Issue 15 SJC News 2021

Last week was National Child Protection Week which provided us with the opportunity to remind our students of their right to safety and protection, in our physical and online environment. We launched student designed posters (attached) across the sub schools to remind students that they have a right to feel safe and protected here in our school and that all staff have the responsibility to ensure that all young people are heard when they voice concerns about their safety. The posters contain a QR code that provides all students with details of our school policy and how to connect with lines of support.

With ongoing lockdowns, young people are turning more and more frequently to screens for connection, a sense of belonging and an escape from the tedium that can come with so much of our usual day-to-day activity curtailed. With that, we face the growing challenges of keeping them safe and guiding them through their channels of communication as they grow. Here are some words of advice from our Vic Gov eSafety Commissioner

A damning statistic provided out the recent EREA Child Safeguarding Conference indicated that there was a 122% increase in online predatory behaviour over a 3-month period in 2021. (Kirra Pendergast, founder of Safe on Social Media.) Further discussion in that forum warned against placing private detail on social media platforms that do not have adequate privacy settings. We know we as adults are cautious, but it was a timely reminder to all parents/carers that we check the settings on our young people’s devices. And yes, we DO have that right and responsibility. For those worried about TikTok it would seem for good reason. Head to the Four Corners program to see why:

As always, our best outcomes are achieved through collaborative efforts from the school and from the home. We have delivered appropriately focused Cyber Safety lessons to all year levels in Wellbeing lessons, and continue to talk through appropriate settings and behaviours as we engage with students in our Remote Learning phases. The challenges remain ahead of us, but we will remain committed to striving for a safe physical environment and a safe digital environment for our young learners.

Standbysupport ran a really healthy online session last week specifically for the SJC community called – Supporting Young People impacted by Suicide. We had over 40 parents/carers attend who would have benefited and Michael Alldis and his team are more than happy to remain connected to our community. Feel free to contact [email protected].

A reminder that Headspace is running the second of its free community webinars called - Supporting your young person’s mental health. This will be held on online on Monday 27 September 6:30pm.

How do I register?
Click here (27 Sept 2021) to register via Eventbrite, or copy the URL below into your web browser:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/...

You will receive an email confirmation from Eventbrite which will include the Zoom meeting link to access the webinar. Please note this webinar will not be recorded.
All those who register will receive a digital information pack after the webinar that includes key messages as well as links to resources and support services.