Youngsters well prepared for school start

BEECHWORTH Primary set off to a great start to the year last week with local youngsters well prepared for their foundation year at the school. Principal Susan McDonald attributed a strong transition program to the success with credit to local kindergartens. She said a buddy system in place at the school started in term 3 the year prior for the young students. “Grade 5 students visiting their little people in kindergartens last year helped the youngsters settle in this year,” she said. With the buddies now in grade 6, Ms McDonald said the school’s oldest and younger students work together in partnership. “They work with the children throughout the transition program and when they started school on their very first day last Thursday, the preps were really excited to see our buddies there to support them,” she said. Youngsters settled into classrooms on the day while supported with learning activities in a familiar space from visits to the school through the transition program. Ms McDonald said buddies also helped support the youngsters in the playground showing them fun things to do while leading them back to their classroom when the bell buzzed. “Grade 1 to grade six returned to school last Wednesday which gave us the opportunity to settle them in,” she said. “With Foundation children coming on the Thursday, we were able to then focus on cohort and settle them into the classrooms with some celebrations and happy snaps taken with mums and dads. “Mums and dads joined the leadership team for morning tea." Ms McDonald said the school was in a growth period has 197 students this year. She said this year’s agenda included implementing a new school community-based program called ‘friendology’. “It’s about teaching students skills to navigate friendships and how to be independent in navigating new friendships,” she said. The principal said an exciting event this year is the school’s 150-year anniversary. With the school’s birthday on July 2 some celebrations will be held around that time with a big community celebration set for the warmer month of October.

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