Dear Parents and Carers of Good Samaritan,

This week I returned to work following a period of Long Service Leave. It is great to be back at work with the staff and students of our terrific school. Sometimes it’s only when you are absent from a place that you come to really be able to reflect on the effect that it has on you. 

Last weekend was the fifth Sunday of Easter and we heard the insightful Gospel of the vine and the branches. The message that we can take from this is how we influence each other’s lives. With Mother’s day approaching this weekend many of us will be able to reflect on the influence of our mothers as an influential person in our lives - someone who gave us life, who made sacrifices for us, and who showed us unconditional love. Our mothers live in us. I know I now often hear my mother’s voice in comments or remarks that I might make. I know that I can be aware of this but I am not sure that I can avoid it, as this is what marks the connection between mother and child.

Similarly, Jesus tells the disciples that their ‘home’ is made in Him. Jesus lives in them and as such they are fulfilled and they are connected to Him. Just as we stay connected to the important people in our lives Jesus asks us to stay connected to Him. This may be through simple prayers, short reflections, playing with your children and giving thanks that you can. It is about us recognising that Jesus is within our lives every day - we just need to be aware to recognise Him in those others who are, in fact, fruit of the same vine as each one of us.

As we journey together, with Jesus  this week, let us recognise the fruit of the vine that surrounds us.

Toni Sillis

Principal

Thank You:

• My thanks is extended to Mrs Sharon Smithers for her commitment to the role of Acting Principal during my absence. Sharon, along with the support of the Leadership Team and the Office Administration staff are invaluable to the success of our school.

• Many thanks also to our P&F for the organisation of our upcoming Mother’s Day Stall on Friday. A great deal of work goes into the stall and is well worth the effort when we see the delight on students’ faces after the careful selection of their gift for Mum.

• Thank you to all  our staff and students  for their active participation in raising the  awareness of Autism last Friday and people who share their abilities whilst living with Autism. If you were unable to  see the WIN News story last week you can watch it below.

Growing Up Digital Australia 

Growing Up Digital Australia is a ground-breaking research project by the Gonski Institute for Education (UNSW) designed to change the status quo and understand how the widespread use of technology is impacting Australian children. 

As a school community it is important that we remain up to date with the latest research regarding digital technologies and the impact on the lives of students. At Good Samaritan we have school wide computer/iPad expectations which describe our school expectations and how the technology is used and managed within our daily classroom routines. Further to this we will implement a ‘Screens Down’ week every term to highlight to students that learning can take many forms and devices are not always needed to learn.

Below is a snapshot of the Phase 2 results of the Gonski research. It makes for interesting reading from a parent’s perspective.

Phase 2 Results:

A new research report by the Gonski Institute for Education reveals digital media and technologies as a great distraction in Australian family life.

More than 9 out of 10 parents think digital devices negatively distract their own lives, and 83% think their children are also negatively distracted by digital gadgets.

While parents find digital technologies useful in staying connected with their children and keeping them safe, three-quarters of parents think it is difficult to control their child’s digital habits. As many as 65% of parents also admit that negotiating the use of digital media and technologies at home causes conflicts with their children.

About a third of families allow their children to use their digital devices after bedtime every single day. Furthermore, three of five children who struggle in school regularly sleep with their digital gadgets.

Growing up digital is also becoming an equity issue. According to the study, lower-income parents and lower-achieving students, in particular, are most at risk of distraction from interactive media use.

The study is also one of the first efforts to include grandparents’ views of their own and their grandchildrens’ digital media habits. Almost four in five grandparents feel they are in control of their own digital technology use, and most would rather see their grandchildren play sports than video games.

Key Facts

• More than 4 in 5 children own at least one screen-based device that belongs to them, and children own, on average, three digital devices at home. Personal ownership of gadgets starts as young as four years old.
• Only 46% of parents felt that their child spends a day without digital technology.
• 73% of parents and grandparents think it is harder to control their child’s digital habits since getting their own screen-based device.
• 65% of parents agreed that ‘negotiating digital technologies use causes conflicts in our home’.
• 83% of parents, carers and grandparents felt that their child was negatively distracted by digital technologies.
• Half of parents said that they would welcome more support from their child’s school to help them and their child to manage digital media and technologies use at home.

If you are interested in reading the report in more detail, you can find the full report of the Phase 2 Results below.

Australian Early Development Census (AEDC)

This term Good Samaritan, along with all other Australian schools, will take part in the AEDC. This will involve Kindergarten students only. Kindergarten parents will receive further information regarding the collection of this data on Friday.