Exam Preparation

Senior School students are soon to be preparing for major exams.  These exams can be a source of unease, anxiousness and a whole lot of other adjectives.

 

However, it doesn’t have to be the scary ride many believe it is.

With some gentle routines put in place, and lots of support, our young adults CAN get through this and come out relatively unscathed.

So, in the interest of family harmony  here are some tips which may help:

1. Enough sleep – if your child has left it to the night before the exam to start studying, it is pretty much too late. Ensure they get enough sleep each and every night. A tired brain cannot function.

2. Good nutrition – although this is important in every day living, this is one of those times that we really need to discourage those late night Macca’s runs! Having nutritious wholesome meals, with fresh fruit and vegies and plenty of protein and carbohydrates, will help them maintain the pace needed. And lots of water!

3. Reduce stress– I know – easier said than done. But, we need to ensure our kids are getting some physical activity EACH day – go for a run/walk/swim/bike ride/gym – anything. And personally, I believe being outside in the sun doing this helps even more. If the physical activity is inside, make sure they also get out in the sun each and every day.

4. Socialise – no, I don’t mean they go out to party every night. But neither should they be stuck inside 24/7 studying. Encourage them to catch up with friends every now and again, and try not to talk too much about studies whilst socialising.

 

 

 

5. Keep other interests – again, this doesn’t mean lose focus on study but by also keeping their other interests alive – be it music, art, cultural, sporting – gives them a good balance.

6. Part Time Work – I know plenty of parents who discourage part time work for senior students. This is obviously an individual decision. Personally, my kids will be encouraged to continue with their part time jobs, but probably no more than 10 hours a week during this time. All work and no play……..

7. The End IS In Sight – Even I remember counting down. Days, hours, minutes. There IS life after senior exams.

8. Stay in contact with the school – many schools hold sessions for parents of senior school students about to enter this period. If you or your child are unsure about ANYTHING, contact the school/teacher/counsellor. Just because it is the countdown to the end of school life, doesn’t mean the school wipes its hands of your child. The school and its staff have a responsibility to your student – 99% of schools and staff want the best for your child. But they can’t help if they aren’t asked.

9 – PARENT/CARER PATIENCE – yes, this is a big one! Parents need lots of patience during this time (remember those toddler years – now triple it!). Parents can help by:

i.  Don’t panic – you know there is life after exams, don’t panic your kids

ii. Quiet area – provide a quiet, comfortable area for study, with good ventilation, good lighting, an adequate study table space, and free of distractions including television, mobile      phones, noise, younger siblings.

iii. Be supportive – they will explode over the little things. Help them overcome any overwhelming situations they may feel – leaving home or moving cities for work or tertiary study, feeling like they will fail, help them be realistic – not everyone wants/needs to go to university or tertiary education, encourage them to seek help from their teachers, encourage confidence, and don’t stress over the little things (dirty towels on the bathroom floor are the killer for me – I can put up with this in the short term!).

10. Hugs – don’t underestimate the importance of a hug. Telling them you love them, are proud of them, or a hug can do amazing things for them. For all of us!

 

 

So, to all students out there sitting the HSC, VCE, QCST, NTCE, SACE, TASCE, WACE – good luck.

 

And remember, breathe!

Road Safety Awareness

There was further distressing news overnight that yet another youngster has died after being hit by a car whilst running across the road in NSW.

Since the start of this year alone, seven children have died after being hit by some type of vehicle whilst running across the road.

And usually, this is through absolutely no fault of the driver. I know how fast little ones can run, and they are also incredibly impulsive.

If they see a friend across the street, or their ball flies out onto the road, or in the case of yesterday the little one was so keen to get to their after school activity they ran right across the road and in front of a car that was not speeding at all.

We all need a reminder. I don’t think we can remind our little ones (and our big ones) enough of the road rules.
The following information is from the Road Safety Transport NSW Government website. The information is relevant to everyone everywhere in every state.

‘Keep a careful watch

Children’s desire to explore can lead them into danger. Children are more likely to be injured close to home, often in their own street or driveway. Adults need to talk to children about road safety in ways they will understand, keeping messages simple and clear. Even at home, parents and carers need to watch young children carefully, as they can move quickly, especially when left unsupervised.

Whenever children are in a car, they should be safely buckled-up in child car seats that are correct for each child’s age and size. Authorised Restraint Fitting Stations offer expert help on fitting and adjusting child car seats.

While driving, adults can explain how child car seats and seatbelts keep us safe, why it is best to use the Safety Door (rear door closest to the kerb, footpath or gutter and away from the road) to get in and out of the car and other passenger safety messages. By holding their hands when walking and teaching them safe behaviour, you can protect them from danger and help them become safer pedestrians.

Setting family rules about playing safely, away from footpaths and driveways can help keep them out of harm. Songs and Rhymes For Young Children uses music to deliver road safety messages.

