Excitement turned into a tearful goodbye for five-year-old Edie Hibbard as she stepped into the classroom for her first day at the Lutheran School.
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Thankfully, her mother Koreena Lewis, was prepared with her 'first day of kindy survival kit' courtesy of the school's forward-thinking staff.
Inside the small paper 'survival kit' was a small pack of tissues, a couple chocolates, a teabag and an invitation to attend a new school parents' morning tea in the library.
"The chocolates were gone in seconds," said Ms Lewis, gesticulating to her two-year-old daughter Bessie, who was in the middle of devouring a Kit-Kat.
"The kids [in kindy] feel very special because it's their first day, but it's nice to have something for the parents.
"It's just as hard for us as it is for them - sometimes it's harder for the parents."
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Roughly 70 parents took the opportunity to gather, congratulating and consoling each other on the momentous occasion.
While Ms Lewis' tissues remained untouched on Thursday morning, she admitted the packet would likely be put to thorough use throughout the day.
"We'll come home to a quiet house now," she said.
"I cried last night when she put her uniform on for the first time.
"She's our little helper, she's always helping with her younger siblings. We'll all miss her."
Before beginning her school career on Thursday morning, Edie had shown so much enthusiasm for the day ahead.
"Last night, she was parading in her uniform and she got her lunchbox and her bottle out of the fridge to see how heavy they would be in her bag," Ms Lewis said.
"She's been so excited, but this morning she was a bundle of tears. This morning was hard."
The tears lasted only momentarily as the feeling of overwhelm gave way to excitement again. Today, Edie joins her eight-year-old sister Annabelle at 'big school'.
Even though Edie said she was feeling nervous, by the end of her first hour in Mrs Forsythe's classroom, she had already found some friends and had planned her exploration of the school.
"I'm going to see my big sister Annabelle at the library. She doesn't know I'll be there, she'll be excited," Edie said.
The library, Edie said, would be her new favourite place as she intended to "read all the books" by the end of the year.
But being away from her home during the day did still make her sad. She would miss reading to her younger sister Bessie, and looking after her six-month-old baby sister Nellie.
"When mummy needs me to hold Nellie, I get to hold her. She's very cute," Edie said.