Coming to our School | Starting and Beyond
Starting School
Preparing your child
Speak positively about your experiences at school
Make positive comments about things they will do at school
Visit the school on a weekend to walk around the grounds and play on the playground without the children
Three months before your child is to start, contact the school to let them know your child will be coming
They will give you enrolment forms to complete and advice which certificates the school needs to see
Closer to the date
Contact school to make dates to visit the New Entrant classroom
Have at least 2 visits
Stay with your child
Some children will benefit from shorter more numerous visits
Ask for a stationery list and buy the books ready for the first day at school
Ensure your child knows where the toilets are
Let the teacher know of any allergies, serious health issues, phobias
Parents as first teachers
You can do a tremendous amount to ensure your child to be a keen learner with a positive attitude to school
Can your child
Write their name correctly using lower case letters and a capital for the initial letter?
Hold a pencil correctly?
Say the names & some sounds of the letters of the alphabet [not just chant/ sing the alphabet
Listen to stories every day
Show an interest in learning
Use the words him and her correctly?
Answer in sentences
Count to 10 or 20?
Count out sets of 1-10 objects
Recognise and write some numbers
Recognise the basic shapes
Know their colours
Use scissors reasonably well
Share their toys, take turns
Google ‘starting school ‘ for a range of excellent websites giving similar advice to the above
Once your child has started school over the next 8 years we also provide
A Reading Recovery Programme
One to one instruction for children with learning difficulties
Specialist withdrawal programmes
Accelerated and differential learning programmes
International schools english and mathematics competitions
Calf club and home garden programmes
Participation in inter-school sports and academic competition
A school dramatic production & choir in alternate years
Camps and field studies as part of our outdoor education programme
Science fair in our senior school
Otago maths challenge
A venue for private music tuition
A values education programme
