Principal's report

There was no doubt a sense of deja vu last week when no sooner had students returned to Shelford for the start of Term 3, then the lockdown was announced. As you know, this meant we all needed to ‘go remote’ from Friday. 

Our resilient and positive students took it all in their stride and we are very proud of their approach. No doubt, there is for all of us, a continuing frustration that we are in this position and a desire to return to life without the spectre of COVID hanging over our heads. Yet it continues. I know that this latest outbreak of the COVID delta strain around the world, is testing us all – and I thank our conscientious and passionate teachers, committed school leaders, wonderful families and positive students, who are working together with energy and optimism, to make sure that all members of our community are cared for and supported through this period. 

Parent survey

A reminder for those parents who have not already done so, to spend a short time filling out the parent survey (link below). These are conducted by an independent group and the data is used by the Board and Executive to guide future planning. Students and staff have also been part of the survey. We really appreciate your time in giving us this important feedback.

Staff update

We welcome Ms Molly Fitzgerald, who is teaching Year 7–10 Humanities classes this semester. She has recently returned from teaching in London and prior to that, worked teaching VCE History and Year 7–10 Humanities. Molly was educated at an all-girls’ school and so has an affinity and passion for girls’ education. In a whirlwind week, Molly began at Shelford, met her classes and then started teaching them online!

More exciting baby news at Shelford; Mel McInneny, one of our wonderful school counsellors is expecting baby number three at the end of the year; Simon Chau and his wife, Vivian are expecting their first baby in January 2022; and Audrey Li, our Chinese Club teacher and EAL assistant in the Junior School is also having a baby late in 2021. Congratulations to all.

Social media and online behaviour

I think one of the most common areas of concern for our parents is to do with managing their daughter’s social media and screen time. This has in some ways been highlighted or made more difficult through the remote learning periods, when screen time is necessary for study and connection, but parents feel increasingly that their daughter’s access to devices is not necessarily a positive contributing factor to her wellbeing.

Concern about children and young women’s access to digital devices, how to manage the content and the platforms it gives them access to and what it all means, is an area fraught with a lack of confidence on the part of parents, alarm and differing opinions and ideas.

I recently read an article in the Express newspaper, by Jane Lunnon, a Principal of a girls’ school in England, in which she posited that future generations would wonder why we allowed our children open access to online material through their phones. She points to cyberbullying, increasing rates of adolescent mental health difficulties and early exposure to pornography and other hyper-sexualised materials as just some of the linked and depressing downsides of the technology revolution. Lunnon believes that in the future, we will look back at this unfettered access to digital devices in the same way we look back at gin being given to babies to quieten them and think – did we really do that?

In my own experience there is no doubt that technology has addictive qualities. Many adults struggle to have self-control in their own relationship with their phones and other devices – so how can we expect young people who are still growing, developing and understanding themselves, to exert the self-discipline and control adults often cannot? They need limits and guidelines to follow and support to assist them to make good choices.

I would argue that Shelford students, when on site, do not have unfettered access to their devices. Several years ago, we instituted a policy of banning mobiles phones at school. Whilst there are times, we despair about this, as we remind students and confiscate yet another phone, it nonetheless sends a clear message to our community of our values. It is a battle we are prepared to continue to wage.

I am by no means opposed to technology. I understand the importance of a phone in a teenager’s or tween’s life – it connects, informs and entertains. In fact, data in remote learning suggests that those students who are connected by phone to peers have fared better then students who are not. It also allows for greater freedom and independence as it is a direct line home when required. 

However, I also see that there needs to be an equal emphasis on the importance of face-to-face communication and socialising, non-screen/digital activities and real human connections. By saying to our students that we do not wish for them to be on their phones at school, we are sending a signal that we value these other things and that we wish to guide them in their recreational time at school, in a different direction.

Having said this, at Shelford we are committed to our students gaining technical and digital skills, but this takes place in a controlled classroom environment, which encourages learning how to use technology in ways that assist young people and enable them to develop the skills needed for the future. We teach digital citizenship and cyber safety, and our girls are aware of their digital footprint and the potential impact of what they post. Understanding coding, design, how to use applications and organise your device, is important. Learning and collaborating in the creation of digital content, be it games, blogs, podcasts or films and photographs, is very different to mindlessly scrolling through social media, or playing games. It is these kinds of skills that we emphasise in class. 

Technology is a great tool that we use to support learning. At times, senior students may even be asked to bring their phones to class at a teacher’s instruction – to take a photo of the board or their work or for another valid educational reason. Students use devices at school to assist their learning and in all areas of the curriculum there are wonderful applications that engage, stimulate and assist teachers. Remote learning has enabled staff to expand their knowledge of technology to support pedagogy, curriculum planning, assessment and feedback. At an operations level, technology increases efficiency and streamlines many of our functions.

Remote learning has encouraged us all to see that this is a wonderful and exciting time in which we are able to share resources and ideas internationally through webinars and other learning platforms and this means that our students gain the benefits of this and can connect to others in an international sense and have true global connectivity.

There are advantages to connecting online for many students. Our students enjoy engaging with young people who share their passions and ideas. They enjoy, as adults do, access to mindless entertainment, fun cat videos, video games and more profound information and educational resources on a range of issues. Especially during lockdown, it is an intrinsic part of their emerging identity and social life.

Like all things, there needs to be limits and careful consideration of consumption and this is something that families can be a part of. I urge parents and guardians to talk with their daughters about who they choose to follow on socials and why. Do not allow your daughter to open the virtual door to her room and give access to all kinds of strangers. Discuss her privacy settings and why these are important. Model ethical considerations by seeking her permission to post family or individual shots of your daughter.

Importantly, knowing what your daughter is doing online can encourage interesting conversations that you might not otherwise have, about who she is communicating with and why and how does this make her feel. Who is she following who upsets her? Encourage a Marie Kondo-like approach to social media. If it is not necessary, useful or bringing you joy – get rid of it. Encourage a sense of agency and choice. There are wonderful and uplifting, creative and thoughtful sites online, that your daughter may not be aware of.

Phones and iPads should not be allowed in students’ unsupervised bedrooms for lengthy periods of time and certainly not at night. The research tells us that it prevents much-needed sleep, increases anxiety and that this is the time that young people are most likely to engage in harmful online activity or actions that they most regret.

Younger girls need to understand that there are things once seen that cannot be ‘unseen’ and that their consumption needs to be age and stage appropriate. They need to understand the dangers in using certain platforms. There should be a balance between screen time, physical activity and reading and writing (in the old-fashioned book/paper/pen mode). 

Families should also insist on times of complete disconnection – where all devices and access to technology is put to one side and time is spent in silence, in nature, in discussion or thought. Where there is a chance for stillness and calm. In all things, there is a need for balance. We do not want to look back at this time and feel that we let the ‘cat out of the bag’ or that the ‘flood gate’ was let open. Work together as a family to set reasonable guidelines and expectations for times of access and types of access. Put these agreed terms in a public space and stick to them. Model a positive approach yourself and remain consistent. Stay connected and engaged with your daughter, so you are aware of this aspect of her world. For our part, we will continue to control what occurs at Shelford and to be as aware as possible of the changes in this rapidly evolving space, so that we can contribute meaningfully.

The digital lunch break website is a collation of great resources for children and young people, developed by government and non-government organisations which may be useful for your families over this lockdown. 

Katrina Brennan

Principal