Just like that, Semester 1 is officially coming to an end!
By now, your child is hurtling their way through the last weeks of Term 2 to face their exams before June’s end. Then, BAM, it’s the July holidays, and before you know it, they’re already back at school.
The July holidays are a crucial period in the school year called the ‘tipping point’. It’s a pivotal time that can determine whether your child’s academic performance in Semester 2 improves or declines. It also provides you and your child an opportunity to rest and prepare their study strategy for the next semester.
For Year 10 students, the holidays are a time to prepare for subject selection in Year 11 when 60% of kids see a 15% decline or more. For Year 11 students, it sets the tone of their Term 4 and the beginning of their Year 12. The July holidays are even more important for Year 12 students, as it will directly impact their HSC Trials, final exams and ATAR results.
Most families have already heard of these things before but haven’t done anything yet – let alone have a plan already in place. It might be because they feel like it’s too early to worry about a study strategy right now or that they still have some time.
But proactive families are already starting to prepare for the July holidays as early as now, strategically planning how to harness this critical ‘tipping point’ to improve their child’s marks or ATAR results in Semester 2.
And it makes sense, we tell our kids to start their assignments early. Why? So they have more time to do the work, so they don’t get overwhelmed. You CAN leave it but why would you if it increases your child’s workload, increases their stress level, introduces risks to their exam strategy and literally restricts their ability to optimally perform in exams?
Building a strategy for your child’s Semester 2 may sound challenging and overwhelming at first. But if you know what to look for, you can create an effective study strategy for your child just before Term 3 starts. In this article, we explore how you can maximise the July ‘tipping point’ to help your child achieve higher marks and ATAR results in Semester 2.
How Ally’s Tipped the Scales to Success
When we met Ally, she was a Year 11 student and a national-level swimmer pursuing Olympic selection and a 95+ ATAR.
Ally was often spread thin between her training schedule and schoolwork, and she was exhausted worrying about her future. She had zero study strategy. But thanks to her coach and Olympic-level training, she knew her timings and strategies down to the millisecond. She tried to ‘make time’ by putting in long hours to complete her homework, but barely got enough energy to revise and do practice papers.
Despite Ally’s perseverance, her marks kept dropping. And when her Year 11 final exam took a massive decline, her mum Cate realised Ally needed help fast before Year 12.
Ally was motivated, but her study routine wasn’t personalised and optimised for her at all. So we helped Ally design a study strategy that enabled her to leverage her time using a timesheet. Then, we helped Cate identify critical areas that would have the biggest impact on her daughter’s HSC results. We also monitored Ally’s progress to ensure that her strategy was balanced, not only to improve her academic results but also to ensure that she was doing so with ample rest.
“We were all blown away by my ATAR of 98.25, far exceeding my original goal of 95.00!”
– Ally
After working with our education strategists, Ally graduated with a 98.25 ATAR with full marks in Major Works. She also ranked 16th in her NSW cohort, with more than 30,000 students. She didn’t need the bonus ATAR points and got into her first preference university course at the University of Sydney.
Ally also received awards and recognition from the Australian Olympic Committee for her podium finishes at the Nationals during her HSC Trials.
Study Strategy: Tip Your Child’s Odds During the Holidays
What we love about Ally’s story is how Cate was able to recognise Ally’s struggle and become the super mum that she was. Cate fully supported both her daughter’s goals, no matter how big they were.
Cate knew Ally needed further support and a more strategic, tailored approach to reach her goals. Without Cate’s intervention and Ally’s study strategy, Ally would’ve been quickly burned out and demotivated by fatigue, which would’ve made her 98+ ATAR and Olympic goals impossible.
Like Cate, your intervention and support can help your child find a better footing for Semester 2. There are so many ways to maximise the upcoming July holidays and build a study strategy to boost your child’s performance and ATAR results.
#1. Address weak areas: Use the holidays to identify and focus on subjects where your child has struggled during the first semester. Targeted practice and review in these areas can boost their confidence and help them achieve higher results in the next semester.
#2. Watch out for burnout: Ensure your child maintains healthy habits even during the holidays, such as adequate sleep, preventive measures against flu and viruses, and physical activities to support their wellbeing and reduce burnout.
#3. Technology and time management: Implement strategies to manage your child’s device use and distractions. The holidays are teenagers’ most anticipated time for social media and other technology. Establishing clear rules for screen times and study times can help your child responsibly manage their time.
#4. Create a study plan: Develop a clear and structured plan for the holidays that balances study time with rest and play. It should include your child’s specific goals for Semester 2 and timelines for revision and exam preparations.
Having a strategy is all about being proactive, and not waiting for things to happen to you. As students progress through the year, their motivation typically dwindles as do their marks. To increase your child’s academic results, you need to anticipate and leverage the critical points in the year to re-energise your child’s learning motivation system so you can tip the odds back in your child’s favour.
However, your child’s study strategy is only the first step. Even the best-laid plans stay a ‘wishlist’ unless the plan is actioned. That’s what makes the real difference.
That’s why at Kalibrate-Ed, we focus our efforts on making sure your child has the necessary skills to get things done. That includes time management skills, organisation strategies, and sustained motivation. With these skills, your child can address their common symptoms of ineffective study and overcome bigger, underlying issues that may drag their results down in Semester 2.
If you want to know more about how you can support your child and build a study strategy that will help them gain improved marks and better ATAR results, we have a FREE live expert session to support parents like you.
It’s called ‘The Education Tipping Point’ is happening on Wednesday 26th June at 7:00 PM online via Zoom. To access the live session, recordings and exclusive resources, click here: https://studyresources.com.au/education-tipping-point-2024/.