What exciting times these are! We are now down to our last days of the school year and the place is buzzin’. The students are all over the place visiting their prospective high schools for February. Most students will be attending the local government high school but others will be travelling a little further afield. One day this week I was left with only 6 students in my class – bliss! It’s a tricky one for the students, though. I find that those students who move with many of their classmates sometimes face friendship dilemmas, especially when trying to balance their relationships they had with their old friends with the time they need to spend with the new friends they make; this can become tricky to do without upsetting someone or sacrificing the student’s own needs. Often, the students who move on their own simply make new friends with no issues about keeping up with their previous friendships. They seem to find the transition that much easier; it’s a brand new start with brand new friendships. Whichever situation a student finds themselves in it becomes so important that they receive the comfort, assurance and support they need from home in order to make this stressful change more manageable. In my opinion, friendships become a student’s mortgage – it’s that big. As an adult, paying the bills, especially the mortgage, is the biggest issue we face, the one which causes us the most stress. Kids, obviously, don’t yet have a mortgage, their friendships and relationships are the biggest issues they face and can result in great joy or immense stress – this is their mortgage. However, with the right support it’s possible for the students to successfully pay off their mortgage and reap the emotional benefits for years to come.  Despite the challenges that lay ahead, these truly are exciting times!