Glenroi Heights Public School has welcomed back students for the first time since a fire destroyed the administration and library blocks.
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Two boys have since been charged with arson after the blaze on December 5, 2022 which forced the school to relocate online and off-site to finish the school year.
Standing at the front gate for the first day back on January 31, principal Tegan Davis told the CWD teachers were "pumped" to kickstart the new year.
"It's so exciting. It's great to see everyone's faces, all the staff are really pumped," she said.
"We can't wait to get the kids back in so we can make it normal again and get some awesome learning happening. Everyone is so ready to go."
Year two students Isla and Shakira were eager to find out which class they would be placed in as they waited for the gates to re-open for the first time in nearly two months.
Despite much being lost in the blaze, firefighters managed to rescue several plaques as well as the old school hand bell.
It has been re-called to active duty while the electronic bell system remains temporarily out of action.
Damage to the school has been estimated at $3 million and while there remains plenty of work ahead, Ms Davis said the rebuilding process was well underway.
"There's been a lot of hectic work over the holidays," she said.
"Infrastructure NSW has been amazing and working with us to get everything happening. Everything has been demolished, all the rubble is gone ahead of schedule.
"The next step is for engineers to come and look at the [building] slab and assess it. Then we'll go to phase two which is the architects coming from Sydney to asses the site.
"It's a long way off but just to see it get this far is really great."
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