Deputy Principal's Report

Dear Parents/Carers,

As parents today we are well aware of the added pressure placed upon us in the technological environment our children are growing up in. Our own parents probably did not have the same issues we are faced with when managing our children's use of social media, computer games etc.  For many of us this can be a very challenging area and one which, if not managed effectively, can cause great stress within families.  On Monday our Year 5&6 students participated in a Cybersafety session, Think you know,  run by two members of the Victorian Police Force.  The main content of the session covered:

• Being a responsible digital citizen
• Security and risks of sharing personal information online
• What is Cyber Bullying
• Steps to take if you or somebody you know is being bullied online

At St Finbar's we endeavour to highlight the positive impact technology can have whilst addressing the negative elements as well. It would be great for all parents of our Year 5&6 students were to ask their children about this Cybersafety session as a way of working together with us to ensure a safe and healthy use of technology for all our children. 

FYI: https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/parents-portal 

KidsMatter - Advice for Parents

Follow these five steps:

• Talk to your child about staying safe online and keep the discussion open as they grow up.
• Monitor your child’s time online, particularly younger children.
• Set house rules – what’s okay to do and what’s not, how much time is ‘online’ time and what kind of personal information is okay to make public.
• Consider using filters or other technological tools to help limit exposure to potentially harmful or distressing material.
• Model the kind of positive online behaviour you would like your children to use.

For more tips for parents, go to www.cybersmart.gov.au/parents.

Student Wellbeing

Our Week 9 and Week 10 Values and SEL & Catholic Social Teaching focus will be: 

• Honesty and Trustworthiness
• Self Management
• The Common Good

Yoga & Meditation: Our weekly Yoga and Relaxation sessions with Miss Durie and Sonia continued this week providing a number of students with an opportunity to develop their relaxation skills with others.  The group meet each Monday at Snack for approximately 20 minutes. Classroom teachers and students themselves can see Miss Durie or myself if they are  interested in participating.

NAPLAN Online Practice Session

In 2019 St Finbar's NAPLAN Tests will be completed online by our Year 3 and Year 5 students. As part of our preparation for this, a number of students from this years 3s & 5s completed a sample test today to gain information about our school's readiness for NAPLAN online. No results or scores are generated by these tests as they are purely for an administrative trial purpose. 

NAPLAN Public Demonstration Site

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST AVAILABLE:

Ms Stacey Dellas is available for students who may be experiencing difficulty emotionally. Stacey is a highly qualified Psychologist with many years’ experience working with children and their families.  This service is completely covered by Medicare. To access this service please speak to your child’s teacher or you can email or speak to Mr Nigel Rodrigues ~ Deputy Principal who will provide you with details on how to refer your child.  nrodrigues@sfbrightoneast.catholic.edu.au