There may have been no classes scheduled at Taree High School for its first day back after record floods hit the town.

But there were still plenty of learning opportunities, as students stepped up to help others, working with staff in the school’s kitchens to make curried sausages, pasta bakes and Anzac biscuits.

Next, they went out into Taree to deliver the meals, free of charge to anyone in need of something tasty to eat.

“This is what community looks like,” executive principal Nigel Reece said.

“Thank you to everyone involved in preparing and delivering these meals: your kindness matters.”

For many schools on the flood-affected Mid North Coast, providing food for students while they are on site is a practical a way to take some of the weight off families.

At Kempsey East Public School, students lined up for a sausage sizzle and ate together under the covered outdoor area.

“It was so good to see our kids back, reconnecting and enjoying a special “We Missed You” barbecue lunch!” principal Katie Smith said

Wauchope High School also fired up the barbie to fill many hungry stomachs and ensure a warm welcome back.

“It was so good to see everyone reconnect, share a meal, and settle back into the rhythm of school life,” principal Anna Reynolds said

Coopernook Public School has also ensured all students have uniforms and hats and is providing snacks for students since reopening.

NSW public schools are proud to be the hub of their communities, especially at Telegraph Point, north of Port Macquarie.

Telegraph Point Public School is co-ordinating with the St Thomas’ soup kitchen in town for the delivery of tubs of essentials for local families who need them, not just those with students at the school. In a sign of how the community has supported each other through the disaster, the school also received fruit donations for students from local business Ken Little's Fruit and Veg.

All of the initiatives undertaken by Mid North Coast public schools are in addition to more formalised support provided to schools by the NSW Department of Education and other government agencies during and following natural disasters.