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Dear Parents and Carers
Lots of activity happening at this time of the year with Parent Teacher Meetings, Year 6 Winter Sport, SSV Soccer, Susan McLean Cyber Safety Workshops, Athletics Carnival, Year 5 Excursion and 100 Days of Foundation just in the last week alone.
Events like these require lots of planning and support from families. Thank you to our staff who put in the extra to make these events possible and to the families who volunteer and attend the events. It was wonderful to have so many parents take the time to meet with their children's teachers to discuss their progress so far this year. And also attend the Parent Workshop with Cyber Safety Expert Susan McLean, she provided so very valuable information for all.
Road Safety
We have been asked by the crossing supervisors to remind students to make sure they wait for the school crossing supervisors to blow their whistles before walking in front of the stopped vehicles. At the Princes Hwy Crossing some are walking past the school crossing supervisors before the green signal is illuminated. It is also advisable that they cross where the school crossing supervisors are, instead of on the opposite side of the intersection, for their own safety.
We also remind you to ensure the pedestrian crossings are used with the school grounds and vehicles travelk at a safe speed.
The Catholic church calendar is currently in Ordinary Time. This means, we see the colour green used on the altar at Mass and also in our learning group prayer spaces.
This weekend the first reading is taken from the Book of Exodus and the second reading is from the Book of the Ephesians. The Gospel is taken from John. We see, through these readings, a message that God provides for us through his presence in our lives. Through our faith and with our faith, we can choose to focus on our relationship with God in order to have the strength to ensure problems do not become overwhelming. While God can not free us from our problems, we can find strength and love from God to endure or overcome those problems.
Take some time to read the children’s version of this week’s Gospel and see what messages you can learn and take with you for the following week:
John 6:24-29
They saw that Jesus and his disciples had left. Then they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus. They found him on the west side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you for certain that you are not looking for me because you saw the miracles,[a] but because you ate all the food you wanted. Don't work for food that spoils. Work for food that gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give you this food, because God the Father has given him the right to do so.”
“What exactly does God want us to do?” the people asked.
Jesus answered, “God wants you to have faith in the one he sent.”
Source: Bible Gateway www.biblegateway.com
DIVISION SOCCER
Last Friday the Year 6 boys soccer team travelled to Pakenham for the School Sport Victoria Division Championships. The team had qualified for this event by winning the District Championship against seven other schools in Term 2. Our first game was up against Lang Lang and after a tight first half, our boys pulled away in the second half to win 5-0. Pakenham Lakeside then played Lang Lang and also won 5-0 so it came down to a winner takes all match-up in the final game between St.Clare’s and Pakenham Lakeside. It was an extremely tight match up and despite our boys creating some good chances, the game was still locked at 0-0 at the final whistle. This meant that it would take a penalty shootout to decide who progressed to the Regional Championships in August.
After falling behind early in the shootout, the boys recovered and showed true grit to win the shootout and progress to the next round in dramatic fashion. They are now into the final 64 teams in all of Victoria. We will play in an eight team tournament at Casey Fields on August 21st with the winner progressing to the final 8 and the State Championships.
Good luck to Kai, Jax, Rylie, Ricky, Stefaan, Tiago, Brodie, Nixon, Dennis, Tyson, Ethan and Flynn for the next round.
CATHOLIC INTER-SCHOOL SPORT COMPETITION
FOOTBALL
Last Friday our St.Clare’s Grey football team opened their season at home against St.Patrick’s in very blustery conditions. The team performed incredibly well and played the game in the right spirit showing great determination and displaying fair play. The final score was St.Patrick’s 3.5.23 to St.Clare’s 2.1.13. We are already looking forward to our game against St.James this Friday while St.Clare’s Maroon will travel to St.Catherine’s Grey.
NETBALL
For a first game netball grey played a great game. There was improvement every quarter and a great team spirit. The result of 8 goals to St. Patrick's and 4 goals to us, at the end of the game, didn't reflect the hard work and determination shown by all players.
NEWCOMB
Newcomb Grey played 2 games. Unfortunately, they lost both games. The team tried hard and never lost their team spirit. The students were very supportive of each other and took their defeat well.
Game 1: 25-5
Game 2: 25-13
REMINDER - for those wishing to attend and watch AFL at St Clare's you must enter and sign in through St Clare's - DO NOT enter via St Francis.
SCHOOL FEES
LATE ARRIVAL AND EARLY DEPARTURE
Students arriving after 9am must be sigend in at the school office so should be accompanied by an adult/carers who can do so.
Likewise students being collected early must be signed out via PAM or at the school office prior to be collected by a parent. Only parents are able to collect students early - please provide the school with details if someone other than a parent will be collecting them during the school day.
Collection during the lunch break - 1.30pm to 2.10pm can be difficult. Therefore if necessay to collect students early we ask they you do so either before 1.30pm or after 2.10pm.
We remind you that every minute absent from class adds up and does impact learning time.
REPORTING AN ABSENCE
To report your child's absence please do so via PAM, email absent@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au or call 5940 6777
Here is the link for the St Clare's Parent Access Module (PAM)
St Clare's PAM
You username is the email address that you have registered with the school. The first time you log in we ask that you use the forgotten password feature to set your own password.
ALL parents must access PAM to receive up to date information and grant necessary permissions. Students will miss out on events if permission is not granted.
Social Media and staying safe online
This week we have been privileged to have Susam McLean, an Australian expert in the area of Cyber safety, present to students, staff and parents about Cyber Safety. Susan was a member of the Victorian Police for 27 years and was the first Victorian Police Officer appointed to a position involving Cyber safety and Young people.
