From the Assistant Principal - Wellbeing and Learning

Negative Online Behaviour

Social media is part of our society and is very accessible. Sometimes people use social media to bully and harass other students.

Recently we have seen a number of posts/stories go up on a number of different platforms. They have targeted students and teachers and other students have followed and liked the stories. Any type of harassment and bullying is unacceptable at the College.

St Andrews College will not accept negative online behaviour. If you set up a post or story that is negative and targets members of the community, there will be severe consequences.  The College will also not accept any student who follows or likes negative posts and stories. Students who are involved in negative online behaviour breach our code of expectations.

To prevent online bullying and harassment we need to work as a community. If you see negative online behaviour you need to report it as soon as possible to a teacher. It is everyone’s responsibility to keep safe online.

Making a difference to student wellbeing

There are many factors that influence a young person's wellbeing but the two that have the biggest impact are the parents and the teachers. These two groups are the ones that spend the most time with the young person and are the ones that develop learning in each young person. 

Having positive relationships with teachers is essential for their development and learning. A positive relationship with their teachers will help give the students a sense of belonging, which can lead to happier students, which promotes positive learning. Negative relationships can create anxiety and destroy a student’s confidence. It has been a little harder online to develop relationships but communicating with your teachers will strengthen the relationship.

Parents play a vital role in the development of the students. Spending time and setting boundaries with your children can increase the levels of life satisfaction in young people. Parents can help a young person manage anxiety and motivate them to do well in life. This is so important during lockdown as the parents in some cases are with the children 24/7. This puts a huge strain on the family unit.

It is essential that parents and schools work in partnership for the benefit of the child. If the home and school are working together in a common direction, the child will have a greater chance of success at school and in life. While in lockdown the partnership is essential for success while working online.

Please feel free to contact the College and any of the staff to develop a positive partnership between home and school.

What is in the planner?

Developing research skills in research is essential in learning. Having a structured process helps you to think more intelligently and will help create new brain pathways. 

An effective process involved” Defining, Locating, Selecting, Organizing, Presenting and Evaluating. 

Assertive language is important when we want to get out point of view across in a non-aggressive way. You need to be prepared to speak clearly and articulate what your message is. Tell them how you feel and what you want to happen. 

Key character strength to focus on this week is Kindness. 

God bless

Mr. Nick Thrum

Assistant Principal