Msss bulletin 2 2017

Middle/Senior School Bulletin Issue 2 / 17 February 2017

Middle & Senior School News

Mikami, our Visual Arts ambassador, likewise, has been helping Ms Harman (Head of Visual Arts) tutoring younger artists. Last week we launched our STEAM, Arts Rotations in the Junior School which builds some beautiful cross year level connections with Secondary School’s specialist teachers and our students in younger grades.

The end of the first month of school is upon us already!

And what a month of learning and experiences it has been.

From awards ceremonies where we welcomed back our OP 1-5 graduates from 2016; to the launch of a more diverse Sports program with excellence and development squad training in Netball, Kokoda and Futsal; to our Senior Biology camp and the reopening of J Block Upper’s new facilities; to the start of our Debating season, Chess Club, and the commencement of all Performing Arts groups, a trip to see Matilda the Musical in Brisbane, and so much more, life outside of scheduled classes has been as busy and rich in learning experiences as the work done in regular lessons. A St Andrews education is indeed rich in opportunities. If your child is yet to become involved in any co-curricular activities, please encourage them to spread their wings and to try something new.

Last year we piloted a Year 10 STEM program and this year, due to popular demand, this elective will run across both semesters. Mr Wecker (Head of Design Technology) and Dr Naidoo (Physics teacher) along with the support of staff across our Mathematics and IT departments are encouraging students to think big as they design solutions to real-world problems.

Our regular subject based tutorials and the after school peer tutoring offered by senior students also started last week.

The full list of tutorials is provided at the end of this bulletin.

Full STEAM Ahead This year we have introduced a few new programs in the areas of Arts and Sciences. Mr Wyatt (Head of Science) is looking forward to working with our inaugural Science Ambassadors, Year 11 students Holly Burnett and Isabella Austin-Howett, to further grow opportunities for mentoring younger students with an interest in Science. Last week, the girls assisted the Year 6 Science extension students who were learning about electricity. Science ambassadors are also getting involved with the Moreton Bay Marine Park Authority as Seagrass monitors on Crab Island. Liliana

Our Senior Biology and Business Students have also started their Griffith Connect programs which assist them not only through extending their learning, but also with early entry pathways into University.

Helping Hands This week a number of our Senior School students recommenced their support of Rosies outreach program and

spent the evening assisting Rosies staff and connecting with people in need. On Monday, Bryce U’Ren (Year 5) attended our Chapel so we could applaud his compassion and courage to act and to help children battling cancer through his Super Max Turtle night light initiative. In December Bryce and his family, travelled around Australia to deliver 244 Max Turtles after his fundraising efforts at St Andrews last year.

Chaplains Chat

Trust in the Lord Human Excellence! How often do we bump into it? It is such a wonderful encouragement to encounter our fellow brother or sister conducting themselves in a manner that is inspirational and beyond what we normally expect. Stories of great courage and bravery are able to influence us in our everyday existence to rise above who we naturally are and demonstrate human excellence in our own sphere - whether it be at home, work or the wider community.

In Week 6, a number of Middle School students will take part in an ALWS (Australian Lutheran World Service) Awareness Week activities around the theme – Walk My Way: Stepping Out To Bring Love to Life. This will be a time to connect with students from other Lutheran Schools in Queensland and to encourage students to think about their journey to school compared to others. Along with this they will be asked to consider their attitudes about going to school compared with the attitudes of some of the students they may ‘meet’ today.

Our first Mufti Day for the year will be held next Wednesday 22 February. All funds raised will go to support Rosies outreach. This is a free dress day and we are asking students to bring in a gold coin donation. Students are asked to revisit the dress expectations which are listed in the Student Diary (Page 34).

On Thursday a group of students from Ehime University Senior High School (Japan) arrived. This is our first cultural exchange for 2017. Thank you to those families who are hosting visitors. Next Monday 20 February, Miss Bible will host an information evening for our Study Tour to Germany (December 2017).

