Msss bulletin 9 2017

Middle/Senior School Bulletin Issue 9 / 21 July 2017

Middle & Senior School News

Congratulations to our QISSN Netball team who competed in Brisbane over the school holidays. QISSN is a state wide event and the girls were exceptional both on and off the court. Thank you to Miss Yeo and Mrs Roper for coaching the squad and travelling with our girls.

Thank you to all of the students and staff for their stellar efforts and smooth transition back into the routines of College life. On the first day of Term 3 students spent some time reflecting on their academic reports and setting new goals for the semester ahead.

The pace of life and learning in our wonderful College and scope for student involvement in co-curricular activities is a true blessing. To follow are some snapshots of life at St Andrews over the past few weeks.

Over the holiday, Annabelle Hayden-Clark (Year 10) with the support of Mrs Polentas and Mrs Schaefer, ran our inaugural ‘Digital Divas Dancing Robots’ girls workshop. A fantastic day was had by all and the complexity of the final dance routines reflected the depth of coding these girls did throughout the day.

Last weekend thirty six students and nine staff participated in the Gold Coast Kokoda challenge. I commend them on their ‘grit’ and wonderful achievements. The values of mateship, determination and perseverance were showcased through the character shown by all who participated in the gruelling event. The journey and achievements of all of our participants is inspiring. Miss West’s team won the 96km event smashing the race record and Mr Ivett’s team placed a narrow 2nd in the 48km division, followed closely

by Mr Carter’s team (4th) and Mrs Craig-Ward’s team (8th).

For anyone to take on this endevour they must have grit,

commitment and persistance. A special thanks to Ms Casey West who coordinated Kokoda this year, the teachers who worked with teams in the lead up and over the course of the event and to the parent support crews. My admiration and appreciation for our students abounds.

Last Thursday we held our athletics carnival at Pizzey Park.

The day of competition was hotly contested and I’d like to acknowledge our students on their athleticism, House Spirit and wonderful participation throughout the day.

Congratulations to Jubi House who won the overall shield.

Thank you to Miss West who coordinated the carnival, Mrs Wood, the groundsmen, the teaching staff, parents who attended and most importantly the students for their wonderful contributions on what was a superb day.

Parent Teacher interviews for Years 7–12 were held this week. Thank you to the teachers and parents who attended.

If you were unable to attend, and have questions about your child’s academic progress and development, please contact teachers directly as they will be all too happy to hear from you.

Term 3 marks the start of Eisteddfod season. This week our Concert Band, Jazz Band and Percussion Ensemble performed at the Beenleigh competition. Congratulations to our Concert Band who won their event and to our Jazz Band and Percussion Ensemble who both placed 2nd in their competition. Best wishes to all of our performers at their respective competitions and thank you to our wonderfully dedicated Performing Arts staff for their support of this diverse range of Arts offerings. Today, selected dance students from Years 8-12 are performing at a prestigious Eisteddfod competition in Sydney. Over the inaugural Dance Tour, there will also be a series of workshops that will provide further learning opportunities to build on existing skills for our students. They will also view a live production from a professional dance company. Thank you to Ms Paula Guild, Ms Cilla Scott and Ms Jackie Brewster for accompanying the troupe.

Academic Awards Presentation Assembly Today we held our Senior School Awards Assembly. Each semester Academic Award assemblies are held for students in Senior and Middle School to acknowledge academic achievements for Semester One. Students who have achieved outstanding results across a range of subjects and/or who have shown significant improvement will be recognized. Awards are presented in three categories; Academic Achievement, Academic Endeavour and Academic

Improvement. The endeavour awards are based on Effort grades and the other two categories are presented based on Grade Point Averages. The Middle School Awards Assembly will be held on Friday 28 July at 8:30am (WC). Parents are warmly invited to attend.

LOOKING AHEAD Senior School and Middle School Expo Nights A reminder to all Year 9 & 10 families that the Senior Studies Expo and GOOGA Parent Night is to be held on Monday 31 July starting at 5.00pm in the CRC. The aim of this event is to give students and parents the opportunity to gather valuable information about key Senior School subjects and information so that students can make informed decisions as they plan their career pathway through and beyond their senior schooling. This is a compulsory night for students.

The Middle School Expo will be held on Monday 14 August from 5.00-7.00pm and will commence in the Worship Centre. This is an evening for all current Middle School and Year 5 & 6 families. Classes for students in Years 7-9 will finish at 12.40pm on the day so that students and staff can set up for the evening showcase of life in the Middle School.

