Guidance Counsellor

Jana Aksamitova and Daniela Rizzato

Guidance Counsellors

YEAR 12 STUDENTS TRANSITION TO INDEPENDENCE and CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS

…and just like that we are almost at the end of the year. There is no doubt that this year was very challenging for most people around the world. We will say the final goodbye to our Year 12 students this week. This cohort has done a tremendous job copying with these unprecedented times, alternative exam structure and missing out on many special events.

Life is truly a journey. It is very exciting to watch our students grow, search for the meaning and purpose of life, dream and plan their future. Celebrating important milestones in your child’s life is important and precious. Graduating from high school is one of these special milestones. However, such as significant event cannot happen without a slight knot in your stomach, for both the young person and their parents. It is a mix of fear, nervousness, and excitement for what is yet to come.

Parents may be afraid to let their children explore life, worry that their child may not make ‘the right’ decisions or burn opportunities if she/he doesn’t find employment straight after finishing school or doesn’t begin studying a university degree. The truth is that there are many different pathways to a successful life, which most importantly should be built on love, respect, connection with others and simply working to the best of our ability while trying to maintain balance and a healthy lifestyle. It is enough to give everything your best effort and it will all work out in the end.

Success does not have to be measured only through the standard markers. All moments that reveal your child’s values, such as humility, acceptance, commitment, and kindness show the greatness of the human being. They may be less visible and less spectacular to others, but these markers often play a more significant role in defining our life values, lifestyle, sense of self and our place in the world. Therefore, cherish the moments with your child, help them to dream, guide them to realise their dreams, interests and passions that are different from what is generally expected by society. Helping your teenager to find self-awareness and nurture their sense of Self is more than finding a lucrative employment.

Prepare your child for the fact that not everything is going to turn out how we hoped or planned, and sometimes bad things can happen to very good people. When we experience the sting of disappointment, it often comes with a degree of lost naivety or innocence. Up to this point, we may have believed that life would be easy or that by being a good person we would enjoy only positive experiences. However, when we first learn through some significant disappointment it can feel as though the whole world is against us and that nothing can be counted on. Experiencing disappointments in life teaches your child to go with the flow and roll with the challenges instead of expecting perfection or trying to control everything and everyone around us. It also teaches us that we are more than the sum of our accomplishments😊

We wish all our families, students and wider community a Merry Christmas and a peaceful festive season. May the Lord Jesus Christ renew your strengths for the years ahead. May the divine presence be with you and make your days filled with love and blessings.

Warmest festive blessings