I'm a firm believer in hope. I drink the Kool-Aid. My cup is always half full. Well, not always, but most of the time.

A new school year is upon us. For our family, our eldest daughter is about to move on to a new school, Niu Valley Middle. It's exciting, but I'm also anxious. I hope I'm not the only mom who is freaking out about her sixth-grader starting in a new place with BIG KIDS.

The atmosphere at Niu for schedule pickup was near festive. Rows of tables with experienced Niu parents and faculty helped us newbies sort our way through fees, yearbooks, schedules and uniforms. Students are now part of teams. They'll have the same counselor for the next three years. They'll build relationships with students from all over East O'ahu.

Many of us parents are excited about Niu's launch of the International Baccalaureate program. By the time these students graduate to Kalani or Kaiser high schools, they'll have three years of either Mandarin or Japanese to their credit. Band and orchestra curriculums have put Niu on the map. Science takes students into high-technology, robotics. Social studies will shape their sense of community. Even the after-school program has amazing things to offer these fertile young minds.

We in East O'ahu know that we are blessed to have such a great school led by an amazing administration at Niu. We know that this new frontier of learning will solidify our children's place in the world.

My friends who know me took a minute to reassure me while at the school. Laden with uniforms and paperwork, I must have looked like a high school freshman all over again.

WAIT. It's my kid attending Niu, not me. Phew.

Paula Gillingham Bender, has lived in Hawai'i since 1981 and resides in Hawai'i Kai with her husband and two daughters. She is a senior writer at Hawaii Medical Service Association. Read her blogs at http://eastoahuinsider.honadvblogs.com/