In her presentation, Susan discussed with the students the importance of: Keeping Safe in the Cyberspace, Cyberbully, Online Predators and How to look after Myself Online.
Susan discussed the concerns of Social Media with the students and how these 13+ platforms can cause unnecessary stress on our children which could develop into mental health concerns.
This week's SchoolTV focuses on Social Media and how to support parents and carers in this forever changing digital world.
For Susan McLean information please visit: Cyber Safety Solutions https://www.cybersafetysolutions.com.au/
For Cyber Safety information and reporting please visit: E Safety Commissioner - https://www.esafety.gov.au/
For Mental Health information please visit: Be You/ Beyond Blue https://beyou.edu.au/
In this edition of SchoolTV - Social Media & Digital Reputation
Social media has become such an integral part of a teenager’s life. However, many miss out on some critical social skills with most communicating whilst looking at a screen instead of another person! Statistics show that 60 per cent of 10-11 year olds are using at least one social media site, with the majority using age-restricted platforms. What kids do, post and say online is permanent and most are not mature enough to manage their own digital footprint. Friendships, relationships and even future job prospects are all put at risk.
Parents need to be aware of what picture their children are painting of themselves online. Unfortunately, many parents do not see the dangers inherent of these sites, as they form opinions based on their own experience. But predators are usually not interested in grooming adults. Over the years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of primary schoolers owning mobile phones, highlighting the importance to teach kids about the dangers of social media and the implications it can have.
In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn how to talk to their children about the inherent dangers of social media and how to educate their kids to be responsible users in the online world we live in.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback.
Here is the link to the Social Media & Digital Reputation edition of SchoolTV
https://stclaresofficer.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/social-media-and-digital-reputation
Liz Hunt
Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader
How to Help Kids Stay Safe Online
Adapted from: https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/blog Office of the eSafety Commissioner
- Start the chat
It’s not possible to be at your child’s side every second of the day, so it’s important to talk with them about online safety issues to help develop their critical thinking and ability to make good choices. It’s also good to let them know they can come to you for help if they have any concerns. You may feel they know more about the latest technology than you do, but you have more life experience to guide them.
- With primary school aged children use online devices in the open living spaces at home to make parent supervision part of the expectation for your child.
- Take the opportunity to set some boundaries around when and where they can use devices like tablets, smart TVs and gaming consoles, to help limit potential tech tantrums — you could even fill in an Early Years Family Tech Agreement
- Screen free time before bed is important for good sleep. Consider charging devices in a central location at a regular time each night to allow an hour screen free before bed.
- While you are all at home more, it’s a great time to co-view and co-play with your kids, so you can understand what they are doing and experiencing online.
- Learn about the games, apps, social media and platforms they are using at The eSafety Guide, including how to protect their information and report inappropriate content or conduct.
- Use parental controls and safe search options
Parental controls can help block your child from accessing specific websites, apps or functions. They can also monitor your child’s use of connected devices and set time limits. But beware! You cannot always rely on them — they should be used in combination with other online safety strategies.
- Parental controls are available on most tablets, smartphones, computers, TVs and gaming consoles.
- You can also download family safety controls or buy robust filters out of the box.
- You can set up child-friendly search engines, or select safe search settings on digital devices, to help prevent your child from stumbling across inappropriate sites and content.
- Check smart toy settings
It’s surprising how many toys or devices can connect online these days, from drones and smart teddies to tablets and wearables. While they can be both entertaining and educational, they can reveal your child’s personal details and location — and allow other people to contact them without you knowing. You can help keep them stay safe by:
- setting strong passwords
- turning off location settings
- limiting the amount of personal information shared.
The eSafety Gift Guide has advice on what to check for and how to stay safe.
- Look out for unwanted contact and grooming
Unwanted contact is any communication that makes your child feel uncomfortable or unsafe, even if they initially welcomed the contact. It can come from a stranger, an online ‘friend’ or even someone they actually know. At worst, it can involve ‘grooming’ — building a relationship with the child in order to sexually abuse them.
You can help by:
- making sure their accounts are private — including chat functions on games
- encouraging them to delete requests from strangers and any contacts they don’t know in person
- checking in with your child as they use online devices in the open living spaces at home
- reporting and blocking anyone suspicious on a website or service
- remembering that if suspicious online contacts become aggressive or threatening you should contact your local police.
- Know the signs of cyberbullying
Kids who are bored by long periods at home can pick at each other, and that happens online too. So it’s important to keep an eye out for cyberbullying. It can include mean posts, comments and messages, as well as being left out of online group activities like gaming.
- Remember, when they are away from school, kids have less access to their usual support systems, including friends, teachers and counsellors.
- eSafety research shows that girls are more likely to be affected than boys and the person doing the bullying is generally someone they know from school.
- Watch out for signs such as your child appearing upset after using their mobile, tablet or computer, being unusually secretive about their online activities or becoming withdrawn.
- Cyberbullying can make social isolation worse and the longer it continues, the more stressed kids can become, impacting on their emotional and physical wellbeing.
What to do if your child is being cyberbullied
As parents, our first instinct may be to ban our children from social media, disable the wi-fi or turn off the data access. But this can actually compound the problem, making your child feel as if they’re being punished and heightening their sense of social exclusion.
There are four simple steps that can help minimise the harm:
- report the cyberbullying to the social media service where it is occurring
- collect evidence of the cyberbullying material
- if the material is still public 48 hours later, make a report to eSafety — we work with social media platforms to have the harmful content removed.
block the offending user.