It is inevitable that once students put down that pen after their last trial exam that they are going to want to run away from the HSC and have a (well deserved) break. 

BUT before you throw in the towel on Mount HSC – this is the most important time to demonstrate your GRIT, and utilise your vision to motivate you into finishing this last leg of the climb to the peak of Mount HSC. After 4500 + days of school since kindergarten, HSC students have less than 90 days until it is all over. We can’t give up now!

Whilst this year has been like no other, and the announcement of a delayed HSC will be disheartening for students, it is a fantastic opportunity to dig deep and demonstrate what you are made of. 

In saying that, it is also important to realise that without giving yourself a break to rest and recoup, finding that motivation and getting started again for the final leg will be difficult. Our advice for HSC students right now is to take a week (or more) after trials to have a break and rest up. This time could be used to rethink your vision (WHY you are working so hard/WHAT are you working for – Is it a degree? A feeling of satisfaction and pride? An ATAR?), and seek out some feedback post trials. 

We recommend continuing to attend your HSC CoWorks sessions (even if this is all you do during your break time), in order to maintain some routine and connection to your peers and coaches. These sessions are a fabulous time to chat with coaches about your vision post HSC, exam techniques, look through trial feedback and make plans for the HSC run up period. 

So let’s not let this last leg of the race get away from us – it’s time to dig deep, find that GRIT and finish the marathon the best you can! 

Remember if you attend all your sessions in September (8/8 sessions), you earn your very own CoWorks hoodie!

We also have 3 x $250 vouchers at an online store of your choice for our September Student Raffle. Students earn raffle entries for Challenge Question submissions in September (minimum 25 to be eligible to win). The raffle will be drawn on September 30th at 6pm and winners will be notified by email. 

Video content for overcoming the post trials slump

Parents – please watch the video below with HSC CoWorks Education Performance Manager and Head Marker, Donna, for some guidance on how to help your child navigate these final stages of their schooling life.  

Students – please join Coach Charli in discussing how to maintain motivation and continue the grind in the final push to the top of Mount HSC. 

Please note that these videos were recorded prior to the announcement that the HSC exams would be further delayed and so some dates may be incorrect. 

Over the past year, and more recently the past few weeks, students have been forced to move their learning online. At CoWorks, we think this is an incredible opportunity to build resilience, flexibility, grit, and adapt to the changing world around us! 

Virtual learning is an opportunity, not a burden. In order to take advantage of this incredible opportunity, we need to change our complaining to optimism. Instead of ‘virtual learning doesn’t work for my child’, or ‘he does zoom all day, he doesn’t need any more zoom’, it’s time to ask ‘how can I help my child adapt to this virtual world?’. 

By shifting the language from ‘something I have to do’ to ‘something I get to do’, gratitude and optimism are placed at the forefront, encouraging a productive and healthy mindset. This slight change in discourse which focuses on the silver linings, demonstrates to both you and your child that adaptability is the best skill in the book. It is also the most sought after resource in our workforce – the quicker we learn to master it the better! 

In doing so, students are also encouraged to take responsibility for their learning (the key to HSC success). The blame game is only going to get you so far, so instead of expecting results let’s work for them! 

This is an enormous opportunity to adapt to a predominantly virtual future, and take advantage of all the positives this creates – work from home, no distraction, flexibility, adaptability, freedom, enhanced creativity… we could go on! 

Let’s get comfortable being uncomfortable and start making the most out of this situation. It’s time to embrace everything virtual learning has to offer – there’s a lot of it! 

Join our Education Performance Manager Donna, Head Performance Coach Jesse, and Founder Fergus as they discuss in a video filmed on the 26th of July. 

TIMESTAMPS:

0.00: Advice for parents whose kids ‘don’t work well virtually/don’t like virtual learning’ 

3.15: OWN IT – don’t let the Lockdown and virtual learning become an excuse for not doing work. 

6.15: Adaptability – get comfortable with being uncomfortable 

9.10: The future is virtual…and it’s great! 

Up until now our ‘Zoom an Expert’ service provided students with access to our amazing teachers Fergus, Tim and Adrian. We have now expanded our Zoome an Expert team to include our expert HSC Coaches, who graduated in either 2019 or 2020.

2. Book your preferred Expert via the Student Dashboard