Where has this year gone? We all ask this question but I am sure as I get older the years go by a lot quicker. It has been another busy year and like all of you, I am certainly looking forward to breaking the routine cycle for five weeks and staying in pyjamas for a whole day because I can!

At this time of the year we are busy with Christmas shopping, functions, parties and fighting for that car park that we all so desperately want. At school, our kids are facing the anticipation of finding out whose grade they will be in next year followed by their reports. With this can bring some anxiety in our children due to the changes they will face that to some of us aren’t really an issue. As teachers we are fully aware of such anxiety and equipped to deal with such students and ready to reassure them. For some students, this anxiety will continue throughout the summer break. As a parent, it is important to acknowledge your child’s concerns and not dismiss them. Sit down and talk to your child or ask them to list their concerns and work through them. Remember, we all started primary school and high school so we can draw on our personal experiences to work through their concerns. They might seem minor to you but they are big to them and are looking for reassurance and guidance. There may be new friendships to be made so play dates over the summer break are always an option.

It is also a time to reflect on the year with your child, both the positives and negatives. Through such discussions, goals can be established for next year. They may be personal, social or academic goals which should be achievable and not unrealistic. As adults we all have goals too, whether they be career driven or personal goals, we all need to make them achievable otherwise we give up too easily if things are too far out of reach. I say it all the time, we need to model the behaviours we want in our children and achieving different goals is exactly the same as our modelling behaviours in our daily lives.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope everyone enjoys their time off with family and friends. This is the time to relax and unwind before the school year starts again, trust me it will be here before we know it. I wish all of our Grade Six students the very best in the next phase of their educational journey, secondary school. I would also like to wish those students and families that are leaving all the very best for the future. Thank you once again to the wonderful parent support I have continued to receive through my articles and also for those families that attended the parent workshops that were made available. Parent Patch will continue next year and there will also be a blog that will be up and running in 2015.

Let me leave you with this, if you happen to hear “I’m bored” over the next five weeks, it is ok. Children need to be bored it is good for them and develops creativity. I am sure once you run through a list of chores, they will find something to do quick smart!

Fiona Froelich