Wellbeing
Our Lady of the Southern Cross Primary School
Helping Children Build Healthy Digital Habits
Why Screen-Time Balance Matters
Technology helps children learn, connect, and have fun — but balance is important for healthy bodies and minds. Too much screen time can affect:
- Sleep
- Concentration
- Physical activity
- Mood and emotions
- Family connection time
The goal is not to remove screens completely, but to help children use technology in healthy and positive ways.
“Connect More, Scroll Less”
Encourage children to notice how they feel before and after using screens. Talk together about activities that help them feel calm, happy, and energised.
Try This at Home
The “20-20-20” Rule
- Every 20 minutes
- Look 20 feet away
- For 20 seconds
This helps reduce eye strain and encourages movement breaks.
Conversation Starters for Families
Ask your child:
- “What is your favourite thing to do away from screens?”
- “How does your body feel after lots of screen time?”
- “What games or apps help you learn?”
- “What helps you know when it’s time for a break?”
Suggested Reading
Technology Tail is a picture book that uses concrete metaphors of a physical tail to teach children in about digital citizenship, online safety, and the permanence of their digital footprint
Term 2 Inform and Empower hot tips!
Positive Behaviours for Learning
As part of our ongoing development as a PBL school we continue to explicitly teach & model expectations from our matrix. Our data has shown that we need to reteach the following expectations from our matrix.
Respect
- We think before we speak
- We speak using appropriate word & tone
- We listen to & follow instructions of all staff
Responsibility
- We move to our line calmly and on time
- We take ownership for our choices
Resilience
- We talk through our disagreements with others
We learn from our mistakes
We encourage all families to talk to their children about these expectations...what they look like, sound like & feel like.
Feel free to email Sandy or Kiah or call the school office if you have any concerns or need help at any time.
Sandy: shenderson@olscwyn.catholic.edu.au Kiah: kmiles@olscwyn.catholic.edu.au
Cheers
Sandy & Kiah