Taking the big stride in small steps
Let’s
The moving from Primary school to Secondary school is one of those life events that most people can recall in some way or other. On the whole, it’s a fairly manageable period and one that parents often get more emotional about than their children.
Moving from Year 6 to Year 7 is a real big step for every child moving from Primary School to Secondary School. It marks an important stage in a child's school career and can be a challenging time for all pupils. Research has shown that a successful transition can lead to higher attainment in school with improved progress, reinforcing the importance to ensure it is well supported. Putting together a successful plan will offer carefully structured support to develop practical skills and knowledge and to prepare children emotionally. This will reduce anxiety and the risk of disengagement with learning, by ensuring children feel safe and secure in the new environment. At TWS we recognize this and understand how anxious and worried you may feel. Thus, we work really hard to make it as easy as it can be for the student and their family and the transition experience starts well before the students begin in September. In fact, the
purpose of this handbook is to outline the major issues involved so that the experience can be facilitated and undertaken with minimum stress - for the whole family!
Ways to Help Your Child Adjust The beginning of the school year should be an exciting time, but it can be stressful for children starting at secondary school. As parents you’re probably wondering how to make the transition easier on your children. Here are some tips. The First Few Weeks 1. Be prepared for stormy weather. “You might find kids are withdrawn, more sensitive, not doing as well in school, being uncooperative” .This will pass as they settle in. 2. Stick to your routine at home. If the change to secondary school has left your child reeling, knowing what’s expected at home can provide a soothing anchor. 3. Be patient. “I would expect most children to have a hard first six weeks or so, although some who adapt and make friends easily may adjust much more quickly,” talk to your child’s teacher– but remind yourself that the odds are they will adjust just fine. Talking to someone can make a hugely positive impact in how your child adjusts and deals with any problems she/he may be having at school. 4. Stay in touch. Attend the orientation programme at school to get acquainted with your child’s teacher. Find out if he/she prefers e-mails or phone calls from parents. Ask what your child can expect to learn this year and how much homework to expect every day. Asking questions and communicating frequently will help you and your child will help you stay ahead of them game when adjusting to school. 5. Talk to your child. Ask your child what they think of the new learning bay. What is their teacher like? Who do they eat lunch with? What are the names of their new friends? If you had to go to a new school when you were a child, tell her what it was like. If you
didn’t, describe how you might have felt about it. It's important to make your child feel like their feelings matter and that they have a say in this new situation. 6. Remember: The teacher is your ally. Every day your child’s teacher sees how your child is progressing academically and socially. If your child is having trouble making friends or is struggling with her homework, contact the teacher right away. “The teachers will give you feedback on what they see, “Anything can be helped if you catch it early.” Remember that going to secondary school is a new start for your child. They have a chance to make new friends and get to know new teachers. With caring adults like you by their side and lots of support at home and at school, they'll make it through the transition and come out a stronger person.
UNDERSTAND YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING STYLE Educators have long been aware that learning is not one-size-fits-all. In a typical classroom, some children process information best by hearing the teacher explain it, some learn by seeing what’s on the whiteboard, and others learn through hands-on exercises. Schools have increasingly begun teaching new students about learning styles so they can develop effective study habits. Three basic learning styles are auditory, kinesthetic, and visual. Auditory learners prefer listening to explanations over reading them and may like to study by reciting information aloud. This type of learner may want to have background music while studying, or they may be distracted by noises and need a quiet space to study. Kinesthetic learners learn by doing and touching. They may have trouble sitting still while studying, and they are better able to understand information by writing it down or doing hands-on activities. Visual learners process new information by reading, looking at graphics, or watching a demonstration. Children with this learning style can grasp information presented in a chart or graph, but they may grow impatient listening to an explanation.
Most people use a combination of styles but have a clear preference for one. Understanding your child’s learning style can reduce homework frustrations and make it easier for families to communicate. Being aware of your child’s learning style can reduce homework battles and strengthen parent-child relationships. “It’s very empowering for families to really understand each other and how they learn and how they think to work out problems”. “This kind of involvement is a great way to bond with your child and to impart knowledge, and it’s really fun.” Homework Tips for Each Learning Style Auditory learners are typically good at absorbing information from spoken words. Strategies that work well for auditory learners include:
Talking to themselves or with others about what they’re learning
Reciting important information aloud, perhaps recording it and playing it back
Reading a book and listening to the audio book at the same time
Using word associations
Setting information to a tune and singing it to help remember it
Limiting distracting noises
Kinesthetic learners prefer to be active while studying and may not be able to focus while sitting still. Strategies for kinesthetic learners include:
Reading aloud and tracking words on a page with a finger
Writing things down multiple times to commit them to memory
Highlighting and underlining
Playing with a stress ball or toy while studying
Moving around or taking frequent breaks
Doing hands-on activities, such as building models or playing games
Visual learners benefit from seeing information on a chalkboard or in an illustration and may grow impatient listening for long periods of time. Strategies for visual learners include:
Using flash cards
Studying charts, tables, and maps
Drawing illustrations
Writing things down and reviewing notes
Highlighting and underlining
Color-coding information
Who’s who in the middle school? Students may notice when they get to the middle school that there are several adults around, but they are not always sure what those adults do and who to ask for help. Head of Secondary – Ms Lourdina Fanco Phase Leader – Ms Renny Jose Phase Manager – Mr. Liaqat Malik (Boys) and Ms Rekha Fernandes (Girls) Head of Year – Boys and Girls
Transitions are passages from one point or place in our lives to another, and will occur at many different stages throughout life as things change. The transition from primary to secondary school is one of the biggest changes in our lives, and change can often make us feel anxious and worried. Remember that adults get a bit nervous too when starting a new job or meeting new people, so it’s ok and perfectly normal to feel a bit scared.
