New school year begins with excitement and a few tears

When asked what he was looking forward to most about school, he simply said, “the playground”.

Tully’s mum, Jess Sim, said she was really happy and proud of him.

“I'm a little bit nervous, but mostly excited,” she said.

“I’m probably 80 per cent excited and 20 per cent nervous.

“The night before, my husband and I kept looking at each other and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, it's tomorrow, I can't believe it, where did the time go?’”

Mrs Sim said on Tully’s first day he was excited to put on his new uniform.

“I have a three-year-old daughter as well, and she was a bit jealous that he got to start school and she didn't,” Mrs Sim said.

Barooga Public School principal Matt Collins said the first day of school went “smoothly” and there were only a few tears from kids.

Mr Collins said to make the transition to school as seamless as possible, the school had a 15-week program and then peer support buddies for each of the children when they started.

“They have a Year 6 peer who is like their anchor in the school that checks in on them and sits with them during lunch,” he said.

Mrs Sim said Tully “loved” the transition program and it really helped to get him ready for school.

“He was just really keen to get back (to school) and see the friends that he made last year and see the teachers,” she said.

Mrs Sim said when she dropped Tully off at school on his first day, she felt supported and welcomed by everyone.

“It was really beautiful to be at the gate with all the other parents and walk into the school and the teachers were calling us parents by our names,” she said.

“It felt like everyone had made such an effort to welcome not only Tully, but the parents and families as well.”

Mr Collins said that on the first day of school at drop-off, staff handed out a little gift pack to each of the parents with tissues and a tea bag.

Tully is looking forward to biking to school with mum Jess in the future and playing in the new playground the school is building.