Thrive & Flourish

                            Wellbeing Newsletter:

How much screen time is too much? 

Something that comes up regularly in my conversations with teachers, parents, and students and that I suspect is a live issue in most households :how much time our young people are spending on screens, and what it is costing them. 

I want to be careful here. This is not about panic, and it is not about technology being all bad. Devices are part of your child’s learning, and they are part of modern life. But there is a growing and consistent body of evidence that the way adolescents are currently using screens,  particularly phones and personal devices, and particularly in the evenings and overnight, is affecting their sleep, their concentration, their emotional regulation, and their wellbeing in ways that matter. 

At Sacred Heart we are taking this seriously. We are making changes to how devices are used during the school day. But we know and the evidence is clear that what happens at home matters just as much, if not more. 

So this term, we’re going to do something a little different. Rather than send you a single document and hope for the best, we’re going to share a short series of notes across the term each one brief, each one practical, and each one building on the last. We have called the series Screens, Space & Your Family. The first one has already been shared through PAM.  The others will be shared with you 

The series will not lecture you, and it will not assume you have been getting this wrong. It will share what we know, suggest some things to try, and give you language and strategies for what, in our experience, can be genuinely difficult conversations at home.  

For now, I simply ask that you come to it with an open mind. What we are trying to do together, school and family, is give your child more of their own life back. More sleep. More presence. More of the things that only happen when a screen isn’t in the way. 

If you have questions or want to talk before the series begins, please don’t hesitate to reach out.  

Carolyn 

What’s coming across the term 

Five short communications, each with one new idea to try: 

1. First steps — simple changes to device location and access at home 
2. The household curfew — one rule that makes everything else easier 
3. The science — why this matters specifically for the teenage brain 
4. When it gets hard — practical strategies for pushback and resistance 
5. Getting ready for Term 1 — building habits across the summer that stick 

Questions or concerns? Speak with your child’s Principal or Wellbeing Leader.  https://www.ceosand.catholic.edu.au/

Attendance Matters:

At Sacred Heart, most students come to school regularly and as a result are learning new skills socially, academically and emotionally. This is an expectation and a right that we would like to see enacted for every student.

We know that coming to school on time every day is a necessary condition for learning to occur. Students who attend school every day benefit from all of the support and teacher assistance that is available, and are much more likely to go ahead in their learning.

Being ready to begin the day's learning with the rest of the class is also very important and we ask for your support in ensuring that students are in their classes by the beginning of day bell. Being prepared for the day, and starting with peers, encourages a great day of learning and helps with organisational details of the day. 

We welcome any emails or calls if families wish to seek support and can be contacted via email at any time or a phone call to school.

 Email: 

Tony McDonald: tmcdonald@shtatura.catholic.edu.au 

Jess Daniel: jdaniel@shtatura.catholic.edu.au