Good afternoon, High School Families,
Welcome to a new week! This week’s P2 trait is “Creativity”. We had a great activity on Friday called, “Chalk the Walk”. We went outside and wrote encouraging messages in chalk all along the sidewalks of the high school. Luckily, I was able to get some pics of the messages before the rain came! Our students did a great job with the positive messaging.
It reminds me that I’m hearing from many of our staff members (teachers, custodial staff, clerical staff) about how respectful our students are being this year. Our school is cleaner, students are in class more often, and students seem to be kinder towards the staff and each other. When there is an issue, we are able to work through it with help of the respect doc.
I’d like to celebrate our overall daily attendance! As you know, our goal is to have our daily attendance at 93% or above and we have hit (or surpassed) that goal 17 times since the start of the school year! Wednesday and Thursday of this week were some of the highest days-Wednesday was 96.7% and Thursday was 95.7%! WOW!!
Our lowest days still continue to be our ½ days. I know some students feel that there is no benefit of coming to school on a ½ day, but our Positivity club is planning some great activities for those days. Please ensure that your child attends to participate in fun, community building mornings!
A reminder that our guidance department is hosting Financial Aid night on Oct 24 at 6:00 p.m. in the Warrior rooms of the library. This is a great night to learn more about FASFA, financial aid opportunities, and scholarships.
How can we make a positive difference when it comes to our children’s use of social media? Join us on Wednesday, November 1, at the Chenango Valley High School from 6:00-7:30 p.m. as the Chenango Valley Central School District hosts Clinical Psychologist Dr. Tanya Pellettiere for an informative presentation. Dr. Pellettiere will help participants understand the importance of social media limits, finding family balance, and addressing youth mental health challenges associated with social media and the internet.
The issue of social media awareness is so important. Most of the peer issues we deal with each day have a social media component. Please be aware of what your child is doing online and in chats. I hope you can join us on November 1st for this very important evening!
To “Spy” or Not? Why You Should Talk to Your Kids About Online Safety
Many children — particularly teenagers — resent any attempts to monitor or limit their use of the internet. This reaction is a factor that leads many parents to ask Google, “How can you track your kids online without them knowing?”
But for many, the risks associated with not tracking their kids online poses a greater concern than their children’s protests. The best approach is to combine monitoring with honest communication.
While many parents want to avoid the argument around device monitoring, a proactive approach can build a culture of trust around safe internet use in your home.
Here are nine tips for talking about online risks with your kids:
- Set expectations early. Before giving kids access to the internet, define the ground rules regarding usage. With clear boundaries in place from the outset, it’s easier to avoid arguments.
- Create a protocol for reporting issues. Work together as a family to set step-by-step systems for responding to different incidents. For example, if your children encounter suspicious messages or accidentally end up on an adult website, they should know exactly what to do.
- Focus on online privacy. You should emphasize the importance of internet safety. Show kids how to use privacy settings on all platforms and apps, and explain why they shouldn’t share personal information online (such as their address or school name).
- Discuss sharing photos. Predators and bullies seek out photos of their victims. You can use real examples of cyberbullying to illustrate the dangers of sharing personal photos and show kids how to restrict what others can see on online accounts.
- Play games together. By playing video games with your children, you can understand the games and bond with your kids. As you help children spot threats, you can model appropriate responses and discuss scenarios.
- Teach responsible online behavior. It’s important to ensure that your kid doesn’t become a bully. Encourage children to be kind to others online and to avoid joining in with anyone who is harassing someone online.
- Educate them about trusted apps. Prepare your kids to deal with hacking attempts by getting them to read content about malware attacks, phishing emails, caller ID spoofing, and Discord scams.
- Provide a safe space. Many kids keep problems secret from their parents because they fear getting in trouble. Make it clear that when it comes to discussing online issues and safety, they will not be judged or punished.
- Share your own experiences. If you or a friend had issues with online bullying or scams, you could use your stories to demonstrate empathy with your kids.
By discussing the reality of social media, gaming, and cybercrime, you can inform and guide your children to
spot scams and
protect their privacy. Better yet, you can build trusting relationships with them — so they’ll feel comfortable talking to you when your monitoring app alerts you to an issue.
As always, please reach out with anything you may need! Have a great rest of your weekend!
Jennifer Ostrander