Your one stop shop for Kindergarten readiness
What an exciting time for your family! No doubt it feels like only yesterday that your child was a baby in your arms and now you are the parent to an almost Kindergartener!
If this is your first child starting their formal educational journey, you are sure to have a lot of questions. Many of these will be answered at the upcoming Kinder Orientation sessions, but this page will give you a head start in helping you feel prepared.
Thank you for considering St Mary’s College for the beginning of this very special journey for your child.
“The St Mary’s Kinder team is looking forward to working with you and your child with great anticipation.”
Supporting your child’s wellbeing
When your child is confident and comfortable with themselves, that is when they truly excel. St Mary’s College is dedicated to fostering your child’s wellbeing and have a number of resources available to ensure their wellbeing is supported.
Download handout on separation anxiety here: Separation anxiety flier
Download handout on meet the wellbeing team and our programs here: Wellbeing at SMC
Supporting your child’s learning
In Kinder, we will focus on enhancing your child’s strengths, recognising that all children are allowed to develop at their own pace to reach their own individual potential. St Mary’s College is committed to challenging all students to reach their learning potential.
The Lantern Program provides both learning support and extension programs to facilitate appropriate ways for students to engage with the curriculum and aspects of College life on the same basis as others.
Find out more about the Lantern Program here: SMC Lantern Program
Allied Health Professional assessments
If you have any learning and development concerns regarding your child that you think our Lantern Coordinator should be aware of, please make our Head of Junior School aware of this prior to your enrolment interview. You will have the chance to make a note of these concerns prior to the interview by completing the parent declaration form that the College will send you. If your child has accessed any allied health care professionals (such as speech therapists, St Giles programs or occupational therapists) prior to Kinder, please provide copies of their reports to the College so that we can ensure your child has adequate support. Please know that notification of learning delays will not affect the likelihood of enrolment acceptance in any way.
Can my child start Kinder before they turn 4?
READ MOREStarting age:
Children may begin Kindergarten if they are four years old on, or before, 1 January in the year of enrolment.
Children arrive at Kinder with a broad range of abilities and readiness in terms of education and social.
A child can enter Kindergarten up to six months earlier than usual if they meet the gifted requirements. This would require the formal assessment of a registered psychologist and the completion of an early entry application form. Early entry is not for children born in January and February who seem to be ready for school.
More information is available at the following link:
Selecting the balance that’s right for your child and family:
We are pleased to offer our families flexible options for Kindergarten in 2025. All Kinders will have three compulsory ‘core’ days, but families have the option of requesting four days or even five days of Kinder per week. Families can nominate one of the three options. The final allocation of days will be nominated by the College to ensure optimal class sizes.
These extended Kinder options have been developed to support working families who are currently utilising childcare options alongside Kinder.
If you are in the position of not still requiring childcare for two days a week, you may be considering if you should choose three or five days of kinder for your child. Three days of learning and socialising is a tiring change to your child’s routine, so where possible, three days of Kinder is an excellent starting point. If your child is still regularly having a day nap and will turn four very close to January 1, five days of Kindergarten will be very tiring for them.
For those children taking advantage of additional days to complement the three core days of kinder, the College has coordinated a gradual start, to help ease children into the busy routine. The additional days of kinder will commence from week 5 Of Term 1.
If you are still unsure of whether to opt for the additional Kinder days, where space allows, there may be the option of adding additional days later in the year.
Early Literacy and Numeracy expectations
A common question parents have is ‘what does my child need to know before starting Kinder?’ It is less than you probably expect. If your child can write their own name on the first day of Kinder, that’s fantastic! It’s not, however, an expectation. They also don’t need to know how to write every letter of the alphabet or write numbers up to 10. This information is consolidated during their Kinder year.
A large part of Kinder is getting children used to the social aspect of school and participating as a member of a group. E.g. learning how to share, function as a member of a group, sit still and pay attention for sustained periods of time, put up their hand to ask a question, take responsibility for their personal care and their belongings, develop a sense of responsibility and independence, appropriately express their feelings and ideas. This is all outlined in the Early Years Learning Framework in the Kinder handbook.
Encouraging independence:
– Children develop skills like dressing themselves at different rates. It can help grow their confidence and independence in readiness for Kindergarten to practice some skills before their first day of school.
– Encourage their child to put on and take off their own shoes. If they’re not ready for learning how to tie shoelaces yet, look for shoes with Velcro straps.
– Encourage your child to put on or take off their own jumper/jacket. Jumpers are surprisingly tricky for four year olds.
– Get your child to practice blowing and wiping their own nose, without adult assistance, and remind them how to cover their coughs and sneezes, to avoid the spread of germs.
– Practice opening up and closing their own lunchbox. This is something to keep in mind when buying new lunch boxes etc. Some popular lunchbox brands are easy for children to open, but not close effectively, which can lead to spilled lunchboxes and lots of tears!
– Practice opening up and closing their own drink bottle. If you’re purchasing a new drink bottle for Kinder, consider if your child can work it independently, along with if assessing its leak-proof capacity! If your child finds it too tricky to open their drink bottle, they might not drink as much as they need to stay hydrated.
