WITH the new school year finally underway, teachers and support staff at Myrtleford P-12 College were eager to welcome the next generation of prep students and invite them to start their educational journey.

This year sees 29 preps begin their first year of school and they said they were most looking forward to eating lunch with their buddies from older year levels, riding on a bus to school and when going on excursions, learning lots and making new friends.

"We are very proud of the way they are settling into school," Ladeane Lindsay, specialist of literacy and learning at Myrtleford P-12 College said.

"Our goal is to see each student thriving, both academically and in regards to their wellbeing.

"We hope they grow a sense of belonging here and learn how to make positive contributions, based around our school values.

"We want our students to have a love of learning and understand the purpose of trying hard and doing their very best.

"They will be going on outings throughout the year to either the Wangaratta Performing Arts and Convention Centre or the Albury Entertainment Centre to see a live performance.

"The children will also be visited by members of the community in their classroom, such as police officers, SES volunteers and other specialists to explain their important roles.

"As part of their learning program there are also cultural days where KESO workers (Koorie Engagement Support Officers) visit and explain about different cultures in our school.

"We have a few different cultures in our school and we try to celebrate each one.

"This year we will work with La Trobe University as part of the Rural Roads to Reading program; a longitudinal study which will monitor the preps from now until year 2.

"This program is about exploring effective classroom practises and instructional approaches for early reading instruction."

When asked what they could learn at school, teacher Kath Lock was elated to hear one of the new prep students say: "how to be respectful to others."'

"It has been a fabulous start to the year," she said.

"It is amazing to see the growth of students already as they build confidence and learn new routines.

"I am excited to see our clever learners continue to grow and develop throughout the year."

Classroom classroom teacher, Teegan Biluta said she loved getting to know each student individually and learning about each one.

"It has been wonderful to welcome new students and their families to MP12," she said.

"I’m particularly excited to celebrate the cultural diversity in our class family and to see each student contribute to positively to our school community."