Goal setting is such an important skill for students. Not only does it connect students’ personal ambitions with school work but it also improves students’ self-management abilities and boosts their self-confidence. Dr Fry has written about the academic goal setting that all girls have completed with the assistance of their Care Mentors. All students have now developed S.M.A.R.T goals to work towards in Term 1 and have met with the teacher of the subject(s) they have identified to discuss their goal(s) with.
At Girls Grammar we feel it is important that our girls build positive mental health and wellbeing by setting personal goals in addition to academic ones. As a year 10 Care Mentor I have had the pleasure of working with the 16 young ladies in my care class to reflect on where they see themselves as a young person and Year 10 senior student.
All girls set personal wellbeing goals just beyond their current abilities, stating why they chose them while identifying the strengths they will use to help achieve their three goals. Although the goals set were individual there were some common themes across all 16 girls. These included improving their study habits and skills, fostering peer relationships for students new to boarding, trying out new co-curricular activities and decreasing their amount of daily screen time on their phones. The conversations we had as a group around this last goal were very passionate indeed! Almost every girl in the care class set themselves the goal to reduce their average daily screen time, choosing to dedicate this extra time instead to academic study or an earlier bed time. This shows maturity, dedication, time management, motivation and a growth mindset.
Research suggests limiting average screen time to 3-4 hours a day for girls aged 15-18 years. Studies have shown that mobile phone use and social media use in particular can negatively influence sleep quality, and social media used multiple times a day can cause higher levels of anxiety among girls aged 13-15 years. Having a whole class ‘team’ approach in working towards achieving this goal of decreased screen time will help motivate the girls and keep them accountable while positively impacting their mental health and wellbeing. I look forward to providing you updates on the girls’ progress in achieving their goal….
Kara Krehlik
Deputy Principal - Students