Wellbeing 

Michele Hedley

The end of the year can become a stressful time for some students.  They can begin to get a bit anxious about what is happening in the following year. It may be that they are changing class or moving to a new school or environment.

Transitions are part of life. We have small transitions every day, moving from one activity to another from one room or place to another. We have larger less frequent transitions from one class to another at the end of the year or from one school to another. Or some families may move from one house to another.

This time of year our students are preparing to transition to a new class or school. 

• It is extremely important to help students to understand that feeling a little be nervous at this time is normal. We all feel a bit anxious when moving on from a place where we feel comfortable to a new environment. 
• It helps to remind students that they probably felt like this last year but after a day or two in their new environment they were fine.  Every time students transition successfully from class to class they are building their confidence to successfully navigate bigger transitions when they are older. 
• Parents can help by reassuring children that feeling nervous is normal; tell their children about the many times they have successfully changed jobs or changed environments themselves.
• We can also remind children that some things might be a bit different but many things will be the same or similar – point out all the positives that having a new start or a fresh start brings

Don’t let students dwell on the transition.  If they are feeling a bit nervous give them some proactive strategies

• Practise the new route to school so they are familiar with it eg where to catch/get off the bus
• They can write their new teacher a letter telling them everything they want their teacher to know about them
• Put a plan in place for their first day, then put it away reminding them that they are prepared and can revise it closer to the start date

Child psychologist, Michael Grose, encourages parents to give their children a healthy diet and safe, predictable routine (especially a sleep routine) to minimise anxiety.