Ensuring children are well prepared and supported when transitioning to primary school is one of the most crucial stages in their educational journey. At ACG Strathallan Early Learning school, our purposefully designed School Readiness programme equips students with the essential knowledge and skills they need for this next step, allowing them to make a seamless and successful move to primary.
Reading Buddy programme
Every Thursday, we have our year 5 Primary school students visiting our senior early learning school to read stories.
Buddy reading brings the enjoyment and benefits of storytelling to children. With this programme, they will have the opportunity to be read to and take part in fun reading sessions fostering improvement in their language ability and creativity.
Literacy
Parents love the literacy head-start their children receive before starting primary school. Literacy abilities grow through, songs, discussion, writing and drawing, art, and the use of magazines and printed material to help students identify pictures, symbols, and text.
Learning stations/outdoor play
All learning areas are set up offering different provocations for children to explore. Our learning stations are set to include science and nature, mathematical concepts, literacy and creative art. Teachers spend time with children at learning stations to provoke their thoughts to support more complex play.
Numeracy
By integrating numeracy into songs and gameplay, we make learning fun and easily accessible. From counting (in English, Chinese and te reo Māori), to making patterns, sorting materials, and basic addition and subtraction, our children understand how to identify numbers and simple mathematical concepts.
Science
Teachers provide a variety of hands-on science experiments and experiences – with our volcano building sessions being a firm favourite. Our young students are exposed to different vocabulary as they discover the wonder of science from a purely explorative approach.
Physical wellbeing
Our teachers provide various physical challenges and activities to help build teamwork, balance, ball skills and encourage individual development. Using the College gym ensures we have access to a range of equipment while offering a safe space to enjoy free-play and more structured sessions.
Music and movement
Our children have regular music and movement classes, supported by a specialist music lesson each week from Primary teacher, Mrs Molyneux. They are always excited to be taught new songs and actions, integrating te reo, Chinese and even sign language, as they enthusiastically play a variety of musical instruments.
Cultural awareness
Each year we highlight Chinese New Year, Matariki and Diwali. Our teacher Michelle shares classic Chinese stories to help the children understand the significance of the New Year festivities. During the week-long Matariki celebrations, youngsters make traditional Māori crafts, play games, and sing songs in te reo. For Diwali, our teacher Arti draws henna designs for the children as they create rangoli patterns and lanterns and learn about the festival of lights.
