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Big Write & VCOP Letter .pdf

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Part-Time Work – Does it Pay or Cost?

Part-time work is increasingly becoming an important part of many student’s lives. This article is aimed at increasing your awareness of both the advantages and dangers of part time work for your child.
A Tamworth school’s survey conducted recently found that about 70% of students in Years 10 to 12 had some form of part-time work. Of those students with jobs, around 30% worked 15 to 20 hours a week This is a highly alarming figure as school students already put in 35 hours at school – and this does not include the expected out of school time required for study, homework and assignments.

Part-time work provides students with valuable lessons in work ethics, professionalism, managing money and developing independence. Many jobs also inadvertently provide students with greater social connections and experiences. Part-time work can also be a good way to develop potential work skills, connections and references. For parents it can provide some relief to the ever-increasing financial demands that teenagers place on the family budget.

The dangers of part-time work start to be noticed as the hours of work increase. School hours and holiday periods have been set generally because they are considered optimum for the learning, rest and play requirements of developing children and adolescents. Puberty is the second biggest time of physiological growth in a human’s lifespan. Fluctuating energy levels, mood swings, changing sleep requirements, as well as cognitive, emotional, social and physical development are all major elements that should be considered by parents, teachers and possibly employers, when caring for our youth.

Please ask yourself the following questions:

  • Is my child tired for school on a regular basis because of work commitments?

  • Have my child’s exercise patterns (including participation in organised sport) been reduced because of part time work commitments?

  • Have my child’s at home study patterns been significantly modified and/or limited because of work commitments?
  • Has my child’s ‘down time’ or ‘rest time’ been limited because of work commitments?
  • Has my child’s quality family time been affected by part-time work commitments?
  • Does my child increase his/her work hours to half or full-time load over the holiday breaks?
  • Have my child’s academic aspirations been reduced since starting part-time work?

If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions you will probably become aware of the gradual cumulative cost that part-time work may have on your child’s general wellbeing and on potential educational and career outcomes.

What are your hopes and expectations for your child in regards to their education – both school and general life learning? Is their present lifestyle allowing this to come to fruition or hindering it?

Study Skills Tip – 5 reasons not to put off starting assignments

Here are 5 reasons you can give your child as to why they should start working on their assignments immediately.

 

1. GET YOUR BRAIN THINKING ABOUT THE TOPIC:

Even if your assignment isn’t due for weeks, start thinking about it immediately. At the very least, answer the key starter questions on the day you get your assignment. Even if you are not thinking about it directly, your subconscious will be hard at work.

 

2. FIND LIBRARY RESOURCES:

Although the school or local library will probably not be your main source of reference, you should drop in soon after receiving the assignment. Your teacher will probably have alerted the school librarian to the assignment and reference books, magazines etc may well be displayed. These will disappear quickly if the whole class has the same assignment. Books, periodicals, magazines can sometimes be a useful general overview for an assignment and they help to clarify a direction as you begin to immerse yourself into the assignment topic. It is not a good idea to only use Google!

 

3. DISCOVER OTHER RESOURCES:

You could also ask your local librarian for any additional direction on where to look for resource material for your assignment. Librarians are often your best source of information. They know how to help people access relevant and appropriate information, in books, the Internet or computer-based references. One of the challenging aspects of Internet-based searches for school students is the complexity, language and purpose of websites, not to mention bias and reliability.

 

4. STARTING EARLY MEANS MORE TIME TO EXPLORE & ASK FOR HELP IF NEEDED: 

If you do some initial research on the assignment points you’ve identified through the library, references your teacher may have given you, school textbooks, and general internet search engines, you could find yourself having more direction in your research. For example: Perhaps there isn’t enough information, or perhaps you find you don’t understand important concepts, or perhaps you need to speak to your teacher to get further clarity. If you find this out early, you will still have plenty of time to plan, research, write and present your assignment. Imagine if you didn’t start your assignment for a week or so, and then discovered you needed more guidance. You could easily run out of time.

 

5. CREATE A SAFETY NET:

Starting your assignment immediately will give you a safety net in case you get sick, or something unexpected happens. Assignments usually require a large amount of time; students must plan a strategy or schedule to ensure they are completed. You should always have a schedule that allows for the unexpected.

So get started today!

Staying Safe Online

ThinkUKnow (http://www.thinkuknow.org.au/site/) is a website that provides information for parents and students about cyber safety and the responsible use of technology. Understanding how young people use the internet and what they enjoy doing will help you to recognise any suspicious or inappropriate behaviour. It will also help you to talk with your child about their online activities if they think you understand the online environment. The fact sheet for parents this week refers to Managing Your Reputation.

Managing your Reputation.pdf