Olympic Games

At Friday's assembly I tried to stress the point with the children that although many athletes will be celebrated for Gold, Silver and Bronze I like to focus on those who achieve their Personal Best.

Cyber Safety

• Warrnambool Police Student Sessions Monday 2nd September
• Parent and Student Session: 6:00 pm, Tuesday 3rd September

Our children are navigating an online world that provides many wonderful opportunities whilst housing some potential hazards.  As adults we have the privilege and responsibility of supporting our children as they gradually become independent users of technology and social media.

The way I see it there are three key areas that children need to be protected.

• Online predators
• Their own mistakes
• Other children’s standards

Online predators

A dark reality of social media, gaming and the online world is that there are unscrupulous adults preying on children through sophisticated scams. Often these predators are masquerading as children, developing trust before making their moves. The consequences of these scams can be devastating for the children and families involved.

Their Own Mistakes

Children often develop the misconception that things that happen in the online environment do not have a wider impact.  Recent examples of secondary students using Artificial Intelligence to sexually harass a teacher and secondary school boys creating a misogynistic rating scale for female students have been in the media. The consequences for both perpetrators and victims of online bullying and victimisation are real and it is very important that our children are very clear about societal expectations.

Other Children’s Standards

The third area for us to be aware of which is particularly prevalent in social media settings is other children’s standards. Many parents rightly trust their children online and have clear protocols and rules for social media use. However, they cannot protect their child from unwanted posts, messages, links, videos and chats from other children who may be as well monitored.  It is clear that carers need not only trust their own children online but also must be able to trust all of their children’s “online friends”.

To further support and educate our children we have partnered with the Warrnambool Police to run information sessions focussing on Cyber Safety for Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6.

They will also run a parent and student night at 6:00 pm on Tuesday 3rd September.

Please note that this session is designed for both parents and students and is designed to open up conversations that can continue at home. I strongly encourage all parents of students from Year 4 and beyond to attend this important session.

Further to this there are two good videos on the SCHOOL TV Page under the Cyber safety link. 

Road Safety

Thanks to everyone for their ongoing vigilance in the loop and car park.  As you are all aware children can be unpredictable and appear in the most unlikely places.  Always drive around the school expecting the unexpected.

Queens Road Crossing at Aquazone

Please encourage children to use the new crossing at Aquazone while crossing Queens Road rather than crossing at the roundabout. This small detour will only add a minute to a trip but will create a far safer route.

School Drop Off 8:30 am

A reminder that children must not be dropped at school prior to 8:30 am.