Primary 1 Transition – August 2021

Information for Parents and Carers

Dear Parents and Carers,

I would like to welcome you to the Shawhead family and look forward to having you join our school community in August. We know that you will be feeling a mixture of emotions about your child starting school in August 2021 and I want to reassure you that it is perfectly normal. We understand it’s a big step for your child and your family and you will be both excited and nervous, and even more so given the current Covid restrictions. Rest assured, we will do everything we possibly can to make it a smooth transition and will keep you informed every step of the way.

Due to the fact this is an ever changing situation, we cannot give specific dates and details for the transition programme. However, the information below explains the adjustments we are putting in place to support your child in their transition from nursery to school. When we create videos and documents for you to access at home, a link will be shared with you via email.

 

Our Transition Programme

We normally…	This year we will…	We will do this in…..
Meet with parents to get to know their child.	Telephone each new P1 parent directly to find out about their child and answer any questions.	March and June 2021
Gift each child with a transition pack. This will include activities to be completed and an ‘I can..’ booklet.	Continue this tradition, but this year we will also include The Everywhere Bear story book, teddy and activities. The pack will be delivered by a member of school staff and social distancing will be adhered to.	May 2021
Invite pupils and families to visit the school and classrooms.	Create a virtual tour and share it with pupils and families.	April 2021
Meet the school leadership team and find out how they will be involved in looking after the children.	Create video messages from the leadership team and share them.	April 2021
Introduce P1s to their P7 buddies.	Share pictures of the buddies with the children.	April 2021
Children attend ‘Stay and Play’ sessions with class teacher and school leadership.	Children attend a ‘Stay and Play’ session outdoors with school leadership.	May/June 2021
Children invited for lunch at school.	Create a video of the school lunch hall and share an example of the lunch menu.	June 2021
Visit children in their nursery and speak with their key worker.	Call each nursery and speak with the key worker.	June 2021
Ensure the children meet the Primary 1 teacher and take part in some activities with her/him.	Share a picture of the Primary 1 class teacher with the new pupils.   Create a video of the Primary 1 teacher reading The Everywhere Bear.	This will be completed when all staffing has been finalised.
Invite parents to attend a curriculum information session in their child’s class.	Deliver the information session virtually or outdoors.	September 2021

 

At the moment, we cannot be more specific with details as we are awaiting more guidance. However, we assure you that we will do as much as we can and will keep you informed as the term progresses. In the meantime, we look forward to speaking to you in the near future and hope you enjoy the transition pack that will be delivered in the next few weeks.

 

Kind regards,

 

Helen Paterson

Head Teacher