Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care

Social Media Ban

As parents may be aware from media coverage, new legislation coming into effect later this year means that young people under the age of 16 will no longer be able to lawfully hold accounts for social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat. This new legislation will have implications for digital supervision of students at school and will be factored into the Electronic devices policy review families were advised of in our previous newsletter. Advice from the eSafety Commission for how families can prepare themselves for the ban has been released this week and can be accessed via THIS LINK.

A key recommendation from the eSafety Commissioner is that young people do not have their mobile phones or other devices in their bedrooms overnight. Close proximity of a device is proven to negatively impact sleep and escalate anxious thoughts for young people. At SJRC, we completed a student wellbeing survey completed by students in Years 7 - 11. 67% of our students reported that their phone is in their room when they go to sleep at night. 42% of students reported having a technology curfew in place. If you are seeking guidance on how to manage and supervise your child’s social media use, please start with the eSafety Commissioner online resources for parents.

Did you know that your child can access a locker at school to store their equipment during the day? We currently have 220 empty lockers available for student use. Please contact the College Office or ask your child to see office staff if they would like to organise a locker.

Student Wellbeing

This week during our assembly timeslot, all students participated in the Kids Helpline World’s Biggest Anti-Bullying lesson. We encourage you to discuss the content of this lesson with your child and revisit support-seeking strategies should they experience bullying in real life or online. At shool, students are encouraged to speak with their Leader of Student Wellbeing or any other staff member if they are aware of harassing or bullying interactions between students.

Mrs Jennifer Furney
Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care