Nestled in the heart of North Lakes in Brisbane sits a P-12 school community that holds, at its heart, the imperative of connection and belonging for students, families and teachers.

At MD传媒官网 we understand the importance of effectively transitioning Year 6 students as they tread the unfamiliar territory that is Junior Secondary education. In fact, not only do we understand it - we prioritise it through a series of Thriving Through Transition events underpinned by a clear program that begin in Term 1 of the year prior to a Year 7 student beginning at TLC.

Our staff recognise that transitioning from Primary to Secondary School typically coincides with significant physical, social, emotional and cognitive growth and development. A young person鈥檚 brain during this stage is undergoing considerable reconstruction and synaptic pruning to prepare for this next stage of life and to become more efficient. Extremes in thinking, feeling and acting are thus all typical during the period of transition. It is normal for students to experience progressions and regressions in learning, and swings between self-centredness and altruism, dependence and independence, social behaviour and isolation (Arnold, 2000). So, what does honouring all of this look like at MD传媒官网?

• The Thriving Through Transition Program. Transitioning a young person into a Secondary context is an ongoing process that takes time and is regarded as one of the main challenges for education in the middle years (ACER, 2012). Much of the research around student academic performance indicates that students make the least progress when starting Secondary schooling, even when transitions are managed effectively. At TLC, our parents and carers are invited in for a Thriving Through Transition parent and carer session 12 months prior to their child beginning Secondary School, to engage with key staff who will be assisting their young adult, to understand more about our wrap-around supports and our processes. We find that by calming the nerves of those caring and guiding young people, we work to reduce stress for the young people themselves as they look towards Junior Secondary schooling.

Our second transition event occurs in Term 2 the year prior, and this time both students and carers are invited in to engage with current Year 7 students. They are immersed in 鈥渁 day in the life of a Year 7 student at TLC.鈥� This event is led by current Year 7 students and involves a panel discussion where questions from parents and Year 6 students are answered having been sent in prior to the event. Additionally, Year 7 students walk them through the logistics of daily life (timetables, lockers, making friends, finding their way). Year 7 students share a day in the life video that they have made, which the Year 6 students have access to from that evening onwards, so that they can get themselves prepared mentally and psychologically. This enables our incoming students to see this next step as achievable and possible. The evening ends with Year 6 students and parents meeting their specific Head of House, thereby beginning the process of connection with a key person for them when they enter Secondary School. Students leave with a personalised House keepsake - a reminder of what belonging to their House means. The Year 7 students leading this evening, then serve as assistants and guides on the Experience Year 7 Day in Term 3 which facilitates Year 6 students engaging with a familiar face on this day, but also aides in reducing our transitioning students鈥� fears about encountering older students, which we know to be a concern for students beginning their High School journey (Pendergast, 2015).

Lastly, our final Transition evening occurs half-way through Term 1 when the incoming students have begun Junior Secondary and follows camp. Its focus is for parents/carers to once again connect with key staff, and for our staff to share their observations and key take-aways from the first five weeks of Secondary School. This includes sharing with parents the results from camp surveys, focussed on the challenges faced and growth areas experienced by our incoming students. At this event, partnership between TLC and our parents is the main focus- how we can work together to ensure positive outcomes for their children in these middle years and beyond.

• Connection: knowing our incoming students鈥� origin stories is a Term 1 Year 7 focus. Through an inter-disciplinary curriculum approach between English, Health & Physical Education and FAVE (Faith and Values Education), students begin by connecting their own story, with the school鈥檚. The overarching focus of 鈥楳y Story, Your Story, Our Story鈥� allows students to share their identity stories in English with The Humans of TLC expos茅, immerse themselves in the values story of the College that now unites them as TLC students, and enlighten them to the numerous physical changes experienced in this stage of development in line with Wellbeing, Heath and Physical Education curriculum. Becoming connected to one another, and the school is an important piece in ensuring that our Year 7 students settle quickly and see TLC as 鈥渢heir place鈥� regardless of where they have come from.
• Belonging: Year 7 Camp is another integral part of our Transition program and takes place in Week 2 of Term 1. Students are encouraged to step-up, test themselves and step out of their comfort zone. The camp serves as an integral piece of assisting all new students to settle in and make new friends. Our Year 12 leaders assist on this camp to help our Year 7鈥檚 feel safe and settled and through their involvement, we see reduced anxiety about encountering older students when we are back in the school environment. The Year 7 students may arrive as relative strangers, but they leave as a cohesive group whom while exhausted, are ready to take on Year 7 together.
• Role of Our Learning Culture non-negotiables. We know that calm and connected classrooms assist transitioning students to feel more secure, comfortable and supported. While our classroom culture expectations apply to all year levels at TLC, they are especially important in our Year 7 classrooms. Requiring students to enter classrooms, engage within them, and leave them in specific and clearly articulated ways works to facilitate a sense of predictability and calm. This ensures that all students are operating within learning environments where there is space to ask for help from either their peers or the teacher, space to collaborate in meaningful and productive ways, and space to work to the best of their ability.

Belonging. Believing. Becoming- this is our character; this is who we are at MD传媒官网. Through our Transition processes we not only believe that belonging is at the core of all that we do, we also live and breathe it when supporting students and families as they transition from Primary to Secondary School. Welcome to Junior Secondary at MD传媒官网, we look forward to walking beside you and lighting the path.

Written by Deputy Head of Secondary (7-9) Skye Wallden

Reference List:

ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research) (2012). Junior Secondary: theory and practice. Brisbane: Queensland Department of Education and Training.

Arnold, R. (2000). Middle Years Literature review including list of references: Sydney: Office of Board of Studies.

Pendergast, D. (2015). Teacher Identity in the Middle Years. Sydney: Cambridge University Press.

Experience Year 7 Day - Amazing Race