Hi Carla,
We have a three-stage process for our youngest students (starting at 5 or 6 years old). The first is an enrolment meeting with the Headmaster in which he’ll establish some basic information about the child and whether they have any number or literacy knowledge. Three or four weeks out from their start date, the teacher will visit them at their kindergarten to get more of an insight into how the child interacts with their peers and teachers, as well as to assess their readiness for learning at the school level. The last step is 2 or 3 two-hour visits to the school ahead of their start date to familiarise themselves with the classroom environment and with some of the routines of school.
This combination (interview, visit to kindy, school visits) gives the teachers a good base level understanding of the child to help them settle in quickly and to pitch the learning at the right level from day 1.
It’s a process we’ve refined over the past few years and is working well. The personal contact between the teacher, student and their parents before the first day of school is something the families really do value.
Nicola
(NZ Year 0-8 school)
