Digital Technologies and your Child

The Internet can be wonderful for kids. They can use it to research school reports, communicate with teachers and other kids, and play interactive games.

As a parent/carer, are you aware of the Apps your child is using? Do they have Twitter, Snapchat, FaceBook, Discord? Many of these types of Apps are not suitable for primary aged children!

Are you aware of who they are communicating with online? Do you know the content of their posts? Is it appropriate?

Monitoring your Child's Media Use

Ref: https://kidshealth.org/

Parents should be aware of what their kids see and hear online, who they meet, and what they share about themselves. Talk with your kids, use tools to protect them, and keep an eye on their activities.

Kids have easy access to hundreds of TV stations and millions of Internet sites. They can buy or download countless video games and apps. They can stream movies on many devices and watch YouTube or TikTok videos at the swipe of a finger. And they can interact socially online with friends and strangers using social media platforms. There's a lot of media out there, and some of it might not be appropriate for your kids, depending on their age and maturity level.

The best way to monitor media that kids use is to experience the media yourself. Test apps and play games before your kids use them. View and play apps and games together. Watch what they watch so you can talk about what they see on their screens. You know your kids best, so you're the best judge of what they can handle.

Some families might choose to monitor more closely and control the media their kids watch, play, and use. There are many ways to do this.

Internet Activity

Some parents might choose to spot-check their kids’ devices every once in a while. Others might want to filter their kids' Internet use by setting up iOS and Android profiles for them on all the online devices they use (smartphones, tablets, and computers). This lets a parent restrict apps and games that kids can download and play and websites they can visit. Parents also can set time limits on Internet use.

Most big email providers, such as Google and Yahoo, let parents create child email accounts for younger kids. These accounts can forward all emails to a parent to monitor contacts and communications. Kids must be at least 13 before they can have Google or Yahoo account of their own.

Social Media

These sites usually require kids to be at least 13 before they can have their own accounts. To keep an eye on a child's social media activity, parents can set up accounts of their own and check their child's pages and activity for themselves. Many parents also insist on knowing the passwords to their kids' accounts, although some parents may consider this an invasion of privacy.

Programs and apps are available that can monitor kids’ social media accounts and alert parents to any inappropriate language or photos. Some can give detailed reports of a child's browsing history and how long the child was online and on each site. Consider your child’s age and digital behaviour when deciding whether to monitor devices. Then, if you choose to monitor, talk to them about it and explain why it's important.

No amount of monitoring can protect kids from everything. Kids can often figure out how to get around parental controls. So it’s best to encourage your child to be a responsible Internet user by being a good role model and talking to your kids about online safety.

Flying to Foundation

We are so excited to be able to again offer a 'Flying to Foundation' transition program for our new Foundation students in 2023!

At this stage we have 99 new Foundation students who will be starting their school life at Greenvale Primary School next year. We welcome these students to Greenvale Primary School. Amongst the families who already have older children at Greenvale, we also welcome many families who are new to our community.

Starting school is a major life transition for children and their families. It is a period of change that can be both challenging and exciting, in which children and families adjust to new roles, identities and expectations, new interactions and new relationships. Transition to school is not a point-in-time event, but rather an experience that starts well before, and extends far beyond, the first day of school. Many children will start school after having attended kindergarten; while others will have attended child care; while others may not have attended any formal prior-to-school service. However, all will have developed a range of skills and abilities that form the basis of positive school experiences.

A Flying to Foundation parent information session was held last week at school and extremely well attended by families. Thanks to Madeleine Jordan who is leading the organisation of this year’s ‘Flying to Foundation’ transition program with the support of the current Foundation team.

We look forward to working together with the families of our new Foundation students for 2023.

Foundation Enrolments For 2023

Do you have a child who will be a Foundation student in 2023? Have you enrolled him/ her yet? If not, please do so immediately by phoning the school office or dropping in to complete the enrolment form.

REMINDERS

Enrolments For 2023 – Are You Moving??

If you are leaving our school and will not require a place at Greenvale Primary School in 2023 can you please let the office know immediately? We will be organising class structures for 2023 shortly, so it is essential that we are informed of any students who are leaving.

World Teachers Day tomorrow!

Regards

Angelika Ireland

TheirCare