Preparing for the first day of school

CONTENTS

On this page

What you can expect on school visits
Points to remember
Alternate formats
More information

What you can expect on school visits#

Find out what you can expect to happen when your child starts their school visits.

Preparing for the first day of school

What you can expect to happen when your child starts their school visits.

(Background music.)

(Text on screen: Your child’s learning. Preparing for the first day of school.)

(The presenter is standing and talking, facing the camera.)

Kia ora, and welcome to this series of schooling information.

(A child holds a women’s hand and walks into the school hallway.)

Starting school is an exciting time for both you and your child or tamaiti.

(Two smiling children are sitting on the floor.)

(A woman uses a laptop.)

(Text on screen: Online enrolment maybe required.)

In New Zealand children can start school between their fifth and sixth birthdays. This may start with an online enrolment.

(A child holds a women’s hand and walks into the school hallway.)

(The teacher greets the child.)

(Text on screen: Pre-entry school visits.)

Usually just before their fifth birthday, they will be invited to pre-entry visits at the school | kura of your choice, usually the local school | kura.

(The child hangs up her school bag.)

(The teacher leads the child into the classroom.)

(Children playing on the playground.)

(A water bottle being filled.)

(Children having lunch.)

These visits introduce your child | tamaiti to the school | kura environment.

(Text on screen: Foster independence.)

To foster independence, they will be shown a number of things.

Where to hang their bag.
Where to put their lunchbox and drink bottle.
Where the toilets are.
Where to play at playtime.
Where to have a drink, and
where to sit for lunch.

(The teacher showing a card with the number 9 on it.)

(Children using maths workbooks.)

(Text on screen: Participate in learning activities.)

During the visit, your child |tamaiti will participate in the classroom learning activities, rich in literacy and maths.

(The presenter is standing and talking, facing the camera.)

School | kura routines may be tiring at first but in this environment your child | tamaiti will thrive.

(Background music.)

(Text on screen: Parent tip. To find a school that suits your family, check out the options and school zone info near you:

www.educationcounts.govt/find-school)

Points to remember#

In New Zealand, children can start school between their fifth and sixth birthdays.
This may start with an online enrolment, usually just before their fifth birthday.
First you contact with a school in your zone. Then they will invite you to pre-entry visits.
During the visit, your child will take part in classroom learning activities.
It will be tiring at first!