Prep students stooped and hobbled through their classrooms at St Anne’s College in Kialla on Wednesday morning, putting on their best theatrical impressions of a 100-year-old’s gait.
It is common practice for our community’s youngest students to celebrate their first 100 days of primary school by dressing as old people.
The theme wasn’t limited to their outfits either.
Prep teacher Glenice Sefton reported that most students had answered that they would be a grandma or a grandpa when she asked what they wanted to be when they grew up.
“Some said they were going to go to a park and sit on a bench,” she said.
Students from the two Prep classes at the school paraded their outfits for the college’s School of Wonder students — Prep to Year 4 — before celebrating their milestone with several themed fun activities, such as making colourful crowns, baking cakes decorated in hundreds and thousands and creating self-portraits.
Not to miss a learning opportunity, they also crafted necklaces from Froot Loops, counting to 10 before placing a divider on the string and repeating until they reached 100.
“We’ll all be exhausted by the end of the day,” Ms Sefton said.
Six-year-old Prep student Lily said she was enjoying the day.
“We got to have an extra long play before we did a parade,” she said.
“Then we played ‘the floor is lava’.”
Her classmates, Holly, 6, and Eleanor, 5, echoed her sentiments, saying they had fun playing that morning and making crowns.
Xavier, 6, wore a black tracksuit with 100 brightly coloured pompoms of all sizes fixed to it that he helped his parents make.
Six-year-old Lizzie also ditched the aged-person costume idea in favour of a sparkling sequined dress adorned with a ‘100’ made of darker-coloured sequins on its front.
“My mum made it all by herself,” Lizzie said, beaming.
Prep teacher Nikea Grinter said staff liked to make it a big celebration for their students, with balloons and foil streamers curtaining doorways to make them feel special.
“They have all been very excited,” she said.