Inter-House Swimming Carnival – Thursday 23 February Next Thursday our Inter-House Swimming Carnival will be held for all students in Years 7 – 12 at Somerset pool. This is a wonderful event based around participation and House Spirit and also a time for our top swimmers to shine. Parents are welcome to attend and share in the event.

Please contact me should I be able to offer any assistance to you or your child(ren) or if you have any concerns of feedback regarding your child’s experiences at St Andrews Virginia Warner Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School virginiaw@salc.qld.edu.au

An outstanding example of human excellence was Desmond Doss, the subject of Mel Gibson’s film Hacksaw Ridge.

This gentleman demonstrated extreme human excellence through his endeavours during the last stages of World War II in the Pacific. His story included being ostracised from the unit he belonged to because he refused to carry a weapon or to be directly involved in killing the enemy. Understandably, his fellow soldiers could not understand his stance and he was labelled a coward. But his conduct on the frontline of battle on the Island of Okinawa left no doubt that he was far from being a coward and he ultimately proved himself to be courageous beyond belief. He singlehandedly saved 70 plus men in one 12 hour period while under enemy gun fire. For this and other acts of heroism he was awarded the US Medal of Honor which is the equivalent of our Victoria Cross.

All of Desmond Doss’s actions were inspired by his remarkable trust in Christ. It was his God who convinced him of the need to reject violence at all costs. It was the same God who led him to enlist in the army with the view of saving lives in amongst all the killing that was going on.

A verse that Doss held close to his heart through his lengthy ordeal in the armed services was Proverbs 3:5 & 6 - Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge the Lord in all of your ways and he will make your path straight. His life was the epitome of living this out. He placed his life in the Lord’s hands and against all rational understanding lived a life of absolute excellence. He did not live a life of ease - he suffered significant wounds as the war came to an end and he experienced hardship in his later life through the death of his wife and other challenges that are part and parcel of the human existence but his preparedness to love and serve shines like a beacon amongst the darkness that is so often seen in our world.

The same God who inspired Desmond Doss is the God who interacts with us here in the St Andrews Community, day in and day out. May He lead us to put our trust in Him and his ways so that more light may be shone in our world.

Graeme Schache Chaplain

Middle School News Parent Evening Next Wednesday evening (22 February) from 6:30-8:00pm we will be hosting a parenting evening in the Worship Centre.

This evening is aimed at parents of students in Years 5-8 but other interested parents are more than welcome. Kerri Yarsley will be presenting on the evening.

Kerri is a former parent of the College who has written an instructional and technical manual on parenting. We hope that many parents will come along to the evening and enjoy the opportunity to discuss matters relating to the parenting of young adolescents.

Debating For the last few years the College has gradually grown its participation in the Gold Coast Debating Association’s annual competition. This is a very well regarded competition for all Gold Coast schools. It is held on a Wednesday evening with approximately one debate per month leading up to the finals in August. Meetings and preparation for debates are usually held during a lunchtime each week. Students have been informed about the competition and should be signing up before the end of Week 5. No experience in debating or public speaking is essential.

Tutorials A list of tutorial times has been published outlining opportunities for students to consolidate learning either through interaction with senior students or with teachers in specific subject areas. I encourage parents to discuss these opportunities with their children as an investment of a small amount of time at the College can often save a more substantial and significant amount of frustration at home. Students should discuss with their LAG teachers the relevance of specific sessions for their learning.

As always please contact me should you wish to discuss anything further tomc@salc.qld.edu.au Tom Casey Head of Middle School

Student Development Recognising Adolescent Strengths In order to Nurture the Individual, as our Mission Statement suggests, we must develop our understanding of individual’s strengths and what they value most, what gives their life energy and motivation. The language of strengths is helping us as a community continue to build on our understanding of what engages students in their learning, and fosters a culture of wellbeing, resilience and preparing students to use these strengths as they go out into the world.

