From the Leader of Learning and Curriculum

Congratulations to Year 12 students who finished their Trial HSC Examination block recently. The hard work continues in their remaining weeks with the completion of Major Works, course content and study in preparation for HSC examinations next term.

Remember to stay focused Year 12:

Foresee success

On time to class

Commit to study

Use teachers’ expertise to improve

Support each other 

Congratulations to the HSC Music Students that showcased their HSC repertoire on Tuesday evening. It was wonderful to hear such amazing talent and musicality. 

Year 11 Preliminary Course Examinations begin soon, and students are reminded to prepare by committing to study. Examinations commence Tuesday, 6 September.

Managing and communicating expectations about schoolwork and results

If parental expectations are too low, students may not strive to achieve their personal best. If parental expectations are too high, this can contribute to high student stress levels.

So how can parents find the right balance?

Some areas to consider are:

Understand your motivations: Why do you want your child to achieve particular marks in their studies? Is it because you have pressure from family/friends/society about what your child will achieve? Do you want them to follow in your career footsteps? Do you want them to have opportunities you never had as a child or young person? Understanding your motivations will help you find balance in your expectations of your children.

Help your children to set realistic goals: Keep talking to your children about what they want to achieve: in individual subjects, at school overall and in other aspects of their life. Their career goals may mean they want to focus intensively on something like art or music, rather than maths or science. Helping them identify their goals will enable them to determine what subjects they need to focus on and what marks they are likely to need, which means that effort can be concentrated on the areas that will help them achieve their goals.

Be involved in your children’s learning: Talk to them about what they are studying throughout the term. Ask them to show you their bookwork and homework. The more you understand about what they are doing and how they are going along the way, the better you will be able to set and manage your expectations.

Make sure you really communicate what you expect: Many students feel like they are not meeting their parents’ expectations. Often this is a result of poor communication about expectations by both parties. Reflect on your motivations and think about how you communicate your expectations to your children. Remember to praise them for the effort they make rather than the results they achieve; this way, they are motivated to keep on trying, even when learning is difficult.

Remember, nobody is perfect: Even the brightest, most highly motivated child will sometimes struggle. They may struggle to understand a particular topic or concept, or they may struggle with motivation, particularly for a subject they don’t particularly enjoy. Problems with teachers or peers can also contribute. It is unrealistic that anyone can work with 100% effort all the time.

Provide practical homework and exam support: Provide practical help to your children with things like proofreading and reviewing drafts, checking work and listening to speeches. Remember, though, it is not your work, so do not make changes, rather make suggestions and provide guidance.

Spend time together doing something fun: Make sure your relationship with your child is about more than homework and study. Allocate some time to do fun things together. This is the time in which your child is most likely to open up to you about the things that they are struggling with and you can work out how best to help them. Ideas include going for a walk or run together, having a dinner date (even to Maccas) or having them show you the latest funny videos they like.

Support your child to do their best: You can do this by providing healthy, nutrient-rich food, opportunities for exercise, rest and relaxation, and an environment that is supportive of and conducive to study.

Keep alert for the physical and mental signs of stress: Familiarise yourself with how your child responds to stress. Do they withdraw? Act out? Work harder or stop working? When you notice that your child is stressed, provide them with opportunities to discuss what is worrying them and work with them to identify how you can help them. 

You can learn more about how to support your student’s learning at www.studyskillshandbook.com.au via the Favourites menu on COMPASS.

This article on College life meets The Archbishop’s Charter for Catholic Schools – Charter #1, #2