By Callum Ludwig
School is back for 2023 and a new wave of Prep students has begun their school journey.
Proud parents and their preps arrived at school today and not without plenty of nerves, excitement and maybe even a few tears.
Prep Teacher at Yarra Junction Primary School (YJPS) Leanne Hancock said the children arrived excited for their first day.
“It’s always so exciting on the first day of school, getting these Preps in, all obviously feeling a little bit worried and a little bit nervous, but they’re so excited and we had a really good transition program so they’ve walked in and felt really at home at school,” she said.
“For their first week at school, we do a lot of routine making and setting up structures, routines and rhythms so they can be more independent from day one. Today, we’re going on a tour around the school to find the ‘Green Sheep’. Maybe he’s in the stadium, maybe he’s at the art room or he’s in our classroom and so we learn how to find things as well as line up straight and things like that.”
More than 77,000 Prep students will don their backpacks and uniforms for the first time this week and over 1 million students will return to school this week across Victoria.
YJPS Principal Lisa Rankin said they also have 11 new older students starting at the school this year.
“Our teachers all met on Friday and did lots of planning so that we are ready and organized for the whole year, we’re super excited to have everyone back after the summer break. It’s essential that students have a really positive start to the year so for us, it’s all about their well-being first before their learning,” she said.
“Us building those relationships first is really important, so the meet and greet at the gate from me and having all our teachers visible and making sure our kids have a nice soft start, our preps are playing with play-doh and bubbles and we have that across the whole school so we can check in with students first before the learning begins.”
YJPS’ long-running well-being program will help its students settle back into the school routine, with a mandated 50-minute block dedicated to wellbeing each week.
Ms Rankin said the transition is the most important part of setting up a successful return to school.
“It’s really important that we do the transition in the year before, not just for the new students and preps, but all of our students across all years, so they’ve all had experiences in their grade and met their teacher in the year prior,” she said.
“Everyone knows where they belong, where their connection is and they also contribute ideas about what they want in their classroom. As you go through our school, you’ll see there are little elements that are different in each environment, which is what the kids have contributed about what they want to be in their learning spaces.”
