Life Skills Program

Life Skills is offered for students from Prep through to Year 12. It is a dynamic learning area that is tailored to meet the needs of the students to address the changes within themselves with the flexibility to address the current issues and trends that arise in society.

The aim of the Life Skills program is to equip students with the skills to become problem solvers, decision makers, critical and creative thinkers, to be self-aware, empathetic members of the community, to be able to build meaningful and respectful relationships, to be clear communicators, emotional regulators, and to work collaboratively with fellow students and teachers. Teachers use the health curriculum to guide student learning, with the flexibility to include topics that are unique to our students in the setting of Aitken College.

The focus of Life Skills in primary school is empowering students to make decisions to enhance their health and safety both online and in the community. Through interactive activities students learn how to identify and take action to regulate their emotions and be aware of how their behaviour can impact themselves and others while navigating friendships. Classroom learning is supported by visits from the Life Education van, authors and experts in the topic areas.

In the secondary school, Life Skills looks at transitions into the secondary setting and the changes that students experience within themselves and in the community as they approach the end of their high school education. Health based topics include puberty, managing stress and mental health and making safe and healthy choices.

There are wonderful opportunities in the secondary school for students to practice these skills with the Year 7 Peer Support program, Year 8 City Experience, Year 9 camp to Central Australia, Year 10 Level 2 First Aid course and subject selection for their pathway through Year 11 and 12.

At Year 11 and 12, students continue their Life Skills education, focusing on personal skills such as fine tuning their resume, cover letter and preparing for job interviews, developing strategies to manage stress in their final years of schooling and navigating the technicalities of enrolling to vote, managing superannuation and taxation, as well as the physical health checks they need to think about as they become adults.

Life Skills at Aitken College equips students with the life skills to ensure holistic development of social, emotional, mental, spiritual and physical health and wellbeing now and into the future.