Library News

As we move into the final term and make plans for 2026, it’s with both pride and sadness that we prepare to farewell our Year 12 students. Many of the students, particularly those studying via Victorian School of Languages or the Virtual School Victoria have spent many lessons every week in the library, working diligently and independently on their course work, SACs and other assessment tasks. We will certainly miss their humour, as we wish them all the best as they prepare for life after MSCW.

Card making, weeding, and greenery in the library!

As we move towards the end of the year, the list of tasks for the library team gets longer and busier. While ensuring that we are catering for our senior students as they prepare for final assessments, we are also providing activities and engaging tasks for our junior students. One of these activities was the ‘Gratitude Card making activity’ organised and run by Ms Tegan Svetina. Students were able to create cards using a range of paper and designs to give to friends, colleagues and staff in recognition of their gratitude. The tables were bustling with ideas and creative expressions.

This term is also the time for ‘weeding’ old books that are no longer relevant, ones that we have multiple copies of or have not borrowed for many years. The library team has the job of deciding if we should keep the books, store them for later purposes or even offer them to students and staff for their private collections at home. It was rewarding to see a happy student take home the ‘Adventures in Narnia’ book today! The library team takes pride in ensuring our collections are relevant and useful for both staff and students at MSCW.

One of the wonderful things about the library is the number of plants inside that provide a calm and peaceful environment for the students and staff. Mrs Donna Davidson is the ‘green thumb’ of the library staff – as well as the other tasks she works on, she ensures the plants are healthy and thriving (including checking them during the breaks). Mrs Davidson has been busily searching through old photos and memorabilia to use for our upcoming 50th celebrations. There will be a detailed display in the library for guests to view, reminisce, and hopefully have a few great chats over historical documents, books and photos. We look forward to chatting with many visitors on the 50th anniversary celebration day.

Revision and exams

As always, we remind students and families that we are open from 8:00am every morning and close at 4:30 every afternoon except Friday (4pm). Senior students are always welcome to spend time studying in the library as they prepare for the end of the year. We can also assist senior students with accessing and printing past exam papers to revise for their exams.

Managing stress - Tips for parents/families

My student gets really stressed. How can I help them?

Different students will deal with stress in different ways. But the golden rule is to get students to talk about how they are feeling. If they don't want to talk to you, then encourage them to open up to someone. If they bottle in how they are feeling and do nothing about it, they will only become more stressed.

Some actions you can take:

Look at your student's lifestyle and see if any of the physical factors of stress can be alleviated. Are they eating healthily? Are they getting enough sleep? Do they do some exercise?
Ensure that they also have time in their life for fun with friends and activities they enjoy as well as some 'down' time: time when the body relaxes and they just get to do nothing. Some students have so many extra-curricular activities it is a wonder they have time to breathe!
Ask students to write down everything that is troubling them. Have them rank these fears on a scale of 1 to 100 then discuss what actions could be taken to alleviate the stress associated with each factor.
Encourage students to exercise and play sport as it is a great way to burn off nervous energy and stress.
Help students to get themselves organised and to find help with any subjects they find difficult.
Encourage students to keep a diary or journal and express what they are thinking.
Find ways to help your student laugh! What makes them laugh?
Ask your student what you can do to help. What would life look like if they were NOT stressed.
See if they are open to the idea of learning relaxation or meditation.
If you are worried about your student, seek professional help. Talk to your school, your GP or a helpline and take specific action.

My student gets really nervous before exams. How can I help them?

Visualisations can be used to help desensitise students to examination nerves. Students should close their eyes and visualise the day of the examination and imagine it all going well. In their mind, they go through each of the steps. Lining up for the exam, walking in, arranging their papers, opening the exam and writing the answers. Tell students to see themselves doing a good job and finishing the paper and feeling satisfied. Students need to do this over and over every night before they go to sleep (and even first thing in the morning as well) until their mind starts to believe it is true.

The study skills handbook site (www.studyskillshandbook.com.au) has lots of extra information and activities for you to complete to help you build your skills for school. All students have access to the handbook via the Simon site. Please ask the friendly library staff if you would like more details or assistance. https://www.studyskillshandbook.com.au/

Jo Keating

Library and Information Services Leader