The document is a parent's guide for helping their child transition to secondary school. It provides information on: 1) The challenges of transitioning such as new academic expectations, puberty, and making new friends. 2) Ways parents can help their child adjust which includes giving them time to settle in, maintaining stable routines at home, building relationships with teachers, and being alert for signs of anxiety. 3) Contact information for school counsellors and other support services available for students experiencing difficulties.

1. A Parent’s Guide
to Secondary One
2ND EDITION, 2014
Inside the
Parent’s Guide:
Transitioning to Sec 2
School
FAITH HOPE CHARITY
What Can Parents
Do to Help?
4
Contact Numbers
7
Message from the School Counsellor
Dear Parents,
A very warm welcome to Damai Secondary School!
Having your child move to Secondary 1 is probably as
exciting for you, as it is for your child. After all, his or her
transition from Primary 6 to Secondary 1 is a milestone
event for the entire family as everyone gets involved in
helping the child adjust to secondary school life.
Over the next four or five years that your child will spend
with us here at Damai, we hope to provide him or her with a
conducive and safe environment in which each student will
be valued and nurtured to be a committed, competent and
compassionate leader.
To facilitate in that mission, it is important for both the
family unit and the school to work together and to support
the child through this possibly stressful transition.
It is my hope that this simple Parent’s Guide to Secondary
One will provide you with an understanding of what your
child could be experiencing during this time of change, as
well as what you may do to help your child make a
successful transition to the new environment that is Damai
Secondary School.
Once again, I welcome you!
Ms Teresa Thia
Full Time School Counsellor
Damai Secondary School

2. PAGE 2
PAGE 7
Damai Secondary School
Transitioning to
Secondary School
4800 Bedok Reservoir Road
Singapore 479229
Phone: 64436848
Fax: 64425629
E-mail: damai_ss@moe.edu.sg
Transition? What is it?
The Longman Dictionary
of Contemporary English
defines the word
‘transition’ as: when
something changes from
one form or state to
another.
In this context, school
transition can be
understood as a period of
change in your child and
your family, as your child
moves from primary to
secondary school.
Along with this move to
Secondary 1, your child
might find himself or
herself facing some of the
following factors of
change:

New friends and roles

Academic changes and
expectations

Puberty and
adolescence
This transition is akin to
the ‘big fish in small
pond, to small fish in big
pond’ phenomenon. When
your child was in Primary
6, he/she was the senior
to be looked up to,
probably with a mastery
of the subjects learnt, in
questions a typical Sec. 1
student might be seeking
answers to as they
reinvent themselves
through the image they
choose to portray, as well
as the people they choose
to be with.
“Who should I be friends
with? What should I choose
as my CCA? Should I
volunteer for…? What if
people don’t like me? Will I
be able to cope?”
As a guide, if you are
aware that your child
sometimes faces
challenges in befriending
peers, encouraging full
participation in class
activities and
These are just samples of
subsequently in their cocurricular activities, will
allow your child ample
time to explore and forge
healthy friendships with
peers of similar interests.
Mission Statement
We nurture our students to be committed, competent
and compassionate leaders.
Full Commitment Our Pride
Aspirations and Achievement Our Pursuit
Integrity Our Foundation
Teamwork Our Focus
High Expectations Our Passion
Useful Contact Numbers
No.
Name of Person/
Area of Support
Contact Details
Organisation
1.
Damai Secondary School
General enquiries and/or Tel: 6443 6848
feedback about your child
may be referred to the
Email: damai_ss@moe.edu.sg
Form Teacher(s) or Subject Teachers.
www.damaisec.moe.edu.sg/
2.
Ms Teresa Thia (Full Time
School Counsellor)
Individual counselling
support and guidance to
students for various areas of concern or challenges.
New Friends and New Roles
As the excitement (and
perhaps awkwardness for
the more reserved among
us) of the Orientation
Programme comes to a
close, your child will
probably find himself or
herself thinking this:
Learning in Damai Today, Growing to be Leaders of
Tomorrow
Core Values
an environment that was
highly familiar by that
sixth year. Now, your
child is a newly minted
Secondary 1 student in a
brand new environment
yet to be explored, and
friends yet to have been
made.
Adjusting well to these
factors of change has a
positive impact on the
child’s self esteem, and
can help with academic
motivation during the
demanding years of a
secondary school
education.
Vision
Mrs Tan Wei Yin (Part
Time School Counsellor)
Tel: 6443 6848 (Ext. 122, and
Ext. 311)
Emails:
thia_hwei_ming_teresa@moe.
edu.sg
weiyinl@ymail.com
3.
Child Guidance Clinic
Students with emotional
Tel: 64353878
and behavioural problems
4.
Samaritans of Singapore
(SOS)
For youth facing problems
Tel: 1800-2214444
Email Befriending Service pat@samaritans.org.sg
5.
Bully Free Campaign (by
Resources on bullying,
Singapore Children’s Soci- and how to help those
ety)
involved.
Tel: 6276 5077
http://
www.bullyfreecampaign.sg/

