First-day excitement for family

Published 10:31 am Monday, August 8, 2016

Brand new kindergartener Austin Hood, 5, is ready for the first day of school, and the number one thing he is looking forward to is meeting people.

“Well I feel like I’ll meet new friends and have a good time,” Austin said.

The Bovina Elementary School student is in Ms. Harvey’s class, which he said was located at the front of the school.

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“Another thing I’m looking forward for is my ABCs,” Austin said, adding he thinks he’ll learn about the alphabet and numbers in class.

“He’s excited. He talks about it all the time. He’s counting down to go to school,” mom Tracy Hood said.

She was little nervous about sending Austin off to school for the first time because he has never been to preschool, but she knows he is ready.

“(I’m having) all kinds of emotions— excited and sad,” she said.

This is the first time the Hood family, which includes dad John Austin and brother Reid, 3, has sent a child to school; they are still trying to figure out their morning routine and how early they will start the day.

“I’ve never been on a schedule. I’m nervous about that as well,” Tracy said.

She isn’t sure what she is going to do with only one child at home.

“It’s going to be different having one kid all day. Reid’s probably going to miss his playmate,” Tracy said.

Reid said he feels good about his brother going to school but agreed he would miss him.  Austin said he will miss his family as well.

“I will because I’m going to be at school for a long time,” he said.

As for subjects, Austin is most looking forward to reading.

Tracy said he has already taken three accelerated reader tests over the summer, and Austin said he has been reading for a long time.

“It’s like my favorite thing almost,” Austin said.

Reading and friends aren’t the only aspects of school he is looking forward to this school year.

“In my school, of course we’ll, like in the morning like at 10 a.m., around that time, they have snacks,” Austin said.

He has a brand new red backpack with his name on it that he picked out himself, and showed off his new green tennis shoes. When asked about shopping for school clothes, Austin said he got plenty of new items.

“(I got) a lot. More than I need,” he said.

His favorite new school supply is an assortment of colored erasers that go on the end of a pencil.

“They just look good. I like the color,” Austin said.

Overall, he thinks this year is going to be a good one.

“I guess good because (Bovina) is a good school,” Austin said.