Students Head Back to School
News bulletin: 20 January 2012
More than 866,000 Victorian school students will head back to school from Thursday 2 February, including 70,000 Preps who will set foot in the classroom for the first time and 65,900 Year 7 students who will make the transition from primary to secondary school.
The first day of school can be stressful for children, and families, but parents of young students can do simple things to prepare like checking the weather forecast so that their child is wearing the right clothes, labelling belongings and making sure their child has the equipment they need to help the day go smoothly.
Once students have settled in on the first day of school a short and reassuring goodbye is best, and as parent Julie Gray explains, sometimes it's not as bad as you expect.
'While I was ready for a good old sook when walking my son into class for his first day at school, he was that ecstatic he barely gave me a look in once we hit the school gates – not even a goodbye kiss! Subsequently, I took myself off for a coffee with a couple of other aggrieved Prep mums where we mourned the loss of "our babies".'
Parents of students starting at secondary school can also help their child to settle in by learning about school routines and timetables and encouraging good study habits.
The Department has a range of resources to support parents in preparing children of all ages for the new school year. For more information, see: