Hello my name is Jackie Shiel and I have been the Defence Transition Mentor since 2007. I have enjoyed getting to know the students and staff at Ferny Grove and being involved in many of the school activities.

The area the Ferny Grove High School is located in has a fairly high number of married quarters available. The school has a bus route to these areas and some suburbs are within walking distance.

The role of the Defence Transition Mentor within the school is to support and assist the young people as they integrate into a new school community. When students first arrive it is important to give them a contact who can introduce them to members of the school community. The first few weeks at a new school can be confronting with new procedures to learn and a different school curriculum. The DTM can liaise with teachers and other staff members to highlight to them that the student is having difficulties with subject/s and organise support i.e. tutoring. If students are finding the social interaction difficult the DTM can be a safe place for the student to be with until a friendship group can be established. Also students may not be communicating to their parents that they are unhappy with the move so the DTM is a point of contact for the parents who can be informed throughout the student’s first few weeks. This relationship should be maintained whilst the student is at the school.