Liané, Karla, and Maya Dickason's teachers say the children all seemed happy on the day their mother killed them.
At the High Court at Christchurch today, the children's school and pre-school teachers gave evidence in the triple-murder trial of Lauren Dickason.
Lauren Dickason admits killing her three girls on September 16, 2021 but has pleaded not guilty to murder charges, using the defences of insanity and infanticide.
The two-year-old twins, Maya and Karla, had just attended their first day of pre-school in Timaru.
In court, Crown prosecutor Andrew McRae read a statement from their teacher Bronwyn Davies, which recounted their day.
She said the toddlers were very happy and caring to each other, helping get clothes from the dress-up box.
"Karla was in a pink ballerina dress," Davies' statement read.
The teacher said that when Lauren picked them up after school, she was surprised to hear they'd had a great day. She said the twins did not often get along at home.
Davies' noted she didn't sense anything untoward. It was the last time she'd see the family.
Earlier in the week, during enrolment, she talked to Lauren Dickason about her well-being.
"I may appear calm, but you should see me inside," she said. Davies thought she was trying to keep it together.
On day three of the trial, Graham Dickason has continued to give evidence via video link from Pretoria, South Africa. (Source: 1News)
Grant Phillips, the deputy principal at Timaru Christian School, where six-year-old Liané had started attending, was emotional on the stand.
Phillips recounted his interactions with the family. He and his wife visited the family before Liané started school, delivering them a meal.
When he asked Lauren Dickason how she was doing, she said she was "scared", looking withdrawn and losing weight. Lauren Dickason told him she had lost 10kgs in two months due to stress.
Liané's teacher Wendy Hamilton said interactions with family gave her no cause for concern, although the mother looked very tired.
In her statement, she said the family had come to look at the classroom, with Lauren Dickason asking if she could bring in a cake for Liané the following week.
Hamilton said that on September 15, Liané's first day at school and the day before she died, the six-year-old seemed confident to be there by herself.
"I took her over to a girl, and they did a puzzle," Hamilton said.
"She was getting on really well with the girl…she was getting on really well with her school work."
As the teachers gave their evidence, Lauren Dickason sat behind her defence lawyers - covering her face with her black gloves.
The trial continues.
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