Meghan Carroll – Acting Deputy Head of Primary

Battle Royale: Screen time vs Real-time

As I plunged out of the battle bus I flew through the air using my glider landing gracefully in one of the largest drop zones, Retail Row. I started to loot up, accessing a few chests and building materials before starting my journey inside the bubble. I began my battle to be number one (for the 34th time…in the same sitting).

It was about midway through August when I decided that it was finally time to join the 125 million worldwide players to explore the fascinating and alluring game that is known as Fortnite. I quickly began to understand how this game can hold you hostage causing players to lose themselves in the storm.

I grew up with some exposure to video games, playing Mario Brothers on my cousin’s 8-bit handheld Nintendo Game Boy console and buying my first and only home console Sega Genesis collecting gold rings and racing through levels using the spin dash move in the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog game. When I was a kid, online worlds, leveling up and in-game currencies didn’t exist. Video games were a secondary means of entertainment, often dusted off on a rainy (or snowy) day or when friends gathered.

Nowadays many children (and adults) use video games and online worlds to socialise and escape from reality. Games like Fortnite have a magnetic recipe that keeps their players fixated and wanting more. It’s a game that requires very little skill, using single and team player options, the idea of survival and popular culture dances to create a fantasy realm with cartoon-like depictions of violence and a last man standing mentality.

With many children glued to screens, parenting is more challenging than ever. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that:

“Media should work for you & work within your family values and parenting style. When media is used thoughtfully & appropriately, media can enhance daily life. But when used inappropriately or without thought, media can displace many important activities such as face-to-face interaction, family-time, outdoor-play, exercise, unplugged downtime & sleep.”

The AAP suggest creating a Media Plan which helps parents and users to think more about what they want the purpose of media to be and create media goals and rules. If you are interested in this tool feel free to access it here: http://bit.ly/2CZSnXd

The Children’s Hospital at Westmead has produced an excellent fact sheet that can be found here: http://bit.ly/2Qw4QVn. In summary they suggest the following guidelines:

• Eight-twelve hours of sleep and one hour of exercise should always take priority over screen time.
• Set screen time guidelines for your family and involve older children in the decision making.
• Screen time is not recommended for children under two years old.
• Monitor the use of screens, keeping in mind the recommended maximum per day is two hours.
• Consider turning off the TV and other devices during meals.
• Keep TVs and screens out of bedrooms.
• Be a role model for your kids by being active and limiting your own use of screens.

So rather than spending your time in the lobby waiting, I encourage you to take a proactive approach by making yourself more aware of your child’s screen time, game play and online social interactions; teaching your child to be mindful of screen time and their behaviour online and using teachable moments to help your child better understand the digital world.

Year 6 and Project Heritage

The Year 6 students proudly showcased their learning on Friday during the Project Heritage event. After interviewing their Living Historians, the children prepared biographies, poems and a range of activities to form the basis of their presentations special tributes to the Historians. They gained a great deal of information about world and Jewish history, values and traditions. Thank you to all of the Year 6 students, class teachers and mentors, Music, Art and Jewish Studies teachers for making this event a memorable one.

Absences and leave

All absences need to be directed to absence@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au. Below is a summary of the absence procedures.

Sick or sudden leave

If your child is sick or applying for sudden leave, please email absence@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au before 8.00 am on the day and include your child’s name, Year Group and reason for the absence. You do not need to follow up with a written note. Please state the class your child is in.

 Leaving for part of the day

If you are leaving for part of a day (such as leaving early for an appointment), please email absence@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au by at least the day before. Years K-2 are collected from their classrooms and Years 3-6 are collected from main reception in the Administration Building, upper campus. Please state the class your child is in.

Lateness

If your child is late to school, please email absence@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au with the reason for late arrival. Please state the class your child is in.

 Leave for leave five or less days

If you are applying for leave of five or less days, please email absence@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au at least one week before and include your child’s name, Year Group, dates and reason for leave request.  Please state the class your child is in.

Leave for more than five or more days

If you are applying for leave of more than five days, please email absence@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au at least two weeks before and include your child’s name, Year Group, dates and reason for leave request. You will be sent a form to complete to request long term leave from the Principal.

The Absence Line phone number is 8383 7311. Please clearly state your child’s name and what class he/she is in.