Students are free to go home for the afternoon or to remain at the College supervised and working to assist with the set up.

difficulties that face Christian believers. Instead of lamenting their presence in everyday life, He encourages Christian believers to receive trials and difficulties with joy! Yes, with joy! His idea, at least initially, seems to make no sense!

Wouldn’t we rather live without trials and difficulties? Furthermore, why should we consider something “joy” when we know that it is not?

The answer lies in what the trials, difficulties and challenges we face produces. The reason they are ultimately good for us is because they produce fruit – they build our character, help us understand the nature of service, provide meaning and importance to life and most importantly, strengthen our faith in God’s provision for us and help us to turn towards Him in times of need.

A life without challenges is no life at all. It would be some kind of fanciful life that is not real, powerful or meaningful.

The truth is, we can thank God that He has chosen not to remove our challenges – not to make it easy and soft for us all the time. He loves us too much for that. Instead, He has filled our life with real responsibility and with that responsibility comes with some very real challenges. May God bless you as you engage with challenges set before you.

Nathan Glover College Pastor

Please contact me if I can offer any assistance to you or your child(ren).

Virginia Warner Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School

Middle School News Chaplains Chat

Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing – James 1:2-4 (ESV) Recently, I was asked to pray for the Kokoda teams before they embarked on their record-breaking hike through the Gold Coast hinterland. The Kokoda challenge is a team endurance event that is designed to simulate the distance and toughness of the Kokoda campaign during World War II. As I thought about the kind of things it would be important to pray for, I had the continual sense of the importance to avoid in my prayer any suggestion that God should take away the challenge facing the students or make it any less. The physical, psychological and emotional aspects of the Kokoda challenge did not need to be removed just as God does not remove physical, psychological or emotional challenges from everyday life. Rather, in my understanding, God allows and uses the things that challenge us for our own growth and good.

In the book of James, the author writes about the trials and

Middle School Expo My favourite night of the year (other than State of Origin) is the annual Middle School Expo. This year it will be held on Monday 14 August. Classes for Middle School students will cease at lunchtime on the day to allow students and staff to set up for the evening. An information letter will be coming home in the next couple of weeks with more details about the event. This is a wonderful evening for parents and students to wander around and experience elements of middle schooling.

Year 9 Program ‘The Edge’ We have started preparations for ‘The Edge’. This program is a significant element in the life of a student at the College and often reflected upon by departing Year 12 students as the highlight of their time here. An information session about ‘The Edge’ will be held on Monday 31 July as part of the Senior Studies Expo. Parents of Year 9 students should attend this event. Brad Teakle from Googa will be in attendance at the evening to answer questions about that part of the program.

Year 9 2018 The Middle School Elective program has been in its existing form for over ten years. Its aim has been to provide diverse and engaging learning opportunities for our students as they progress through the middle years of their schooling.

In Year 9 the program accounts for approximately 25% of weekly contact time at the College. In 2018 we are looking at adapting the program to better suit the needs of our students in alignment with new learning opportunities and

changes to senior curriculum. I look forward to discussing this with parents at upcoming opportunities throughout the term.

As always, please contact me if I can offer any assistance tomc@salc.qld.edu.au Tom Casey Head of Middle School

how lucky we are to go to a great school, live in Australia, have our family and friends, live in a beautiful environment.

I asked our students to be mindful of this and to start each day with an attitude of gratitude. So here we go. I am very grateful to work in a great school, with fantastic staff, student and community support and I am grateful that I finished the 52km challenge with 4 wonderful Year 12 students.

Flourishing in the Senior School Positive Education We have had a smooth start to the term in the Senior School and most importantly reflected on our progress through Semester 1. Students should have completed their Term 3 goals and written these in their diaries. They should also be very aware of where they are sitting in terms of their level of achievement in each subject and had conversations with their teachers through either the Parent Teacher evening or personally to identify areas for improvement or focus.

Written goals are incredibly important but so are the steps or actions the student is going to take to achieve that goal.

For example, many talk about improving their marks but that is neither specific nor time focused. A better example of this goal is to improve my grades in all subjects by the end of the term to a B+ or better. Now the next part of this goal is the steps or actions to take so that it is achieved.

