Tips for Parents & Guardians : How to Prepare Your Child for their First Year in Secondary School
Preparing during the Summer
- Make sure the routine is in place before your child starts at secondary school
- Plan the route to school with your child. Do a trial run in August. Prepare your bag the night before, have your breakfast, travel to SETSS - see if you make it on time at 8.20am!
- Help your child become familiar with the school through the school website. Create a quiz for your child where they have to find the information on www.setss.ie
- Look at the school through Google Maps, to familiarise your child with the building, even just from the outside
- Make sure to buy all the equipment from the equipment list provided by the school
- Colour code copies with stickers
- Buy subject folders and colour code them too
- The more information your child has about what their new routine will look like, the happier they’ll be in the lead up to the transition
* All information regarding the choice & organisation of option subjects will be given during Induction week (Aug. 27th - Sep 3rd)
September
- Print the timetable. Keep a copy on the fridge and in the study area
- Help your child prepare their bag, using their timetable to prepare the correct equipment for the next day
- Be familiar with school policies and procedures
- Each student has an SETSS journal which has to be signed by their parent / guardian on a weekly basis. This is an effective means of communication with the class tutor who monitors the journal weekly
- Be sure to encourage your son / daughter to join one of the many clubs available during lunchtime or after school in SETSS
- VS Ware is an important communication tool between the school and the parent. It will help you record your child's absences and will allow you observe their behaviour through the VS Ware 'thumbs up system'. You will learn more about this at the September settling in meeting but you can also browse through this section of the VS Ware website to find out more https://support.vsware.ie/en/guides-for-parents
- Check VS Ware / emails regularly from school information and bulletins
- Use the school support service, if necessary
Homework & Study Habits
- Help develop good homework / study habits from day one
- Encourage your child to get into the habit of keeping subject folders where they can store their notes and homework. The more organised they are, the easier the transition will be
- Encourage your child to complete the homework the day it is assigned to them so they don’t fall behind and become overwhelmed.
- Familiarise yourself with MS Teams & OneNote which is the platform used at SETSS
- Consistency is important. You can encourage a routine in terms of homework aswell : try to do your homework at the same time, in a quiet study space with your phone turned off
Wellbeing
- If your child eats well, gets between 8-10 hours sleep and exercises, they will be better equipped to deal with the new challenges of secondary school.
- Moderate their screen time so it does not affect their schoolwork or sleep patterns. Try to avoid having screens overnight in their room
- Your child needs your help to maintain a balance between their school life and their personal life
- Support your child experience new friendships in secondary school while helping them maintain the friendships they have developed in primary school
- Secondary schoolwork can be different and challenging for first year students. Some students need more time to adjust and this can sometimes be reflected in their work. Offer encouragement, not pressure
- Remind your child that some subjects will come easier to them than others but that they can always ask for help; all learning is important and valuable. At SETSS, we promote a growth mindset where all effort is commended
Other Useful Resources
1. These websites offer many more tips and videos which will help you and your child get prepared for secondary school.
https://stepup.ie/
https://jigsaw.ie/supporting-the-transition-to-secondary-school/
2. At SETSS, each student will manage their learning through the use of MS Office, in particular the use of MS Teams and MS One Note. On the Microsoft Education Centre, a parent or a child can complete free courses to become familiar with these packages. If you were particularly interested in learning a little bit about MS Teams and OneNote before August, some of these courses may be fun to complete.
https://education.microsoft.com/en-us
3. These two websites offer support and advice on how parents can help their child navigate the digital world in a safe and secure manner.
https://www.webwise.ie/parents/
https://www.pdst.ie/sites/default/files/Parents%20guide%20to%20safer%20internet.pdf