Dear Parents & Parishioners,

Digital citizenship

Just like a driver’s license grants the holder the permission to drive a car on our roads, a student must learn the rules, their rights and responsibilities of being a member of an online community. They should understand how their behaviours can have a powerful and significant impact on their peers and users in their community.

The role for parents in this space may involve establishing clear rules and supervision to scaffold safe and responsible use and this can also be modelled by the adults in the teens' life.

Dealing with negative experiences

The digital lives of Aussie teens (eSafety Commissioner 2021) reports 44% of Australian young people had a negative experience in the six-month survey period. Children need a roadmap of what they should do when they encounter problematic behaviour.

It is vital students know who they can speak to and how to filter, block and report in the application, as well as being encouraged to set their profiles to private. Cyberbullying, where there is exposure to harmful content, including violent material, child sexual abuse material and image-based abuse should be reported to the eSafety Commissioner.

Protecting privacy

Everyone has a right to privacy. Children should understand the importance and justifications for why caution should be exercised when sharing online. Information in a photo, such as school uniform, sporting clubs or location can provide personal information that could be used to identify them.

Turning off location services and actively setting privacy controls ensures that content being shared is not publicly viewable. Deselecting tagging in conversations and photos also helps protect from unwanted attention by strangers.

Even if the age limit for social media is not raised, as is currently under consideration by various state governments, everyone can consider the readiness of young people to capably manage the complicated space that is social media. OHR does not endorse the use of social media or applications outside the permitted age range.

Abridged and adapted from an article by Danielle Fitton, Education Officer Learning Technologies, at Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS).

At OHR we will continue to work in partnership with Inform & Empower who provide cyber safety services through student incursions and parent online workshops.

Save the Date: OHR School Fete

Remember to save the date of Saturday 26 October in your calendar. This is the date of the OHR School Fete, branded as the OHR Spring Carnival. This will be our first fete since 2019 ... it's been awhile.

Our organsing committe has been meeting regularly on a fortnightly basis. For further information, please visit the PFA News page.

About Real Life: Years 3 - 6

Information regarding this year's About Real Life program for parents and students in Years 3 - 6, can be found in the Learning & Teaching News.

A Change in the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) / Library

We received the news late last week that Mrs Julia Widdeson, our Library Technician, will be concluding her time at OHR at the end of this week. Julia has been offered an enticing position, outside the field of education. We will be sad to lose Julia who has fitted so well into the staff team at OHR.

Mrs Deidre Campbell will be taking over responsibility for the LRC (Library) for the remainder of the current school year. Mrs Campbell already assumes a lot of responsibility for Library operations. The LRC will remain in very good hands.

Chess Program

Due to the low uptake of chess during both Terms 1 and 2 this year, unfortunately we have decided to put a halt to the lunchtime program during Term 3. The revenue brought in by fees associated with the program was insufficient to cover the cost of the chess instructor provided by Northern Star Chess. This was coupled with the fact that a number of students turning up to the program conveyed a greater interest in playing outside with their peers.

At OHR we see the value of conducting a chess program. It is our hope that through pausing the program during Term 3, enough interest may be generated to warrant the return of chess from the start of Term 4.

School Closure Day - Term 3

There will be one school closure day during Term 3 for Staff Professional Learning. The date of the closure day is Monday 29 July. During the first part of the day the staff will be engaged in further work surrounding the MACS Vision for Instruction, with a focus on Explicit Teaching. The second component of the day will be geared towards updating our First Aid (including CPR) qualifications.

Vocal Concert

On Monday evening, the families of all students who have been partaking in singing lessons with Mrs Rebecca Bode, gathered in the hall for a very intimate and special vocal concert. In the lead up to the night, Rebecca communicated to the families of the children participating the following:

"For students who have been brave enough to take up 'singing!', a concert is a very exciting prospect, but often also quite daunting! It is a chance to showcase just a little of what they have been exploring over the last two terms. Positive performance experiences encourage further success - so as such, this is specifically designed to be a very individual experience for each child as to where their confidence levels currently lie."

On the the evening, all adults were in awe of the courage displayed by every child to stand up and sing before their families and peers. It was a warm, feel-good event.

End of Term 2 & PFA Sausage Sizzle

Don't forget that the students will be dismissed at 1.00pm tomorrow to commence their school holidays.

The end of term PFA Sausage Sizzle will be held prior to dismissal time. The cost for a sausage in bread is a gold coin donation.

And Finally ...

As Term 2 draws to a close, I would like to acknowlwedge the growth that all students have made since the beginning of the year.

Congratulations to our Prep students who have come such long way in a relatively short time. Next term they will celebrate 100 Days of Learning. Mrs Hollow is planning an exciting day for 9 August.

This term has been quite lengthy in that it has comprised 11 weeks of learning. Many opportunities have been on offer including, but not limited to: our second Open Morning; year 5/6 Interschool Sport; the Mothers' Day Breakfast followed by the Mother's Day Stall; year 3/4 time away at Camp Jungai; Maloga Aboriginal Art Workshops - all levels; Science Talent Search; Maths Talent Quest; Basketball Clinics; Cross Country - school, District, Regional & Division; 2025 Prep Family Enrolment Meetings; Grandparents & Special Friends' Day; the Lamont Book Fair; Cyber Safety Education Program - all levels; Working Bee; Family Engagment Parent Session; Guided Learning Walk for Parents; School Choir Rehearsals on Fridays; a number of Excursions; the Kids' Movie Night; Storytime at OHR sessions; visits by Jess Wilson MP; and the list goes on. Basically, a term full of community building and learning.

It's now time for the students to take some time out to sleep in, catch up with family and friends, and simply take a break from the school routine.

Wishing everyone a great winter holiday break,

Frank Dame

School News

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