Billy Butlin 11, is following generations of family footsteps as he begins his intermediate education at Rutherford Junior High in Whanganui. Photo / Lewis Gardner
School's back this week and many pupils will be starting a new school or starting school for the very first time.
Liz Wylie and Logan Tutty speak to pupils, parents and teachers about making the transition comfortable.
After spending the last two years at kohanga reo, 4-year-old Zion Nielsen is looking forward to starting at Upokongaro School in 2021.
"I want to learn all the letters and making friends," Zion says. "I don't know their names yet.
"I'm going to play outside and inside. There is a fire pole and it's going to be fun."
He says he isn't nervous about starting the next step in his life.
"I won't cry, I'm a big boy now.
"I'm going to learn all the letters and read with whaea [mother]."
His mother Tira Nielsen says Zion will be joining all of his cousins at the school.
"It's hard, really hard, it's a big step for him and for myself, there's a lot of fear. Will he be happy, will he be safe, will he have the resilience we have tried to develop through his learning so far to help him in this next step?
"We hope as parents and kaiako, we have given him the right tools for him to navigate his schooling life in a good and positive way where he will be successful in his learning."
They also hoped Zion would be successful in his relationships with others at school.
"This will eventually be how he will behave and contribute as an adult in his community. So it's important to start out right. We also hope that he has a strong sense of identity; cultural identity will help him to be successful in his learning."
Whanganui Principals' Association co-chair Linda Ireton says the start of a school year can be quite stressful for students and parents but the first year can be an especially anxious time.
"Transition visits where new pupils and their parents get to meet the staff and learn about the school are very important for overcoming anxiety," she said.
"At Keith St School, we recognise that the parent is the expert when it comes to knowing their child, so they can set the pace and decide when it is time to leave them at school during the visits or whether they need to stay with them."
Ireton says every school has its own system, based on experience, but three weeks of transition visits are the norm.
"It can take longer for some children to feel comfortable so we are flexible on the timeframe.
"The little things can be really important like making sure a child can open their lunchbox.
"Teachers are always there to help of course but those little steps to independence can really boost a child's confidence."
Ireton shares the role of chairing the Whanganui Principals' Association with Whanganui East School principal Eleanore Barry and St Mary's School principal Jacqui Luxton.
"Last year was tough for a lot of Whanganui families and schools are aware that buying uniforms and stationery puts pressure on household budgets," said Ireton.
"Our board of trustees has been able to help by providing all the stationery this year and I would suggest that any parents who are struggling to meet costs should talk to their child's school because there may be options that will make it easier."
While many will be starting school for the first time, there are many more starting a new school.
Mika Groves is starting Whanganui Collegiate School after finishing his time at Durie Hill School last year.
He is a bit nervous and quite excited at the prospect.
"I'll be meeting a lot of new people but I have some friends starting with me," he says.
Born in Whanganui, Mika completed his primary education at Durie Hill School last year.
"I have friends from Durie Hill and some who went to St George's who will be starting at Collegiate with me."
He is not concerned about his ability to study after his final primary year was disrupted by Covid-19 restrictions last year.
"I found that online learning was really good and I was able to keep up with everything.
"I'm really interested in learning languages and I would like to study computer graphics."
Music is another strong interest and Mika says he has heard good things about Collegiate's music department.
"I took after school drumming lessons and I really enjoyed those," he says.
"I have really enjoyed my visits to the school and I'm quite excited to be there."
Billy Butlin will be following a family tradition when he starts his intermediate education at Whanganui's Rutherford Junior High next week.
The 11-year-old is preceded by his older sisters and two generations before them.
"I went to Castlecliff School first and then Whanganui High School after I left here," said mum Amy Baird.
"We moved back from Australia after Billy's oldest sister started school because it took an hour and a half to drive to her there.
"I wanted my kids to have what I had - to go to a nearby school and make life-long friends."
And Billy's new teacher Sean Petersen is an old friend of Baird's.
They met when they were classmates at Rutherford and Petersen said he also lived in Australia and wanted to come home to teach at a Whanganui school.
"I'm looking forward to having Amy's son in my class and I also taught his sister Celina.
"Patrick Johnston was our teacher when Amy and I were at Rutherford together and I worked on placement with him when I was training. He has just retired from Whanganui City College."
Billy, who has been attending Mosston School said he is very happy to be starting his intermediate education.
"I'm really glad I'm in Mr Petersen's class because he's cool," he said.
"I love riding my bike and I'm really glad there's a bike track here."
Big sister Celina completed her last year at Rutherford in 2020 and will begin the new school year at Whanganui High School on Monday.
Baird said buying two new uniforms and supporting her children to transition to two new schools has been a bit of a challenge but she is lucky to have support from her family she said.
"I'm really lucky to have the support and my oldest daughter who is 19 went to Whanganui High School so I still have some of her uniform items."
New Zealand Principals' Association president Perry Rush says: "The first thing we must remember is that we are all in the same boat.
"It's something we are experiencing all together."
He urges pupils to be open and ask questions if they ever needed to and prompted parents to do the same.
"Be open to ask questions when you don't know the answers. That is what teachers and principals are there for.
"For parents, their engagement and communication with the school are crucial. They need to remember they are important to how schools work and operate."
He understood that this time of the year can put significant financial pressure on parents.
"The start of the school year can be very stressful financially. There are significant expenses for uniform, there are significant expenses for stationery. If you are having issues, raise them with your principal. Most will find a way around it and work with the family."
The relationships between students, parents and teachers are one of the keys in getting the most out of school and education, Rush says.
After a tough 2020, he urges all parents to ensure their kids are ready for the first day and are in attendance.
"Particularly after Covid, we found students weren't returning to school in the same numbers. It is absolutely crucial all students return."
Rush says schools can't wait to get back into the swing of things after a strange year.
"Teachers and principals can't wait to re-establish those connections with students and parents as well as developing new ones with incoming students and families."
