Joey's Juniors

Copy_of_St_Josephs_Craft_Small_1_of_48_.jpgKindergarten Transition to School Program 

At St Joseph’s, we understand that even though the first day of Kindergarten has been highly anticipated for some time, it can also be quite a nervous time for students, their parents and caregivers.

To help you and your child become more familiar with your new school environment we offer a Kindergarten Orientation Program, Joey’s Juniors, to all students with accepted enrolments. The program begins the year prior to your child’s school enrolment year. Joey’s Juniors is a program which allows your child to interact within our school environment, and comprises aspects which focus upon social interaction and the nurturing of each child’s confidence and readiness for school.

We want your child to feel at home at St Joseph’s right from day one.

Joey’s Juniors is coordinated by members of the St Joseph’s Teaching staff, and aims to provide a smooth transition for your child into Primary School. Your child will become familiar with their future school environment, its sights and sounds, and will visit areas around the school where they will be interacting next year, such as the Kindergarten classrooms, Lower Primary play area, eating area and toilets. Joey’s Juniors runs in Term 4, from October to November. For enrolment enquiries please call the school on 65625501, or visit the school website at www.kmpplism.catholic.edu.au.

Come and see how we do things the St Joseph’s way.

STARTING KINDERGARTEN

Research has found that children learn best when they have a positive self-esteem. A positive self-esteem means the child feels loved and valued and is able to confidently interact with the world around them. Parents can help develop their child’s self esteem and school readiness by:

  • Talking positively about school and education.
  • Encouraging children's efforts, irrespective of results.
  • Encouraging them to socialise regularly with friends of the same age.
  • Encouraging active lifestyles and creative potential through painting, making things or just running around.
  • Providing them with responsibility eg. setting the table/cleaning up after themselves.
  • Accepting that they will be at a different stage of development and will learn at different rates.
  • Allowing them to stay with relatives or friends occasionally to develop independence.
  • Reading to your child regularly as research indicates that this will have a significant influence on a child's 'readiness' for school.
  • Building awareness that will assist the child but are not essential to know before they come to school include how to:
    • Write or recognise their own name.
    • Recognise their own belongings.
    • Tie their own shoelaces.
    • Recognise numbers from 1-10 and creating some familiarity with the alphabet through talking about letters when the opportunity arises.
    • Helping your child to distinguish between their little lunch and big lunch.

Be aware that each child develops individually and it is very important children enjoy their opportunity to learn.

Religious Education - Sharing your own faith and values with your children. Teaching them how to pray and allowing them to accompany you to church services.

Communication – take time to talk and to listen to your children, discussing the events of the day, asking questions, making observations and planning future activities.

Reading – read to your child, be seen as a reader, give books as presents or rewards, point out different signs in the street or whilst travelling and have plenty of books and print materials in the home.

Writing – let them see you write (notes to friends, shopping lists etc.), provide a space for writing, praise their attempts as they begin to mimic writing and give the child various things for writing (pens, pencils, paper, note books, crayons, tracing stencils).

Maths – encourage them to count aloud common objects (pegs when hanging out the washing, animals on the farm), use words such as more/less, equal/below/above, circle/square, name the different types of money and how much things cost. Allow your children to play with blocks to copy shapes, talk about the time (morning or afternoon).