From the Counselling Suite

Strategies for a successful start to the school year

Returning to school after an extended break can be difficult for many students and families. Whilst some students will return feeling refreshed and ready to learn, many will be filled with anxiety about what changes the year will bring, particularly those who are new to the school. Even parents may find adjusting to the school routine (i.e. waking up early, dropping children off to school, packing recess and lunch, picking children up) tricky at the beginning of the year.

Here are some tips to help your family adjust to returning to school:

Ensure that your sleep cycle is in line with the school schedule. If you’ve been staying up late and sleeping in over the holidays, ideally, a couple of weeks before school returns, you would revert back to going to bed earlier and waking earlier. If you have not done this (and many students will not have…), then you may find yourself feeling sluggish, lacking zest and tempted to take an afternoon nap once school/work concludes. There is no time like the present to establish a new routine that is more conducive to the school schedule though. Resist that urge to take a late afternoon nap and reset your body clock to a more suitable sleep schedule by ensuring that you are in bed at a reasonable hour and wake up with enough time to prepare for the day ahead. It’s likely that it will take a few days for you to adjust to your new sleep cycle but after a couple of weeks, you will hopefully have established a new routine and your body and mind will be grateful for it! Please note that research indicates that adolescents need approximately 10-12 hours of sleep per night.
The beginning of the school year is an excellent time for setting goals. Think about what it is you would like to achieve in the year ahead. Consider what steps you will need to take to achieve these goals and then review your school/work schedule and other commitments to determine whether/when you will have the time to take these steps. Be specific about what you would like to achieve and ensure that your goals are realistic.
Re-organise your work space. De-Clutter! File or throw away paperwork that is sitting on your desk collecting dust. For students, put all of last years’ work away. Invest in a ‘yearly planner’ and post this above your desk/work space. Use your planner routinely to keep track of deadlines, commitments and fun events. When our work space is organised and we feel prepared, our stress levels are lower and we are able to be more productive.
Do some meal preparation at the beginning of the week/on the weekend. This will help to take some of the pressure off during the week. It also promotes a more nutritious diet, which is energy-boosting, and takes away the temptation to replace meals with unhealthy, pre-packaged and usually high-sugar/high-preservative snacks. Remember that a healthy body supports a healthy mind.
Make sure that work/school bags are packed and ready to go the night before. There is nothing more stressful than having to run back inside to grab forgotten items when you’re about to head off. Students should also ensure that their uniforms are clean and ready to wear the night before. Little things like this can create unnecessary stress if left to the last minute and can be the difference between you starting the day off in a positive or a negative frame of mind.

I know that many of these tips would be obvious to most, but sometimes it is helpful to remind ourselves of them. I’d like to welcome new and returning families to the 2019 school year. If you have concerns about your child’s mental health or wellbeing, please do not hesitate to contact the school counselling service. There is a counselling referral form available on the SEQTA homepage that parents can fill out for new counselling referrals and send to counselling@bps.sa.edu.au

I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Dianne Bucciarelli, our new Student Counsellor, to the Blackfriars school counselling service. Dianne has written the following summary of her experience.

My name is Dianne Bucciarelli and I am new to the Blackfriars community having recently commenced as the new student counsellor and would like to introduce myself to you.

Originally from Melbourne I moved to Adelaide with my family at the end of 2016. Prior to moving to South Australia, I worked as the school counsellor at a large co-educational Catholic College where I gained extensive experience in working with students in terms of counselling and mentoring along with supporting the entire school community by developing and presenting a range of programs pertaining to mental health and student wellbeing. I have a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) along with certificates in counselling and training.

I feel privileged to be able to work with young people and their families as they navigate their way through life into adulthood and helping them reach their full potential.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. My work days this year are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. I look forward to working with the Blackfriars community.

Dianne can also be contacted directly by telephone on 8169 3904 and I can be contacted on 8169 3907. My work days this semester are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

Dr Lucinda Clifford

School Psychologist