Library programs helping students big and small meet school milestones
Published on 05 October 2023
No matter what end of the school journey Singleton’s students are on – getting ready to start or preparing to finish – the Library has a program to help.
During October, Singleton Public Library will run free meditation classes for Year 12 students during the Higher School Certificate (HSC) exam period and launch its 10-week school readiness program to help pre-school aged children make the jump to ‘big school’ less daunting.
Vicki Brereton, Council’s Director Organisation and Community Capacity said the Library provided a safe and encouraging environment to help Singleton’s students big and small prepare for the next step of their education journey.
“The Library runs a wide range of programs that support Singleton youth so it’s only natural that it is there to help during two of the most important milestones in their education journey – starting and finishing school,” she said.
“I encourage any Singleton families with children starting school in 2024 to sign up to the Get School Ready program to help make the transition from pre-school to big school a little easier, and any parents of Year 12 students to encourage them to attend a meditation session to help manage any exam stress.”
The HSC meditation sessions, run in collaboration with The Yoga Shed Hunter Valley, will be held on Tuesdays and Fridays between 10 and 20 October from 12-12.45pm.
The sessions will include practical breathing techniques for stress management and guided meditation.
“In previous years we have run HSC Lock-ins where the Library was open later and students could study and with assistance from tutors but this year we’re taking a new approach with the meditation sessions,” Mrs Brereton said.
“We hope that these sessions will give students a break from studying and allow them to learn stress management techniques that they can use in the next stage of their lives.”
The Get School Ready program will run every Wednesday between 11 October-13 December from 11am.
Each week, the 30-minute session will focus on a different topic that will introduce pre-schoolers to the concepts of preparing for and attending school.
“At the end of the program, we hope for the children to feel comfortable about heading into their schooling journey and to have familiarity with the concepts of organisation and around the structure of learning and literacy,” Mrs Brereton said.
Both programs are free to attend but have a limited number of participants per session.
Register for a free HSC Mediation or School Readiness Program session via Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.com.au/o/singleton-public-library-72168255123