Lucy Bayliss – Centre Manager/DP – Preschool
Kia ora e te whānau
As this is my first Newsletter entry, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Wā Ora school community – staff, tamariki and whānau – for welcoming me so warmly and showing me the ropes over the past several months since I started working here. It really is a privilege to be part of such a special school.
As you know, curriculum has been a hot topic of late with many changes afoot in the education sector following recent government changes. Fortunately, Preschool has been left largely untouched (so far) in terms of curriculum overhaul – but there is still important work to be done in this space to ensure we are offering our tamariki the very best learning environment. The Preschool team have been focusing our curriculum lens on ‘Transition to Primary School’ – what this looks like here at Wā Ora, and to what extent we are supporting tamariki and whānau in ensuring a smooth process for all. In light of this, I wanted to share some information about our current processes and procedures for this very important aspect of our curriculum.
At Wā Ora the transition from Preschool to Primary can be viewed as both a journey AND an event. The journey begins as soon as each tamaiti starts at Preschool, and continues for the entire time they are with us. Everything that is experienced by each tamaiti in the preschool classrooms (and beyond) is carefully considered and prepared for by kaiarahi and kaiako, with the intention to help all tamariki help themselves in learning. One example of this is the opportunity for 5 year olds to offer scones to the Primary kaiako and Office team. This assists tamariki in orientating themselves to the new environment they will soon be moving to. The ‘event’ part of transitioning to school happens at Wā Ora in the form of a Mihi Whakatau for each tamaiti who is making the next step on their journey – joining the Primary (6-9) classrooms. This welcoming ceremony is both a celebration of their time at preschool and an important ‘bridging’ process to mark the significance of this transition, with the purpose of creating connections and encouraging a sense of belonging for tamariki to a new environment.
From a planning perspective, the ‘Transition to Primary School’ process is carefully managed for tamariki to ensure that classrooms are well-balanced. Preschool and Primary school Head/Lead teachers, along with Deputy Principals, discuss in detail the placement of all tamariki. A transition letter and information pack is sent from the Enrolment Administrator to whānau six weeks prior to their sixth birthday. From there, Preschool kaiako will meet with primary kaiako prior to ākonga commencing transition visits. At this meeting, important information is shared that takes in a holistic view of each tamaiti. Transition to Primary school visits happen close to their transition date. These consist of a half day (including playtime and lunch) and a full day visit.
Being part of an Area School puts us in a very fortunate position to be able to support transitions for our tamariki in a meaningful, deeply nurturing way. The proximity of Preschool and Primary school premises certainly helps to reinforce a sense of physical connectedness. However, it is the hard work of our dedicated and highly skilled kaiako who really know them that enables the upholding of mana and creates the sense of a ‘peaceful process’ for tamariki when they are journeying from preschool to primary school.
Lucy Bayliss
Centre Manager/DP – Preschool
