Year 9 Pastoral Guardian
Teena Christofis
It is hard to believe that we are almost at the end of week 4 of Term 4. Year 9 students have shown an enormous amount of courage, resilience and determination this year to complete year 9 in a positive way, even with the unpredicted challenges faced this year. It was pleasing to see many Year 9 students last week received awards for excellence in their academic cultural or sporting areas. Congratulations to year 9 students who received these awards.
When I am talking to students, they often mention that they are not getting enough sleep.
“Teenagers are the most sleep-deprived segment of the population. This is a very under-recognised problem and the cost to society in the healthy development of young people is profound.” Dr Michael Carr-Gregg.
We are all aware of the importance of sleep as it helps to fuel our brain and our body. Teens need more sleep because their bodies and minds are growing quickly which is vital to their wellbeing. The teenage brain and body experience significant development and the transition to adulthood bring important changes that affect emotions, personality, social and family life and academics. Many of our students are not getting the required average of 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. This is mainly due to distractions that have a negative impact on a good night’s sleep - eg mobile phones, social media, messaging, phone calls, games, YouTube, TV and online streaming platforms.
As this is a short term, exam block is just around the corner. Sometimes the pressure of exams coming up can help students feel focused, other times it can cause more stress. The more prepared students are leading up to their exams, helps relieve the anxiety on the day.
With the end of year fast approaching and the extended summer holiday, your daughter will probably be attending or even hosting a party. To ensure that your daughter remains safe can be a daunting experience. As you would be aware, students require good role models and boundaries. There should be clear expectations discussed with your daughter prior to the celebration. A range of resources on both these topics are included here: A guide to safe partying, Sleep | Mount Alvernia College (schooltv.me) and Exam Jitters | Mount Alvernia College (schooltv.me). I would encourage you to read through this section on School TV with your child. Together you can watch interviews with leading specialists, as well as complete quizzes.
I look forward to spending the remainder of the term with the Year 9 cohort and watching them grow.
Teena Christofis
Year 9 Pastoral Guardian