Raves & Reviews

Your approach made a world of difference to my daughter when navigating university.  After years of school reports saying the same thing. “Could do better if she applied herself more” and a few missteps at uni – she is thriving now. It took someone asking the right questions and thinking differently about how her executive function was operating. The difference is stark – the girl I knew was always there, can now approach study in a way that supports her and allows her to thrive.

Our son has made it through VCE and I am very grateful to you for all your help, guidance, support and patience to work closely with our son for the past 18 months.  What you have been able to do is exactly what I was looking for when I came to the realisation our son needed an Academic Coach for VCE.  Help, guide, listen, motivate and organise.  And importantly for me, you were able to relieve me from the task which was not just good for me but even better for our son.  No student really wants their parents looking over their shoulder every day, nagging them to do homework and study (although sometimes I could not help myself – oops).

Thank you for your positive influence and active role you have played in getting our son to the finish line!

Thank you very much for your support with our daughter during year 11.  She has come a long way this year, and this has set her up for Year 12.  I saw your summary, and I’m glad she is discussing her feedback that she isn’t writing enough detail in her exams.  She feels a little lost about what to write about.

We are thrilled!! Looking forward to the graduation on Wednesday.

Thank you so much for your strong support of our daugher!!  You have been a vital part of the journey!!!

Book Review – Conquering Time Management & Organisation – A Life Skills Handbook for both students and parents – published in May 2024.

“The author’s easy readable style is like having a one on one conversation with her about time-management and organisational strategies. Her terminology and clear explanations makes this an excellent resource to encourage conversations between the student and teacher, peers , and parents so that a personal plan for educational and life-long skills can be achieved”.

“I would like to say thanks for your support of our son’s learning and for all your efforts in helping him towards his VCE exams.  It has been a memorable year for him, and I cannot imagine how he would have coped if you hadn’t been there to guide him. Without a doubt, our family environment has been a lot calmer this year because you were there to scaffold his organisation and planning.  And our son felt more confident in his exams because you encouraged him to go through more practice papers than he would have otherwise.

Thank you Amanda. I hope that you get a bit of time to relax over the holidays, and we hope you and your family have a lovely Christmas break!”

‘As someone who really struggled to find the motivation to study, having someone like Amanda to help me through my secondary school and VCE studies was extremely beneficial as she was someone who would hold me accountable and help me schedule my time, making it easier to start the revision process. She was also able to give me lots of useful study tips and provided support during a stressful time.’

“You are such a precious resource and we feel so blessed to have you facilitate our son’s learning!

I have read your session notes (which are great), and I like how you leave our son with just a couple of things to apply for the coming fortnight. Having just a few key items to take away like this helps him (I think) with recalling and actioning them.

I also love your tip sheets, and look forward to asking our son to tell us more about them on the weekend”

“Thanks for organising Amanda to speak to us last night. We found it really informative and picked up some great tips, particularly about getting organised! Our son came home full of ideas and enthusiasm too.”

Feedback from a parent who recently attended one of the many parent sessions on supporting Year 6 students on the journey from primary to secondary school that I have been running.

“I loved your tip sheet this week and it was just the reminder I needed.  I feel like the stress has gone to another level since stage 4 lockdown (due to Covid 19) was announced and the kids are so over it and feeling caged.  There were so many points in your tip sheet that definitely struck a chord with me especially assuming best intentions and being aware of nagging.  I feel like I can fall into bad habits with both of these things from time to time, especially when stressed.  I also love the answering a question with a question and asking what do you know. B oth of these strategies will come in particularly helpful with my younger boys. So glad I took the time to read through as I’m feeling a lot more positive and it’s has helped me to take a step back and put things into perspective!”

“Tonight my son gave us a dinner and learn lesson on what you taught him about the Learning Cycle.  He was excited about his new knowledge.  Thank you Amanda.  You’re making such a difference”.

Feedback from a parent of one of my Year 12 students who is a delight to teach and is really taking on board the tools and strategies being given to him.

“I actually engaged Amanda’s expertise for the transition workshop last year for a group of year 6 parents and children.  They loved it and so did we as parents.  I wish all schools offered this to year 6 children so worth it!  My daughter got a lot from this workshop – thanks Amanda”

“OMG it was life changing. My son did his maths chapter in half the time he usually takes! He says it really helped.”

This feedback was received after using the time timer for the first time. They really are great to help children manage their time and to get started!”

https://organisingstudents.com.au/time-timers/

“Great practical solutions, useful strategies, great reminders, fantastic takeaways that can be put into practice straight away” – feedback from attendees on my workshop on The Importance of Organisation and Time Management for students

“I recently attended your Year 7 parent workshop at St Bernard’s College and picked up some great tips and also gained some satisfaction that my son is implementing some of the tips you mentioned as well! Surprisingly it also helped me out with some strategies with my 9 year old son who is a bit of a dreamer and procrastinator when it comes to school work!”

“A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, I am no longer scared and confused about going to secondary school – I am now excited and happy to be going. I hope you can come again next year to help the next students that are going through the same trauma”.

“Amanda ran a to the point transition workshop that helped both parents and students understand what to expect from secondary school.  Amanda was very friendly, easy going and likeable, allowing parents and students the opportunity to speak freely about their concerns.  Students and parents left the workshop with a smile on their face and with a better indication of what to expect in the year to come”

The organising workshop was practical and included elements of transition which are relevant to all Year sixes, regardless of their chosen school.

It provided them with different skills they would need, a useful video of year 7s talking about what they faced and it definitely got our students thinking about secondary school earlier than they otherwise would have.

My son now feels more prepared about going to secondary school after the transition workshop and he found the diary/planner exercise very useful to learn how to plan and manage his time.  He also gained many other tips from the workshop that he can put into practice next year.

Thank you for a fantastic workshop which has reduced a little of his anxieties about what to expect and as a parent this is a relief.

“We found Amanda to be likeable, friendly and helpful.  We felt Amanda understood well the complexities of a busy life as she is a busy parent too!

We asked Amanda to meet with our daughter, Charlotte to help her become more organised.  Charlotte has a very busy schedule with not only school work but also a busy and demanding sports training schedule.

Amanda took the time to sit and talk with us and Charlotte about her current timetable and how it was not really working effectively.  Amanda devised a plan and timetable that was not only efficient and easy to follow but also helped Charlotte work towards achieving her goals and helped her feel so much more in control of her time.

Amanda also suggested we change the study to make it more functional, less cluttered, lighter and more comfortable for Charlotte to sit and complete her school work, which we did.  We now have a lovely study that not only looks great but Charlotte enjoys being in.

We found the overall experience to be a positive influence for Charlotte and it certainly helped us as parents, having a child feel so much more in control of her busy schedule.

We look forward to Amanda’s continuing help as Charlotte begins the new school year.  We would have no hesitation in recommending Amanda to other parents with children that have busy schedules, who perhaps need some help with their planning. Amanda is definitely the one to help you”.

“My son told me he thought your presentation to the students was extremely helpful and that he felt much more organised for high school now.  As a parent I thought the handouts were great, succinct and to the point.  The tips for parents in particular were a useful reminder to follow up on now and in the new year.  I love that my son is feeling less anxious after your presentation.  Thank you for the positive impact it has had on both of us.”