Pastoral Care at Shore
On 9 February, we had the pleasure of hosting Yasmin London from ySafe, who presented on the topic of digital wellbeing and cyber safety. The presentation covered several important topics including the potential issues with social media apps like TikTok and Snapchat and gave parents some tools and resources to help have regular conversations with the boys about their online activity. Many of these resources can be found at https://shore.onlinesafetyhub.com.au
Yasmin also emphasised the importance of setting up parental controls and monitoring student usage of devices to ensure that our boys are using technology in a safe and responsible manner. She provided valuable resources and practical tips to help parents have the more difficult conversations with our boys and help them to manage their time appropriately and safely navigate the complex online environment. There is a growing body of research that indicates there is a negative impact on young people’s ability to focus, stemming from too much screen time and online activity. Setting healthy boundaries are key to ensuring that they can develop the cognitive resources to cope with their academic demands.
As a School Community, we believe that partnering and collaborating with external experts like Yasmin is essential to ensure that we provide our boys with the best possible information and knowledge on these topics. We are committed to continuing to work with experts in various fields to provide the support and guidance the boys need to thrive. Our next expert in this series for Term 1 will be David Kobler from Your Choicez. This will be a webinar for parents on Tuesday 21 February, and he will then present to Year 9 students on Wednesday 23 February. The topic of this webinar is respectful relationships, and it will begin to engage boys on the important topic of consent. Here is the link to join the webinar on 21 February: https://bit.ly/choicezwebinar
The topic of respectful online behaviour has become ever present in our daily lives, and it is essential that we equip our boys with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate safely and resist online distractions. Yasmin and David both challenge the boys to reconsider their habits and daily use of technology, and we continue the conversation here at the School. We encourage you to also continue the conversation at home and to utilise the resources provided to help keep the boys safe, well and engaged with their learning.
In other news, our first camp for new student starts on Monday 20 February. The Year 7 Orientation Camp is an important experience for new boys to familiarise themselves and learn more about the culture here at Shore. During the camp they will interact with different staff and student leaders, including the Chaplaincy team, Housemasters, teaching staff and Prefects. They also take part in activities that focus on fostering teamwork, good character and positive communication skills that will help them during their journey here at Shore. We are eagerly anticipating our time with the new Year 7 students and look forward to next week.
If you have any concerns or questions about your son’s progress here at Shore, please reach out to one of us on the Pastoral Care team and we will be happy to assist.
Mr D Champion
Acting Deputy Head Pastoral Care