“I’m worried about moving to Secondary school where I will have lots of new teachers and won’t know anyone, and I might get picked on by the older children”
Common worries and concerns often include: - Bullying and older children - Getting lost - Missing friends and making new friends - Homework and difficulty of work
What can I do if I am feeling worried? It is normal to have fears and concerns about the transition to secondary school as it is a big change. Below are some tips and advice mostly from other secondary school children to try and help you feel happier about the move:
Missing old friends and making new ones Being separated from friends after primary school can feel really sad, and it’s important to make sure you stay in touch and help each other during this difficult time. There are lots of ways you can stay in touch with your old friends, before school hours, during break, at assemblies, by texting, calling and using Face Time so you can still see each other and hopefully miss them less. Remember however that there are plenty of new people at secondary school as well, ready for you to make friends with. There are plenty of ways you can try to make new friends, especially as everyone will be trying to do the same: Talk with new people in your form as you will see them every day. Join in with break time activities. Just smile and say hi – remember to stay positive and friendly and not to be bossy or showing off. Teachers often help you in making friends in the first few weeks by getting you to sit next to new people, and setting group-work projects, which makes it easy to get chatting to people. If you are finding it hard to make friends, speak to your teacher, as they will try and help even further.
Getting lost You are bound to feel like you don’t know where you are going in the first few days, but we have a team of some very friendly people, all ready to help you find your way around, on the first day itself. You will be moving to a lot of lessons with your class group, so stick with them if you don’t know the way, or arrange to walk with a friend. Remember you can always ask the teachers the way – they don’t mind! Try and retrace your steps to the classroom you just came from to ask if you get stuck, or head to the office where we will be able to help.
Work being harder A common concern is not being able to cope with the work being much more difficult than at primary school. However at the beginning, teachers often tend to overlap a lot of work with work you will have done in primary school, which makes the transition easier. They will teach you how to use reference sources, revise and help you to make notes. The teachers are specialists in their subjects and are always ready to help – they like answering questions if you don’t quite understand something, as, if you don’t understand someone else probably won’t either!
More homework There will be more homework than primary school, however once you adjust into a routine it is easily manageable. Here are some tips from secondary school children about how to cope with the homework:
Be organized and you will stay on top of it
Find a good place for concentrating
Remember to write it down properly in class so you know what you have to do and when it’s due
Create a regular time and routine for homework, but don’t forget to plan breaks for other things you want to do too
Tackle the hardest bits first when you are less tired
Don’t be afraid to ring friends and ask for help
Remember when it comes to homework, it is always better to hand in something than nothing.
Bullying Moving to another part of the school where you are suddenly the youngest is a very daunting thought. Remember if you are bullied that you are not alone: around 1 in 10 children at secondary school are bullied, but here are some tips to try and avoid being bullied at school:
Expand your friendships early on, as having friends will help to boost your selfesteem Try and move to lessons in a crowd with your class or friends, and walk tall in the corridors: don’t just shuffle and look at the floor Be organised so you settle into the new routine quickly and feel confident around school Remember not to fight back as you might end up in trouble. Act confident and look the bully in the eye, before walking along with your friends: don’t show them that it is bothering you
Remember bullying is not tolerated. There are lots of people in school you can talk to, including your class teacher, other subject teachers and your section-in-charge. They will all want to listen, and act discretely to make it stop and to help make your time at school more enjoyable. How do I stop missing primary school and all my friends? It’s natural to miss your friends and your old teachers, as in most cases you have grown up through that school for the last 6 years. However remember that there are many things to look forward to about Secondary school:
The opportunity to make new friends: there are so many exciting people to meet, some of whom will be friends for life Having a different teacher for each subject: they are specialist in what they do so will be able to make lessons more interesting, varied and exciting New school and facilities to use including I.C.T and science laboratories, and specialized art rooms Work is more challenging and varied, and it will feel great when you master something really tough. You will develop lots of new interests as well More responsibility, freedom and choice: there will be many more activities to choose from independently at break times and after school, where you can meet lots of new friends, lots of choices in the canteen and of course choices of subjects – you can drop the ones you probably would not need for the future in Year 8 !
What can I do to help settle in quickly and be prepared?
Make a list of teachers names as you learn them so you have people to go to for advice Get a good school bag and always try and pack it the night before so you don’t forget anything Carry only the necessary books to school according to your time table.
How can I make the transition easier? Three key steps have been recommended by other children who are already at secondary school: - Try to be organized with all the stationary and equipment you will need before you start so you feel prepared - Try to talk to lots of people in your class in the first days so you can make new friends early on - Try not to let it show that you are worried or scared as this means you won’t stand out straight away: remember everyone starting will be feeling just like you, they just might be better at hiding it
Where can I get extra support if I am feeling scared? Remember if you are feeling worried or scared you are not alone. Try to talk to your friends about your worries, as most of them will be feeling very similarly to you, even if they don’t always show it. Your parents and other family members can also be good sources of information – don’t forget they were once in your position too. If you want to talk to someone outside your friends and family, teachers are often good start, especially as year 7 class teachers are often chosen for
their role because they are particularly helpful and encouraging. More widely, heads of houses and other subject teachers are always available. Remember that the transition from primary school is mandatory and secondary school can turn into one of the best experiences of your life, with long-lasting friendships. Everyone starting will be feeling just like you, and most people start with no friends. Remember you are not alone and there is always someone to talk to. Most importantly, try to relax, talk over your fears and have fun!
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