The pre-adolescent and teenage years of your child’s life represent a time filled with many new experiences, transitions and challenges in personal, academic and social spheres. It is also a time where individuals have the potential for great personal growth, especially if given the guidance and tools to make the most of the opportunities that they are presented with and to effectively manage any obstacles which may arise. Academic Counselling is aimed at helping your child to maximize their potential as they move towards early adulthood through professional guidance, coaching in effective learning strategies and development of personal awareness. Skills that help students become more proactive and successful as they move along their academic pathways are taught so that your child will be able to get the most out of their scholastic experience.

Here at FirstClass Academy, we also believe that each child is a unique individual with distinct needs and goals which is why our sessions and workshops are tailored on a student-by-student basis. Preparatory assessments are conducted before formal sessions and workshops commence in order to allow guidance counselors to develop student-sensitive programmes which address the specific needs and objectives of both parent and child.

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One of the primary objectives of First Class Academy is to encourage students to maximize their potential and fast track academic growth. Through tutoring and consultancy, students at First Class are given the skills and guidance to help develop their abilities in the subject area(s) they have selected. In keeping with our central objectives, FirstClass also recognizes the benefits that an academic guidance service programme has for students , when run in parallel with the other services it offers. The Academic Guidance facility offers services that are unique and currently unavailable due to the resource and time constraints of the tutorial services and serves to enhance the development of broader academic skills for your child to support their current learning experience and classes both with FirstClass and at school.

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No. The Academic Guidance Facility here is aimed at providing services which will benefit all students interested in streamlining their academic development and maximizing their potential. Although personal issues which may be serving as obstacles to social, psychological and academic growth might become apparent during sessions and therefore, benefit from guidance, the service is primarily oriented towards providing students with skills to become more effective learners and allowing them to get the most out of their scholastic experience.

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There are a variety of services which can aid in both academic and personal growth which are provided at FirstClass. Currently there are both personal consultations and workshops which are offered. The areas and skills which we can help develop include :

• Motivation and effective learning strategies in the classroom

• Techniques to help optimize attention and memory

• Dealing with general stress and anxiety

• Exam revision, time management and note-taking skills

• Planning academic pathways and managing expectations; from middle school to high school and beyond

• School-specific stressors : school phobia, bullying, academic transitions, social challenges and pressures at school

• Anger Management

• Relationships, communication skills and strengthening family bonds

• Dealing with mood swings, feelings of sadness and coping with loss (death/divorce etc..)

• Preparing for independence and University life or life away from home at a boarding school

We provide a wide range of services and are dedicated to designing programmes that are tailored to each student’s specific needs. If you are a parent looking to give your child a head start towards becoming a more effective learner at school , or preparation for the next phase of their academic life, our guidance facility is a good place to begin exploring possible resources and ways to do this. Alternatively, if you find that your child is having difficulty coping with school transitions and pressures, or experiencing a bit of a set back because of challenges in their personal life, we can also work with you into looking into how to help. As we recognize that each child will have unique needs and objectives, we hold initial assessments so that we can explore these together. Through conversations with both parent and child in these first sessions, we ultimately work towards creating an individually-centered programme which will clearly outline the services we have pinpointed to be beneficial for your child. If you have any queries about our services, please feel free to call or email our centre and speak to our consultants. You can also make an appointment to come and speak to our academic guidance counsellor who will be happy to help answer any initial questions you might have.

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The Academic Booster Workshop is a 10 hour programme, which is split into 9 sessions and is designed to give your child the tools and techniques to both optimize their academic performance and allow them to get the most they can out of their time at school. Children will develop skills which will help them to become more motivated and proactive at school, and better at staying organized, time management, and exam revision. Students will also learn how to manage challenges and stressors that might arise in both their academic and personal lives effectively. They will also be given the opportunity to make personal goals and objectives as they explore and plan their academic pathways. Parents are encouraged to get involved in the workshop experience and are invited to both the initial introductory and assessment session and the final review session. Ultimately, the central aim of the workshop is to help equip children with the vital skills and abilities to be more goal-oriented, motivated and confident learners.

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Much the same as any learning process, both teacher and student can only reap the rewards of what they put in. Our Academic Guidance Consultants are highly dedicated to helping your child to achieve their academic goals, and all techniques and tools which are taught have been derived from well-researched, effective learning strategies. The nature of the process however will require that your child be committed to learning and applying the skills they are taught here. While they will definitely develop a greater sense of clarity about their academic objectives and pathways through sessions, both you and your child should see improvement in their performance and attitude toward school if they adopt and practice the strategies they are taught here.

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We aim to keep communication channels as open as possible and get parents involved in the process. Parents are encouraged to come in with their children in introductory/assessment sessions where both parent and child will speak to the counsellor individually and together. In this way, we hope that objectives of all parties are made clear and can be addressed in future sessions. Parents should feel comfortable coming in to speak with the counsellor at any point while their child is enrolled should they need to discuss or receive clarification on any matters related to the guidance service. Parents can also schedule in additional sessions with the academic guidance counsellor should both parent and counsellor feel it would be beneficial.

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All matters that are discussed by your child during sessions are confidential. Should the counsellor feel that it would be beneficial for information discussed to be shared with parents or other parties , they are required to seek the permission of their client, or in this case, your child. However, should the counsellor feel at any point during sessions that your child is in danger or harming themselves or others, they are ethically bound to report this information to both the child’s parents and , if necessary, other service providers who may be able to offer help.

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Individual sessions cost HK$600 per session for 50 minutes. These sessions last 50 minutes allow for a break between sessions, increasing client privacy. The 10 hour, 9 unit Workshop costs HK$5000.

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Sessions will typically be scheduled once a week or once every two weeks. However, both the frequency and number of total sessions that your child will have will be discussed by both counsellor, parent and child in initial sessions to determine what the optimal session plan for your child is.

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You can make an appointment by either emailling (help@firstclass.com.hk) or calling First Class Academy (Tel: 2526 9156). Alternatively, feel free to drop in and make an appointment personally. This will also give you the opportunity to meet our Academic Guidance Counsellor in person and have any initial queries about the service which you might have addressed.

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You can email (help@firstclass.com.hk) or call us (Tel: 2526 9156) with any queries regarding the service or speak to our staff in person by making an appointment to come to our centre. Please also read this website closely as many of your queries may be addressed here.

We are happy to answer any of your questions and ensure that this service is right for your child.