CYBER SAFETY PRESENTATION

In week 1 of Term 4, Constable Simon Jones met with all students from grades 5 to 8. Simon is an early intervention Police Officer and spends a great deal of his time following up inappropriate online behaviour directed at teenagers. Given that the students will have this information fresh in their minds, we encourage parents to discuss the presentation with them in relation to their online safety.

Some of the key points raised in the presentation:

• Simon told all Grades 5 and 6 students that their parents should have their
  passwords for all online accounts
• In relation to youtube, Simon told the Grade 5s and 6s that they should either be using kids youtube or their parents should change the settings to restrict content. Unlike other streaming apps, youtube does not have ratings on their videos, making it hard for young people to know if the video they are about to watch has explicit content.
• Simon discussed safe passwords and usernames. He suggested that passwords
  should actually be short phrases. For example ‘RichmondPremiers2019’ is much
  safer than a password of ‘Richmond’. Usernames should not have full names or
  personal details. For example, ‘JaneSmith09’ is a dangerous username as it shares both first and last name as well as the year of birth, a safer alternative would be ‘JaneS’.
• Simon explained why all online accounts should be set to private.
• Simon discussed gaming, stressing how important it is not to talk to people you don’t know. Simon explained how many young people on games like fortnite or Roblox are befriending people they have only met online.
• Where possible, we encourage all parents to ensure that whatever devices your
  young people are using, it happens in a family space or with the bedroom door open.
• Students were encouraged to research with their parents ‘the dangers of tic toc’ on google.
• The Grade 7 and 8 students were given examples of other young people being asked for inappropriate images. Simon explained that boyfriends or girlfriends often nag for these images and once a young person sends an image, they are often threatened that if they do not take photos showing more, the first image will be shared on social media. Simon encouraged all students to contact the police as soon as that threat is made. It is much harder to intervene after an image has been shared. He also strongly advised students not to ask for or send inappropriate images as doing so may be a criminal offence.
• Parents are encouraged to check the setting on their children’s snapchat accounts. Many young people have their ‘snapmap’ set to public so that any of their followers can see where they are at any time. It is possible to restrict this map so that only selected people can see where they are.

We hope that this cybersafety information provides you and your children with important advice which is designed to ensure that your children are safe in an online environment.

For further information and support in relation to online safety please access the safety website at www.esafety.gov.au 

Joanna Orchard
College Counsellor

GRADE 7 RELIGION

This term in Religion, Grade 7 students are studying Judaism. The unit on Judaism recognises the important, close relationship between Judaism and Christianity through our common heritage of the prophets. Jesus Christ himself was an exemplary Jew, and the study of his religion allows us to better understand the context in which he taught and thus gain a stronger understanding of the scripture. 

Students will gain knowledge of who the Jewish are and where they live in the world and in Australia. They will understand the core beliefs and practices of Judaism and be able to identify similarities and differences in Jewish life. 

In the pictures, you can see some of the materials the Grade 7's will be examining as part of this unit. For example, pictured is a blue skullcap known as a Kippah, which is worn as a sign of respect for God. Also pictured is a Shofar made from Ram's horn, that is blown like a trumpet and used on important Jewish religious occasions. It should be a great Term for our Grade 7 students in Religious Education.

GRADE 7 PHOTOGRAPHY

In term 4 students are learning about the process of creating stop motion animations.  They have explored the techniques of some famous animators and are beginning to create their own animation using the techniques they have learned

GRADE 8 ART

GRADE 9/10 EXTENDED SCIENCE

Students in Grade 9/10 Extended Science have started the term by investigating the physics behind bows and arrows.  Students competed in a stem challenge which required them to construct a bow and arrow out of limited equipment.  They were then judged on the accuracy and distance their arrow would travel.