Which could include: • Attend tutorials for my hardest subjects once a week • Read for 20 minutes every night • Go over class notes each afternoon • Organise a study group to meet twice a week before school or at lunch in the Lighthouse (there are groups that already do this) • Contribute more in class • Sit away from distractions • And some others from the graphic below In Assembly recently we also talked about Gratitude and

Congratulations to: • All Kokoda participants (students and staff). The weekend event saw the culmination of months of training and preparation. The impact it has on your own life and the lives of the students cannot be measured.

Thanks to my team (Max, Morgan, Jenna and Mia) – it was an honour.

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The St Andrews Leo Club who barbecued at Bunnings and raised over $1700. Some of this they have already earmarked to support the U’ren family’s initative for more Supermax the Turtle Nighlights.

Bailey Scott played for the Allies against SA in the last week of Term 2 in Adelaide. To be included in this

team is a huge achievement as it is usually reserved for young players who are ready for the draft. The game was televised on Foxtel. Bailey is picture below wearing the green and gold in the ANZAC clash against New Zealand. Bailey continues to do a fantastic job of balancing his senior studies with excellence in his sporting pursuit.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with these casts and I look forward to their performances in August.

Dracula - Wed 9 August 11am - Gold Coast Arts Centre Our Year 12 Drama students will see this wonderful piece of Gothic Theatre presented by Shake and Stir.

Peter Pan Auditions - Week 9 Our next whole of College musical is Peter Pan Jr. It will be on at The Arts Centre in Term 2 2018. Students from Years 3 – 11 are welcome to audition. See the flyer for details.

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 Term 3 has begun in a flurry of rehearsals as we prepare for our busiest of terms in the Arts Department. Below are some of the exciting experiences that await.

Sydney Dance Tour - Fri 21 – 23 July For the very first time we are taking our dancers interstate to compete in the Sydney Dance Eisteddfod. The students will also participate in a dance workshop at The Village on Broadway and have a night at The Opera House to see Bangarra’s latest dance work. We are so excited to share this experience with our students and thank Miss Paula Guild for her tireless effort in not only preparing two sensational routines but also the organisation of this trip.

Gold Coast Secondary School’s Drama Festival The Gold Coast Drama Festival is a three week festival where schools from all over the Gold Coast present plays. This year we have three entires: • Thursday 3 August – Hillcrest Christian College - The Audition which follows a group a young people as they audition for their annual school musical.

• Thursday 10 August – All Saints Anglican School - Kelly which is set in Melbourne Gaol the night before Ned Kelly is executed where he is visited by his brother who he believed had died at the siege at Glenrowan.

• Thursday 17 August – St Stephens College – What’s The Matter With Mary Jane which is a piece of dance theatre that explores the issues of bulimia and aneroxia.

Zen Zen Zo Incursion - Mon 21 August This term our Year 11 Drama students study traditional tragedy for a modern audience and as part of their study will spend a day with members of the renowned Physical Theatre Company, Zen Zen Zo learning about their signature styles and how they adapt pieces of classic literature into exciting pieces of contemporary theatre and cabaret.

Gold Coast Eisteddfod • Thursday 19 August Combined Dance Troupe • Thursday 17 August MSSS Choir 11:00am • Wednesday 23 August Percussion Ensemble 12:30pm • Thursday 24 August Concert band 2.30pm • Monday 28 August Semitone Choir 9am • Tuesday 29 August Golden Clef Choir 6pm • Wednesday 30 August JS Dance Troupes • Thursday 31 MS Dance Troupes • Dance Night - Friday 25 August Don’t miss this wonderful showcase of all things Dance across the College. Held at Robina Community Centre Priscilla Scott Head of Arts

IT News During the June/July holiday break an enthusiastic group of Middle School girls participated in our first “Digital Divas Dancing Robots” workshop. This new initiative was to provide girls with an opportunity to experience basic levels of coding. Lego Robotics Software was used to program the robots that performed moves to selected music extracts.

During the one day workshop girls took on some basic challenges in robot movement then progressed onto some very creative dance movements. To finish off the day the girls dressed and decorated their robots ready to complete their dance routine.

Well done to all the girls who participated on the day, we all had a lot of fun. Very special thanks to our senior IPT student Annabelle Haydon-Clark who helped facilitate the workshop and is a wonderful mentor to the younger students.

