Attendance Matters
Tips for parents
Wantirna College
The Importance of Sleep
In the last College Newsletter we provided information around the importance of Attendance. Each edition, we will provide parents with further information and tips on how they can support students to improve attendance. This week, we look at how Sleep can impact Attendance.
With Melbourne Cup on Tuesday next week, and many families making the choice to take a long weekend, it’s a good time to take some time away from screens, re-connect as a family through games, activities and experiences, and review digital use in your home.
The Importance of Sleep
Good sleep is vital. It helps our brains be more focussed during the day and prevents mood problems, and it helps our bodies function better. Teenagers need an average of 8-9 hours sleep and younger students need 10-11 hours of sleep.
Digital Media is generally designed to be addictive, so when screens are permitted in the bedroom, students (and adults!) find it difficult to switch off, which means that valuable sleep hours are wasted on gaming or scrolling late into the night.
When we habitually don’t have enough sleep, it impacts our mood, health and energy, and it’s hard to face the day if you wake up feeling this way. A good sleep is a great step in improving attendance.
What Parents can do to help
Establishing screen limits before bedtime is a great way to help manage this. It’s important to discuss the issue as a family and consider making a ‘family agreement’ around the appropriate time to turn off screens before bed. The timing may vary for each family member, however a general rule of ‘no screen time in the hour before bed’ is considered a healthy option that fosters the environment for a good night’s sleep.
Monitor your child’s use of the Internet, mobile phone and TV at night to ensure they are not staying up too late or being disturbed while sleeping. Why not set a family challenge to try having an internet/mobile phone free hour before bed?
Remember: not only do our habits as adults influence what our children do, our children are more responsive when the rule applies to everyone.
For further information about attendance, as well as a list of Key Staff members you can contact if you need support or have any specific questions or concerns, please download this attachment:
Tim Pearson
Leader of Senior School 9-12