Twins Liam and Emily Westaway and Cara and Jed Barutski are enjoying their first taste of school at Emerald Primary School.By Paul Dunlop
TEACHERS could be forgiven for seeing double in their classrooms.
Several sets of twins are among the new prep students at schools in Cardinia Shire.
Liam and Emily Westaway and Cara and Jed Barutski were among 60 children starting their first year of school at Emerald.
It’s a similar story at St Patrick’s Primary School in Pakenham, where identical twins Ella and Kate Peach and Cameron and Ayden Roberts are keeping teachers on their toes.
Bunyip Primary School has also welcomed twins Kiana and Travis.
They are just a few of the prep pairings at local schools and, remarkably, their mum recently gave birth to another set of twins.
By the time Kiana and Travis are in grade six, their siblings will be ready to start school.
Liam and Emily Westaway are part of another extraordinary double.
Their family already has another sets of twins attending Emerald Primary School.
Kristie and Dylan, Liam and Emily’s older siblings, are in grade five.
They have another sister Cassie in grade three and the ‘baby’ of the family, twoyearold Lillie, is still at home.
Mum Lisa said going back to school had been a busy time in the Westaway family.
She and husband Paul operate the Emerald shoe shop and so helped plenty of other youngsters find their feet – or at least their footwear – before the big first day back.
With five school lunches to make each day, Mrs Westaway said most of the preparations were done at night.
“There’s not enough time in the mornings,” she said.
Mrs Westaway said Liam and Emily enjoyed being at school.
“They love it, it’s like their second home. They’re having a ball,” she said.
Emerald Primary School principal Terry Simpson said all the new preps had settled in well.
“We’ve had a very smooth start to the year,” he said.
