Guildhall’s Student Affairs Department will be putting on a number of Online Welcome and Orientation Events prior to the start of term and freshers! Whether your quarantining in Sundial early, enjoying the last rays of summer at home or maybe even on a sunny beach somewhere, make sure to check out these sessions! Full details are below.
General notes for participating in welcome and orientation sessions
- You can attend as many sessions as you wish.
- When you click on the link, you will be put into a ‘waiting room’ and admitted to the session when the presentation is due to begin.
- You should mute your microphone, until the session leaders indicate otherwise.
- You may turn your camera on if you wish.
- If you would like to ask a question, please post this in the Chat.
Please note: some sessions will be recorded, in order to be made available to students via MyGuildhall after the event. You will be informed if this is the case at the start of the session.
Important: protocol for participating in online sessions
The Guildhall School is committed to providing a safe online environment for all participants.
Please be reminded that you must treat session leaders and other participants with the same respect that you would in person, and that the virtual ‘room’ is a safe space for all.
Do not record or take photos or screenshots of participants at the event.
Live streaming is live, in real time. Any comments made/questions asked will be seen by others at the event. You will not be able to delete or edit what’s been said. By participating in these sessions, and using the Zoom platform, attendees consent to their questions being viewed by other participants and staff members at Guildhall School.
Do not deliberately browse, download, upload or forward material that could be considered offensive or illegal.
Tuesday 31st August
1-2pm – International Students Q&A
Julia Oliver, Student Life Officer (Student Affairs)
Find out about the support available from Student Affairs and chat to other international students about their experience of moving to London and studying at the Guildhall School!
Zoom Link Coming Soon
Wednesday 1st September
1-2pm Students’ Union Q&A
Meet some of your SU Team! Ask your questions about student life and find out how the SU can support students and help you make the most of your time at the School.
Meeting ID: 972 5013 9031
Passcode: 898069
Thursday 2 September
1.00 – 1.30pm, Introduction to Budgeting and Money Management
Student Funding Officer (Registry)
A drop-in session for any students who have questions about Budgeting and Money Management topics. Key information on the topic is available on MyGuildhall for your reference. Please have a look at this guide and join the webinar if you have any questions you would like to ask.
Zoom Link coming soon.
Friday 3rd September
1.00 – 1.30pm, Money matters for International students
Student Funding Officer (Registry)
This is a drop-in session for any students who have questions about Money Matters for International Students, including how to open a bank account. Key information on the topic is available on MyGuildhall for your reference. Please have a look at this guide and join the webinar if you have any questions you would like to ask.
Zoom Link coming soon.
Monday 6th September
10 – 10.30am – Importance of Warming up
With Drusilla Redman (Physiotherapist, Student Affairs)
Please note: due to the nature of this session, latecomers cannot be accepted.
Warming up is the one thing you can do which will make it easier to play/sing/move! Join this session to find out how much better you can feel before you start your day. Suitable for students on all courses.
Meeting ID: 956 7180 1106
Passcode: 757374
Tuesday 7th September
9.30 – 10.30am – Wake up and be inspired with movement and mindfulness
Please note: due to the nature of this session, latecomers cannot be accepted.
There is a special magic to morning practice. We start the day unencumbered by its dramas, our minds uncluttered with quotidian anxieties, rumours and gossip. And it means we can embark upon a more honest kind of self-enquiry – where we really are, how we feel. We also start the day relatively stiff after 8 hours laying down. This sequence will start with a guided self-enquiry check in, intention and some standing poses that activate and awaken the mind and body. This practice aims to give you clarity on what you need and prepares you for the rest of your day.
Meeting ID: 949 6142 1042
Passcode: 273008
12pm-12.45pm – Accessing Learning Support
Catherine Cranston, Study Skills Tutor (Student Affairs); Nicola Sherrington, Learning Support & Disability Coordinator (Student Affairs)
Meet your learning support team, discover what support is available for students (including those with specific access requirements) – so that you can feel connected, confident and ready to hit the ground running once term starts!
This session is open to new and returning students.
Meeting ID: 974 9609 3711
Passcode: 056629
Wednesday 8th September
1 – 1.45pm – an Introduction to Health Services and Resources
Hannah Goodwin, Senior Health and Welfare Advisor (Student Affairs)
This session will be particularly helpful for international students, but any student may join.
