On weekdays, little Esmae waves goodbye to her eight-year-old brother at the school gates and returns home with mum.
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But this week the toddler is set to join Rafa at big school as Mount Ousley PS launches a new community playgroup for the 0-5 set.
An unused room within the school has been laid with new carpet thanks to P&C funds, filled with toys and equipment donated by parents and repurposed as a welcoming space for babies, toddler and preschoolers to play and socialise.
The weekly meetings, open to everyone in the community with young children, is also a chance for parents and carers to come together and form new friendships.
Mount Ousley PS principal Emily Jones said the playgroup is one of the ways the school is working to reconnect with the community.
"Now that we've returned to pre-COVID school and community settings, it's important that we re-establish existing connections and form new ones," she said.
"Having young children and their families coming into our school for the purpose of the playgroup allows them to see and experience our school and form relationships with us."
It's welcome news for Silvana Conti, whose daughter Esmae was born in March 2020, a few days before COVID restrictions were introduced.
"We spent a lot of time in isolation - the unknown effects of this virus, especially with a newborn, was terrifying at the time," she said.
"Now Esmae is almost 2 1/2-years-old, it's time to get back to our new 'normal'.
"We're always more cautious now, but we also feel we can move on from being in isolation.
"Our little ones will be able to make new friends and learn through play and just being social, and it's also a chance for parents and carers to connect, and just relax and have some fun.
"COVID has robbed us of these important social interactions for the past two years, so it's wonderful to be able to be with people again."
The playgroup - which will be facilitated by school chaplain Helen Ashton, an experienced early childhood educator - will meet each Wednesday morning of the school term from 9.15am to 10.45am in the new community room, located just off the quadrangle in the centre of the school.
Any parent/carer with a young child or children is invited to come along. Inquiries call 4285 4211.
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