Wellbeing
Taking care of yourself and your loved ones in this challenging period...
Support Resources for Students and Families
Taking care of ourselves and our families is our number 1 priority.
Please click on the attachment below for a full list of support services and useful resources.
Conversations with Children and Young People
Families and caregivers of children and young people should discuss COVID-19 in an open and honest way that they will understand.
-Talk about the facts without causing alarm, and in a way that is appropriate for their age and temperament.
-It is important to listen to any questions they may have, to let them know that they are safe and that it’s normal to feel worried or concerned.
-If the media or the news is getting too much for them, limit exposure for young children and encourage teenagers to limit their exposure or turn it off completely.
Tips for parents/caregivers when talking about COVID:
Further Tips for Caring for Children and Young People during the Pandemic
-Ask children what they have heard about COVID-19.
-The way parents behave can have a significant effect on children.
-Keep conversations calm and focused on the facts. Emphasise efforts that are being taken to contain COVID-19.
-Model health-promoting behaviours for your children. For example, teach them to wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
-Educate the entire family about good health habits.
-Talk about what each family member can do to help others outside of the immediate family.
-Include children in family discussions and plans, in an age-appropriate way.
-Address any misconceptions children may have that could result in stigmatizing people or groups of people in the community.
Online Safety
During this period of isolation, we are all spending more time on online platforms including the children. The Esafety Commissioner has numerous resources and support ideas on their website that may help families navigate this period of increased online access: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
It is really important that parents have the conversation about cyber safety and responsible online use with their children. They have provided a Parent Online Safety Booklet during this Covid - 19 period: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/online-safety-book
The E safety Commissioner continues to hold free online Seminars during this time which can be found at: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars
Age - Restricted Apps:
We remind families that some apps have age restrictions and that some apps and websites are not appropriate for primary aged children. We strongly advise that children remain in the same room with their parents when using online platforms and that children's social media access is restricted and managed by parents.
Please find the age restricted apps list below. This list is not exhaustive so we encourage parents to google other apps their children want to access before downloading them.
- Facebook 13+
- Instagram 13+
- SnapChat 13+
- TikTok 13+
- WhatsApp 13+ (with parental consent) 16+ without
Acceptable Device Use Policy During Remote Learning
The student must always:
- Use their device as directed by a teacher
- Protect personal information on their device and when working online. Including names, passwords, photos and other identifying information.
- Respect themselves and others when sharing online
- Respect their device by always putting it away in a safe place after use
- Follow parent and guardian rules when using their device at home
- Speak to a trusted adult if they see something that they do not like or makes them upset
Students must not:
- Use their device in a way that distracts other students or teachers.
- Deliberately search for rude or violent content online
- Use apps or games that are inappropriate for children of primary school age
- Distribute photos or video of another person without their permission
Internet Safety:
- When students are onsite at school, their device uses our school internet connection which is filtered by the Department of Education and Training (DET).
- When students are at home, their device accesses the home internet connection, which by default is unfiltered
- Parents should utilise third party filtering/monitoring/parental control solutions in conjunction with consistent parent supervision to ensure child safety when students are accessing the internet at home
- Filtering/parental control solutions that operate at the internet modem/router level are recommended, as they provide a safe filtering solution for all devices in the home and also reduce the likelihood of filtering interfering with the device when in use at school