Riley well schooled for big day experience

Riley McGovern has waited five long years to be old enough to go to school and finally the big day is almost here.
Riley will be a new entrant when Papamoa's new Golden Sands School opens tomorrow.
He's looking forward to spending time with his friends, playing with his big sister Phoebe and learning more about his favourite subject - maths.
When the Bay of Plenty Times spoke with Riley and his mother, Sally Stuart, about going to school next week, a mixture of emotions washed over Ms Stuart's face.
She was excited about sending her son to school but also apprehensive about letting him go.
"I've been preparing Riley for school since he was born," Ms Stuart said.
"I've been reading to him a lot, he knows about books, colours and numbers ... but it's still going to be a big change.
"I'll miss him a lot, we're good mates."
Early education expert Colleen Young has just had a book published about the importance of going to school.
Mrs Young, now retired, taught primary school students for 35 years, with 22 years focused on new entrant education.
For the past 18 months she has devoted her time to writing the book The Amazing Five Year Old: Getting ready for school in New Zealand, aimed to help parents prepare their 5-year-old children for school.
"Education is like a triangle, with the parents and teachers on the bottom corners and the child at the top.
"Everyone should be working together to produce the best possible outcome."
Mrs Young said preparation for school began right from day one, not a week or month before school started. She said skills needed to be taught and practised with "plenty of repetition".
Before attending school, Mrs Young said children should have a basic understanding of language, have good social skills and self-esteem. Mrs Young said anxiety about starting a new school could be minimised by visiting the school, becoming familiar with the surroundings and meeting potential teachers before the first day of school.
Another tip to encourage positive education was to remain at the same school for a period of two years or longer.
Mrs Young said this helped the student to develop a sense of pride for the school, be confident in themselves and form meaningful relationships with other students and staff.
Assistant principal at Golden Sands School, Lynn Lethbridge said it was just as important to ease the minds of stressed parents on the first day of school.
"They are putting their trust in us to look after their children so we need to make sure they're comfortable and relaxed too," she said.