Sport News Gym The school gym is in full operation now and has commenced with great success. It has been pleasing to see so many students accessing this wonderful facility. The gym consists of a cardio room and a weights room. It is always fully supervised with a qualified person available to assist students with their training programs, ensure they are using the equipment safely and getting the most out of their session. Students can also participate in classes for a small fee. This term we are running yoga, boxing, grit strength and HIT sessions at designated times before or after school. To book a place in a class please go to the link below or the school website: https://www.trybooking.com/QROV

We hope to offer a similar workshop to Year 6 girls later on in the year.

Liz Polentas

Futsal Next week, 5 of our teams will play in the Champion of Champions tournament to see if they can qualify for the Australasian Titles. The students have continued their training before school as well as engaging in some friendly matches against Hillcrest Christian College. We wish them all the best at this upcoming tournament.

Touch It has been pleasing to see the students training with focus and commitment in their before school sessions as well as the Touch Excellence Program on a Thursday afternoon. This year Mr Mark Jason a high level representative coach has been working with both our students and coaches. The first round of All Schools Touch is in Week 5 so matches against Miami State High School and Palm Beach Currumbin High School have been arranged to help prepare our teams for real game situations. I look forward to reporting on their progress throughout the season.

Netball Our Open Girls team had the best ever result at the QISSN tournament held in the June/July school holidays. Thanks to Mrs Roper and Ms Yeo for giving up their time to coach and manage the team. Next week both this team and a selected Middle School team will compete in the Vicki Wilson Cup and Shield. These teams have been training hard for this tournament with Nicole Cusack training the Middle School team on Monday mornings. They also have a round Robin Tournament arranged for this Thursday against Hillcrest Christian College and Robina State High School.

Athletics Carnival It was a glorious day last Thursday at Pizzey Park for our Athletics Carnival. Our students showed tremendous House spirit, athleticism and enthusiasm throughout the day. It was excellent to see so many smiling faces and everyone getting involved with their friends. At the end of the day there can only be one winner with Jubi House taking out the Athletics shield. A huge thank you to all staff and parents for making the day a success.

Age Champions Age

Boys

Girls

12 Years

Daniel Ross Ben Irvine Felix Broeckx

Madyson Cloherty Tia Whimpey Scarlett McMurtry

13 Years

Kris Hayward Jeremiah Host Dylan Franklin-Platt

Lilian Morse Charli Lewis Molly O’Brien

14 Years

= 1st Darby Scott, Jayden Sonter 3rd Jack Read

Shelby Walter Paige Burnett Zara Colless

15 Years

Jackson Coote Sam Todd Denver Petie Satine Masiar Mitchell Blackborough Shae Rees

16 Years

Fin Wardop Danny Shapiro Declan Farmer

Ella Atkinson Lili James Zoe Cunningham

Open

Bailey Scott Hunter Hall Callum McInnes

=1st Katie Hayward, Jaimee McEwen 3rd Molly Schaefer

results with St Andrews Lutheran College having 3 teams finish within the top 10 of both events, most importantly though, all 9 teams crossed the finish line. Thank you to all involved in our 2017 Kokoda journey.

Teams Stan Bisset Cup Casey West - 1st Place ( New Record ) Jai Croker Lachlan Coote Abbie Hawkins Harrison Craig-Ward Greg Dart Rory McLynskey Zak Kouaider Jarred Connolly Zak Lopez Stephen Cooke Jake Harrison Hayden Verschuure Khai Bowie Matthew Valentine Jim Stillman Cup Trent Ivett - 2nd Place Luke Workman Callum McInnes Lily Harvie Georgia Tuite Tony Carter - 4th Place Lachlan Bowmer Jacob Kirpichnikov Arjuna Conforti Ben Caughley Allison Craig-Ward Lilli MacDonald Mackenzie Bell Jordon Dillon d’Artagnan Barnard Tania Stewart Morgan Keatley Max Johnstone Jenna Mobberley Mia Karam Kokoda Challenge This year marks 10 years since St Andrews Lutheran College became involved in the Kokoda Challenge. Each year since 2007 we have continued to increase our team numbers. In 2007 we had 3 teams complete the challenge, this year we had a total of 14 teams five of these teams competed in the Brisbane Kokoda Challenge. An exceptional effort by our Senior School students and the St Andrews Lutheran College Community.

