Gone was the learning from kitchen tables and family offices. So, too, were the Zoom calls.
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After two months of learning from home, Canberra students have begun to return to the classroom.
Students in kindergarten, year 1, 2, 7, 11 and 12, along with preschool students, made their way back to school for face-to-face learning on Monday.
All students will be back in classrooms from June 2, with the return of other year groups to be staggered across the next two weeks.
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry said schools had been working hard to ensure a smooth transition for students back to learning in person.
"It has been a difficult time for everyone, but teachers haven't stopped working through this," Ms Berry said.
"Young people are still able to go about school as normal but while encouraging social distancing and personal hygiene along the way."
At Southern Cross Early Childhood School, most of its more than 220 students from preschool to year 2 were back in attendance on Monday, many catching up with friends they had not seen for weeks.
While learning was back to normal from this week, the drop-off and pick-up has been changed for the age of social distancing.
Signs were put up on the school gate informing of the changes, including restricting access to parts of the school for parents.
Principal Lyndall Read said the first day back had gone relatively calmly.
"The school had the overwhelming majority of kids back, which is exciting," she said.
"Monday went pretty smoothly, and normally we're a school that welcomes families on site, so it was unusual for us to ask parents to drop kids at the gate.
"Kids are back at school, but the world is not back to normal."
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While it may have been difficult for parents not to be able to walk into school with their child, for some students, the change was an added benefit of returning.
"One of our boys walked in and said 'when I walked in, I'm like a teenager', so he's absolutely thrilled he gets to be a teenager at the age of six," Ms Read said.
After weeks of carrying out lessons online due to coronavirus restrictions, teachers at the school welcomed the return to face-to-face learning.
"Normally we started the day with a Google Meet at the start of learning, and it was a bit like herding cats," Ms Read said.
The school's P&C president Jessica Yeo said it was good to see children, including her own, back in the classroom.
"It feels lovely, and it's nice to get back to a sense of routine again," Ms Yeo said.
"I think we've been lucky to be in this position where we can come back to school and we feel comfortable about it."
Online learning is still offered to students who have not been able to go back to school.
Andrew Brown
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
