This is the seventh year of Hamilton and those left from the original grade 1 class are now in their final year and will be moving on to high school.
In January 2007, Hamilton Preparatory School opened its doors for the first time to children ranging from the age of two to six years old. They were all accommodated in one converted house consisting of four classrooms, with grade 1 being the highest. It was an incredible year with a happy family atmosphere! It was not unusual to suddenly discover that there was a new member in the grade 1 class as a child from the pre-school section had decided to change class for a while. This set the tone for a school where each child is known and loved by all the teachers.
During that first year, all watched with anticipation as new classrooms sprung up before their eyes. There was lots of noise and mess, but by the end of the year, they were able to move into the new building and had enough classrooms to accommodate an art room and a music room. Hamilton is fortunate enough to have specialised art and music teachers. The school participates in many sports, despite the small numbers. The next addition was a sports field that was most welcome, as all the practices took place on a small piece of lawn at the front of the school. Much of the time was spent retrieving balls that had escaped through the palisade fencing!
With the pre-school growing rapidly, it was then necessary to give them their own space, so once again building started and the new pre-school was opened at the end of 2009. The first Christmas concert was a challenge but fun, as all the children from the youngest to the oldest were incorporated. The little ones always add humour and a special something to a concert! A musical and Christmas concert have been put on every year, and Hamilton is now fortunate to have a Marimba Band that has entertained people at many functions and a choir that does the school proud. Hamilton have come full circle and are once again watching building taking place, as four of the classes are being extended. “We are still small enough to enjoy a personal relationship with all the children and it will be sad to say goodbye to our grade 7s” is the message from the school.
Thanks is owed to so many people for the growth of the school: the founders, governing body, principals, parents, teachers and last but not least, the children who make it a pleasure to be at Hamilton!
