Starting high school - tips for families

The transition from primary school to high school marks a significant milestone in a child's life.

As a parent you can make all the difference in helping your child navigate the journey successfully. With a strong foundation and ongoing support, your child can better embrace the opportunities that high school offers and start on a path of growth and learning.

Here are some tips to help make your family’s journey a little easier including a timeline to help you be as school ready as possible.

The foundation of a successful transition to high school lies in open and supportive communication. To get thing rolling, try to have regular conversations with your child about their expectations, fears, and aspirations regarding high school. This could start well in advance of the time for high school. Try to encourage them to share any concerns to express themselves. This will make it easier for your child to air their worries and build a positive attitude to high school.

Most high schools in Australia offer orientation programs before the new academic year starts. These dedicated events give students the chance to familiarise themselves with their new school campus, meet their teachers, and connect with future classmates. Orientation events can help your soon-to-be high schooler to reduce the fear of the unknown and alleviate any anxiety about the upcoming changes to their school life and the new school year.

As a high school student your child will be using technology regularly for both learning and entertainment so it’s important to set guidelines to ensure they’re safe online.

It’s highly likely that your child is familiar with being online before their last year in primary and you may already have guidelines in place. Either way, your high school child will be spending more and more time online so it’s important to setup or refresh your family’s rules for technology use.

It’s a good idea set your family up with clear guidelines for the use of technology like mobile phones, tablets, and laptops including where and when the devices should be used so they don’t become distractions during class or study time.

With access to the internet, it's important to educate your child about digital responsibility. You can help to teach them about online etiquette, the importance of privacy, and the potential consequences of sharing personal information online. High school students often engage in social media and you can guide them on how to use it safely and respectfully.

The Optus Digital Thumbprint Program provides both young people and families with a range of resources to help them engage positively online. Digital Thumbprint guides like Protecting your identity – Hackers, scammers and fake friends and Protecting your identity - Passphrases, passwords and MFA can be good places to start the conversations on digital safety.

Digital Thumbprint Resources

For young people 

• Blocking unwanted contact guide
• Cyberbullying quiz
• Cyberbullying: what to do when things go wrong guide
• Digital Balance quiz
• Fake friends and fake profiles quiz
• Hackers, scammers and fake friends guide
• Lifehacks for a balanced time online guide
• Passphrases, passwords and MFA guide and quiz
• Protecting personal information quiz
• Scammers and fake friends quiz

For Families

• Balancing time online guide
• Blocking unwanted contact for your child guide
• Cyberbullying: What to say when things go wrong online guide
• First Phone Readiness guide and quiz
• Passphrases, passwords and MFA for your child guide
• Recognising hackers, scammers and fake friends guide
• Safeguard your child’s privacy on popular apps and games guide
• Stay ahead of scams through family discussions guide

The first year of high school may be the time you choose to give them their first phone or tablet. Once you’ve decided on the device you’d like to buy there’s a wide range of apps that can help your child on their high school journey.

While technology is valuable, it's important to monitor your child's screen time. Excessive screen time can impact their sleep, physical health, and overall well-being. Set boundaries on screen time during study hours and before bedtime to ensure a healthy balance between online and offline activities.

Digital Thumbprint resources like Balancing time online family guide; guide for young people; and quiz may assist your family to develop and maintain a healthy balance of time spent online.

Technology can be a valuable educational tool when used wisely. You can look into educational apps that can supplement your child's learning ahead of starting high school. Read the reviews and determine which ones are right for your child. Educational apps are available for a wide range of subjects including mathematics, languages, and science and can make learning engaging and interactive.

High school brings an increased workload and a wider range of subjects. If you can help your child to develop essential time management and organisational skills that will pay off once they start in high school. Introduce them to digital tools like calendar apps, task management apps, and note-taking apps which can help them stay on top of assignments, projects, and extracurricular activities.

In high school students may experience complex concepts and diverse perspectives beyond their personal experience and their primary school life. To help them navigate this new environment, you can encourage your child’s critical thinking skills by engaging them in discussions about current events, literature, the media and other relevant topics. And by guiding them on how to use reliable online resources you’ll help them expand their knowledge. Plus, it will help them to develop their analytical skills so they can better ascertain the veracity of information and pick bias.

Some parents are involved in their child’s primary school but then step back when they go to high school. There are many benefits of continuing your active presence in your child’s schooling life during high school. An easy way to stay involved is to attend parent-teacher meetings and stay updated on school events through the school's website or communication apps. You could also consider volunteering for school activities where possible. Staying engaged demonstrates your support for your child's education and allows you to address any concerns or challenges promptly.

Starting high school can be overwhelming, so it's crucial to nurture self-care habits. Teach your child the importance of regular exercise, proper nutrition, and sufficient sleep. Additionally, encourage them to take breaks from screens and engage in activities they enjoy, such as reading, drawing, or spending time outdoors.

As your child takes their first steps into high school, remember this is just the beginning of a new adventure, and you're there to cheer them on every step of the way.

Get your family school ready

There’s always nerves and excitement at the start of a school year. Being prepared and confident starts with great technology choices and expert tips that set your family up for schooling success.

We’ll help you get school ready with our range of tablets, first phones, accessories, home internet, Optus Network features in My Optus app and more.

Optus Digital Thumbnail supports digital safety and wellbeing for young people and families. Find out more at www.digitalthumbprint.com.au