What are the main changes for my child?
There are many changes for your child when starting school, changing areas within the school, or moving to a new school. There are a number of differences between the school setting and the home or day care environment and these may include:
Rules and procedures
With so many children come rules and expectations. Our PBS expectations help to define whole school expectations. Students have many regular expectations like lining up to enter classrooms, putting their hands up in class, following classroom rules and expectations, saying in designated areas. There are many structured times throughout the day for starting class, recess and lunch times for eating, crunch and sip times and more.
Relationships
Children will develop new bonds and friendships in the classroom and playground, but at the beginning of a new year it may be daunting. Transitions can help Kindergarten students in particular become more familiar with their peers and with the teachers they will have when the start school. As they move into Year 1-6 they will have different teachers for some subject areas. Moving to High School brings the challenge of new teachers for each subject and a different but similar set of new expectations.
Learning
At home and at day care play and modelling is the basis for learning. While Waggrakine’s early childhood centre fosters a play based curriculum their remains many changes within the daily routine posing differences from the home environment. From Year 1 students began to attend specialist learning areas of visual arts, music and sport. At Year 3 Indonesian is introduced.
Year 6 Transitions into Year 7
Geraldton Senior High School is the feeder school for Waggrakine Primary School and the High School offers several events to assist with the transition to high school.
- One day of orientation for students
- Staff members of the High School come to Waggrakine to talk to the students
- A parent information evening is held at Waggrakine
- An open evening is held at the high school with a BBQ for parents
Private schools offer different traction arrangements and this information will come from them
Questions
If you have any concerns or questions about your child entering school or changing year levels please don’t hesitate to ask.