Care, Dignity and Respect
Care, Dignity and Respect are the foundations of our college. These values speak to who we are as a community and how we treat each other. They are written into our college DNA and proudly displayed at various locations around our campus. Students are regularly reminded of our values. It is important that we are all mindful of our values in every interaction we have together.
During Secondary School assembly over the last few weeks, I have been introducing students to two mental models to help them frame our values into actionable behaviours. Unconditional positive regard is a term credited to Psychologist Carl Rogers and practicing it means accepting and respecting others as they are without judgment or evaluation. Unconditional positive regard is the cornerstone of feelings of belonging and are aligned with our values of care, dignity, and respect. I have also introduced students to the bill of rights. When faced with a challenging situation, I recommended our students remember this simple mental model - do the right thing, for the right reason, the right way, at the right time, with the right people. We have begun to unpack these two mental models to help our students to continue to espouse our values of Care, Dignity and Respect.
Mobile Phones and Screen time
You may have heard about the ongoing debate in the media regarding the potential banning of mobile phones in schools. This is a topic that has been discussed for several years and it has gained renewed attention recently due to mounting evidence regarding the negative impact mobile phones can have on student wellbeing and learning.
Proponents of banning mobile phones in schools point to evidence that mobile phones are a major distraction in the classroom, with students frequently checking their phones for notifications and messages instead of focusing on their studies.
The phrase task switching is the act of switching back and forth between different tasks or activities. For example, scrolling through social media while trying to complete work. We know that task switching has negative effects on our student’s memory and learning. When we switch between tasks, we may not fully encode the information we are trying to learn, which can make it more difficult to recall later.
At present, there is no national ban on mobile phones in schools, and the policy varies from state to state and school to school. Some schools have implemented strict policies that ban phones entirely, while others allow them but with strict guidelines around their use. Queensland has not yet implemented any state-wide bans.
At St Peters, the current policy is to allow Junior High students to bring mobile phones to school, however the phone must be kept in their locker. Senior students may have a phone on their person but must keep them turned off and out of sight during class time. However, this policy is under consideration to ensure we have student wellbeing and learning as our number one priority.
At home, you can help your child develop a positive relationship with their screens. Managing screen time is important for a child’s overall wellbeing and development, both physically and mentally. It is important for children to establish healthy habits and boundaries around screen time use from the moment they are handed any electronic device. Developing healthy screen use habits will ensure your child also has plenty of time for other activities such as playing, reading, spending time with family and friends and participating in physical activities. There are both benefits and drawbacks to screen time, learning how to make good decisions about when and how much to use their devices will help children find the right balance. For more information on how to talk to your teen about their online life click here.
For tips and more information about this important topic, please visit our School TV dedicated site here. Specifically, there are some excellent videos with Q & A, for example, How can parents help? How much screen time is okay?
Dominic Piacun
Head of Secondary Years
