By Jenne Lajiun
School conducts orientation to help new pupils adapt
KOTA KINABALU: Anxiety, excitement, joy and sorrow these are the myriad of feelings expressed by children during the first day of school.
SK Stella Maris senior assistant, Vennia Sopitang explained that she had seen a confident child on the first day of school reduced to tears and tantrum the next day.
She has experienced hyperactive kids climbing the school fence and even some running off out of the school compound and passing the school gate to look for their parents.
The first week of school is always one of the most challenging, especially for children who are in Primary One.
However, there is a solution for it - the school organises an orientation period for the children.
At SK Stella Maris, the orientation period is carried out to help the new pupils get accustomed to their new school environment, said Vennia.
“We conduct various activities for the children to ease their anxiety and to help them make new friends at the new environment,” she said.
She said that all primary schools had their own programmes during the orientation period.
SK Stella Maris welcomed 183 Primary One pupils at the start of 2019.
Meanwhile, most of the teachers during the morning session immediately began lessons during the first day.
Students who still haven’t gotten their textbooks were ushered into the teachers office to get a set so that the process of teaching and learning can run smoothly.
The afternoon session is for Primary One, Two and Three pupils.
Many parents were seen accompanying their children to help provide support during the first day of school.
For four-year-old Jordan Adam Jasper, getting adjusted at Tadika SJK (c) Yuk Chin in Tawau is easier as his two cousins are studying in the same kindergarten in second year and are there to guide him.