Five Day Kinder for St Joseph’s Catholic Schools
St Joseph’s Catholic Schools in Rosebery and Queenstown will launch a brand-new Five Day Kinder program in 2024, benefiting not only their school families, but also their respective communities.
This exciting program has just been officially announced and enrolments are now underway. Both schools will offer five full Kinder days each week during school terms.
Families are able to decide if their child will attend three, four or five days of Kinder a week - and on the weekdays of their choosing - with the idea being that they will progress to the full five days by the end of the year.
With no local childcare services in Rosebery, St Joseph’s Rosebery Principal Jessinda Jones said the Five Day Kinder program will open the door to many opportunities for families of the town.
“The wellbeing side of things is so important, to allow our families flexibility in their lives and their work hours,” Jessinda said.
In Queenstown there are some childcare amenities available, but places are limited and some families are not able to access these at all. The Five Day Kinder will make a big difference to the local community here too.
“This frees up some spaces in childcare. This can be hard to staff in our area, and sometimes means services will be cancelled with not much notice, but at Five Day Kinder there will be a consistent place that students can rely on,” St Joseph’s Queenstown Principal Teresa McLeod said.
Providing a safe and consistent space for children, and continuity in their care and education, are all at the heart of the Five Day Kinder program.
“Some of our current Kinders attend childcare on the other two days, so this will instead provide a consistent and familiar place that students belong to,” Teresa said.
“We are super excited to be working in this space, because it also gives us a greater possibility of engaging in and fostering relationships.
“Our school is a welcoming, happy space to be in, with the kids being really kind and encouraging to each other, and the staff are all excellent.”
The sense of belonging to the school community is important at Rosebery too, which is known for being tight-knit.
“Having our Kinders at school five days a week will give them a chance to be more involved in school events and more a part of school life,” Jessinda said.
“I love working here, it is like one big family, everyone is supportive and welcoming, and most of our Kinders are actually siblings of current students.”
The Five Day Kinder program will not only make the transition to the formal schooling years easier, it will also set a strong foundation for future learning.
“We know how critical those early years are - those first days, weeks and years of school - that is where all that groundwork is laid,” Teresa said.
“Our staff see this as an opportunity to be leaders in this space.”
Jessinda is equally excited about the opportunity to boost literacy, numeracy and social education, ready for the schooling years ahead.
“This is all about setting up their routines and expectations for the coming years, learning how to interact properly and other key social skills.”
Contact St Joseph's Catholic Schools to enquire today!
Rosebery
K-6 | Co-educational | Setup for Success
9 Propsting Street | T: 03 6473 1393
W: stjosephsr.tas.edu.au | E: stjr@catholic.tas.edu.au
Queenstown
K-6 | Co-educational | Setup for Success
1 Pontifex Street | T: 03 6471 1139
W: stjosephsq.tas.edu.au | E: stjosephsq@catholic.tas.edu.au
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Students from St Joseph's Catholic School Rosebery
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Enjoying some quiet reading are St Joseph's Catholic School Queenstown Kindergarten students. Pictured (front row from left) Arlo Harrison, Bille Hutchinson and Evelyn Petroff. (Back row from left) Remi Keogh, Madeleine Dunkerley, Jake Goodson, Lincoln Gilleece, and Indy James.
