Whānau Footsteps

WHĀNAU FOOTSTEPS

We know that every child is different and some may want to join in the class and others may want to explore their new environment. We are ok with this. Our transition programme is called Whānau Footsteps and it focuses on our WHARE value of Whanaungatanga where we are building positive relationships, turn taking, sharing and listening. For these visits it is play based, letting children play and get use to their environment.

We are a cohort entry school, which means we have two entry points each term—at the beginning and in the middle. This approach helps our new students settle in smoothly alongside others starting at the same time.

As part of our transition process, all new entrants will complete 4 to 6 school visits before officially starting. This helps your child become familiar with the environment, routines, and people at David Henry School.

For the first two visits, we kindly ask that a parent or caregiver stays with their child to support them as they begin this important journey.

We’re excited to welcome you and your tamaiti into our school whānau and look forward to working together to give them the best start to their learning.

Please feel free to come in and speak to Ms Placid or Mrs Maea about our transition programme into Whānau Kiwi.

Enrolling your child at David Henry School is easy. Pop into the school office and pick up an enrolment form, fill it in and drop it back. Some things you will need to bring in:

your child’s birth certificate or passport so we can verify their date of birth.
immunisation certificate
Guardianship papers

Once we have received your enrolment we will arrange visits for your preschooler to visit their class and meet their teacher. Transitions can run for up to 4-6 sessions prior to your child starting school.

We ask that you sign in to the office each afternoon. Try to be early so the children get to have a look around and get to talk with the teacher. For uniform information refer to the uniform page.

School Readiness Questions

Do you start your child on the dot of 5 or do you wait until they are closer to 6? Will they be bored with another year shared between home and preschool or will they struggle if sent to school too early? Are they emotionally mature enough? Will they be able to keep up academically?

Here, are some of the questions whānau can ask when assessing school readiness:

Can they make an independent decision and follow through on this?
Do they have ideas of their own?
Can they follow two or three instructions at the same time?
Can they move on to new activities easily?
Do they separate well from their carer?
Do they show interest in other kids?
Do they interact with other children?
Can they recognise and express their feelings and needs?
Can they concentrate on a task?
How do they deal with frustration?

How can parents help with school readiness

There are many activities that parents undertake with young children that have a positive effect on their development and promote school readiness. These include:

reading with your child
teaching them songs and nursery rhymes
playing with letters and numbers
taking children on excursions
creating regular opportunities for them to play with their friends and other children.

Getting ready for School

Below are some suggestions of activities you can be doing with your child before they begin school:

Know their name – recognise their own name when it is written down. If they are interested help them to learn to write their name.
Show them the difference between capital letters and lower case.
Alphabet – begin to recognise letters from the alphabet. Please begin with the lowercase letters. Colours – know the basic colours – red, blue, black, orange, yellow, green, white, brown, pink and purple. Shapes – know the basic shapes.
Books – enjoy books together.
Numbers – recognise numbers 1 to 10, count to 10 and making sets of small objects.
Communication – be able to ask for things they need, have a conversation with others Be able to use the toilet independently It is not essential for your child to know or do all these things before they start school.
Carry their own bag.
Routine of an early bedtime of 8:30 pm or earlier for a good night, so your child is refreshed each day for learning.

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