Transition Program An important feature of Glendal Primary School is the well established and successful transition programs. One of our priorities is that all children new to Glendal feel happy and secure as quickly as possible. This is achieved through explicit programs and a nurturing and caring staff. PrepsA structured approach to build happy, positive relationships with our upcoming Prep children starts at the beginning of each year and involves a series of interactions with the school, both for the individual child and their parents. These include: A teddy bear evening in early Term 2 at which the current Preps and the prospective Preps take part in an evening of craft, singing and listening to teddy stories with their families. Invitations to other whole school events, eg: the annual Book Fair, Grade 2 Musical production. Four half day visits by our Prep teachers to our neighbourhood kindergartens in the first half of the year to build familiarity with our staff. A parent evening in November, held to discuss the Prep transition process and expectations for the following year. A comprehensive handbook on how to ensure a smooth transition is provided for all families. A formal program for enrolled students which takes place in Term 4 with a series of half day visits with classroom teachers and several specialists - Art, LOTE, Music and PE. All incoming Preps receive a welcome letter with a photo from their own teacher. Individual interview and testing times for all students are also provided. Our prep children have well matched Grade 6 buddies to help them to happily settle into school life. Their buddies also plan and implement fun literacy and numeracy activities to do with their buddies. A Prep induction ceremony is held in Term 1 welcoming our Preps and their families to Glendal. Later in Term 4, lovely performances lead our Prep graduation ceremony, a special event attended by families and Grade 6 buddies.
Grade 6
Our well developed and effective relationships with our main neighbourhood secondary colleges are very important in ensuring a smooth transition to secondary education. Our students attend a wide range of local government and independent secondary colleges. Our secondary transition program focuses on excellent communication between our local secondary college, parents and our school transition co-ordinators. Each year several local secondary colleges visit Glendal, with past students, to talk to our Grade 6 students. Secondary college information nights for parents are promoted in our newsletter and parents are encouraged to visit a range of secondary colleges. Past Glendal students are invited back to speak to the current grade 6 students as part of a special unit of work completed in Term 4, focusing on transition and timetabling. Our Grade 6 teaching, learning and homework program encompasses the development of academic skills as well as management and organisational skills. Anecdotal and parent survey results indicate that our students are academically and emotionally prepared for the rigours of secondary college. A half day orientation day for Preps and all other new students is held early in December. For the older students they will visit their year level and are welcomed to the school by selected peers. New children are paired with a 'buddy' to help them settle in and learn their way around the school. Our students are well known for their friendly inviting approach to including new children into their class.
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