Pages 21-26 of the Student Diary offer opportunity for staff, students and parents to develop some of this common language around strengths and from there, building into our relationships ways of valuing these. Recent US Gallup data suggest that 46% of parents understand their children’s strengths very well and another 43% somewhat well. http:// www.gallup.com/poll/14137/parents-teachers-recognizeteens-strengths.aspx For parents interested in building their understanding the diary is a good place to start. Each week students have a small reflection that helps them value some of this themselves: beyond this Dr Louis Hayes ‘The Thriving Adolescent’ is also a good resource.

In the US data only 25% of students say their teachers have a good idea of their individual strengths. This contrasts to data we are collecting at St Andrews which indicates a growing number of students between Years 5-12 are reporting that they can see how their school is building on the strengths of every student. This is positive news and we continue to build upon the work done in previous year’s so that students feel more engaged, more enthused and recognise their strengths and engage in their learning.

James Nelson Director of Student Development

Flourishing in the Senior School Positive Education It was heartening in LAG last week to hear Senior School students talking about their Character Strengths and how they use them to overcome challenges or to assist them in achieving their goals. Hearing how our young people realised that those same strengths could also be a disadvantage if overused and can sometimes get us into trouble was also interesting. For example, anyone who has Honesty as a strength knows that occasionally they can be too honest or perhaps even blunt and, for those with Humour, making a joke at the wrong time has been a problem.

In LAG your child has also been working on their academic and personal goals. A big part of our approach in the Senior School is achieving personal bests, pursuing excellence and

stretching ourselves through the setting of goals. A formula the students have been working from might assist parents in identifying if their child has set a SMART Goal (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-Framed). These Term 1 goals are on page 43 of the Student Diary.

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Ben Allan and Hannah Schooley who visited the Year 3’s to talk about having a Growth Mindset and how they apply it.

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Our Senior School Science Ambassadors, Isabella AustinHowlett and Holly Burnett on their very successful visit to the Year 6s.

Goal Formula: By _____ I have/am _____ so that _____ and I will feel _____.

Study Suggestions: Our Beginning Year Survey of Senior School students revealed a lot about our young people - their goals, strengths, values and hopes for the future. However, it also revealed that many are working more than 10 hours per week in part time jobs and studying for less than 1 hour per night. Firstly, research tells us that academic performance suffers and declines for those students who work more than 10 hours per week outside school. Secondly, students who study less than one hour per night are doing the bare minimum and their performance and ability to complete tasks to a high standard and on time is affected. Many students procrastinate and leave things to the last minute. One tip is to just get started by doing 20 minutes per night and being consistent. Often that 20 minutes will turn into 1-2 hours of school work.

Also by procrastinating, many students leave things until the last minute and then have only 1-2 days to complete an 800 word assignment or study for a 2 hour exam that covers work from the whole term. It is advisable that students break their tasks or study down into small bite-sized pieces – “chunking NOT lumping”. Revise the work you did that day for each subject and review those notes again a week later so they remain fresh and shift into long-term memory.

Start an assignment as soon as you receive it by making a plan and then writing a paragraph at a time. This means that time can be spent on producing work of quality and valuable feedback can be obtained from the teacher.

Congratulations to: • All our Senior School students for the fantastic start to the school year.

• The Student Representative Council for organising Valentine’s Day celebrations with chocolate and real roses.

We had some very generous people show appreciation for their friends.

Expectations: • Girls Uniform – A reminder to all girls in the Senior School to check the lengths of their skirts and ensure they comply with our policy of knee length. Girls have until the end of Week 5 to address their hemlines. In addition, a reminder that the short sports shorts are for representative purposes only and must not be worn during the school day or to Thursday afternoon sport.

If you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me on tanias@salc.qld.edu.au Tania Stewart Head of Senior School

Performing Arts News Matilda the Musical Last Wednesday night our Senior Dance and Music students were fortunate to attend Matilda the Musical at QPAC in Brisbane. For many of the students this was their very first experience of a professional musical and it was a wonderful experience for all.

Ben Allan - “As my first foray into musical theatre, I found it very entertaining and amusing. I really appreciate the opportunity provided by the arts department.”

Cianne Carter - “With epic music, awesome dancing and a heart warming story, Matilda was a fantastic musical. Coupled with a delicious dinner beforehand, it was an amazing night!”

