Plan it Youth (PiY) is a student/community member mentoring program that has been running at Bingara Central School for the past four years.
The program involves the year 10 students who are paired with a volunteer mentor from the community. They meet once a week for about ten weeks to discuss goal setting and career planning.
This week the school hosted a morning tea to give the students the opportunity to thank their mentors for the time they have given to the project. Each mentor was presented with a plant as a gift signifying their own personal growth.
Regional coordinator Mark Giandomenico was on hand to thank the mentors and to encourage the students to make the most of the program by putting into action in the future the commitment they might have made to their mentors.
School Coordinator and Careers and Transition Advisor Robyn Gasson was very pleased with how the program has run this year and also offered her encouragement to the students and thanks to the mentors.
Career planning and transition beyond school, into either studies at University or TAFE, or into employment, is an essential component of our high school student welfare program.
Robyn’s role also supports students and families in making the best choices based on accurate information. This might involve visits to careers markets, university open days and establishments of school based traineeships and apprenticeships and work experience opportunities. Robyn assists students to develop resumes, applications and interview techniques.
Students and families are encouraged to take full advantage of the school’s career and transition program by establishing contact with Robyn Gasson and engaging in a well planned transition and career path from as early as year 9.
PiY is just one of many programs designed to assist students in the transition from school and into adult life and is part of the schools broader picture commitment to continuity of care and learning.
Across the thirteen years of schooling students make several important transitions and the school works hard to provide the right kind of advice to students, parents and carers so that these transitions can be positive experiences.
The first, and perhaps the most important transition, is from home to school to join the Kindergarten class.
The Assistant Principle Alison Johnson recently hosted parents and carers at an information evening to explain what they can do to prepare and what they can expect when their child first starts school.
This is the first in a series of Kindergarten orientation sessions that will be held at the school. If you have a child that is eligible to start school next year but, were unable to attend the information evening the school can provide parents with valuable resources to help them prepare their child for school.
A second major transition is through the Middle Years of schooling.
Research confirms that Years 5, 6, 7 and 8 are very significant in terms of a student’s final outcomes at school. Again the research indicates that potential for a drop off in student achievement through this period.
To address these issues Bingara Central School has been developing a Middle Schooling approach and this program is set to further develop in 2013 with the introduction of new program called Horizons.
Four modules have been developed for the program, and each will run for one 60 minute period per week over ten weeks (a single term).
These modules include Community Citizenship, Skills for Life, a Special Interest Group and the Rock and Water Resilience Program. Each module will have its own learning outcomes, and each group of students will rotate through the four modules over the 2013 school year; one module per term.
The groups will be a mix of students from Year 5, 6 ,7 and 8. Anyone interested in hearing more about the program and particularly parents and carers of students in years 5 to 8 an information evening will be held at the school on Wednesday November 14 from 5 pm.
Following a barbecue, there will be an additional information session for parents of students transitioning from year 6 into year 7.
The final major transition for students is through the high school years, years 9 ,10 ,11 and 12.