Last weekend after nearly 6 months of grueling physical and mental participation our three 96km teams and six 48km (actually 52km this year) teams embarked on their massive Gold Coast Kokoda journey. There were some tremendous

Christophe Tanguy Kara Batchelor Dayna Nicholls Lili James Zac Micallef Tara Bible Lyle Duncan Emma Rowan Anita Munro Sophie Butler Libby Wood Secondary Sports Coordinator

P & F News The J Block recovery is progressing well and the project is running to time. The Ruth Butler Theatre, the last of the rebuild is expected to reopen at the end of August. The Friends of the Theatre chair donations initiative has now finished with a positive response from the families of the school, raising in excess of $20 000. Signage acknowledging donors will be displayed in the foyer of the Theatre.

The College gym is now complete with cardio and strength classes operating before and after school. The facility is a fully operational and professional gym with the P&F donating several pieces of equipment.

We discussed the proposed plans for the civil works required to enhance the effectiveness of traffic management and flow in the Secondary School Carpark at our last P&F meeting.

The master plan involves the establishment of a double slip lane that will allow us to more than double the drop off and pick up zone in the upper carpark, and maintain total separation of cars and pedestrians from buses. Discussion also centred on future enhancements to other carparks and traffic flow. Mr Bliss’ report was very informative. We also heard that the College is in considerable need of more Science learning spaces. Mr Bliss outlined a redevelopment program of F Block to have a makeover and major extension.

E Block was not forgotten, with new and exciting learning spaces for Middle School students in an advanced planning stage. Finally, Middle School ablutions, adjacent to E Block, will be considerably ‘upsized’ with the toilet area to be more than doubled in size. The new toilet block will be extended to a three storey building with toilets on the lower floor and classrooms on the two floors above.

The next P & F meeting is Wednesday 13 September at 7.00pm in the J Block (Lighthouse) Boardroom. We welcome all parents and guardians to attend.

Special Uniform Sizes for 2018 *Please note that due to an unforeseen supplier price increase Boys Formal Shorts Years 4 -12 have increased in price: Sizes 4 - 12 are now $34.00 & Sizes 82 – 112cm are now $36.00 Sharon McVay Uniform Shop Manager

Dates to Remember JULY Monday 24 Years 5-12 SQ Champ of Champs Futsal (Selected Students) Tuesday 25 Years 5-12 SQ Champ of Champs Futsal (Selected Students) Years 7-9 Vicki Wilson Shield - Netball (Selected Students) Wednesday 26 Years 5-12 SQ Champ of Champs Futsal (Selected Students) Thursday 27 AMC Maths Comp (Selected Students) Years 5-12 SQ Champ of Champs Futsal (Selected Students) Years 7-12 Fuel Athletics Series (Selected Students) Friday 28 MS Academic Awards Presentation Assembly Year 12 Hospitality Students Excursion (Selected Students) Lending a helping hand at ROSIES Saturday 29 Higashino High School Visit Monday 31 Higashino High School Visit SS Studies Expo / Year 9 Googa AUGUST Tuesday 1 ICAS Comp English (Selected Students) Mufti Day - ALWS - Rainbow Colours Higashino High School Visit Years 10-12 Vicki Wilson Cup Netball (Selected Students) Year 11 “Rosies” Sleep Out (Selected Students) Years 7-9 Totally Textiles Class Excursion (Selected Students) Wednesday 2 Higashino High School Visit Year 11 “Rosies” Sleep Out (Selected Students) Thursday 3 Higashino High School Visit Years 7-8 Drama Festival (Selected Students) Friday 4 Higashino High School Visit Year 11 Chemistry to Griffith Uni Ex (Selected Students) QCS Workshop (Year 12)

POSITIVE PARENTING

Anxiety in Secondary School Kids

By Dr Jodi Richardson Anxiety is common and treatable, but it’s also something that can be scary and confusing.

It doesn’t have to be. I’m hoping that this article helps you feel more in the know and better equipped to understand what’s happening in an anxious mind, recognise it, support your teen and seek help if needed.

First, some stats. In Australia, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men will experience anxiety in their lifetime.

That’s an average of 25 per cent of the population. I’d be surprised if you didn’t know someone who has it. The statistics are more comforting when it comes to secondary school kids where 7 per cent (that’s around 1 in 14) are diagnosed with anxiety.

We’ve all experienced it. It’s a completely normal reaction under dangerous or stressful circumstances.

Perhaps you’ve narrowly avoided a car accident. Your heart pounds, your breathing becomes shallow and fast, your body floods with adrenaline to put you on red alert, your blood pressure goes up, you might perspire and glucose dumps from your muscles into your bloodstream. All of this is preparing you to face-up to the ‘threat’ or run like heck in the other direction. This is ‘fight or flight’ in action.