Getting into the Swing of 2017 It has been absolutely delightful to walk around and see so many children participating in Dance Troupes, Choirs and Ensembles. The Cocurricular Arts programs are flourishing and the new facilities have only enhanced the experience for both staff and students.

Cilla Scott Head of Arts

Visual Art News Welcome to the Art Studio for 2017! And so far this year the quality of work being produced is exciting and bodes well for the rest of the year!

Year 11s have started with the meditative mandala as the introduction to their unit about self. The exquisite detail and thousands of tiny lines and shapes have contributed to some very successful pieces of art.

Year 7s have jumped right into drawing this term with some Surrealist inspired “Exquisite Corpses� and leaves, jugs and teapots. It is great to see the newest members of the Middle School being so enthusiastic and willing to have a go!

Year 12 have started considering their concept of Power and what this means to them. We start with a street art focus and have created names in the style of the street. We head to the Gold Coast Art Gallery on Monday 20 February for the Sign of the Times Exhibition. (Have you seen the purple Fiat with Prince on the bonnet getting around the Gold Coast?)

The students will explore how powerful street art can be.

Year 10s have had the expertise of our artist in residenceKerry Spence in to work with still life techniques. They have produced some spectacular oil pastel drawings and over the course of two weeks it is evident the progress they have been making. Keep up the practice!

Over the next few weeks, our Middle School Visual Arts elective students will be drawing their pets and favourite animals (Artist Studio) or starting to cut stencils for screenprinting.

Look out for their results!

Artwork of the Month - February Jasmine Dobbie, Year 10 Jasmine produced this artwork as part of the artist in residence workshops with Kerry Spence. She has started the year working consistently and creatively on artworks across a range of media. Her work will be exhibited in the CRC.

Ngaire Harman Head of Visual Arts

Sport News We are well into the swing of morning training and sport now. Kokoda, Futsal, Weightlifting and Netball have all commenced. It is so pleasing to see the number of students engaging in the array of sporting activities on offer at the College. Recently I read an article describing the benefits of morning training and exercise: 1.

2.

3.

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5.

Enhances your metabolism Cultivates consistency Improves your physical and mental energy Develops strong self-discipline Helps you get better sleep

Futsal This year we have a record number of teams entered in the South East Queensland Futsal Titles. 18 teams will represent the College in Week 8 of this term, endeavouring to qualify for Champion of Champions Titles later in the year. Next level Futsal are working closely alongside our teacher coaches to get the best out of each training session. It is wonderful opportunity for all our students to be trained under such wonderful expertise.

those wanting to gain more points for their House should nominate to swim in Championship races. Those wanting to support their House with a focus on fun and participation should enter in participation races. Please make sure your child comes to the pool with their hat, sunblock and plenty of food and water for the day.

Libby Wood Secondary School Sports Coordinator

Students Teaching Students Scarlett McMurtry (Year 7), Jack Read (Year 9), Hannah Schooley (Year 10) and Ben Allan (Year 11) were guest speakers for Year 3 during our ‘Who We Are’ unit of inquiry.

Netball This year an Open Netball squad of 20 girls has been chosen to train for upcoming competitions such as QISSN and the Vicki Wilson Cup. Again we are fortunate to have Mrs Nicole Cusack, former Australian player and current South African Assistant Coach, working with our girls on a Monday morning. During Thursday sport this squad will train under a strength and conditioning coach and play some friendlies against other schools.

Girls in the Middle School commenced their Netball Development program this week under the watchful eye of Mrs Lisa Roper. The girls will train each Wednesday morning and have the opportunity to represent the College in the Vicki Wilson Cup and other possible tournaments and friendlies.

Kokoda Training for Kokoda has commenced. I would like to commend all the students for their approach and organisation so far.

This year Ms Casey West is overseeing the program including administration and strength and conditioning sessions on a Thursday during school sport. Thanks to all the amazing teachers and staff who yet again have offered to go on this journey with our students, giving up countless hours of hard work and time to train.