– Practice opening packets/wrappers/containers of food you might pack in their lunch boxes. If they’re still struggling with some wrappers, maybe open them up a little bit to give them a ‘head start’. Cheese stick wrappers and muesli bars are tricky for little hands!
– Practice using the zips to open the school bag/lunch bag and fastening buttons
– Encourage your child to pack their own school bag and lay out their uniform the night before.
How can I encourage early language awareness?
READ MOREDeveloping your child’s language skills:
How can I help develop my child’s language skills?
Oral language and phonological awareness are the foundations for student learning. Children who have strong oral language skills often have strong reading and writing skills. So get chatty with your child, read to them, sing to them and even play Eye Spy!
Some ideas for developing language in fun ways include:
– Reading books with rhyme – Dr Seuss books are fantastic!
– Singing or reading nursery rhymes together.
– Playing Eye Spy, focusing on the initial sound instead of the letter. E.g. “Eye spy something beginning with the sound ‘rrrrrrrrrrrrr’… yes, it’s ‘road’.”
– Reading to your child every night before bed.
– Taking your child to the local library to borrow books or participate in ‘Rocky and Rhyme’ sessions.
– Talking about books and their meaning.
For tips on getting your kids talking and learning why reading and talking with your kids is so important, check out this resource: https://talk.tas.gov.au/
Should I be worried if my child is still toilet training at 4?
READ MOREToileting concerns:
– While the majority of children enrolling in Kindergarten are toilet trained, children grow and develop at different speeds, and some children of a kindergarten age are not developmentally ready. If this is the case with your child, please inform our Kindergarten staff so that we can plan the appropriate support.
– Accidents happen, particularly when young children are adjusting to a new environment or big changes in their life.
– Rest assured that when this happens, our staff will ensure that children’s needs are met in a caring environment which aims to minimize anxiety and provide privacy and encouragement.
– We suggest that parents provide a spare change of underpants and clothes, in case of accidents, but know that our kindergarten cupboard is well stocked to help with clothes in emergency situations.
– The Kindergarten classrooms include toilet facilities that are for the sole use of our kinders, which are well-suited to our youngest students in terms of size and usability.
What should I pack in my child’s school lunchbox?
READ MORETips on lunchbox food:
– Getting your child involved in choosing, preparing and packing their own lunch will make them more likely to eat it.
– Sometimes it seems like the only coloured food young children feel comfortable with is beige! But if possible, encourage them to ‘eat a rainbow’ and try and include fruit and vegetables of a few different colours.
– There are plenty of websites or Facebook groups which offer suggestions of healthy lunchbox food ideas if the kids are in a lunch box rut.
– Sometimes something as simple as cutting fruit or vegies in a different shape can encourage children to give it a taste.
– St Mary’s College is a Move Well Eat Well school which encourages healthy lunch box contents and ‘nude food’ (food with less packaging).
– There is no ‘lunch box police’, however, and we understand that younger palates are tricky to please and understand that many children have food sensitivities/aversions. A full tummy is ultimately best so they have enough fuel to sustain them for a busy day of learning and playing.
– Fill your child’s drink bottle with water, rather than juice or cordial, to avoid sugar spikes and dental cavities.
– St Mary’s College, along with most schools, is a ‘nut aware’ school. This means that we ask students to not bring food containing nuts to school to protect students with severe nut allergies. Unfortunately, food allergies are becoming more common in Australia, so please consider avoiding lunchbox foods that your child’s classmates might be allergic to. Your class teacher will notify you of additional allergens, if relevant.
– Please encourage your child to be aware that some food in their lunchbox is for lunch and some is for recess. Discussing this at home will help both your child and the staff at eating time.
– Worth a look if you need some inspiration:
Uniform tips:
– Kindergarten students will wear the College’s sports uniform, which is available to purchase from the College’s uniform shop. The formal uniform is introduced from Year 3.
– Purchasing some second-hand items of uniform is a great idea, especially when children grow so fast and spend lots of time playing, painting and exploring in Kinder. You can find plenty of good quality (and sometimes even free) uniform items on the second-hand uniform Facebook group: ‘St Mary’s College Hobart Buy/Sell/Swap Second Hand Uniforms and Text Books’.
– It will of course depend on your washing routines and how dirty your little one gets to how many items of uniform your child needs to get them through Kinder comfortably.
– Two polo tops, a jumper, a pair of trackpants and a pair of shorts or a skort should serve you well.
– More information about exact uniform requirements can be found in the Kindergarten Handbook.
What aspects of Religious Education are covered in Kinder?
READ MOREReligious Education in Kinder:
In Kindergarten, children are given a gentle introduction to God and the idea that our Catholic faith is underpinned by God’s love for us and His Earth. Children will discuss God, Jesus and Mary, including who they are, why they are special to us and why we follow their example. We talk about Jesus as a kind and caring person, who includes everyone.
They will also learn about Nano Nagle, the founder of the Presentation Sisters, and her relevance to the history of St Mary’s College.
