Over the past week more than 100 five-year-olds donned over-sized uniforms and battled with excitement and nerves for their first day of kindergarten at our three local schools, Merimbula Public, Pambula Public and Lumen Christi.
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It is a big day for any five year old, the day they finally go to ‘big school’ and each child and parent had different ways of coping with day ahead.
For five-year-old Charlie Cross he took the day in his stride and it was his mum who was most nervous about his first day.
Growing up with an older brother and sister meant he had been looking forward to the day for many years and when it finally came, he was ready and there was no holding him back.
The Lumen Christi kindergarten student wanted to have the full school experience on his first day, which to him meant catching the bus to school.
“He wouldn’t let me drive him to school this morning,” Charlie’s mother Erika Cross said at the end of school on Friday, January 29.
“I ended up putting him on the bus and then driving to school to meet him there.”
Making new friends was the most exciting thing about school for most of the children and when asked if she had made any new friends yet Lumen Christi kindergarten student Madeline Dawe was full of certainty when she responded “I haven’t made any friends yet but I will soon”.
While some kids spoke of their excitement at learning to read and write, Ryder Woods from Pambula Public School said the best thing about Kindergarten was playing on the computers.
But other Pambula Public School students disagreed saying the best thing about school was ‘having fun’.
At Merimbula Public School one very special girl was not only celebrating her first day of school but she was also celebrating her fifth birthday.
Sophie Gray was especially excited to have her birthday on the first day of school because it meant she could make lots of new friends on her birthday.
Despite a lot of fun and excitement there were a few kids at each school who were overwhelmed and teary when they were dropped off. Thankfully they were well cared for by some magnificent and caring teachers.
There were 24 kindergarten students who started school on Friday, January 29 and they are all in one class with two teachers, Kate Baker and Danielle Lynn.
Pambula Public School and Merimbula Public School kindy kids all started on Monday, February 1.
At Pambula Public School 51 students started kindergarten and they were split up over three classrooms – two kindergarten classes and one combined kindergarten and year 1 class.
There were a few more starters at Merimbula Public School who had 60 enrolled kindys. They have also been split over two kindergarten classes and one combined kindergarten and year 1 class.
