Curriculum Corner - Renata Powell
The current situation with the CoVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we do things. For some, initially, this caused panic, and understandably so. Never have we lived through such a time, such an experience. From the beginning there was ‘Breaking News’ nearly every hour and life as we knew it stopped. Phrases such as ‘self-isolation’, ‘social distancing’ and ‘essential worker’ became part of our everyday vocabulary. At home, your children may have been asking, “Are we going to survive?”, “Are we safe?” or “Why can’t I go to school?”. Questions like these may have been difficult to answer because you were unsure of how much information you should give your child. This is understandable! We know children are so intuitive. They are perceptive to their environment and indirectly pick up so much information. Now, more than ever, the strength of our relationships has helped us along. Parents, extended family members and teachers have had to reassure children that we’re all in this together and that we will get through it. During this time, we’re drawing on the foundations of love and trust present. As we journey through this time let’s continue to help our children feel safe whilst still understanding what is happening. Below are some points that may be useful when communicating with your child:
- Stay with the facts. Be truthful and talk to your children.
- Be careful with the news media. You will be surprised with what children hear and retain from the media.
- Practise good hygiene. Continue to encourage your children to wash their hands with soap and water frequently.
- Don’t pass on your fear. Research from the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic showed children’s fear of the disease was significantly related to their parents’ fear of the disease. So even if you feel stressed, you need to make sure you don’t pass on this fear to your children. Show them you are calm. Don’t be a carrier for fear.
- Keep on living. Continue routine as much as possible. Enjoy family time together.
- Work together.
Be kind to others and practise mindfulness with your children. These activities remind us to stay in the present and can help alleviate any feelings of worry and anxiety. A great app for this is Smiling Minds. Visit their website here
Online Safety
This time has forced our students to work online. Greater reliance on devices has been unavoidable, especially for our older students. For all, including staff, this has been a whole new learning experience. With children being online more often now, it is a timely reminder of online safety. The safety of our students online is everyone’s responsibility. This includes parents, teachers and the child themselves. We know that cyber safety lessons are explicitly taught at the beginning of each term by our Teacher Librarian, Dee Milgate. Lessons continue in class as teachers remind students of the importance of always keeping our passwords secure, of using an alias where appropriate or how to keep away from cyber bullying or reach out for support if necessary. At St Joseph’s we have clear expectations of online behaviour communicated through our Cyber Safety Code of Conduct.
If you would like to know how you can support your child at home then the eSafety Commissioner website is an excellent resource. This resource provides support with topics such as:
- Time spent online
- Unwanted contact and grooming
- Cyber bullying
- Sending inappropriate messages or pictures
There are also resources that could be used when having a conversation with your child. Some of the topics include:
- Someone is being mean to me online
- How to get the most out of gaming
- I saw something online that I didn’t like
- Things to watch out for online with friends
The website can be found here
Here in our Maitland Newcastle Diocese the Office of Safeguarding have also complied a number of resources to support online safety. These too are very practical resources that support parents in their own knowledge and understanding, as well as providing age appropriate resources for their children. These links can be found below.