Building strong foundations - one future student at a time

20/01/2025

​©Brisbane Catholic Education, St John Vianney's Primary School, Manly (2024).​

​St John Vianney’s Primary School Manly has introduced an expanded Pre-Prep program, fostering confident and comfortable transitions for future learners. 

Building on the success of its previous orientation mornings, the school has reimagined the way it would prepare its 2025 Prep cohort and their families. 

Expanding the program to include Prep Play and Stay afternoons in Term 2, parent education workshops alongside three orientation sessions in Term 3, while Term 4 saw the Pre-Preps borrow library books.

The new program focuses on evaluating students to create well-balanced and supportive classrooms, while also providing parents with the tools and knowledge to confidently prepare their children for Prep.

St John Vianney’s Primary School Prep parent Ashleigh Zarif said her son, Cooper was “so excited to join his brothers at big school".

“He recently paraded the uniform around the house, proudly dressing himself without any help,” she said. 

"The Pre-Prep program is such a wonderful way to introduce young children to school life—it is relaxed, structured, and sets everyone up for success. 

"I love how the program helps kids meet their teachers and new friends before school even starts—it eases the nerves for kids and parents alike. 

"The reading and tracing materials from St John Vianney’s have been fantastic—Cooper is already working on letters and numbers!" 

St John Vianney’s Primary School Assistant Principal Religious Education Carmel Smith said as part of the expansion of the program, efforts focused on strengthening ties with local kindergartens, including partnerships with Treehouse Early Learning Manly and Wings Early Learning Manly.   

“The expanded program has been a game-changer,” she said. 

“As part of this initiative, our Year 6 students alternated weekly visits to these centres throughout Term 3 to take part in play-based activities with the kindergarteners, fostering connections and building a sense of community between our future learners and senior scholars. 

"These visits allow our kindergarteners to become familiar with the idea of big school in an environment that feels comfortable and reassuring.” 

The school also invited the kindergarten students for orientation sessions and afternoon Stay and Play sessions, supported by the school’s Parents and Friends group. 

“During the orientation sessions, children can explore their classroom and participate in activities like puzzles, drawing, writing, and outdoor play,” Ms Smith said. 

“By the time they start Prep, many children are already familiar with their surroundings and routines, making for a smooth start to the school year. 

“The Stay and Play sessions offer playtime for our future students, creating a welcoming environment for families to make connections with other families ahead of their first day.” 

Understanding that the transition to school affects the entire family, the school has introduced parent education sessions to coincide with the Pre-Preps' orientation. 

“Topics for parents range from literacy, and mathematics preparation, to emotional resilience,” Carmel adds. 

“These gatherings also provide a social opportunity for parents to connect and feel part of the school community from the get-go. 

“We’ve seen incredible benefits from the improved program. 

"Students start Prep with comfort and confidence, parents feel engaged, and our teachers are well-prepared to meet the needs of each student."  

St John Vianney’s Primary School Manly is now accepting Prep enrolments for 2026. 

For more information or to enrol click here. ​ 


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