Starting Year 7 poses many new challenges, but also offers exciting opportunities. It can come with a number of mixed feelings. Unfortunately, for many Grade 6 students, 2020 was marred with school closures and remote learning due to the pandemic and the overall impact of this is still unknown.
For our Year 7 students, the regular orientation activities at the end of 2020 were limited and they were onsite for only a couple of hours. Therefore, many students may be feeling a little more anxious than usual about their expectations of starting secondary school. Grasping new skills and establishing new friendships and study practices can quickly become daunting and overwhelming.
During this time of transition, parents and guardians need to be supportive, but also realistic in their expectations. This is an important milestone in your daughter’s life. There will be feelings of exhilaration, but also the fear of the unknown. Therefore, it will be important for parents and carers to be vigilant in monitoring their child’s mood and mental health during this time. They may become overly anxious and upset. You may also wish to share your concerns with your daughter’s House Group Teacher, Head of House or the College counsellors. Our counsellors can be contacted at counselling@siena.vic.edu.au
There are a number of strategies offered that can make this transition period smoother and start things off on the right foot! We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this School TV Special Report
Today parents face a multitude of modern-day challenges in raising happy, well and resilient young people. Whilst there is a great deal of information available, this can often be confusing and overwhelming for parents looking for guidance.
SchoolTV addresses this as an online resource designed to empower you as parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical and ongoing support strategies. An excellent feature of SchoolTV is that it is available when you need to access it, in your own time. Evidence-based recommendations and strategies are provided by specialists who practice in the field.
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School Transitions
As mentioned above, there is no doubt that the transition is a very exciting time for students and parents. However, transitioning is an ongoing process. It can continue long after students have entered their new environment and may encounter difficulties at a number of different stages. These stressors may appear as anxiety and frustration and result in negative or disruptive behaviours. Such behaviours can become problematic making the transitioning process even more difficult for children and parents. Parents will learn practical strategies to assist your child during the transition process and reduce stress and anxiety levels.
Surviving Year 12
The final year of secondary school is a year of hard work and a huge commitment for students. With so much going on it can be hard to find the balance between study and life. It is a time when personalities start to emerge, there are more complex interpersonal relationships and there is the pressure to perform academically. With all of this going on, it’s not surprising that some students have an emotional response and it is therefore extremely important for parents to know how to support their children during this time.
Some young people will need more support than others. Keeping the communication lines open with your child, their teachers, mentors and other parents will be crucial. Being aware of your child’s mental and physical wellbeing can play a vital role in their learning success.
In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will discover practical advice for students and parents to help get through the final year of secondary school.
Parents will be notified through the Newsletter when new items are available. I know you will find something worthwhile in this current series.
