Friday, August 14, 2009

Mentor buddies

Buddies visit Kindergarten

Since September last year we have had a project involving Mangere Bridge School and some of their year 5 children. These children become buddies for our children transitioning to that school and visit once a week to spend time with an individual child and build a relationship that will carry over into the school. Once the kindergarten child goes to school this person becomes their "read - to" buddy at school each day. We have had 22 over the time since September and currently have 7 buddies visiting on Wednesday.


The buddies have portfolios too and spend time with their kindergarten child revisiting learning and events in their lives.
This has been just such a great support to children transitioning to school. One little girl added her school buddy to her birthday party list before anyone else, another changed her mind completely about going to school when she had initially decided she really didn't need to go to school and it has also created unexpected links between the junior and senior schools.


We have now begun a similar buddy programme with Waterlea School and have 7 buddies visiting on Friday. It makes for a busy week but it has been an extremely positive addition to our transition project and to supporting learning for both kindergarten and school children.

5 comments:

  1. Wow, what an amazing idea, so great that you can all work together to make starting school so successful. I imagine your year 5 buddies especially enjoy coming to Kindergarten and learn so much as they join in your work and play. I would love to start this idea up with our local school, something to work towards. Thanks for sharing.
    Tania - Manaia Kindergarten

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  2. this sounds like something we could try- what a great addition to the camera and portfolio initiative. Ann Pukerua Bay Kindergarten

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  3. The year 5 children at our school really enjoy being buddies. They enjoy it so much that the word has spread and I now have a constant stream of children asking when they can have a turn at being a 'Kindy Mentor' Emma- Mangere Bridge School

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  4. Kia Ora Team,

    Well done, fantastic to hear our friendships are being fostered within transition. I will share this with the centres in my ECE ICT PL cluster in the Hawkes Bay who are looking at Transition. Can the buddies Skype each other in the two settings and when the buddy is at your service-how does this work with enrolment policies? Does a Teacher accompany them?
    Janine Durno
    CORE Education
    http://akomai.blogspot.com/

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  5. This Buddy idea is great. Thanks for sharing at the Transition Conference. We are taking this idea to our Transition Cluster meeting tomorrow.
    nice to put faces to names at Conference.

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