“You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way” – Dr Seuss
It is amazing to see how much the Prep children have grown in not only age and height, but in maturity and confidence. It will be a bittersweet farewell at the end of Term IV as strong bonds have been formed between the educators and children as well as the loving friendships established between the children themselves.
The children have been talking to the educators about how excited they were visiting Kindergarten classrooms. For all children, they will discover new experiences, new friends, new feelings and also new independence.
The significance of moving from one part of the School to another for a child can often be overlooked as they are still in the same school community. Moving from a Prep room where they know the routine of their day and who to expect in their classroom into a new environment with new teachers with different ways of doing things can be overwhelming for the child.
On Wednesday, the Prep children attended the first of their two Kindergarten Orientation sessions. It was a wonderful start to their school learning journey, as they had the opportunity to visit the classroom to meet the teachers and actively participate in the Kindergarten learning environment.
To support our Early Years Learning Framework, facilitating a positive transition to the Infants classroom space is important. We achieve this by introducing teaching staff at small intervals, allowing each child to feel secure, supported, nurtured and acclimatised to the wider school environment. In addition, when the first day of Kindergarten comes, the children are more confident to take their next steps into the Junior School environment, as they begin a new phase of their education.
Planning for the transition is an integral part of each child’s learning journey. A successful transition supports children’s emotional and social development and provides a solid foundation for school success.
School readiness is about the whole child: their social and emotional skills, physical skills, communication skills and cognitive skills. In order for children to thrive at school, they need to have developed skills to recognise emotions they feel, learn to respond positively and know how to move forward.
We recognise and appreciate that the choice of where your child will attend school is a very big decision for all parents to make. At TIGS, our Kindergarten Orientation programme is designed to provide many opportunities for your child to experience and become an enthusiastic primary learner, as they embark upon the new learning journey with great excitement.
