Welcome To The June Issue Of Our PALS Programme Blog

We Made It Through The Exams!!!

For many students and parents ,the first half of June was consumed with Junior and Leaving cert state examinations. As a parent of a Junior Cert student I can totally relate to the months of preparation which took place and also the focus and dedication it took to complete the exams. At times I really felt like I was doing the exams! The planning and preparation included study plans, active breaks and even some relaxation and meditation along the way.

As a parent, we sometimes wish we could take on the stress, anxiety and workload from our teenagers, to help them through this important time of their lives. However the skills and knowledge that our children gain at this time, is an invaluable lesson in their preparation for their young adult lives and their future in college and/or work. Sometimes in life the greatest help we can provide is the emotional support needed to help our children as they go through their life lessons. The main focus is often in their academic life, however we also have to allow them to go through other life experiences and lessons too.

My focus when delivering PALS Programme to students, both in schools or in one to one sessions with teenagers, is to introduce an opportunity to look at developing life skills to cope with many areas, including their academic life. Learning life skills through positive communication can help prepare students for future challenges both in and out of school.

As a parent I felt my role was to empower, encourage and reassure my daughter that she would achieve her very best and to give an understanding that this was the biggest event in her life to date. Of course she will go through this all again in another three years when completing her Leaving Cert, which will bring with it a whole new set of challenges, experiences and understanding.

PALS Continues To Grow

Although schools are out for the summer PALS Programme continues to grow and develop in several areas. We are so excited about current projects which are in the development stage and hope to announce details in July or August 2014.

We are putting together a new course targeted at First Year Secondary School students. This will mainly focus on hands on organisational and practical skills to help students cope with the transition from primary school into secondary school, covering areas like emotional well-being and ways to cope with anxieties or concerns they may have.

Social Media

Please continue to connect with PALS Programme on Facebook and Twitter for more updates until our next blog in July.

Have a super month.

Thank you

Bee