Senior Health and Welfare Advisor, Hannah Goodwin, will answer your questions about healthcare and provide advice on how you can proactively look after your well-being and access a range of free external services and resources.
This session will provide an introduction to services available via the NHS (National Health Service), including how to register with a GP (general practitioner) and dentist, and how to apply for help with the cost of prescriptions and other NHS services.
Meeting ID: 917 1149 5699
Passcode: 230020
Thursday 9th September
10 – 10.45am – Organisation and Time Management Tips
Catherine Cranston, Study Skills Tutor (Student Affairs)
Managing your time wisely can help you feel more in control, support you in meeting deadlines, prevent last-minute surprises and reduce stress. Successful planning gives you confidence and purpose. It also makes it easier to engage in other activities outside of your course.
Join our Study Skills Tutor, Catherine Cranston, who will guide you through some tried and tested methods for organising and planning your time.
This session is open to new and returning students.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 948 0265 1257
Passcode: 790893
2-2.45pm – Neurodiverse Network
Catherine Cranston, Study Skills Tutor (Student Affairs)
Meet your fellow neurodivergent Guildhall students for an informal chat. This session is designed to be the first of many, providing learners with a safe environment to share neurodiverse experiences, discuss studies/life, and exchange successes, concerns or strategies.
Please feel free to pop along for a chat! This session is open to new and returning students.
Meeting ID: 966 5135 8844
Passcode: 651809
4-5pm – Yoga for Better Sleep
With Hannah Goodwin, Senior Health and Welfare Advisor (Student Affairs)
Please note: due to the nature of this session, latecomers cannot be accepted.
One of the reasons that so many of us find it hard to sleep is our inability to shift from the fight-or-flight mode into the parasympathetic nervous system where deep rest is possible. This sequence is about turning down the intensity of modern life and learning to drop into our deeper, calmer selves. Learning how to take conscious rest not only supports our physical and mental health but strengthens our memory for learning. We will move extremely slowly with the breath to loosen our minds and bodies and make space for some rest.
Friday 10th September
1-5.30pm – International Students’ Orientation
On arrival, please register in Silk Street Foyer. You may register between 1 – 2pm. If you will be arriving after 2pm, please let us know by emailing Lesley.secker@gsmd.ac.uk
Refreshments are available from the Silk Street Coffee Bar – you will be given a drink voucher on arrival.
If you wish to purchase lunch before the event, the Silk Street Coffee Bar serves a range of hot and cold snacks. There are also numerous cafes to eat in or take out in the area, including in the Barbican Centre, on Whitecross Street and Chiswell Street.
International Students’ Meet and Greet, 1 – 5.30pm
Silk Street Theatre
Meet members of the Student Affairs and Students’ Union teams, get information about the services we offer and find out about upcoming events. We can assist with queries relating to:
- Health and well-being
- Disabilities
- Counselling
- Accommodation
- Learning support
- Events and societies
1.15pm-4.45pm – Tour of School and local area (each tour will last approx. 45 minutes)
1.15pm 2.00pm 2.45pm
3.15pm 4.00pm 4.45pm
Please sign up for a tour when you register as capacity is limited. Meet in the Silk Street foyer at your designated tour time. Tours will be led by Students’ Union Officers and Sundial Court Residential Assistants
1.30pm-5.30pm – Transitions Workshops, with Professor Nick Barwick (Student Affairs)
Milton Court Rehearsal Room 2 (Level -2)
1.30 – 2.15
2.30 – 3.15
3.45 – 4.30
4.45 – 5.30
This presentation and discussion group will start to consider some of the psychological factors involved in moving from a familiar place (which for many new students, will be the family home, and a place of relative dependence) to an unfamiliar place: a new city, a new way of studying, perhaps more independence and the opportunities and challenges that can present. (And, because of Covid, to do so, in the strangest of times). For most people, this kind of transition is both exciting and anxiety-provoking.
This session will consider how to understand the challenges you might experience, in order to make the most of the creative possibilities – both within and beyond your course – that are ahead of you.
If you expressed a preference to attend this workshop at a specific time when booking, space has been reserved for you as requested.
If you expressed no preference, you can sign up for a session on arrival.
Milton Court is accessed via the Stage Door and Rehearsal Room 2 is located on Level -2. If you are not sure where to go, please meet at member of Student Affairs in Silk Street foyer 10 minutes before your workshop start time.