Starting Kindergarten

Welcome chats

Before your child begins Kindergarten, we invite all families to meet with our principal for a personalised welcome chat.

This is a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know your child and learn more about their unique strengths, interests and needs. Families are encouraged to share information about:

• Your child's interests, strengths and personality
• Medical conditions, allergies or health needs
• Additional learning or wellbeing support needs
• Family circumstances or other information that may help us support your child's transition

These conversations help us work together to ensure every child feels known, valued and supported from their very first day.

Kindergarten transition program

Our Kindergarten transition program is designed to help children develop confidence, build friendships and become familiar with their new school environment.

We offer a range of opportunities for children and families to connect with our school community, including:

• Kindy connections playgroup
• Kickstart kindy orientation sessions
• Parent information sessions

• Encourage independence: Practise opening lunchboxes, packing school bags, putting on shoes and using the toilet independently.
• Read together: Enjoy stories every day, talk about the pictures and encourage your child to ask questions.
• Talk about school: Share positive conversations about Kindergarten, explore books about starting school and encourage your child to express their feelings.
• Play together: Encourage sharing, taking turns, making friends and solving little problems through play.
• Build everyday routines: Establish consistent bedtime and morning routines to help your child feel rested and ready for school.
• Explore and connect: Attend our transition activities, become familiar with our school environment and help your child build friendships.

For more advice, see the Getting ready for primary school guide.

At Hurstville Grove Infants School, we believe that every child deserves a happy, positive and successful start to their learning journey. Our Kindergarten classrooms provide a warm, nurturing and engaging environment where children feel safe, supported and excited to learn.

Guided by the NSW curriculum, our students develop foundational skills in English, mathematics, science and technology, history, geography, creative arts, and personal development, health and physical education (PDHPE). Through a combination of explicit teaching, hands-on learning experiences and purposeful play, children build their knowledge, confidence, creativity and social skills while developing a lifelong love of learning.

Starting Kindergarten involves learning lots of new routines! At Hurstville Grove Infants School, our caring teachers take the time to explicitly teach, model and practise these routines to help every child feel confident and settled.

Throughout the day, children learn to:

• Unpack their school bags and organise their belongings
• Follow classroom routines and participate in learning activities
• Enjoy fruit break, recess and lunch with their friends
• Use the toilets and bubblers independently
• Move safely and confidently around the school
• Build friendships, play cooperatively and ask for help when needed

We understand that every child settles into school at their own pace. Our small, supportive school environment allows us to get to know each child as an individual and provide the care, encouragement and guidance they need to thrive.

At the beginning of Kindergarten, all students participate in the Best Start Kindergarten Assessment.

This friendly, one-on-one assessment provides an opportunity for our teachers to get to know your child and understand their early literacy and numeracy skills. The information gathered helps us plan engaging, targeted learning experiences that build on each child's strengths and support their individual learning needs.