Hangzhou Zhejiang Education Guide 2019-2020

SCHOOL FEATURE
Helping Children Transition
into a New School
家 校 配 合 让 适 应 期 更 顺 畅
By Wellington College
International Hangzhou
杭 州 惠 灵 顿 外 籍 人 员 子 女 学 校
In international schools around
the world, an important
topic raises its head at the
beginning of each school year;
transitions. Given the nature
of international schools, with
a largely transient population,
each year will see new children
entering the school. Some of
them may be moving from
another school locally. For many
though, it is not only a new
school that they must get used
to, but an entirely new national
culture. This transition process
does not only occur at the start
of the year. Inevitably, at the end
of each year, a number of pupils
must also leave and embark on
a new transition of their own;
whether that is back to their
home country or to another new
country. Transitions are part of
life for international schools and
learning how to support children
through this process is crucial.
Transitioning for children is
not easy. Leaving a familiar
place, leaving existing friends
and losing the comfort of the
'known' can be hard. Transitions
bring a unique set of social
and emotional challenges
that schools and parents must