CANBERRA’s newest public school, Throsby School, has welcomed its students for the first time today (January 31).

One-hundred and ninety-seven students from preschool through to year six are enrolled at the school located in Gungahlin.

Principal Annamaria Zuffo said she was “pinching herself” with excitement to welcome the children.

“Even during our covid situation we were able to meet online with all our families on Zoom,” said Ms Zuffo.

“We’re following the health guidelines from the ACT education directorate and can have two parents on site per child on that first settling in day.

“It’s so exciting being able to create a vision as an educator and recruit staff that have that same sense of vision.”

The school features a library with views over Gungahlin, a dedicated learning area for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) as well as a number of creative spaces like “tree houses” which give students a “unique space to learn.”

A gym with courts for basketball, volleyball, netball and more is also under construction and set to be completed by the end of February. The construction of another of the school’s ovals as well as an indigenous garden are set for completion by the end of March.

The school – like the suburb – is named after Charles Throsby, a surgeon and explorer, who explored the country around Lake Bathurst, Lake George, and the Murrumbidgee River in 1820.

He followed the Molonglo and Queanbeyan Rivers, starting from Lake George to arrive in the present day ACT in 1821.

Ms Zuffo said her and the staff have worked hard on creating a strong story of the school.

“We are talking about building that story together. Who are we? What’s our identity as a school?” she says.

“We’re going to get the children involved in telling that story as well which might lead to things like creating the houses for our sporting teams.”

It’s the ACT’s 90th public school and currently has capacity for 582 students, but a master plan is in place for further expansion given future enrolments.