From the Deputy Principal

SEQTA

When talking to parents I sometimes jokingly refer to SEQTA (our learning management system) as a brilliant way for parents to spy on their children.  What I really mean is that it is an excellent tool to access real time feedback from your child's teachers about their progress and a way to see what they are working on at this point in time.  It's a brilliant vehicle to open conversations with your children about what's going on at school.  You will find more about SEQTA on the 'From the Head of Middle School' page.  Please keep up to date with your child's progress by using SEQTA and if you require any support to access SEQTA either through the app or on your laptop, please contact our IT Team for support.

Social media safety

Yesterday I had the pleasure of adjudicating a debate which focused on the topic: Social media causes more harm than good.  It was a close contest and both sides made excellent points in the affirmative and in the negative.  It crystallized much of my thinking about the incredibly complex internal and external, seen and unseen worlds our young people navigate.  This week I've read disturbing articles about the TikTok star, Andrew Tate, and heard feedback from conversations we have been having with our students about the confronting content some of them face online and the difficult interactions they sometimes have to navigate in real life.  It can be cause for despair, or it can move us to take action and open conversations with our children, giving them the skills and equipping ourselves with the courage and knowledge to face these challenges.  Our Head of Senior School, Mrs Victoria Turnor, has more to say about this on her page in this Anchor

One issue I am hearing about more often is cyber bullying and in looking for ways to address this, I came across an article on ReachOut a website with many resources for children, young people and parents.  You can access the site here.  A small excerpt is below:

While social media offers us a place to connect and interact with others super easily, when online interactions become nasty it can make social media feel like a really unsafe place. Like any form of bullying, cyberbullying is really distressing to deal with, so it is important to know how to support your teen if it happens to them.  

Cyberbullying involves all forms of bullying that takes place online and is a common concern among young people, affecting 1 in 5 young Australians. It can look like receiving intentionally hurtful messages, spreading rumours, sending images or videos to embarrass someone, or using fake profiles to embarrass or intimidate someone. Regardless of how it is received, it is really distressing to experience. Cyberbullying is especially challenging to deal with because it can be public and seen by many, and others tend to jump on the bandwagon and join in. It can be really difficult to control and escape from.  There are a number of ways you can support your teen experiencing cyberbullying, you can read about some strategies here. 

I encourage you to access some of the very helpful resources which are curated for each stage of development as you support your children to navigate the worlds they live in. 

Employment Opportunities

We would appreciate our GSG community helping to spread the word regarding the following employment vacancies:

• Boarding Supervisors
• Bus Drivers
• Cleaners
• Boarding Tutors

The School is particularly in need of Cleaners. Our cleaning team members ensure the School and Boarding Houses are kept hygienic and presentable, contributing to the overall welcoming environment at GSG for boarders, students, staff and visitors. There is great flexibility with this role. Please see the Careers section or visit Careers at Great Southern Grammar - Cleaner (gsg.wa.edu.au) for more information and/or to apply.

Mrs Emma Franklin | Deputy Principal