Transitions
Transitions – what they are and why we do them @ OGPS
At school we focus a great deal on transitions.
We transition students into our school (future Preps), between year levels and then out the school as they move on to Secondary College.
As we begin our fourth and final school term for 2025, I thought it would be timely to share with you all the transitions that have already begun and are being planned for the remainder of the school year.
Foundation (2026 students) – Last term we begun transition for our 2026 Prep students. They have participated in 3 sessions with their ‘Year 4 Buddy’. This is a vital step to begin the relationship between staff, students, parents and the wider school community. Being a ‘Buddy’ is a highlight for our students at OGPS. They love sharing all the great things about our school with their Prep Buddy and helping settle them into school life. Kinder visits have also been completed by our Prep team, DI and MHWL. These kinder visits provide invaluable information and are wonderful conversations about our future OGPS students.
Current Foundation Students - Current Foundation teachers take their class to the Year 1 classrooms and run literacy activities for the morning in these rooms to familiarise themselves with the Year 1 space. This happens when the Year 1 students have specialists, and will continue into the last few weeks of Term 4. For “Investigations” they split the groups into ‘trial’ classes and observe and take notes how students interact with each other to help form 2026 classes. During lunch eating times, teachers ‘pair up’ classes so students can build relationships with students in other prep classes as they could be classmates in the following year.
Year 1 to Year 3 Students – are introduced to 2026 learning spaces ahead of time. They are shown the classrooms, common areas and outside lunch eating spaces. When appropriate, students are taught by their 2025 teacher in the year level above classrooms. Students are placed into trial groups, so teachers can look at group dynamics and relationships.
Year 4 students - have been going down to the SLC for more than a term for ‘Humanities’ sessions. They are becoming familiar with the learning space and the behaviours that are acceptable in an open learning environment. This is a vital transition as they are moving from portable classrooms into a larger learning area. Year 5 teachers from this year also share information with the Year 4 students around how the SLC works and things to expect in the senior school.
Year 5 students – will be experiencing the Year 6 end of the SLC during Term 4. They will get a chance to work on their leadership and understand the expectations of being Year 6 students.
Year 6 students - secondary school visits have already begun. We transfer information to local secondary schools about students’ learning, development and needs in the classroom. When necessary, we hold Student Support Group (SSG) meetings with Secondary Schools for more in-depth and private information sharing. During this term, previous OGPS students return to share their experiences of Secondary College with our current Year 6 students. This is a great chance for them to ask questions and hear positive stories about moving through to the next stage of their education.
What parents and carers can do to support transitions:
Positive Communication: Talk openly and positively about the upcoming year level, and if you have anxieties about the change as the parent, try to downplay them to avoid transferring them to the child.
Familiarise with the New Environment: Discuss what the new year will be like and what they can expect.
Encourage Independence: Encourage children to take responsibility for their belongings, like their school bags, and gradually build self-reliance.
Foster Social Connections: Arrange playdates or extracurricular activities to help children form new friendships and broaden their social circles in the new setting.
Emphasise Social Skills: Help children develop essential social skills like communication and building self-confidence.
Exciting news for Term 4! (Upcoming events in Term 4)
We will be holding a ‘Step Up Day’ on Tuesday December 9th from 11:30am-1:30pm.
What Step Up Day will be:
- Whole school ‘stepping up’ to their 2026 year level area.
- More exposure to learning spaces.
- Students feeling/experiencing what it will be like to be in the year level above.
- Hearing from the current 2025 teachers of that year level.
What Step Up Day won’t be:
- Students in their2026 classes or classroom.
- Students meeting their 2026 classroom teacher.
All students at OGPS will find out their 2026 classroom teacher, classroom and classmates on Thursday 18th December. This is an exciting time of the year. We celebrate the current year, and some may have nervous anticipation about the following year. Your work as parents in this space is crucial.
Creating classes takes many hours for our staff. They consider academic, social, emotional, wellbeing, friendships, additional needs or adjustments of students (and many other things!) when building equal classes. As you can imagine it is a complex and time-consuming task.
Please find the attached document outlining our school policy around class placement of students:
Regards,
Ryan Baltetsch
Inclusive Practices Learning Specialist