Wellbeing Corner
Welcome to Wellbeing corner
This page is a new initiative of the well-being team to share ideas to support student wellbeing and report back on the initiatives that we are running at school. The articles will be written by different members of the Wellbeing team and it is my pleasure to write the first one.
E-Safety – A Parent’s Struggle
In this first edition, I want to address an ever increasing concern in the school and that is to do with cyber safety and parental control over student device use particularly for our younger students. I have first hand experience of the tension that can be experienced when attempting to limit device use for young people at home, so I understand that this is not always an easy thing to do. I also know that when we see students either perpetrating or being the victim of cyberbullying, it is happening in the evenings and, anecdotal evidence suggests it is happening when young people are left to use their devices unmonitored. This makes it imperative that we are vigilant in how our children are using these very powerful devices in order to ensure their emotional wellbeing.
For parents, it’s essential to strike a balance between granting their children the freedom to explore the digital world while ensuring that they stay safe, focused, and engaged in other important activities. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through consistent monitoring and setting clear boundaries, particularly in the junior years of high school.
Laptop/Tablet Use
We often hear from parents that their children tell them that they need access to their laptops/tablets to complete school work. While there is truth in this, students in years 7 do not need to be using these devices for schoolwork for more than 1 hour per night. If students are working consistently on homework and assessment tasks and not leaving things till the last minute, this time will be ample for completing all their set tasks. In years 8 and 9 this increases slightly, but there is still no need for more than two hours using a device for school work per night . It is also important that where possible, this work is being conducted in a common area of the house so that there can be monitoring of safe and focused use of devices.
Smartphone Use
The decision for a student to have a smartphone is entirely up to the parents of that student. There is no requirement for students to have access to a phone for their learning. If parents have made the decision to allow a child to have a phone, it is imperative that this device is being monitored to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the child. Unsupervised smartphone use comes with risks such as cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate content, and online predators. It is particularly important in early years of device use (years 7 and 8) that these phones are monitored as students have often not yet developed the ability to always make safe and smart choices when using these devices. Furthermore, excessive screen time can negatively impact a student’s sleep, physical health, and academic performance.
There are ever-increasing concerns about students having unmonitored access to devices. While the school is working to increase our education of the students around e-safety, we want to work with parents in a combined effort to keep our students safe and happy.
For further advice, I highly recommend reading the article below and accessing these other resources:
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
Carolyn Mattick
Relieving Deputy Principal
Fort Street High School
Friendship Formula
On the 5th of May, Year 9 gathered together in the library for a wellbeing incursion hosted by Roanna Chan from the Kidman Centre. The hour-and-a-half long program had the goal of raising awareness and informing students on social skills and how to set boundaries. It was deeply insightful, and incorporated multiple interactive activities such as a roleplay where students had the opportunity to re-enact real life scenarios in which they would decide how to act upon their personal boundaries. The host, Roanna, was encouraging, entertaining, and engaging with her fun anecdotes and presentation. The experience was an overall success, with students leaving with a stronger understanding of social boundaries.
Year 9, Avivi Davidson and Kiyasha Chakrabort