see also Early Learning Transition Program

St Kilda Primary School is strongly committed to the Early Years of Schooling Program in both Literacy and Numeracy. Early Years is linked with the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) where ‘Laying the Foundations’ is the level for the Prep to Year 4 classrooms.

Every effort is made to ensure small class sizes particularly from Prep to Year 2 to enhance Early Years teaching and learning programs.

We have ten hours of Literacy instruction each week and a dedicated 2 hour literacy block 4 times a week that focuses on Reading, Writing (including spelling, handwriting, grammar and punctuation) and Speaking and Listening. In this time, the teachers work with children in shared reading and writing, small group (guided reading and writing), learning centres and share time.  In reading children are assessed and work in groups with children reading at a similar ability level.

The Early Years Numeracy Program incorporates the areas of Number, Measurement, Space, Chance and Data and Reasoning Strategies and is timetabled for 1 – 1 ½ hours daily.

Students develop skills and understandings as a whole class and in small groups working with the teacher.
 
Each child’s progress is closely monitored through ongoing assessment (formal and anecdotal).   Groups are established using the Early Years Numeracy Electronic Interview and programs are tailored accordingly.

Parent training courses are offered in both Literacy and Numeracy to encourage parental involvement in their child’s schooling. The daytime courses (Parents as Classroom Helpers) inform and guide parents on how they can help effectively in the classroom on a weekly/fortnightly basis. This may involve working with an individual child or supervising a small group of children under the teacher’s guidance.
A Literacy night (Parents as Tutors) shows parents how they can assist their child at home with reading, writing and spelling.

In addition to this a Curriculum Expo is held at the beginning of every year where class and specialist teachers provide an outline of their programs.

early learning transition program

St Kilda Primary School is providing a quality ‘Early Learning’ Transition Program to a limited number of children.

The program will be offered to children in their final year of kinder and will provide a range of rich literacy and numeracy based learning activities and games in a small group environment. The three hour programs will be conducted on a Wednesday in term 3 and on a Tuesday and Thursday in term 4 for 8 weeks each term. Group sizes will be limited to 10 children per session.

The general aims of the program are:

• To give children in their final year of kinder the opportunity to become familiar with the primary school environment through a variety of fun, interactive literacy and numeracy activities, enabling a smooth transition to school.
  
  
• To give parents the opportunity to experience a little taste of primary school life at St Kilda Primary School and to become familiar with our school and its community.

For more information, see the brochure, or call the school office.