Term 3 Week 6
Mr Micheal Grogan
Welcome to our week 6 newsletter. It has been a great past two weeks here at BCSS. The Art show was a great way to celebrate our students and their skills. I would like to thank and acknowledge all who supported the night in any way.
We have had lots of positive feedback on the event and can’t wait for the next one in two years time.
At the time of writing this article we had sold all our whole class art pieces and were just over halfway to our goal of selling 80%of our individual student art pieces. As an additional motivator the P&C have decided to provide a special prize to the year level that sells the highest percentage of individual pieces.
I would like to especially acknowledge those that gave generously on the night to support our school and our students. Every dollar raised at P&C events goes straight back into the school. Over the past few years our P&C has contributed $100,000 to playground and oval upgrades, $50,000 to purchase additional iPads and more importantly, our P&C executive and volunteers have contributed countless hours of their most valuable commodity, their time, to support our school and students at such events.
This year’s Art Show profits will go towards getting our tuckshop up and running ensuring we have the right equipment and people to make it an ongoing success. IF you are yet to do so, there is still some time to purchase your child’s art and contribute to the amazing work our P&C does to support all of our students.
Can I also acknowledge Mark Davis, who purchased the didgeridoo donated by Rhan Hooper for $700 and then donated it back to our school and the family who made a $1000 donation to support the event. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Farewell Fanny
It is with much sadness we announce that our admin and enrolment officer, Fanny will be leaving our school. Fanny has accepted a position at Busy Schools in Fortitude Valley. Fanny has been a warm and welcoming introduction to our school community for new parents and students the past few years and will be sorely missed.
I wish Fanny all the best for her next adventure.
Dress Code
Attached to this newsletter is a draft of our updated student dress code. This will be voted on for implementation at our next P&C meeting. If you have any suggestions or feedback, I encourage you to email myself (principal@brisbanecentralss.eq.edu.au) or the P&C (pandc@brisbanecentralss.eq.edu.au). Once the P&C endorses the dress coe we will begin working with all in our school community to support students and families to comply with the updated dress code. There is normally a six month phase in period for new dress codes to provide families time to make the required adjustments (if any).
School Vision
Our school has been working to re-write our school vision this year. We are now at the draft stage and will be sending a copy out in the coming week or community consultation. I encourage you to keep an eye out for that. The vision will guide our work for the next four years and your input is appreciated and valued.
Mr Nick Dargusch / Deputy Principal
Do you know what your child is accessing online?
In today’s world, we rely heavily on technology. Our work, leisure, travel, all forms of communication, just about everywhere we turn we encounter a pocket-sized device that provides us with access to an over-load of information that is often unfathomable to the human brain. For our young children, this provides all sorts of complexities, especially as their young-impressionable identities and neural pathways are still being developed. It is us as parents who need to model appropriate use of online behaviour, in addition to ensuring that we are aware of what our young-ones are accessing. Whilst students using a device can provide many benefits, there are many Apps/platforms that can exploit and expose our young people to a range of inappropriate images, language and behaviours that can go unnoticed. A new range of skills are required of our young people to ensure that they have the awareness and confidence to report, call-out and obtain from such anti-social behaviour.
Provided below are a range of resources to assist families in developing a structured and agreed upon approach to technology use at home.
A family tech agreement is a set of rules about how devices, like smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs and gaming consoles are used in your home. Creating a family agreement together can help you to have a smoother time with technology in your child's late primary and early secondary school years. Templates and discussion points are available from the link below to assist you in developing a plan that all can agree on.
Technology Setting and Parent Controls: https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/find-advice/technology-settings-and-parental-controls
For more information and resources: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
What you need to know is a website dedicated to preventing online child sexual exploitation. Our tops tips are drawn from key advice areas including building safe online habits, technology settings and getting help.
These tips apply to parents and carers of children and young people of all ages.
Advice for parents and carers
Have open conversations, often
The most important tip we can give you is to start talking to your child regularly about their online activities and interactions.
Supervision is essential
This means knowing what your child is doing online, who they are interacting with and what platforms, apps or games they are using.
Be approachable if your child needs help
Coming forward isn’t always easy and your child may feel reluctant to tell you about online issues if they believe they will be punished or have their devices taken away. This also makes children more secretive about device use and at greater risk of exploitation.
Check privacy settings
We recommended that you research and understand app settings, including privacy settings. This could include turning off location settings, setting profiles to private, or turning off chat functions.
Know how to report
If something goes wrong online, it is critical your child is supported. You need to know how to take action and report.
