Student Engagement

&

Wellbeing

Reconciliation week

National Reconciliation Week is next week, 27th May to 3rd June. This is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. This year's theme is “Now more than ever”.

Last week, sub-school Assistant Principals met with a number of our Indigenous students to discuss how we can recognise reconciliation week at Horsham College. We are proud to celebrate reconciliation week through the following initiatives:

• Casual Dress day -  Friday May 31st 
  - This coincides with Mabo Day, which commemorates the life of Eddie Koiko Mabo and marks the anniversary of the historic 1992 Mabo decision.
  - Wear Black, Yellow, Red
  - Gold coin donation from all students participating
  - Fred Hollows Foundation - Eye care for Indigenous
• Only playing music for our bells performed by Indigenous Artists
• Displaying the Reconciliation Week Posters Around the School on our TVs 
• Encouraging discussion and education about reconciliation week in form groups via the “Reconciliation is…” video message.

Student Survey update

Our students have been busy participating in the Attitudes to School Survey. The Attitudes to School Survey is administered to all students in Years 4-12 at Victorian Government schools. This survey seeks to gain information from students regarding effective teaching practice, teacher student relations, social engagement and student experiences at school -  such as student safety and experience of bullying. We now have only a small handful of classes who still need to complete this survey and we will be running catch up sessions for students who were absent when their class participated. This data is extremely important to us and we appreciate the honesty from our students. 

Uniform 

With the colder weather, we’ve noticed a few students wearing non-compliant uniform items such as hoodies, flannelette shirts and jumpers underneath their uniforms. A friendly reminder that hoodies are not to be worn. Students wishing to wear long sleeve shirts - plain white or navy blue long sleeve can be worn under college polo only. Your support with this matter is appreciated. Further information on the uniform policy can be found here: 

https://www.horsham-college.vic.edu.au/school-life/uniforms/ 

SRC Update

The Student Representative Council has continued to meet regularly, including the SRC Executive team (2 representatives from each year level elected to meet with the Principal) which met late last term. Many items were discussed such as casual clothes days, fund raising for charities and discussion around the development of more seating and shaded areas for student comfort the key focus.

E-Cigarettes and vaping 

Vaping is an ongoing challenge for many schools. Research shows that 1 in 5 people aged 18–24 years (non-smokers) have tried vapes. Nearly 80% of them say it’s easy to get a vape illegally at a shop or online. At Horsham College, we encourage families to have a conversation with their children about vaping. Here is a resource to assist families in starting the conversation: 

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/blog/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-vaping 

School TV - Managing Screen Time.

Have you checked out Horsham College School TV yet? This weeks episode focuses on how to manage teen’s screen time and the role parents and guardians can play in assisting to build healthy habits. Check it out at https://horsham-college.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/managing-screen-time 

Social Media - Ways to protect your child’s safety online

There is much debate currently about the appropriate for children to gain access to social media. Many platforms state that children must be 13 before they can create accounts, however we know that this is still a very young age to be dealing with what can be found on social media. 

The steps you can take to help your children spend time online in safe way.

• Be aware of who your child talks to online. If they aren’t friends in person, ask your child how they know them.
• Be aware of the social media your child uses. Review any posts they make, and who they are messaging.
• Talk to your child about the dangers of sharing personal information and images online (including intimate images). Once posted, they can be easily distributed by others and become hard to remove.
• Ensure your child uses computers and devices in shared areas of your home.
• If your child becomes worried about someone they’ve met online, ensure they stop contact immediately.
• For more information and resources for parents, visit the parents page on the eSafety Commissioner website.