Assistant Principal's Page

Calm

On Tuesday, staff were treated to a presentation by Kirsty and Jess from Calm at the Forefront. Their knowledge and experience working with all children, including those who are neurodiverse, was well received by all. This is the second time that they have visited our school, the first time presenting to all ES staff on a Curriculum Day in 2023.

Professional development such as this is essential in continuing to foster learning and engagement for all children. Each week staff are treated to different workshops on a variety of topics such as: different instructional models, cultural diversity, assessment, report writing, Indigenous practices, behaviour management, EAL learners etc. 

Welcome

Last week, we welcomed Jacqui Walker, Inclusion Outreach Coach from the Department of Education. She will be working with different cohorts of staff every Tuesday in the coming months. Jacqui comes with a wealth of experience in education and inclusive practices and we look forward to her input as we continue to consolidate our expertise in this area. 

National Reconciliation Week – Now more than ever – 27th May until 3rd June

Join us this Friday, as we commence National Reconciliation Week celebrations at our Whole School Assembly.

Social Media

Recently there has been much press coverage about children engaging in concerning behaviours on social media. As parents/carers we all have a responsibility to educate and support our children and young people to navigate the online world. Please see below some key ways to support your children:

• Make sure that your children are only on platforms that are meant for their age group.
• When children are playing online games such as Minecraft/Roblox etc, ask them who they are playing with. Questions I have asked my son include; have you met them in person? Would you be able to point them out at the shops?
• Agree on a time with your children that they will get off their devices. This is for their benefit and for the benefit of their friends whose parents/guardians may be receiving message notifications on their devices at all hours of the night.
• Regularly monitor messages going back and forth. Sometimes children use social media to process their emotions and feelings not realising that these may change by the morning. By then their reflections are out there for everyone to see and potentially comment on in the following days. Encouraging your children to process their emotions in others ways like speaking with you, drawing, playing sport etc. is also recommended.
• Educate your children about the importance of not posting pictures of themselves in their school uniform, outside their house, outside of a car with the number plate visible, outside a sporting club where the details are visible etc. These are all details that can be used to locate children. 
• Model appropriate social media use yourself.
• Help your children to understand that anything that they put on social media platforms will be taken seriously by adults. This includes adults discovering unkind messages between children and adults following up any mental health concerns that come to their attention via social media. 
• A good question to ask your children when it comes to posting anything on social media is; ‘Would you be happy for your grandparents to read your posts?’

Until next time,

Julie Reid - Assistant Principal Wellbeing and Inclusion