Dear SMPPS families

Hoping everyone is well and ready for a short week of school next week!

RAINY THURSDAY!

Despite the torrential rain yesterday, there was a heroic amount of patience and support – we were very glad Parks Victoria allowed us to modify arrangements for the AGP as this drop zone made the world of difference. We wish we could keep it! A special and massive thank you to all the volunteer umbrella-carrying parents who ferried other children to classrooms so cars could drive on and keep our kiss and drop zone moving! Another demonstration of the SMPPS community spirit. Students spent a fun morning steaming and drying off wet shoes and socks!

EVACUATION DRILL

Today we had an emergency evacuation drill, it will be great to debrief with your child/ren so they understand the importance of practising evacuations and to help them internalise the routine in the event of a real emergency.

EXCURSIONS

Our whole-school excursions are approaching (next Thursday), these can be exciting for some children and nerve wracking for others. Teachers will have shared the plans with students, have a chat at home about these and help soothe any worries. Check timings and the route to your drop off location – traffic and timing may be unpredictable. Don’t forget some year levels will be meeting off-site!

CYBER-SAFETY

Many children engage in multiple online platforms on devices at home. Whilst we are great at ensuring children are either not on social media platforms or have protective privacy settings, there are many platforms less familiar to adults that often may appear as a simple game, yet contain functions that could expose young people to significant risks.

Some general tips to ensure your children are protected:

Stick to age guidelines for social media platforms and keep your own social media settings on private
Do not use their photos as avatars/profile pictures
Do not allow them to ‘add’ or ‘accept’ anyone they do not know in real life and to check friends’ usernames/handles in person before adding them
Discuss how people can fake their identities (name, age, gender, interests)
Better still, do not use platforms that allow strangers to request an ‘add’ or vice versa
Ensure you understand the platform, how it works and the privacy settings
Consider your child not using headphones so you know what is being said to them (a hard one I know when it’s noisy!)
Vet their friends list regularly – (how do you know this person? How do you know it’s really them?)
Vet the apps on the device regularly – some can be hidden!
Have all their login details and explain why
Discuss what to do if something makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe:
- TELL YOU IMMEDIATELY – respond calmly to ensure they feel safe telling you exactly what happened
- Screenshot
- Block
- Delete
- Update privacy settings or discontinue use

Want more?

Trish Wan

Assistant Principal

THE SIGNAL

Newsletter 03 | Friday 2 March

Issue 4 · 24 Mar 2023

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