At Willow Grove Primary School, we pride ourselves on being able to form strong and positive relationships with our families and students and hold strong to our school values of Respect, Resilience, Teamwork and Community. Our transition program is the first step in building these relationships and ensures both you, and your child, are familiar and comfortable with our school environment before your child starts their first year of school.
Our foundation transition program consists of a number of elements to make the change from pre-school to school an easy one. These are:
Meet and Greet
Wednesday 24th July 2024 at 1:00 pm
Willow Grove Kindergarten – meet the Principal and have any questions answered.
You are encouraged to contact the school to make an appointment to discuss your child’s needs at any time. Please contact the Principal to arrange tours, ask questions or to discuss important information relating to your child.
Transition Sessions
Transition Days in 2024, for students starting Foundation in 2025 are:
PARENT INFO SESSION – 9.00-9:20am @ Willow Grove Primary School
These parent sessions run on the same dates as the Prep 2024 transition sessions and will provide families with an opportunity to learn about school programs and to ask questions. The sessions are expected to run for around 20 minutes at the beginning of the transition session.
9.00-2.15pm*
State Transition Day
2025 Term Dates
29th January
Term 1 for students is 29th January – 4th April
Foundation Rest Days
Until the end of February, Wednesdays are a designated Foundation student rest day.
Full attendance begins the week starting MONDAY, 3rd MARCH 2025. Reminders will be provided leading up to this date.
Your Child’s First Day
When you arrive on the first day of school, please park out the front of the school. You may choose to park across the road. If parking across the road, you must use the crossing to walk to the school. This is a patrolled crossing with a safety officer in place, daily. You are asked to take your child to their classroom, introduce them to their teacher and involve them in an activity that will be set up in the room. Please leave your child when they are comfortable. It is important for you to have discussed with your child the procedure that will occur. Tell your child that you will be back to pick them up and that their teacher is there to help them feel safe and to know what to do.
If your child is having difficulty separating, the class teacher will assist you. Please follow their advice and suggestions. Although it can be difficult to leave a child that does not want to separate, remaining in the room can often make the process more difficult for the child. Children will sense a distressed or anxious parent, and this can make it more difficult for the child. If you are feeling anxious, or believe you may find separation difficult, please let staff know ahead of time, where possible. We want the process to be smooth for all involved, and will be happy to provide updates via SMS or phone call if this is requested. Please be assured that we will contact you to let you know how you child is settling. Staff will never allow a highly distressed child to remain in distress. No contact from the school will always signal that everything is going well, unless you have asked for an update.
A special welcome morning tea will be provided by the Fundraising Committee to enable parents of new students to meet with, and chat to other parents and staff members. Please make your way to our staffroom which is located in the “Tanjil” (main) building.
School Nurse - Information for Foundation Students