As school last week returned for 2024, preps across the Mitchell Shire packed their bags to begin their first day.
Eighty-three preps are enrolled at Wandong Primary School this year, beginning their schooling journeys on Thursday.
Assistant principal of curriculum Stephanie Pollock said traditionally Wandong Primary School was considered a school of choice.
“So often we have applications over 100 students applying to come into foundation here at Wandong, but obviously the capacity of our school is such that we’ve carried four grades, which is big for us because we used to be much smaller school – so we’ve also got a lot of people on the waitlist,” she said.
Ms Pollock said while the foundation students came in during normal transition week, different to other schools, the school also ran a launchpad program that allowed preps to start halfway through the previous year.
“It’s got multiple benefits obviously from a learning perspective, they get to come to school early and actually start learning things they would normally start learning at the start of prep, but we get in a little bit earlier,” she said.

Meanwhile at Wallan Primary School, 115 preps started on different days last week.
Principal Tanya Kirkright said the school had decided for preps to start in smaller groups this year to settle into their classrooms and meet their peers.
“It gives them time to build that connection with their teacher, build that connection with their classroom and their peer group, and then they’ve gone out and ventured into the yard and learned what primary school is all about,” she said.

Ms Kirkright said the numbers at the primary school were growing each year.
“Numbers are growing each year. When I first came here three years ago, we were around 620 I think it was, now we are up to around 760 roughly – we’re getting up there,” she said.
Near Kilmore, Willowmavin Primary School had an overall 48 students enrolled, which includes six prep students and new students.

Principal Andrew O’Callaghan said the numbers were a positive for the school and were looking to grow the school.
“The biggest challenge we’ve got is no one knows we’re here, we’re in the middle of nowhere, we’ll find families that will come out here and say, ‘we didn’t even know this school existed’ when they went on school tours and things elsewhere, and they found out since they’ve started school and decided to come here,” he said.
“I’m just really excited about the kids who have started, and I think that’s a real celebration of the transition program that we put in place.
“We’ll be looking to go out to kinders and promote the school again this year.”