GIVE your child the best possible transition to school with a Flying Start at Cohuna Consolidated School.
Flying Start is a program designed to ensure a smooth, gradual and nurturing transition to primary school.
Over six sessions spread across terms three and four, pre-school aged children will be able to meet teachers, make new friends and get a taste of their new school environment.
Cohuna Consolidated School Principal Ben Hawthorn said the program is invaluable for all school-starters.
“We know the more we can transition our kids, the more experience we give them in a school setting, the better they’ll be for their next year,” Mr Hawthorn said.
“It gives us a chance to get to know the students, but it also gives the students an opportunity to get to know us as a school.
“It means when they start next year, it’s not new to them – they’re already part of the school community.
“When they start school next year it isn’t their first day, it’s their 12th day.”
The Flying Start sessions run from 9am to 10am on Fridays, and soon-to-be students will engage in hands-on activities like painting and building.
Students will explore early literacy through letters and storytelling and develop numeracy skills with games and puzzles.
Students’ confidence will also be boosted with activities like show-and-tell in a warm and welcoming school environment.
Groups will be sized between 10 and 20 students.
Principal Hawthorn has seen the implementation of the Flying Start program at other schools work with great effect.
“Our kids transition pretty much from the day they’re born, when they move from a cot to a bed, or from home into daycare,” Mr Hawthorn said.
“Kids are actually really good at transitioning when they’re given the opportunity to do so in a safe and kind environment.
“We’re hoping that this program will work really well as we go forward with our Early Learning Centre which will be operational in 2027.”
To register for the CCS Flying Start program contact the school on: cohuna.cs@education.vic.gov.au or 03 5456 2361.
