National eSmart Week - 1 – 7 September (Week 7)

National eSmart Week is back and with it comes the opportunity to showcase our commitment to cyber safety.  At St Paul’s, we aim to educate students and create a culture free from cyber bullying, with digital citizens who know how to embrace the best that technology can offer whilst being safe, respectful and responsible online.

During Week 7, all classes, Kinder through to Year Six will participate in a variety of age appropriate lessons which will help develop their digital citizen skills. This would be the perfect time for you, as parents to discuss with your child the importance of being eSmart and revise the Responsible Use of Technology Agreement (below) which you all signed at the beginning of the school year. 

Responsibilities of Students 

I agree to and accept that the following rules must be followed when using digital devices, the Internet and email at St Paul’s Catholic Primary School. 

I will: 

•  treat computers and other digital devices with care at all times 
• seek authorisation when changing device settings, deleting or uploading programs into devices 
• use the school network and school owned devices to store or share any files that are only of an educational nature 
• access only areas of the computer or network that are related to my learning 
• be ethical and responsible when accessing sites and inform my teacher if I come across material that is inappropriate 
• use the Internet or email appropriately as a responsible digital citizen 
• comment on my own and the work of others in a respectful and constructive manner 
• protect my own or other people’s personal information over the Internet, including last name, address, telephone number and email address

Responsibilities of Parents/Carers 

I will: 

• work collaboratively with the school to promote a safe learning environment for students 
• take responsibility for my child’s access and online activities at home 
• model appropriate use of technology 
• notify the school promptly about cybersafety issues 
• supervise and discuss internet content and time spent using technology to help children grow into ethical and responsible digital citizens 
• report serious out-of-school hours Cyberbullying to the Police, Internet Service Provider and the School 
• follow due process and use relevant procedures when bringing complaints and grievances to the notice of a school following the Complaints Handling Procedure  
• notify the school promptly if I don't wish for my child’s photo to be published on the Internet   

Recommended websites to visit:

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/online-safety-guide

https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/online-safety

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/net-safety.html

http://www.thinkuknow.org.au/resources/factsheets-for-parents

Top 10 Cyber Safety Tips for 2019 – For Adults and Children

1.   Care about the Share

Social media wants you to share as much as you can bear! But the share should be rare. NEVER share: passwords, private/personal information, your location.

2.   Privacy Matters

If you care about the share, you’ll protect your privacy, no matter what. Regularly check your privacy settings on social media, and always think before you post. It’s amazing where data ends up – usually all over the internet.

3.   Respect the Privacy of Others

Treat others’ privacy as you would your own. Ask for your friends’ permission before uploading photos and videos of them. It’s not all about you, amiright?

4.   Keep Everything Updated

Any idea what causes the most security breaches on the internet? Software that isn’t up-to-date. Seems crazy simple, but it’s true! Be vigilant about updating software, including apps, anti-virus and even the humble browser.

5.   Spam, Spam, Spam, Spammidy-spam

Even with the best anti-spam and malware software – that’s up-to-date – spam is the modern version of junk mail. It’s everywhere! Learn how to tell the difference between real emails and messages, and dodgy things with dodgy links. Sometimes they don’t look so dodgy...always be suspicious of hyperlinks in emails.

6.   Control the Troll Within

There be trolls out there – beware! Don’t feed them, don’t give them what they want: an angry response. Block/Report the trolls. But also: resist the inner troll. If you’re not adding something to the debate online, don’t bother. Don’t be part of the problem.

7.   Cyberbullying and Harassment

If you’re being targeted by this kind of behaviour, know what you can do, and where you can get help. Visit the National Centre Against Bullying website and the Office of the eSafety Commissioner's website.

8.   Keep Your Friends Close and Strangers at Arm’s Length

Do you know how many true friends most people have? Three. Yup, those four thousand and fifty-two Facebook ‘friends’ are a combination of acquaintances,people-you-met-once, people-you-can’t-remember-meeting-once, and probably, some ‘randoms’. They don’t need to know what you had for breakfast, or what concert you went to last night, do they?

9.   Feel the Flow – Keep Your Life in Balance 

Technology is incredible. Gaming, networking, apps…online shopping! But make sure you take time out and find the right balance for you. Too long on tech can put the world out of whack.

10. Have Fun, Friend

Always remember to chill out and keep things in perspective. There’s too much information online to take it all in! Focus on each moment, and enjoy.