Sacred Heart College Newsletter

VICE PRINCIPAL

PAUL LITHERLAND - CYBER SAFETY AND INTERNET AWARENESS PRESENTATIONS

During Term 2, Mr Paul Litherland will deliver presentations to students in Years 7-9 and interested parents/caregivers. Mr Paul Litherland is a truly respected educator. He has been working at the coalface of the online crime scene for over 20 years. Since 2008, he has worked specifically with juvenile victims and their families and has used those experiences to develop highly informative presentations regarding the risks of the online world. He has become one of the nations most recognised and highly awarded educators in the fields of cyber safety and internet awareness, culminating in him being named the WA Finalist in the 2022 Australian of the Year. 

 

Paul's presentations will occur at the following times:

  • Parents/caregivers: 7:00pm - 8:30pmonThursday 27 April (Week 1) in the Chapel.
  • Year 9 students: during school time on Tuesday 2 May (Week 2).
  • Years 7 and 8 students: during school time on Thursday 8 June (Week 7).

In his presentations to students, Paul will cover a number of topics, including:

  • How easy it can be to find information about people online.
  • Statistics around which age groups are taking the greatest risks and how to minimise risk.
  • The top social media apps - what they are and how to use them appropriately with the least risk.
  • Digital footprint - what constitutes an appropriate footprint and how inappropriate online behaviours can impact on us at school, home and in the future.
  • Cyberbullying - the massive rise of bullying against juveniles in Australia and the legislation surrounding this offence.
  • The effect it can have on ‘victims’ and ‘offenders’ and support options.
  • Reporting options - sites where students can get assistance or advice.

In his presentations to parents/caregivers, Paul will cover a number of topics, including: 

  • His insights and knowledge working at the coalface of juvenile internet use for the past 13 years.
  • Digital citizenship - where our kids are going online, the apps they are using and the information they are sharing.
  • Online footprint - how easy it is to find kids online and what they can do to minimise their risk.
  • Social networking and networking in general - how the systems work and how to overcome their reach.
  • Sexting and sextortion - Trends, risks and up to date stats in regard to these issues.
  • Tips and tricks - how to keep an eye on your children through software and hardware. Easy instructions on what we can do to keep them safe.

While this event is free for parents to attend, seats must be reserved to attend. Information about bookings will be published in the near future.

HELPING OUR TEENAGERS COPE

I recently came across a great article that provides practical tips of how we can help our teenagers cope with stress. The article entitled 5 Essential Steps to Help Children Cope with Stress by Ashley Cullins provides useful tips of specific actions we can take as parents to help our teenagers. The statement that stood out the most to me was:

 

“We can't completely eliminate stress for our children. Plus, shielding your child from the difficulties of life won’t do them any favours. It’s far more powerful to raise a resilient child who can bounce back from hardship and challenges. Since stress is a natural part of life, your goal is to teach your child healthy strategies for coping with stress.”  - Ashley Cummins

 

You can read the article below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr Lucio Cicchini

Vice Principal