Swimming Carnival I am very excited about the 2017 Years 7-12 Swimming Carnival. It will be held at Somerset Pool on Thursday 23 February. This year all races will be 50m. Students are expected to compete in at least one 50m race on the day. Serious swimmers or

These students shared with Year 3 how they use a growth mindset to excel in areas such as swimming, Nippers, singing, music and academics. They demonstrated to Year 3 how their thinking and self-talk impacts their accomplishments.

As a result, the Year 3s are building a bank of strategies that they can draw on to improve their own mindset when faced with things such as: challenges, things that are new and working on goals.

Terese Sheers Year 3 Teacher

P & F News The P & F Committee for 2017 are as follows: President: Julieanne Andrews Vice President: Jeffrey Bauman Secretary: Nicole Ainger Treasurer: Julie Dignan We look forward to seeing you at some of the events listed below.

The first P & F Meeting is Wednesday 8 March 7.00pm in the J Block Boardroom (J10). We welcome all parents and guardians to attend.

Picnic in the Playground is held in first term down on the Junior School oval, this will be on Friday 17 March. This is an exciting evening with entertainment from students at the College as well as a jumping castle and photobooth. It is a great opportunity to meet new parents and families. There is a sausage sizzle with BYO drinks as well a coffee van onsite.

The P & F would like to invite all the families of St Andrews to attend making a great community evening.

St Andrews Fete 2017 College Fete - 20 May 2017 SATURDAY 20 MAY 2017 The first Fete meeting is Wednesday 8 March 3.30pm in STSchool ANDREWS the Junior Library.LUTHERAN Meetings willCOLLEGE be held every fortnight from this date. 10AM to 4PM A Guiness World Record will be attempted of 500 people wearing capes *inRAFFLE one areaPRIZES on the Village Green during * RIDES * SHOWBAGS * the College Fete. * CENT AUCTION * LIVE MUSIC * * COFFEE

* FOOD MARKETS * CRAZY HAIR * ART *

Donations of chocolates bottles ofOF wine are required * TALENT SHOWand * HOUSE HORROR * for the College Fete as we are running the Chocolate Bed and * CHOCOLATE BED * TATTOOS * & MORE! * Wine Bottle Lucky Dip. Wine must be dropped off to the Collge by an adult. All donations can be taken to the Junior School Administration Office, Junior School Library or Cecile DONATIONS Ryan Centre.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Please contact: fete@salc.qld.edu.au

REQUIRED

* BOTTLES OF WINE * CHOCOLATE Please bring to Junior Administration or Libraries

STALL HOLDERS WANTED Please contact: fete@salc.qld.edu.au

Dates to Remember FEBRUARY Monday 20 Ehime Uni Senior High School Visit 16-20 Feb Hinterland Swimming Carnival Year 12 Art Excursion Study Tour to Germany Parent Information Night Tuesday 21 Salvation Army Breakfast (select Year 12 students) Totally Textiles Elective Excursion Wednesday 22 Mufti Day – Rosies (Red) Year 11 Visual Art Incursion Years 5-8 Parent Night, Worship Centre – 6.30-8.30pm Thursday 23 Years 7-12 SALC Swimming Carnival Friday 24 Lending a Helping Hand at ROSIES Monday 27 South Coast Regional Swim Carnival MARCH Wednesday 1 Year 12 Technology Studies Excursion Year 12 Hospitality Excursion Thursday 2 Sth Coast Regional Swimming Carnival Brisbane South/Gold Coast ALWS Awareness Day (selected students)

VOLUNTEERS INDUCTION Our next Volunteers Induction will be held at 9am Wednesday 8 March in the Junior School Library. Everyone who volunteers in the College is required to have attended this workshop which covers such issues as Valuing Safe Communities, Child Protection, Privacy and Fire Evacuation. Please register with Karen Deacon either by emailing: jsadmin@salc.qld.edu.au or by phone 5568 5901.

A reminder to all existing volunteers we request that you sign in and wear your name badge at all times while volunteering in the College. If you do not have a current name badge then once again, please contact Karen Deacon. This course needs to be attended upon commencement and then every three years.

