iServi News | 26 June 2020 | Term 2, Week 9
eSafety
The Gram, Snap, Omegle, Tinder, Kik…
What goes on when young people access social media services and apps?
At Servite, our curriculum enables students to develop the skills required to use technology appropriately and become competent and respectful digital citizens. It is important that our students understand their rights and responsibilities online. As members of the Servite community, our students are called to make a positive impact on the world, and this includes managing a positive digital footprint.
Our programs provide students with information on what is considered appropriate behaviour and content, including dialogue (chatting), images, memes, posts and videos. We provide advice on ways for students to delete, block, remove and ignore and to reach out to someone they feel safe with if they need help.
The eSafety Commissioner (eSafety) is committed to empowering all Australians to have safer, more positive experiences online. eSafety provides resources to educate a broad range of Australians, including content designed to help young people create a positive online world and reinforce respectful and responsible online behaviour.
In support of our school programs, we ask families to discuss how you can support your child to be online in a safe, healthy and respectful way. To learn about the latest games, apps and social media, including how to protect your information and report inappropriate content, visit the eSafety guide here.
Mrs Franca Coutts
Vice Principal – Community
Character Strength Spotlight: Humour and Playfulness
When used well, Humour and Playfulness is a strength which is similar to other strengths of Transcendence, along with Honesty, Gratitude, Spirituality and Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence. These strengths are about connecting with things bigger than ourselves, and the experience of finding a sense of common humanity.
What does a focus on Humour and Playfulness look like in your world today? Can you ask the other members of your household to look out for and share funny moments, to focus on fun and play?
Suggested Humour and Playfulness activities
- Challenge your children to make you laugh: have a joke competition, or a funny face-off.
- Ask the younger people around you to draw a comic about a funny thing that has happened – you could have a go too.
- Ask older children to rewrite the words to a song to make it about something they’re experiencing, or make up a new game for the family to play together.
- Play board games. Pictionary is a great one to start with if you don’t have any in the house! It even works well in team meetings.
- Watch a funny movie, or a comedian, or listen to a funny podcast.
- Start a 3 Funny Things journal – make a list of things that were absurd or silly in your day.
- Bring some playfulness to a video chat with an interesting background or filter.
Was there something that worked particularly well for you, or have you got an idea you can share with others? We are in a unique position to be able to support our communities as we all re-calibrate and learn how to thrive in this ‘new normal’.
Podcast
The Institute of Positive Education at Geelong Grammar has produced a 24-part mini-podcast series on Character Strengths. Each episode explores one of the character strengths in order to recognise, utilise and celebrate it in our daily lives. To listen to the Humour and Playfulness podcast, click here.
Ms Cat Lamb
Consultant, Institute of Positive Education