Holidays are on the way.....

What a big fortnight it has been at BAPS. Thank you to all of our teachers who have given their time to ensure our children received a well-rounded education. The Athletics Carnival was a little, unusual with our parents not attending, but there were many smiling faces on our children.

Last week we welcomed a visit from our Director, Public Schools Megan Avery. We discussed the demountable replacement and new buildings. It is anticipated that that building will commence in early 2021. It will be wonderful to have more of our students in permanent buildings.

Our SRC, led by Miss. Whiting, held a very successful Pajama Day and raised $400 for the Smith Family. It is wonderful to see our students working hard to improve the lives of others. This is such a wonderful quality for our next generation to possess.

Last week I attended the Parents and Citizens Association meeting and thoroughly enjoyed listening to the enthusiasm they have for our school. Even in COVID times, they are looking for how they can support our children. If you haven't already joined please consider becoming a member.

Throughout the term our teachers work hard to create the best learning environment they can for all of our students. At times circumstances can change at home which may have a positive or negative effect on each child’s schooling. If you have a change in circumstances or have any other query regarding your child’s education please make a time to come and see our teachers as they are always willing to discuss the success of each child.

With our holidays fast approaching many of our children will have more time to access social media and it might be a good time for all parents to ensure our children are connecting appropriately and safely with friends via digital platforms. An increasing number of students are accessing social media and phone apps which include ‘friending’ a large number of people often unknown to them. Make time to have the conversation about who is on the other end of the line.

Social Media can be a great tool for people to keep in touch. Unfortunately, there can be a down side to using social media. Children should be encouraged to:

• Not use apps that aren’t designed for their age.

• Never share personal information including their or anyone else’s address, age or school.

• Only accept friends they know.

• Don’t open links or files unless they are verified as safe.

The Carly Ryan Foundation has some fact sheets for parents and carers to help them understand the various Apps. This is a great resource as it is hard to keep up with the latest Apps and some Apps look innocent but have hidden features.

http://www.carlyryanfoundation.com/resources/fact-sheets

I encourage families to keep a close eye on the use of social media by students. Most applications have a 13 years or older requirement to sign up. We have also included an e-safety guide fact sheet to ‘Your child’s first smartphone’ in this week’s newsletter, this guide was sourced from the eSafety Commissioner website. You can access this website directly for additional advice and support by clicking the link below. https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/skills-advice/online-s

The last day of Term 3 is Friday, 25 September 2020. Our educational journey recommences for all students on Monday, 12 October 2020.

Thank you to all of our parents who have assisted the school and the students during the term. Your assistance and support is indeed appreciated!

We are hoping the COVID restrictions will ease in Term 4 allowing us to

Have a safe term break and we look forward to a busy and productive Term 4.

Have a great week.

Mr Dalkeith

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