Mickey and Minnie Mouse welcome Year One pupils
GEORGE TOWN: Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and a velociraptor, helped to ease first day jitters for Year One pupils in two schools here.
SK Ayer Itam pupils were surprised and excited to see the two iconic Disney characters welcoming them at the gate yesterday.
The Year One pupils’ “fearful faces” immediately brightened up when they saw the characters and greeted them with smiles as parents snapped their photographs.
Headmistress Salizawati Omar, 45, said this was the second year the school had invited such characters to cheer up the seven-yearold pupils on their first day of school.
“An Imperial soldier from Star Wars showed up on the first day of school last year. Feedback from parents and pupils were positive and we decided to continue with it.
“We wanted to create a happy atmosphere so they won’t be scared to come to school,” she said.
The pupils were also given a goodie bag when they entered the school compound.
Salizawati said the school had 305 pupils including 46 who enrolled in Year One, add- ing that they were six classrooms specially for 40 pupils with learning disabilities.
Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) chairman Azhar Hanapi, who was spotted welcoming the pupils at the gate, commended the teachers for creating a suitable environment for the pupils.
Nurul Syahinie said she was very happy to come to school.
“I woke up at 6.30am and had bread for breakfast before coming,” she said.
Over at SK Seri Relau, the pupils were given a “roaring” welcome by a dinosaur.
But instead of being fierce and dangerous, the velociraptor was all friendly and enlivened the pupils’ morning.
Amarullah Ahmad Irwan said he was almost speechless when he saw the dinosaur while alighting from the car.
Another Year One pupil Nur Kalisha Sofia Muhammad Afik said she was so happy to go to school that she did not even eat her breakfast as she was too excited.
“I am now even more excited upon seeing the dinosaur,” she said.