3. PAGE 6
PAGE 3
Academic Changes and Expectations
Model Positivity
Having an optimistic
outlook is a key strategy
towards overcoming
anxieties and sustaining
motivation for a smoother
school transition.
years spent here.
1)
Invite your child to write
the answers to this
reflection and goal-setting
exercise after the first
week of school:
What are 3 things I
enjoy about being in
DMS?
2)
What are 2 things I
am unsure about in
DMS? What can I do
about it?
3)
What is the 1 thing I
hope to achieve by
the end of this
school year?
Whether or not Damai
Secondary School is your
child’s first choice school,
believe that every school
is a good school! When
you model this positivity
and confidence in the
school, you help inspire
the same confidence in
your child. This in turn,
improves your child’s
learning experience and
adds value to his/her
Keep your child’s answers
and read them with your
child again at the end of
2014! What has changed?
Has your child’s personal
goal been met?
From studying four
subjects in primary
school, your child will
have to adjust to an
increased workload of up
to nine subjects in
secondary school.
In addition, the
introduction of new
subjects such as
Literature, Geography,
and coursework subjects
such as Design &
Technology, and Food &
Puberty and Adolescence
Your child might seem
moody for no apparent
reason. Your child might
also appear more selfcentered than before, and
may even constantly be
picking an argument.
Thank You, and Welcome!
Dear Parent,
If you have read this Parent’s Guide all the way through, we hope you have found
portions of it useful. We encourage you to try out the strategies suggested in
supporting your child in this period of transition.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with your child’s teachers should you wish to
provide feedback on your child, or to get feedback from them. Our teachers may
be reached through the school’s main telephone number as listed in page 7 of this
guide.
Similarly, should you wish to highlight any specific socio-emotional, behavioural, or
learning difficulties encountered by your child so that the school may render the
appropriate support, you may reach me through the contact details provided on
page 7 as well. The information shared will be handled with sensitivity.
Once again, I extend a warm welcome to you and your child into the Damai family!
Best wishes,
Ms Teresa Thia
Full Time School Counsellor
Nutrition might be slightly
daunting at the beginning
as your child learns to
grasp and master them.
As our teachers engage
your child intellectually
and seek to develop them
holistically in and out of
the classroom setting,
your child might find the
faster academic pace and
greater overall
expectations of students
in secondary school to be
vastly different from his
or her experience in
primary school.
In addition to handling
the stresses of being in a
new social environment
and a new set of
academic expectations,
your child is also facing
the challenges of entering
and managing puberty in
the adolescent years.
Get ready!
As your child enters
adolescence, you may
find your child behaving
differently from what you
have become used to.
Your child might begin to
speak up more as he/she
develops his/her own
ideologies or perceptions
of events (that they at
this age would believe to
be always correct). Yet,
on the other end of the
spectrum, it is also
possible that your child
begin to withdraw from
previously familiar
persons and activities as
he/she explores the new
environment
introspectively.
Every child has a uniquely
different experience going
through puberty and the
adolescent years, but one
thing is for sure, this
period will be one that is
challenging to both
yourself, and to your
child!

4. PAGE 4
PAGE 5
What Can Parents Do to
Help?
Helping Your Child Settle Well into School Life
Transitions such as
moving up to Secondary
1 can and will assert and
influence your child’s
attitudes, confidence, and
performance socially,
emotionally, and
academically.
And as seen in the
previous sections, this
period can be a stressful
one as your child finds
his/her way around this
brand new environment.
You might then ask,
“what can I do to help my
child during this
transition?”
will better be able to
maneuver the
uncertainties faced in this
stage of life.
Here at Damai, we value
working closely with you
to facilitate a smooth
transition of your child
into secondary school life.
This section aims to
provide strategies that
you can use to help your
child settle well into
school life.
Through your provision of
strong family support that
the child can count on,
we believe that the child
As your child is not only
adjusting to different
academic expectations
but is also juggling the
new social roles and
relationships forged, your
child could benefit from
your help in structuring
his/her use of time.
A practical suggestion
would be to put in place
structured blocks of time
to be spent on academic
matters, as well as time
carved out to be spent on
recreational activities with
the family. If your child
had such a structure that
was already in place in
primary school, try
making adjustments to
that existing schedule to
reflect secondary school
life now.
Children with poor
transition experiences
tend to:

Experience bullying

Worry about their
ability to perform to
par
We all need time to
adjust to changes in our
lives. This is no different
for your child.
share with you.
It is also important to let
your child know that you
are available should he/
Allow your child sufficient
time to settle in to school.
Each person takes a
different length of time
before feeling comfortable
in a new environment.
How much time do you
think your child would
need? Ask him/her to

Worry about having
new and difference
teachers for subjects

Worry about whether
they can make friends
Working closely with the
school to monitor and
support the child if you
observe any such
anxieties will allow your
child to receive timely
and needed support and
care.
she need someone to turn
to.
Remember to make time
to sit down and listen to
what your child has to
share. This could be done
at the dinner table where
each person takes a turn
to share about his day.
Alternatively, if talking
does seem uncomfortable
or unnatural at first, why
not play a sport together?
Build Good Relationships and Networks
This point applies to all of
us!
Strong Support and Stable Structures
Ensuring stability at home
in this time of many
changes can help your
child remain grounded in
some structure while
adjusting to school.
Giving Time and Making Time
he/she navigates
secondary school life.
To successfully adjust
during any transition, it is
crucial to have a good
share of healthy
friendships. Friendships
are important in helping
your child cope better as
readily shared between
the home and the school.
Likewise, building good
relationships with your
child’s teachers will allow
you to better support
your child in the four or
five years spent at Damai
as feedback may be
Be Alert
Anxiety is a normal
healthy reaction that
happens to everyone in
worrying situations (such
as in a school transition)
or in times of perceived
danger.
Moderate amounts of
anxiety can actually help
improve performance.
However, when anxiety
inhibits your child’s daily
functioning abilities, or is
more severe than usual,
it is important to provide
your child with the
needed support and care.
Some manifestations of
school-related anxiety
are:

Refusal to come to
school

Headaches or
stomachaches (without
physiological cause)

Low self-esteem

Poor concentration
If you are concerned that
your child is exhibiting
signs of excessive
anxiety, you may wish to
highlight this to the Form
Teacher or to the School
Counsellors.