The History of Academic Peer Mentoring at CSHS

The program began in 2016 after a Year 7 student had a peer mentor in Year 11 for Maths. The connection was fostered in primary school between families and remained a constant when the Year 7 student moved to Carine. The improvement in grades and sense of connection showed the value of linking younger students with achieving and enthusiastic mature students.

In 2018, five students from the Year 11 Maths Specialist Program started tutoring seven students in Academic Extension Years 7, 8 and 9 to foster Maths inquiry. This quickly grew to include other subjects, year groups and ability levels. We now have over 100 students. Students come for the support, ability to form relationships and the fun and social atmosphere in the library. Celebrations for participation are held each semester and students flourish under their peers guidance. The program is supported by an Academic Performance Manager.

Online Application for the Academic Peer Mentoring program is sent to students who complete an expression of interest. Information regarding the process can be found on the Carine SHS Connect page.

Why be a mentor?

It….

• helps with revision;
• is proven that helping others to learn a concept cements and strengthens your own understanding;
• is good for your resume;
• helps you develop social skills and the ability to collaborate;
• builds cross-year relationships which is great for our school community;
• reinforces reliability, responsibility and the need to communicate;
• gives leadership experience;
• fosters skills for university assessments which often require group work, brainstorming and the sharing of ideas;
• enhances scholarship applications for university or programs like Zero2Hero;
• earns house colours and points;
• is acknowledged with certification.

Why be a mentee?

Students say it….

• teaches you to be responsible for your own learning (Mentors don’t prepare lessons). You have to be proactive;
• helps you ascertain where the problem areas are in your tests; gets your homework done;

• helps you gain insight into what content and pathways there are in coming years by informally chatting;
• helps you work out your own calendar and possible clashes. You have to text your mentor when you are sick or going to be absent;
• encourages you to email and chat electronically to problem solve; is acknowledged with certification; is fun!

For Parents

Students choose to be part of the program and arrangements are only made if they guarantee reliability.

• A supervising teacher is present in the library.
• A volunteer teacher, homework and studying program runs concurrently so there are alternative ways to gain support
• If for any reason your child wants to opt out, please let the Academic Performance Manager, Lower School (Vicky Williams) know, as she will contact the mentor
• In the event of someone becoming ill, mentors/mentees need to notify one another; hopefully 24 hours before. The APM-LS does not need to be informed. Please ensure your child has swapped their details.

Student Testimonial

Mara started tutoring us for Year 10 Physics. We had a lot of laughs but the serious thing was my grades improved. It wasn’t only in Science it happened. She told me stuff about Geography and ultimately my HASS grade improved. She even helped me write a sentence better in English. It’s not just about Mara though. I think working with a couple of friends helped and also my attitude to study matured  and I worked independently more effectively.

Christie Jansen van Vuuren