Families seeking enrolment at St Patrick’s are invited to schedule an appointment with the principal (and other support personnel, if required). Upon acceptance, parents are encouraged to engage positively with our school. Our transition processes provide support to children and their families as they prepare for enrolment at St Patrick’s.
Transitions are implemented to build reciprocal relationships between children, staff and families. Building on children's prior and current experiences helps them to feel secure, confident and connected to familiar people, places, events and understandings. Transition processes assist children to understand the new routines, practices and expectations of the setting to which they are moving and help them to feel more confident and familiar with the process of change.
TRANSITION TO KINDERGARTEN
An Orientation program helps children and families become familiar with our school. It comprises a number of visits to the school which provide information for children and families.
- Enrolment Interviews with the Principal, Learning Support Teacher and Diocesan Family Ministry Coordinator.
- A Meet & Greet Evening with staff and P&F representatives and a Guest Speaker.
- Orientation Program involving opportunities for students to visit the school and participate in classes and playground activities, while their parents have the opportunity to socialise and meet new parents. Staff also conduct information sessions for parents to learn vital information about school readiness.
- Our Buddy Program is designed to assist the new Kindergarten enrolments with settling into school. Year 6 Buddies are assigned to Kindergarten. They write a welcoming letter to their allocated Kinder buddy before they attend orientation, meet with the new Kindergarten students at orientation and renew their acquaintance and build support when school begins.
- A Welcome to Kinder DVD is also sent to the family prior to school commencement.
- In specific cases, the number of transition sessions can be increased by providing more experiences for parents and children to visit the school over a 3-month period.
St Nicholas Early Learning Centre, one of our neighbouring prior-to-school services, also offers a number of opportunities for children to become familiar with St Patrick’s. These include a ‘Getting to Know the School’ Scavenger Hunt through guided exploration and Story-time.
TRANSITION TO YEARS 1-6
Families seeking enrolment at St Patrick’s, Lochinvar are invited to attend a meeting with the principal (and other support personnel if required) and are given a tour of the school environment.
Upon receiving an offer of enrolment, children enrolling mid-year are allocated a class and are introduced to existing members of the grade who will provide initial social support.
Newly enrolled students for the year ahead (across Years 1-6) receive an invitation to the Family Christmas Night and are invited to take part in Step Up Day. Step Up Day is seen as a positive opportunity to meet fellow students and experience their new school. Step Up Day is held in the last week of Term 4 and is particularly valuable for students with additional needs or those who experience anxiety associated with change. On this occasion, all students step up to the next grade for the morning session. The purpose of Step Up Day is to allay fears and anxieties by reassuring all students that teachers are interested in finding out what they like/are good at, what they find difficult and how they like to be supported.
TRANSITION TO YEAR 7
Students transitioning to high school are supported by involvement in Orientation Sessions at St Joseph’s College, Lochinvar. The classroom teachers and Learning Support teachers are also available to discuss learning and social needs with representatives of the high school to support transition.
