Important Notice

Dear Parents / Guardians,

We would like to take this opportunity to address an important issue currently impacting the teaching and learning environment at Plenty River College—the use of mobile phones during class time. 

While mobile phones are not banned at PRC, their use is guided by clear rules and expectations to ensure that students remain focused and engaged in their learning. Unfortunately, we are seeing a growing number of students using their phones inappropriately during lessons—playing games, texting, FaceTiming, answering calls, and scrolling through TikTok and other social media platforms. These behaviours are disrupting classes and distracting students from the valuable learning opportunities being provided. 

We understand that mobile phones can support learning—for example, when used to listen to music to help concentration—but this privilege must be used responsibly. As outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, all students have agreed to use class time productively, participate in learning, and complete and submit their work. The Code also clearly states that mobile phones must not be used during class to make or take phone calls, send messages, or share content such as videos or pictures. 

We are asking for your support from home in reinforcing these expectations. Please have a conversation with your young person about responsible phone use during school hours. If there is no noticeable improvement across the college, we may need to implement stricter rules around phone use in Term 3 and beyond.

We appreciate your understanding and ongoing partnership in supporting a focused, respectful, and productive learning environment for all students.

For any parent/guardian interested in reading a powerful book about the impacts of the virtual world/mobile phones on our young people, I highly recommend the following.

Kind regards, 

Kim Gray

Assistant Principal