Starting school is usually marked with a mix of emotions for both students and parents. While it is normal to be excited and, at the same time, anxious for your child, this is even more expected if you were not able to enroll your child at the start of the school year, and they are now a mid-year joiner. Some of your fears as a parent may be whether your child will fit into the school community, meet the curriculum demand, or even catch up with the school work. While your concerns are legitimate, it is not all gloom as you may think because a late start doesn’t mean a lousy finish. With ample preparation, you can have an easy time. Here is a guide on everything you need to know as a parent about starting school mid-year.
- Find out if the school curriculum allows for mid-year joiners for all levels
A school with continuous intakes all year means it is always accepting new students, including mid-year entries. As a parent, knowing you can enroll your child mid-year at any academic level will help you make an informed choice and give you some peace of mind. Have a conversation with the school management about your child’s age and the appropriate curriculum level. You wouldn’t want the child to enroll in a level too advanced for his age. Schools in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, understand transitioning to a new school can be a daunting experience for a learner. As part of their curriculum, they offer mid-year joiners extra sessions to give advice and help learners assimilate easily with the rest of the school. Their goal is to make sure all students have the best possible academic start, whether they join at the beginning of the year or mid-year.
- Prepare your child
Moving to a new school in the middle of the year can be stressful. Remember, your child’s usual school environment, daily routine, and even friends have been disrupted, and it is not unusual for them to be angry or frustrated about it. What they need most is support to adjust to their new life, and you can do this by positively communicating with them. A good way to prepare them mentally is by driving past the school with your kids, so they can see where they will be joining. Also, set expectations of what the school program looks like by reassuring your child all their needs will be met in the new school, such as making new friends. Do not dismiss their emotions. Instead, encourage open communication and discuss how you can best support the child. If they require counseling services, talk to the school in advance and find out if counselors are available for the child’s social and emotional development.
- Ensure the school has facilities for extra-curriculum activities
You want your child to have the opportunity to interact with like-minded children away from the classroom in an activity that they enjoy. This will help them fit into the new school by making friends, and what better way to do so than through extra-curricular activities? Extra-curricular activities provide an opportunity to develop children’s social skills, and as they interact with other kids, they build their self-esteem, confidence levels, and express themselves better. Schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, offer a variety of extra-curricular activities and have the facilities to help develop the learners’ interests, learn a new skill, and ignite new desires such as arts, sports, clubs, music, languages, or drama, among others.
- Find a school that values a sense of community
Parents value schools with a strong sense of community because this will shape the school management, parents, teachers, and students’ daily interactions. Schools in Kuala Lumpur are keen to be inclusive, despite the size of the school. This is reflected in how they structure their school programs, leaving no room for any child to lag despite joining mid-year. Part of the school community is made up of the school management and a network of parents whose children joined mid-year.
This provides an excellent avenue to connect online and offline with other parents, share experiences, and learn ways of making the transition easier for their children. By having open conversations, any hitches get addressed quickly. Parents also gain tips on ways to support mid-year joiners outside of school to minimize the number of disruptions the child is undergoing, such as establishing a routine at home, especially for preschoolers and kindergarten students.
Enrolling your child to school mid-year is an option, but it doesn’t have to be any different than doing so at the start of the year. If planned well, adjusting will be easy for you and your child. With help from the school management and the school community, your child will catch up with the other students in no time without feeling stressed.