Cyber Safety and Parental Support

As part of the National Schools Chaplaincy Program, I had the opportunity to participate in a Cyber Safety presentation by the E-Safety Commission. In the process, some excellent resources were highlighted that may be useful for you and your family.

Parentline: Similar to Kids Helpline, except for parents, this is a free, anonymous counselling service that parents of children 0-18 can use for assistance and support. Their number is: 13 22 89 and they are available 8:00am – midnight, seven days a week.

Directory of Counselling and Support services: This website gives an overview of the many different organisations/ services available to assist families, individuals, adults and children https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/counselling-support-services

Parent support for e-safety: This website provides a wide range of resources including guides for parents on the ‘big issues’ including cyberbullying, time online and online gambling. They also provide free webinars for parents to participate in as well. https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

Australia is the only place in the world to have a dedicated Government agency to support e-safety. Significant funds have been invested to ensure it assists individuals and families to navigate the online world well.

Creating History

All of us will look back on 2020 with mixed feelings, and as our students have returned to school, there has been much to celebrate. It’s been wonderful to hear the sounds of students’ voices, laughter and learning on campus once again.

With our last week of school, all students have been invited to participate in an Archives project where they have contributed to year level books exploring their experiences of remote learning and what it has been like for them to live in such a changed world. We look forward to sharing some of the submissions with the broader community next term and see it as a valuable way to capture a time of great change in our school.

As we prepare to enjoy three weeks holiday, I trust that you will enjoy the opportunity to once again spend time with family and friends. In concluding the term, I leave you with our staff prayer from this week. Every blessing to you and your families.

Dear Lord

We come to you at the end of a strange and often challenging term. We celebrate the fact that many of us have been able to do what we may not have thought was possible. We celebrate the achievement of our students and the development of their resilience as they have adapted to change. We celebrate the good things that have happened. In this season of Winter may we find our own community to be a place of warmth in our lives as we share in hope and connections this week with one another. As we prepare for our holidays, may it be a time of rest and rejuvenation for us all.

Amen

Mrs Monique Riviere-Pendle

Chaplain