families an authentic experience of school life, with hands-on activities for parents and their children to get into to see what life at St Mary’s is like.

Our Prep students love being the helpers and showing their new preschool friends just what life is like at ‘big school’.

Even before transitioning to Foundation, the school provides a unique opportunity in Term 3 to give little ones a four week ‘flying start’.

“Flying Start has been hugely successful with many children from different district kindergartens coming along to these weekly sessions on either a Thursday or Friday morning,” Ms Quin said.

You don’t have to be enrolled to take part, so it can act as a more hands-on open day to help parents decide.

“It’s a fantastic way to get the meet the Foundation teachers, the other staff and students as well as our Principal and leadership team,” Ms Quin said.

“By the time children start at St Mary’s the following year, they already feel a part of the place and it certainly reduces any little worries they might have about starting school.”

Ms Quin said that these programs are all about welcoming new families into the school community and making the transition period as smooth as possible for both students and their families.

“There is such a strong sense of welcome and hospitality at St Mary’s and it is often the first thing people comment on when they walk into the school, you feel welcome and you feel like you belong to a big family,” she said.

“We do little things like make sure every family receives a list of their child’s classes and inform them in December who their teacher will be for the following year.

“We put groups of children from the same preschool together to assist with making our new little ones comfortable and assist them with getting ready for the transition into Foundation.”

St Mary’s puts a huge emphasis on providing the best possible transition from kindergarten to Foundation with their Open Days, Schools In Action Tours, Come and Try Mornings and Flying Start all important aspects of this transition.

To see what St Mary’s can do for your family in preparing your child for Foundation, give them a call on 5032 3521.