Excitement, smiles and some lingering goodbye hugs were in the air as the preps began their first day at Haileybury’s Berwick campus on Wednesday 29 January.
The local campus welcomed 45 new preppies and found themselves settling in rather quickly, with the first day filled with meeting new friends, learning their classrooms’ layout and of course, having fun in the playground during break times.
New prep student Sierra was willing to start her learning journey, saying that she was “looking forward to trying new things”.
For Reya. the first day was all about enjoying the moment with her family, especially for her older sister.
“I’m looking forward to seeing my sister in the yard,” she said.
To ease the little ones in, they helped create an ‘All About Me’ display so their teachers could learn more about them, their families and the things that they enjoy.
A guided tour was also held of the Junior School and they were reminded of the playground and classroom rules.
Haileybury’s head of junior school in Berwick, Michelle McGill said that “without fail, every year the first day of prep is exciting for everyone, for the students, staff and for the families”.
“It is a very big milestone that children and parents look forward to, there’s a lot of preparation and anticipation.
“Our prep students always look so grown up in their uniform and on the first day, they enjoy showing their parents their lockers and their classrooms.
“Each student also has their photo taken with a ‘first day of Prep’ sign to mark this special moment in their school journey,” she said.
Rihan looked forward to recess and lunch the most so he could play with his friends, with Alex arriving at school ready to ‘practise things’, as Krish and Aria were both keen to ‘learn new stuff’.
As for Mia, the first day was a time to get some exercise and to enjoy the moment.
“I enjoyed playing on the monkey bars,” she said.
