Assistant Head of Primary P-4
Harmony Day
Harmony in music is the combination of two or more notes, played simultaneously, to create a single, harmonious sound. In the artistic world, harmony is achieved through the unification of artistic elements of colour, form, shape or proportion to create a cohesive whole that is neither repetitious nor chaotic. Just like its musical and artistic counterparts, Harmony Day is a celebration of the many cultures that come together to form one peaceful community – a group of people who together, are more than the sum of their individual parts.
This year we celebrated Harmony Day in a very special way at Santa Sabina, by bringing students together from Kindergarten right through to Year 12, in House groups. These groups met in locations across the Del Monte and senior campuses and completed activities to promote communication and develop relationships across campuses and amongst students.
Living in harmony is not a new term or concept. We learn through the letters of St Peter and St Paul to early Christian communities that they lived their lives in harmony; sharing their everyday belongings, their talents and their faith. In our modern world, we recognise that living in harmony in the multicultural country of Australia enriches and enhances our lives, we recognise and appreciate the richness and depth that these cultural differences bring to our lives.
Watching the interaction between students from across campuses, between grades and from a multitude of cultural backgrounds, was a special way to celebrate Harmony Day and one that I’m sure the students will remember as one of the many special moments of their days here at Santa Sabina.
Responsible Use of Devices and eSafety
As technology becomes more integrated into our daily lives, we have an important responsibility of teaching children about the ways to use technology safely and responsibly. Understanding how to use technology safely and responsibly is explicitly taught to the students as part of their Digitech lessons and is continuously reinforced and supported within classrooms, to ensure children develop the skills and knowledge required to be responsible digital citizens at school, at home or any time they are using technology.
Students from Year 3 upwards bring their own device to school for use as a learning tool within the classroom. In order to use these devices in the classroom and connect to the College internet, students must, with their parents, read and accept the school’s expectations outlined in the Student Acceptable Use of Technology Agreement, which can be found in all student diaries.
Raising children in this digital age brings new challenges to parenting. Here are practical ways to support your child’s understanding of ways to use technology safely and responsibly, and support the work that they are doing in the classroom:
- Store and charge devices outside of children’s bedrooms.
- Switch devices off at least two hours before bedtime.
- Have children use their devices in communal areas of the home such as in the living room, lounge room so that you can oversee what your child is accessing.
- Schedule some screen-free time to spend together as a family.
- Remember that you are a role model to your children and should be mindful of how you use of technology to ensure you set a good example.
Lauren Petroni
Assistant Head of Primary P-4