Connected all the way
The Hills Connect Transition Program is our newest initiative to encompass the whole College. We have identified the four key stages that your child will transition through at Hills, and we have actively identified the ways we feel they will be able to Connect their learning and experiences throughout their time with us.
Building Foundations
All Prep students are connected to a Year 6 buddy as part of Hills’ Better Buddy Program. Students regularly spend quality time together where they develop social skills and collaborate in shared activities such as inquiry, reading or play. The Year 6 students play the role of a peer mentor, assisting Prep students during morning tea and lunch, at times organising shared activities and modelling the College L.A.W.S.
Our Hills Connect Program, ’Building Foundations’, provides students with a pathway as they transition to big school. In Term 4 all ‘future Preps’ are invited to attend special one-hour classes. This is a wonderful opportunity for our little ones and their families to connect with Hills College staff, meet their peers and familiarise themselves with the routine within the classroom.
Forming Connections, a transition into Year 7
Creating a sense of belonging is paramount and Hills Connect has been specifically designed to create that first and important connection to what we envisage being many prosperous and enjoyable years across Primary, Secondary and beyond as we assist students along their pathway to success.
The Forming Connections phase of our Hills Connect focuses on the transition from Year 6 to Year 7. It is designed to assist our Year 6 students with a sense of connectedness and continuity as they commence their secondary schooling. We are proud to be a true Prep-12 campus where we can provide formal and informal opportunities for the Year 6 students to connect with Secondary Year levels and Secondary staff members. This ensures our students continue a sense of what we aim to create, A Place To Belong. We understand that entering Secondary school can be a little formidable and we intend to reduce anxiety by informing our Year 6 students and families of the processes and procedures through a gradual progression across Semester One and Two.
Reaching out
Between Years 9 and 10, students transition into young adulthood, and begin to expect, and be given, increasing independence and opportunity in the wider community. We provide support and guidance during the transition phase by allowing your child the opportunity to connect with community organisations in an active and participatory manner. Students are given the opportunity to take part in community groups – sometimes as assistants, but also as junior committee members or affiliate committees (such as Rotary’s Interact program). In this way, students are scaffolded toward independence and confidence as they become College Leaders in their final secondary years.
Global experiences
The Global experience phase centres on your child in Year 11 and 12 - offering them ‘real-world’ experiences with the goal of developing student agency as they start pondering life beyond school. The foundation, of this transition focuses on personal skills, interpersonal skills and citizenship skills your child will need in the time directly after finishing school, and moving into the world of tertiary education or work. Your child will be presented with information and activities designed to help them navigate legal matters; risk-taking as a young adult; university/VET pathways; goat setting, and wellbeing.