Acluster of students across the region will be part of a historical change as they graduate primary school this week.

The history making moment will see both Year 6 and Year 7 students graduate together in 2021, as the South Australian education system is in the process of changing.

The change will bring SA schools in line with other schools across the nation, with the move to take full effect next year.

This year marks the final time Year 7 will be taught in primary school and as of 2022 Year 6 will go on to be the graduating class from primary school education.

In the lead up to the change this past year, school communities across the region have joined those from around the state in being guided through the transition process.

The Department for Education has guided the changes which Newbery Park Primary School principal Sam Currie applauded.

“From our perspective it’s been quite good to be honest. Communication between the high school has been good and the department sends out newsletters distributed to the school and parents,” Mr Currie said.

“Mark Elkins – our Year 6 and 7 teacher – has worked closely with Lisa Scott – the Year 7 to 8 coordinator – and Tam Gould their wellbeing leader. The process has been really smooth.

“He has had meetings constantly throughout the year to discuss each child, which is probably above and beyond what has happened in the past. They are being really thorough maintaining they are equal with transition.”

 Student wellbeing has also been at the forefront of the process with headspace Mount Gambier invited to talk to students.

headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation providing early intervention mental health services for 12 to 25 year olds.

Mr Currie said a key transition for young people was moving from the familiar primary school environment to a new environment in secondary school.

“This is a significant change and can present some challenges for young people,” he said.

“We have also run our own sessions with headspace throughout the year as well. Kids can feel quite intimidated moving to high school, so that has helped ease that.

“Mr Elkins has also taken his class to the high school for additional visits so they become familiar with their new learning environment.”

With the school year coming to an end, Newbery Park students Lani Bentley, Lola Schultz and Jimmy Little agreed they had been well prepared to head off to high school.

The trio will be among the last of the Year 7 students to graduate from Newbery Park and will start their secondary education at Millicent High School.

There was certainly a strong feeling of excitement and some nervousness as they reflected what most of their peers have also been experiencing. Though, Lani admitted she did cry when she felt overwhelmed the 12-year-old said she was also excited.

“I was worried not knowing what to expect,” she said.

With the aid of ongoing support from the schools and her friends, Lani’s nerves have eased and she is looking forward to meeting different people and learning new subjects.

Jimmy said he was aware of high school expectations as he had an older sister, Ella, who has recently graduated.

Though he is nervous about the change in environment, Jimmy said he was also looking forward to the hands-on aspects of many of the subjects.

Lola said she was looking forward to going to school with friends who attend at other primary schools.

“I have some friends I play netball with that go to other schools. It will be good to go to the same school,” she said.

Meanwhile, Lola’s mum Jo Osmond also had high praise for the transition process.

“The transition process has been well thought out and facilitated,” she said.

“I’m impressed by how extensive it’s been and my expectations on the transition process have been exceeded.”

She said this included a thorough information session at Newbery Park which was run by Millicent High School earlier this year.

“That provided a lot of insight into the process for students themselves and parents. We are all being well prepared and supported for the transition,” Ms Osmond said.

“I cannot think of any negatives to the transition process. From my personal point of view, I could not be happier with the process and feel confident Lola is being as well prepared as possible for a smooth transition.”

In the lead up to the switch, students have participated in a number of visits at the high school they will be attending.

Last week Millicent High School hosted students over three days, which provided a taste of a full day of learning expectations.

This started with Year 6 on Wednesday, combined Year 6 and 7 transition day on Thursday, followed by Year 7 on Friday.

Meanwhile, Amie Brant is new to the transition to high school process with her son Zack being her first child to graduate primary school.

With primary education largely being taught from one classroom and typically by one teacher, Ms Brant fully supported transition days.

“Transition days are good so they can get an idea of where they need to go for lessons, routines, meeting teachers and other students,” she said.

“It will be interesting to see how the high school will manage with all the kids coming from all the primary schools.”

She said the process had been made significantly smoother with continuous updates and information regularly provided to parents and students.

Over the the past year the department consistently provided parent updates in the form of newsletters.

Meanwhile, the high schools have been preparing to welcome the extra cohort.

Around 370 students attended Millicent High School this year and around an extra 125 are already on the way to being welcomed next year.

Feeder primary schools also include Millicent North, St Anthony’s, Beachport, Rendelsham and Mount Burr.

Students met teachers and other peers they will be working with in 2022 and had the opportunity to engage in literacy, maths, physical education, home economics, woodwork, design and technology as well as art.

High schools across the region will receive major upgrades to their infrastructure to accommodate the influx of new students.

Grant and Mount Gambier high schools will share in $2.85m in establishment grants to help prepare for incoming students.

Grant High School’s new building named ‘Prawulu’ has been fully operational since August.

Prawulu is a Bunganditj word that means “middle” and refers to the building’s geographical location in the school.

The upgrade included additional learning areas including a science lab and art room in an existing building.

The construction included removing aged transportable buildings that contained asbestos, construction of a new building to house a performing arts facility, general learning areas and a new canteen, as well as a new student courtyard hub with covered outdoor areas for individual and group study.

The school also received a special options upgrade to accommodate new specialised education facilities for students with disability.

This upgrade involved refurbishment of existing infrastructure to accommodate the new special option class, close to the existing special option class.

This will allow for sharing of physical resources and inclusive learning across the school.

Grant High School Principal Fleur Roachock reported plans for Year 7s entering high school were well in hand with a dedicated committee working on developing curriculum.

“Our timetable structure for the new level has been decided and we are busily finding new teachers to manage the increased numbers,” she said.

“Andrew McGregor and Paul Frost from local primary schools were early recruits and are already working with us, although they are not fully on board until next year.

“We have appreciated the insight they have given us about how Year 7s will be slightly different from what we are used to.

“We also owe a huge thank you to business manager Sonia Solly for her tireless work around our

facilities development.”

Mount Gambier High School also had funded upgrades including construction of two new buildings to house 10 new learning spaces and ancillary spaces including covered learning spaces.

The project will also include new landscaped areas to support the two new buildings, refurbishment of six science labs and refurbishment of a portion of a building creating a student hub adjacent to the canteen, as well as demolition of ageing infrastructure.

Principal Suze Ricketts said the junior school team had been busy planning and preparing to welcome the new students.

“We welcome 261 students into Year 7 and 8 in 2022. Students currently in Year 6 had their transitions days on Monday and Tuesday, while students in Year 7 had their transition days Wednesday and Thursday,” she said.

“We hope this, along with information evenings and ongoing contact with families throughout the year, ensures children coming into our school in 2022 will feel welcomed and supported in their next stage of their formal education.”

Led by assistant principal Kathryn Sutton, the junior school team hosted a four-day transition program.

“It was exciting to spend some time getting to know the Year 6 students. We were able to explore our new building and middle school spaces together,” she said.

“Our new Year 8 students were enthusiastic and enjoyed experiencing a range of subject areas.

 “Students were introduced to our new timetable for 2022 and a taste of our new integrated middle school subjects.

“The four-day transition program has helped our new students feel more comfortable about coming to high school next year.”