Getting ready for High School

January school holidays

Getting Ready for High School is for children who are transitioning into Year 7 (or repeating Year 7) who have organisation difficulties with school tasks and routines, as well as social difficulties in their interactions with others. Students are given strategies to develop their skills in activities including:

• finding way around a high school map
• using timetables and diaries
• writing extended written responses
• following instructions
• managing homework, assignments and projects
• coping with stress
• studying, note-taking, summarising
• preparing for exams
• making new friends
• initiating and engaging in conversation
• problem solving
• being aware of others’ feelings
• managing own feelings

Children are provided with cognitive strategies to increase their capacity to focus on important detail, stay focused for the duration of a whole task, choose the most efficient strategy to approach a task, sequence steps within a task, prioritise tasks, and complete tasks within set time frames. Children learn to apply cognitive strategies to social skills, enabling increased success for making and keeping friends.