Year 8

Congratulations to all of Year 8 on getting through a long, busy, action-packed term. Term 1 saw students move through their academic calendar alongside events such as the House Swimming Carnival, a visit from the Queen of Tonga, Chapel Services, Senior School Assemblies and rehearsals for next term’s Opera House Concert. Students participated in Round Square seminars, battled it out in debates, dramatically prepared monologues or duologues, rehearsed their musical parts, played in netball, soccer, tennis teams and much, much more! I really do hope that all of Year 8 (and their families) take the time to reset, relax and recharge over the coming two-week break ahead of Term 2.  

This term there has also been a significant focus on student online safety and appropriate conduct. For parents, this has included a presentation sponsored by the P&F by Susan McLean, and articles by our Principal and the Head of Senior School in our weekly newsletters. For students, this has been presentations by our Director of eLearning and discussions through pastoral care programs led by Luminaries. Given this focus, I would encourage all parents and carers to take the opportunity across the upcoming break to spend time in discussion with your daughter to better understand her social media and internet use.  

We encourage you take the time to reflect on when your daughter first accessed social media platforms such as Snapchat or Instagram (both require children to be 13 to create an account), and how many group chats or message threads a student may access or engage with. This discussion could be as simple as asking these questions, or others: What does your daughter use each social media platform for? Are her accounts public or private? Does she ever feel unsafe or uncomfortable in group chats? Does she understand what supports are in place to report inappropriate conduct online? Does she understand the implications of the intended ‘social media ban’? What time in the evening does she think is an appropriate time to disconnect from her friends?

Student safety will remain a focus across Term 2, with both student and parent events added to the calendar (please keep an eye on events emails for dates). Ensuring children’s safety online and their appropriate use of technology is a collective effort and your support with this is really appreciated.

– Bridget Kovats
Head of Year 8