Leadership News
Principal's Piece
Recently, the shocking story of students ranking their female classmates online was explored in a conversation about students and social media on the ABC’s Q&A program. As I listened to the Principal and School Captain of the school in question share their school’s experience. I found myself pondering how these students could ever think this was a good idea and (honestly) found myself relieved at the thought that this type of crude inappropriate behaviour would never happen at Bayside.
Not long after having this thought, reality hit me. I hate to admit it, but the truth is, that Bayside students are more than capable of making an error of judgment such as this. Maybe they already have, and are just smart enough to not get caught. My ruminations on this theme led me to the sobering reminder that kids have always said and done mean and stupid things to each other. It’s just that with social media, these things tend to be amplified through increased exposure and thus the damage that can be caused is much greater.
Since then, I have been reflecting on how we might help smart students not do stupid things.
These reflections have left me pondering these two proverbs. Proverbs 22:6 - encourages us that if a child is trained in the way they should go so that when they are old they will not depart from that training. And; “It takes a village to raise a child” (Author Unknown)
These proverbs are not a silver bullet solution to the problem of stopping smart kids doing stupid things. But together, they do help us understand that the best way to raise children and reduce the likelihood of stupid behaviours is with intent, in community.
The problem is though, that the village is changing. Changing, in that village is increasingly digital. Did you know that 94 per cent of four-year-old children have access to a digital device? Changing, in that parents are busier than ever and are struggling to spend enough quality time in their children’s lives. Grandparents too, are increasingly not as present as they once were in children’s lives as families become transient.
Further, the embedding of digital devices into children’s lives has introduced an entirely new world where parents and other caregivers including schools are absent and often entirely unaware of what is happening in the digital lives of children. Unsurprisingly in the absence of guiding hands and oversight, children find themselves in trouble.
While it is parents who are primarily responsible for putting these devices into their children’s hands (Particularly phones). The consequences of poor online behaviour often tends to manifest itself in the context of the school. When this happens, the partnership between parents and the school that we so greatly value at the College comes into play as we work with students to repair the damage, change behaviour and ideally learn to operate effectively and responsibly in their digital worlds. This can not happen effectively if the school and parents are working in isolation from each other.
My earlier thought “that this would never happen a bayside” finds its basis in the knowledge that most students (Thanks to their training) do manage to successfully navigate their digital and physical worlds well. Because of this, the way forward is not to ban digital devices or social media, but for parents to meet the challenge of being present in their children’s digital village.
While schools reinforce the good work of parents by affirming and expecting that students will demonstrate the respect, responsibility, digital resilience and critical reasoning required to live effectively in their digital spaces.
The Proverb - “it takes a village to raise a child” is as true today as it has ever been. If we are to minimise the chances of smart students making stupid mistakes. The partnership between the school and parents is as important as it has ever been.
Mr Andrew Manning, College Principal
From the Deputy Principal
Parent Conferences
It was wonderful to see so many parents back onsite for face-to-face parent conferences this week. If you were unable to attend, please email your child's teacher/s to arrange a time to connect and discuss your child's progress.
My Christian School
We have seen the Lord answer many prayers since My Christian School began and prayer is no less important today than it was on day one. Be equipped to pray for Christian schools and legislation that may impact our staff, students and communities by downloading the Prayer Briefing below:
Child Safety Reminders
To keep you and your children safe at Bayside, please adhere to the following:
- Drive through the carpark at 5km p/h (walking pace) at all times
- Parents/Carers MUST sign themselves in at the Office prior to walking to classrooms to collect students before 3pm
- Parents/Carers attending Prayer Group or meetings onsite MUST sign in at the Office, to record they are present
Staffing 2025
We are now advertising to fill teaching roles for 2025.
- Primary STEM teacher
- Primary Teachers
- Primary Sub-School Coordinator
- Secondary Maths Teacher
- Secondary English Teacher
- Secondary Media Teacher
- Secondary Performing Arts and Music Teacher
Positions are advertised at Christian Jobs Australia and on the College website. Please share the links with someone you think could be a great fit for Bayside.
Digital Safety at Home
Following our recent communication regarding Student Digital Wellbeing, we're excited to share that the Qustodio Parent app is now available! We're thrilled to invite you to join us in promoting healthy digital habits and ensuring a secure and safe online environment for your child.
By creating your parent account and linking it to your child, you'll be able to join us in fostering positive student online behaviours. These tools offer insights and visibility, empowering you to better understand your child's interactions with their school device and other personal devices you wish to protect as part of this offering.
With the Qustodio parent app, you'll have the ability to:
- Pause the internet on your child's device straight from your app
- Receive comprehensive reports summarising your child’s online activities, even beyond school hours
- Access detailed Timeline reports detailing your child’s online engagements, including word and video searches
- Gain direct access to expert advice via our Online Safety Hub through the app
We're committed to working with you to support your child's digital wellbeing. Thank you for partnering with us in this important endeavour.
Next Steps:
You will shortly receive an email to guide you on how to create your Qustodio parent account, marking the first step in this journey. Please keep an eye out for communication from the College.
Raising Tech-Healthy Humans
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed as a parent in our digital age, navigating challenges around screen-time, smartphones, and social media with our children. That’s why we’re inviting you to sign up for a free online course for parents, carers, and grandparents, created by award-winning author and tech-parenting expert, Daniel Sih. Note: As this is typically a paid course, Daniel Sih has asked that we refrain from sharing the signup link on public social media platforms. However, feel free to invite friends within your relational circles to benefit from these resources, suitable for individuals just exploring Christian faith.
Topics Covered: The “Raising Tech-Healthy Humans” series includes fifteen short, encouraging videos exploring a range of parenting topics.
- How do I encourage healthy screen-time limits?
- What is the impact of interactive media on my child's developing brain?
- When and how should I give my child a smartphone?
- How is our technology use a discipleship issue?
- What is the impact of social media on a child’s mental health?
- How do I engage in relationship-forming tech-conversations?
- What can I do to get my kids outdoors to have fun?
- How do we support each other to make healthy tech-decisions as a community?
Sign up and watch the videos at: www.raisinghumans.au/cen
You can share insights and discuss what you learn from the videos with others in our community through the College Facebook and Instagram pages.
You can access the course here: www.raisinghumans.au/cen
We aim to bolster the health and wellbeing of families and encourage them, in Daniel’s words, “to raise faithful, loving, tech-healthy humans as a community.”
Mrs Toni Steinbergs, Deputy Principal
Happy Families
Our school is subscribed to the Happy Families School Membership. Owned and run by Dr Justin Coulson, one of Australia’s leading parenting experts, the membership offers a wealth of parenting education and resources.
We will regularly share resources available through our membership with you, including Insight Articles and Webinars.
You can also access your resources at any time using the below URL (unique to our school) and the password is: happybcc