Adults need to make sure children hold a grown-up’s hand, wear a bike helmet, or wear a seatbelt, even though they may resist.

Kids & Traffic has more information on childhood road safety.For road safety activities in your local community, contact the road safety officer at your local council.’

Another great website is https://www.safetytown.com.au/ There is some great information on this website for both adults and kids. It is targeted towards kids, wit some interactive activities as well.

And PLEASE, let’s keep our kids safe. I would much prefer to have an argument with an eight year old about holding my hand when we are near a road, than what yet another poor family is going through today.

http://www.teachstarter.com/teaching-resource/road-safety-poster-stop-look-listen/

Parent Teacher Meetings

Parent Teacher Meetings…

Can put the fear of God into the parent, the teacher, and the student!

 

Happy Parent Teacher Interview

I have actually been involved in parent teacher meetings for over 20 years, either as a parent or as a teacher (and before that, as a rather nervous student!).

 

Honest Parent Teacher Interview

These can prove to be very helpful, useful and definitely worth your while or they can be time wasters.  From both sides.

I have always attended parent teacher interviews as a parent. It appears in primary school, it is almost expected that parents attend the school and talk to the teacher.

But once my kids hit high school, it didn’t seem the case. We are only given a 5 minute time slot to discuss the reports, how the students are/are not achieving, and where they should be headed.

I like to attend as many of these as I can, as a parent. I like their teachers to know that I am a very interested and committed parent and that I want to ensure that both my child and the teacher are doing their best to further my child’s knowledge.

So in the interest of smooth parent teacher meetings, here are my tips.

1.  Book a time with the teacher – I think this mostly happens in primary school that the parent may spot the teacher on playground duty or walking through the school and want to have a ‘quick five minute chat’.

This is not fair on anyone. It isn’t fair on the teacher who almost feels ambushed by the parent. Teachers want to be prepared and have as much information on hand to discuss your angel and are more often than not trying to get things sorted for the day, are on playground duty and have a duty of care to concentrate on watching all the kids, or quite possibly are in the midst of a ‘situation’.

It is also not fair on the parent as the teacher cannot fully provide all accurate information if they are ‘ambushed’ and then the parent may start to think the wrong things about the child, because not enough time was given for a proper meeting.

And it’s not fair on your kids to not get the complete report on them, rather than just a few sentences here and there.

 

 

2.  Be prepared – I find that sometimes, some (and I stress some) teachers may not say as much as you might want to hear. Some of the best teachers I have worked with are actually quite shy when it comes to adults. So I always have a list of questions that I want to ask their teachers such as are they participating in class discussions, in what way can they work to achieve a higher grade, what are your expectations in the classroom/for homework/for your subject?

 

3.  Don’t walk away unhappy – this might sound odd but if you don’t feel happy with what happened in the interview, find out more. Perhaps book another appointment where you have more time and can delve further into any concerns/problems/issues.

 

4.  Be on time – usually you will be booked in at a particular time, with appointments before and after you. Again, if you don’t feel you have had enough time, suggest that a further meeting time be held, when you don’t have the next parents outside the door, anxiously waiting because you have gone over your allotted time.

 

5.  Stay focused – yes, it’s great to hear about your weekend/latest trip/favourite restaurant but this time has to be focussed on your child and their development.

 

6.  Don’t ‘bitch’ – this may seem odd but I have conducted many a parent interview as a teacher where a parent has wanted to whinge and whine about other kid’s in the class. If there are issues, again book another time and advise the teacher what the meeting will be about. A parent teacher meeting should be about your child’s progress, not what Mary did to Sally!

 

There are many more suggestions that can be made here, but many are dependant on you and your child. As a parent, I expect a lot from my kid’s teachers. And as a teacher, I expect a lot from my student’s parents!

 

It works both ways.

 

But it works best, when parents and teachers work together!!!

Do you have any tips or stories from parent teacher interviews? I’d love to hear them. Remember, sharing IS caring!

 

 

Come On In!

Hi and Welcome to Schoolopoly.

I have developed this site as a hopefully ‘one-stop-shop’ for school/educational needs and wants.

Being a Mum and a teacher, I have noticed there is a wealth of information around about school/school food/school supplies etc etc etc.

But, it is NOT all in the one place. So, I decided to put it together. In one place. So many of us are just trying to get by each and every day and don’t have a lot of spare time (or even inclination) to trawl through 100 sites to find what we need related to school. I know because I have done it. And really, if you do have a bit of spare time, don’t you find it much more fun to do a bit of internet shopping/read magazines/get out in the sunshine/gawk over incredible imagery on pinterest?

So, here we are. If you have any requests, please let me know here. As I said, this it to be a one stop shop. You will find information on school holidays (well, that IS important) for all states, some yummy recipes, health news, information for everyone from starting school to finishing school, latest news etc etc etc

I really hope you find this site useful, and every so often humourous, because let’s face it, we ALL need some humour in our lives.

Lisa