At St Margaret’s College, we are committed to ensuring smooth transitions for our learners as they move through various stages of their education journey.

Here we believe that the key to a successful educational experience lies in the seamless transition from one stage to the next. In this week’s newsletter, I’d like to highlight our Transition to the SMC Junior School and Transition to the Middle School programs, both of which are carefully designed to provide a safe and supportive introduction to the next exciting phase of learning.

Transition to the SMC Junior School
For our five-year-olds embarking on their primary school journey, we have developed a comprehensive Transition to the SMC Junior School program. This program is tailored to ease the transition from preschool to the Junior School, ensuring that our young learners feel comfortable, supported, and excited about their new adventure.

Mrs Lewis’s class teaches some of our 2024 New Entrants our school karakia.

Our approach includes close collaboration with preschools to ensure a smooth handover of information about each child's unique needs and preferences. Through connection interviews with whānau, we take the time to learn as much as we can about each learner, appreciating their individuality.

The heart of our program lies in our school visits. The girls are warmly invited to join us for a series of visits that increase in length and depth. During these visits, they get to experience life in the SMC Junior School firsthand. They meet their future classmates and their wonderful teacher, Mrs. Lewis. These early connections and friendships help ease any apprehensions and create a sense of belonging.

The girls also engage in a variety of specialisation classes, giving them a glimpse of the exciting opportunities that await them. These visits provide a valuable opportunity for our future students to grow comfortable in the SMC Junior School environment.

Girls are buddied up with a current member of the class and it is amazing to see the leadership and growth opportunities this provides for our girls. They love being a buddy and are so proud to introduce our future class members to the rhythms of Junior School life.

For our New Entrants’ families, we aim to inform and connect with our parents so they have an understanding of this transition process. This may include a coffee morning, a Connection Interview, or a Meet the Teacher evening depending on the time of year.

Transition to the SMC Middle School
Just as we ensure a smooth transition for our younger learners, we also have a dedicated Transition to the Middle School program to support our Year 6 students as they prepare to enter this next chapter of their St Margaret’s journey. This program is thoughtfully designed to make this transition as smooth as possible. 

Our Transition to the Middle School program includes events that are focused on both the students and their parents/ caregivers. This ensures that everyone involved is well-informed and supported throughout the process. We understand that this transition can be a significant step, and our goal is to alleviate any concerns and provide a strong foundation for our girls' continued success. We are very grateful to Kathryn Gray, Head of Middle School, Rachel Quigley, Deputy Head of Middle School, Nicole Lloyd, Year 7 and 8 Dean, and Susie Campbell, Director of Admissions for the support and guidance they provide to all girls entering the middle school. 

As I write this, our Year 6s are spending the day with their Year 7 2024 cohort in an orientation day designed to familiarise them with Middle School processes and introduce them to their new classmates. They will meet their middle school tutor teacher and their tutor group and have a fun day preparing for this step into the next part of their SMC education journey. They have had visits and question sessions with Nicole and Kathryn and although there are some understandable nerves around this big move, the group is as a whole feeling confident, excited, and well-prepared for this next step. 

Perhaps most importantly, we’ve been able to have conversations with key middle school staff about what our Year 6 girls need most to succeed. The close relationship we have with our middle school colleagues enables the seamless transition from Junior to Middle School.

In both transition programs, we emphasise building a sense of community and belonging. We believe that creating connections early on helps foster a positive and nurturing learning environment, which is crucial for our students' growth and development. We know that the more knowledge the students have about their next steps, the smoother this transition is likely to be. 

At SMC Junior School, we are committed to providing the best possible support for our learners during their transitions both into and out of the Junior School. We are excited to welcome our new students to the SMC family and look forward to witnessing their growth and development throughout their time with us.

Have a lovely weekend.