Every Thursday afternoon Year 7 students meet with their Year 10 Peer Mentors
Year 7 students are settling in very well to Catherine McAuley and are enjoying the Peer Mentor Program held every Thursday afternoon.
Both Year 10 and Year 7 students benefit from this program immensely. The Year 10 Peer Mentors develop their leadership as they facilitate the learning of new skills important for Year 7 students in their transition to high school.
These skills include planning and organisation, responsible use of technology and social media, how to navigate changing and evolving friendships, and the importance of mindfulness for their wellbeing. Year 7 students also feel more connected to their school and are gaining confidence, as a result of developing a close bond with their peer mentors.
The Year 10 Peer Mentors have been helping the Year 7 students organise their school lockers.
Some thoughts on the program from both Year 10 Peer Mentors and Year 7 students are below:
Luanda L-C., Year 10 Peer Mentor
I love being a peer mentor because I enjoy helping the Year 7 students become used to high school. I particularly like just talking to them because it is nice to have someone to look up to when you are starting high school. I remember participating in the program myself when I was in Year 7 and I benefited most from the organisational skills I learnt and the friendships I made.
Natalia K., Year 10 Peer Mentor
I want to be a support for the Year 7 students in my group so they know that they can always come to their Peer Mentors as we will be like big sisters to them. At the moment we are helping the students with school planners and organisation. The school planners can be used by the Year 7 students to keep track of what homework they have and when it is due. I want them to understand that using the planner correctly means all this information is in one place.
Pia P., Year 7
I love coming to peer mentoring each week because we get to learn new things. This week we are learning about our planner and the school timetable. We have also looked at how to keep our lockers organised. You don’t want your locker to be a jumble or you won’t be able to find the books you need for your next class.
Sienna B., Year 7
Our Peer Mentors have encouraged us to consider participating in extracurricular groups and to not be afraid to try things out. I have taken their advice and tried out for Oztag and I am planning on trying out for netball next term.
Leaders of Learning Wellbeing Years 7 and 10
Catherine McAuley Westmead
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