We value highly the wonderful support all Volunteers offer the College in their various roles either in the classroom, on excursions, in the Library, Tuckshop, Uniform Shop or as Traffic Safety Attendants. These are just a few of the places where we find you helping out and we thank you for all you do.

A welcoming cuppa and morning tea will be provided from 8.45am. Just come straight after drop-off and enjoy some social time.

Thursday

J Upper

E15

1.00 - 1.25pm

1.00 - 1.25pm

1.00 - 1.25pm

(Mr Edwards)

12.55 - 1.25pm

3.30 - 5pm

1.00 - 1.25pm

1.00 - 1.25pm

3.30 - 4.30pm

7.30 - 8.20am

(Bio/Chem/Science)

1.00 - 1.25pm

1.00 - 1.25pm

12.45 - 1.25pm

12.45 - 1.25pm

(Mr Parente)

7.30 - 8.20am

3.30 - 5pm

Please Note: Additional support for students is available by request / negotiation with the relevant teacher.

(for private study / computer use)

SS Study Room

(for private study / computer use)

MS Study Room

(Year 12 students assisting Middle School students)

CRC

F1

Physics

Peer Tutoring

F4

L3 (Hub)

Japanese

Maths

L2 (Hub)

CRC (Sem 1)

German

Early Bird Study Club

English CRC

12.50 - 1.20pm (Year 12)

Wednesday

1.00 - 1.25pm

1.00 - 1.25pm

(Mrs Santi)

3.30 - 5pm

Friday

12.55 - 1.25pm

Tutorials by appointment. Please see Mrs Myles to organise a time.

12.50 - 1.20pm (Year 11)

Tuesday

Business Management

Monday

Tutorials by appointment. Please see Miss Yeo to organise a time.

J14

Room

BCT

(Compulsory for Year 11 & 12 Accounting Students)

Accounting

Tutorial

2017 Tutorials (Middle & Senior School)

St Andrews Fete 2017 SATURDAY 20 MAY 2017

ST ANDREWS LUTHERAN COLLEGE

10AM to 4PM

* RIDES * RAFFLE PRIZES * SHOWBAGS * * COFFEE * CENT AUCTION * LIVE MUSIC * * FOOD MARKETS * CRAZY HAIR * ART * * TALENT SHOW * HOUSE OF HORROR * * CHOCOLATE BED * TATTOOS * & MORE! *

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Please contact: fete@salc.qld.edu.au

DONATIONS REQUIRED

* BOTTLES OF WINE * CHOCOLATE Please bring to Junior Administration or Libraries

STALL HOLDERS WANTED Please contact: fete@salc.qld.edu.au

St Andrews Fete 2017 St Andrews Fete - Saturday 20 May 2017 - 10am-4pm It is time for all students and families to get excited and enthusiastic for this years College Fete!!

They only come around every two years and this will prove to be the best yet.

The Fete Committee are requiring a lot of community support to make this a success ranging from donations to volunteers.

Fete Meeting The first Fete meeting is Wednesday 8 March 3.30pm in the Junior School Library. Meetings will be held every fortnight from this date.

Donations Required: » Prizes for the Cent Auction » Bottles of Wine » Blocks Chocolate All donations can be taken to the Junior School Administration Office, Junior School Library or Cecile Ryan Centre.

World Record Attempt A Guinness World Record will be attempted... 500 people wearing capes in one area on the Village Green during the College Fete!!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Please contact: fete@salc.qld.edu.au

Cake Stall Closer to the time all you bakers out there, we will require cakes or biscuits and slices for the cake stall. Boxes will be sent home with your students the week before the Fete with delivery instructions for you to return the baked goods.

Sponsorship of Prizes for Cent Auction Once again we will be holding a Cent Auction at this year’s Fete. Its success is dependent on community support and your generous prize donations. So if you have a business or know anyone who would like to donate an item that can be used as a prize we would be very grateful. Please contact Jessica Russell on 0408 125 310 or russell.lj@bigpond.com Those businesses that donate prizes will be recognised with their business’s details displayed on Fete day and in a list of prize donors in the College Bulletins and Newsletters in the lead up and immediately after the Fete.

