Cranbourne Campus News

House Athletics Carnival

Last Thursday, students attended Casey Fields for the annual House Athletics Carnival.  It was a perfect day – warm, sunny and a slight breeze.  Students met in the Hall in the morning and the house chants were of a high calibre with all houses putting quite a deal of effort into the actual words and energy in delivery.  It promised to be an amazing day of competition and the students did not disappoint with their participation.

Congratulations to Augustine House on winning the House Athletics Competition and Marian House on winning the House Spirit Shield.

Final results for both competitions were:

                   House Athletics Competition                                                              House Spirit

Other winners included Marian House for the best house chant and their stamina in chanting contributed to them winning the House Spirit.  Avila was best dressed house with a number of clever efforts in white including a milk carton and Mr Marshmallow Man.   The two best dressed students were MacKillop House Captains Bailey East and Sage Glasgow who looked stunning as two blue Na’vi tribe humanoids from the film Avatar.

A special vote of thanks to the VCAL staff and students who ran a magnificent BBQ and provided drinks, sweets and other hot food to the staff and students.  The hiring of a trailer BBQ was certainly an improvement again and this is one of their hallmarks of success in the program, to keep reflecting on their learning and improving.

Thanks to Mr Leigh Murphy, the Physical Education Learning Area and all staff for their organisation and work to ensure the carnival happened.  Thanks also to our Sports Captains, House Captains, student leaders and students who participated to make it such a great day.

The Rise and Resurgence of Internet Challenges

The e-Safey Commisioner, Julie Inman Grant, with assistance from Headspace and Mindframe, published the following document recently which I provide for our parents to consider:

Daring to do risky and dangerous activities is not a new phenomenon for teens or even pre-teens. It was not that long ago that you either knew of someone or you were that someone jumping off a backyard garage, draped with a sheet, emulating the latest superhero.

As the Internet continues to infiltrate our lives, it is not surprising that dangerous behaviours and challenges are now being carried out and gaining traction online.  These risk-fuelled challenges are being posted or live-streamed and are spreading like wildfire - sometimes with fatal consequences.  

So how do we stay on top of these online trends and help our children understand the risks?

The truth is, young people are programmed to take risks. Impulse control is still developing in young people’s minds and the reward of their peers’ admiration often outweighs the merits of pragmatism, rules and safety.

Rather than worrying about what the next dangerous fad our children could be exposed to, it’s important that we focus on developing their critical reasoning skills — without introducing the idea of any particular “challenge” or risk-taking behaviour. This means encouraging our kids to question what they see online, even if it’s a friend who may be engaging with the risky site and weighing up the potential consequences.

Remembering the trusted adage that, “Just because everyone is doing something, it doesn’t mean you should.” The same platitude applies in the digital context. Help your child understand that participating in dangerous online challenges for ‘likes’ and followers on social media is not worth risking their physical well-being — or their lives.  

Advice for parents

• Ask open-ended questions in a non-judgemental way about risk-taking behaviour and use this as an opportunity to talk about the issues. Shoulder-to-shoulder conversations, like when you’re driving in the car together, can make these talks less awkward.
• Talk about the fact that sometimes when people are not feeling okay, they may think about hurting themselves. This may put people in danger and has the possibility of causing serious harm.
• Ask questions about the games and apps your kids are using and what they are watching online. Some online content can encourage young people to do unsafe things, which may lead to serious harm.
• Set age-specific rules around device-use, such as no phones after a particular time.
• Use parental controls and safeguards on devices to help limit what your child is exposed to.
• Help your child report and block disturbing content they see on social media sites or apps.

Most importantly, let your child know you are there to support them if they are uncomfortable about anything they see online. If they are struggling to open up or in need of further support, there are a range of mental health services that can assist: www.esafety.gov.au/online-wellbeing-hub or contact your family GP for referral to a mental health specialist.  

More advice and tips for helping your child stay safer online can be found at www.esafety.gov.au/parents.

For guidelines on responsible reporting of mental wellbeing and suicide, go to: www.mindframe-media.info.

With thanks to Headspace and Mindframe for their input into this blog.

Marian Feast Day

Marian House celebrates its feast day on Thursday this week with a Mass in the morning and later, a pizza lunch.  The house that has experienced an impressive resurgence this year, has also been responsible for the recent Quidditch exhibition matches.  This is in preparation for the House competition in the last week of term.  Initial feedback is that the players have to get their head around the rather complex rules.  Quidditch is a game invented by J K Rowling from the Harry Potter series of books.  We look forward to watching the matches between all the houses at the end of this term. Please encourage your child to try something new and get involved in the life of their House. 

David Hansen

Deputy Principal - Head of Cranbourne Campus