Biggest leap of their young lives

Lincoln Ashmore is excited for his first day at Kindergarten. Photo: Melissa Stevens.

With the summer school holidays coming to an end, many children are getting ready to head to school for the very first time.

Whether it's feeling proud or a little scared, dropping your child off at school for the first time is guaranteed to bring on a mixed-bag of emotions for every parent.

For Toongabbie local parents Blake and Leanne Ashmore, sending their eldest child Lincoln to kindergarten at St Anthony's Primary Girraween will definitely result in a few tears.

"It's exciting and it's emotional, it definitely went really quick but also slow at the same time," Leanne said.

We're excited for [Lincoln], just the opportunity to make new friends.

It's a full circle moment for the Ashmore's, with both parents having attended St Anthony's Primary Girraween when they were children themselves.

Now, Blake and Leanne are looking forward to Lincoln making new memories at the school they both loved going to.

"We love that it's a family school and they've been very welcoming from the start, you just feel the warmth when you're there. We didn't really think of going anywhere else," she said.

"I felt like it was a really good school, there's teachers that were there that really impacted my life to this day," Blake added.

Although the Ashmore's know the school well, it still feels daunting getting Lincoln ready to send him off to 'big kids school' for the first time.

Fortunately, knowing who his teachers will be has helped to ease some of the stress.

"We've already been for some orientation sessions, where we've met [Lincoln's] teachers, and it's just put him at ease knowing that he's going with people that he knows now and that he's familiar with," Leanne said.

But children and their parents aren't the only ones full of nervous excitement for the first day back, with St Anthony's Primary Girraween Principal Patricia Reilly saying teachers are also looking forward to welcoming students back.

"We're a bit like the kids, teachers have started to get butterflies in their tummy with the excitement for the first day," she said.

Reilly acknowledges the first day at school for new students is always the "most difficult" moment for parents, but promises them their children will be okay.

She advises parents to look at the resources their children's school has given them to help make the first day a bit easier. "Teachers are there to teach your children whatever they need to know, so don't be anxious about what [children] do or don't know, that's our job," Reilly said.

Written By

Parramatta News
An independent news service covering the Parramatta and Cumberland Local Government Areas.

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06 Aug 2026
From Facebook
⚽ Stage 2 Soccer Gala Day ⚽ Following the cancellation of the Diocesan Stage 2 Soccer Gala Day, our Stage 2 students enjoyed a fun and successful St Anthony's Soccer Gala Day, ensuring everyone still had the opportunity to experience the excitement of a soccer tournament. The morning was filled with teamwork, determination, encouragement and plenty of smiles. Congratulations to all of our teams for displaying great sportsmanship and giving their best throughout the tournament. 🏆 Tournament Results 🥇 1st Place: Team 5 (McAuley) 🥈 2nd Place: Team 7 (MacKillop) 🥉 3rd Place: Team 4 (McAuley) A special congratulations to Andreas (Year 3), who was awarded the Sportsperson Award in recognition of his outstanding sportsmanship, leadership and encouragement of others throughout the day. He was a wonderful example of what it means to compete with respect and integrity. Thank you to our staff and student referees for helping make the morning such a success. It was wonderful to see our Stage 2 students enjoying friendly competition, building new friendships and creating lasting memories together. ⚽💚💛💙❤️ #LearningUplifts #Stage2Soccer #Sportsmanship #Teamwork #StAnthonys

04 Aug 2026
From Facebook
⚽️ Stage 3 Soccer Gala Day ⚽️ Our Stage 3 students had a fantastic day at the Soccer Gala Day! All three teams represented our school with pride, demonstrating excellent teamwork, determination and outstanding sportsmanship throughout the day. Across the competition, our teams celebrated a few wins, fought hard for some draws and learned from a few losses. Most importantly, they encouraged one another, played with respect and gave their best in every match. Well done to all of our players for the wonderful way you represented our school. We are so proud of you! 👏⚽️