At HPS we want to give your child the best possible start at school and so we encourage you to enrol your child well in advance of their 5th Birthday. This creates opportunities for parents, our New Entrant teacher, our Deputy Principal and your child to get to know one another before that ‘first day of school’ event.
HPS Sunflowers
“Where learning begins at 4!”
Our HPS Sunflower class is designed to set your child up for success at school. We offer a fun, caring and stimulating environment for your child to experience.
HPS Sunflowers establishes foundations for learning in literacy, numeracy, physical activity, music and movement. Taking turns, sharing and working together are a key theme of our Sunflowers programme.
As an introduction to the classroom students experience classroom routines, school bells and systems in small groups where they can talk about their learning and make discoveries together.
Children may attend 4 sessions of our fabulous HPS Sunflowers Preschool Class before they start school. This class is about nurturing your 4 year old into the HPS culture and environment while preparing them for success at school.
Parents and students who have attended this class speak highly of their experience and the impact it has had on raising confidence and making connections. Making friends and getting to know other children is a key component to our HPS Sunflower programme.
Our Sunflower class is taught by our New Entrant teacher, on Friday mornings from 8:50 – 11:00.
Classes are limited to 12 children and children must be accompanied by an adult.
Please phone the school office for further details.
09 534-6082
Students in the Sunflower class also join in school activities such as story time at the school library, exploring the Junior School playground and school orientation.
Parents are often involved in classroom learning alongside their child or in parent coffee group sessions run by the PTA in The Hub.
These coffee group sessions provide valuable opportunities to ask questions, learn how to support your child and their learning as well as meet other parents who will have children starting at a similar time to your child. Making connections with other HPS families is a strength of the Sunflower foundation class and playdates outside of school are encouraged.
Our HPS Sunflower programme also provides a special focus on fine motor skills. These skills involve the small muscles of the body that enable children to write, grasp small objects and fasten clothing. They involve strength, control and dexterity.
These skills are lay an important foundation for academic learning. At HPS Sunflowers students experience lots of fun learning activities that support fine motor development.
HPS Sunflowers compliments your child’s early childhood experiences and helps support a seamless transition into the New Entrant classroom.