Preps celebrate 100 days of school while in lockdown

By Brendan Rees

Classes may have been digital at South Melbourne Primary School but nothing was going to stop preps from celebrating a significant milestone.    

In a day packed with activities, teachers threw a virtual party for preps who notched up their first 100 days of learning last month.

While the extended lockdown spoiled any chance of a face-to-face celebration, students embraced the day which included a costume parade and activities based around the number 100 to mark the momentous occasion.    

Prep team leader Sophie Coote said the excitement of the day gave preps “that much-needed boost”.  

“In the current context, days like this give students (and teachers) something to look forward to and work towards,” she said.

“The prep teachers congratulated each student; the children showed off their 100-themed outfits and played games such as ‘Guess Who’ where students had to identify photos of their teachers as prep students.”

Other online activities included preps sharing what they would buy with $100 with a house and a cereal box being among the dream responses.

They also created 100-themed crowns and used 100 blocks to create buildings, bridges, people and more. 

Another activity featured students reading 100 high frequency words as “quickly as they could”.

“For our numeracy lesson, students did a 100 workout then completed a range of 100-second challenges such as ‘How many times can you write your name in 100 seconds?’,” Ms Coote said.

In a special visit, principal Noel Creece also appeared in a virtual class to share a read aloud book.

Ms Coote thanked all parents, saying “days like this would not happen” without their support. 

“We are so thankful to our families for modelling such enthusiasm towards school and learning,” she said, adding they had “encouraged their children to participate in all the games and activities across the day”.

In another celebration, the school hosted a hive of activities in August for Book Week which helped students stay engaged while learning from home.    

Using the theme “Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds”, students shared their favourite books, designed new front covers, played book guessing games, and took part in a book stacking competition. Grade Five and Six students also read a book to each class across the school.

The school’s learning specialist Maddy Morrison said the school was proud of all its students who continued to show resilience during remote learning.

“They turn up day after day and try their hardest. We are very proud of them and grateful to their families, many of whom are balancing their own work with supporting their children’s education,” she said.

“Students who are missing their friends have found that seeing them online in lessons five times a day helps, but students and teachers alike can’t wait until we are able to see everyone in person again.” •