The Northern Advocate

Micah’s raring to catch the school bus

- Mikaela Collins

The school bus driving past Micah’s front gate has been making him excited to start school.

His mum, Angela Boyte, said it will be like a little adventure for him when he starts catching it — and that may not be too far away.

The 5-year-old will start his first day at Maungatape­re School soon.

“I feel good and strong,” Micah said.

“I’m excited to be doing some listening and being quiet. I’m excited to do some swimming — but no diving in the pool because I’m too scared for diving in the pool.”

Boyte said there are a few little things making Micah feel excited about starting school — one of them is the fact the school bus drives past the family’s gate.

“It’s like a little adventure that he’s going to be catching the bus, although we’ll probably do that when he’s feeling a bit more settled.

“We’ve talked about school a lot so he’s got all these imaginatio­ns of what it’s going to be like.”

Boyte, however, said she had mixed feelings about her first child going off to school.

“I know he’s ready for school so I feel good that he’s going to keep growing and learning. But also a little bit apprehensi­ve — it’s another whole world out there that is different from our world and that’s going to be part of his own world.”

Micah was due to start school on February 7 but he will be starting later because he is getting his tonsils out on February 8.

Last year Micah spent half a day at Maungatape­re School during a visit with about seven other children who are starting this year.

Boyte said one of the boys who will be in Micah’s class — Makani — had gone to daycare with him and had taken Micah under his wing.

“He really liked it and he wanted to go back the next day. I said ‘no we have to wait until next year and then you can’.”

To mark the milestone, Boyte said the family held a ‘going to school’ party for Micah on Saturday.

“It is a huge milestone going to school because all the other mums that you meet up with, with kids — like coffee groups and kids groups — once they go to school they lose that.

“So I really wanted to get all the mums we get coffee and go to the park with, to get together. It’s a special time, he’s going to be changing his direction a little bit now and not be part of our play group,” she said.

 ?? Photo / Michael Cunningham ?? Like many youngsters his age, Whanga¯ rei 5-year-old Micah Boyte is excited about starting school.
Photo / Michael Cunningham Like many youngsters his age, Whanga¯ rei 5-year-old Micah Boyte is excited about starting school.

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