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Notes
from the Counsellor’s Office:
Counsellor’s Notes:
With the onset of January, many senior high students are
already thinking about the exams that will take place at the
end of the month. For most students, this is a stressful time.
Please use some of the following strategies to help plan for
your exams. These strategies are borrowed from the TOSH
Student Services Office. Thanks are extended to the
counsellors there for lending these to me.
Exam Anxiety
Reduction Strategies:
• Some
anxiety is good for you. Your strategy is not to eliminate
anxiety, but rather to keep it at a level where it makes you
alert, but does not interfere with your ability to
concentrate or focus.
• Maintain
your regular sleep schedule if at all possible during exams.
You will think more clearly and be less jittery after a good
night’s sleep. Include time to wind down after studying
before bed.
• Minimize
your intake of caffeine and nicotine. Drink lots of water.
Studies show that water often makes you feel more alert then
caffeine.
• Eat
breakfast. If you go to a morning exam with an empty
stomach, your blood sugar will be at its lowest point of the
day and you will feel fatigued, lethargic and have
difficulty concentrating. Your brain can only process sugar
molecules, so if you haven’t eaten, your brain cells are
not going to operate at their maximum level.
• Don’t
hang around "anxiety generators". People who are
verbalizing their nervousness and predicting disaster for
themselves will probably make you uptight too, so try to
avoid them.
• Prepare
for the exam like an "academic athlete" - study in
advance like a player practising for an event. Expect to
give your best performance, not your worst. Do a visual
rehearsal at home - picture yourself writing the exam calmly
and confidently.
• When
writing an exam don’t compare yourself to others. Write at
your own pace, saying coping statements to yourself like :
"I studied hard, I’ll do OK if I take my time".
• If you
start to feel overwhelmed by anxiety during the exam try
this mind relaxation exercise. STOP WRITING - turn your
paper over - take a deep breath - breathe in through your
nose, wait 3 seconds and exhale through your mouth - say the
words "Calm and Relaxed" to your self - as you r
tension lowers, visualize a balloon deflating. Repeat the
exercise 3 or 4 times until you feel more in control.
Guidelines for
Exam preparation:
Exam preparation is directed toward finding the structure of a
subject, knowing the concepts and how they fit together and
work. In the process of learning the big picture, the details
fall quietly into place.
• Set a
study schedule and stick to it. Be specific. Your planning
should cover tasks to be done within an estimated time
period. IE Study the events leading up to World War II - 1
hour Thursday night.
• Prepare
and study a master outline of the major topics and sub
topics of the course. This should be the first task of rpe
exam review. Use this plan to guide your study and study
times.
• For each
topic in your outline, construct a summary sheet. Write down
the major points of the topic and be sure that the
relationships between the various concepts and their
importance is clear.
• No matter
what kind of exam you are preparing for, don’t fall into
the trp of cramming details. Always look for and learn the
main ideas and the interconnections; details will cling to
this network, and even if you can’t remember a fact
straight away, you will be able to recall it by searching
along your network.
• Study from
your summary seeks by recitation. Use keys words and
important terms to try to remember what you are trying to
learn: write it out or say it outloud. Rereading is only a
passive form of review and nowhere near as effective as
practicing recall is. As you recite questions that might be
asked about the material, and then answer them.
• For exams
that ask you to solve problems, practice solving problems.
Do several easy ones rather than one hard one; what you
learn is the procedure, the relevant theory and build your
confidence.
• The very
last thing you should do before the exam is a "grand
tour". Go back to the master outline and review it. The
big picture is what you should carry with you into the exam
room.
Important
Dates:
Positive Choices
Session # 4: For Grade 10's. This session will be on
choosing fitness for your life.
Thurs. Jan 11th:
Grade 11's, period 4 Career Camp with Bill Martin.
Students who will participate are as follows:
Jaelle Gosseline,
Megan Paynter, Maryann Ashley, Lindsay MacLellan, Ashley
Roach, Aaron Adams, Tayla MacDonald, Jennifer Farrell, Ferne
McFadden, Lacey Ozon, Ben Andrew, Chad MacLeod, Whitney Adams,
Kathryn Farquharson, Kayla Arsenault
Jan. 25th:
Grade 11's Second Career Camp session with Bill Martin.
Students will be announced at a later date. If you have not
handed in your career camp inventory sheets, please do so
immediately so that you can be scheduled for a follow up
session and not charged for the inventories.
RCMP Recruitment
Session: January 16th 2007 at 6:00 pm;
Charlottetown Rood Royalty Inn
Intersection of Trans
Canada Highway and Route 2 West
FOR MORE INFORMATION
PLEASE CONTACT:
Constable Isabelle
Bois (Recruiter): (902)393-5158 or (902)566-7243 or Visit our
Web site: www.rcmp.gc.ca
Scholarship
Deadlines:
Toyota Earth Day
Scholarship awards
of $5000 for students who have high academic
achievement/environmental community service/ extracurricular
/voluntary activities www.earthday.ca Deadline: Jan 31,
2007
CIPS
Scholarship Award: Awarded to a student accepted into
a post-secondary, CIPS accredited, working towards a
degree/diploma in Computer Science or Information Technology.
Application forms and information available from Mrs. Black. Deadline:
Feb. 1/2007
University of
Western Ontario
Scholarship Scholarship/Program information has
arrived. If you are considering this university as an option
for next year, see Mrs. Black for applications. Deadline,
Feb. 14, 2007
UPEI Dept. Of
Music: The
recommended deadline for application to this program is Feb.
1, 2007. Deadline for scholarships in the UPEI Music
Program is Feb.15, 2007. For applications and info.,
please see Mrs. Black.
National Union
Scholarships: Deadline: June 30, 2007
The University
of British Columbia Major Entrance Scholarships
information now available. Please check at the the school
counsellor’s officeSt. Thomas University: Student
Leader Scholarship Programme Scholarship information is now
available in the school counsellor’s office. Apply before
March 1, 2007
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