For roughly seven hours each day your child disappears into the world of school. When they come home and you …
Undercover: How Does it Really Feel to be a High School Student? Read More »
At some stage most kids feel left out and alone at school. There are lots of reasons for this. How do we help those kids and how do we create a culture of inclusion?
Leavers, or Schoolies Week as it is know in other parts of Australia, is an institution that cries out for …
We have developed incredibly negative relationships with food and we are passing these attitudes on to our kids. How can we reframe food and diet?
Resilience is the ‘it’ word of the decade when it comes to parenting and education. Justifiably! It is one of the greatest gifts you can give your children.
For me, the best moments in teaching come when a child suddenly realises that they are in charge of their …
On Sunday I did an art workshop. It was an unusual decision given that I have very little experience or …
At the end of Year 8 in 1982, I had to choose my elective subjects for the following year. I …
It’s Book Week and parents all over the country are pulling together costumes for their kids. Some are relishing the …
Books and Donkey Costumes: Why Book Week Matters Read More »
In South Korea there are 200 digital addiction rehabilitation centres. The symptoms of the people enrolled in these centers include …
Boredom is important in a child’s development. It helps create curious, creative, analytical kids. Find out why.
Girls want things to be fair. Girls want good relationships. Girls want clear communication. A recent student forum held at …
Parent Teacher Interviews are a strange construct. They are time efficient. They put all the necessary parties in the same …
1 in 5 Australian children aged 8 to 17 has been cyber bullied in the last year. How has the government responded? Who is going to keep our kids safe?
Our young people are in the middle of an anxiety epidemic. Why? What is making our kids so anxious? And how can we create a culture of coping?
Earlier this year, one of my most spirited and capable friends sat with me and wept. She is the mother …
This week our blog was about teenagers and alcohol. It is important that our children have the knowledge required to …
Teenagers and alcohol are a dangerous combination. What do we need to teach kids in order to keep them safe when the time comes?
At Santa Maria College we teach our girls to code. Why is it vital that every student learns these skills?
Manners are shared rituals that cut corners and simplify social behaviour. They make awkward situations easy. Here are 5 manners your child should have.
Schools usually write articles about which apps your child should be protected from. That’s not the case here. This is …
If you have a child in Years 3, 5, 7, or 9, you know that it is NAPLAN week. Hopefully …
A child’s relationship with their teacher is fundamental to their success at school. How can we support this vital relationship?
Rituals and routines provide us with a sense that we belong to something bigger than ourselves. They are an important part of building resilience in kids.
Australia’s education system is often compared to that of Finland. However, few take into consideration the cultural features that make all the difference.
At a time in their lives of enormous brain development, it is essential for our teens’ development that they get enough sleep.
“It takes a village to raise a child, but the village is toxic.” Melinda Tankard Reist pulls no punches …
This weekend I’m attending the thirty-year reunion of my boarding school year group. With that group of women, I stumbled …
Lucy Chaffer has been teaching Physical Education, Outdoor Education and Health in girls’ schools for ten years. She is passionate …
Strong, Fit Girls: An Interview with Olympian, Lucy Chaffer Read More »
Guiding Teens Through CyberspaceIt would have been hard to avoid media coverage this week of a new American website featuring …
