Andrew Watt – Principal

Teenage addiction to Social Media

An article in the newspapers this weekend made reference to a growing number of young adults receiving treatment for “signs of addiction to smart phones, social media and online games”.

Psychiatrist Matthew Shaw observed that the advent of the smart phone has had a dramatic impact on the way that teenagers interact – or don’t interact. He views social media as only part of the reason why troubled young people withdraw from daily life, pointing to underlying issues, such as bullying.

At assembly last week, students were made aware that the chemistry in the brain when they are enjoying time online, is similar to that of substance abuse. For example, when your child enjoys multiple ‘likes’ on a post, this reward stimulus causes their brain to release dopamine – and they love the feeling dopamine gives them and want more – which results in spending more time on their devices. We apparently get so used to having our mobiles on us, that we actually start to imagine that they are vibrating and check our phones. Recent research revealed that when we are engaged in social media, our responses are much more selfish than face-to-face interactions, as we spend a significant amount time posting and thinking about ourselves.

Our students were asked to reflect on the following signs of habitual use, or addiction, to online activities:

1. Do you spend a lot of time thinking about social media or planning to use social media?
2. Do you feel urges to use social media more and more?
3. Do you use social media to forget about personal problems?
4. Do you often try to reduce use of social media without success?
5. Do you become restless or troubled if unable to use social media?
6. Do you use social media so much that it has had a negative impact on your studies?

Our students were not asked to share their responses, but parents might want to follow up on those who answered “yes” to each question! 

Responding to COVID-19

To ensure the continued health and wellbeing of our students, staff and school community, I wanted to provide you with an update in relation to COVID-19 (previously referred to as Novel Coronavirus). Even though the spread of COVID-19 appears to be slowing in China, there has been a recent surge in infections across Iran, South Korea and Italy. Cases in Australia are steadily increasing, although resulting deaths are thankfully extremely low. Concerns remain that the coronavirus will continue to spread through community transmission. Whilst there is a chance that the spread of COVID-19 can be limited, we are preparing contingency plans, to minimise the potential impact on our school community. We are receiving advice from the Association of Independent School (AIS NSW) where staff are working closely with NSW Health and the NSW Department of Education, as we assess the risks and prepare a school continuity plan. We are reviewing all our overseas trips, looking to postpone, when required. There are no plans to close the school at this time, and whilst we view this as highly unlikely, we will continue to monitor the situation closely and communicate any changes promptly.

At the moment, our parents, staff and students are advised to maintain regular hand hygiene (wash with soap and water for 20 seconds), to cover their noses and mouth when coughing and sneezing with a tissue or a flexed elbow, and to refrain from shaking hands or greeting with a kiss. The World Health Organisation recommends that face masks are only required if you are taking care of a person with suspected infection, or if you are coughing or sneezing. Information on the effectiveness of washing hands with soap and water and keeping students who exhibit seasonal colds and respiratory illnesses at home until they recover is available from NSW Health, who have provided an excellent fact sheet: Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19, which can be accessed here.

Consistent with our current guidelines, staff and students unwell with respiratory illness should remain at home until symptoms resolve. If any student becomes unwell, we will implement our infection control guidelines and follow the advice provided by the NSW Health as appropriate. 

An evening to connect

New parent, Daniella Alhadeff, with Andrew Watt

On Monday night, new parents had the opportunity to meet the School Executive team, along with our P&F Presidents and new Parent Ambassador, Samantha Butt. I received a lovely email from a new parent the following day: ”Thank you for a great evening last night. It was so nice to meet you, and some of the Emanuel team. What a lovely warm way to welcome all the new parents, and we can certainly see why our son comes home so happy every day!” What a  lovely message to inspire the week ahead.

An Emanuel student in the Australian Under 16 Cricket team

After a very successful batting effort in the recent National Cricket championships, Jonah Trope (Year 10) was selected in the Under 16 Australian side. Whilst New South Wales finished in 3^rd place, Jonah scored the most runs of any batsman in the tournament, with 286 runs, at an average of 71.5 runs per innings. His 200 not out was the stand-out performance of the tournament. We will be following Jonah’s career with great interest – and he can count on our support as he embarks on this exciting journey.

Jonah Trope batting at the National Cricket Championships

Mazal tov

• Adam Majsay (Deputy Principal, Teaching and Learning) has been invited to join the UTS Advisory Committee, led by Professor Louise McWhinnie, to develop the Graduate Certificate program in Transdisciplinary Learning.
• Hannah Beder (Class of 2012) has been awarded the coveted Harvey Norman NSW Young Woman of the Year Award. This is an exceptional achievement. 
• Year 9 student, Eden Levit, competed at the Surf Lifesaving NSW State Titles for Beach Sprint, collecting Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. We wish Eden success at the Seniors NSW State Titles in Newcastle and The Australian National Championships in Queensland in April. This talented young athlete has also been selected to compete at State Track and Field after a highly successful Regional Championship.
• Year 12 student, Miriam Itzkowitz, was selected as one of a small group, to participate in the 2020 Maimonides Scholars Program at Yale University in Connecticut, USA.
• Year 7 student, Jonathan Levy, and Year 11 student, Jade Berson, competed at the recent CDSSA swimming championships and were both awarded Swimming Age Champion for their respective age groups.
• Year 12 student, Gabriella Goodridge, won five events at the CDSSA swimming championships and broke the 50m butterfly record.

Eden Levit competing at the Surf Lifesaving NSW State Titles

Quote of the week

“Action, looks, words, steps, form the alphabet by which you may spell character.”

Johann Kaspar Lavater