This reaction is a survival instinct, dating back to early times when

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life-threatening situations were ever present. These days we can experience anxiety when we’re under pressure to meet a deadline, talking in front of our colleagues, preparing for a job interview or even just opening our email. Our lives are not in danger but our bodies react as if this were the case. The same can be true for teenagers.

Anxiety is a normal response to a threatening situation. All of these physical changes happen instinctively as a tiny part of our brain called the amygdala tells the sympathetic nervous system to take over and fire us up so we can do what we have to in order to survive.

Do you know the feeling? Perhaps it happens to you now and then.

But maybe, if you’re one of the two million-plus Australians (including me) who experience an anxiety disorder, your body and brain respond like that more often, more quickly and more intensely than others.

Trust me, it feels awful. I’ve experienced anxiety since I was a child, still do and always will. My parents didn’t even know anxiety existed when I was a kid and it took me until my early twenties to be diagnosed. Now that I know, I can, and do, take action to manage it.

And despite having ups and downs like everyone else, on the whole I live

a rich, full and meaningful life. Your teenagers can too.

Our kids are lucky. They have great parents (that’s you) who know to look out for their mental health, and who have access to lots of great resources including the family GP.

How do I know what’s ‘normal’?

Nervousness, stress and anxiety are normal reactions to logical circumstances. What to look out for is if your teen is reacting anxiously to situations where there’s no danger present, their reaction is out of proportion to the circumstances or they can’t participate in normal daily activities. Below are some of the other symptoms of anxiety in teenagers: • Difficulty concentrating • Poor memory • Mind racing • Difficulty sleeping • Always tired • Feeling edgy • Avoidance behaviour • Stomach pains • Chest pain • Shakiness • Nausea • Diarrhoea • Sweating

now we know.

POSITIVE PARENTING

Anxiety in Secondary School Kids Okay, so how can I help?

1. Maintain open lines of

communication with your teen by regularly spending one-on-one time together, having fun together and making yourself available at a regular time each day for an uninterrupted chat.

2. If you think your teenager is experiencing anxiety, talk to him/ her and go together to see your GP to have a conversation about what’s been happening.

3. Help your teenager understand what’s going on in their body and brain when they are experiencing anxiety. Explain that the amygdala is trying to protect them but can ‘overreact’ sometimes and prepare their body for ‘fight or flight’ when it’s just not warranted. It’s the amygdala that causes all of the physical symptoms like a racing heart (pumping more oxygen to the muscles, readying them for battle), light headedness (due to an imbalance between oxygen and carbon dioxide caused by fast, shallow breathing), shakiness (due to the adrenaline being pumped into their bloodstream), and nausea (resulting from the body shunting blood away from the stomach to the arms and legs so they’re primed for a fight or a sprint).

4. Because breathing becomes

shallow and fast with anxiety, a simple yet incredibly effective way to show the amygdala that everything is okay

is to take deliberate, slower breaths (in for 3, hold for 1, out for 3). After all, no-one can do this when they really are running for their life!

5. Mindfulness is a superpower for the anxious brain (any brain in fact!) and there are lots of great ways to help teenagers learn. The Smiling Mind app is a wonderful way to introduce a regular mindfulness practice or you could take mindfulness classes together. Mindfulness reduces the size of the amygdala as well as fostering other protective changes in the brain.

6. If they are worrying excessively over something – let’s say it’s presenting a project to their class, a test or an exam – instead of saying, “You’ll be fine, you always do so well” or “Don’t worry, all the other kids will be nervous too” or similar, try this instead: “I understand how you’re feeling, that’s so normal, I’d feel the same way”. They want to know you ‘get’ it and that they’re not alone. You could also ask, “Is it helpful to keep thinking about it?” When they (inevitably) say “no”, suggest focusing attention on something that will help, like practicing more, making cue cards, revising, doing another practice exam or doing something completely different to engage their mind in a fun and positive activity.

7. Help them to discover their values so they can take action in the direction of what really matters to them despite feeling anxious.

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

Dr Jodi Richardson Jodi is a happiness and wellbeing speaker and writer, retreat facilitator and mum to two primary school aged kids. For more great ideas on flourishing mental health for the whole family, subscribe to her newsletter at drjodirichardson.com.au and say hello on facebook. com/DrJodiRichardson. Enquiries to jodi@drjodirichardson.com.au © Parenting Ideas 2017

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now we know.