Getting ready for school

Below are some suggestions that may assist you to prepare your child for school.

Essential equipment that your child will need to start school

• School summer uniform and sports uniform (see the Uniform tab).
• School shoes – black leather (or alternative materials) shoes. Velcro or buckles are fine if they can’t tie laces. Joggers/runners can only be worn on Wednesday (sports day).
• Back pack - the backpack should be large enough to fit a A4 size home reading bag, large library book, lunch box and drink bottle and a jumper/jacket. The school has bags to purchase if required, contact the school office to place an order.
• Lunch box - choose one that your child can open.
• Drink bottle for water.
• Paint shirt – old large long sleeve shirt works well
• Library bag

In the weeks leading up to the first day

Introduce what going to school will be like for your child by practising parts of the school day routine.

• Practise a morning routine of waking up early, putting on school uniforms and packing school bags.
• Establishing a regular bedtime routine will help your child get enough sleep to wake up refreshed and ready to learn.
• Practise morning tea and lunch time routines. You may like to set up opportunities for your child to practise getting their lunchbox out of their school bag and teaching them to open it by themselves. Children may need help to identify what they eat at morning tea and lunch. Help your child to manage their food by only packing containers and food packaging that they can independently open.
• Try to align your child’s morning tea and lunch time to a similar time to when they will be having these breaks at school - 11.10am for morning tea and 1.10pm for lunch.
• Help your child get familiar with wearing closed-in-toe shoes for the whole school day by setting regular times in the day where they need to wear and be active in their new school shoes.
• Write your child’s name on everything (iron on labels and laundry markers work best).
• Make sure you have the school’s phone number in a handy place at home, and on your mobile phone.
• Don’t buy school stationery before school commences. Your child’s teacher will advise you after school starts what equipment you may need to buy.
• Fill in a bus pass application if required. Applications must be made online. Children do not require a bus pass until they start year 3. 

The night before school starts

• Lay out your child’s clothes, shoes and socks.
• You may like to plan or make your child’s lunch tonight and pop it in the fridge.
• Assist your child to pack their school bag so they learn what belongs to them.
• Stick to familiar routines and try to have a calm evening to help your child settle before sleep time as they may be feeling excited or nervous.
• Pack a spare pair of underpants and socks in a plastic bag. Let your child know these are in bags in case they have a toilet accident at school.

The first day

• Allow additional time in the morning and encourage your child to dress themselves and help to pack their own bags. Remember to take a few gorgeous first day of school photos!
• Talk enthusiastically about the day ahead and mention some fun things they may be going to do. 
• Try to develop a positive goodbye routine together and avoid lengthy goodbyes as they may increase separation distress. Ensure your child knows where you will be waiting for them at pick-up time.
• Apply sunscreen to your child each morning. They will need to wear their school hat when outside the classroom.

The first weeks of school

• Children can be very tired in the first few weeks of school. Your child will need lots of sleep and downtime in the afternoons.
• Give your child a healthy breakfast to get them through their busy day.
• Make sure your child knows who will pick them up each day and where to meet.
• Check your child’s bag each night for school notes and lunch leftovers.
• Try to establish regular morning routines.
• Establish a shared reading time routine in the evenings.
• Talk to the teacher if you are interested in helping in the classroom.
• Chat to your child and their teacher regularly about their day at school.
• It is very important that after school your child still has time to relax, play outside and do things that they enjoy once they start school.

Additional Resources

The following resources may be helpful in getting your child ready to start school.

·         Getting ready for primary school (PDF 2.8MB) - a booklet with tips and checklists to help parents prepare their child for Kindergarten.

·         Daisy's First Day (PDF 5.5MB) - a children's book about Daisy the koala on her first day at primary school.

·         NSW Foundation Style writing guide (PDF 116.46KB).