Ettalong welcomes 'little fledglings'

Ettalong Public School welcomed 78 kindergarten students on Wednesday, February 2, for their first day of big school.

"They were like little fledglings stepping out of the nest," said Ettalong Public School publicity officer Ms Rowena Newton.

"With their bright yellow shirts, the boys even looked like little chicks," she said.

For many of the children starting at Ettalong Public, the school was already familiar.

Ettalong Public School holds a nine-week Head Start school preparation program where children have the opportunity to attend school for a few hours each week and get an idea of what big school is going to be like.

The school also operates Little School House, where the pre-school siblings of children already at school can be minded while their parents volunteer.

"This enables the little ones to become more familiar with the school environment and meet other children before starting school," said Ms Newton.

"Little School House is also lots of fun.

"Last year, the littlies had their own worm farm and even planted a vegie patch," she said.

The children also completed the Best Start Kindergarten Assessment in the days just before starting school.

"Best Start helps teachers identify the literacy and numeracy knowledge and skills that each child brings to school as they enter kindergarten, to inform the development of quality teaching and learning programs," said Ms Newton.

"So for some of the kids, they were only too keen to get through the gate and actually start big school at last."

Media Release, 4 Feb 2011 Rowena Newton, Ettalong Public School