Preps celebrate one hundred days of school

PREP school students from Wonthaggi North Primary School marked their first one hundred days of learning by turning back the clock one hundred years. To a time when Wonthaggi North Primary School was only 12 years old; their doors first opened in 1912.

With prematurely greying costumed hair, Prep teacher Michelle Inness welcomed families to the classroom to see what the children had achieved so far in their first year at school.

The 19 preppies, all aged between five and six and dressed in period costumes, proudly worked with their families to create a colourful crown and one-hundred-day goggles, as well as working together to decorate puzzle pieces for a whole class display.

The children at Wonthaggi North Primary represent a variety of cultures including Nepalese, Syrian, Kurdish, Filipino, Indonesian, Pakistani and second and third-generation Wonthaggi North. Some of the local children have parents and grandparents who also attended Prep at Wonthaggi North Primary School.

The school is fast becoming known as a warm and welcoming environment for new families to Australia with a strong EAL (English as an Alternative Language) curriculum and connections with support groups to assist families in settling into the local area. 

The area is still growing, and the school now boasts one hundred and sixty students.

“As teachers, we try and make learning fun and engaging, for all learning types,” said Mrs Inness.

Wonthaggi North PS has a ten-week kindergarten to primary school transition program called Ready, Set, Prep! where next year’s preppies come to the school for two hours at a time during Term 4. This program helps new students and families acclimatise to the new environment and assists in alleviating any nerves about going to school the following year.

Some of the Literacy programs at Wonthaggi North include ‘Sounds-Write’ which teaches students the letters and sounds and assists them to develop their hand-writing skills. ‘Talk for Writing’ allows students to create actions for stories to develop their creative writing and story-telling skills. Numeracy programs include using hands-on materials to explore a range of areas of learning and to develop confidence with numbers, shapes, counting, colours and measurement. 

Please contact the General Office (5672 4697) to organise a school tour or for any other information regarding new enrolments for 2025.