There will no doubt be plenty of smiles, as well as a few tears, as hundreds of students start school for the first time throughout the Goulburn Valley on Monday, January 30.
Shepparton’s Max Dodsworth will be among the Prep students walking into the classroom this year at Guthrie St Primary School in Shepparton.
The five-year-old is hard of hearing and wears hearing aids, and his parents chose the school especially because of its deaf facility.
Max’s mum, Ruth Boyd, said the students at the school all learnt Auslan, meaning sign language was an integral part of the whole school community.
“It’s really sort of normal for them all,” she said.
“We didn’t want him going to a school and being picked on because of his hearing aids.
“They really look after them and make them feel part of the community.
Ms Boyd said Max knows a bit of sign language, but she is excited about him learning more.
“He’ll learn more at school so he can integrate into the deaf community more, which will be good,” she said.
Ms Boyd said Max had already had interactions with the deaf facility teachers and when he first starts school, they will come into the classroom with him.
As Guthrie St is a deaf-friendly school, the teachers are all used to using technology such as an FM speaker microphone that connects wirelessly to Max’s hearing aids, Ms Boyd said.
Later Max will also do some extra classes in the deaf facility.
While Max was pretty quiet while being interviewed by the News, Ms Boyd said he was looking forward to going to school.
“He thinks school will be great,” she said.
While she admitted to being a little bit apprehensive herself about her oldest child starting school, Ms Boyd said that was just normal parent nerves.
“It’s a big thing,” she said.
“You wonder how they’ll cope. But we’ve all done it.”
“Every parent of a new prep is the same.”