From the Deputies
Academic Stress Management
With the school year underway, we are starting to see assessments being completed. Students are undertaking new courses of study or more advanced curriculums from the previous year. This can be a challenging time. While stress, in these moments is normal, we should be trying to ensure that we put protective factors around the experience so that distress is minimalised. Like most skills, coping strategies are often a learnt skill that require mastery. Below are some tips for managing academic stress, which can be practised and adapted to the needs of each student. Your Head of Year, or our College Psychologists will be able to supply more concrete guidance and support for pervasive feelings of distress too.
1. Prioritise Time Management
Creating a realistic schedule that identifies pressure points around upcoming assessments can help students balance their workload. Using planners, digital calendars, or to-do lists can assist in organising assignments, projects and study sessions. Setting deadlines and breaking large tasks into smaller, manageable parts can prevent last-minute cramming.
2. Develop Effective Study Habits
Students should explore different study techniques, such as summarization, active recall, and the Pomodoro Technique, to find what works best for them. Studying in a quiet, distraction-free environment and taking regular breaks can enhance focus and retention.
3. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Adequate sleep, regular exercise and a nutritious diet play a crucial role in managing stress. Lack of sleep can lead to poor concentration and memory, making it harder to perform academically. Physical activities, such as sports or yoga, help relieve stress and boost overall well-being.
4. Seek Support
Talking to a trusted teacher or adult at the College, or family member about academic challenges can provide emotional support and guidance.
5. Practice Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques
Engaging in meditation, deep breathing exercises, or hobbies can help alleviate stress. Allocating time for relaxation and self-care fosters a healthier mindset and improves overall productivity. Smiling Mind is a well-established and researched starting point.
If you have any concerns about you son and his academic or wellbeing during his Mazenod journey, please reach out to our team and we can offer support and guidance. You will find a link to the workflow of those supports here: Student Care Workflow.
WACE Completion and Pathways
It is a good idea to have ongoing discussions with your sons entering into, or undertaking, senior school studies about the requirements of WACE completion and general goal-setting for academic achievement. The goal is to maximise academic performance according to each individual’s ability.
Shortly, Year 10 families will receive more information about the MyPath process but I would direct you to our website as a starting point: MyPath Senior Subject Selection | Mazenod College Perth WA
For Year 11 and 12 families, I have provided some useful links that direct you to information from TISC about the ATAR scaling and moderation process and the TISC ATAR projection calculator as well as the WACE Checker, which can be used for all students. For students on a WorkReady or UniReady pathway we also need to consider work experience and completed VETSS certificates in these calculations.
TISCOnline - Australian Tertiary Admission Rank
Marks Adjustment Process for University Admission
Michael Anderson
Deputy Principal (Teaching and Learning)