Volunteers: will be needed to help man stalls as well as assist in coordinating the parking. All volunteers can send through their details to: fete@salc.qld.edu.au It is the College community help which makes this day exciting for all students and our local community. To get in touch and be a part of this great day please contact: fete@salc.qld.edu.au

DONATIONS REQUIRED

* BOTTLES OF WINE * CHOCOLATE Please bring to Junior Administration or Libraries

STALL HOLDERS WANTED Please contact: fete@salc.qld.edu.au

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Please contact fete@salc.qld.edu.au

Picnic in the Playground Friday 17 March Junior School Playground

5:00pm - 7:00pm Please come and join the College community for our Term 1 social event. sausage sizzle & drinks for sale. * * * *

Raffle Live Music BYO Drinks Jumping Castle

* * * *

Sausage Sizzle Undercover Area Playground Photobooth

Please RSVP by Saturday 4 March pandf@salc.qld.edu.au

Raising body confident daughters Help your daughter embrace and value her body with confidence and pride.

Tuesday 7 March 1pm - 2pm Burleigh Heads Library

Presented by Emma Walkinshaw, Personal Development Coach.

Book online at http://bit.ly/GCLibrariesEvents or phone 5581 7230

City Libraries

POSITIVE PARENTING

Developing independence in secondary school

By Michael Grose Practical independence-building ideas to encourage autonomy in adolescents.

The ultimate goal for an adolescent is to achieve autonomy from their parents. They are trying to do this at a tricky time, with their brain going through fundamental changes in the prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain responsible for rational decisionmaking, thinking things through and impulse control. As a result, you need to carefully support your child’s journey to independence through this stage.

Your young adolescent should be expected to help at home. However, consider giving them one or two significant weekly jobs, such as putting out the garbage, rather than continuing the same chores they were given during the previous ‘latency’ stage. More of the same doesn’t always work with this age group.

Here are some more practical independence-building ideas: 1. Negotiate independence Give your young adolescent the chance to negotiate greater independence by allowing them to prove to you that they are ready to have their boundaries pushed out.

This is the age when you can build ‘scaffolds’ to greater independence: allow your child to achieve increasingly greater autonomy, taking lots of small steps rather than one large step.

parentingideas.com.au

2. Talk about values Discuss values of fairness, tolerance and respect with your young person to help them formulate a sense of responsibility and a positive value system. Be clear about your expectations of their behaviour when they are not with you. Discuss the consequences of breaking these rules.

And help your young person also to assess the risks associated with increased independence.

3. Allocate a meal each week for your young adolescent to prepare You may help them at first, but eventually turn the responsibility over to them. If this is unworkable for you now, consider it something to work towards by the end of this stage.

Kids in this age group are more than capable of preparing a meal, and you will find it a significant contribution to the family. It may need to fit in with busy schedules, but that’s okay – your child will benefit from learning that they can in fact juggle a number of activities each day. Don’t let them off the hook just because they are busy.

4. Give them two allowances Young people increasingly want more power over their own life, and providing pocket money is one way to do this. Consider giving your young person enough allowance to cover clothing, mobile-phone bills, travel and school meals.

Encourage them to budget, and set savings goals. This increase in autonomy will help your young person feel valued.

5. Encourage a part-time job (when they are old enough) There are a number of benefits to a part-time job, regardless of how busy your young person is. First, earning their own allowance is one of their first steps toward real autonomy. Second, it’s good for them to abide by rules set by someone other than their family and school. Third, being socially connected to a community group such as a workplace is a key contributor to good mental health and wellbeing.

As they more closer to school-leaving age patiently teach life skills such as paying bills and filling in tax returns to develop real independence. And resist taking on their problems. Your young person needs to learn to stand on their own two feet, which can mean they experience some of life’s hardships. These are all good learning experiences.

Visit our website for more ideas and information to help you raise confident and resilient young people. © Parenting Ideas 2017

now we know.