Kia Ora Kevinians and Supporters of the College,
It has been with great excitement and some trepidation, at least on behalf, no doubt, of our new Year 9 students, that the year has begun here at SKC.
I thought I would take a few moments to share the wisdom that over thirty years in the secondary system and being a parent has taught me about these initial weeks at school.
For our junior students, the first year is about finding their feet in the school community. This year is divided into sixes: the first six weeks and the first six months.
In the first six weeks your young person is dealing primarily with the social settings they are finding themselves in. Whose class are they in? Do they like their teachers? Where will they sit? How will they respond to the undoubtedly harder demands of learning in a high school environment?
Over this period of time, the common challenges that arise are anxiety about classes, especially if they have been moved away from friends, anxiety about the change in approach to work, changing classrooms, and the level of organisation required. Often, very often, in fact, your young person will find that the friendship groups which they clung tightly to in primary school will shift.
Please be aware that if your child has been placed into a class away from traditional friendships, this has been done with a great deal of thought and consultation with their feeder school. Our aim is for all of our students to do as well as they can academically and socially. Sometimes initially painful decisions have to be made for the long term good.
Moving into a larger pool of potential friends means that for many students, their close friendship bonds are challenged. This is especially visible in female friendships. Where boys just tend to collect other boys and the crowd becomes larger, girls, in turn, seem to transfer their affections to others either wholly or selectively at different times. For example, they may have one friendship set they sit with in class, but that may not be the friendship set they wish to have lunch with.
This can be very painful and needs to be approached with care. Your child may appear moody and or tearful as a result, but be assured it is all very normal. Deans, our counsellor Esther and teachers are all here to listen to both the student and you, as whanau, so please reach out if you need support.
Social media can contribute greatly to the misery students may feel at this time. We strongly suggest that students do not engage with social media until at least year 11. Our aim is to empower your student to be their authentic selves and contribute meaningfully to this community in the way that works for them.
The second six is the first six months. During this period students will establish the pattern which will set the scene for their academic approach to what the College has to offer. It is very important that, as a family, you are able to support your students with systems that will put them at the best possible advantage to achieve their potential.
Suggestions I would make to support families with this are as follows:
1. Establish routines around sleep. Bedtimes need to be firm, and sleep needs to be supported as the physical and mental changes your child is moving through are immense in the next few years (as great a change as when they moved from baby to toddler). Ensure phones, games and computers are switched off once the student has gone to bed. This not only promotes sleep but also helps with exposure to negative online experiences and mental health.
2. Create time and space for homework. This needs to be somewhere where other children and distractions are kept away. In large families, this can be more difficult, but younger children need to know that their College student sibling needs time out from them at a certain time each day. At SKC, we have provided set study times for senior students, but juniors must complete homework on their own time. Students are encouraged to use the library at lunchtime if it is too difficult to find a quiet space at home.
3. Get your student to school on time and ready to learn, with lunch and equipment, before the first bell. If families are having issues with any of these, please contact the APs, James Devereaux or Carl Herbst. We are here to help.
4. Have your student read for a minimum of 15 minutes a day. This not only supports their literacy but also their mathematics and every other academic discipline. There is a temptation these days to try to look for all kinds of methods to shortcut the reading process but unfortunately, the fact remains that the discipline and practice of regular reading is still a great predictor of achievement. Families can do much to model and support this, and it is never too early to start with younger siblings. 15 Minutes of reading in bed in a quiet space promotes literacy, good sleep and good mental health and gives young people (and parents) a chance to disengage from the worries of the day.
It is at times like this, when I am writing to families at the beginning of their child's educational journey with us, that I wish I was better at platitudes, but the reality is that being a young teenager is hard, and the world our young people are living in is often uncertain and scary. Coming to secondary school is a huge step, and often, how well a student is able to handle that sets the course of their life. There will be (and are) challenges, but we cannot grow resilience without conflict, and, at the end of it all, no diamond emerges without harsh polishing. SKC will be here to help your young person. We ask that you trust us to do the very best we can for your student. To share some early wisdom from the great philosopher Mick Jagger, your young people may not' always get what they want, but they will get what they need'.
God Bless, and good luck to our new families.
Welcome!
Jo Walshe
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