Life and Faith lessons throughout the year are largely based on answering questions such as ‘What is prayer and why do we do it?’, ‘How am I a part of God’s Family?’, ‘Why do we gather in the Church?’ and ‘How can I be like Jesus?’.
During Lent the Children will discuss the Easter Story and in Advent they will discuss the Christmas Nativity story.
Kinder doesn’t have specific ‘lessons’ in RE but the Catholic faith is intertwined in our day, using teachable moments and immersion. Our Kinder promotes the values of love, kindness, respect and acceptance. Children in Kinder start their faith journey through discussions and wonderings, stories, songs and books.
Kinder students will learn faith routines such as a simple prayer to start and end their day with and visit places of prayer such as the school’s Adrian Doyle Chapel and St Mary’s Cathedral. Children will also have the chance to participate in age-appropriate liturgies, such as waving palms for Palm Sunday, and significant whole school Masses, such as the Nano Nagle Mass in April and Thanksgiving Mass at the end of the year.
While St Mary’s is a Catholic school, we are respectful of all religions and religious beliefs and seek to share and teach our Catholic faith in an inclusive way that takes into account the various backgrounds and experiences of our students.
For more information on the Catholic Experience, please view the booklet.
Are there any relevant health checks I need to know about?
READ MOREFour year old check up:
We encourage parents to take your child to their four-year-old check-up with the Child Health Nurse prior to starting Kinder. This check-up includes a basic eyesight test, which is a valuable assessment to have completed prior to commencing their formal education. Other concerns that may be flagged at this time include language development and other age-appropriate milestones. More information can be found here.
A guide to your child’s development at four years – Child Health and Parenting Service
How can I support my tired little learner?
READ MORESupporting tired learners:
Sleep is important for growth, learning, memory and immunity. Children aged 3-5 years needs 10-13 hours of sleep a night. A bedtime of 7.00pm-7.30pm might be useful in helping them to recover after a busy day of school.
– Kindergarten is a big change for four year olds and new routines and experiences are very tiring at first. Not to mention the amount of birthday parties that are suddenly on the social calendar!
– You will notice how tired your child is at the end of the school week and school term. This can present in a number of ways: wanting quieter activities after school, falling asleep in the car, sleeping in, or a lessening ability to emotionally regulate.
– If your child is tearful or grumpy once their home after a big day at school, take this as a compliment! They have been learning and emotionally regulating all day, and now they’re at home in their ‘safe space’ with their ‘safe person’ where they can let their emotions overflow.
– Our Kinder staff are born for this role and know your child better than they know themselves. They are finely tuned into the kinder’s energy levels and feelings and know when to adjust the day’s schedules accordingly.
– It wasn’t that long ago that your child was enjoying a midday nap! An important part of the kinder routine is a quiet relaxation period after the lunch break.
– Consider opting for an early bedtime or restful after school activities when your kinder child is extra tired. Sometimes all that learning fosters an increased appetite, so a healthy after school snack might assist in easing any hanger attacks. Where possible, consider some quiet ways for your child to wind down after school, such as looking at books, colouring in, play doh etc.
– Keep electronic devices out of your child’s bedroom and help them wind-down for the night with a hard copy story, rather than screen time. Find out more about screen time and sleep here.
– Perhaps consider delaying or putting on hold some after school activities until your child has settled into Kinder to help manage their energy levels.
What’s a good routine for Kinder children?
READ MOREThe importance of routine:
Routines are incredibly helpful in supporting tired learners and assisting in reducing anxiety.
– Set out clothes ready for the day the night before.
– Pack bag ready for the day the night before.
– Hold off on screen time until after your child is ready for the day – in their uniform, teeth brushed, bag ready by the front door next to their school shoes. This hopefully might result in less nagging and rushing out the door so the start to the day is already positive before walking through the school gates.
– Breakfast is an important start to the day – don’t skip it!
– The plan for a successful day starts the night before, with a good night’s rest. Sleep is important for growth, learning, memory and immunity. Children aged 3-5 years needs 10-13 hours of sleep a night. A bedtime of 7.00pm-7.30pm might be useful in helping them to recover after a busy day of school.
– Have a ‘wind down’ routine every night which limits screen time. E.g. dinner, bath, book, bed.
– Consider turning off all electronic devices a minimum of one hour before bed. Studies show that an excess of screen time before bed can seriously disrupt the melatonin surge needed to fall asleep. Find out more about screen time and sleep here.
See what a typical day of Kinder looks like here:
I’m keen to connect with other Kindergarten parents… how do I go about this?
READ MOREGetting social:
Every year, some magnificent parent volunteers to create a Kinder parent Facebook group which all parents/carers of the Kinder children for that year are welcome to join. Even if Facebook isn’t your cup of tea, parents largely find this group to be a really helpful and supportive resource. It is not an official group run by the College, but rather administrated by parent volunteers.
Parents might use this space to share resources or ask questions. E.g. who wants to meet up for a park play before the first day of Kinder? Did I miss a notice about PJ Day? Any good recommendations for gymnastics groups?
If there is any school related information you want to confirm, however, please refer to communication from the College, such as the newsletter, emails or notifications via Class Dojo.