It has been fantastic to welcome new students into our Middle School and once again hear an excited buzz of learning in the buildings and around the school.

We appreciate this can be a stressful time for you and your daughters as they get used to life at St Margaret's. This journey may be full of ups and downs so here are some top tips we think might help you.

1. Don't solve your daughter's problems for her - if she has forgotten something let her learn from that rather than being at her beck and call. She will probably only forget once! If it is an ongoing problem encourage her to consider possible solutions and then decide on an action plan.

2. Encourage her to expand her social circles - friendships can be fluid at this age and going into a bigger year group often means new people to get to know. It is great to maintain friendships from previous years but accept that at times friends move on and friendship groups change. This is normal and okay.

3. Talk about social media - rather than banning it talk about what is and isn't ok in the social world. A good piece of advice is if you wouldn't do that in your family, it's not ok in your social media world either.

4. Allow them to make mistakes - try to keep small mistakes in perspective, it is a mistake nothing more and nothing less - it won't define their future life. 

5. Keep things positive - try not to find everything that is wrong but look for what is right in your middle schooler. She is under construction or a work in progress!

6. Encourage her to take risks - try something new. It is better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all as the saying goes.

7. Be ready for this wild and crazy ride! Enjoy the highs, endure the lows and be prepared to watch your daughter develop before your very eyes.

Remember the butterfly "we delight in the butterfly but often forget the changes it goes through to achieve that beauty" and "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over it became a butterfly!"

We are here to support you on this journey and encourage you and your daughter to talk to one of us earlier rather than later as we are here to help.