We know the transition from early learning to primary school is a big change in your child's life.  Starting school might seem like a long way off but it time to start thinking (and talking) about going to school when your child turns four.  A positive transition to school supports better learning and well-being outcomes for your child.  Our aim is for your child to feel safe, confident and connected to their new school and friends.  We hope to work with everyone (your child and friends, whanau and new school) so your child can take who they are and what they know into the classroom and will be supported to continue on learning.

To begin the conversation, here are some of our thoughts.  Please keep chatting to our kaiako so we can all support you and your child about the transition process.

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Choosing a school & enrolling

Schools love to know as soon as possible what school your child is going to (even if this might change!).  Let us know too so we can talk to your child.

To enrol your child, you will need to visit the school with your child's birth certificate or passport, proof of residence (i.e. power bill) and your child's immunisation certificate.  

We can support you to learn about the different schools as you make your choice.  We can also join you as you visit the school for the first time.

We have included links to some of the school we transition to below for you to learn more.  Some things to consider - some schools have zoning or special characteristics which make the school unique.

Getting 'ready' for school

 We know that if we focus on your child being the 'best four year old', they will have all the preparation they need to be the 'best five year old'!  Our job is to make learning fun so they want to keep learning, asking questions and being curious.

We focus on developing dispositions or attitudes that your child will use throughout life to learn.  For example, independence, curiosity, perseverance, problem solving and confidence to give things a go.

We make sure our environment is rich with literacy and mathematics for tamariki to engage with naturally in their play.  When they show an interest, and they will, we encourage them to begin to write their name - capital letter first followed by lower case letters.  

This is a great resource for how you can support early literacy and mathematical thinking at home. 

Each morning, we gather together for our morning hui.  This provides opportunities to develop listening skills, turn taking in larger groups and concentration skills (even when our friends are around us).

The B4 School Check is a health and development check which aims to identify and address any concerns that could affect your child's to get the most benefit from school.  It will be organised just after their fourth birthday - this gives everyone time to follow up on any referrals.

Saying "ka kite" 

Please let us know when your child's last day so we can celebrate their place at Geckos and say 'ka kite'.  We have a special morning hui where we honour your child and their learning at Geckos and photos of their time are shared.

Tamariki do not have to start school until they are six years old.  We make sure our programme supports and extends children's learning right until they transition, regardless of their age.  You can talk to a kaiako if you are unsure when your child should start school.

There are many reasons your child might not start school straight away, for example, they might turn five just before the school holidays, they might wait to transition with a friend or they might benefit from a play-based learning environment for a little longer before they head to more formal schooling (or you might think that this is how children learns best at this age!).  
We talk about turning five and going to school as separate events.  We appreciate your support with this, for example, when a child is turning five ask the child about their birthday cake or party rather than which school they are going to or when they start school.   This is important because it is common for our tamariki to not go to school as soon as they turn five and they don't always know how to answer these questions.

Creating positive ideas about school

The transition can create lots of emotions for your child and our aim is for your child to develop a positive idea about school and their ability to succeed there.  

In the months before your child goes to school, we begin to talk about school.  We talk about our friends who are at school and display their photographs at Geckos.  We try not to say 'we will miss you when you are at school' but instead focus on your child: 'you will have lots of fun at school'.  

Ask your child what they think about starting school and encourage your child to ask questions about going to school.  Most importantly, be positive about starting school and enjoy your child's excitement!

Finding my place at school

Young tamariki learn when they know their place and feel a sense of belonging.  We encourage tamariki to feel confident at school by developing strong connections with our local school, Whangarei Primary School.  

Even if they transition to another school, all tamariki benefit from spending time at Whangarei Primary.  We join the junior syndicate each week to spend time in their classroom and participate in special events such as jump jam, cross country and assemblies.  We are lucky to have our older friends at school support our learning and share their wisdom.  We get comfortable with older tamariki and the busy-ness of a school environment.  We also head over during the holidays to play on the playground and explore the environment (like learning where the toilets/office are!).

We have an open door policy and encourage your child's primary teacher to visit your child here at Geckos.  We write a letter celebrating your child and share this with the school to introduce your child before they start school.  Some schools encourage tamariki to share their profile books in their classroom.  Let us know and we will make up a special profile book for school so you don't need to share this taonga.

Once enrolled, the school should contact you about school visits (if you haven't heard from them about a month before your child starts school, it is a good idea to call!).  Every school organises school visits a little bit differently but they usually are in the morning so you and your child can be in the classroom before having morning kai and a play in the playground.  Talk to us if you would like support on these visits.

A great idea is to spend time at your child's school during the weekend and have a look around.  Point out their classroom.  Play on the playground.  Take a bike to ride or a ball to kick on the field.  This helps your child realise school is 'their' place.

You could also arrange a play date with other children who will be going to the same school as your child so they have a familiar face in their class.

First days at school

We hope your child has a great first day at school!  Make sure you ask the school what time the bells ring and let your child know who will be taking them to school and picking them up on the first day.  Don't forget to organise your own support - it will be a big day for you too!

Keep talking to your child throughout the transition.  Ask them about their new experiences, what they like and what they find hard.  Your child might have ideas about how they can solve their problems and you can talk to their teacher.  And don't forget to let us know too - we love to hear how our tamariki are getting on at school!

We organise a turangawaeawae visit where a small group of your child's friends and a kaiako visit your child at school to say hello within the first few weeks of school

Written by Sara Croft 2017

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Looking for more information?

This is the Ministry of Education website for parents and whanau about enrolling and starting your child at school.  It has information about the enrollment process and some simple ideas for settling your child at school.

Here are links to some of the primary schools we transition to:

Whangarei Primary School
St Francis Xavier School
Kaurihohore School
Hurupaki School
Kamo Primary School
Whau Valley School
Glenbervie Primary School
Tauraroa Area School