Firstly, I would like to congratulate all our students and staff on the positive start to the school year. Our students and staff are working extremely hard and there is a lot to celebrate, student clubs are up and running, student leadership is engaged in planning, all six of our flags are flying high and there is lots of laughter in the schoolyard.

The impact of COVID–19 and the uncertainty moving forward continues to have an impact on our students and how they are feeling. Particularly around friendships, social interactions and settling back into school life.

Given our experiences of the past two years, the sense of isolation and disconnect that so many of our students have experienced, I felt this was a timely reminder that we need to support our young adults in developing positive relationships.

Michael Chambers a Lecturer at the School of Education (Qld), Australian Catholic University reports that secondary school can be a lonely place for adolescents who don’t have a best friend or a group of trusted friends. Young people will be more skilled in the art of making genuine friends (and keeping them) if they know how to be assertive, are optimistic about life, have some basic social skills and have a strong parental relationship at home that includes honest talk.

Friendship Issues

Secondary school, in particular the junior/middle secondary years, coincides with a time in life when young people are pushing new social and family boundaries. The transition into secondary school is especially demanding as once dependent kids become more independent, particularly for year 7 students in a new schooling order of new routines, new teachers, and new friends.

Young people can be cruel and unkind to each other and to adults in this stage of life. Being bullied, teased and left out are signs of friendship troubles. Understandably, victims of bullying feel less positive about the school environment.

Be assertive, not aggressive

Being assertive can help young people in not only sticking up for themselves, but it can also communicate to others a sense of self-assuredness. An assertive way of speaking and being can make young people feel more confident with their peers.

Assertiveness involves polite but firm talk, eye contact, and controlled behaviour. It’s not to be confused with aggression which often takes the form of a raised voice, insults, put-downs and greedy behaviour.

An example of a way adults can foster assertiveness in young people is to encourage it in the safe environment of home. Young people can practise assertive language and behaviour when they explain to siblings that their room is not a public thoroughfare, when they defend their right to use the bathroom by themselves but in a timely way, when they argue they need quiet and time alone to complete homework.

Optimism can lead to success

Grief and tears about friendships are inevitable in the secondary school years. At some stage, your child is likely to come home either sullen, withdrawn, crying or moody. They may even experience school refusal, which is when they refuse or are reluctant about going to school.

An adolescent who has a positive mindset is more likely to bounce back into the usual routines of friendships. When a young person has a positive mindset, they tend to see setbacks and troubles as temporary. They identify them for what they are (specific, time-related issues) rather than for what they are not (global and eternal).

That is to say, positive kids are more likely to identify a specific and reasoned account of friendship troubles (“Peter was mean to me today because he was in a terrible mood”) rather than an exaggerated account (“Peter is mean, he has always hated me”).

You can foster a positive mindset in your child by modelling and encouraging positive self-talk in the home. Expect your child to be looking forward to something each day at school. That might be catching up with friends, a particular class in school or even an exam or test!

Social skills and being genuine

Adolescents are more likely to fit in and make friendships if they are seen to be socially acceptable by their peers. Ask yourself if your child is comfortable with, and knows how to enter a group situation and greet friends. Does your adolescent mix with friends in the schoolyard during breaks? Does your child talk about their friendships at home? How many of your child’s friends do you know well?

Healthy relationships with adults

Children who have good and healthy relationships with adults are more likely to have good and healthy relationships with their peers. So, it’s important for you to foster a supportive relationship with your child. Try to be an encouraging parent who really listens to your child’s concerns. Your child will not expect you to have all the answers.

But it’s likely a listening ear and a measured and moderate response will be welcomed by your adolescent child. If your child perceives you to be fair, that will go a long way to establishing a solid relationship between adult and child. In turn, it will increase the chance your child will have good relationships with his or her peers.

Adolescence can be tricky to navigate from a parent’s perspective. Making and maintaining healthy friendships is just one battle of the teenage years. Parental role-modelling, encouragement and seeking support from the school can make this aspect of the adolescent years rewarding and fruitful for many years to come.

References

Chambers, M. (2019). Adolescence can be awkward. Here’s how parents can help their child make and maintain good friendships. The Conversation.

Progress Reports / Parent, Student and Teacher Interviews

On Monday 28th March Progress Reports will be made available through Compass. These Progress Reports will detail each student’s individual learning behaviours against their progress during Term 1 will be published. Subject teachers will indicate how students are performing in the following areas:

Subject Skill Development
Brings equipment to class
Works effectively in class
Completes all set work in a timely manner
Respects rights of others

Outlined below is each of the five possible outcomes for the above criteria. Please note, as it is still early in the term, there are plenty of opportunities for students to continue to grow over the remainder of the Semester. As such, students can typically expect to receive ‘usually’ for most behaviours.

Consistently - The student always demonstrates this behaviour and never needs to be reminded of it.

Usually - In most lessons, the student demonstrates this behaviour and only occasionally needs reminding or refocusing.

Sometimes - The student demonstrates this behaviour inconsistently

Rarely - The student needs reminding or refocusing with regards to this behaviour during most lessons.

Concern - The student is not displaying this behaviour in most lessons, despite frequent reminding or refocusing.

N / A – Not Applicable

We look forward to providing a more detailed description of learning progress during the Parent/Student/Teacher conferences being held on Monday 4th April.

Progress Reports will also indicate whether a booking at the Parent/Student/Teacher conference is welcome or whether it is requested by the subject teacher.

Due to the uncertainty surrounding COVID–19 restriction and the current requirements of all adult visitors to provide proof or Vaccination Status, Semester 1 Parent, Student & Teacher Conferences will be held remotely via Google Meets which will be able to be booked between the hours of 12.00pm and 7.45pm.

Bookings for Parent/Student/Teacher conferences will open on Monday 21st March at 9.00am via Compass (a week prior to the reports being published).

Karl Russell

Principal

Middle School