It was a big step for 50 preppies at Good Shepherd Lutheran College, Noosaville, who began their first year of school this week, and an equally emotional event for their parents.
There were 44,000 new preppies starting school across Queensland as part of almost 875,000 students going through the gates for the school year, about 300,000 attending private schools.
For state school teachers the first week marked their first increased pay, backdated to July, Education Minister Grace Grace said.
