Editorial comment.

Mantei, Jessica ; Latham, Gloria ; Kervin, Lisa 等

Dear Readers:

Welcome to the New Year and another exciting year of literacy teaching and learning. We are pleased to present a packed February edition of Practically Primary, with the timely theme of Transitions. The beginning of the school year is one of mixed emotions for all involved. Transitions explores the experiences of children, parents and teachers as they move from the known to the less well known and, in many cases, the very new. Change is often challenging for children and parents alike. This edition will hopefully support teachers as they support parents and their children by making transition easier. The articles within are written from multiple perspectives.

Our contributors, as always, are dedicated teachers, teacher educators, parents and children who generously share their stories. These authors present their beliefs, practices and visions for literacy learning that empower learners to develop independence and resilience as they take on new challenges.

We are proud to include the voices of parents within this edition. Parents have shared with us their hopes and expectations for their children at school in the coming year. Some are parents of children returning to a new school year, some have children beginning primary school for the first time, whilst others are nervously waving their 'babies' off to secondary school--their insight into their children's needs and their hopes and dreams for their child's education is truly valuable knowledge for teachers facing another year and another group of eager learners. Teachers, too, share their stories of transition and the ways that they support the children in their care; we are fortunate to hear a range of views from a teacher in her very first year to an accomplished Principal now enjoying retirement and many in between.

We trust that you will enjoy your February issue of Practically Primary, but more importantly, feel empowered (even inspired) to share your own stories with us in one of our 2009 issues. Our theme for June 2009 is The Stories We Tell. Our October 2009 theme is Teaching Reading: The process, the purpose and the possibilities. If you have an idea you can contact any member of our editorial team; we are always more than happy to support you along the writing process.

Although each issue of Practically Primary is themed, articles on other topics are also welcome, along with reviews of books, websites and resources. Articles should be between 500 and 2500 words and be appealing and useful to classroom teachers. The aim of Practically Primary is to help K-6 teachers enrich their classroom practices in literacy teaching. We believe every teacher has a story to share and it is our aim to include many of these in each edition.

With warm wishes, Jessica Mantei, Gloria Latham and Lisa Kervin