Assistant Principal's
Report
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
— Aristotle
End of Term 3
Following on from my last Newsletter Article where I outlined some key messages with regard to National Child Safety week this week I draw your attention to the definition of bullying.
Our College community rejects all forms of bullying behaviours and is committed to providing a safe, respectful, inclusive, and connected learning environment for our girls.
What is Bullying?
The national definition of bullying for Australian schools is:
- Bullying is an ongoing misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that causes physical and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power over one or more persons.
- Bullying can happen in person or online, and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert).
- Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying.
Signs of Bullying
Research indicates that efforts to change attitudes and behaviours are more likely to be successful if families are actively involved in recognising signs of bullying.
Parents/ guardians need to be alert to the possibility that a change in a child's behaviour could be related to bullying. The following list details some of the signs that a parent/guardian may notice if your daughter is being bullied:
Your daughter:
- doesn't want to go to school or participate in school activities
- changes her method or route to school
- drops in academic performance
- experiences changes in sleep patterns
- experiences changes in eating patterns
- has frequent tears, anger, mood swings
Digital Footprint
As parents and teachers, we cannot afford to underestimate the impact of technology on our children. Whilst we embrace technology and use technology as an important tool for learning, we also believe that our students need to be responsible and safe digital citizens.
A digital footprint is the collection of all traces that one leaves in electronic environments. Some content is actively volunteered and other material is passive. However, all of this data can be used to build a profile. For this reason, it is very important that girls do not post anything online that they may find embarrassing later. Likewise, it is also important to be careful with the pictures that are posted on public profiles. It may be a timely reminder to check your daughter’s privacy settings on social networking sites.
Cyberbullying
44% of Australian young people report having a negative online experience in the last 6 months, this includes 15% who received threats or abuse online.
Source: The digital lives of Aussie teens, eSafety Commissioner (2021).
The signs of possible cyberbullying can be the same as signs of other bullying, but include other behaviours with phones, computers and other devices.
Your daughter may:
- be hesitant about going online
- seem nervous when a notification, message or phone call appears
- become visibly upset after using her phone or computer
- close the screen or hide the mobile phone when others enter the room
- spend unusually long hours online
For further information please explore the following online resources:
As we reach the end of another term I take this opportunity to reflect on the incredible achievements of our girls this term.
Have a wonderful break and a reminder that girls return to school on Tuesday 15 October in full summer uniform.
Julie Norman
Assistant Principal