Warilla North’s transition program has kick-started the school year with students already comfortable in their new space. Photo: Warilla North PS.
First-day jitters and the uncertainty of heading into a new school year have been replaced with confidence and excitement at Warilla North Public School through a unique transition program.
Thousands of students across the region will walk into new classrooms today, with new teachers, new experiences and new challenges as the first day of school for 2026 kicks off.
But the kids at Warilla North Public School are already familiar with what to expect after having transitioned up in the last two weeks of term four last year.
“It just gives them that chance to build those relationships, confidence within their classroom and getting that familiarity with what’s going to happen for the next year,” Warilla North PS principal Nicole Riley said.
“We had lots of students with lots of anxiety leading into the holidays and coming back and we have found that’s really taken a lot of that anxiety away.
“So when our students walk back in for term one, they’re not walking into the unknown, they’re walking back into the classroom and a space that already feels familiar and safe to them.”
All staff are ready to greet students at the gate, with the program leading to less tears at drop-off and a greater understanding of what’s to come for children and their families.
“What we’ve found is our parents really appreciate knowing what’s coming and it just gives a really strong sense of belonging and engagement across the whole school,” she said.
“What we realised is the anxiety that we were seeing wasn’t really about the children, it was really about how we had the system set up and once we changed that everything started to shift.”
While the program is designed to help students move through the school system, they also cater for key leaps, with a pre-kindy playgroup to help parents get to know the school before kids start, and support for Year 6 students heading to high school.
“With the high school transition our kids go to the high school for two full days during those two weeks and they go with a teacher from the school, just getting to know the campus, getting to know what’s happening at the high school; some of the teachers do some lessons for them,” Nicole said.
“It’s really been a process that has come a long way when we realised that transition happens for everyone, every single time there’s change and we need to really support that.”
The benefits aren’t just on the first day, with the program proving successful year-round including increasing the attendance to more than 90 per cent.
“We’ve also had some huge academic outcomes because we start the year learning, because we’ve done all the connections and building of relationships and had those expectations taught, so we see it in our data and more importantly every day – calmer classrooms, stronger relationships and students who are actually ready to learn,” Nicole said.
She said it was only made possible through the support of the whole school team – from teachers, to office staff and general assistants, who worked to create the best approach for their specific students and school community rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all mould.
“This is what public education does best,” Nicole said.
“When every child is truly known, valued and cared for, you have a team that genuinely understands their students, it means you’re not just changing the first day of school, we’re actually able to change how children feel about school and for us that’s what makes all the difference.”
To learn more about the school visit the Warilla North PS website.