Source: https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/find-advice/our-top-five-tips
Cyberbullying is another problematic concern of many parents. Bullying online, or ‘cyberbullying’, is similar to offline bullying. Both happen when someone causes mental harm to another person who feels unable to stop it happening, which can also lead to physical suffering. Often cyberbullying is linked to bullying that’s happening offline – for example, a fight at school or in a friend group can spill over onto social media or messaging apps.
Cyberbullying can be very harmful for a number of reasons:
- It can happen at any time and follow the targeted person to any place where they have a digital device.
- If the bullying content has been shared on a public platform such as social media, it can be seen and spread by lots of people very quickly.
- If the content is not removed, it can last online for years, affecting the reputation or ‘digital footprint’ of the person who is bullied.
More information for Parents can be located at: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/cyberbullying
If you have concerns, or are seeking more information to support you and your family to ensure that the appropriate use of technology is taught and modelled, please use the available resources that are out there. This is a new and evolving form of parenting many of us have never encountered. You are not alone, so please seek assistance to help you on this parenting journey.
In the classroom
Over the past week teachers have engaged in conversations regarding their Annual Professional Development Plans, which outlines their growth and improvement in their teaching journey. Throughout these conversations, many successes were highlighted with one in particular that caught my eye and I thought was worth sharing. Year 6 Red recently completed a collaborative feature article, providing the evidence around sleep for teenagers. Thanks to Ms Mc Vean and the 6 Red team for sharing such a relevant topic supported with evidence from some key primary sources.
Teenage Sleep
The debate on set bedtimes vs no set bedtimes is a common discussion topic. This article will introduce both perspectives. Some people believe that set bed times lead to less fatigue, better concentration and more energy in teens. On the other hand, some people believe that no set bedtimes promote freedom, responsibility and allows teens to train for future life.
Setting a bedtime promotes less fatigue and has more schooling benefits. The Victoria Health Government has shown that the average teenager needs 8-10 hours of sleep to feel energised in the morning. Sleeping 8-10hours means less fatigue. The American academy of paediatrics shows that 20-30% of high school students fall asleep in class due to sleep deprivation. Setting a bedtime prevents sleep deprivation, resulting in less fatigue in students’ everyday lives.
Having a set bedtime has a benefit of giving better concentration. According to sleepfoundation.org and others, research indicates that sleep gives better concentration and focus, which benefits teenagers studies and their ability to perform well in school. Statistics show that having short sleep duration results in depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety can lead to issues with concentration. Setting a bedtime has an outcome of having a longer duration of sleep, which leads to better concentration, leading again to better focus and the memory to retain and recall.
Parents should set bedtimes because it can give teens more energy. According to sleepfoundation.org, if you set a bedtime then you can enjoy yourself and have fun with friends because you have more energy. Teens need more energy because they are in a time of physical and emotional growth. Set bedtimes enhance your ability to get your work done when you get enough energy. If you don’t go to bed when you’re supposed to then the risks are higher of falling asleep in class or being late for school.
Teens not having a bedtime gives them freedom to do other things such as; homework, sport, chores etc. They are more likely to have better health, become happier, and have better social relationships. It’s a plus! This is the way that freedom will be created in teens and older children. Parents want strong, independent, smart, and responsible children, right?
Not having a set bedtime promotes better responsibility in teens. Studies concluded that children with unset bedtimes will adapt and learn to realise a responsible bedtime, to then wake up at a reasonable time in the morning. This shows that school age children need to set their own bedtime to create healthy sleeping habits and to have time for school work, promoting responsibility. Further research recommends that upper primary and high school students are old enough to make their own decisions when going to bed. This shows that giving children/teens a set bedtime does not benefit them as much as giving them responsibility.
Having freedom at your bedtime has its benefits, one of them being training for your future life. Research from Victorian University has proven that when you are turning from a child to a teen you sleep later than normal. Instead of your parents choosing an early bedtime, you can use the time you are awake for other important things like school homework. When you are in adulthood, you need you need to set your own bedtime because your parents will not be there to remind you to go to sleep.
To conclude, the perspectives in this article display the pros and cons of whether to set bed times for teens. What do you think about this highly debatable topic?
Playgroup
Supporting Your Child’s Transition Into School
Starting school can be an exciting but anxious time for you and your child. For some children it may be the first time that they have been away from their parents. They may be going into a strange environment with unfamiliar people and things around them. There are some simple steps you can take to help make your child’s time at school more enjoyable and relaxed.
Encourage your child to be independent by helping them get used to:
- putting on and doing up his or her shoes
- opening lunchboxes, wrapping and unwrapping school lunches and drinking from drink bottles
- caring for and putting away play things
- going to the toilet independently
- following instructions to stay safe
- carrying his or her own bag
- identifying his or her own belongings.