By the time the morning school bell rang all 14 students of the preppie class at Peregian Beach College were quietly seated at their desks and busy colouring in.
There were no tears to be seen and their parents had already departed for the day.
Their teacher Rachel Preston, or Miss P as the students know her, said an initiative established six months earlier, the Little Emu playgroup, had helped allay first day anxiety.
Miss P said over that time the pre-preppies had dropped by for visits to familiarise them with the school and their teacher.
The class had an exciting list of activities planned for them on their first day. It included going on a ‘green sheet hunt’ so they could locate their way around the school grounds, lots of friendship play to get to know each other, and the making of a first-day crown.
Students at state schools and the independent Peregian Beach College began the school year on Tuesday with private schools heading back for 2025 on Wednesday.
According to the Queensland Government 1,266 state schools this week opened their doors for around 570,000 students – including about 325,000 primary students and 245,000 secondary students, with 43,000 children starting their schooling journey in Prep.
A further estimated 320,000 students were starting the school year in Queensland’s 548 Catholic and Independent schools.
