Primary One Transition

Dear Parent/Carer

Transition to Primary One at Mauricewood Primary, April Update

We are delighted to welcome you and your child to Mauricewood Primary School. Starting Primary One is a very exciting and important time in a child’s life and it is important that we work together to support our new P1 learners to have a successful transition to school.

Below is an overview of how we plan to support the transition process this year. Further details will follow. We ensure equity of experience across all our feeder settings, so whether your child is in Mauricewood ELC or another setting, they will have the opportunity to participate in all our transition events.

Parent / Carer Information Event

We are inviting you to attend an information sharing event at Mauricewood on Wednesday 4th June between 5.30pm and 6.30pm. There will be a short information session with members of the Senior Leadership Team and an opportunity to visit the P1 classrooms and shared spaces. You will also receive an information pack. We are unable to offer childcare during this event and ask that, wherever possible, children do not attend.

Communication

The school app is our main way of communicating with and sharing information with our families. We will also use this to share transition information with you. You can access the app by taking the following steps: go to your App Store / Google Play and search for School App for Parents; download the app and then select Mauricewood Primary School from the drop down menu. We are currently updating our school website so that you can also access transition information on there. Please check this so that you can keep up to date with news and information from the school.

Mid-Mouse

We will be participating in the Midlothian Mid-Mouse project again this year. All new P1’s will be gifted a knitted mouse which they will bring with them from their ELC to P1. Children in a Midlothian setting will receive their mouse from their setting and arrangements will be made for anyone from a setting out with Midlothian to collect their mouse. We will be sharing linked stories and activities which you and your child can also engage in. All of this will take place towards the end of the summer term.

Oakley - “When Mid Mouse met Oakley”

This year we will be taking part in the ‘When Mid Mouse met Oakley’’ digital transition project. The project is shown through an online book. The book tells and shows the story of Mid Mouse transitioning from ELC to meet Oakley the dog in Primary 1 and comparing environments and routines to help support transition. This will be of benefit to both Preschoolers and Primary 1.

In-Person Visits for Children and Parents

Our main transition visits will be take place in June and there will be a range of opportunities, including:

❖ You are invited to come to the school for a tour led by our P7 House Captains. These will take place Friday 23rd May at 11.00 and on Friday 30th May at 11.00 and will last for approximately half an hour. You can decide which one you would like to join us for.

❖ A visit to the school for each new P1 child to spend some time in their classroom with their new teacher. ‘Meet the Teacher’ for new P1s will take place on Thursday 12th June, from 10.00 - 11.30. Children who are already at Mauricewood ELC will be taken to their new classroom by ELC staff. Parents / Carers of pupils from other settings should bring their children to the school and should remain in the school whilst their child meets their new teacher. Refreshments will also be provided for parents who stay.

❖ School Lunch on Thursday 12th June. On the same day as Meet the Teacher we would like our new P1 children to join us for a school lunch in the school dinner hall. We have enclosed a letter to indicate what choice of lunch you would like your child to have. We would appreciate it if you could return this to the school either at the Parent Information Session on Wednesday 4th June or by handing it into the school office before then. Parents / Carers of children from other settings should remain in school to accompany their children if they wish their child to take part. The parents / carers of children from Mauricewood ELC are very welcome to come and join their child for lunch but if they are not able to, their child will still be supported by the staff team. More information about the Welcome Lunch to follow.

❖ A family Book Bug session at Mauricewood ELC on 20th May and 22nd May from 15.45 - 16.15. Each Book Bug session is the same and you should only come to one of them to ensure that we have space for everyone. Please can you contact the school office via telephone or email to confirm which one you would like to attend. If one session proves to be more popular then, we may need to limit the numbers however, each family will still be able to attend one of the sessions.

❖ An outdoor Play experience in our school grounds, run by our ELC staff. You and your child will be invited to come along on one of these dates: 30th May, 6th June or 13th May. Further and confirmation of which date you and your child are invited to attend will follow

Sharing Information/Meeting Learners’ Needs

Please be assured that we will be working closely with all our feeder settings to ensure the appropriate transfer of relevant information and ensure a detailed handover once the staffing for the P1 classes next year are finalised. Some learners may require an enhanced transition and this will be discussed with ELC settings, parents / carers and multi-agency teams as appropriate.

Please complete the enclosed ‘Health and Wellbeing Information’ form. This should be returned during the Parent / Carer information evening or can be handed into the school office before this if you are unable to attend.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me using the school contact details

With Kind Regards,

Jane Cunningham - Depute Head Teacher