It is important that parents provide all information that will assist us to know your child and their needs. This assists us in class placements and any supports that may be required.
Prep at Bardon
At Bardon State School, we believe that the transition to school should be as seamless as possible. Through our comprehensive transition program, we set out to establish positive relationships between children, parents and educators so that every family feels connected to our staff and school community. By purposefully fostering connections between school, kindergartens, other prior-to-school educators and families, we are able to build trust and establish open communication, ensuring that every child has a great start at school. To achieve this, our transition program entails the following:
· we meet with all prospective Prep students and their families
· we visit Kindergarten and Early Childhood settings and liaise with educators
· we host a series of transition events for students and parents. These events provide information to families and familiarity with Prep classrooms, Prep teachers and Prep experiences for both parents and new students.
This thorough transition program also provides lots of information to our school staff so that plans are in place to meet the needs of every child from Day 1.
Starting Prep in 2025 – Timeline
2024 Term 2 – Term 4: Bardon Buddies, our school-based playgroup is open to pre-school children of all ages (accompanied by an adult) – whether or not they reside within our catchment area and whether or not their parents intend to enrol them in Prep at Bardon.
Bardon Buddies takes place on Friday mornings 9:00am to 10:30am from the beginning of Term 2. Please check out our flyers or contact the office for more details.
2024 Term 2: From the beginning of Term 2, we accept applications for 2025 Prep enrolment. Please download the application forms from our website, complete and return to our school office.
If you reside within our catchment area, your child is guaranteed a place a place at our school. Each year, we also accept a small number of out-of-catchment enrolments.
All prospective Prep students and their families are invited to attend our Prep Open morning. This year's Prep Open morning will be held on Tuesday 14 May 2024 at 9am in the Birdcage. This is an opportunity to tour the school, understand our vision and ask questions. Please contact the office for further information about this event.
2024 Term 3 and 4: On receipt of enrolment application forms, all prospective Prep students and their families are invited to meet with a member of our Prep Transition team – these meetings take place in Term 3 and 4 and are an invaluable opportunity for us to start building a relationship with you and get to know your child. Offers of Prep places are sent to families from Term 3 onwards.
During Term 3 and 4, we also contact and visit pre-school providers to meet your child in their current educational setting and talk to the educators who know them well.
Prospective Prep families are also invited to a Parent Information Evening (Wednesday 4 September). This is generally held in Term 3.
2024 Under 8s Day (Friday 13 September). During this morning event, our current students (Prep to Year 2) are involved in a variety of hands-on and fun activities to celebrate being ‘under 8’. Our playgroup and prospective Prep students are also invited to attend, with an adult, to take part in these fun activities. This is a great way for students, not only to become familiar with the school, but to also meet some current students and make new friendships.
2024 Term 4: Enrolled students and their families will be invited to attend our "Ready, Set, Prep" Prep experience mornings. New students will spend time in the Prep classrooms with the Prep Teachers, playing games and making new friends, while parents are invited to an information session to learn more about preparing to start school and connect with other new parents over a cup of tea or coffee. Additional information packs will be sent to families at the start of the summer break, to help with the lead up to the first day of school. These sessions will take place on (Dates to be confirmed).
Afternoon Prep Playground Get Together (Term 4). This is an informal opportunity for children to become more familiar with our school grounds and for parents to connect.
If you have questions regarding any of the above information, please get in touch with us.
Transition to high school
Our Active Learning Team (ALT) works closely with personnel from The Gap State High School and other local High Schools to promote smooth transitions between the Primary and High School settings. All Year 5 and 6 students also have the opportunity to participate in a High School Experience day each year.
Individual support
Students with individual support needs may have additional visits to a new setting, visits from support personnel to Bardon State School or a range of other supports to ensure a smooth transition.