Kindergarten 2022 at Putney Public School
Information for our new Kindergarten students
Kindergarten is a huge milestone for parents, carers and children. It’s an exciting time when children begin to develop greater independence, confidence and a love of learning. We are looking forward to welcoming our Kindergarten 2022 students to Putney Public School.
Below is some information you will need to know to help your child be ready for the transition to primary school.
In the Kindergarten Classroom
Learning in Kindergarten
In the classroom, your child will focus on the six key learning areas; English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, History and Geography, Personal Development/Health and Physical Education and Creative Arts.
There is a strong focus on English and Mathematics in the Kindergarten classroom. Teachers work extremely hard to ensure these lessons are fun, engaging and appropriately challenging for your child.
English
Children in Kindergarten are taught early literacy skills for reading, spelling and writing through the Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL) program. LLLL is a highly engaging, research-based, explicit and systematic approach to teaching these early skills. The program is implemented from the very beginning of Kindergarten and continues through to the end of Year 1. LLLL focuses on the foundational skills and knowledge relating to phonemic awareness, the alphabetic code (phonics) and vocabulary through multifaceted lessons, leading to success in reading and writing. Children are introduced to Milo Monkey and his friends, as they initially learn the basic alphabetic code. Learning is supported through the use of high quality, decodable readers and a range of LLLL games and activities to improve automaticity and fluency for reading.
Children are exposed to a variety of quality texts through explicit whole class and small group instruction to build their vocabulary knowledge and further enhance early reading skills. They have regular opportunities to write about familiar topics and to reflect on learning experiences they have at school. There is a strong focus on oral language throughout all learning areas in Kindergarten.
Mathematics
Throughout the year, children will develop a solid, foundational understanding of Mathematics through the three strands of Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. Children use known facts to explore mathematical problems and develop fluency with mathematical ideas. They use everyday language, concrete materials and informal recordings to demonstrate their understanding. Children develop problem solving and reasoning skills through hands-on learning experiences with their peers and engaging in open-ended tasks.
Getting Ready for the Big Day
When should my child start school?
Children can start Kindergarten at the beginning of the school year if they turn 5 on or before 31 July that year. By law, all children must be in compulsory schooling by their 6th birthday.
When your child starts school is an individual decision. We encourage you to speak with your child’s preschool teacher about your child’s school readiness as they are best placed to provide advice specific to your child. We work closely with several local preschools as part of our transition to school program.
How do I know if my child is ready for school?
When considering school readiness, we focus on a child’s social and emotional development, speech and language skills, attention span and concentration, and their fine motor skills.
Some things for you to notice as a parent might be:
- Playing cooperatively with other children
- Sharing and taking turns
- Taking care of their own belongings
- Working independently
- Focusing on completing specific activities eg. a puzzle
- Tracing, drawing and cutting skills
- Listening and focusing during tasks
- Following simple directions
- Initiating and maintaining conversations
How to prepare your child
- Play games - children learn many important skills through play such as turn taking, cooperating and communicating with others. An important lesson for young children is that they cannot always win when they are playing a game.
- Read to them every night
- Read words in the environment-signs, cereal boxes etc
- Make up oral stories - begin with simple ones and let your child finish them
- Talk to them about a range of topics to build vocabulary and language skills
- Practise writing their name with a capital letter at the start and then lowercase letters
- Encourage any type of writing-birthday cards, shopping lists etc
- Trace, draw, play with play dough and use scissors to practise fine motor skills
- Count forwards and backwards
- Roll a dice and see what number comes up
- Practise writing numbers
- Run, climb, throw, catch and kick a ball to practise gross motor skills
- Provide opportunities for them to take care of and tidy up their belongings
Kindergarten Transition Events
Open Day
This is an opportunity for new Kindergarten children and their parents to visit Putney PS, tour different areas of the school, see performances by some of our extra-curricular groups and engaging in a variety of activities to help familiarise families with our school setting.
Parent Information Session
The Parent Information Session is held towards the middle of Term 4 to provide you with key information you need in the lead up to your child starting school. It will cover upcoming Orientation events, information about the Best Start Kindergarten Assessment, tips to help your child prepare for starting Kindergarten, as well as what to expect in the first few days and weeks of the school year. For 2022 families, the Parent Information Session will be held on 20 October, 2021.
Orientation
We run two Orientation sessions in Term 4. These sessions allow the children to get a taste of what Kindergarten will be like during sessions run by our Kindergarten teachers. The children listen to stories, play games, complete simple learning activities and have the opportunity to meet some of the children they will be starting school with. During the first of these sessions, parents are encouraged to spend time meeting some key stakeholders in the school community, including school staff, OOSH staff and parent representatives. During the second sessions, parents leave the school site. For 2022 families, these sessions are scheduled to run on November 10 and 17 - plans may be impacted with COVID restrictions and these will be communicated to families in Term 4.
Preschool Visits
Throughout Term 4, we arrange visits to several local preschools to meet and observe the children in environments where they are well-established and comfortable. We speak with the preschool educators about their views on school readiness and discuss any relevant strategies or key information that might best support us to help with your child’s transition to Kindergarten. If we are due to visit your child’s preschool, the preschool will advise you when we are visiting. This has been so well received by families in the past and has helped the children to have a familiar face at Putney PS before they even start school.
For further information and starting school resources, go to the website below.
education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/going-to-a-public-school/primary-schools/starting-school