Above: Lachlan and Breanna are busy working at their first day of Prep.
By Lia Bichel
IT WAS back to the blackboards for teachers and students this week, and the first day of school was welcomed with a mixture of tears, excitement, and hard work by 37 new Preps at Tooradin Primary School.
“There were one or two little tears when parents had to leave, but as the day went on they did exceptionally well, and they all ended up having a fantastic day,” Prep teacher Rachel Davis said on Monday.
“I think they will have an exceptional sleep tonight.”
Mrs Davis said the first day of school also stirred up strong emotions for the Prep’s parents.
“Usually if parents are dropping off their first or last child it is an upsetting experience, but if they are dropping off the middle child, a lot of them are happy,” she said. “So parents were a combination of teary and nervous, and some were ready to do cartwheels out the door and open a bottle of champagne!”
The Prep students will go to school Monday through Friday, with a rest day on Wednesday. This year, Tooradin Primary School will trial a special program on Wednesday for repeat Preps.
“The program will keep the repeat Preps learning at a steady pace and will give them time to extend their learning abilities,” Mrs Davis said.
Mrs Davis said she is looking forward to seeing the Prep students develop academically and socially throughout the year.
“It’s going to be an exciting year in a hands-on learning environment, with lots of learning activities,” she said.
“A big focus will be on building friendships. We want them to learn to respect each other as well as develop their own social and leadership skills. Tooradin has a very strong values program, and we want to make sure the students feel like part of a community.”
