The document provides information to help parents prepare their child for transitioning to St. Joseph's Catholic School. It suggests activities parents can do at home to help children develop independence and readiness skills like using utensils, going to the bathroom, and communicating needs. The school requests information about pick-up plans, health needs, interests and strengths to support each child. Suggestions are also given for fun maths, reading and writing activities parents can do at home with their child.

1. Transitioning to a
CATHOLIC School
St Joseph’s Oamaru

2. Ministry of Education Suggestions
You can help them be ready to learn by:
● sit on a chair at a table for short periods of time
to complete an activity
● ask for things they need
● be comfortable being away from you

3. Ministry of Education Suggestions
Before your child starts school, it is also helpful if they
can:
● do up their shoes
● go to the toilet and wash their hands
● blow their nose
● recognise when they are thirsty and get a drink of

4. Ministry of Education Suggestions
The teacher will need to know:
★ after-school plans and who picks up your child
when you are not able to
★ if your child has any special health needs, and
what to do
★ what your child likes to do, what they are good

5. “The New Zealand Curriculum Framework
outlines essential learning areas, essential
skills, and attitudes and values. The Early
childhood curriculum provides a foundation
for children to become confident and
competent and, during the school years, be
able to build on their previous learning. Each
strand of the Early childhood curriculum links
with the essential learning areas and skills of
The New Zealand Curriculum Framework.”
- information taken from Te Whariki- The Early Childhood
Curriculum Ministry of Education 1996

6. Strand 1 Well being
★ Child voice
★ Support to communicate needs
effectively
★ Buddy support in playground
★ Encourage independence with
belongings
★ Follow school-wide behavioural
expectations

7. Strand 2 Belonging - Relationships
★ Pre-school visits
★ Pre-school programme
★ Buddy system Yr 7/Pre-school -
starting school - Supportive
scaffolding
● Class Treaty - Link to school wide
expectations
★ Parish/School Liaison

8. Strand 3 Contribution
Expectations
★ be able to work co-operatively
★ respect all people
★ be confident
★ understand people have different points
of view and feelings
★ Have a go! Contribute! Prayers (Gospel,
Mass, Kotuitui, Rosary, Liturgies)

9. Strand 3 Contribution
★ Open door policy - parents and family
welcome at any time - every parent has
something unique and special to share
★ Uniqueness of each person is valued and
highlighted
★ Cultures and Ethnicities shared and First
language encouraged
★ Children supported according to their
needs

10. Strand 4 Communication
★ Pre school - Knowing Parents and
childs concerns, strengths, hobbies
and interests and areas where you
think support might be needed.
★ Celebration and awareness of what
happens at home
★ Daily and on-going communication
with home and school

11. Strand 4 Communication
★ Teacher and school. Diary, e-mail
★ School blogs – Facebook – Pulse news
★ Reporting - Interviews
★ Concerns or worries talk to teacher as
soon as possible.
★ You are welcome to bring a support
person eg. translation / personal
comfort

12. Strand 5 Exploration
★ Engagement. All children actively
involved in learning and supported at
each stage.
★ Literacy experiences
★ Numeracy and Mathematics
★ Other Curriculum areas
★ Developing inquiring minds

13. Links made by and within St Joseph’s school
Young Vinnies
ECBs – Early Childhood buddies
Buddy classrooms
Altar servers and other young people ministries
Prayer partners
Dominican choir
Random notes/ Home and School/ Board/ Parish
Parish Liasion person- Parish priest/ principal visits whanau before enrollment
School Council
Tuakana/ teina learning relationships
Learning leaders
SKC relationship
Celebration of culturss- Tongan, Filiino mass
Tongan, filipino homework club, immersion classes
Parish cup
New Entrant teacher- visits kindies/preschools to help with transitions
Terrific thursdays
Transition afternoon
Meet the teacher evenings -Introduce family whanau book- DRS meets about sacraments
Koru club- community room- base for learning and meeting
HOLISTIC-
5 year olds get bibles

14. Terrific Thursday’s
With ECB Buddies

15. ECB visits

16. Ideas of fun things to do at home
Reading- Make reading Fun, Talk about
reading, make it a special time together
-Introduce them to the library and different
texts e.g. newspaper, comics, signs,
internet...

17. Ideas of fun things to do at home
Maths- find numbers around the house and neighbourhood- clocks,
letterboxes, speed signs
- count forwards and backwards (microwave, clocks, fingers and toes,
letterboxes, signs…
-make patterns when counting
-make up number stories “You have 2 brothers and 2 sisters. There are 4 of
them”
-food- baking, shopping “How many apples do we need for school lunches
-Sorting box- sort and group shapes
-Always be positive about maths- every experience is exciting and new

18. Ideas of fun things to do at home
Writing- Help your child write an alphabet letter, then go on a hunt
around the house or in a book for that letter
- Let your child see you writing- you can use your first language
-encourage them to write shopping lists or make birthday cards
-Put magnetic letters on the fridge (lowercase)
-work with them to put labels on special things- like the door to their room…
-create a scrapbook with pictures. Encourage them to write stories under the
pictures and talk about them
- write notes to your child and leave them in interesting places e.g. a lunchbox.

19. Thank you for venturing out tonight and
making sure your child's transition to
school is a special, smooth and
supported one!
Any questions?
You may contact us at
Leanne: lbrookes@stjoseph.school.nz
Siobhan: sburke@stjoseph.school.nz

20. www.stjoseph.school.nz to see a copy of
St Josephs prospectus