What do children do for 100 Days of School in New Zealand?

In Jin's Year 1 class, the children wore their favourite pyjamas and brought a favourite soft toy to school. Lunch was sorted too — ham and cheese or plain cheese pizza from the school canteen.

What can my child bring for a 100 Days of School project?

Jin's class was given a t-shirt-shaped worksheet to fill with 100 of anything they liked, and the teacher said any collection of 100 things, photographed, would do. Jin chose 100 face stickers — one for every school day so far, each showing how that day felt.

When did the 100 Days project come home?

The worksheet came home on the first day of the Term 2 holidays, so there was the whole break to work on it before the celebration.

100 Days of School in NZ: Pyjama Day in a Year 1 Class

Today was the 100 Days of School celebration for Jin's Year 1 class — the day the kids wear their favourite pyjamas and bring their favourite soft toy to school.

Back on the first day of the Term 2 holidays, Jin came home with a t-shirt-shaped worksheet for the milestone: fill it with 100 of anything you like. The teacher said you didn't have to stick to the worksheet either — any collection of 100 things, photographed, would do. Jin chose face stickers, one for every school day so far, each one a small record of how that day actually felt. Some happy. Some sad. Some curious. Some a bit flat. A hundred tiny weather reports from her first year of school.

She was up early this morning, pulling on the fluffy pink pyjamas Dad had bought specially for the occasion, pink socks, pink slippers tucked into her school bag "just in case." Pink sneakers on, pink bunny under one arm, she set off down the footpath with a bounce in her step that said this was, without question, the best kind of school day.

By the time we got to her classroom, half the class was already there in dressing gowns and pyjamas, lounging around like it was a Saturday morning. The caregivers on drop-off duty looked just as pleased about it as the kids did.

Because it's a special day, lunch is sorted — ham and cheese pizza or plain cheese pizza from the school canteen, which means one less lunchbox for me to think about. I still packed her favourite "bee box" for morning tea: her favourite fruit, a string cheese, a small bag of popcorn. Somewhere between the pyjamas and the packing, Jin asked if she needed to bring a toothbrush — she'd decided that pyjama day at school must mean a sleepover, the way her sisters do it with their friends. Five years old, and convinced Pyjama Day was basically a slumber party with extra maths. I'm already looking forward to the grin she'll come home with this afternoon.

한국어 요약

오늘은 Jin의 Year 1 반이 학교에 다닌 지 100일을 축하하는 날이다. 아이들은 가장 좋아하는 잠옷을 입고, 아끼는 인형을 안고 등교한다. Jin은 아빠가 이날을 위해 사 준 분홍 잠옷에 분홍 양말, 분홍 토끼 인형까지 챙겨 신이 나서 집을 나섰다.

Term 2 방학 첫날, 학교에서 티셔츠 모양 활동지가 왔다. 무엇이든 좋아하는 것으로 100개를 채워 오면 되고, 활동지 대신 100개를 모아 사진으로 찍어 와도 된다고 했다. Jin은 얼굴 스티커를 골랐다. 학교에 간 날마다 하나씩, 그날의 기분을 담은 스티커 100개다.

이날 점심은 학교 매점 피자라 도시락 걱정이 하나 줄었다. 짐을 챙기다가 Jin이 칫솔도 가져가야 하느냐고 물었다. 언니들이 친구 집에서 그러듯, 잠옷 입는 날은 자고 오는 날이라고 생각한 것이다.

Yussi

Writer · Social work student, Massey University

A mother of three girls and a Korean immigrant making Mairangi Bay home — writing about starting school, home learning and everyday life on Auckland's North Shore.

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Frequently asked questions

What do children do for 100 Days of School in New Zealand?: In Jin's Year 1 class, the children wore their favourite pyjamas and brought a favourite soft toy to school. Lunch was sorted too — ham and cheese or plain cheese pizza from the school canteen.
What can my child bring for a 100 Days of School project?: Jin's class was given a t-shirt-shaped worksheet to fill with 100 of anything they liked, and the teacher said any collection of 100 things, photographed, would do. Jin chose 100 face stickers — one for every school day so far, each showing how that day felt.
When did the 100 Days project come home?: The worksheet came home on the first day of the Term 2 holidays, so there was the whole break to work on it before the celebration.