Nine-year-old Riya Bahia is looking forward to returning to school in a couple of weeks.
She’s heading into Grade 5, and says starting a new grade brings on a mixture of emotion.
“I’m nervous about if it’s going to be really hard and I’m also excited to see all the new challenges ahead of me,” she notes.
Riya’s favourite subject is science, which she is “really good at,” and she likes school because she gets to “learn about different things and different places.”
Although there will be some of the same kids from last year in her new class, there will be some new ones, but Riya says she makes new friends simply by being friendly. She already has a lot of friends at school and that’s part of the reason why she is looking forward to going back although she really enjoyed the break.
“I had an amazing summer,” she reports. Highlights include a trip to Mexico and sleepovers with her cousins.
Outside of school, Riya enjoys swimming and diving, and will start ice skating this winter. She also likes to ride her bike and her scooter and jump on her trampoline.
Riya’s not too worried about getting back into the swing of things at school, and says she’s generally organized throughout the year, but gets plenty of help from her mom and dad.
She also uses an agenda to keep track of her various activities and schoolwork.
“I try my best (to stay organized),” she says, but admits sometimes she forgets her homework at school, especially if she is rushing to get to an after-school activity.
Riya already knows she may want to be a lawyer when she grows up. When asked how she stays focused and interested at school, she explains that she has a couple of strategies.
Sometimes if she feels she’s losing focus, she will ask to move to a quieter place in the classroom or even out in the hall so she isn’t tempted to look out the window.
And if she feels herself losing interest she employs some positive thinking.
“If I keep myself focused and do a hundred per cent I will get a good job when I’m older and I’ll have a good life. I think a little bit about the future and I try to stay as focused as I can.”
Riya’s mom Ruby says moving through the various school stages with her daughter has been a learning experience. Talking to other parents helps. And her three-year-old son is now starting preschool so she will be starting the process all over again.
Ruby says school seems more fast paced now than when she was a kid and it’s a lot of work to stay on top of everything.
“It’s definitely almost another job,” she notes.
The North Vancouver mom, who is also a registered nurse, and her husband both work shift work and rely on family for help.
“Both sets of grandparents are very helpful,” she says, admitting with a laugh: “They’re great. They’re probably more organized than we are.”
Digital calendars connected on their phones helps all the adults stay in the loop, and a print calendar is used at home for the family.
With all the work ahead, it’s not surprising Ruby says she gets a bit tense in the last couple of weeks leading up to the start of school.
“I’m excited because I think she (Riya) gets excited but definitely it is a bit nerve-racking.”
Preparation for the new school year starts with reviewing some of the schoolwork from the previous year, and journaling to help Riya get back into the practise of reading and writing.
Bedtimes have never really been a problem, but Ruby is not looking forward to having to prepare school lunches ahead of time again. It’s the part she least likes about school.
Finding a good variety of food that has well-balanced nutrition and is something Riya will be interested in eating becomes more challenging as the year goes on.
“I love the hot lunch days at school,” she says with a laugh, noting then she only has to come up with a snack.
