As gates are thrown wide open to allow every year group back to their classrooms on Monday, schools have had to bring in new provisions to manage COVID-19 risks.
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The challenge of keeping a safe distance between students is never more profound than with the younger years.
Lutheran School kindergarten teacher Lauren Forsyth is among those who has had to confront that challenge head on.
Fortunately, the school's larger classrooms and small student numbers have afforded enough space to keep the distance.
Across the two kindergarten classes, there are only 50 students.
"We've got the big rooms so what we can do is have half the kids sitting at desks while the other half are on the floor," Ms Forsyth said.
"It means we can have the two groups each doing different activities and then swap.
"At lunch time, we have to be explicit about where they're allowed to sit as well."
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There are also some noticeable differences around the school, with cordoned off common areas preventing access to things like the bubblers.
"At this age, we find a lot of the kids are putting their mouths straight onto the bubbler, so we had to close those off to keep them safe," Ms Forsyth said.
"We've asked that parents supply a bottle, but we also have [individual] cups with their names on them so that they can fill them up throughout the day."
With a cleaning station at every door, the students have also picked up the habit of sanitising their hands each time they enter the classroom.
"Even with the kids as young as five or six, it's amazing how aware they are already. They know what to do, they've taken to it really well," Ms Forsyth said.
Wagga Christian College has faced its own challenges managing the COVID-safe movements of its high school population.
College principal Phillip Wilson told The Daily Advertiser the areas of greatest concern were the shared classrooms and equipment. Particularly, it is the kitchen, woodworking, music and sports lessons that have taken the renewed attention.
"Teachers have become very health conscious and are watching for whether a student is demonstrating a habit that might not be in line with good health," Mr Wilson said.
"If, for example, students are passing a ball around and there's one student who has a runny nose and they're wiping their nose with their hand, then the teachers will step in and guide that student toward the appropriate behaviour."
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Organised sports activities at the school have had to be altered to ensure risks are kept to a minimum at all times. Any impromptu games that arise during recess, lunch and break times are monitored for health compliance.
"We're quick to close down any contact games at lunchtime, but the social aspect of sport is still very important even if the types of games have changed," Mr Wilson said.
"We're not playing rugby and we've had to monitor basketball. We might only do shooting drills for example.
"It can be frustrating in a city that really loves its basketball to not be able to play it like we used to. It can be frustrating for the kids when they can't intercept or if they can't play indoor games."
Increased cleaning regimes have been introduced to the high-traffic areas around shared classrooms. Meanwhile, a moratorium has been placed on some shared items.
"In woodwork, each student has their own safety glasses and the teachers have been regularly cleaning down the on-off buttons as required," Mr Wilson said.
"For music classes, where there are shared instruments we've been told the risk is minimal if the students wash their hands before and after sharing something like a guitar."
Aside from the slightly stricter cleaning protocols, at both the Lutheran School and Christian College, classrooms continue to operate.
"It comes down to the wisdom of the teachers and they know what they're doing. They're continuing to care while they're teaching," Mr Wilson said.
"We treat it like every child has the potential to have a really bad cold, and we monitor each situation."
The Daily Advertiser contacted the NSW Department of Education for comment on the specific changes that would be implemented in Wagga's public schools. The department declined to comment.