First-time students of The St Michael School have been promised that they will not be thrown into the new school environment without the adequate resources.
Speaking ahead of next week’s start of the new school year, guidance counsellor Margaret Grant gave this assurance during the school’s Orientation Day last Wednesday.
She said that the transition from primary school to secondary school could be challenging, and disclosed that the school had designed a week-long orientation programme for the new students.
“We seek to ensure that every child is comfortable and there is nothing impeding them . . . Each child must feel that they belong here,” Grant said.
The week-long programme incorporates getting-to-know-you activities and an introduction of students to the Big Brother, Big Sister Programme. This programme allows new students to be assigned to older students who would meet and assist them when they enter the school.
The guidance counsellor also gave parents and students the assurance that the children would be in a safe environment. “We will not condone teasing or bullying, as it is a serious problem, and we want to encourage students to report such incidents so they could be dealt with while at the budding stage.”
A Health and Family Life Education course was also incorporated into the students’ timetable to deal with areas of self-awareness, understanding and learning life skills, and decision making.
First form year head Mitchelle Smith said the orientation was also designed to give students a way to work themselves into the new system and become familiar with their environment.
The year head encouraged the parents to work collaboratively in making sure that the potential of their children could be explored and realised. (LK)
