While most of us were taking a well-earned break over the holidays a small school in the Riverina was on duty.

With about 70 per cent of Kapooka Public School’s parents working at Kapooka Army Base, its student population is in constant flux as parents are sent on defence postings around Australia or overseas.

“Most of our kids are very transient,” said principal, Kay Thurston. “One-third of our children leave the school every year and we get a new influx coming in.”

Extra Kindergarten/general orientation sessions were scheduled during the summer vacation so when the first day of school term arrived, the new children were in uniform, knew where their classrooms were and their parents “had a feel for the school”, Mrs Thurston said.

“I like to make myself available during the school holidays. If we have families arriving over Christmas I want them to see the school, organise uniforms and it’s just really important for the children … just to help them settle in,” she said.

Mrs Thurston said the school’s culture had adapted well over the years to the demands of army life.

“The children who have been here for a while are very accepting of new students because they’re so used to kids coming in and going out,” she said.

However she added it could be “tricky” for parents to work out which grade their children should be entering.

The school had a defence force transition aide, Therese McTavish, who helped new families to settle in and children were given a welcome pack to tell them about the school and Wagga Wagga.

Children who left the school also received information about their family’s next posting so the transition was not so daunting, Mrs Thurston said.

“Not just about their school but things within the city where they might be moving so it’s preparing the kids for that big step into the next school,” she said.

All students were given resilience-building lessons to help them adjust to the changes and stresses of moving home and making new friends.

The school was also a social hub for the new families, who generated a lot of fundraising dollars.

“Because they’re here for a short time they like to work really hard for their children. They do a lot of fundraising – they raise the money, spend it while the kids are here and off they go,” Mrs Thurston said.

Army chaplain and parent Kerry Larwill said the school made a “big deal of the kids”.

“It’s very difficult on defence personnel to drag families around. When we move we’ve got an instant workplace and it’s all the same for us, but for our families it can be hard.

“They leave their friends and families. To have a school like this, which is close by and works really closely with families and the base, is excellent.”